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[Retrospective] For Better And For Worse: ‘F.E.A.R. 2’ Turns 10

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Inspired by the J-Horror craze going on at the time, Monolith’s F.E.A.R. was a solid action fest of a shooter that entertained as much as it terrified. Yeah, the ending was clichéd, but dammit, the slow-motion ability, combined with some beefy weapons and slick graphics made for some fun times. And yes, this was also the time we were still afraid of mysterious long-haired girls with weird powers. So naturally, Monolith got to work and gave us F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin in 2009, which has quietly hit its 10-year anniversary. I say ‘quietly’ because like the series’ inspiration, people seem to have forgotten about it. It’s kind of a shame, since the title had, and in some cases, still has, a lot to offer. But that’s also despite having an overarching issue that ultimately led to it being overlooked in the first place.

Picking up 30 minutes before the end of F.E.A.R., you are Michael Beckett, a Delta Force operator whose squad is sent in to take one Genevieve Aristide into protective custody before Armacham Technology Corporation (the folks behind the mess in the first game) get to her first. Of course, things don’t go the way they should, as ATC gets to Aristide first. After Beckett and his crew fight them off, Aristide mentions that Beckett and several of his teammates are all part of a project known as “Harbinger”. Of course, before you get any more from Aristide, the ending to F.E.A.R. occurs, leaving you underground, fighting to get back to the surface with the ATC on your back, and Alma taking a special interest in you…

Impressively, even after 10 years, F.E.A.R. 2‘s graphics still look amazing. The original game, while looking marvelous for the time, was admittedly too contrasted and too “clean” in its presentation. Plus, this was just before Crysis hit, moving the bar for visual quality. As for F.E.A.R. 2, the game actually has color and style, rather than being bathed in the harsh lights that were everywhere in the first game. Damage done to buildings (particularly the school) still look realistic enough, though the texture work is again a little too clean looking in places.

Of course, if you played the original, you’re going to find some aspects of the graphics having taken a step back. The contrast in the graphics in F.E.A.R. had a sort of oppressive, harsh feel to it all, and made the game that much more intense. It also made damage done to the environment after a firefight stick out. The graphics in F.E.A.R. 2 now no longer have that contrast. Enemies no longer stand out, and their design has taken on a more “Call of Duty” look, which feels really generic. The blood effects had also changed. No longer do you have those clouds of red mist and other particle effects accenting the carnage as much as they did. They’re still there, but don’t stand out as much.

A bigger focus this time for F.E.A.R. 2 was its story. As mentioned, the ending to the first game was something you could see coming, but the overall story was kind of thin (it’s a first-person shooter, after all). And while you’re still getting an FPS-style story with side characters that don’t have much going on for them, you do have a bit more in terms of a “bond” with some characters rather than none at all. You now have something more interesting to chew on with the Harbinger project, its involvement with you and your teammates, the ATC wanting to clean up everything, and then of course Alma.

Alma’s goal, as the game puts it, is to consume you because you emit psychic energy as a result of Aristide performing experiments on you after the Point Man detonates the Origin Facility’s reactor. The same experiments that give you your Reflex Mode now have you on occasion having to fend off Alma’s psychic attacks in true “Mash ‘Q’ to not die” moments. Later on, it turns out that she’s after more than just your psychic energy.

Another big focus for F.E.A.R. 2 was its gameplay. A lot of what made the first game so great with the Reflex Mode, the weapons, the AI and the melee combat, is still here, but a lot has also been changed. Many of the weapons found in the first game are back, they feel kind of nerfed. For example, your standard pistol has been changed so that it requires ammo, but doesn’t feel like (or reflect) the damage that you could do in the previous game. You also can’t dual wield. The same can be said of your shotgun, which again doesn’t have the same punchy feel as the previous iteration. In fact, you probably will only end up using the assault rifle and one other weapon during your entire playthough, given how imbalanced everything feels. But, you do get to stomp around in a mech at a certain point, so that adds a bit of spice (even if you can’t do it from the outset).

The physics are probably the most noticeable change. In the previous game, you could ragdoll enemies to your heart’s content, and even stick them to the walls with the Penetrator. In F.E.A.R. 2, you no longer have that much of a ragdoll effect, which takes away a bit of the fun. It also makes the running melee attacks feel lame. Grenades no longer detonate on impact (though you can cook them this time), and bounce around like spooked rabbits, making their use limited.

As for the AI, they still do much of what made the first game so tense in their use of cover and attempts to flush you out from behind cover. This time, however, they feel more like a wave rather than a squad, lining up to get shot at rather than having you work to get them out in the open. In fact, you’ll do more remaining behind cover than actually rushing out and using your melee attacks while firing (as you did in F.E.A.R.). Again, it’s the whole “be like Call of Duty” thing.

If you haven’t gathered it by now, F.E.A.R. 2 suffers from being a game that was great on the PC, but in order to appeal to the masses (read: the console market), it had to be stripped of what made the original so good. Small things, like the HUD now resembling something you’d see on for a console game, bullets no longer having tracers to better pinpoint your shot, the down-the-sights aiming, the aforementioned graphical changes, the quicktime events, etc. all add up. In fact, if you watch the making-of videos for the game, you get the sense that it all was more or less taking a PC shooter and turning it into a console shooter, while not alienating the established fanbase. Needless to say, it didn’t work. You’re left with a game that while fun to play, satisfied neither camp enough to make it a surefire Call of Duty challenger.

There’s still a lot to like about F.E.A.R. 2. The game certainly was certainly boosted in the story department (as well as the horror), but admittedly took a few steps back when it came to a lot of other areas. It brought the series to console owners, which did open up the audience somewhat. It certainly wasn’t a bad game (despite me doing the constant comparison to the original), but the overall feel that Monolith chose to focus on taking out what was special from the first game in favor of homogenizing it, is disappointing. Still, the fact that the horror aspect was boosted with the story does make the game more appealing in that regard for some genre fans, myself included. F.E.A.R. 2 is one of the few older horror FPS games still worth checking out, despite losing some of what made the first game so great.

Writer/Artist/Gamer from the Great White North. I try not to be boring.

Editorials

The 10 Scariest Moments in the ‘Ghostbusters’ Movie Franchise

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scariest Ghostbusters

WARNING: The following contains mild spoilers for the Ghostbusters franchise. 

Yes, Ghostbusters is a horror movie – gateway horror to be exact. Setting aside the fact that the title literally contains the word “ghost,” a foundational element of the scariest genre, the franchise follows a group of paranormal researchers who battle entities attacking from beyond the grave. After countless rewatches, the classic films and newer sequels may not scare us much anymore, but how many times have we as genre fans asserted that a film does not have to be “scary” to be considered horror?

Genre classification is nebulous and any film that centers on ghosts has a place in the sprawling house of horror. Yes, it’s true that most viewers over the age of thirteen will find more to laugh about than scream while watching a Ghostbusters film, but each entry contains a handful of terrifying moments. With Gil Kenan’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire uniting three generations of the parascientific warriors, perhaps it’s time to highlight the most frightening moments from each phase of this legendary franchise. 


Ghostbusters (1984)

A Haunted Library

scariest Ghostbusters movie

Ivan Reitman’s original film begins with a campfire tale come to life. We follow an unsuspecting librarian as she ventures deep into the stacks to reshelve a book. With her hair blowing from a spectral breeze, we watch a hardcover float across the aisle to the opposite shelf. A second book follows, but the librarian remains unaware. She finally notices the disturbance when card catalog drawers open on their own spewing cards into the air like literary geysers. She flees through the maze of narrow stacks only to come face to face with a mysterious force who blows her back with a powerful roar. We won’t see the Library Ghost (Ruth Oliver) until a later scene, but this introduction firmly positions the film that follows in the world of horror. On first watch, we can only speculate as to the ghost’s malevolence and whether or not the librarian has survived the encounter. It’s the perfect introduction to a world in which ghosts are not only real, they will pounce on unsuspecting humans at the drop of a … book. 

Shaky Ground

The original finale may not be the film’s most terrifying moment, but it has become the franchise’s most iconic image. When faced with choosing a form for Gozer (Slavitza Jovan), Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) inadvertently conjures up an image from his childhood. Moments later, a set of once-cheery eyes peer through the skyscrapers. The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man towers over the city, stomping and destroying everything in its path. While there’s definitely something terrifying about a jovial mascot turned deadly killer, what happens moments before is arguably scarier. 

The Ghostbusters arrive at the luxury apartment building to throngs of adoring fans. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) plays into this hero-worship and promises an easy solution to a supernatural problem. But before they can enter the building, lightning strikes the upper floors sending massive chunks of brick and cement raining down on the barricaded street. The ground begins to shake and a giant fissure swallows the entire team. It’s a destabilizing moment made all the more terrifying by its shocking reality. Speculation about the existence of ghosts may vary from person to person, but there’s no doubt that sinkholes are very real. It’s entirely possible that the ground we’re standing on right now could spontaneously begin to crumble, sucking us down into a seemingly bottomless void beneath the earth. 


Ghostbusters II (1989)

Runaway Baby

Ivan Reitman’s sequel begins with a sly update on the life of a beloved character as Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) pushes a baby carriage containing her infant son Oscar (Henry and William Deutschendorf). When last we saw the attractive cellist, she was kissing Venkman in the wreckage of Gozer’s demise and the thought of this loveable lady’s man becoming a father may be more nerve-wracking than anything contained in the first film. We never learn much about Oscar’s real father, but we do discover that fate has a sinister plan for the adorable child. While Dana chats with her landlord, Oscar’s carriage rolls a few feet away. Dana reaches for the handle, but the buggy begins speeding down the sidewalk careening through the busy crowds. As if guided by unseen hands, the carriage twists and turns, then abruptly swerves into oncoming traffic. Cars honk and veer out of the way, but the racing carriage marks a collision course with an approaching bus. The wheels screech to a halt moments before what would surely be a deadly crash and Dana rushes to embrace her vulnerable child. This harrowing scene is likely to terrorize any parent who’s experienced the fear of trying to protect a baby in an unpredictable world.  

Sewer Screams

scariest Ghostbusters scene

While investigating the second film’s primary villain, Vigo the Carpathian (Wilhelm von Homburg), three of the Ghostbusters venture into the sewers hoping to find a growing river of slime. Ray, Winston (Ernie Hudson), and Egon (Harold Ramis) trek down an abandoned subway line while speculating about the hordes of cockroaches and rats they hear scurrying behind the walls. These vermin may be scary, but there are more malevolent monsters lurking in the dark. Ray and Egon both amuse themselves with the tunnel’s echo but Winston’s “hello” goes unanswered. Moments later, a demonic voice bellows his name from the dark end of the corridor. Waiting behind him is a severed head floating in the empty tunnel. As he tries to retreat, the team finds themselves surrounded by dozens of ghoulish heads that disappear faster than they materialized. Moments later, a ghostly train hurtles towards them, swallowing Winston in its spectral glow. Egon theorizes that something is trying to keep them from reaching their destination with effective scares designed to frighten the Ghostbusters and audience alike.  


Ghostbusters (2016)

Haunted Basement

Like its predecessor, Paul Feig’s remake opens with a spooky vignette. Garrett (Zach Woods) gives a tour of the Aldridge Mansion, a 19th century manor preserved in the middle of the busy city, and walks visitors through a troubling history of excess and cruelty. Hoping to inject a bit of excitement, he pauses near the basement door and tells the horrifying story of Gertrude Aldridge (Bess Rous), a wealthy heiress who murdered the house’s many servants. Hoping to avoid a public scandal, her family locked her in the basement and her restless spirit can still be heard trying to escape. Garrett triggers a trick candlestick to fly off the shelf, hinting at the spirit’s presence, but a late night incident shows that the deceased murderess may actually be lurking in her ancestral home. While closing up for the night, Garrett hears ominous noises from behind the barricaded door and watches the knob rattle against the heavy locks. An unseen attacker hurls him through the house and eventually drives him down the basement stairs to a sea of green slime pooling on the floor. The stairs crumble leaving the tour guide hanging on to the door frame for dear life as a spectral figure glides toward him with menacing hands outstretched. Once again, we won’t see the fully revealed ghost of Gertrude Aldridge until later in the film, but this terrifying opening sets the stage for a dangerous showdown with an army of the dead.

Mannequin On the Move

The scariest moment of the 2016 remake is arguably the vicious online hatred sparked well before the film’s release. In response to brutal comments posted to the first official trailer, the cast returned to film an additional scene in which they react to dehumanizing negativity. But another sequence may cut closer to the heart of this upsetting experience. The Ghostbusters respond to a call at a concert venue and split up to cover more ground. Patty (Leslie Jones) enters what she calls a “room full of nightmares” and immediately reverses course to avoid a multitude of mannequins stacked haphazardly in the dark. As she walks out the door, one of the faceless creatures turns its head her way. Walking on its own, this sentient prop follows her down the hall, pausing the moment she turns around. Eventually breaking cover, the mannequin chases Patty down the hall to the rest of the team. They unleash their proton packs and make quick work of the gargoyle-like ghost. Though this connection is surely unintentional, it’s a terrifying parallel to a faceless monster sneaking up to attack a woman simply trying to do her job. 


Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

Smoke and Monsters

While Ghostbusters: Afterlife is nowhere near as scary as the horror films playing in the local summer school science class, Jason Reitman’s legacyquel does contain its share of frights. The film opens with a harrowing scene as we join Egon (Oliver Cooper) in the last moments of his life. Racing away from a sinister mountain, Egon’s truck collides with an unseen force and flips upside down in a field of corn. The elderly scientist races back to his crumbling farmhouse with a trap in hand, intent on ensnaring this invisible being. Unfortunately, the power fails and Egon has no choice but to hide the trap under the floorboards and wait. He sits in a comfortable old chair as a horrifying cloud of smoke drifts in behind him, momentarily forming the shape of a fanged beast. Demonic hands grab him from within the chair, likely causing the heart attack that will be listed on his death certificate. But his abandoned PKE meter below the chair activates, reminding us that Egon may be deceased, but he is far from gone.  

The Terror Returns

scariest Ghostbusters moments

Ghostbusters: Afterlife turns out to be a touching tribute to Harold Ramis as his friends and family unite to complete the beloved scientist’s heroic mission. In addition to a tearjerker ending, Reitman also includes a bevy of callbacks to the original film. Not only do the Spenglers square off against the team’s first enemy, Gozer (Emma Portner), the nonbinary entity brings back the Terror Dogs that once possessed Dana Barret and Louis Tully (Rick Moranis). These demonic beasts first rear their ugly heads while Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd) stops by Walmart to buy a midnight snack. While the horde of mini marshmallow men are eerie in their gleeful self-destruction, the ghostly canine that chases him through the store is the stuff of nightmares. Early iterations of this fearsome creature are hindered by ’80s-era special effects, but Reitman’s version feels frighteningly real. While Gary frantically tries to find his keys, this Terror Dog snarls at him from atop his car dashboard, leaving the endearing science teacher with no way to escape. 


Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)

Frozen Dinner 

After a film set in a small mountain town, the opening of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire takes us back to New York circa 1904. We see the fire station in its early years as a horse-drawn carriage responds to a call. Arriving at the scene, a fireman tests the door for heat and watches in horror as his hand instantly freezes. Inside, they find jagged shards of ice surrounding and piercing a frozen dinner party. Guests are posed in various states of ice-covered surprise while an eerie record skips in the corner. A figure covered in brass armor we will come to know as a Fire Master is crouched in the corner clutching a mysterious orb. When the fireman touches this rippling sphere, the frozen diners’ heads begin to explode, an ominous precursor to the chilling threat awaiting the newest Ghostbusting team. 

Lights Out

If Ghostbusters: Afterlife featured the lo-fi gear of the 80s, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire hurls us into the future. Wealthy financier Winston Zeddemore has been surreptitiously building a new containment unit to relieve pressure on the original model along with a secret lab designed to study ghosts and haunted objects. In addition to fancy new gadgets and gear, this facility contains several captured spirits like a fanged Wraith and a speedy Possessor. Lab techs assure the astonished Spengler team that they are perfectly safe, but it seems they’ve overestimated the facility’s security. Lucky (Celeste O’Connor) and Lars (James Acaster) are studying the aforementioned orb when the power goes out, leaving them stranded in the dark with a cache of haunted objects. Not only does the ancient sphere hold a deadly spirit, the proton fields containing the captured ghosts have just been disabled. These terrifying creatures begin to drift through the walls toward the defenseless lab techs, perhaps at the bidding of an evil commander. Thankfully the generator kicks on in the nick of time, drawing the ghosts back into their cells. It’s a tense moment reminding us that no matter how charming the Ghostbusters may be, they still spend their days with evil spirits just waiting for an opportunity to wreak havoc.  


The Ghostbusters franchise excels at mixing humor and fear, practically setting the blueprint for the modern horror comedy. Moments from the original two films terrified a generation of gen-xers and elder millennials and newer iterations are currently scaring their kids. The fifth franchise installment effectively passes the proton pack torch to a new generation of Ghostbusters and we can only hope additional films will continue to induct future generations of Ghostbusters fans into the horror family as well. 

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is now playing in theaters. Read our review.

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