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F.E.A.R. Nightmare pack on X.B.L.M.
After setting the foundation down with the free update that released last week, F.E.A.R. now has multiplayer maps available on Xbox Live Marketplace. The 4 maps cost only 500 Microsoft Points, which is a reasonable price for the content. CTF and Conquer All maps are Spill Kill and Heliport, while Cafeteria and Asylum will supply your fix for Control and straight up Deathmatch. Perhaps this will persuade us to actually break the seal on our still shrink wrapped copy of the game.
F.E.A.R. Nightmare Pack available, reasonable
When we read the name of the new downloadable "Nightmare" map pack for F.E.A.R., our snarky blogger sense went haywire. "Oh, this will be rich," we said in our heads as we planned our first line, which would have gone something like "The real nightmare is being asked to pay $10 for these things!" (lolz!) But then we saw the price: 500 points ($6.25) for four new maps. Which is annoyingly reasonable. "Well what the blood clot are we supposed to write!?" we shouted angrily, chucking our half-empty Diet Pepsi Max at our favorite kitten calendar. That's when we realized it: The names of the maps! We could include those and then hopefully make some sort of great zinger. So ... Heliport, Spill Kill, Asylum and Cafeteria. ... Nothing. OK. Well, F.E.A.R. packs are available. Go get them, or don't. We're going to go curl up with a pint of Chubby Hubby and a Nicholas Sparks book and figure out what we're even doing in this business.
F.E.A.R. D.L.C. for F.R.E.E. on X.B.L.M.
There's free new content available for F.E.A.R. on Xbox Live Marketplace. The Control and Conquer All Map Pack has two new gametypes, "Conquer All" and "Control". On top of the extra gametypes, there is also a title update that adds a few functionality features to the gameplay and Xbox Live experience. on the in game experience, blood splatter has been added to enemy uniforms after having been shot, as well as an option to fade the HUD so it only shows information when you need it, without cluttering your screen. Extra functionality has been added to Player Matches, allowing the host to invite friends into both private and public slots. There also were hints made towards new maps being available later this summer.
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.
Monolith Soft now part of Nintendo's monolith
All those Wii and DS profits must have been burning a hole in Nintendo's pocket, because they went developer shopping and picked up Monolith Soft. We guess they really liked that one screenshot of Disaster: Day of Crisis.Monolith Soft is responsible for the reviled Xenosaga series (the Japanese limited edition release of Xenosaga II included the unfortunate figurine seen here, nicknamed MOK-KOS), the crossover strategy game Namco X Capcom, and, in conjunction with Tri-Crescendo, the two Baten Kaitos games. Maybe now we'll get that pseudo-religious science-fiction Kirby RPG we've all been waiting for!
Nintendo buys Xenosaga dev Monolith Soft
Japanese development studio Monolith Soft has been purchased by Nintendo from Namco Bandai, according to a press release (PDF file) from credible Japanese news source Nikkei translated by gaming site The Platformers. Our team of translators have discerned from the release that Nintendo now owns 80% of the company's stock, while Namco Bandai still retain 16% of their original 96% holdings in the developer, whose total worth is approximately 75 million yen.The studio, formed in 1999 by former Square employee Hirohide Sugiura, is responsible for the Xenosaga and Baten Kaitos series. The company is also reportedly developing Disaster: Day of Crisis, a Wii title that hasn't been seen since its appearance at E3 2006.We've contacted Nintendo further details. For the console maker, this gives them an experienced second party RPG developer. We'll keep you updated as this story progresses.[Thanks for the translation help, Patrick and Andrew]
F.E.A.R. PS3/360 comparison video
From what Factor 5's Julian Eggebrecht said, we should already know that the 360 version of F.E.A.R. will look superior to the PlayStation 3 because of how the two console's hardware is arranged (ports from PS3 to the 360 would actually be easier and look identical, supposedly). The video above may surprise you at just how similar the game looks on both consoles. The PS3 seems brighter, the 360 seems shinier, but overall it's the same game. Cool.
F.E.A.R. the PS3 vs 360 comparison
Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 graphics comparisons aren't anything new, but when a multiplatform game releases we figure we'll just keep dishing out the video goods. Showcased above is a graphical brawl between the 360 and PS3 versions of F.E.A.R. and even though the small embedded video isn't the perfect graphical representation, we have a difficult time telling the difference. Even after downloading the HD comparison video it's still hard to tell which version is graphically superior. Maybe it was just a good porting job from the PC version to both consoles, who knows, but to us they look the same. We'll leave it in your hands fellow fanboys, watch the video and start a mini fanboy war or just dismiss this comparison and call it a draw.
Seven PS3 titles delayed from Euro launch, 27 still left
We now have seven PlayStation 3 titles that will miss their original European release date alongside the console's launch. The dubious septuplet and their new release dates: Splinter Cell: Double Agent -- March 30 NBA 2k7 -- April 6 F.E.A.R. -- April 20 Oblivion -- April 27 Untold Legends -- April 27 GRAW 2 -- June 2007 Rainbow Six: Vegas -- Spring 2007 While more than a few of those are top-notch titles, Sony still has 27 launch titles -- 23 disc-based and four downloadable -- and at their disposal, including Virtua Fighter 5. Will the absence of these seven games affect the launch? No more than the price, and the delays aren't very far behind the March 23 launch. In three months, no one is going to care about the delays. The initial momentum lost, however, is debatable. [Via PS3 Fanboy]
First Disaster: Day of Crisis screenshot
Nintendo released a single screenshot of Monolith Soft's Disaster: Day of Crisis, the natural-disaster survival game announced at E3 2006. We now have our first indication of how the game will play-- that arrow suggests a Quick Timer Event. Whether that means an action/adventure game with occasional quick-button-press segments, or a Dragon's Lair-style game, we don't know. What is surprising even to us is that we're kind of hoping for the latter. We miss those laserdisc games! Are we the only ones?
F.E.A.R. sequel confirmed -- be afraid of children all over again
Not only do they, as I believe Lemina from Lunar 2: Eternal Blue said, "whine and cry and poop and fight", children have become staples in the Japanese horror genre well beyond the saturation point. Knowing that, F.E.A.R. decided to go ahead with the plans for a sequel to their interesting first-person-shooter-meets-Japanese-style-horror gameplay. While it had been in talks for a while, this is confirmation of the sequel's existence. It has been mentioned that the sequel will be released on the PC and multiple platforms, with each release specifically tailored to each console's strengths. Also, since the "F.E.A.R." franchise is owned by Vivendi games and this sequel is going to be worked on by Monolith and Warner Bros., it's probably going to have a different title. Can anyone think of a humorous title? How about: S.C.A.R.E.: Something Creepy Always Revealing Evilness! A perfect "Engrish" subtitle.
Rumor: F.E.A.R. sequels announced?
A press release from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced today that the sequel to F.E.A.R. is in the company's "current production slate". One snag may be that publisher Vivendi owns the rights to the franchise name, while WBIE owns Monolith, the developer of the title. Also mentioned in the press release is that Samantha Ryan, Monolith's CEO is now taking on the role of Senior Vice President of Development and Production at Warner. The forthcoming sequel will be coming to PC, Xbox 360 and PS3, with each version taking full advantage of its respective platform's strengths. So do you have any suggestions for a new name for the game? S.C.A.R.Y. seems a little cheesy to us. [Via QJ.net]
Metareview - F.E.A.R. (Xbox 360)
It's hard to shake the sense that F.E.A.R. is 'so last-year.' With Gears of War and Call of Duty 3 both just days away, and Rainbow Six Vegas debuting later this month, we're not sure there's reason to invest in Monolith's shooter -- at least, not until it lands in the bargain bin. Bottom line: a mostly stable port of the solid PC original, with some decent extras, like Instant Action, tacked on (the achievements are a bitch though).Peep the word: IGN (91/100) - "F.E.A.R. for me was a totally new experience and, as console games go, an excellent one ... While F.E.A.R. has been low on the hype meter for a while ... I think hardcore gamers will discover its greatness real quick" [Another Take]. Team Xbox (87/100) - "While F.E.A.R.'s core story is essentially run-of-the-mill in terms of video game plots, the game makes up for it by creating a world in which danger lurks around every corner. ... If you're looking for an intense shooter that will occasionally scare the living crap out of you, F.E.A.R. is exactly what the doctor ordered." Game Informer (Second Opinion) (80/100) - "Maybe it's because I've played this game before, but F.E.A.R. doesn't get my blood pumping like it once did ... Or maybe it's just because I've played more intense shooters since the original came out ... Those who have played through F.E.A.R. on the PC don't have much reason to pick up the console version..." Current overall average: 87/100
Bringing It Home content, 9/25
Well folks, TGS is over, finished, kaput. As such, it seem only fitting that today's content is more oriented towards western audiences -- note also that there is no Japan exclusive content today. Here's the sweet sweet candy: Battlestations Midway trailer Eragon trailer Import Tuner Challenge trailer Need for Speed Carbon trailer The Darkness trailer Mass Effect Picture Pack (free!) Battlestar Galactica (United States) TGS Showfloor video 3 video F.E.A.R. demo We discussed the F.E.A.R. demo earlier: if you played the OXM demo, there's nothing new. With all this content, it may be time to start clearing out some of that old E3 stuff. Meanwhile, X06 inches ever closer. So, everybody make some room, download each and every one of these trailers, watch them, and then come back here and discuss them. Discuss them, I say!
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.]
