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By Contributing Writer Jimmy Payne Rating: Awesome Fear Effect starts out a little slower than most games, but it quickly develops into an awesome game that every PlayStation owner should buy. Most survival horror games are carbon copies of Resident Evil, but Fear Effect manages to establish its own unique identity, even without being a particularly scary game. The best thing about Fear Effect isn't the graphics or even the gameplay, it's the incredible story line. The whole game runs like a movie, with surprising plot twists that will probably make you stop and gawk as if you just saw WWF goddess Trish Stratus. The focus on the story doesn't slow the game down one bit. As the game goes on, you will be drawn deeper and deeper into the plot. And trust me, the farther you go, the better it gets. Fear Effect comes on four CDs, but it's only slightly longer than most survival horror games. The reason it takes up four discs is because of the wide array of cut scenes, many of which are quite long. In addition to the story-related cut scenes, there are cut scenes for just about every way you could possibly die in the game. Fear Effect's anime-style graphics help set an indescribable mood. Final Fantasy 8 has several moments where there is a CG scene taking place, but you can still control your character. Fear Effect seems to be like that for the entire game. The life-like movements of the characters make the game world seem alive, as opposed to making you feel like you've been pasted onto a static painting. The only complaint I have with the graphics is that they're a little grainy. The character models are excellent, with lots of realistic gestures and facial expressions. Also, the voice acting has got to be some of the best I've ever heard in a video game. There wasn't a single time where I thought to myself, "Sounds like they messed up that line." The interface makes flipping through weapons and items a breeze. There's a little black bar at the bottom of the screen at all times that lets you flip through items, which makes the game feel much more realistic and cinematic. After all, when's the last time you saw a movie in which the main character kept pulling up an item menu? The interface also has lots of little icons that make playing and controlling the game a painless experience. A small icon at the top of the screen lights up when an enemy is in your crosshairs (so that you know when to fire your weapon). The Fear Meter starts reacting more and more when you're approaching danger. Another convenient icon lights up every time you move next to something that you can climb, take, or use in some way. As great as it is, Fear Effect does have one big, annoying flaw: You're forced to use a trial-and-error approach to get past certain bosses and large numbers of enemies. This will often lead to death several times before you figure out the best way to kill the next set of enemies or one of the insanely hard bosses. You don't have to do a lot of back-tracking since there are lots of save points, but it's still very annoying to have to sit through well over 15 seconds of loading time before you're back in the game. It's mildly annoying the first couple of times you die, and it gets more annoying as you die more often. The puzzles are much harder than they are in most survival horror games, to the point that you'll probably need a strategy guide to solve some of them. The bosses are also very tough. On more than one occasion, I had no idea how to beat a boss, and I accidentally found out simply by shooting like a madman. Some bosses are so powerful that it's just a matter of luck when you're finally able to kill them. Worst of all, there are "sweet spots" in the game where bosses can't hit you at all. This makes many boss battles seem kind of cheap, especially if you've spent an hour trying to beat a boss and then by chance you stumble onto a sweet spot. Some of the bosses are so hard that it seems like there's no way you can beat them without the aid of a sweet spot. This game has more than its fair share of balance issues, but the story is just too damn intriguing to miss. As frustrating as Fear Effect can be, it's always worth it to keep playing just to see what happens next in the story line. Send your thoughts on this review to jimmy@mastergamer.com
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