You play as the newest member of the First Encounter Assault Recon, the military’s top-secret task force assigned to deal with paranormal situations. And the mission in F.E.A.R. certainly counts as above and beyond the regular call of duty. As explained in the opening cinematic, a military commander named Paxton Fettel goes insane and takes command of a secret army of cloned soldiers that are telepathically linked to him. Fettel and the battalion of elite soldiers then go on the rampage in a nondescript American city. They appear to be searching for something, though their objective is a mystery. It’s up to you and the rest of the F.E.A.R. team, along with units of Delta Force, to find out what it is they’re looking for and stop them.
The story is truly one of the best aspects of the game. You always know what your objective is and how it ties into the main story. The story unfolds using radio transmissions, laptop information that you recover, voice mail messages, etc. It works quite well, making you feel as if you’re really taking part in this creepy adventure. I can’t really expand on the “creepy” aspect of the free game downloads without giving away a lot, but suffice to say that it is one of the most chilling games you will ever play. It’s not in-your-face monsters popping out, but creepy music, random patches of radio static, sudden flashes of light, and even a few “visions” that will creep you out if you let them.