Upon learning that TimeGate Studios was releasing F.E.A.R.: Perseus Mandate, I was thinking, "Oh, brother, they did the same o' same o' again", and sure enough I wasn't the only one who thought so. It's showing this franchise is on the wrong track, as it's gameplay formula and graphics are both getting dated.

What makes the franchise worse is learning about Project Origin -- the much awaited Monolith Productions sequel to the original F.E.A.R. game -- only to discover that the same "fans" are still pulling the ears of Monolith to make the game just another MP slaughterhouse. Now Monolith claims it's going to fill in some of the storyline gaps in Project Origin and the main entity will remain Alma, but I'm wondering, how can they when the "fans" want just more MP action and no more than 10hr playtime with SP? SP is where the storyline will take place, and if it's going to be full of throwing grenades and shooting clones for 10hrs, how will the Pointman will know anything if the whole game is going to be but 20 minutes of story, with about 10 minutes of spooks?

So what do they do? They remove the Pointman, kill off the whole team, and start with another group. So, we get a new guy but never know who the Pointman really was (with the convulted idea that a generic protagonist is better since anyone can be him). Meanwhile, being humans humans want to know of their origins and why the hell they're even there, let alone why everyone around you is dead or going to die.

The main problem with the F.E.A.R. franchise (sorry Monolith renaming it won't remove it's heritage from the original, as it'll still be referenced by that acronym forever), is that they try to have their cake and eat it too. But it can't work if the main fan base isn't into storytelling and SP, when the game is marketed based on the SP -- as there's no spooks in MP, it's just a FPS shoot up. Either concentrate on a good plot, or just make it into a FPS gorefest, but don't market the game as a kewl SP thriller when it never was.

And before I end this rant, I want Monolith and all the F.E.A.R. MP fanbois to remember another game that was named a "project". It was a spin off of the Deus Ex franchise by the name of Project: Snowblind.

Anyone remember that game?

...Hearing not even a pin drop...

Project Origin, is indeed a snowblinded attempt at game design if it remains a MP heavy game. It'll miss it's mark again, with a fan base that's anything but 17+ to appreciate a good immersive storyline. Heck parents are letting their 11 year-olds play it, and MP reflects it. :roll: