20 Great Video Game Franchises That Became UNPLAYABLE
7. F.E.A.R.
Shooters were rife during the millennium, making it difficult for even the best titles to leave an impact.
And yet, F.E.A.R. made a major impression, thanks to its eerie sound design, combat mechanics, and astounding enemy AI. When Monolith Productions announced they were planning multiple expansions, it seemed like we had a winner on our hands.
Annoyingly, the supernatural shooter couldn't have deflated faster. Extraction Point was too overpriced for what was essentially a bonus campaign. Perseus Mandate was somehow worse, refusing to deviate from the formula in any way.
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin was a step in the right direction, but felt like a simplified version of the original. Ironically, the fear component was noticeably lacking, almost like the developers didn't understand what made the first game iconic.
F.E.A.R. 3 wasn't much better, coming across as a run-of-the-mill shooter. Another studio, Inplay Interactive, tried a different approach with F.E.A.R. Online in 2014, turning it into a free-to-play multiplayer experience. Unfortunately, the whole operation was shut down within a year, while still in a beta state.
With Monolith Studios being closed down in 2025, the chances of F.E.A.R. making a comeback is deeply unlikely.