The F.E.A.R series holds a special place in my heart. The first game is one of the few that genuinely terrified me in the first levels, and the expansion levels aren’t half-bad either. While F.E.A.R 2 wasn’t as great as the original, I can see the effort put behind it.

So where does this leave F.E.A.R 3? How can I put my feelings into words?

F*$# @$&(@#$&)this@(&($@&(@game$$&@(!&!!!!!!!!

Okay, okay. Let me explain why I feel this way.

F.E.A.R 3 combines the first and second games together. The player continues the story of the main character of the first game, Point Man, as he attempts to escape an evil government facility. Point Man isn’t alone, though, as he is joined by his evil brother ghost Paxton Fettel as he fights his way to Alma, their ghostly yet pregnant mother (yes, this family has a few issues).

I’ll start with the good points first. Paxton Fettel has a really great voice actor, and the character itself is one of the more interesting characters in a horror franchise. Brutally tormented as a child, yet a monster who murders many, he also has a ‘younger brother’ attitude with the main character and I feel like there is lots of room for development. I am glad they brought him back. The idea of Paxton being a playable character can be really fun (as long as there is two players, that is).Even in single player the level can also be replayed as him, and that alone is worth a second play-through.

But here’s where the game quickly falls apart. Certain elements of this game feel really rushed, especially towards the second half. For example, Fettel and Point Man spend a great deal of time searching for Alma. After a lead they had turns out pointless, they suddenly find her without any suitable explanation. To put this in perspective, F.E.A.R 1 has eleven levels. F.E.A.R 3 has eight, and two of them are relatively short.

A second very big problem is the Point Man himself. They strongly hint that there is a ‘good vs evil’ struggle happening with him. Will he side with his family of monsters, or with the government? Well, despite the hints that the player can choose a side, he really can’t, as the choice is taken away in a cutscene. It would probably help if the Point Man could talk, but of course he can’t. Which is a shame, since in the second game Becket was a silent protagonist yet can now talk in F.E.A.R 3. Why can’t the Point Man have an actual personality? This is especially tragic when the Point Man meets Becket for the first time. 

I was kind of hoping things would improve at Paxton in the second play through, but nope, from what I saw there is no difference to the story besides the ending (which, with Paxton's character, doesn't make a huge amount of sense). Worst of all, this game ends just when it was really starting to get good.

FINAL GRADE: 2 ½ out of 5. Multiplayer is fun, but a lot is sacrificed in the process. Story-wise, I can think of a couple of ways it could be better. Gameplay wise, the action is fun yet some levels feel too long (which is ironic, considering the game feels too short). Is it scary? Not compared to the first, or even second game. Again, a lot of things are thrown out of the window in favour of a two-player mode I like but didn’t ask for. I will give F.E.A.R 3 some credit though-at least they try something new every game.

For those who are not gamers, and living in a cardboard box, Duke Nukem was a pretty famous game even before it hit the stores. Why? Let’s just say there are plenty of jokes about the title: Duke Nukem forever. As in, it took twelve years from start to finish. Even then, the inevitable pretty much happened:

But still, the fans waited patiently. And what did we get? A really, really average game. And yet, about a day after I played this game, the bad reviews started to pour in, and I really can’t understand why. Sure, we seem to be living in a world where we expect to see amazing things, and where the visual graphics and storytelling bar always seem to be raised from year to year. Duke Nukem Forever, on the other hand, seems content to live in an ‘80’s setting, with sub-par graphics and a simple plot and an easy first-person shooter. The reason why I don’t have a problem with this is...well, because it’s Duke Nukem.

Lemme explain for the people who’s never played the original game before. Duke Nukem is considered the ultimate action star, with mere people like Arnold Schwarzenegger happy to lick his boots. Thousands of women love him, men want to be him, and he owns a burger shack, a stripper joint, and a casino all showcasing his awesomeness. He’s saved the world a dozen times over, and easily performs insane stunts that defy physics or common sense. Oh, and in his spare time he punches out Christian Bale. And protects the world from aliens.

In case it wasn’t obvious, Duke Nukem is considered a parody of an action star, and the game itself never takes itself too seriously. I’ve heard complaints that the game is too short, but I dunno, if anything, the levels seem a tad too long if anything. Really my only gripe is that the original voice actor is in the game, and while he does have a kick-ass voice, he can’t seem to have too much emotional gauge. (Good thing he’s Duke Nukem, and too cool for those girlie emotional scenes!). Still, in the rare time he does have it the voice really feels misplaced.

Oh, and I suppose there’s a complaint or two about Duke Nukem killing all those woman on the spaceship. Well, two things. First of all, the exact same thing happened in the original so one could argue that the game is being true to the source material. Second, he’s Duke Nukem so...it was their fault they got in the way of his bullets. Yeah.

FINAL GRADE: 2 ½ out of 5. You’re not going to get a ‘Heavy Rain’ type of game here. More like lots of toilet humor, lots of naked women, and lots of the Duke.

This episode starts off a bit differently with a note from the writer, Kevin Tancharden, announcing that the episode provides a very different take from the Legacy series and he hopes the viewers will enjoy it. Hm, almost sounds like an apology.

Don’t apologize for being creative, Kevin. Apologize for the first five episodes.

Anyway, this episode starts off with Raiden arriving...somehow in a metal institution (I’m guessing magical comet, but whatever). And talk about all the places he could have landed in! To make matters worse, Raiden is dressed in exactly the same garb as all the rest of the patients. Suffice to say, they don't really believe that Raiden is a thunder god and Earthrealm can't survive without his help in the tournament.

And you know what? Raiden’s right. It would be a good idea to have a God on your side. This very same God who can’t seem to escape a mental ward despite being able to throw lightning bolts and has teleportation powers.

Okay, I’ll play nice. Maybe getting beaten up, the sedatives, and the lobotomies are wrecking havoc with Raiden’s powers (yes, he gets multiple lobotomies. Very disturbing lobotomies). Although one would think they would try electro-shock therapy first rather than going all the way up to hammering needles in the brain. But whatever.

Overall, I like this episode for what it attempts to do, but unfortunately since episodes 1-5 are too similar to the overall Mortal Kombat plot this kind of clashes. Either portray them all in a gritty real world like Rebirth, or have them in fantasy worlds like Legacy. Half and half just doesn’t work. (yes, I know I’m impossible to please).

Episode 7 + 8, Scorpion and Sub-Zero.

Call me insane, but the characters of Scorpion and Sub-zero never really appealed to me. I can see how they would appeal to people, but over the years I think they’ve been...eh, overhyped. Still, that’s just my opinion.

Anyway, both these episodes explore the backstory of Scorpion. If anyone has played any game of mortal kombat, they would know that Scorpion’s family was tragically murdered at the hands of Sub-Zero’s clan. The episode doesn’t stray too far from the story as well. While preparing for the Shogun’s arrival, Scorpion is called away from his family to an ambush. Unfortunately, a great deal of episode 7 is establishing how cute Scorpion’s family actually is, and how tragic it will be when they die (complete with Scorpion saying, ‘I’ll be back by morning’ no less).

But enough about that. Let’s talk about the truly tragic characters in this series-Scorpion and Sub-zero. Let’s reflect on how average their costumes are, and how uncool they are when compared to the Rebirth trailer. In Rebirth, Scorpion was a true assassin, dark and hidden, and I actually believed his weapon was something cool and not an arrowhead attached to the string. Sub-zero looked more like an actual monster than a person, and both were something I was genuinely looking forward to watching. Watching these clowns dressed in those costumes...it’s the biggest disappointment so far, to say the least. They're not bad versions, but I have seen so much better.

But I will give these episodes some credit-there are some great scenes towards the end of episode eight, and a twist I didn’t see as well. I would recommend checking it out just for that.

Episode 3-Johnny Cage

Nope, my opinion hasn't changed. 

Like the first two episodes, this episode has decent acting, and decent fighting. And again, my problems with this episode are similar with the first two episodes-we really don’t see anything new. Johnny Cage is a failing action movie star, but comes up with a new script idea to revive his career. Suffice to say, his producers screw him and Johnny takes action. I personally like Johnny Cage out of most of the Mortal Kombat fighters, and I can see the creators doing their best in this episodes, but alas Johnny's character in general doesn’t have a great deal of depth in the beginning, and neither does this episode. We also miss out on Johnny’s typical funny one-liners from the game and the movie. That being said, Johnny does have some genuine emotions in this one too, which is nice to see.

This episode does raise one question I have, and this is also a problem in the movie: Why exactly is Shang Tsung of all people recruiting Johnny Cage?  I can believe that Shang Tsung might do this because he might think Johnny is easily beatable, but why does he get to select Earth’s fighters? Isn’t this breaking some Elder God’s rules? We don’t see Raider travelling to Outworld to select Milenna or Baraka to fight, so why here? And if Shang Tsung is allowed to do that, why bother picking people who are half-way decent fighters at all? Why not pick up ten people off the street?

Oh, and this episode confirms that Mortal Kombat Rebirth as non-cannon, as it brings up plenty of plot-holes otherwise.

Episode 4 + 5-Kitana/Mileena

This two-parter is so far the best in the series, but it’s still not going to rate high on my overall opinion. We do get to see a lot of background with Kitana/Mileena, but half of that is live acting, and the other half with animation.  Unfortunately I’m not really a huge fan of any movie or series doing this, because doing so usually screams to me ‘we don’t have a budget or we're too lazy to film a sequence so here’s a drawing!’ But this is really just a personal opinion and it probably works well for other people. That being said, I didn’t hate the animation itself, and I’ve certainly seen far worse in high-budget movies.

Here is the plot in a nutshell:  Outworld is taken over by Shao Kahn, who proclaims himself King and takes Sindel as his wife and Kitana as his daughter. The former King flees and...does nothing I guess for about twenty years. Fearing that Kitana might learn the truth about him, Shao Kahn orders Shang Tseung to create Milenna, a clone of Kitana with lots of pointy teeth.

I really enjoyed the live action sequences, however, especially the fight chorography between the two sisters (although I have a minor gripe that in some sequences I can't tell which one is which due to their clothing being too similar). Also, points for introducing them early as children rather as adults-I really do prefer that shift from the actual game.

But-sigh-again nothing new. No, I won't stop going on about this. Rebirth promised something original. I don't care if this is a marketing ploy or not. When are we going to see something original? I’m sick of your stalling, Legacy. Show me something which is going to totally impress me or I’ll-

HOLY CRAP LORD RAIDEN’S IN A MENTAL HOSPTIAL!