Previews: Project Origin We play through some of the early levels in the 360/PS3 F.E.A.R. sequel.
 By Garnett Lee 06/06/2008
Stepping out of the elevator high atop the Armacham corporate headquarters building in search of Genevieve Aristide, I startled two members of the rear guard from whatever paramilitary group beat us there. A quick shot dropped the first, but his buddy darted for the hallway. Before I could get him down, he managed to call out a startled, "We've got company!" and in the blink of an eye, the encounter ended. It came back to me in a flash how lightning-fast the firefights were in F.E.A.R., and the same holds true for its sequel, Project Origin. It also reminded me of the little details: the A.I.'s quick reactions and the vocal chatter among the enemy soldiers.
Playing through a section from early on in Project Origin brought several such rushes to mind, but something new stood out above all else: I had an Xbox 360 controller in my hand. While the porting of the console versions of F.E.A.R. was left to other developers, this time around, Project Origin on PS3/360 stands as every bit a part of the core development platform for developer Monolith as the PC version. It shows in the attention that's clearly gone into getting the feel for the controls right for playing with the controller. From the first squeeze of the trigger, aiming came naturally. The crosshair responded smoothly and predictably to the sticks, and there was just enough targeting assistance to make the shooting feel skilled but not frustrating.
And that's a good thing, too, because with the alarm sounded, the enemy stood ready in numbers the rest of the way through the level. After a couple of tense shootouts in tight halls and offices, the floor opened onto a rooftop garden. This area offered the most intense and exciting combat of our play session. Despite having just watched lead designer John Mulkey run through the same area, things started happening pretty fast. Monolith obviously hasn't rested on its laurels that it received for the A.I. in F.E.A.R. Soldiers poured onto the patio from a number of spots and immediately moved to engage us. They cautiously circled, taking advantage of the bar and various planters for cover, all the while applying steady pressure without making ill-advised dumb rushes.
 SCREENS: Click the image above to check out all Project Origin screens.
Mulkey told us that the new A.I. treats each environment much like a child does a playground. "We want the A.I. to be reactive to the player's choices so it feels like a logical response," he said. To do that, as part of the various actions it could take, the A.I. needs to know a whole other set of actions. This allows it to interact with any potential object in the same ways a player can and improvise depending on how things unfold. For instance, one new feature of the game is the ability to use objects like tables as improvised cover. A quick tap of a button flips them over and positions you right behind your new barricade, ready to return fire. As our firefight went on, the action kept me moving around the patio, eventually bringing me back to the area where the action started. As if on cue, an enemy soldier that I was chasing ducked down behind a patio table I'd tipped over for improvised cover earlier.
The firefight continued in a fluid dance through the entire space, with me pulling over more tables and chairs for quick cover, moving to keep obstacles in the way of the enemies, and taking advantage of a few handy destructible items in the environment -- like the propane space heaters dotting the roof. A well-placed shot to one of the tanks resulted in a suitably destructive explosion that proved quite useful in flushing out enemies. Sure, it's basically another exploding barrel, but at least it's costumed appropriately to fit the setting.
As in F.E.A.R., plan on liberally making use of the series' signature slow-mo power to gain the advantage you need to take on groups of soldiers. You play as a special forces operative named Michael Beckett this time around, and the explanation for your ability makes plain sense: You're a highly trained professional. And you need to be, because your mission for the bulk of the game is to get to ground zero of the tremendous blast at the end of F.E.A.R. and investigate what happened.
You actually witness that moment in one of the more impressive -- to the point of almost being disturbing -- re-creations of such a violent detonation, complete with an amazing mushroom cloud. It ties this new chapter back to the original game in dramatic fashion and leaves no doubt that the streets of Auburn must have been left in complete chaos. And those streets are exactly where you're headed. Fast-forwarding a few levels ahead, I got to watch Beckett locked in a street fight among the rubble.
 SCREENS: Click the image above to check out all Project Origin screens.
Opening up the environments to include the outdoor streetscapes of the ruined city provides a welcome contrast to the indoor spaces expected from the F.E.A.R. franchise. Crossing more than a few feet of open ground leaves you vulnerable to snipers perched behind signs or hiding on fire escapes. And at ground level, the enemies seem equally at home outdoors. They make full use of all the rubble, circling around abandoned busses, using debris for cover, and flanking you through bombed-out buildings.
Beckett also came across a particularly creepy new opponent on the sidewalk. Going about their business and seemingly oblivious to the devastation around them, the "Remnants" (as they're called) burst in a flash of psychic energy when your presence disturbs their trance, turning them hostile. But rather than fight you directly, they raise the surrounding dead from the streets. Like marionettes lifted on strings tied to their weapons, the fallen soldiers get dragged toward you, guns blazing, while the Remnant you must kill to take them down darts in and out of sight. Over the course of the game, these outdoor areas also aim to stitch the overall experience of the game together in ways absent from the first game. Throughout your journey you'll discover landmarks, and many of these become key locations in the game. These then provide a series of reference points by which you orient yourself as you move into the city. For instance, as the office building where you begin the game fades into the horizon, you get a feeling for how far you've progressed. That lays the foundation for Monolith's goal to deliver a more cohesive story this time out. Craig Hubbard, who led the team on F.E.A.R. and has been working closely with Project Origin, concludes, "[The idea is] that it all has got to add up to something." |
