F.E.A.R.: First Encounter Assault Recon [X360]

Feel ready for a fright? This Monolith-developed supernatural shooter hit the streets on the PC just before Halloween last year. We loved it, calling it "the game Doom 3 should have been." So a 360 version of this PC hit ought to be thoroughly welcome -- and it is. F.E.A.R. on the 360 is every bit as good as it was on the PC, and depending on your setup, it could well be better.

Fire it up on a hefty high-definition TV, wind up the juice on your surround sound system, and prepare to be blown away. F.E.A.R.'s high-impact visuals are superb and the sound effects are even better. Gunplay is F.E.A.R.'s focus, and there's no other 360 game that captures the sound and sights of a big gun battle in such a visceral and gripping way. F.E.A.R.'s varied weapons have real punch, filling the air with smoke and the floor with spent brass and corpses -- and they're even better when viewed through the game's slow-mo mode.

Just like the PC version -- the campaigns are pretty much identical -- you'll be in for some hefty scares, too. F.E.A.R.'s plot pits you against a scary little girl, Alma, and if that doesn't sound like much of a challenge, you obviously haven't met her. She pops up from time to time out of nowhere, creating horrible hallucinations, and making F.E.A.R. easily one of the most terrifying games in recent years. That's saying nothing of her lieutenant Fettel and his army of heavily-armed goons, of course, who provide opposition of a more physical nature.

Even a year down the line, F.E.A.R.'s AI is still first rate. Enemies take cover when appropriate, flank, use grenades, and negotiate obstacles in a convincing, human-like fashion. Our main gripe with the campaign is that it's just not very varied - there are only a handful of enemies, and even fewer environments. After a while, running from fight to fight through the same deserted office corridors gets old, no matter how exciting the fights get.

Leaving aside the tiresome mouse-and-keyboard vs. joypad debate, F.E.A.R.'s 360 controls have just the right feel. Everything from the PC version is included, even the various melee attacks. You'll have to memorize some moderately complex button combos to perform the more exotic moves like scissor kicks or slides, but it's worth it. The two-stick layout will be familiar to Halo players (that's everyone, then) and the default button assignments are right where they need to be.

What else is new? There's a brief bonus mission where you play without psychic time-slowing powers, but the biggest addition is the Instant Action maps. These pit the player against a compact map packed with bad guys. Your task is simply to kill as many of them as possible. Once you're done, the game uploads your score to an Xbox Live leaderboard, so you can see how your performance matches up against the best the world has to offer. If you're not in the mood for the high-intensity, scare-packed regular campaign, the Instant Action maps are a lot easier to swallow. It's unfortunate there are only four of them, but it's the kind of feature that's begging for downloadable expansions. How about it, Sierra?

Talking of Xbox Live, F.E.A.R. also includes the usual range of first-person shooter multiplayer options. Like the PC version, it even allows players to use the time-slowing powers from the single-player game -- sure, it's not quite the same, but the effect is still mighty cool. Beyond that, it's the powerful guns and superb sound that sets it apart from the pile of other online shooters on the 360. Maybe it's not quite enough to tempt you away from your usual poison, but it's more than adequate to add a little extra value to F.E.A.R.'s single-player thrills.

Bear in mind, if you're addicted to racking up your gamerscore, you might find F.E.A.R. a touch frustrating. Most of its achievements are seriously tough to meet - this isn't some EA Sports game where you get a hundred points for customizing your character, or completing the first level. F.E.A.R. makes you work for its accolades.

But even so, this is an excellent port of a great game. If you missed out on the PC version of F.E.A.R., don't miss this one... assuming, that is, you've got the stones for a few good scares. In fact, its only major problem is the impending release of Epic's Gears of War, but real first-person shooter addicts would do well to budget for both.