An action packed and terrifying shooter that improves on the original in almost every way.
The game starts off with a bang, with the first level ending in the nuclear explosion that ended the first game. From there you will fight your way through tons of intense fire fights and creepy encounters in your quest to defeat Alma. The action is where this game really shines, with every fire fight being an exciting and intense ballet of bullets. One feature that sets the original Fear and Project Origin away from other shooters was the slow mo ability. It may seem kind of gimmicky at first but it really adds a lot of fun and intensity to the game. And by the end of the game you will need slow mo as the enemies get progressively more difficult. The enemies aren't just tough because they get more health either, the enemy AI is actually pretty smart. They will use cover, try to flank and generally stay mobile. They still make some bone headed moves every once and a while but at least they don't just stand around and wait to be shot like in most shooters. Throw in some awesome mech and turret sequences to spice things up and the action never gets boring.
Another thing that really sets the Fear series apart from other FPS games is its creepy atmosphere. Maybe it's because I was expecting it but I found Project Origin to be a little less scary than the original. However it still kept me on my toes and made me jump a few times (especially during the elementary school level). The creepy atmosphere is enhanced by some very spooky audio. From the sound of Alma giggling in a maniacal way to the howls of creatures and dying people all add to the atmosphere. The graphics are also much improved from the original. They may not be Gears of War level graphics but they are very nice nether the less. It also helps that the environments are much more diverse this time around. You'll explore ruined cities, creepy elementary schools, high tech labs, bloody hospitals and more. There are still a couple too many bland corridors for my taste but it not nearly as bad as the original. Still, I'd be nice to see the next game try a more open and less urban environment (forest, small town, mountain .etc). One of the let down's this time around for me was the story. There weren't any real surprises and the ending was a total bummer (I won't spoil it for you but it ends in a similar fashion to how the original ended).All this is toped off by a decent multiplayer mode. Like I said up top, it's not Halo, but it's a fun diversion.
When you go to buy this game you will be getting a very solid and fun shooter that adds something new (slow mo and horror elements) to set it's self apart from the pack. Just don't expect it to be revolutionary. As long as you keep that in mind you will have a great time with this game.