Excels in its visual presentation and effects, having some pretty stunning environments, in both its use of colour and use of detail.
But that's really what the DLC mostly has to offer. The levels and flow of the game are much better than the base game imo, but it still is more of the same, which, if you are conflicted on the base game, you may aswell be conflicted on this aswell.
Roughly an hour to beat on hard.
But that's really what the DLC mostly has to offer. The levels and flow of the game are much better than the base game imo, but it still is more of the same, which, if you are conflicted on the base game, you may aswell be conflicted on this aswell.
Roughly an hour to beat on hard.
This was better than the base game. It was a lot shorter so the good bits didn't feel as thinly spread as base F.E.A.R. 2. There were some annoying bits where it seemed like enemies dealt crazy amounts of damage. Definitely not on the level of the F.E.A.R. 1.
This expansion is, for some reason, better than the base game of FEAR 2 was. The story is at least an interesting idea, even if it is only a vehicle to reintroduce someone, and some of the set pieces were pretty neat. I won't bother going into detail as a lot of my gripes are just an extension of FEAR 2, though I will say that if the expansion was a bit longer I'd be willing to knock the rating up a tad bit more. I finished it in exactly 46 minutes which makes it pretty hard to put stock in, definitely would've been more suitable as an epilogue than a separate expansion.
Link to main FEAR 2 review https://backloggd.com/u/RedBackLoggd/review/1034546/
Reborn is the sole expansion for FEAR 2, taking place during….you know what, it doesn’t matter. The FEAR timeline is one of those things that’s unimportant courtesy of the apathetic storytelling; the devs don’t much care about the narrative and neither should you.
This time around, you’re controlling a random Replicant soldier who makes contact with Paxton Fettel. I suppose credit should be given to the writers for finally crafting a story without Alma as your psychic penpal, and Fettel is actually quite different courtesy of having a, you know, personality. He wants you to do something, that something being the action that presumably sets up the events of FEAR 3.
As this DLC will only take you 1-1.5 hours, I won’t weave endless prose. The graphics, gameplay, and SFX have been translated verbatim from their progenitor, any differences being inconspicuous. The score is a lot more palatable here than in 2, though I was unable to find an online release to listen for independent evaluation.
It is disappointing that more wasn’t done with the concept of playing as a Replicant (especially since they gave the protagonist a dedicated voice for once), but the level design is a lot more enticing, moving away from cramped corridors into opener spaces (one of my personal favorites involving a toppled-over skyscraper).
But yeah, Reborn is essentially more of what came before. If you enjoyed the prior games, you’ll be satisfied by what’s on display here; if not, move on with your life.
Reborn is the sole expansion for FEAR 2, taking place during….you know what, it doesn’t matter. The FEAR timeline is one of those things that’s unimportant courtesy of the apathetic storytelling; the devs don’t much care about the narrative and neither should you.
This time around, you’re controlling a random Replicant soldier who makes contact with Paxton Fettel. I suppose credit should be given to the writers for finally crafting a story without Alma as your psychic penpal, and Fettel is actually quite different courtesy of having a, you know, personality. He wants you to do something, that something being the action that presumably sets up the events of FEAR 3.
As this DLC will only take you 1-1.5 hours, I won’t weave endless prose. The graphics, gameplay, and SFX have been translated verbatim from their progenitor, any differences being inconspicuous. The score is a lot more palatable here than in 2, though I was unable to find an online release to listen for independent evaluation.
It is disappointing that more wasn’t done with the concept of playing as a Replicant (especially since they gave the protagonist a dedicated voice for once), but the level design is a lot more enticing, moving away from cramped corridors into opener spaces (one of my personal favorites involving a toppled-over skyscraper).
But yeah, Reborn is essentially more of what came before. If you enjoyed the prior games, you’ll be satisfied by what’s on display here; if not, move on with your life.
more of fear 2 but somehow even more boring and meaningless
Probably the worst "expansion" to an FPS game of all time. It lasts all of half an hour and costed $10 at launch. Really just more of the same from the base game except in really bland arenas instead. Skip.
genuinely cant believe folks 10 years ago paid $20+ for this expansion. its good but it literally lasts an hour
Being perfectly honest? I don't get the hate. This expansion was far better than anything else F.E.A.R.2 brought to the table. A low bar, but one passed with flying colors.
It's short. Like, short short. I beat it in under an hour, and the entire expansion consists of ~3 locations that have 1-3 shootouts each. Despite that, or maybe because of that, the game doesn't drag. F.E.A.R. Reborn felt fresh, oddly enough. And while it didn't improve on many of things F.E.A.R. 2 struggles with, it didn't sabotage itself either.
It also had a genuinely interesting bit of story. I can't go into it for the sake of spoilers, but I found F.E.A.R. Reborn's simple, bare-bones story to be a good deal more compelling than F.E.A.R. 1's expansions.
If this were 2011 and I had to spend $10 on the xbox live store for this, I'd probably be pissed. But you can get F.E.A.R. 2 for like $2 these days, and the expansion comes with it. It's a perfectly reasonable little add-on, and a nice bite-sized reason to return to the game.
It's short. Like, short short. I beat it in under an hour, and the entire expansion consists of ~3 locations that have 1-3 shootouts each. Despite that, or maybe because of that, the game doesn't drag. F.E.A.R. Reborn felt fresh, oddly enough. And while it didn't improve on many of things F.E.A.R. 2 struggles with, it didn't sabotage itself either.
It also had a genuinely interesting bit of story. I can't go into it for the sake of spoilers, but I found F.E.A.R. Reborn's simple, bare-bones story to be a good deal more compelling than F.E.A.R. 1's expansions.
If this were 2011 and I had to spend $10 on the xbox live store for this, I'd probably be pissed. But you can get F.E.A.R. 2 for like $2 these days, and the expansion comes with it. It's a perfectly reasonable little add-on, and a nice bite-sized reason to return to the game.
This review contains spoilers
Nice but short add-on to the orignal game.
The DLC, F.E.A.R. 2 Reborn, adds four new levels, in which you play as a Replica soldier. It is a fun change and diversion from the main game.
They even added the original health meters and HUD from the first games. The rest of the mechanics are all the same as the original game.
You play as Foxtrot 813, one of the many Replica soldiers that all mindlessly follow orders and attack anything if commanded, but not you. You are a special boy.
Something that Paxton Fettel explains to you throughout the game.
You go rogue and the whole Replica army turns against you. You need to escape and find Fettel to become his personal vessel. After you find him, Fettel takes control of your body and he is, you guessed it, reborn.
The DLC is fun but very short. Nevertheless, it adds a nice piece of story to the game.
The DLC, F.E.A.R. 2 Reborn, adds four new levels, in which you play as a Replica soldier. It is a fun change and diversion from the main game.
They even added the original health meters and HUD from the first games. The rest of the mechanics are all the same as the original game.
You play as Foxtrot 813, one of the many Replica soldiers that all mindlessly follow orders and attack anything if commanded, but not you. You are a special boy.
Something that Paxton Fettel explains to you throughout the game.
You go rogue and the whole Replica army turns against you. You need to escape and find Fettel to become his personal vessel. After you find him, Fettel takes control of your body and he is, you guessed it, reborn.
The DLC is fun but very short. Nevertheless, it adds a nice piece of story to the game.
Short 1-2 hour follow up dlc to cap off the game with 5 decent levels with some callbacks to the first game but the needlessly and overwhelmingly stupid story creeps up on you at every turn.
Preferred it to what I played of F.E.A.R. 2! While that game took F.E.A.R. and made it play better for consoles but kept similar level design leading to a worse game, I feel this pushes into the console angle. Focusing on quick set pieces that carry you through the combat rather than levels that are trying to prop up and put a focus on that combat.
It's very short and not amazing, I still don't particularly like this combat and the story is very nothing-y but it has a sense of pace and energy to it that I didn't feel with what I played of the base game, so pretty ok! If this was Letterboxd there'd be a wee 'like' next to those 2 stars.
It's very short and not amazing, I still don't particularly like this combat and the story is very nothing-y but it has a sense of pace and energy to it that I didn't feel with what I played of the base game, so pretty ok! If this was Letterboxd there'd be a wee 'like' next to those 2 stars.
I never really got around to this DLC and I was not missing out on anything. The DLC is about 1 hour long and you play as a Replica soldier who gets called to Paxton Fettel (I’m not sure if it’s a prison cell or just his soul in the epicenter of the nuclear blast from the first game) and have to blow through your own kind to get to him.
The game mainly consists of the large firefights that are actually quite tough (I died a few times here) with tons of enemies, mechs, and even a turret sequence thrown in. The game starts you out in a mech and you go from there. It’s a short rollercoaster of every element created for F.E.A.R. 2 and it’s fun while it lasts, but a disappointing DLC as it adds nothing new to the game, even playing as a Replica doesn’t change the gameplay one bit.
As it stands, play this just for the heck of it because you own it, but otherwise you can pass if you missed out all these years.
The game mainly consists of the large firefights that are actually quite tough (I died a few times here) with tons of enemies, mechs, and even a turret sequence thrown in. The game starts you out in a mech and you go from there. It’s a short rollercoaster of every element created for F.E.A.R. 2 and it’s fun while it lasts, but a disappointing DLC as it adds nothing new to the game, even playing as a Replica doesn’t change the gameplay one bit.
As it stands, play this just for the heck of it because you own it, but otherwise you can pass if you missed out all these years.
"A Completely Pointless Expansion"
I'm going to come out and say it - this is one of the WORST expansions for any FPS game I have ever played. I'll keep this review short and sweet for those scrolling past.
The level design is insanely ugly. Colors are mostly a mix of brown and gray, and textures are lacking in detail. Arenas are pretty much boring and empty (except for ONE instance where some larger enemies smash through walls in order to attack you).
The story is actually ridiculous - you play as a replica-type soldier who is essentially brainwashed by Paxton Fettel (yes, he apparently isn't dead now) and forced to betray his squad in order to resurrect him. Once you reach Paxton (after an hour of bad gameplay), he uses your body in order to come back to life because (SURPRISE) you are a copy of him. Ridiculous. What's even more shameless is that Monolith decided to resurrect him SOLELY for his inclusion in F.E.A.R. 3, which was to be released a few years later. It completely rids of all logical continuity as well, since in the third game he is just randomly reintroduced to the player character (Point Man).
The gameplay is also completely unaltered from the base game - no new weapons or substantial enemies, and the game devolves into a generic shooter yet again! This lack of improvement is shocking. It feels as if these were throwaway levels for the base game, all being squished together with a terrible forced plot.
Overall, this DLC is pretty shameless. It provides nothing new or substantial to the base game's experience, and only serves as a confusing addition to the flawed F.E.A.R. series. I would Not Recommend coming close to this expansion. If you enjoyed it (or managed to stomach it), good for you, but it is unarguably unoriginal and uninspired in all facets.
Final Verdict: 2/10 (Bad)
I'm going to come out and say it - this is one of the WORST expansions for any FPS game I have ever played. I'll keep this review short and sweet for those scrolling past.
The level design is insanely ugly. Colors are mostly a mix of brown and gray, and textures are lacking in detail. Arenas are pretty much boring and empty (except for ONE instance where some larger enemies smash through walls in order to attack you).
The story is actually ridiculous - you play as a replica-type soldier who is essentially brainwashed by Paxton Fettel (yes, he apparently isn't dead now) and forced to betray his squad in order to resurrect him. Once you reach Paxton (after an hour of bad gameplay), he uses your body in order to come back to life because (SURPRISE) you are a copy of him. Ridiculous. What's even more shameless is that Monolith decided to resurrect him SOLELY for his inclusion in F.E.A.R. 3, which was to be released a few years later. It completely rids of all logical continuity as well, since in the third game he is just randomly reintroduced to the player character (Point Man).
The gameplay is also completely unaltered from the base game - no new weapons or substantial enemies, and the game devolves into a generic shooter yet again! This lack of improvement is shocking. It feels as if these were throwaway levels for the base game, all being squished together with a terrible forced plot.
Overall, this DLC is pretty shameless. It provides nothing new or substantial to the base game's experience, and only serves as a confusing addition to the flawed F.E.A.R. series. I would Not Recommend coming close to this expansion. If you enjoyed it (or managed to stomach it), good for you, but it is unarguably unoriginal and uninspired in all facets.
Final Verdict: 2/10 (Bad)