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10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
 Mature Title - Great Fun for Horror FansApr 03, 2005
By Lisa Shea
"medieval swordfighting enthusiast"
If you like an action adventure shooting that is full of suspense, give Cold Fear a try. Be warned, this is rated mature, and can get quite scary!
The game is set on a Russian whaling ship in the middle of the ocean, being tossed by really heavy waves. You have heavy rain falling all around you, obscuring your vision and even dripping down your monitor screen. The entire ship lurches from side to side, throwing you off your feet. There are swinging wires and cargo, making it hard to know if a quick movement is a threat or an inanimate object. Faces peer through windows and around corners.
You're a coast guard rescue person sent in on your own to figure out what has happened on the whaler. You quickly discover that the ship is overrun with zombies and your task now is to get through doors, shoot zombies, and save the innocents. Something I have an issue with is that you end up blasting away all the innocent Russian shipworkers. They are afraid of the zombies, and you can read Russian fluently - but instead of calling out "friend!" or something, or trying to show you are a nice guy, you end up in a shooting match and kill them all. Some Coast Guard rescue.
The graphics in general are rather nice, with a very gritty, constantly-in-motion feeling to them. You try to peer through darkness, see in flashing red light situation, get a glimpse of something through the storm of rain and wave.
The sound is immersive as well. You hear hints of movement noise amongst the crashing waves and blaring alarms. It really tests all of your senses, to stay on your toes and stay alive.
On one hand the overall map is small - you're on one ship, with three levels and various rooms. On the other hand, this is in fact a rather large ship, and a lot of the puzzles involve you traversing from one end to the other in a series of 'fetch the handle' or 'find the code key' sorts of missions.
Highly recommended for fans of the horror genre, for some zombie-blasting fun!
Rating: 4.5/5
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 Very ScaryMar 24, 2005
By Steve Kinney
"Steve Kinney"
This game is much scarier then anything I have played well of course until Doom 3 comes out. The noises and the atmosphere it creates is very intense. The zombies and creatures move extremely fast so you have to be on your toes. I have never seen water look as amazing as it did on this game with it dripping across the tv screen. The boat rocking back and fourth on the raging sea made you feel like you were at the seas mercy. When you fall you slide to the edge of the boat and you can pull yourself right back up! While shooting at zombies you can hold onto a rail and shoot so you can get a good shot. The controls are a little crazy at first but once you figure it out it is very addicting! I wish the boss fight at the end lasted longer it was very intense! I just hope this title is not kicked to the side by all these other games coming out it is a great game.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
"Fear" Is FunMay 22, 2005
By --
"--"
"Cold Fear" plays like a gem, and contains all the essential elements to make a great action-horror game - everything, that is, except a storyline devoid of clichés. In other words, the game itself, while certainly less than original, is a class act, but the broken wings of the derivative plot keep it from soaring to utter greatness.
Like last year's "The Suffering," the setting is one of the strengths of "Cold Fear" (at least for the first half of the game). As Tom Hansen, a United States Coast Guard officer dispatched to investigate a Russian ship tossed about on a stormy sea, you quickly discover that you're alone, far from any possible help due to circumstances beyond your control (naturally), and that there is more to this distress call than you bargained for. It seems the ship's crew have become infected with parasitical creatures ("Alien" style) and they're rapidly mutating into zombies... and worse ("Resident Evil," anyone?).
Yes, the storyline is boilerplate for a game of this genre, but the gameplay itself, while perhaps not taking full advantage of the setting, is exceedingly well done. The action is responsive and satisfying, and not overly frequent - "Cold Fear" is a game of tension punctuated by sporadic blasts of combat, as it should be. Each of the game's weapons packs a punch, although, realistically, they can be hard to aim with pinpoint accuracy do to the choppiness of the high seas. Unfortunately a zombie can only be permanently dispatched by a blow to the brain, which is a difficult shot to pull off - so, instead, most of the time you'll shoot a zombie to the ground, stroll casually up to it, and stomp on its skull with your boot. Though this practice becomes repetitive after a while, it's good gory fun at first.
As previously mentioned, the atmosphere and the nautical setting of "Cold Fear" go a long distance toward making the game work. Despite the rampant clichés and the gruff, wise-cracking protagonist (who seems literally lifted from "Far Cry," alongside his female sidekick), the leaky, dank environments are unlike anything seen before in a game of this type. The graphics, which are crisp and very attractive, bring this to splendid life, with the moving shadows threatening to contain some creature about to pounce. The raging seas are equally impressive, but more so the rain spatter effect that strikes the camera - or the occasional spurt of blood from a fractured skull that splats across it instead.
Alas, the second half of the game, in an attempt to mix things up, foregoes the ship and places the remainder of the action on an oil platform that feels like your Mars base in "Doom 3" or your Arctic research lab in "The Thing." In other words, it's not quite as striking or as interesting, but still being soaked in atmosphere it more than gets the job done. Surprisingly, it's this late in the game before "Cold Fear" introduces its bigger, badder mutants, where before zombies were the catch of the day. The timing is excellent, actually, because these new threats force a different style of attack (or running for one's life) that shakes up the whole experience, keeping it fresh and addictive. And addictive is perhaps one of the best words to use in describing the "Cold Fear" experience.
The game's biggest problems arise in the form of its weak, derivative story and characters. It's never fully explained why Hansen is supposedly disgraced as a US Coast Guard officer, though this is a point that's driven home on several occasions - more confusing still, there's a reference to him somehow getting his former girlfriend shot and killed, but no further explanation of this (at least not that I could find). This is but one example in a game filled with loose ends. Bigger still, what are all these mutants running around? They're not aliens per se, and they're not genetic constructs. The game's ads implied they were hellspawn "Doom" style, but there's no in-game evidence of this except for the fact that they emerge from the depths where the Russians are drilling. I suppose it's safe to say they are a terrestrial form of unknown life, but there simply needs to be more. Fortunately, the story isn't a deal-breaker in a game this good, but it certainly shoots itself in the foot.
All in all, "Cold Fear" is a game that demands to be played by fans of the genre. The nautical setting makes it this year's "The Suffering," if not quite as creative in terms of its premise and characterizations. Still, when it's all said and done, you can feel it missing the mark of the game it could have been had its story elements come together properly, and had its developers gone that extra mile to incorporate the setting more fully into the game. For example, in mid-development a system was mentioned where Hansen would have to grab onto objects (such as poles, banisters, etc.) to steady himself, and his aim, on the choppy waters, but the mechanic, which could have been truly original, got axed at the last minute. This is emblematic of the game's adherence to the standard, but that is by no means a condemnation. While not quite a classic, "Cold Fear" is a solid, enjoyable effort well worth the price of admission.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
A terrific 'Resident Evil-Style' title for the XBOXMar 23, 2005
By Joseph G. Hynes
If you own an XBOX, this game is a must for any action/survival horror fan who likes to jump a bit and feel their pulse quicken while playing a game.
1) Cold Fear has wonderful atmosphere, as the RenderWare engine spits out terrific weather effects, crisp textures, and detailed lighting. The graphics are not 'Riddick' or 'Doom 3' quality, but they are still very easy on the eyes.
2) The over-the-shoulder camera is a terrific addition and the analog controls are smooth and appealing. Gone are the days of blindly aiming at zombie-type creatures off screen with no ability to adjust the in-game camera. You have complete control over your monster destruction.
3) The only drawback might be the retracing of steps and corridors on the games amazing 'set pieces' (levels). You'll find yourself hunting down certain things in one section to activate certain things in some other section that you just worked over. Nothing new about that, I suppose. Being trapped on a big boat has these limitations.
4) The 5.1 Dolby Digital sound and effects are well done. This high caliber audio format adds so much to a game in the action/horror genre, placing you solidly in the environment. You'll enjoy subtle sounds from each individual speaker that make your hair stand on end at times.
I've smiled and jumped and been thrilled several times while playing this game. I highly recommend it to those who enjoyed the thrills presented by the first Resident Evil game way back on the PS1.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Cold Fear is ColdMay 01, 2005
By S. Areias
"secretbuyer"
Atmospherically, Cold Fear is derivative and predictable, which is a shame considering that it is, at times, an enjoyable action game. While Cold Fear does not exactly establish itself as a high-quality survival horror game, the involved story and occasional interesting gameplay element make Cold Fear worth playing, for at least a little while, anyway.
They got the cold part right. In Cold Fear, you play as Tom Hansen, a US Coast Guard officer who has been sent to investigate a mysterious Russian frigate on a windy and stormy night in the middle of the ocean. You find out early on that the boat is occupied not merely by hostile Russian soldiers, of which there are plenty, but also by alien creatures that feed on the humans and provide a severe threat from both inside and outside their host bodies. Your investigation leads you to a few friendly faces and many threatening ones as you uncover the mystery of the ship and its lethal cargo.
The perspective is third person, with the ability to go into a first-person aiming mode through which you can freely guide your view. Although the fixed camera gives a wider glimpse of the scene, it's not easy to keep fluid control when going back and forth between cameras, which is a problem as you try to maneuver around the boat and take out the enemies you encounter along the way.
Additional controls let you crouch, run, and scroll quickly through weapons, which is slightly more intuitive in the PS2 version, thanks to the extra trigger buttons. However, since the weapon scroll is placed on the white/black buttons on the Xbox controller, the difference is not that severe. Running brings up an onscreen meter that, when depleted, prohibits you from running anymore. This helps to make certain puzzles more challenging, and you will find yourself monitoring the meter frequently, but it does not detract from or add to the gameplay in any significant way.
Because Cold Fear takes place in ocean-locked environments, the control scheme is affected by the movement of the waves. This is mostly noticeable when you are outside, and at times it looks like you're walking almost completely sideways, due to the volatile movement of the deck beneath you. This adversely impacts the controls, but the trade-off is a unique and interesting component of the gameplay. As you fight against the tossing of the boat, timing yourself to cross decks only when the waves are low, you encounter some of the most compelling aspects of Cold Fear. Unfortunately, the outside environments are not tapped to their fullest, and you'll spend the majority of the game, past the first hour, in generic indoor locations.
Your objective in Cold Fear is to discover the story behind the vessel's apparent destruction and the emergence of the nonhuman creatures upon it. Despite being a highly derivative story about a genetic experiment gone wrong, the relationship between characters is interesting, and the story is neat and simple. Most of the plot exploration is conveyed through notes that are littered about the environment and through dialogues with characters (for the short duration that the people on the boat other than Hansen manage to stay alive). The notes are well implemented, and they drive the story and reveal critical information about weapons, environmental objects, and enemies.
Although you start off with merely a handgun, there are a number of different weapons to be found in the middle of the ocean, including a submachine gun, an AK-47, a speargun, a flamethrower, and a grenade launcher. The weapons are almost all equally effective, except for differences in power. The speargun is the only weapon that is not used explicitly for dealing damage, and when fired, it releases a gas that draws enemies near it. This is a great tactic to use in conjunction with one of the more explosive weapons such as the shotgun or grenade launcher. Otherwise, the objective of the game is to make headshots on all humanoid enemies, which can be exceedingly difficult as the enemies draw nearer to you. Fortunately, most of the weapons have either a laser sight or flashlight, which aids your precision. The point of the headshot is to conserve ammunition, although enemies will not die unless they are decapitated. This means that if you shoot an enemy anywhere other than in the head, and merely knock it down to the ground, you have a certain amount of time to run over and step on the head before the enemy gets back up and attacks you again.
Many of the zombies are possessed by exocel creatures, which are spidery beings that alternate between crawling on the floor and the ceiling before attempting to take possession of a human being by reaching out a long tendril into a human's mouth and then climbing inside. Outside of a host body, these exocels are fairly easy to destroy--usually one bullet sends them rolling up into a ball, and a second one takes them out--but given their flexibility and their penchant for appearing out of nowhere, including bodies you've just killed, they provide a formidable threat if not dealt with quickly. More advanced abominations of genetics appear later on, but with the more difficult enemies, it's sometimes easier to merely avoid confrontation and run along to the next room. If you choose to run, you'll find these creatures often jumping on your back. When this happens, you're given a button sequence to throw the enemy and try to achieve a critical hit. If you successfully land a critical hit, enemies are killed much more quickly than if you had gone about it the normal way. Because of this, it's sometimes tactically important to let Hansen be jumped by enemies, as long as you can throw them quickly.
Hansen knows a ballet bar when he sees one.
Other game tactics include using pieces of the environment to do the work for you. You can shoot explosive barrels, fire extinguishers, and different-colored valves to create an environmental trap for oncoming enemies. From time to time, you'll encounter a fight between two of the enemy species, and you can let them fight among themselves before you intervene. Environmental effects, such as laser beams and swinging obstacles, can often be used to pick off the less bright enemies, and the rocking of the boat will send a zombie or you overboard, if you're standing on the wrong side of a slippery surface.
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