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Alma and Project Origin both need more dev time, game delayed into 2009
In other release date delay news, we've just learned that Monlith's Project Origin (the true sequel to F.E.A.R.) will not make it to retail shelves anytime this year and is tentatively planned for a Q1 2009 release. The delay news comes from Lith's art lead Dave Matthews who confirmed during Leipzig that they'll release Project Origin on multiple platforms in early '09. Though, you you just can't wait, you can always catch a glimpse of Alma and all the bloody violence later this week during PAX where we're told it'll be demoed on stage.
Project Origin pushed back to early 2009
Project Origin, Monolith's everything-but-the-name follow up to F.E.A.R., has slipped on all of that spilled gore, sliding back from the game's previous fall release until sometime in early 2009. The news came from Project Origin art lead, Dave Matthews, who took time during the Leipzig Games Convention to break the news -- and fans' hearts – confirming that players will have to wait until the first quarter of 2009 to find out just what Alma has been up to. Softening the blow a bit, new details surrounding the upcoming shooter also emerged from last week's event, including news that the sequel will include more interactive and varied environments than those seen in F.E.A.R., while enemy A.I. has also been amped up as well. According to Monolith, the story itself will also be improved over the original, giving us all the more reason to think that maybe Project Origin is worth waiting for after all. Source – GC 2008: Project Origin Progress Report, IGN
Project Origin's FEARsome E3 trailer
A new trailer for Project Origin (a.k.a. "The F.E.A.R. sequel) has surfaced in time for E3 2008. It's got everything you expect: in-game cut scenes, bloodied walls, demons climbing on walls, robot war machines, and a girl on a swing. Your date with destiny is embedded above.
Video: Again, we begin to F.E.A.R. a swinging Alma
Late yesterday, Monolith release a dark and fresh Project Origin trailer especially for E3. And while we're sure the main focus of the trailer is supposed to be the in-game footage, gory visuals and explosive action, we couldn't help but focus on Alma and her creepy as hell swing. Seriously. An evil supernatural being is scary enough, but when that evil entity is a little girl AND she's swinging on a swing under moonlight ... now that's messed up. Check out the new Project Origin E3 trailer after the break as we hope to get our hands on the game sometime during E3 this week and gauge whether or not swing sets play a major role in the storyline.
Scared stiff: Why should we care about Project Origin?
If Silent Hill taught us to be afraid of fog and Fatal Frame was quite clear in its mandate that ghosts are not to be screwed with, Monolith proved with a little acronym called F.E.A.R. that little girls are truly freaky. The much vaunted PC shooter married run-and-gun gameplay with survival horror in a way that, while not being terribly unique, still managed to achieve a synergy wholly uncommon in video games. However, shortly after F.E.A.R. landed on retail shelves in 2005, Monolith parted ways with BFF publisher Vivendi, a move that left all but the game's name in the hands of the developer, forcing the studio to re-brand its IP. And in 2007, Monolith turned to the gamer community, asking for creative types to submit ideas for what the sequel should be called. The result, as it turned out, was Project Origin. But even with a name for its new baby, the question remained, and admittedly still lingers, as to if Monolith can recapture the lightning in a bottle that was F.E.A.R. To this end, we recently cornered designers Craig Hubbard and John Mulkey to ask them both why we should care about their latest offering. %Gallery-26247%
New Project Origin video compares, gushes blood
While some may look to water and its undulating physics as the standard for current gen eye candy, developer Monolith's yardstick is apparently a tad more crimson. The studio has released a new video for its F.E.A.R. follow-up, Project Origin, showing off the way blood will be handled in the upcoming sequel by comparing the previous game's visceral cherry mist to what can be best described as Project Origin's syrupy goop. On the game's recently launched community website, Monolith FX guru Mark Wood explains some of the work that went into the project's interesting, if messy, take on in-game gore. Writes Wood, the team is working to make the blood "visible from far away, while still feeling meaty and satisfying at closer range," something he concedes was lacking in the original F.E.A.R. The end result looks a bit like blasting strawberry jelly out of a bad guy, which in all honesty should be reason enough to get you to watch the video below.
Project Origin video blowout
Monolith has dropped not one, not two, not three, but four new Project Origin trailers for gamers everywhere to ogle. The first, embedded above, deals with the Replica Elite Powered Armor. It is, quite simply, a mech capable of laying waste to all in its path. The video make sure to drive this point home, destroying buildings and vaporizing soldiers that stand in its way (or even in the general vicinity of its way). The second video (embedded after the break along with the other two) concerns the return of one of the enemies in the original F.E.A.R., the Assassin. The Assassin is an acrobatic, pseudo-invisible badass with a penchant for killing. Sound fun? Of course it does. The final two videos are fly-throughs that show off Project Origin's spooky environments. Be the first kid on your block to watch them all.
Video: Shooting Project Origin's crab people
Nothing says happy Friday like seeing a twisted and freaky bloody monster-thing doing the crab walk all while he tries to eat off your face. Lovely. Embedded after the break you can view the latest "Abomination" trailer for Monolith's F.E.A.R. sequel Project Origin and between the freaky crab person bits, we get to see actual gameplay. And if we ever mocked Project Origin's graphics before, we take back those statements because (visually) it looks dandy fine. Okay, back to watching the bloody crab walk ...
Project Origin trailer: Alma just wants to play
After watching the latest "Swingset Trailer" for Monolith's upcoming Project Origin, we have absolutely no doubt that the Lith are experts at creating crazy, twisted and totally freaky experiences. Then again, have we ever doubted them? Go ahead, give the latest Project Origin trailer a looksy and try to tell us Alma doesn't send a chill up your spine or that the swingset doesn't freak you out. Yeah, we've been harsh on Project Origin because of its "dated" graphics, but when it comes to building tension and totally messed up story lines ... well, Lith gets our seal of approval.
Project Origin community website launched
Since delivering on expectations at last E3 and being later christened with a new, acronym-deficient title, developer Monolith has been eerily quiet regarding its upcoming horror-themed follow up to 2005's F.E.A.R. Now the company has launched a community website for the game, offering a one-stop buffet if you will for all things F.E.A.R. 2 Project Origin. The site is currently light on content, offering just a smattering of developer blog posts (lead engineer Russ P says the game is "coming together nicely") alongside some backstory and information about the game's various weapons. However, it's the included gameplay trailer that proves the most interesting addition to the website, showing an early look at the sorts of nasties Alma Wade has in store -- though most of all we just hope that Project Origin will bring the chills that the first game promised but never delivered.
Lith to improve upon everything with Project Origin
Now that they've sent Condemned 2 on its merry way, Monolith will now be focusing all its energy towards F.E.A.R.'s not-so sequel Project Origin and that crazy, crazy Alma. IGN sat down and chatted with Project Origin lead designer John Mulkey to get the dirt on how development is progressing, what Monolith's goals are with Origin and what we can look forward to. And the general theme we're hearing is that Origin will take what was offered in F.E.A.R. and add more. More enemy types, more weapons, more locations and more variety. We can't be sure if more variety will equal commercial success or if Origin will still be looked at as F.E.A.R. 1.5, but we can be sure that Monolith is confident and that gives us some comfort for now. Our only gripe thus far is the game's "soft" and "flat" graphics, but maybe that's just us being nit-picky.
F.E.A.R. sequel finally named: nothing special
Remember a while back, we alerted you to the contest where Monolith was allowing gamers to name the sequel to F.E.A.R.? Well, the contest has finally ended and the winning name has been chosen. No, it's not L.A.M.E., but the chosen title is rather ... stale. Project Origin. We feel like we've seen that title countless times! Even though it's fairly unoriginal, it does get the idea across that the next game will all be about the creepy little girl, Alma, and what her purpose is. That's not all, though. Also, on the main webpage, there's a link to the names that got outright rejected. Some of these are pretty entertaining and are worth a look just to see if you can decipher the logic that went into creating them. While this contest ended with a less-than-stellar choice, we feel, it still means progress will be made onto another FPS/Horror game and we're excited to see what Monolith does with the franchise.
F.E.A.R. 2 officially dubbed 'Project Origin'
And no, that's just "Project Origin," not "Pancake Robots Occupy Jamaica Every Century To Obtain Rapidly Ingested Gyration Inducing Narcotics." Monolith Productions told us it was all acronymed out, remember? Defeating the slightly less generic "Dead Echo" and the slightly more ambiguous "Dark Signal," "Project Origin" has been voted victor in the "Name Your Fear" contest. Expect to see the terrifying title transformed into a spooky logo and plastered across the paranormal first-person shooter's marketing campaign closer to its release in 2008. On an unrelated note, is a game about fighting inebriated pancake robots in Jamaica too much to ask for? Let's make that happen, developers.
Not F.E.A.R. 2 officially named Project Origin
Project Origin it is then. After narrowing down the list of user submitted titles to three, Monolith has announced the official name of the sequel to F.E.A.R. The new title, Project Origin, received the most votes and beat the likes of Dead Echo and Dark Signal. Honestly, none of the names seem to evoke the same feeling as the original title -- you know, the feeling of fear -- but there's not much we can do about it now. Like it or not, we're stuck with it. What does everyone think of Project Origin? Was it your pick, or did you want something else? Did you hate all the names? Share your thoughts! Speak your mind, knowing full well that your voice now counts for naught!
F.E.A.R. sequel title finalists need your vote
The official finalists of the "Name Your Fear" contest have been chosen. You may recall that Monolith and Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment began the contest earlier this year. The winner of said contest will (obviously) get their title slapped onto the sequel to F.E.A.R., and all three finalists have also won the honor of getting their likenesses featured in the game (probably in a more gruesome state than they remember leaving them). But enough of this, on with the final three titles: Dead Echo Project Origin Dark Signal There you have it folks. One of those titles will be the name of the F.E.A.R. sequel. Head over to the contest page and vote for your favorite. While you're at it, you might as well tell us what you picked, too. Alternately, you could come up with your own title, knowing full well it has no chance of making it now. [Via Joystiq]
Vote on F.E.A.R. sequel finalists (no acronyms this time)
After losing their traditional sequel title in a vortex of legality, Monolith and Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment were thoughtful enough to request the aid of F.E.A.R. fans in dubbing the forthcoming and explicitly terrifying entry into the series. The "Name Your Fear" contest has produced three finalists awaiting your ultimate decision and potential derision. In case you were wondering, your suggestions of Undead Kindergarten Crematorium and FPS: First-Person Scary were uniformly rejected. The final trio of titles consists of: Dead Echo Project Origin Dark Signal The option that receives the most votes will obviously stick to Monolith's sequel like electric boo glue. (Sorry.)
Name Your F.E.A.R. finalists announced
A long, long time ago, but in the very same galaxy, we gave you a heads-up for a contest to name the next game in the F.E.A.R. franchise. Well, it's been a while, but some finalists have been announced and their not quite as silly as we had secretly hoped. In fact, they're pretty cool if you're familiar with the F.E.A.R. story. We'll list the finalists below. Dead Echo Project Origin Dark Signal Of the three, we've got our eyes on Dead Echo because of the description written after it. From a writer's perspective, the title lends a lot to the ideas of the game and portrays two words that, alone, aren't necessarily frightening but put together in the F.E.A.R. world, they gain a whole new set of meaning. Check out the descriptions for the titles at the Name Your Fear website and let us know what you think!
Monolith wants you to name their next F.E.A.R. title
Monolith and Warner Bros. remember your reactions to F.E.A.R. as well as you do -- the chilling Japanese horror moments that made you jump, the anxiety felt in frantic gun fights, and the creepy girl. Always with the creepy, long-haired girls. With that in mind, Monolith and Warner Bros. want to get you involved in their sequel. Specifically, they want your help in naming it. First, a short story. Monolith and Vivendi had a pretty rough split after F.E.A.R. was released. Vivendi has held onto the rights to the name F.E.A.R. and expect to release a sequel with a "2" tossed on the end, but Monolith wants to create a game that takes place in the same universe, but can't use the title name or, presumably, the characters and organizations. Thus, they need a name for their project. You can submit any name proposals at their website, until June 22nd. They'll pick their faves, host a poll, and let the winning title get its time in the spotlight. Let us know your suggestions, too. Anything goes, but we'd love to keep it up with the funky acronyms. We'd vote for R.E.A.R. -- Really Evil Alma Representin', or B.L.A.H. -- Breaking Laws Around Hell.
Name F.E.A.R. sequel and appear in-game
Due to some fascinating legal chicanery, the sequel to horror shooter F.E.A.R. can't actually be called that. Rather than hire some high falutin creative types, Warner Bros. and Monolith are turning to the hive mind of fandom to help them name the next game. The prize for the top three names? Their likeness in the game and a tour of Monolith. After that, fans will be able to vote on the official name. Entrants aren't just being forced to set out on their own, they've been provided some helpful naming tips like "Some ideas for the Sequel associations: Frenetic Action, Horror (Asian), Destruction, Apocalypse, Paramilitary, Gore." So, we guess it's time for us to reveal our entry: Calamity Samurai Scare Blast End-time Soldier Entrails. But hey, we've already entered. What are your ideas?
Name the F.E.A.R. sequel, win in-game cameo
Think you've got the chops to name the sequel to F.E.A.R.? If so, you might want to look into the Name Your Fear contest being held by Monolith (currently hard at work on Condemned 2, yum). Entries will be accepted until June 24. 3 finalists will then be chosen and given an all-expense paid trip to Monolith, where they will receive the grand tour. As an added bonus, all 3 finalists will have their likenesses featured in the game (corpses #1-3, perhaps?). The 3 final names will be open to a public vote starting July 23 and ending July 27. Head over to the official contest site if you think you have what it takes. Our nomination for the new name: F.E.A.R. T.W.O., or First Encounter Assault Recon Talks with Oprah. Think about it, those guys probably need some serious therapy by now.
