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F.E.A.R. D.E.M.O. on X.B.L.M.
You read the headline, there's a demo of F.E.A.R. available on Marketplace right now. Our more astute readers will no doubt notice that this demo is exactly the same as the demo available some time ago in OXM. Giving it another go this morning, X360F wonders whether or not F.E.A.R. can stand out among upcoming blockbusters like Gears of War and Rainbow Six: Vegas. Also, it may just be us, but why does this game require such a monster PC to run? There are plenty of particle effects and the textures are all very high res, but the geometry just doesn't look that impressive -- again, see Gears of War and Rainbow Six. Still, if you haven't picked up the demo through OXM, you just can't beat the price (hint: it's free). [Thanks, Chris]
X360F plays FEAR, needs new shorts
I managed to grab a copy of the latest OXM yesterday, containing the long awaited F.E.A.R. demo. Let's get one thing straight. I have never played F.E.A.R. My PC can run Diablo II and that's fine by me. As you can imagine, I was giddy when I found out about the 360 port of F.E.A.R., and, now that I've played the demo, I'm intrigued to say the least. The game will be instantly familiar to anyone who has played Monolith's other title for the 360, Condemned: Criminal Origins. The environments and the overall tension of the games are very similar. The difference here is that the enemies in F.E.A.R. are run of the mill soldiers -- which makes the appearance of The Ring-inspired Alma that much more frightening. The supernatural elements of the game feel immediately out of place, which intensifies the...um...fear of them. The only concern I have is whether or not the gun battles will grow stale. That said, the story and horror elements present in the demo are more than enough to pique my interest. The demo is short and barely offers a taste of the action, but horror fans may just want to plunk down the cash for the latest OXM. We promise you at least one genuine scare.
F.E.A.R. demo scares OXM disc
K1lla (of K1lla's Xbox Domain, natch) just received the October issue of OXM, including a 360 demo of F.E.A.R., just in time for Halloween. At least it would be without arcane magazine lead times. Anyway, the upshot is that everyone gets a chance to try out F.E.A.R. before it hits the shelves -- and without upgrading their PC. Can a Marketplace demo be far behind? The demo is single player only and is reportedly very nice. We don't know if OXM has actually hit newsstands yet, but subscribers should expect the mag any day now. So, who's got a copy? Is it good? Is it super scary? Inquiring minds want to know. [Thanks, Joey]
Vivendi's F.E.A.R. coming to PS3 with extra scary extras [Update 1]
F.E.A.R. was pretty cool on the PC. Sure, adding Japanese Horror stereotypes to a FPS may seem awkward to some, but it worked out as a fairly entertaining device. No one wants a pale little girl with long dark hair anymore, that's for sure. It's also getting a release for the 360, with expansion pack Extraction Point. Now the game is also coming to the PS3. Better late than never? Oh, and online multiplayer is free. That aside, PS3 fans, let's get geared up for finally getting to play an interesting game, assuming we missed out on it for the PC or 360. Would this game make a nice launch title? Not really, since it's not the newest kid on the block, but it would still make a good game to be released with the system. At old-gen prices, please. No offense to the game, but paying $60-70 for it, when it'll most likely be cheaper for any other system, isn't exactly enticing. How about we get it free with the system? That'd be nice. Anyone have any thoughts about games that are released right now being ported to the PS3? Should they have a standard pricing, or be a little cheaper than other titles, like Heavenly Sword? [Update: oops! It's not out on the 360? Wonder what the heck I played... changed that line.]
LucasArts teams with MechAssault crew
LucasArts has announced they will be partnering with MechAssault developer Day 1 Studios to produce an original IP for next gen consoles. Details won't be revealed until a later date, but Next Generation speculates the collaboration will yield an online action title befitting of Day 1's rock 'em, sock 'em robot roots. The Xbox developer is also handling the 360 port of PC shooter F.E.A.R, due in November.
LucasArts partners with MechAssault team
LucasArts has formed an unholy alliance with Day 1 Studios, creators of original Xbox Live mega-hit, MechAssault. The two studios, with their powers combined, seek to create an original IP exclusively for next gen consoles. From the horse's mouth (i.e LucasArts' Peter Hirschmann),"LucasArts is determined to deliver outstanding new ideas to next-generation consoles, and our partnership with the great people at Day 1 Studios creates another opportunity for us to bring innovation and creativity to the market. The phenomenal technology created by Day 1 directly affects gameplay in extremely innovative ways- and it perfectly complements the engaging story and intriguing characters you'd expect of a LucasArts title."Mechs wielding lightsabers? Count us in.
Live member spotted playing F.E.A.R. demo
360 Fanboy reader, Malik, sent us this tip today: "Ok, I decided to make a thread for this whole thing. As I said in the Marketplace thread, I was browsing my Xbox.com friends list when I noticed that controlcommerce from CAG was playing the F.E.A.R. demo. Instantly I open up the 360 forum to see nothing about it mentioned while I sign onto the Marketplace on my 360. After finding nothing in the Marketplace I open his profile on my Xbox 360 Dashboard, and it says that he was playing Street Fighter II HF and not F.E.A.R." Does this portend the imminent arrival of a F.E.A.R. demo? Does a fanboy dare to dream? (Any loose-lipped Microsoft insiders can hit us up with a tip. I won't tell anyone, I promise.)
F.E.A.R. this countdown
Eurogamer posted a story about this a while ago. I meant to post it then, but --as usual -- Eurogamer failed to link it in any way whatsoever(!). Anyway, the point is this: joinfear.com has a countdown running (14 days to go as of this post) with the title "COMBAT IS COMING". What it's counting down to is anybody's guess. A 360 release date? Marketplace demo perhaps? Give us some theories in the comments.
F.E.A.R 360 P.R.E.V.I.E.W
EuroGamer has some info on F.E.A.R 360's "instant action" mode: It's not just for kicks though - the better you do, the better your end-of-level or post-death stats, which you're given on an analysis screen afterward. Not only that, but the game computes a final score for you and uploads it to Xbox Live leaderboards, which ought to encourage a bit of competition. Vivendi's also talked about "brand new multiplayer content created to fully utilise Xbox Live" so it's a fair bet Live will be employed for more than boards, too - although whether F.E.A.R. 360 will make use of the content recently added to the PC version, including new Control game-modes, is something Vivendi hasn't got anything to say about right now. More to come, presumably. Those of us with under-powered PCs are counting on this port to deliver what our aging rigs cannot. [Thanks 8BitNinja]
F.E.A.R. confirmed for 360 this fall
We already knew it was coming, but Vivendi finally let us know that they know that we know and officially confirmed Monolith's spooky FPS. The port was originally anticipated due to developer Monolith's other creepy FPS, the Xbox 360's Condemned: Criminal Origins, having a similar code base to F.E.A.R. When Condemned was ported to PCs, the logical assumption was that F.E.A.R. could be ported to the 360. The port is being handled by "Chicago-based Day 1 Studios, who worked on both MechAssault and MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf" and is due out this fall and will be on display at E3 next week. We'll let you know if the graphically demanding title appears to be making the transition smoothly.
Is F.E.A.R. coming to the 360?
The latest Electronic Gaming Monthly floats the rumor that Monolith's eyeball-popping FPS, F.E.A.R., may be headed for the Xbox 360 in 2006. Apparently the title shares more than a passing similarity to Monolith's other creepy FPS Condemned: Criminal Origins, it also shares some underlying technology. So, the logic goes, much of the legwork of a port has been done already, so what do they have to F.E.A.R.? (That was bad... we know.) F.E.A.R.'s graphics engine garnered much praise on its release, so a jump to the 360 should prove the mettle of Microsoft's console. See Also: Joystiq Review: F.E.A.R. (PC
