Fear Effect PSOne

[fallenangle]

I played the minor cult PS game Fear Effect over Xmas and short though it was it left me wanting no more. I'd been looking forward to this game for years but found it rather disappointing in most respects.

The presentation, voice acting and, I suppose, the script is superior to most of its contemporaries which I've played. However I did lose interest in the story due to its, even then overly familiar, Japanese obession with demons and ghosts.

The way the the cut scenes integrated smoothly into the actual game was technically impressive but to be honest it wouldn't have mattered a bit if they'd done it in a more conventional manner.

The problem for me was the actual gameplay which, apart from some pretty decent puzzles and a couple of good-ish boss fights, I thought was cheap and average at best. The control system stank too. I ended up wondering if the good reviews this game had were all down to that unusually professional presentation and that had obscured its rather obvious faults and failings.

Opinions?

[nakamura]

I really liked the game but for all the wrong reasons. I loved the style and atmosphere, technically it was pretty impressive. But the gameplay was far too awkward to really enjoy long term. It often felt a bit hit and miss and it felt like too often you had to die to learn to progress in an area.

Its an average at best game wrapped up in a juicy package. One which will stay in my collection as I paid just a tenner for both games in mint NTSC UC condition.

[fallenangle]

I think you've hit the nail on the head - good packaging shame about the gameplay.

The try and die mechanism was used time and time again and just seemed to be in there to give the game some longevity. There was one awful section where they gave you a boss fight followed by an almost guaranteed instant death area, a disc swap, a couple of minutes of cut-scene and, unless you were quick and realised it was possible, another fight before actually allowing you to save.

[saturn-gamer]

Gameplay was tedious. Presentation was killer. Really 18+ stuff too. Thats what I admire in games, most of them chicken out on these themes.

Its a typical game that has presentation over gameplay, for me personally that can save a project. Heavenly Sword is one of my faves this gen, due to the excellent cutscenes, VA and presentation. Not really because of the repetitive and to DMC and NG inferior gameplay.

[nakamura]

Sometimes style can win over substance. Though we would rather have both. For me also the setting of F.E was also pretty fresh, I wasnt big into anime back then so it really had an effect on me.