BeefJack retrospective: F.E.A.R.

BeefJack: "Why is it some people think videogames take themselves too seriously? I’ll stick my neck out and argue very few take themselves seriously enough. In theory (and, well, in practice, really) F.E.A.R.’s premise is utterly ridiculous. Secret military experiments, first response strike teams, the occult, creepy child psychics – it’s the stuff of some turgid straight-to-video B-movie from the late 1990s. Yet played unfailingly straight, beyond the odd throwaway wisecrack, what could have been a proficient yet largely unmemorable first-person shooter ended up one of the most exciting, cinematic experiences the genre’s ever produced."