This is probably the only game I know where people complaining about being seasick without being at sea.
Cold Fear starts off when the hero Tom Hanson, a sailor of the US Coast Guard receives a distress call to investigate a drifting Russian Whaler. Naturally being a US Coast Guard you are armed with a gun and head on board the boat. Of course the Whaler's cargo is not what you will be expecting.
The game uses the unusual 1st person view where you can see part of yourself to the lower left or view as 3rd person. However this is where it turns its ugly head. The camera angle in the 3rd person view is very awkward as it does not follow the person well at all. Considering it was ported from the consoles, the controls are very hard to get used to, especially the 3rd person view. This takes time and practice to get used to the idea. Another words, either you educate yourself that 'W' means walk backwards in 3rd person and forwards in 1st person otherwise get ready to uninstall the game.
The graphics in this game is nothing short but brilliant. The crashing of the waves looks beautiful and the swaying of the boat results the screen swaying as well. At times when you not playing the game your eyes still tend to sway unconsciously! This is perfect as after all you are on a rocky boat and it won't lie still. The screen also doubles up as your face (as like a tradition FPS) as when you pass through rain or sprinklers the screen will drip with water. This effect immerses you in the game effectively well. On top of that the character's movement, even though seems slow, is realistic as you are on a swaying whaling boat and there are times when you can simply fall off the boat to meet your watery death.
Another strong point is the sounds. If you can treat yourself with a surround sound system, there are many creaks to listen to from the boat and the rig and the distant chuckles will make you a little paranoid of what's around the next corner. It's your weapon that forms the barrier between you and the unknown. Moreover, the soundtrack is brilliant and does serve well to add atmosphere to the game. If you play the end credits guess who sung the song...
Speaking of weapons, you are not the ultimate GI Joe armed to the teeth. There is limit supplies of ammo and health packs hence makes you think of better ways to mow down the creatures of the dark then empty your clip. This is the prime essence of a survival horror game. Conserve your ammo and your health.
There is no automap feature however to many this may seem distressing as at times it's very easy to get lost. However this again produces the perfect element of survival horror as if you were trapped on a boat you really not going to map out room-by-room when there are zombies lurking around. Use that grey matter of yours and be alert. Know your surroundings or better still read the manual; there's a map of the whaler.
There are few different types of monsters to choose from however the story, even though it's a rip off from Aliens does serve the purpose quite well. There are many documents to read and the hints are bolded red for easy reference. There are no quick save but at the end of each mission you have the option to save (which is very typical from a ported console game) and have the opportunity to unlock the bonus materials in the game.
Overall, even though the 'limitations' of no quick save, automap feature or the lack of different foes, this is a survival horror game. It serves extremely well as the limitations are not limitations but add flavour to the game. The only downside of the game is that if you can master that really clunky camera angles and movements, you will have a very enjoyable game that will make you sweat at every corner.