Patrick checked out the F.E.A.R. 2 Live Event in the UK this week. Eight contestants were flown to a secret location in London, England, to go head to head playing ‘F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin’ while being exposed to a host of nasty surprises to fully scare them into next week. All coverage was streamed live across the web to allow home viewers a chance to enjoy the pitiful cries and screams of the unlucky gamers.
F.E.A.R. 2 can turn even the hardiest gamer into a gibbering wreck, event organizers opted to make things even worse by placing game controllers in boxes, with holes for the unsuspecting player’s hands. Various creepy crawlies, dead animals, live electrical cables and other nasties were put into the box with the controller while they played the game. To get a good idea of this, think Flash Gordon’s tree stump scene, yet exchange the space-faring quarterback for some extremely jumpy and squeamish gamers clutching a slimed Xbox controller, and you get the idea.
To fully integrate online viewers, users of the chat-room were provided with a vote option every 30 seconds to select a different animal or object for the box. Contestants were subjected to spiders, snakes, slime, dead fish, cockroaches, dead Squid, and shock wires. Unfortunately, a number of cockroaches were needlessly splattered by jumpy gamers, marring the event for all bug loving viewers.
The event was great to watch, although there was only one chat-room which quickly overflowed, making it hard to have a conversation (particularly as numerous languages were spoken). Technical Issues also took the event down for a little over two hours which annoyed many chatters.
With regards to the game-play, F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin brings more of the same chilling FPS action that the original F.E.A.R. title delivered, although it’s graphics engine is significantly improved and the AI is far more cunning. It’s up to the gamers whether they wish to add their own cockroaches, although we would suggest they don’t.
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is certainly one of the must-own FPS titles on release schedule for early 2009.
