A PC hit back in 2005, F.E.A.R. has made the leap across to the console, and has done so well. Not just a simple port, this game has been refined to make the most of what the 360 has to offer, and will keep you coming back for more, even though you might be scared witless.

You play a nameless First Encounter Assault Recon member, sent into the field to put an end to the mad Paxton Fettel’s stolen Replica (aka clone) army and the man himself. This involves lots of running around, shooting and blowing stuff up all in the government’s name, but there’s more to this mission than meets the eye, as during your travels you experience some unexplainable and disturbing things.

Sent in alone, one of the game’s hooks is your superhuman ability to slow time down. Great for what are otherwise very hectic battles, this skill allows you to single-handedly beat even a full room of enemies as you can take your time in aiming and getting that coveted headshot, complete with screen-filling clouds of blood.

The fighting itself is what leads the game rather than the story; it’s almost there in the background, whilst you’re waiting with anticipated glee for the next slice of violence. Your range of guns can lead to some great dramatic and gore-filled deaths, complete with classic or comedic body poses that’ll have you calling your mates to come see. It’s almost as if you create your own ‘beat that’ goals with each massacre, and that’s what drives you to continue playing.

The gameplay experience is highly enjoyable whatever your motivation, but the AI really adds to the overall fun, as enemies offer a real challenge. They’ll work in groups to flank you, hide when you try to use your slo-mo ability if they can, and gun you down as soon as they’re given the chance. In addition, as the game advances you’ll get to face larger and more challenging enemies who have their own skills (like irritating stealth suits), so you’ll never get bored of the game’s blood-lead progression.

Then of course there are the random fear-inducing moments which will indeed creep you out. It’s never really ‘in your face’, instead allowing you glimpses of shadows and outlines of people that shouldn’t be there etc. Flickering lights, falling ceiling boards and shadows that flake away do up the fear ante, so unless you consider yourself to be ‘rock hard’, expect the hairs on the back of you neck to rise, but it does add a kick to the gameplay experience.

The audio also adds to F.E.A.R.’s atmospheric feel with minimal music; focusing rather on the sound affects. They’re so ingrained into the gaming experience that you actually can find the enemies’ radio comms, gunfire and death cries overly loud and in your face, offering a real contrast to those low, background noises.

Graphically the game also excels, with excellent lighting, water and shadow effects and good detail. Sadly however, the scenery itself gets monotonous and can put you off after a while. Very similar grey walls abound in both the offices and production facilities you get to explore, and this lack of variety can make the game lose some of its appeal over time. There is a similar flaw in the audio too. The soldiers’ shouts as they die always sound the same; a miniscule thing you might think, but with the hundreds of deaths you reap, you’ll find that this can niggle after a while, and you might even want to mute the sound!

Bugbear’s aside, F.E.A.R. also offers 360 gamers some other quality experiences away from the single-player campaign. Its quickplay mode takes the best aspects of the game; that of death dealing, and allows you a mad 15 minutes to run around and score points for your battle skills. These are uploaded to ‘Live, meaning you can fight for a top spot on the leaderboard. Great for short pick up and play moments, it’s a really enjoyable buzz, as is the multiplayer option. Deathmatch, capture the flag and elimination modes will keep you busy; with additional maps to the PC version, but sadly, as with most games these days, although you can play with up to 16 players, you can only play one person per console.

A few small flaws may take away a little something from the game, but overall F.E.A.R. excels. Great gameplay; with a story mode that will take you around 10 hours to complete hooks you in, you’ll then keep coming back to either fight your way to the top of the rankings, or just to get in a good deathmatch with your mates. Plus you’ve also got some tough achievements to unlock, making F.E.A.R. a top notch fear-filled FPS that’s definitely worth checking out.