Of all the games I am set to see here at E3, none interested me more or had me more excited than Project Origin, Monolith’s follow-up to F.E.A.R. (a name they can no longer use thanks to a licensing dispute). Despite having their name taken away, John Mulkey, a producer on the project, was all-smiles and excited as hell to show off Project Origin. Listening to his description of the game was like listening to parents talk about their children – with intense pride and admiration for their every achievement. Project Origin was clearly his labor of love.
The basic gist of the story goes as follows: immediately after the events of the first F.E.A.R. – this game does not acknowledge the non-Monolith developed expansions – Alma has reawakened the Replica soldiers that were previously controlled by Paxton Fettle. The extremely creepy Alma is now using this army to take control of the city and, once again, you’re the only one who stands a chance against her telepathic onslaught.
Our demonstration took us through part of the third act of the game. Opening in a subway, the setting seemed extremely familiar. Once we walked up the stairs to the city streets, it was clear that this was an entirely new game. While the first F.E.A.R. was purposefully claustrophobic, Project Origin seems to open up the series. The ensuing battle, which took place almost as soon as we hit the streets, was more impressive than the battles I praised so highly in the first game. Mulkey was quick to show off how cars on the streets explode and how the AI-driven enemies realistically react to being engulfed in flames. As they burn, enemies will throw their gun to the ground and pat themselves down and even dive into water. Once they’ve managed to extinguish themselves, they’ll pull out their sidearm and shoot back at you as they try to recover the more powerful weapon they discarded.
“We tried to teach the AI as much as we could about the environment,” Mulkey said. That was obvious when I saw an enemy open up a car door to use it as cover. Mulkey then flipped over a table and crouched down to get an advantage. As he zoomed in on their skulls, we got to witness two new features. The first was the iron-sight aiming system, which puts the gun right to your eye and allows for more precise control over your shots. The second was the enhanced gore: while F.E.A.R. was certainly bloody, it wasn’t nearly as bloody as this. After shooting an enemy in the head, his blood and brain matter filled the air around him and splattered on the wall behind him.
Watching enemies get ripped apart with miniguns was also incredibly entertaining. Where a man once stood, after the miniguns fired, only red mist remained. You’ll periodically take control of mech units that will give you an advantage over your enemies as you fire dual miniguns and dual rocket launchers from the self-regenerating machine. In addition to the robot healing itself as you play, the team has also done away with medkits in favor of a regenerative health system.
Another addition that Mulkey was really pleased with was how enemies respond as they are hit with bullets. As an enemy runs at you, if you shoot him in the arm, his body will twist in appropriate response. Additionally, their aim will be thrown off, which should build a certain level of strategy into the game as it should allow you to avoid taking hits if you’re accurate enough.
The game is set for simultaneous release on the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Each game has been worked on by specific teams, so users on all three systems should expect a comfortable experience. Players will also appreciate the graphical overhaul – this isn’t the dark, bland F.E.A.R. that you might remember, but instead a much more colorful (yet still gritty) experience. The only thing that really bothered me with the demo is that it wasn't particularly frightening. Maybe that’s because this level was later in the game, but I really wasn’t startled or scared at all, which was a little disappointing. But, given what Mulkey told me, there should be enough shocks for everyone in this game.
I have high hopes for this game after the brief demo that I personally played and the demo that I watched the developers play. I asked for a release date, but according to the developers, that won’t be released until after E3 – so basically, “when it’s done.” A disappointing answer at least to someone like me who is really anticipating the game, but I walked away very impressed with what I’d seen.
Comments
VGER on Wednesday 16th July 2008
I've been looking forward to P.O for quite some time, the weapons look good, the enemies look GREAT...I just hope it will stay as creepy as F.E.A.R...
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