Fear Effect

Easily one of the most visually striking PlayStation titles, Fear Effect shines with Japanese-animation-inspired 3-D character graphics and full-motion-video environments that allow for nearly seamless transitions between story sequences and gameplay. With the exception of restoring saves and changing CDs, there's virtually no game interruption.

Unfortunately, it's very easy to die in Fear Effect, which not only wrecks the game's pacing, but can be really quite maddening. Many portions of the game are more frustrating than challenging, requiring players to die and reload their last saved game over and over until they get things just right.

And while Fear Effect's less-than-perfect controls admittedly do take some getting used to, its real-time inventory system is just plain awkward during combat sequences. It's doubtful that professional mercenaries like the ones you're playing would be fumbling about while changing or reloading weapons in the heat of battle.

Despite its flaws, Fear Effect does manage to keep you hooked, and is one of those games you just have to see through to its end. --Joe Hon

Pros:

• Striking cinematic visuals
• Virtually no game interruptions
• Intriguing storyline and refreshingly mature content
• Fear Meter aspect adds new challenge

• Can be more frustrating than challenging at times
• Awkward real-time inventory system
• Relatively short game length with little to no replay value
• May be unsuitable for younger players

I still play this game when I want to, it's just that it's just not the same like the first time I played it, cuz I didn't know what was going to happen(I didn't use a guide because I didn't want to ruin the suprise, and man it was a painful long jurney) If you like games like Silent Hill or Resident evilm I would definitly recomend this game, but rent it first.

peace


okay i agree with every body this is well this game is ahem   September 26, 2002
 0 out of 4 found this review helpful

tha itself is quite fustrating and very hard if you dont have a stratigy guide you will end up taking tha game back and for getting about but im a person that ganna tell about tha facts im not a opinioneer becouse it start drama so imma take it easy it can get hard if you dont have a stratigy guide for this gameand you realy have to pay attintion to this game in order for you to beat this hard game here are some tips so you can can beat tha game okay go to cheatplanet.com or gamewinners.com or gamerevolution or cheatcc.com for your stratigy and cheats for any game needs but go back into fear effect2retrohelix tha game should get lots of credits becouse it pretty darn good game i mean becouse its a challenge but the game can get very carried away with challenge but i all so think retro helix is one of those game many like others leave you with a good feelingg in side like yeah i accomplish somethingbut many people just doesent have tha patients to hang on to tha game it very good and very exciting and funny and fun but this game has a lot of gayness in it but with girl yes i said girls its realy crazy but it seems every one likes it but also it has a real good storyline in it tha game was game of the year last year guys come on tha games good im not telling you my oppinion becouse it not its just i like it but there is its pros and cons thoe you knew that was coming did ya pros good graphic good voice acting did you know that wendy lee plays tha voice of hana that same girl that played tha voice of fay valentine in cowboy bebop on adult swim listen to her the n go to you game fear effect i tell people fact noyt fiction im very in telligent and im single and looking for young girls 13 to 14 cuz im 14 oak that yall just joking but i would buy this game now cons is no replay value and it a fustrating game a two wrongs cant make no right on this game plus you die alot too
so get ready for that

graphics problely 9 becouse it pretty good graphics its show what playstation and eidos can do when thay put there heads to getther

gameplay... 8 becouse it can be better now i will put my oppinion in once and only once becouse look for best not worse

voice acting... 10 good i must say

should i buy..... up to you thats why we live in such a free country of america

thats my review see yaaa

and to all the victems of 911 we stand strong god bless america peace and love


Fear Effect is Awesome   September 4, 2002
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Fear Effect is a prime example of the survival horror genre. At the same time, it provides an atmosphere and storyline which is a huge change from the sometimes stoic Resident Evil, which is rare. Resident Evil set the standard, and while Fear Effect doesn't transcend it, it provides change.

The first, most striking thing about Fear Effect is it's odd graphical style. The characters are done in an anime style, but the backgrounds are done in a realistic style, and they also have streaming animations from the CD (for things like fans, and beeping lights). It is just really weird. I kind of like it. After awhile, like most games, you stop noticing. Even if you don't like the graphics, it is still worth playing. Don't let the graphics deter you.

The gameplay and combat in Fear Effect is great. The controls are somewhat awkward and annoying, like Resident Evil, though combat rolls, 180 degree turns, and auto-aim help them out, and the set camera angles occasionally get in the way of the action, but other than that the fighting is nearly perfect. For one thing, the fear meter is awesome. Many people complain about it, but I think it works well. For the most part, it is just a health meter, but things which increase your fear make you closer to dying as much as getting shot, like being spotted by enemies or running low on ammo. If you can sneak up behind enemies and snap their necks (which is cool), or find more ammo, or even just do well in fights, you become less fearful. Most people's problem with it is that Fear Effect moves the meter straight to red (one shot death) before certain boss fights and other bad situations. That is kind of lame, but it makes sense that you would about have a heart attack when you see a giant guy with a mini-gun. It is a fear meter, after all. By the way, the boss fights and enemies in the game are super.

Fear Effect's storyline is great. It is very well put together, and just plain cool. It is one of a very few games that has an original storyline. Some of the stuff that happens is awesome. Some of the places and events and situations induce shivers. The bleak future setting behind it all is nice, too. The three main characters, Hana, Glas, and Deke are nifty. They are kind of original, too. The voice acting is pretty good, which is a nice change from most games, and the cut-scenes are great.

The main problem with Fear Effect is its incredible difficulty. The actual combat itself is hard, whereas in most survival horror games the difficulty just comes from ammo and healing item management. The puzzles are also pretty tough, which is rare. It is also worth noting that the load times are terrible, which detracts a little from the game, but is compounded by the difficulty. Fear Effect is so hard that you need to restart often, so you have to load your game often, which makes for some fairly heavy waiting time.

Fear Effect is a must play game, especially if you've enjoyed other games from the survival horror genre. Fear Effect is worth it for the experience. You've got to play it to the end, despite its problems. I would suggest it to almost anyone, unless you had a violent reaction to playing Resident Evil. It only has about ten hours of actual gameplay, but it seems much larger due to how many times you must reload your game. Pick Fear Effect up. You'll probably like it.


Not as Good as Fear Effect 2   August 2, 2002
This game is the predecessor to Fear Effect 2 and the upcoming Fear Effect 3: Inferno.

This game and gameplay are very similar to Tomb Raider, Resident Evil and all those action/adventure games where you have to solve puzzles. This game actually does deserve a mature rating -- with unadulterated gore, some suggestive sexuality and mature discussions of vengeance and under-the-table monies. The graphics is also well-done using a combination of anime and 3-dimensional graphics. The child's playroom in the Hell level is particularly creepy, and it is very reminiscent of Nightmare on Elm Street. The voice acting is done well, but Hana has the whole Valley Girl thing going on that becomes very annoying after an hour or so. Hana was actually much more mature in Fear Effect 2 than in Fear Effect. The music in this game also wasn't as good as in Fear Effect 2. The cinematics in this game are great and are nearly as good as Metal Gear Solid (as a date-to-date) comparison. The only faults of this game that I can see are the long loading times -- before and after deaths. I liked the Fear Effect series over the Tomb Raider and Resident Evil series because you have to have patience, a whole lot of moxie, some more brainpower, and a whole lot more reflexes. Overall, buy this game cheap, and you won't regret the purchase. Otherwise, stick with Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix.