Thankfully, amid the sloughing off of Sierra brands at Activision Blizzard, Project Origin has secured its originally intended title and will be known from this day forward as F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. The official site writes that developer Monolith Productions and publisher WB Games have purchase the rights to the F.E.A.R. name, most assuredly helping its chances at retail. (We still liked "Dead Echo" better!)

Project Origin Renamed - F.E.A.R.2: Project Origin [Project Origin]

Other tweaks the Monolith team have employed include giving the medkit system the boot and now using a regenerize system instead. Another pic change is that players can now carry four weapons instead of just three. The devs said that in F.E.A.R. most players got three weapons they liked and were hesitant to try out new ones — hopefully, this fourth gun slot will open up more experimentation. With the game running on the Monolith developed Jupiter Engine, the team has put in nice touches like a better depth of field and scope. The A.I. is much better as well, making the single player hands-on much more satisfying.

Another neat aspect was that enemies take cover behind cars. But they don't just take cover behind cars, they open car doors and use them for cover. Players can do this likewise as well as flip over cars and whatnot. There are also mechanical body suits (mechas) that players can get in and shoot stuff up with. Mechas aside, the game might benefit from including the slo-mo as it still does feel somewhat nondescript — though solid. The E3 build featured a city in rubble, and it was great to roam around, because Project Origin gives the player more freedom than F.E.A.R..

The game's release date will be announced "sometime after E3, but not the day after E3." Well, that's good to know. The day after E3 has already passed.

Sure, it may not have the sex appeal of Dead Echo, but at least it's better than the rejected Blood Let: Drenched in Desecration, isn't it? Project Origin is planned to hit the PC, Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 at a mysterious future date. Try to remember the name when it comes out.

Sorry continent of Asia and country of Mexico, but you guys and gals are barred from this free multiplayer fun.

Vivendi describes them as such:

In Control there are 3 control points on a map. Your team gains points based on the amount of time a control point is in their possession—the more control points your team has the faster your team gains points. The team with the most points at the end of the round wins.

In Conquer All there are 5 control points on the map. If either team can hold all 5 points at one time they win. If no team can control all 5 points simultaneously then the winning team is decided by points. Teams get 10 points for each control point taken, 10 points for each enemy point neutralized and 1 point for each kill.

There are other updates included with the 120 MB download, including making F.E.A.R. "compatible with new maps that will be made available for purchase throughout the summer." Taste the compatibility! Michael McWhertor

F.E.A.R.: Control and Conquer All Map Pack (Free) - Updated [Major Nelson]

How does the port stack against the two earlier renditions? Hit the jump for our Frankenreview—ike a real review, but everything is made up magically better somehow.

Bit-tech
...the textures seem to have either taken a drop in resolution or are suffering from some weird blur effect, because up-close they're a total mess. While even the Xbox 360 version looked sharp and clear, the PS3 version is F.E.A.R. through a pair of dirty spectacles...If you wanted a game to show off your PS3 and make your 360 and PC owning mates grind their teeth in envy, then F.E.A.R. will only turn you into a laughing stock.


Thunderbolt Games
The core gameplay is largely unaffected, and even with the shoddy framerate and mud-vision there is fun to be had blasting your way through the campaign mode. Controls are surprisingly tight on the SixAxis pad and all of the crucial elements from the PC version are translated well, which bodes well for the future state of shooters on the PS3 if nothing else.


Gamespy
... there's a clear delay between the press of the trigger button and the accompanying gunfire. It doesn't matter if the Sixaxis is running wireless or connected by a cable; if you squeeze that trigger, bullets will start firing late and finish firing late.... And that's enough to not just irritate, but to cause cheap deaths...as the game stands, shipped, there are simply too many bugs and issues to recommend it.

CVG
The online multi-player has survived intact, with Deathmatch and Capture The Flag modes. Online, the slow-motion is triggered by a power-up - when activated the entire game slows to a crawl. And there's also an instant action minigame - dropping you in a level with an infinite number of cloned bad-guys, seeing how long you can last.

IGN
The sound in F.E.A.R. is stellar...your character's heartbeat during a ghostly vision, the roar of a fierce machine gun fight followed by the clinking of the final shells hitting the pavement or the electronic whiz of a particle beam missing your head, the sound sucks you into F.E.A.R. You can even hear the desperation in the opposing troopers' voices as they lament about not being able to kill you and order one another to go investigate a grenade blast — "No f***ing way,"...
It's bad news when Sony gets ports years late and they are worse than their PC and 360 counterparts...consistently. Mark Wilson

• Pokemon Diamond (DS) Pokemon, Pokemon! Now in Diamond edition!
• Pokemon Pearl (DS)
  Pokemon, Pokemon! Now in Pearl edition!
• The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar (PC)
  You can be a hobbit, or just look like one!
• F.E.A.R. (PS3)
  F.E.A.R. gets scary on the PS3
• Eureka Seven Vol. 2: The New Vision (PS2)
  Get your mech on...again!
• Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos (PSP)
  A new RPG with jobs, customizable armies and three different storylines.
• Rayman Raving Rabbids Those wasscaly wabbids conquer the 360(X360)

Now it's time to announce the *second* F.E.A.R. contest winner. EnigmaNemesis who bags a copy of F.E.A.R. for the PS3 with this reader fav:

Fanboys everywhere are retards.

So Enigma, come on down and send us an email to kotakucontest@gmail.com with your address. Everyone else just know that come Monday I won't be in this happy-go-lucky mood, willing to giving out extra stuff. Oh no. And the next contest? ONE PRIZE ONLY. It's going to be I-hate-Bashcraft-and-cone-hats hard. Can't wait! Brian Ashcraft

What Is F.E.A.R.? [Official Site]

Man, this contest almost was too close to call. And with me being on vacation, I'm feeling generous — Nice, if you will. And instead of picking one winner, we're picking two. And better yet, giving each respective winner his or her own copy of F.E.A.R. and his or her own post to gloat for winning the PS3 version, which has online support up to 16 players and has been outfitted with a new level and weapon. The lucky winner? Jermaine P., who came up with this dozy:

Free eggroll after rebate.

So, Jermaine P. send us an email with your address at kotakucontest@gmail.com so we can get you your prize. And the other winner? We will announce that in a bit. You know, to torture. Brian Ashcraft

What Is F.E.A.R.? [Official Site]

Since mini-Bash can't read and some of you can, we are letting Kotakuland decide who is going to bag the free copy of F.E.A.R. for the PS3. For late-comers, here's an explanation about the contest. Below, there are 12 finalists. We tried to narrow them down to entries that didn't include the words "Anus," "Rectum" or "Fahey" (sorry Fahey) and that stood out in our very subjective eyes. There were loads of good entries, but here are the ones we liked best:

• Free eggroll after rebate.
• Franklin, Eleanor - always Roosevelts.
• Florida elections are rigged.
• Funny emails are rare.
• Fifteen enemas are reasonable.
• Frag everyone and revel.
• Fanboys everywhere are retards.
• Fondling elephants ain't right.
• Finnish eavesdropper attain recipes.
• Found eaten and rotten.
• Freedom ends anarchy reigns.
• Few eloquent artists remain.

In the comments section, write down ONE of these that you think should win. Voting ends in exactly 24 hours. Life, as they say, goes on. Brian Ashcraft

We're down to the wire. Tonight at midnight EST, the gates to our totally simple, even our readers can do it contest is closed. What's at stake? A copy of F.E.A.R. for the PLAYSTATION 3. Online supports up to 16 players, and the PS3 version has been outfitted with a new level and weapon. ince the game's title is an acronym for "First Encounter Assault Recon," what we want cha to do is create a sentence using "F," "E," "A," and "R." For example:

Find elephants and run.

But, you can't use that one. Or any Ian Brown lyrics! Put "FEAR Contest" in the subject line and be sure to read our groovy Contest Rules. Send your entries to kotakucontest@gmail.com. Oh! We'll announce how we are going to pick the winner tomorrow. Goodie, goodie. Brian Ashcraft

What Is Fear [F.E.A.R. Official Site]

That last contest? That was hard, and it pissed off readers who couldn't count. This next one, it's a slice of cake. What's at stake? A copy of F.E.A.R. for the PLAYSTATION 3. Online supports up to 16 players, and the PS3 version has been outfitted with a new level and weapon. This is a short contest, and I like I said, an easy one. Since the game's title is an acronym for "First Encounter Assault Recon," what we want cha to do is create a sentence using "F," "E," "A," and "R." For example:

Find elephants and run.

But, you can't use that one. It's mine! Send your sentences to kotakucontest@gmail.com by next Monday, April 16th, at midnight. Put "FEAR Contest" in the subject line and be sure to read our groovy Contest Rules. The mean bastards that write for Kotaku will vote and subjectively select the most interesting one. People who steal lyrics from Ian Brown's song "F.E.A.R." will get respect points and immediate disqualification. Good luck! Brian Ashcraft

What Is Fear [Official Site]

However, before he rolled film, he extended one caveat to the press. "I need to kind of couch this first. This is to show you the technology, not to show you the game. So please don't be thinking about the game too much, I just want you to be looking at the imagery and how we've constructed some of the scenes and how complex some of the scenes are."

What played was a dark, quietly operatic look at the destructable environments of Killzone, the rag-doll physics of dying Hellghast soldiers, the lighting and environmental effects that the Guerilla crew have been slaving away on since the game's genesis. Windows shattered and troops fell as gunfire ripped through indoor environments. Outdoors a tank battle and multiple firefights showed the game will feature plenty of action.

So how did it look? I tried hard to heed Harrison's warning about the clip, but I couldn't help but focus on the game itself.

Visually it was certainly less impressive than the infamous E3 2005 pre-rendered target trailer, that's for sure. Animation quality varied, looking awkward at times. Moments smacked uncomfortably of Vivendi's F.E.A.R. and will probably cause a bit of fanboy ruckus when it's finally shown to the public this July at E3. There's obviously a long way to go, but, in my opinion, Sony was very wise to have kept the game under wraps and not tarnish today's Home and LittleBigPlanet announcements. Michael McWhertor

Late last week, we ran another F.E.A.R. contest in which we were giving away an Xbox 360 version of the game. Well, we've found a winner. The lovely fellow is named Andy Woodard. Hate him. Sore losers, fear not (DOOZY of a pun there!), we shall have loads of these mini-contests and big-time contests throughout the month and beyond.

And Andy, congrats!

Okay, so last week, we had a super short F.E.A.R. contest. And this week, we're gonna do the same! We love giving away free stuff that much. Here's how it works: To enter, just send an email kotakucontest@gmail.com with the subject line Fear 360 Contest before Monday, December 4th. Easy, right? An email will be picked at random to win. By emailing your entry, you agree to our swell Contest Rules. One, two, three, GO!

Here's how:

To enter, just send an email kotakucontest@gmail.com with the subject line Fear 360 Contest before Monday, November 27th. An email will be picked at random to win. By emailing your entry, you agree to our swell Contest Rules. Get to it internet peoples!

While Ashcraft and McWhertor hang out in men's restrooms; while Crecente sits gibbering "Mmmmsoft" over and over in a corner; while Eliza prepares her monthly "I would never, ever sleep with you in a million years" mass emailing to those who admire her... I've been phoning in this entire week and replaying F.E.A.R.

Random conversation with Eliza about F.E.A.R.:

Me: A little girl just spider walked up a vent at me in F.E.A.R. Those little girls sure are scary. Eliza: That was me. Sorry. I thought you said dinner was ready. Me: Then you should have worn your kneepads.

Needless to say, moments later, I was nailed with the first sexual harassment lawsuit in Kotaku history.

I know F.E.A.R. has it's issues. I know it all takes place in one huge industrial warehouse. I know that it's scares are actually just cat scares. I know there's basically one enemy in the game, the equivalent of a cannibal-controlled Episode Two clone trooper. I know just about everything about it is highly derivative.

But the combat's so good I still dig it and the cat scares still creep me out. And, heck, the expansion's coming out pretty soon... it's good to refresh my memory so I can be outraged at liberties they take with the plot. Although they'll be pressed to disappoint me, given that it apparently starts out with the protagonist being caught in a nuclear explosion. Although it also involves invisible guys. So maybe we should call it even.

What about you? What are you playing this weekend? Tell us in the comments. Don't have a commenting account? This is a good opportunity for you to earn your stripes: just enter the username and password you want, type in your comment, and click submit. If you're approved, you're in. Until we ban you, you monkey. Florian Eckhardt

You know, P.A.N.I.C.S. — the parodic F.E.A.R. machinima by the Rooster Teeth boys — is about a year old at this point. Heck, Brian even wrote about the first couple of episodes a year back or so. But I'm replaying F.E.A.R. now — still jumping at every site of Alma, the spider-crawling ghost girl — and it tickles me more than ever. So I've congregated all five parts of the P.A.N.I.C.S. series into one post. Hit the jump for the next four parts. Don't thank me, it beats writing for my paycheck. Florian Eckhardt

If you have a PC and a modicum of sense, you're already a big fan of Monolith's survival horror with an uzi FPS, F.E.A.R. It starts off with a cannibal psychically controlling an army of clones; then a creepy little shades-of-Ringu dead girl with the ability to gelatinate cops with her minds starts showing up.

So good news, F.E.A.R. fans. A demo of the expansion pack, F.E.A.R. Extraction Point, was released last week. I have to confess, I haven't yet tried it — I'm currently running through the first game again in anticipation of the full expansion.

One odd thing I just discovered is that F.E.A.R. Extraction Point isn't being done by Monolith. Apparently, Sierra and Monolith have split up, with Sierra retaining the F.E.A.R. name and doing the expansion and console ports, while Monolith goes on to work on a F.E.A.R. sequel with the same characters but an entirely different title. I wonder if this means there's a chance we'll see two completely different F.E.A.R. sequels? Florian Eckhardt

F.E.A.R. Extraction Point Demo Released [Fearfans.com]

And there we go. F.E.A.R. Combat, the free multiplayer component of Monolith's truly excellent creepy little shooter that I mentioned last week, has been released.

It's the whole multiplayer package and this is truly one of my favorite recent shooters. So go on over and get downloading, already! Florian Eckhardt

F.E.A.R. Combat [Official Site]

Just grabbed the latest Playstation 3 screenshots for F.E.A.R. Wow, these are pretty damn impressive. Brian Crecente

The game will also be hitting the Xbox 360. I've requested some PS3 screens, so I'll make sure to up them as soon as they arrive. Full press release on the jump. Brian Crecente

LOS ANGELES, CA - (August 17th, 2006) - Sierra Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, today announced that the award-winning F.E.A.R.™ (First Encounter Assault Recon), is currently in development for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and is scheduled to launch during November 2006.

Already a critical and commercial smash on the PC, F.E.A.R. will bring a new level of FPS game play to PlayStation 3 with exclusive single player content designed to immerse the player deeper in the world of the F.E.A.R. team, as well as the visceral action of F.EA.R. multi-player.

Developed by Day 1 Studios in conjunction with Monolith Productions, F.E.A.R is a paranormal action thriller presented entirely in first person. An unprecedented adrenaline rush of close quarters combat seamlessly melded with the spine-tingling, shocking intensity of the paranormal unknown.

It's common knowledge that I'm the only Kotaku staffer who gives a damn about PC games, so these little announcements always seem to fall upon my own slumped, chicken-bone shoulders.

F.E.A.R. — a truly outstanding little horror shooter that wasn't given the attention it deserved when it was released by Monolith last year — will be going free with its complete multiplayer package next week.

Called F.E.A.R. Combat, the free download will have 10 gameplay modes, 19 maps and the ability to play against regular retail players.

To register, all you need to do is go on over to JoinFear.com and apply for your keycode. When F.E.A.R. Combat is released late next week, just download, plug in your code, and get a free lick at the teat of a game you should be already suckling. Florian Eckhardt

Join F.E.A.R. [Official Site]

...the MacBook running Apple's official XP drivers is a robust, stable gaming platform capable of playing software from either side of the OS wars. While some are predicting this will be the beginning of the end for the Mac platform, the opposite seems to be true, at least anecdotally. At least a dozen platform fence-sitters have told me that the Mac's newfound ability to play PC games has broken down the last barrier to their buying a Mac as their next computer.

Is this news going to make any other long-time PC owners invest in a Mac? We know we're sorely tempted.

Oblivion: Macintosh Game of the Year? [1UP]

Monolith Scaring Up New F.E.A.R.s [GameSpot]

Just about a week after there was some unnecessary excitement over the F.E.A.R. patch that wasn't - today the patch arrived. According to a news brief over at the F.E.A.R. homepage, the patch (1.03) adds some anti-cheat software, a vote-to-kick system to multiplayer and another three maps to shore up the online experience. Even more things that go bump in the night.

Thanks for the heads up, Phil

F.E.A.R. 1.03 Patch Out Now [Official Site]

Blue's News helps trace an interesting little mess between VU and F.E.A.R. gamers who were expecting a patch for the frighting FPS. The information on a patch stemmed from a release over at Games Industry. Now, the patch didn't come out, and over at the VU Games forums some moderators and even the VU Games Community manager weighed in and said the release was incorrect. So somewhere along the line there was a breakdown and while the 1.03 patch of F.E.A.R. is being worked on - it isn't finished yet.

Afraid There's No F.E.A.R. Patch Yet [Blue's News]
PR: Punkbuster to Strike F.E.A.R. into Cheaters [Games Industry]
Patch News Item [VU Games Forum]

Zany Rooster Teeth's second installment of their F.E.A.R.-inspired new P.A.N.I.C.S. machinima is available for download. It's a bit like Ghostbusters if while Winston was getting eaten, Ray, Peter and Egon sat around doing nothing.

The multiplayer demo for the much talked about shooter F.E.A.R. releases today. The atmospheric shooter is on target for a mid-October release and today's release of the demo is only going to throw some more coal in the hype train's engine. We'll update this story with links to the downloads when the multiplayer demo goes live. The little girl at the official F.E.A.R. website is pretty intense. Kids are scary.

F.E.A.R. Demo Download (Registration Required) [Gamespot]
F.E.A.R. Demo [3d Gamers]
F.E.A.R. Demo (Torrent) [Filerush]
F.E.A.R. Demo [Worth Playing]
F.E.A.R. Demo [Filecloud]

The marketing blitz for F.E.A.R. continues. Last week we reported on Rooster Teeth's new machinima series for the upcoming haunted FPS, this week we're quivering at the thought of F.E.A.R.'s multiplayer demo.

On Sept. 29 at 8 a.m., F.E.A.R.'s multiplayer demo will be available for download. The only thing scarier than F.E.A.R. are the requirements for getting it to run smoothly on your PC.

F.E.A.R. Multiplayer Demo Debuting Sept. 29 [GameSpot]

Calling the Ghostbusters really isn't an option now. Let's face it, Harold Ramis let himself go and Dan Ankroyd just doesn't have "it" anymore. Seeing this void in ghost extermination, Rooster Teeth (the guys behind Red Vs. Blue) launched a new machinima series using in-game footage from F.E.A.R.

The mini-series is part of the MTV's coverage of Sierra's upcoming FPS F.E.A.R. Rooster Teeth will be putting up a new clip each week leading up to F.E.A.R.'s Oct. 18 release.