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F.E.A.R. 2 Project Origin isn’t a game that required to be put on the back burner until 2009  -- but judging from it's current polished state, it certainly helped to do so. Monolith did F.E.A.R 2 right. The fright factor is very real and tangible;  the story pulls the player in, making him want to go on a killing spree to figure out what on Earth is going on; and all the while evil-Alma never stops coming in to remind the player who really calls the shots, from bloodbath to bloodbath.

I left F.E.A.R. 2's single-player game with a hankering for more. Not for more technical achievements, but for more gaming experience in general. The environments were well executed, the puzzle portions were just enough to not seem overly tedious, and the enemy balance was solid this time around. Taking things casual on the 'normal' difficulty level, I was able to clock in 11.5 hours of gameplay. And that was with exploring a decent amount, and getting really into some good siege moments. The game rewards players that can take it slow:  the tension in those Alma moments is truly intense, and it really does seem like those moments are at the heart of what this game is all about. 

Overall I’m pleased to say that if you’re a fan of FPS gaming -- and especially of survival horror gaming -- then F.E.A.R. 2 should already be on your list of games to pick up. The game delivers a quality, complete experience with a variety of environments and enemies and those special moments described above. It doesn’t just beat the same scare tactic to death; it keeps trying to find new ways to surprise the player. Nothing says "surprise!" like a ghost trying to dig through your chest.

Certainly, the single player experience trumps the multiplayer experience. But this isn't to knock the online game too much -- our biggest problem was finding enough players to play with, and this hopefully won't be a problem as more copies are downloaded from Steam. 

For those sitting on the fence with Project Origin, I would say it’s a safe bet to be able to jump into the purchase. You'll appreciate all the work that went into this game -- in the end it was worth the wait. If this sets the bar for things to come in 2009 then gamers really are in for a heck of a year.

I would like applaud the folks at Monolith for listening to the fans -- not only of F.E.A.R, but of the FPS genre in general. They did many things right here, and they laid down something that is worth digging into for hours on end. F.E.A.R 2 has some claws that'll come out of your monitor and grab your brain, holding you captive for some seriously intense gaming sessions.