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FEAR 2: Project Origin going digital over Steam, Direct2Drive
Alma just won't be contained in a box. Warner Bros. sent word that the recently renamed F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin will be released over both Valve's Steam and IGN's Direct2Drive digital distribution services on February 10, 2009. If that date sounds familiar, it's the same day the survival horror FPS will scare up PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 retail shelves as well. Just think, now you won't even have to leave your house to get creeped out by Monolith's spooky little girl. [Via press release]
F.E.A.R. 2 trailer proves children are creepy
Let's face it. Kids are scary. Think about it. We tell them stories about cooking witches in ovens, tell them that cribs belong in trees and that the babies therein inevitably come tumbling down. Is it any wonder that they wind up so damned creepy? Just think of all the horror movies that use children*. The latest trailer for F.E.A.R. 2 -- which highlights that the game is now actually called F.E.A.R. 2 -- showcases lots of nasty monsters and sweet weapons, but we were particularly struck by Alma, the super creepy girl antagonist. More specifically, we were struck by her whispering "You can't hide from me" at the end of the trailer. Now, if you'll excuse us, it's time to hide. *Don't click this.
Project Origin bringing the F.E.A.R back
Did you know that Project Origin was a sequel to F.E.A.R? We're guessing there's a chunk of you who probably didn't, but from now on there's no excuse. Monolith Productions and WB Games inc. have purchased the F.E.A.R name off Activision Blizzard, who retained the license after Monolith switched publishers to work on the sequel. Seemingly Actiblizz feel that they don't need it anymore, along with a few other Sierra franchises. So why not just call it F.E.A.R 2 and have done with it? After all the effort they went to with their Name Your Fear contest, it would be a shame not to use the winning name, Project Origin, in some form or another. As a result the game will now be known as F.E.A.R 2: Project Origin. Lovely. Currently it's set for release worldwide in mid-February. That's around the same time Killzone 2 is due to hit, in case you're wondering.
Project Origin gets its F.E.A.R. back and a release
In a very weird turn of corporate events, Warner and Monolith just announced that they've acquired the F.E.A.R. name and license back from Sierra who initially was going to create their own non-Monolith involved F.E.A.R. sequel. So, with the new name purchase, Project Origin will no longer be the spiritual successor to F.E.A.R. but will instead be the official sequel, now titled F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. Even with the newly acquired F.E.A.R. name, Monolith will be keeping "Project Origin" in the name not only because of the branding they've already being doing, but because they promised the fans. Along with the name change, Lith has confirmed that F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin will release to retail on February 10th, 2009. [Thanks, Rob]
Name change: 'F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin'
Monolith and Warner Bros. sure appreciate all the hard work you put in to deciding the name of the "spiritual successor" to F.E.A.R., but let's face it, Project Origin doesn't quite ring like ... F.E.A.R. 2. But, as the backstory goes, Sierra owned the franchise name and, up until the Activision-Blizzard merger, the company was supposedly working on its own F.E.A.R. sequel. But then, well, Sierra hit a snag. Sensing that all was not well, Warner Bros. sent over a gift basket full of money, and back came the rights to the franchise name. So, here Warner Bros. and Monolith are with the original name and the name that's been used in all the marketing to date. Solution? Combine the two. And the final answer is ... F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin! In stores February 10th, 2009.
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
Watchmen episodes are a prequel to film, novel
The two-episode Watchmen series that was announced yesterday will be a prequel, according to a preview from 1UP. You can choose to play as either Nite Owl or Rorschach, with the other controlled by AI or via split-screen co-op, in the time before masked heroes were outlawed. The third-person action games take place exclusively at night is set to be M-rated. While they brought on some heavy-hitters for the story -- notably Wolverine creator Len Wein and Watchmen illustrator Dave Gibbons -- we're always hesitant when someone other than the original author tries to expand a story. Still, an M-rated series with visuals reportedly "worthy of being a now-generation game" and Rorschach's infamous makeshift flamethrower? We remain cautiously optimistic. Watchmen episodes will be released around the same time as the film (March 6, 2009).
Watchmen based games to go episodic
Let's go off-topic for a moment. Watchmen is probably one of the greatest graphic novels ever created and the film looks totally rad. From director Zack Snyder, the guy who directed the film adaptation of Frank Miller's 300, and partially penned by David Hayter, of Metal Gear fame, it looks like it's going to be one helluva flick. The problem with creating a great movie is that, inevitably, someone will want to create a game based on it. Variety is reporting that Watchmen is no exception to this rule but the game based on the film (based on the graphic novel) is taking a different approach. Warner Bros. has announced it will release two downloadable episodic games on Xbox Live, PC and PSN to coincide with the theatrical and DVD releases of the film. Developed by Deadline Games, which is currently working on Faith and a .45, we don't know much about the content of the games but we hope a smaller game will work out better than licensed titles of the past. We also hope for world peace and an end to fanboy flame wars -- guess how that's going so far? [via Joystiq]
Watchmen becomes two-part episodic PSN game
Any graphic novel nerd will hold a special place for Alan Moore's Watchmen. In addition to the upcoming movie (trailer, above), there will be a coinciding licensed game. Watchmen will be released as a two-part episodic title on XBLA, PSN and PC. The first part will release in tandem with the theatrical release, while the second will release in time for the DVD/Blu-ray release. This should, hopefully, give developers more time to work on a quality title. "We don't want a low-quality console game that will get lost at retail," said WBIE senior veep of production and development Samantha Ryan. "A downloadable game allows us to deliver the experience that fans expect." The Watchmen games are expected to be rated M. [Via Joystiq]
Watchmen getting episodic games on PC, PS3, 360
Watchmen is just full of surprises. We would have never thought anyone could make a competent movie of the epic graphic novel but, if the trailer is any indication, Zack Snyder may be doing just that. We also would have doubted that the book could be made into game form, but it seems Warner Bros. is surprising us once again. The company will release two downloadable episodic games on PC, Xbox Live and PSN, to coincide with the theatrical and DVD releases of the film. All we know is we can expect Nite Owl and Rorschach in an action title developed by Deadline Games, which is currently crafting Faith and a .45. We actually think making shorter games to hit deadlines is a smart way to break the terrible licensed games cycle. But of course, if they're short and terrible ...
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.
