Cold Fear review

So you’re Tom Hansen, a US Coast Guard tasked with exploring a Russian tanker out in the middle of the ocean when all contact is lost with the crew. The only thing you know is that an unseen force pretty much tore apart the previous rescue team who despatched not long before you arrived – which certainly spells trouble for anybody left alive. You’re soon to find out however there is more at work than first thought.

And when your rescue ship leaves you stranded on the tanker the only thing you can do is go indoors and dig deeper into the mystery. This being a horror title, don’t be surprised to find that entails countless run ins with wrench-wielding zombies and subterranean nasties. Oh and the odd human too.

Are you intrigued yet? We were…

In from the cold

Some of you may remember the feature I wrote last month outlining the five horror games I think will be most interesting in 2005. Cold Fear was initially among them – until I started researching it more in-depth. Having had chance to spend the last few days with the title, I’m glad it didn’t appear on the list. Darkworks has definitely learned a thing or two since Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare – but unfortunately not enough to justify purchasing the game.

I’m not even sure a rental is in order.

Sure, first impressions are more than a little impressive - in fact it’s hard not to stare open-mouthed at the weather effects as the Russian tanker sways back and forth realistically, and you attempt to evade such obstacles as swinging hooks and cargo. But once you get indoors and experience combat, it’s clear Darkworks is not only trying to emulate the Resident Evil franchise again – it also doesn't have an original idea in its head.

Cold focus

Which couldn’t have necessarily harmed the game providing it was fun. As you’ve no doubt guessed from this review's pretty scathing opening however, it really isn’t. With its amazing visuals Cold Fear dulls you into a false sense of believing there’s more depth to the title than there actually is. But unintelligent enemies, a cliché-ridden plot, loading screens before entering every room and rubbish voice actors don’t stay hidden for long.

But let’s highlight one aspect in particular: the aiming. You only need look at the screenshots to see Darkworks is holding its Resident Evil 4 influence clearly on its sleeve. But what made Resident Evil 4’s aiming so unique wasn’t just that it was over the shoulder – it was the hit points on enemies more than anything. Sure, the camera looked really cool. But what was cooler was being able to strike an enemy in the wrist and watch them drop their weapon – or to kneecap someone and headshot them while they were on the floor.

Cold Fear’s enemies are devoid of any hit points whatsoever. Shoot a zombie three or four times in the arm or leg and its down straight away. Only a well-placed headshot will ultimately kill the zombies in this game – which is why it’s a good thing there are some humans there to shoot at too. It just highlights one of the more glaring problems Cold Fear has – or Darkworks in particular. That being the idea that if it looks the same as it did in another game, it must be just as good.

The over the shoulder aiming is just one aspect of Darkworks stealing ideas from Resident Evil 4, however. Another inclusion is the real time events – such as when an enemy grabs you and you must repeatedly bash the B button in order to break free. Hansen even moves the same as Leon as he jumps into the air to kick the enemy away.

Dead aim

It’s kind of ironic that the most recent Gun Survivor title in the Resident Evil series – Dead Aim – still manages to hold up better than Cold Fear does in almost all areas. Not only did it beat it to the stranded ship out in the middle of nowhere, it also made combat fun through its inclusion of third and first-person combined movement and shooting. Dead Aim also benefited from not taking itself too seriously – a major problem Cold Fear faces as it tries to weave a deep and involving plot, but has to instead settle for post-X Files/The Thing nonsense.

In case you haven’t guessed by now, Cold Fear is not a title we’re going to heartily recommend. I’m not even sure I’d buy it for one of my lesser friends out of spite. It’s abundantly clear the game is riddled with problem but the equally the most glaring and heartbreaking is the fact that anyone can see Darkworks is better than this. Cold Fear marks its second stab at the survival horror genre and while there is notable improvement, most of it is clouded in so many problems it’s barely visible.

It’s a stunner to look at and genuinely scared us on more than one occasion. I’m sure Darkworks would take some comfort in knowing that. But in the end it accounts for nothing, because this turkey is well and truly cold.