F.E.A.R. Video Game Review - Guns and Kills

You can only carry three different guns at a time and three different types of explosives.  There are only three different types of explosives so that isn't a problem, but with the guns, you need to manage your ammunition effectively if you are to survive, especially in the harder game settings.  Sometimes, you may need to swap a very powerful weapon with one of the not so powerful ones simply because there is more ammunition for the weaker one around at the time.  If you do run short however, you can still use your feet and hands to try and get by, although don't expect to last very long like this, especially against multiple enemies.  Using hand-to-hand combat is excellent for disabling one or two members of a squad before taking out the rest as you can sneak up one ones that are alone and take them out soundlessly with a bicycle or sliding kick.

Kills in the game are extremely satisfying (does that make me sound homicidal?), with body parts shearing off, heads exploding and clouds of vaporized blood drifting through the air.  An added tactical bonus to the game is that you'll know when you've decimated a squad of the enemy leaving just one or two survivors when you hear them scream for back up.   Also, the bolt-firing gun used in the game, known as the Armacham HV Penetrator, is so powerful that enemies not wearing armor are often pinned to walls by the bullets, another nice touch.

It all sounds pretty good too; the dark and sinister levels are accompanied by moody, suspense-inducing tones that add hugely to the atmosphere of the game.  There are also jumpy, high-pitched classic horror sounds when something bad is about to happen to add to the general effect of the situation.  You also get regular instructions and information from your commander and you also seem to have some psychic abilities, picking up regular telepathic messages from Paxton.

In addition to your powers of telepathic reception, you also have the ability to slow down time in this game's version of bullet-time.  Occasionally during the game, mostly when the girl is around, you'll go into this slow motion kind of thing automatically.  During fire fights, when you're out-numbered, out-gunned or up against one of the heavier units, you can use slow-mo to nimbly take out your opponents one at a time.  You can only use these powers for a limited time however; the amount of slow motion you can use at any one time is indicated by your reflex meter.  During the game, as well finding medipacks and hypodermics to increase your health, you can also pick up bonuses that increase your reflexes.

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