F.E.A.R. 3 (stylized as F.3.A.R) is a First-Person Shooter, developed by Day 1 Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. It was released in June 2011 on Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. It is the third and final game in the F.E.A.R. series, and a sequel to 2009's F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin.
The story opens nine months after the events of F.E.A.R. 2, with the Point Man being interrogated in an Armacham prison. The ghost of his brother Paxton Fettel appears, and the two stage an escape, with Fettel accompanying his brother back to the warzone that Fairport has become, with the aim of stopping their mother Alma's impending childbirth. But something seems to be stalking them, something that even Alma is afraid of...
Gameplay is similar to the previous two games, with a focus on Bullet Time combat. New to the series is a Co-Op Multiplayer system; one player plays as the Point Man, and another as Fettel, each with different abilities, working together to defeat enemies while at the same time competing for kills.
Tropes in this game:
- Actionized Sequel: F.E.A.R. 3 is more actionized that its predecessors. You're constantly notified of how many points you've accumulated by completing challenges, which gives the whole thing an arcade-y score attack feel. This had a polarizing effect on both critics and gamers in general: the gun combat was fun, really fun, but the scoring mechanic detracted from the creepy feel for some reviewers.
- Babies Ever After: In the Point Man's ending, at least, this is implied, as he is shown carrying off his baby sibling after Alma gives birth.
- Bad Boss: The Phase Commanders, who, among other things, threaten dismemberment(!) if their orders are not carried out.
- Bag of Spilling: Justified at the start, as the Point Man has been captured and imprisoned by Armacham for an unspecified length of time. Each of the Intervals, if they even start the player off with a gun, always give them the Strader Mk. VII, regardless of what weapons they had beforehand or if they even had it by the end of the Interval to begin with, and their other weapons will normally be removed from the inventory, with one exception where the player also gets a Briggs SMG to start with. Appropriately, the Point Man is permanently modeled with the Strader in a chest holster.
- Better to Die than Be Killed: Literally, when playing as Paxton Fettel. If your host body is killed, you lose all your psychic power; burning out means you lose about half of what you need to possess someone. In a firefight, it can be better to burn out of a body instead of allowing it to be killed, because it means you can bodyhop faster, or retain some juice in order to provide support for the Point Man.
- Canon Discontinuity: The game largely ignores the events of the first-party F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn DLC, in that Fettel is still an immaterial psychic ghost and seemingly anchored to Pointman, instead of a Psychic Commander reborn in the body of Foxtrot 813. On the other hand, it is hinted that the Fettel the Point Man works with might just be another projection like the Creep, just in the shape and identity of Fettel instead of Harlan Wade.
- Cosmic Deadline: Quite noticeable here. The game has a clear beginning, middle, and finale. However, it literally jumps straight from the middle to the finale without any form of transition in between, feeling as though the game completely skipped its 3rd act. It's especially jarring since the finale pretty much wraps up the storyline for the entire trilogy of games, so you'd think there'd be more of a build-up to it.
- Crowbar Combatant: A weapon favored by the cultists is the crowbar.
- Cult: The Fairport civilians who survived the nuclear explosion and were driven insane by Alma appear to have formed these, complete with body mutilations, creation of makeshift temples, and sacrifices.
- Damn You, Muscle Memory!: The control scheme in F.E.A.R. 3 is identical to F.E.A.R. 2 with one exception - the crouch and melee buttons have switched places.
- Death by Childbirth: When Alma finally gives birth at the end of the game, her body seems to burn away into red light, and she seems to relax and be at peace. It's not made clear if Alma is actually gone, however.
- Death Glare: The Point Man's glare in F.3.A.R. could probably make Admiral Adama quail in terror.
- Didn't Need Those Anyway!: The cultists will keep attacking you even if you blast off one or more of their limbs.
- Dual Wielding: There's only one weapon in this game that can be dual-wielded: the Dual MP-970s, which in the single player mode, can only be wielded in pairs.
- Elite Mooks: The Replica in general become these in this game. Generally, most squads from Interval 05 and onward will have a mixture of both lighter ATC mercenaries and heavily-armored Replica troops who are far tougher and stronger.
- Enemy Mine: The Point Man and Paxton Fettel must team up in this game. Fettel is playable in co-op.
- Evil Laugh: Fettel gets in a few good ones. He also chuckles evilly any time he possesses an enemy.
- Evil Tower of Ominousness: A huge tower in the center of the city seems to be the focal point of the game, with Alma's portal apparently being right above it, and the cutscenes showing you progressing closer and closer to the tower with it being presumably your final destination. However, in one of the last levels the tower turns out to have absolutely no bearing on the plot, having been something of a red herring, and collapses without you even setting foot inside. The game continues on for 2 more levels.
- Gameplay and Story Integration:
- At the end of the campaign, the points you've scored as either Pointman or Fettel will determine the ending.
- In the Point Man's ending, he shoots Fettel repeatedly in the head until he goes down, just like all the Armacham mooks up to that point. In Fettel's ending, he possesses the Point Man, just like he's been doing to the Armacham mooks to that point.
- Gameplay and Story Segregation: In the cutscenes, it's made abundantly clear that no one else can see Fettel except for Pointman, not even a powerful psychic like Becket. In actual gameplay, every basic Armacham mook can both see Fettel and fill him full of lead.
- General Ripper: The Phase Commanders are clearly drunk with power, as evidenced by their callous disregard for their men's safety, and their obsession with killing Point Man.
- Go Out with a Smile: In the Point Man's ending, after Alma gives birth and he picks up the newborn, she visibly relaxes and seems to be at peace, before disappearing.
- Improvised Weapon: Most of the weapons used by the cultists. Fettel can use these whenever he possesses a cultist.
- Intercom Villainy: A succession of psychic commanders taunt you (they seem to really hate the Point Man, possibly because of his connection to Alma, and thus the highly traumatic "upgrades" they were given) as you make your way toward the end of the game.
- Kick the Dog: Near the end, Paxton Fettel kills Sgt. Becket for reasons which in hindsight seem entirely pointless. It serves to remind us that, despite the sincere help he's provided (including saving Point Man's life at least 3 times), Fettel is still an insane psychopath.
- Late-Arrival Spoiler: The official website for the game explicitly notes that The Point Man and Fettel are brothers and that their mother is Alma, these being the major spoilers of the first game. It doesn't say a whole lot else though.
- Letters 2 Numbers: Instead of F.E.A.R. 3 (like F.E.A.R. 2 before) they went with F.3.A.R.
- "Magic A" Is "Magic A": When Becket is possessed by Fettel in a cutscene. When Fettel possess NPCs in the game they tend to explode after a while. Guess what happens to Becket a minute later.
- Mook Maker: The enemy "phase caster" troops apparently teleport fresh soldiers into battle.
- Multiple Endings: Depending on whether you beat the campaign as the Point Man or Fettel, or in co-op mode, the player who gets the higher score:
- Point Man: He considers shooting Alma, but instead decides to help her give birth, and after her apparent death, leaves with the newborn baby.
- Fettel: He possesses the Point Man, announces his intention to raise the baby in his own image, then cannibalizes Alma's corpse.
- Pipe Pain: One of the cultists' arsenal of melee weapons is a selection of lead pipes.
- Playing Possum: Cultists will often pretend to be one of the many corpses littering the environment, only to get up and attack when you get close.
- Portal Network: The Phase Commanders use a short-ranged version of this, creating portals to either escape your line of fire and flank you.
- Possession Burnout: Fettel's possession causes burnout in the hosts, forcing you to use it tactically.
- Powers via Possession: Any soldier possessed by Fettel gains the same healing factor as him.
- Regenerating Health: Unlike the previous two games, all of the player's health will regenerate after a short while as long as they stay out of fire.
- Room Full of Crazy: The main menu shows the Pointman and Fettel as children in their Armacham holding cell. As you level up your profile by earning points, Fettel will gradually fill the room with insane scrawls of Alma, monsters, and hellish landscapes. Once the scrawls get big enough, Pointman will be visibly frightened and ends up hiding in a corner as Fettel's scribbles take over the entire room.
- Secret A.I. Moves: Although as Fettel you can possess Phase Casters and Phase Commanders, you can't use their teleportation abilities, shown in-universe as their suits' security system detecting your possession and disabling them.
- Sequel Hook:
- During the Point Man's ending, Paxton Fettel's monologue during the video of his synchronicity even has him swearing revenge on the Point Man for killing him again.
- While Alma finally passed away in peace in Point Man's ending, what would become of her child?
- Squishy Wizard: Paxton Fettel has less health than the Point Man and can't use guns on his own, but compensates with an assortment of psychic powers including firing psi blasts, throwing explosive barrels (plus grenades and gas tanks) with telekinesis, possessing enemies to use their weapons and abilities, and being able to see and use hidden paths.
- The Starscream: If Paxton Fettel wins at the end, he possesses the Point Man, promises to raise the 3rd Prototype as his pawn, then bloodily consumes a screaming Alma to gain her power. Apparently this was always meant to be his motivation, but the scenes establishing this were cut from the first game.
- Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: Becket dies at the end of the next-to-last level of the game.
- Suddenly Voiced: Becket gets a few lines. The Point Man, however, gets none, even though he has been given a face.
- Suicidal Overconfidence: F.E.A.R. 3's Phase Commanders have no concept of retreat (even if the city is self-destructing around them) and insist everyone Hold the Line, thinking that they're more than a match for you, even if other Phase Commanders have tried and failed.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute:
- The Phase Casters are more or less the Replica Laser Elite Soldiers from Extraction Point, even sharing the same weapon, if they had the ability to summon other enemies, and if they had boss-like levels of health.
- The Phase Commanders are pretty much the Replica Heavy Armor Soldiers from the first two games, but with the ability to walk through walls to teleport from one area to another, and, like the Phase Casters, also serve as bosses, rather than regular enemy types.
- One of the new Replica soldiers also has an explosive tank on their backs that you can shoot, much like the Armacham Black Ops Hazmats from the second game.
- Take Cover!: One of the gameplay changes in this game is a cover system that lets you pop a little bit around a corner and back just to peek if you don't want to just blast away.
- Technically Living Zombie: The cultists, ordinary civillians who have had their brains fried by Alma's power.
- Tempting Fate: On the freeway battle in Interval 06, an Armacham pilot will call out over the radio that "He can't take two of us!" right before two armored helicopters go after you while you're in an EPA. Guess what happens next.
- Vomit Indiscretion Shot: You get a first person view of Michael Becket vomiting near the end of the game.
- Why Couldn't You Be Different?: Harlan Wade has extremely little affection or caring for Alma or her children, and despises them for what they have become."My children... Alma... you were to be my legacy... but you are all monsters."
