Genres in the gaming industry are like families, if you think about it. Each genre is like a last name, and the developers are like the family members. In the case of the FPS genre, id Software is like the grandfather, creating genre definers Wolfenstein 3D and Doom. 3D Realms is the immature, yet fun teenage boy, as shown by Duke Nukem 3D and Shadow Warrior. With this idea, that would make Monolith Productions the crazy uncle of the genre. This isn't bad, of course. Having been responsible for genre hits like Blood and No One Lives Forever, they have made fun, yet wacky titles. This title is fun, but not wacky. Instead, it's fun, but terrifying.

Released in 2005 for the PC, F.E.A.R. was one of two Monolith games released that year. The other game was the melee-focused Condemned: Criminal Origins. Alongside Condemned, F.E.A.R. attempted to bring a new level of horror to the first-person shooter genre. But while Condemned was inspired by Se7en and Silence of the Lambs, F.E.A.R. was inspired by a mix of Asian horror films like Ringu and Ju-on, and John Woo films like Hard Boiled. The result is a high-octane shooter with some extremely creepy moments. A winning combination that makes one of Monolith's best games.

Like Blood 2 and No One Lives Forever, F.E.A.R. continues to use Monolith's in-house LithTech engine, now referred to as LithTech Jupiter EX. The updated engine shows off some crisp textures and great paranormal effects. The best parts of the engine, however, are the environments. More specifically, how they fall apart and change after combat. It really is cool to see bullets bounce off metal, releasing sparks, as well as seeing grenades distort your vision and destroy all surroundings. For a 2005 game, this was pretty impressive. The environments themselves can get a bit repetitious, due to the nature of repeating offices and industrial areas. But, at least to me, it didn't get too annoying or anything. But it is worth noting.

The sound design used in F.E.A.R. is really good. The paranormal effects are top notch, and keep the player on edge. Explosions and gun effects are really powerful, especially the combat shotgun. Then there is the voice acting. The voice acting is surprisingly good, with Peter Lurie's performance as Paxton Fettel being the best out of the lot. It really is nothing short of a legendary performance, as he really makes the character unsettling to listen to. He would even reprise the role in the F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn expansion and F.E.A.R. 3.

The story of F.E.A.R. starts off simple enough. Players take the role of the new point man for the First Encounter Assault Recon team, or F.E.A.R. team. They are sent in to find and eliminate a man named Paxton Fettel, who is an experimental "psychic commander". Basically, he has the ability to control an army of Replica troops with only his mind. He has escaped custody by the Armacham Technology Corporation and taken the Replicas with him. From here on, the story starts to unravel, as the player encounters Paxton and a creepy little girl named Alma.

Now whether the story is actually good or not is up for personal preference. Some may find the whole affair to be horrible, especially the twist at the end. Personally, I find the story to be pretty good for the most part. The twist may not make sense for some, as it really requires looking around for additional information via phone or laptop. This is actually one of my favorite aspects of the story, though. The fact that it's not all told via exposition-heavy dialogue and cutscenes helps the game immensely in my opinion. Sure, the necessary stuff is given to the player. But exploration will open up the nuances of F.E.A.R.'s story, ultimately making the twist make more sense.

However, any complaints about F.E.A.R.'s story will be immediately forgotten once the gameplay starts. F.E.A.R.'s gameplay is just amazing. It really feels like a scene out of a John Woo film, with hundreds of shots being fired and the environment being ruined in the process. The guns are all really powerful, with the VK12 Combat Shotgun stealing the show. Basically, if you don't have this in your arsenal at all times, you're playing the game wrong.

The player is also given a slow-motion ability referred to as Reflex Time. Due to the player character's fast reflexes, time seems to slow down at times, allowing for some amazing slow-motion battles. This is where combat can become extremely fun, as the player can run into a group of enemies and take them all out one by one. Both this and health can be upgraded using hidden boosters.

One special note about the campaign is definitely the enemy AI. This is a common trait among every F.E.A.R. game. The enemy AI is just brilliant. They will communicate with their squad, flank you, rush you if they have the numbers. F.E.A.R.'s AI is just amazing, and allows every battle to never play out the same way. On the harder difficulty modes, F.E.A.R. will give you a real challenge.

Then there is F.E.A.R.'s atmosphere. Like Condemned: Criminal Origins, F.E.A.R. attempts to bring a level of horror not often seen outside of true survival horror games. But while Condemned is heavily inspired by films like Se7en and Silence of the Lambs, F.E.A.R. borrows heavily from Japanese horror films like Dark Water, Ringu, and Ju-on. Needless to say, F.E.A.R. can be a terrifying game. Sure, some parts may come off as cheap. But that just helps lead the player into an unexpected scare that is truly frightening.

The campaign is around 8-10 hours in length. But it does have replay value. The phone messages and laptops, boosters, and 4 difficulty modes will have you coming back quickly. But, if you don't wish to replay it, there is always F.E.A.R.'s multiplayer. Despite being pretty basic, the use of F.E.A.R.'s powerful weaponry and Reflex Time (in some modes) make the multiplayer pretty fun. Yet sadly, the PC multiplayer was shut down with the GameSpy online service. However, the multiplayer was released free years ago, under the title F.E.A.R. Combat. It is now available on a community site, which hosts the PC multiplayer on new servers. The console multiplayer servers are still active, though have a limited player base now.

With the success F.E.A.R. had on PCs, the game was soon ported to the Xbox 360 and PS3. Both ports were done by Chicago-based Day 1 Studios, and each featured new content. But the overall quality of each port when compared to the original differed heavily. The Xbox 360 port came first and is easily the best port. Everything about it is even with the PC version, except for the controls. The controls are pretty confusing when you first pick it up, and may be impossible to get used to for some people. Plus, there is no way to change the control scheme. But other than that, the Xbox 360 version is great. The added content is also pretty cool. Along with a brand new weapon (machine pistols), there is a bonus mission and Instant Action mode. The bonus mission (set during the events of F.E.A.R.) is pretty fun, and is a bit difficult with the removal of Reflex Time. The Instant Action mode, however, is amazing. This mode allows players to tackle combat in 1 of 4 arenas. Plus, the ability to play multiplayer over Xbox Live is fun and smooth. The PS3 version, however, is pretty bad. It, too, has a bonus mission (set before F.E.A.R.), the new weapon, and Instant Action. But the sound quality is terrible, the graphics are downgraded, and the loading times are way too long. Needless to say, try to avoid the PS3 version.

Even 9 years later, F.E.A.R. is still an excellent and frightening shooter. Possibly repetitious environments aside, F.E.A.R. is a quality shooter on the PC. The Xbox 360 port was just as great, aside from the controls. But the PS3 version is just laughable. But no matter which way you play F.E.A.R., you will be in for an enjoyable and frightening time. Its acronym may be ridiculous, but the game certainly isn't.