F.E.A.R. — or "First Encounter Assault and Recon" — is a first-person shooter set in a secretive complex full of government intrigue. Players take the role of a member of an elite squad of soldiers that's called in when conventional troops have failed. One such situation occurs when an unknown force infiltrates the complex, and the first strike Special Forces team sent to quell the invasion was decimated minutes after arriving on the scene. Now it is up the F.E.A.R. squad to isolate the invaders and eliminate them, before anyone else gets hurt (or any multibillion-dollar government equipment is lost).

The game's realistic, near-future setting and storyline feature elements of horror, supernatural vision, and even philosophical insight. The lead character is not given a name, in order to encourage the player to more fully assume the role, but well-developed teammate characters are designed to bring a personal context to the adventure. Enemy artificial intelligence is designed to produce believable human characters, as well, who work together as a deadly efficient, reactive team.

In addition to the single-player game, popular multiplayer modes — such as Deathmatch, Elimination, and Capture the Flag — are available. F.E.A.R. was developed by Monolith, known for the clever, personable touch it instilled in action games such as No One Lives Forever and Tron 2.0. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide