Cold Fear

Cold Fear
Cold Fear
	File:Coldfearbox.jpg
Developer(s)	Darkworks
Publisher(s)	Ubisoft
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC
Release	March 15, 2005
Genre(s)	Survival horror
Mode(s)	Single player

Cold Fear is an action/survival horror game designed by Darkworks and published by Ubisoft. It was released on March 15, 2005, in North America. It was announced in April 2006, that a movie adaptation is also in production with a speculated 2008 theatrical release.

Story

In Cold Fear the player takes on the role of Tom Hansen, a sailor in the U.S. Coast Guard who has been sent in to investigate a mysterious Russian whaler "Eastern Spirit" (Дух Востока) in the middle of the Bering strait. As Hansen, the player finds out that the boat is occupied by hostile Russian soldiers and by strange creatures that use humans and other life forms as hosts, to feed on and to use as protection from the environment. These parasites are a threat to Hansen from both inside and outside their host bodies. His investigation leads to the mystery of the ship and its lethal cargo.

Gameplay

Cold Fear plays like any other game of its genre, but its play mechanics are most reminiscent of those of Resident Evil 4. In Cold Fear, players can assume a behind the shoulder camera angle, much like Resident Evil 4. However players also can choose between a fixed camera angle or a behind the shoulder camera angle as in the early concepts for Resident Evil 4 (known as "Resident Evil 3.5"). Also, unlike Resident Evil 4, the player can move while aiming a weapon. The game employs many scare tactics, as well, like those found in Resident Evil and Doom 3. For example, when opening a door, a creature may jump out at the player, or while talking to an NPC, a creature may just burst out of his chest. And unlike Resident Evil, Cold Fear employs a stamina bar, which decreases as the player does certain actions, like running, which means the player will be taking constant breaks to make sure Hansen is rested enough to proceed.

The conditions on the deck of the ship can change how the player can control Hansen. Since the game takes place in the middle of the ocean during a huge storm, there's bound to be a lot of movement of the vessel as it bobs up and down through the rough seas. The cargo ship will continuously bank left and right while Hansen is walking on deck, making it more difficult to aim and to walk a straight line. In some instances, the ship rocks so much, and to such a great degree, that Hansen can get knocked down and possibly sent overboard. There are also many environmental hazards, like swinging electrical wires and crates hooked up to ropes, which are also affected by the swaying of the ship, and can easily crash into the player if he or she isn't careful. Waves crashing on to the ship's deck may also inflict damage on a player's health.The environmental hazards can also be used against enemies.

Weapons

Characters

Tom Hansen

Once a hero, now disgraced, Hansen is happy to fade into the woodwork as just one more guy out there saving lives with the Coast Gaurd. All that changes when his vessel receives an order to rescue an abondoned whaling ship during a raging storm. What he finds there will reawaken the dying emebers of his spirit, if it doesnt kill him first.

Anna Kamsky

The daughter of scientist Victor Kamsky. She has been kept as a hostage to ensure his cooperation. Rebllious and strong willed, she finds herself forced to make an impossible decision if she wants to survive.

Dr Victor Kamsky

Brilliant scientist and devoted farther, Kamsky leads the research effort on the isolated drilling platform his discoveries could threaten all humanity - and cost him his own in the process.

CIA Agent Jason Bennett

Agent Bennett has been watching Yusupov for a long time. Patiently, like a spider in the center of its web, he has been waiting for his chance to unravel the mystery - no matter how many lives he sacrafices to do so.

Enemies

Mercenary (Unifected)

Hired by Yusupov to protect the mysterious oil rig, these former soldiers shoot on sight and shoot to kill. But nothing they've seen or done will prepare them for what they are about to face.

Exo-m1.1/ExoMutant

No longer human, these creatures are savage, mindless and hungry. Blessed with inhuman strength and cursed with a hunger for flesh, they attack relentlessly with any weapon at hand.

Exo-ME 2.0/ExoMutant

Not all mutants are created equal. These are smarter, stronger and faster than their counterparts making them much more dangerous(some even know how to use guns). The only way to permanently get rid of them is to kill the parasite that resides in their craniums.

Exo-S 5.2/ExoShade

There are plenty of reasons to be afraid of the dark, and this creature is the biggest one. Able to see perfectly in darkness, it hunts from the shadows and attacks without mercy.

Exo-G 4.3/ExoSpectre

What you can t see can hurt you. Able to blend in perfectly with its suroundings, this escaped experiment has a killer's instincts.

Exo-B 7.0/ ExoMass

Not all experiments go as planned. Deformed and mutated, this creature has uncanny stregnth and an undying rage. Willing and able to punch through all steel doors to seek its prey, this creature will never abandon the hunt.

Exo-CL 3.0/Exocel

Contaminator Exocels live to spread their infection. Fast and agile, they seek weak or dying prey to serve as hosts for their parasitic needs. If they can’t find a suitable victim, they’ll be more than happy to make one.

Exo-N 3.5 /ExoNest

These shapeless monstrosities exist only to breed. Mothers to the contaminators, they send their children out into the world to seek new victims.

Reception

Cold Fear was treated to fair reviews from game critics, though many felt it was released at the incorrect time, considering another horror themed action game, Resident Evil 4, was released earlier that year. Other main complaints against the title were mainly against the generic and derivative environments and the weak artificial intelligence; however, critics also praised it for having much better controls than other survival-horror games.

External links