'F.E.A.R. 3' Mechanized Combat Trailer Takes a Break from the Scares

Game Rant

By Anthony Taormina

Published Oct 15, 2010

'F.E.A.R. 3,' with its spooky atmosphere and slo-mo kills, doesn't exactly seem like the type of game that needs mechanized combat, but this new trailer shows that it can't hurt.

Those nice folks over at Warner Bros. thought that our dreams were too pleasant as of late and decided to send over a new F.E.A.R. 3 trailer to disrupt our peaceful slumber. This particular trailer shows off a stark departure from the regular FPS combat we have come to expect from the game in the form of some mechanized robot on robot fight sequences.

While mech-on-mech battles are awesome, what is even better is mech suits versus helpless soldiers. Watch as their helpless bodies are tossed about like ragdolls. For those who played it, F.E.A.R. 2 had a couple sequences where players jumped into these mech suits, but they weren’t particularly engaging nor did they fall in line with the major aspects of the game.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T3Pw1q0zMs&feature=player_embedded

As a fan of the previous games in the series, I didn’t know how to feel about the inclusion of mechs in the previous game nor their inclusion in this one. What makes the F.E.A.R. franchise so enticing is its atmosphere, combined with the bloody kills. With mechanized combat you do get the bloody kills, but you lose out on the atmosphere. It’s very hard to find an innocent yet creepy girl terrifying when you have machine guns for arms. I do, none the less, have confidence that new developer Day 1 Studios have pulled together a game that makes great use of each of F.E.A.R.’s many selling points.

If F.E.A.R. 3 gives me a story that makes me jump, gives me slow-mo kills, and provides me with some realistic A.I., then I won’t be complaining when I have to play through these mechanized combat sequences. But if the game falls short (especially with the release date pushed back), it will be hard not to blame it on Day 1 not sticking to the core of what made the previous games great. Mech suits or not, I am looking forward to this game, so bring it on.

What do you think about the inclusion of mech combat in the F.E.A.R. games? Is it a worthy change of pace, or does it seem like an odd inclusion for a game that relies heavily on creepy atmosphere?

F.E.A.R. 3 releases next year on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

Source: CVG