Overview

F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon is a first-person shooter developed by Monolith Productions and published by Vivendi. It was released on October 18, 2005, with XBOX 360 and PS3 ports following in 2006 and 2007. An expansion pack, F.E.A.R. Extraction Point, was released by TimeGate Studios in October 2006. The second expansion, F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate, was released in November 2007. A direct sequel was announced by Monolith Productions, F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, and was released in February of 2009. A multiplayer version of the game, F.E.A.R. Combat, was released on PC August 17, 2006.

F.E.A.R. places players in charge of the Point Man -who possesses superhuman reflexes and combats an army of cloned soldiers, and at the same time uncovers the secrets of a paranormal menace in the form of a little girl- of an advanced paranormal military unit entitled "First Encounter Assault Recon" (or F.E.A.R.). The game takes place in the city of Auburn, and takes the player across a variety of locales that all fit a dark claustrophobic theme.

Plot

The story follows the F.E.A.R. Point Man as he follows his orders to track down renegade psychic Paxton Fettel. Fettel is a prototype for an Armacham defense project entitled Project Origin which aims to have a commander telepathically control a battalion of soulless Replica Soldiers. As the Point Man chases down Fettel he learns more about Project Origin, uncovering the roles played by Harlan Wade, Alma, and Genevive Aristide. The story takes the player through docks, a water treatment facility, Armacham offices, condemned buildings, and eventually the secret facility where Alma is located.

The story is told largely in-game through the player overhearing conversations between NPCs or finding information on laptops and voicemails throughout the campaign. All of the "cutscenes" are integrated in the form of hallucinations, as not to break immersion.