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30 of 32 found the following review helpful:
 Cool, but frustratingMay 10, 2000
This is a neat game, but it can be quite frustrating.Pros:
1. Nice cinematic feel.
2. Great anime-inspired graphics.
3. Interesting storyline.
4. No real "breaks" in gameplay due to loading. Shifts from scene to scene are very smooth. Cons:
1. Too short. After 1 hour of recorded save time, I've already reached the end of the first disc. After 15 hours of gameplay, I still haven't reached the end of the first disc of Final Fantasy VIII!
2. Far too easy to die. Once the fear meter turns red (usually pretty quickly), 1 shot can kill you. You usually have to die several times to figure out what you need to do for a particular puzzle.
3. No concept of "continuing", as in other games. Every time you die, you must reload a previously saved game - something which takes far too long, especially when you die 5 times in a row.
4. Action is too fast. Sometimes you are dead before you can even see what's going on - there's almost no chance to figure out what you are supposed to do - you have to die several times just to see enough to figure out what you are supposed to do.
5. Fear meter concept doesn't work. When you are up against a boss who can kill you with 1 shot, but you need to hit the boss with 5 or 6 shots, the fear meter makes things extremely difficult.
6. Appears designed for EXPERT gamers only. Difficulty on the so-called "easy" level is pretty hard.
7. Inventory system very klunky. If you need to change weapons during a fight, it's a pretty safe bet you are going to die. The fact that the game continues while searching inventory makes things really hard - you can be shot to death while looking for the next weapon to use.
17 of 17 found the following review helpful:
 Great game. Too dark for the younger kids.Mar 06, 2000
Fear Effect is a really nice adventure game with some fun puzzles thrown in. Controls are like those in the Resident Evil series, but the gameplay borrows quite a bit more from the old Dragon's Lair arcade game (anyone remember that one?). That is, to get through some sections, you'll need to carry out a certain series of carefully timed moves. And, of course, the only way to figure out those moves is through trial-and-error. Be ready to die... a lot... in this game as you progress through the plot. The graphics fit the mood of each location and the gritty, dark theme of the game as a whole. The camera angles in some scenes can sometimes make it difficult to judge where you are relative to objects in the room - this becomes more annoying during combat when you're trying to pick up ammo, avoid being shot, and plug the bad guys while being unsure of exactly where your line of fire is. Also, the enormous amount of animation means that your time spent on each CD is limited to a couple of hours of gameplay. I was a bit surprised to see the game ask me to insert disk 2 after only 3 hours of play. In many cases, the accumulation of game time is due to having to replay some sections a few times to solve the puzzles or kill the bad guy. The game is therefore somewhat short, but well worth it. The combat system is intuitive once you get the hang of it. Combat gets easier after Disk 1 when you have more powerful weapons, but ammo management becomes a crucial factor later in the game. Fear Effect is a solid, enjoyable game with unique twists. The characters are interesting, there's a minimal amount of pointless wandering (clues for the puzzles are usually not too far away - not to say that the puzzles are easy though...), and the switching of points of view is used to good advantage. The untranslated bits of Cantonese are also amusing. Not suitable for young children due to the violent and suspenseful nature of the game, but definitely go get it for yourself!
12 of 12 found the following review helpful:
The best action/adventure game I've playedFeb 28, 2000
Having waited quite a while for this game to come out, it would have been easy to be disappointed. That is why I am so excited that it was worth the wait. The gameplay is fantastic, with the controls being difficult to get used to, but once you do, the game is fantastic. The graphics are unreal, and the story is great! One great innovation is the health meter. They have changed it a bit so that you have a fear factor. The more afraid your character is, the less it will take for you to die. But on the flipside, the better you react to adverse situations, the more confident you become, and the less likely it is that your fear factor will increase. If you are looking for a game that has action, a great story, and some of the best graphics around, buy Fear Effect.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
This game is sweetFeb 24, 2000
This game will please anyone who liked Resident Evil, or even that old Sega CD game (remember Sega CD?) Rise of the Dragon. Very nice blend of action and thinking. The only problem I had was getting used to the controls, but after that it was like a knife through butter. This game is probably not for younger kids, but anyone 13+ can handle it. Give it a whirl.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Survival Horror on SteroidsSep 03, 2000
By Jason S. Whetzell (22)
This game reminded me of dragon's lair but with an update in technology. The games puzzles were very logical and all you had to do was pay attention to your surroundings. I see that people were saying this game is too hard and a couple shots can kill you, but it is just adding realism. Three gunshots will kill you in real life. There is more realism in the language, if someones about to shoot you, even the most conservative of individuals might cuss and the characters in this game do that frequently, they don't glorify the words either just natural speech. I found the game easy but not boring easy, more of a fluid ease. I never really got stuck or got killed too often. The enemies are pretty harmless but just as in real life if you want to kill somebody you have to be careful not run in the room, that's why the sneak button is so useful in getting right next to your enemies for a one shot kill, even if you use your knife, slapjack, or brass knuckes depending on your character. This game was like playing a movie, there was a cinematic about every three screens or so, they weren't to long either and in between disc changes you get real good ones. Some of the backgrounds are downright breathtaking. The backgrounds are all video and they're looped but it's hard to notice and even if you do it still looks better than any silent hill or resident evil background. I think this game has been overlooked by many and I hope the prequel will do better. I have been playing games since I was 5 years old, and I've never seen anything like this.
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