About the game
F.E.A.R. 3 (stylized as F.3.A.R.) is a 2011 first-person shooter and psychological horror game for PlayStation 3, Windows and Xbox 360, developed by Day 1 Studios and published by Warner Bros. Games. It is the third game in the F.E.A.R. series. Filmmaker John Carpenter consulted on the cutscenes and script, which was written by comic writer and novelist Steve Niles. It is the only F.E.A.R. game with co-op.
The campaign can be played alone or in co-op, online or on split screen. Alone, you start as Point Man, and finishing a level unlocks it as Paxton Fettel, who fights with psychic powers such as possession instead of a normal arsenal. Level layout, cutscenes and dialogue are the same for both. Point Man carries up to two guns at a time.
There are four multiplayer modes for up to four players, online or on split screen. In Soul King everyone can possess enemies and collect souls. Contractions is a wave defense co-op mode. In the third mode you fight your way to an extraction point while running from Alma's Wall of Death. In Soul Survivor one player is corrupted and tries to possess the others.
The story takes place nine months after F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. A resurrected Fettel rescues Point Man from an ATC prison in Brazil, and the two brothers head back to Fairport. Point Man wants to find Jin Sun-Kwon and stop Alma from giving birth. Fettel has a different aim.
The game began life as F.E.A.R. 2 and was first planned to be published by Vivendi Games. When Warner acquired the rights to the whole franchise it was rebuilt as F.E.A.R. 3. Warner pushed for co-op and more action and less horror, which Day 1 said was the opposite of its plan. The team worked long crunch hours and many staff left before it shipped. The release slipped three times from the first date of March 22, 2011.
It reached stores on June 21, 2011 in North America. Critics gave it mixed reviews. They praised the co-op, the multiplayer, the combat and the difference between the two characters, and they were disappointed by the story, the lack of scares and the short campaign. Sales were disappointing, and the series has been on hold since. It was released on GOG.com in 2015 and added to Xbox backward compatibility in 2021.
The text above is adapted from Wikipedia and licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What critics said
Metacritic 74 out of 100 from 48 reviews (PS3). Metacritic 74 out of 100 from 34 reviews (PC). Metacritic 75 out of 100 from 71 reviews (Xbox 360). Individual reviews: IGN 8/10, Eurogamer 8/10, Game Informer 7.8/10, GameSpot 7.5/10, Official PlayStation Magazine (Australia) 6/10.
Good to know
- Pre-order bonuses were a prequel comic from Amazon, a multiplayer weapon called the Shredder from Best Buy and a multiplayer pistol called the Hammer from GameStop.
- The Collector's Edition also includes the Hammer and the F.E.A.R. 3: Prelude comic, written by Steve Niles and published by DC Comics.
- The release date moved three times after it was first set for March 22, 2011.
- Both campaign characters play through the same levels. Fettel only unlocks for a level after you finish it as Point Man.
- Contractions and Soul King can be played on split screen as well as online.
- A free-to-play game called F.E.A.R. Online (2014) is not part of the main series.
- The trophy list has 51 trophies, with score targets on each of the eight Intervals and a Platinum called Master of F.E.A.R.
Made by
Director T.J. Wagner, Producer Dan Way, Producer Ernest Zamora, Producer Tim Shymkus, Designer Frank Rooke, Programmer Matthew Singer, Artist Heinz Schuller, Writer Steve Niles, Writer Davidson Cole, Writer Stephen E. Dinehart.
