Most developers would love to have a track record like Monolith. In recent years, it's put out tremendous games that include the
No One Lives Forever series and
TRON 2.0, all genre-bending shooters with interesting stories and even (gasp!) a sense humor. And yet, despite constant acclaim, the company is still looking for that blockbuster smash, the game to vault them beyond critics'-darling status.
From what we've seen so far, Monolith is taking square aim at that with its latest first-person shooter:
F.E.A.R.. In a genre overloaded with me-too clones, it looks to be a unique blend of the modern counter-terrorist shooter and Japanese-style horror, with impressive new graphics tech that should put it in a league with the
DOOM 3s of the world. Monolith is still keeping the single-player game close to the vest, but we recently had a chance to visit its Seattle offices for some hands-on playtime with the game's multiplayer modes.
The multiplayer focuses on the military aspects of the game, with modes including the standard deathmatch, team deathmatch, and variants that include the "slow-mo" ability from the single-player game. Each level contains a special powerup that players or teams can fight for control over, and allows you to slow down time across the entire level. In team games, the controlling team is reduced to 40% speed, while the other team is reduced to 20%, giving the controlling team a huge advantage for ten seconds. There's also a icon on the screen that points out the location of the powerup, so if you're carrying it, assume that the other players will find you pretty soon.
The three multiplayer levels from our playtest were all based on areas from the single-player game, mostly indoor and dark. Two were set in an office building, while the other was set in an indoor/outdoor loading dock loading area. The games were fast-paced -- it rarely took long to find enemies in hallways or lobby areas, and it wasn't long before both teams learned to stick to each other instead of running around randomly.
The weapons setup is similar to most games in the genre: you have three slots for weapons, and you can pick a starting weapon to spawn with. The arsenal is similar to most games: dual pistols, a submachinegun, a shotgun, an assault rifle, nailgun, a semi-automatic, an experimental plasma gun and off-hand grenades. It's possible to pick up extra weapons off other enemies, and there are also some unique weapons scattered at special locations on the map, including a missile launcher, great for long-range attacks.
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