I’m not ashamed to admit it, the original FEAR scared the living hell out of me (I just can’t take creepy children), but if my own cowardly nature has to be exposed to commend Monolith on a job well done, then so be it. During this year’s E3, I had to work up the courage to grab the 360 controller and dive into the sequel, Project Origin, and it looks like Monolith has still got the magic, meaning I may have to invest in a new nightlight.

The demo started off during the game’s third act in a subway station where you, Michael Becket, a Delta Force member who is not the protagonist of the original game, must make your way up to the surface of the city which Alma has been unleashed upon. The first thing you’ll notice is the Metroid Prime-like functionality of an in-game visor, which will react to the environment, fogging up in the midst of steam, or begin to crack when the player takes some heavy damage. The game’s lead designer, John Mulkey, illustrated to us his desire to use this mechanic to keep the player directly immersed within Origin’s world at all times, making an up close and personal feel with the dark nature of the game all the more intense.

While we began to tool around, it became obvious that the archaic health system found in the previous game has been thrown out the door in favor of the nearly universal regenerative health system, but armor power ups will still be available for that added protection. Getting into the city streets, which were literally falling apart with rubble strewn everywhere and jet liners falling from the sky, we got an understanding of what a mess Alma can really make when set loose upon an entire city. The game’s developers explained that they are very aware of the criticisms of the office-focused levels found in the first game, and have taken steps to ensure that the sequel possesses a much wider array of environments. We have to agree, since they picked a great level for the demo to prove their goal. The streets contain numerous objects which are highly interactive, including cars that explode, signs that can be dismantled, and as we discovered when fooling around, transistors that will fall off phone lines and into a puddle of water, shocking anything in it. Basically nearly any object in the game will react just like you’d expect it to in real life.

Moving along we came across a squad of replica soldiers which were being awakened by Alma’s presence within the city, and immediately opened up on them with our assault rifle that can now be aimed down the sight(using the left trigger), like any modern warfare, er modern day shooter. You’ll also be happy to know that the player’s pockets have been made a bit deeper, now having the ability to carry four different weapons at one time. Being told this, our curiosity was piqued at the prospect of new weapons besides the usual assortment of rocket launchers and sniper rifles found in the demo, but Monolith kept quiet, only hinting at one firearm that will fire a beam able to slice foes into pieces.

Attacking the soldiers proved quite a challenge, since Monolith has brought that classic FEAR AI back, and improved upon it. Enemies knew very well that the cars around us would explode, and even had the knowledge to pick up a more powerful weapon than the one they currently possessed. Although we didn’t witness it, the developers explained that the soldiers of Project Origin will even be smart enough to stop, drop, and roll when set on fire, and will seek out any nearby water sources too. It pays not to underestimate these guys: many times we were put on the defensive by their relentless aggressive nature, hunting us down no matter how far we strayed back looking for somewhere to catch our breath.