10 Most Criminally Underrated Games Of The Last Generation
10. F.E.A.R. 2
If the Ring films and F.E.A.R have proved anything, it's that little girls with long black hair are absolutely terrifying. In a generation filled with bog standard shooters, F.E.A.R 2 stood out by combining traditional FPS gameplay tropes with elements of nightmarish horror. Like all good scary movies, F.E.A.R plays with its pacing masterfully, meaning that youll never know when the lights around you will suddenly go out, or when evil lurks around the next corner. Because of this (and maybe your unquenchable coffee addiction) in F.E.A.R 2 youre always on edge - and you should be. Here looks can be deceiving, and at the snap of a finger reality can become distorted - as the corridor in front of you suddenly opens up into the depths of Hell. Without wanting to give anything away, the story is pretty competent throughout, and allows for some great set ups for scares, but to be honest, the real draw here is the shooting. F.E.A.R 2s main gameplay hook is its slow motion shooting mechanic. Initially this feels cool, but somewhat unnecessary, allowing you to watch the blood splurt out of soldiers as you riddle them mercilessly with lead. While at first it just feels like a tool for unleashing gratuitous violence, slow-mo becomes essential to defeating teleporting demons and saving you from other, similarly horrific creatures later in the game. If you ever thought youd enjoy Slender more if you were being chased by little girls and shooting demons then this is most definitely the game for you. F.E.A.R 2 is one of the purest horror experiences of the last generation and well worth picking up. Play with headphones in a dark room for the authentic experience (i.e. for added pant wetting trauma).
Having written for Official Playstation Mag, Godisageek and obviously What Culture. Tom is a London based writer who loves him some games. You may also find his articles lurking in the film and comic sections on rare occasions.
