A visceral and intense shooter
F.E.A.R. is an incredible shooter through and through. It doesn't necessarily bring much new to the genre apart from its spooky atmosphere, but it does what has been done before very well. Every moment of the game is intense. Every corner you turn, you don't know whether you'll see Alma or a group of soldiers prepared to take you down. The gameplay is fairly straightforward run and gun, but the graphics, sound, and atmosphere make what could have been just another shooter into something special.
The graphics in F.E.A.R. are nothing short of outstanding. The game is composed primarily of warehouse facilities, and the look of the game can get a little stale at times, but technically, F.E.A.R. looks magnificent. The lighting effects, especially the shadows, showcase the true power of PCs; and the textures, although not the absolute best ever seen, are still quite impressive.
F.E.A.R. boasts a marvelous sound design--the creaks in the floor as you walk, the tatter and booms of the guns as you and your enemy fire, and the music that sets the mood perfectly make this game one of the best sounding, well, ever. Everything about the sound is about as close to perfection as possible--even the voice acting. The developers at Monolith have done an outstanding job with F.E.A.R., from the graphics and sound to the gameplay and story. It doesn't reinvent the genre, but it sure does raise the standard.