F3AR: Sibling Rivalry And One Scary Pregnant Woman

Horror games have always been a popular gaming genre but always had a smaller pool of titles than most other choices. In the last few years, the horror genre has exploded with the consistently popular viewing of internet "let's play" videos. I was always really attracted to titles such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill, but never went out of my way to play anything else of the sort. Insert Fear 3 here. I picked this title up at a magical and spectacular place known as Wal-Mart for the fantastic price of ten dollars. I must say, a creepy grudge rip-off emblazoned upon the cover and the promise of couch co-op enticed me quicker than a beer fountain made entirely of gold and glory. That being said, I popped the disc into my Playstation 3; my lil' lady and I ventured off upon an adventure of morbid proportions. It was time to slay a howling, pregnant woman and deal with brotherly issues.

I must admit, I have not played the first two Fears, but the game does a great job at retelling you prior events. Pointman, our protagonist, was birthed alongside his brother Fettel by some evil little child-woman. Although both brothers were tested on for a super soldier project of sorts, Fettel gave into his rage and lust for power and sought vengeance. In other words, he's the evil brother, while the quiet Pointman is trying to be a pseudo-hero. Fear 2 seems to have ended with our hero putting a bullet in his brother's head and is now constantly haunted by their neurological link. In Fear 3, the brothers team up to seek out their mother who has raped a soldier and is about to give birth to some evil offspring. The brothers bicker about whether they should consume the child and "become like gods" or simply save the world. It's a strange story and somewhat clichéd, but Fettel's banter was entertaining enough to finish it.

In any case, the story isn't what you're playing the game for, especially if you make a dim-wit move as I did and picked the series up in its third installment. You play this game for the ridiculousness that is offered to you. Similarly to Resident Evil 5, the game allows you to play a horror with the splendour of two-player split-screen. You and your best bud will enjoy eight levels of a bullet-time slow motion skill and self-exploding body possessions. You'll tackle some demonic hordes and a serious number of S.W.A.T like forces. These elements coupled with an excellent ambiance that will have you fill your pants with fecal matter is an equation for success. Despite the graphics not being up to par with most games of the current-gen systems, it really presents you with a stressful mood when playing. You spend most of the game devastating teams of angry men with guns; however, every once in a while, you come across a decapitated corpse and demonic shadows. Toss in a few zombie creatures towards the end-game and you've got chills running down your spine. It definitely beckons you to experience more and more of it.

Incidentally, the game has an interesting system that allows your characters to gain points and rank up. This is applied to your profile through all the game modes. You will also notice that there is a form of competition amongst the campaign that rates both brothers via points acquired by the end of the levels. The ending is determined by which of the brothers is the "favorite son". The title is given at the end of each level and the number of times this has happened is calculated at the end. Both endings are fun and it offers some replay  value or at the very least a second run through the game. Fear 3 also offers an online multiplayer mode, however we couldn't access it due to a lack of a player base. Okay well, maybe we didn't try to hard 'cause the offline co-op was so much fun. Expect yelling and jumping and rude comments. It can get intense and you may need your favorite Michael Bolton tune and a box of tissues after a rage filled fit when you died three times in a row. If you game with your significant other, expect to take all the blame and to present them a box of chocolates with the words "you were right honey" inscribed into each chocolaty morsel.

All in all, the game is pretty decent. Far better than I expected but I'd be lying if I said it was extraordinary. It does have lackluster graphics and it's got the standard FPS controls. A campaign on the short side doesn't work in its favor either. Nevertheless, it's an enjoyable experience and another option for a good time with a friend. A terrifying atmosphere and fun character interactions provide for a decent time-killer. Besides, what other game pits you against an evil pregnant woman who's constantly howling from pain due to contractions. Morbid right? A success in my book, just don't run people over on your way to Wal-Mart. This is Charlie signing-off and thinking that a golden beer fountain ain't a bad idea.