I was lucky enough to score an interview with Fear 2’s Dave Matthews, the Primary Art Lead. Check out the Q&A and some pics after!

TJ: What exactly are we looking at as far as multiplayer options, and online multiplayer options for Fear 2?

Dave: Well one of the features we are most excited about, and something that we get asked more than anything else about regarding multiplayer is the EPA. We’ve developed a mode called Armored Front, where players try to take and maintain possession of several control points scattered throughout the selected map. Each team will have an EPA at their disposal to help them execute on those objectives. I don’t think I can effectively describe how incredibly cool it is to hop into an EPA for the first time and just lay waste to your opponents. The thing that is so impressive about the mode though is how well the multiplayer guys have balanced and tuned the EPA so even though you are incredibly powerful, players will not be indestructible. We really can’t wait for gamers to get their hands on this one.

TJ: What horror games, (aside from your own) do you guys play and what games inspire you?

Dave: I love the genre, it’s tough to narrow is down to just a couple, the list is varied but includes games like the Fatal Frames, Silent Hills, Siren, Resident Evils, Eternal Darkness (Which completely messed with my head)System Shocks and we could go way back in time…Phantasmagoria for the gore. When I think of games for inspiration, I look to games that separated themselves from the masses at the time and helped forge new direction in gaming. Games like Ico, Shadow of the colossus, Mark of Kri, Cookie and Cream, and Flow all brought something new to the table. That innovation is what I find inspiring and it urges me to bring new things to the games I work on.

Read on for the rest of the interview and screens! TJ: The original fear felt very pc shooter esq like I needed a mouse and keyboard when playing it on a system, have you upgraded or done anything different as far as fluidity in the game?

Dave: One of biggest goals for FEAR 2 was to ensure that no matter what platform you played the game on the experience felt as natural and intuitive as possible. Whether you’re playing on the 360, the PS3 or the PC, the controls have been tailored specifically to the strengths of the platform. We haven’t taken a port mentality with FEAR 2, with a lead SKU that gets copied over to other platforms. Gamers used to playing FPSs on the PC will have no problem jumping right in and knowing exactly what to do, and the same goes for gamers used to playing games on their platform of choice.

TJ: A friend of mine, while being a big fan of the game, was not a fan of the slowing down of time aspect, and felt it took away from the games action. Why do you feel it works?

Dave: Your reflexes provide you with another way to approach battles. The way we want players to think about FEAR 2 is “sandbox combat.” Every time you enter a battlefield, the experience will be different. Whether it’s utilizing interactive cover objects, how you use your weapons, how you engage enemies, or when you use your reflexes, all of the details we’ve built into the combat of FEAR 2 are there specifically to give players as many options as possible. You don’t even have to use the reflex ability if you don’t want to, though of course we want gamers to explore every tool we give them. You spend so much time in FEAR 2 hopelessly outnumbered; the reflex ability helps you gain the upper hand when you need it the most. That and the fact that it just looks cool as hell to jump kick a guy, send him flying, and then blow another guy’s head off with the shotgun a moment later, all in slow motion! There is the story element too, but you’re just going to have to wait to see how that comes into play!

TJ: Since I never got to ask this before, why the cliche creepy looking young long black haired girl? Like The Ring, The Grudge, you know the classic horror movie creepo girl.

Dave: In 2005, the themes that are popular in Japanese horror hadn’t become as prevalent in America yet. And though, today, it does seem that Japanese horror has started to reach a plateau of acceptance in the States, the concepts and principles behind them are still extremely scary. That being said, we knew if we simply went the creepy girl route again with Alma, she wouldn’t have the same impact that she did in the first game. It was something we were very conscious of in deciding how to she would manifest herself in FEAR 2. The trend in horror has shifted somewhat, and we’ve take influences from other areas like European and American filmmakers and created a healthy melting pot of options that will drive how Alma will interact with you. The story in the FEAR universe is maturing much like Alma, and with that maturation we needed to evolve the experience. That need caused us to look for other inspirations. The whole experience is far more intimate this time around. Alma is a more active antagonist now. She’s a lot more aggressive, and she’s going to touch you more. . Alma was freed from her prison at the end of the first game, and as such her needs have changed. Her interactions with the player reflect these new needs, and we can’t wait for gamers to discover everything we’ve put into this new chapter in Alma’s story.

TJ: The battle mechs, do you get to use them multiple times throughout the game, or is there just a small section where you get a chance to play around with them?

Dave: You’ll see the EPA on more than one occasion. It’s something that players continually go crazy over and we want to give them plenty of opportunities to discover everything it has to offer.

TJ: Do you have any downloadable content planned?

Dave: There is downloadable content in the works, but we’re not at a point where we can really talk about what that is.

TJ: Do you feel like the pressure is on since the release of some big games recently, such as Silent Hill Homecoming, Dead Space, and soon to come Left 4 Dead?

Dave: I think all of those games have really cool takes on the horror genre, and they’re all really great games in their own right. However, FEAR 2 is unique in the way it presents high intensity fast paced first person combat with tense horror elements. The experience is very much like an emotional rollercoaster where one minute you are fighting apparitions in the hallways of an abandoned school and the next moment you’re laying waste to your landscape in an armored battle suit. By changing up the way you encounter enemies we’re going to constantly keep you on your toes and never let you get accustomed to what’s coming next.

TJ: A lot of games are being made into movies, do you see Fear being made into one?

Dave: Well certainly we wouldn’t ignore someone who came to us saying, “Let’s make a FEAR movie,” but one appealing aspect of FEAR is how well it takes advantage of the nature of video games to create an immersive world that you feel a part of. You can’t have an entire movie told from the first person perspective. It’s been tried in the past, and it just doesn’t work that well. In video games though, it works, and it creates experiences that are personal and intimate in a way that differs from movies.

TJ: I read you went on the forums and took the advice of Fear fans on the sequel, what kind of things have you changed because of the fans?

Dave: We have some of the most active fans you could possibly hope for, and after FEAR launched several things became very clear from our fan base. They wanted more color, more varieties of enemies and environments, more explanation of who and what Alma is, and not least of which the ability to pilot a powered armor. We gave them all that and more. If you’re playing FEAR 2, and are familiar with the first game, there is going to be a lot that you’re going to see that’s going to make you very very happy.