Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix
by Eidos Interactive
Our Price: $69.99
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Category: Video Games
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Product Summary
Platform: PlayStationPublisher: Eidos Interactive
Video Game Reviews of Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix
Customer Review: A True Original
Summary: 4 Stars
A blend of Old Chinese myths and avant-grade science fiction make Fear Effect 2 a true original.
Like in the first game, you start with Hana (and a new character, Rain) doing an otherwise simple job when everything goes awry. Half the world is dying from EINDS (Environmentally Induced Nucleotides Degeneration Syndrome) and Jin, the same employer from the first game, assigns you to steal a DNA sequence that maps the gene that causes the disease. Problem is, the doctor guarding it just happens to be the richest man on the planet and has security out the Yin Yang. You go through HELL to find this disc, using both stealth and aggression to bypass all his security measures, and its Hell that chases after you when you steal it(literally! Think of the Taoist version of Demons, spiritual trials and torture and you will get my meaning exactly). Evidently, this EINDS was no product of nature and it was meant to wipe clean the earth of mankind. So you seriously tick off certain Immortal Beings for stealing this piece of Generic code.
From here the game takes a sudden (and more serious) change of direction and you delve deep into spirit realms where you will meet figures of Chinese myth, namely the Eight Immortals in the mythical island Penglai and Qin Shi Haung in his ancient tomb of Xian, backed by his famed terracotta army. Throw in some killer action, humor and a lesbian encounter between the two protagonists and you'll remember Fear Effect whether you liked it or not. You've never played anything like this, believe me. This game is just nuts.
Graphics are absolutely phenomenal (I bare in mind the dated technology that is being employed when I say this).
Now as for the game's irritations: I will remark upon what many others have already complained about. There are only 1 or 2 guns in your inventory that are useful, and when you run out of ammo on one of them and need to change to the other in the heat of battle, good luck doing it when you got 20 items to scroll through. Saves are sometimes not where they need to be. You can expect to play a lot of the same crap in certain areas. Some people have said this game is either hard or difficult. "Unfair" would be a more appropriate word since skill or wit alone often cannot save you. Even when knowing exactly what to do....you will die.
When a game has an excellent (if experimental) storyline like this one, it's a shame the experience is hindered by challenges that require sheer luck in order for you to proceed.
If you got the patience, you will find Fear Effect 2 a rewarding experience. I liked this game better than the first and it is one I will always come back to.
Description of Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix
Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix is the prequel to the survival-horror game Fear Effect. Here you play one of four mercenaries in a team that has signed on to bring back the kidnapped daughter of a powerful Chinese executive. The adventure takes players through the chaotic alternate reality of Hong Kong, Hell's Kitchen in New York City, the formidable walled city of Xi'an, the lost tomb of the first emperor of China, and, finally, into the legendary mountain island of the immortals, Penglai Shan. A variety of melee and range weapons, such as brass knuckles, pistols, and heavy assault weapons, will help you take out increasingly combative henchmen.The game allows you to play as any one member of the team: cover-girl assassins Hana Tsu-Vachel or Rain Qin, master operative Royce Glas, or greedy killer Jakob "Deke" Decourt. The game's variable ending changes with the disposition of certain in-game events, and other hidden features promise added replayability.
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