Cold Fear

The “big reveal” takes awhile, and because it takes some time to finally happen you’ll be fearing virtually everything that goes bump in the night.

I enjoyed Cold Fear for what it was – an average thriller with some above average story-telling and terrific use of atmosphere.

I had an absolute blast with the game’s weaponry and the ideas behind the deaths of killing the creatures ( the last boss was done quite nicely) were done extremely well. A minor downfall to the game is that I didn’t necessarily feel scared during the game.

Wet floors shine, cupboards seem to have depth rather than the badly rendered facade that perhaps you are used to and the lighting is rich and really adds to the uneasiness of this game.

The game utilises a series of components and dare we even mutter it under our breath, clichés that can be derived from any number of horror films and survival horror titles, which is no big fault since for the most part (travelling aside) the game is an enjoyable title away from the established franchises that does offer some new ideas and details to the genre.

A highly polished title that shows that Ubisoft's action-focused approached to the horrific can be gory fun, too.

Graphically impressive, to the point where those prone to sea-sickness should stay away, and the dark bowels of the ship provide an eerily effective gaming environment.

But if you've got a choice, spring for the darker, freakier Xbox version.

It seems a bit convoluted and rather forced, yet if you play it in the dark late at night, it will still spook the bejeezus out of you.

Visuals and atmosphere are quite good, too, though still far from RE4 quality. [May 2005, p.74]

The gameplay is solid and enjoyable. The visuals fit the atmosphere wonderfully, the sound is suitably heroic and epic and the gameplay gets rid of some of the tired conventions of the genre and in their place introduces new ideas that help move it forward.

It's pretty short—six to eight hours, tops. The Xbox version is the way to go, since the load times between "rooms" are a fraction of what they are on the PS2.

The plentiful load times kill the tension between areas.

A solid B-movie videogame. It may not be an epic tale, but it packs in enough thrills and zombies to happily pass an afternoon or two.

A leaden feel of backtracking and other nags here and there tie the game down from anything memorable. [May 2005, p.54]

Puzzles are kept to a minimum but due to the repetitive ship interiors and the absence of a map, players will spend plenty of time meandering.

Aurally Cold Fear truly excels in many areas. The sound effects fit the atmosphere perfectly, and the industrial soundtrack couldn't be better presented.

An unashamedly old school survival horror game, so you should pretty much know whether you're interested in playing it or not.

A solid, if a little unspectacular survival horror title. While the “fear factor” may be a touch below the sheer terror instilled, there’s still many a moment where your feel a little nervous as to what you’ll witness next.

In the same league as the disposable horror flicks that fill video shelves and late-night cable. It's not particularly frightening, but good atmosphere and short-lived twitch satisfaction is enough to sustain interest for a while.

Atmospherically, Cold Fear is derivative and predictable, which is a shame considering that it is, at times, an enjoyable action game.

Fails to establish any real mood or atmosphere, and just ends up being boring. [May 2005, p.110]

There are some good ideas here, but the game is more frustrating than frightening.

Unfortunately, it's only half a great game. Clocking in at around 6 hours, it might be the shortest adventure-horror game out there and has almost zero replay value.

It's no complete loss, for sure, and is likely to moderately satisfy the Resident Evil die-hards waiting for the next instalment. However, it's no classic despite some lovely physics due to some weak gameplay elements and its slightly simple linearity.

Second-string sturvival horror marked by puppetlike physics and way too many exploding barrels. [May 2005, p.124]

Taken in isolation, there’s no denying Cold Fear’s panache - RenderWare has rarely been used to such strong visual effect - and there is a fair helping of survival horror entertainment to be had here, it’s just that you have to dig through several layers of frustration to get at it. [Apr 2005, p.96]

A perfectly average survival-horror action game crafted by the genre's originators. [May 2005, p.94]

As survivor horror games go, Cold Fear is lukewarm. The graphics attempt to mask a mediocre plot and flawed action, but it does succeed in making your skin crawl--in a good way.

Unfortunately, the spark of enduring gameplay is soon extinguished by some bizarre design choices and a ropey camera system.

The atmosphere isn’t scary or dreadful enough to instill fear in players, and the brevity of the experience is only matched by its lack of originality.

It's a little too comparable to other survival horror titles at times and although it's not exactly pushing the boundaries of the genre, it is still a worthwhile entry.

There's a difference between paying homage to and simply recycling old material, something this game fails to appreciate. The graphics might be up there with the forthcoming "Resident Evil 4," but the gameplay owes a huge debt to the first Resident Evil game. [PSW]

Some nifty gameplay mechanics and nasty enemies keep it from being an also-ran, while a little too much repetitive exploration and a short story keep it from being a contender.

The plot is unoriginal; the dialogue is OK, but not great; there isn't anything memorable about the music; and the backgrounds within the ship are dull and redundant.

The action is predictable, clichéd and, ultimately, unsatisfying. There’s probably a good hour or so of entertaining game play here.

It’s hard not to like Cold Fear for what it’s trying to do, but it’s also hard not to see the glaring errors that it makes along the way. [Apr 2005, p.119]