Fear Effect
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{{Infobox VG
| title = Fear Effect
| image = [[Image:Fear Effect.jpg|254px]]
| developer = [[Kronos Digital Entertainment|Kronos]]
| publisher = [[Eidos Interactive|Eidos]]
| designer = [[Jason Agolia]], [[Matt Furniss]] <small>([[composer]]s)</small>
| engine =
| released = [[January 31]] [[2000]]
| genre = [[Action-adventure game|Action-adventure]], [[Survival horror]]
| modes = [[Single player]]
| ratings = [[Entertainment Software Rating Board|ESRB]]: Mature (M)
| platforms = [[PlayStation]]
| media = 4 [[CD-ROM]]s
| requirements =
| input =
}}
'''''Fear Effect''''' is an [[Action game|action]] [[video game|game]] for the [[PlayStation]]. It was [[video game developer|developed]] by [[Kronos Digital Entertainment]] and [[video game publisher|published]] by [[Eidos Interactive]]. The story concerns three outlaws named Hana, Deke, and Glas who are trying to retrieve the missing daughter of a wealthy Chinese businessman. Essentially a [[cyberpunk]] adventure set in futuristic China, ''Fear Effect'''s storyline also incorporates elements of [[Chinese mythology]]. The game was followed by a [[prequel]], ''[[Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix]]'', which establishes how the main characters first met.
==Gameplay==
''Fear Effect'' features traditional [[survival horror]] gameplay with [[Cel-shaded animation|cel-shaded]] visuals. Rather than using [[pre-rendered]] [[2D computer graphics|2D]] backgrounds, the environments are composed of streaming or looping [[full-motion video]]. As a consequence, the game is composed of four discs. There are also puzzles interspersed between action sequences, similar to other games of the survival horror genre.
The player controls one of three [[mercenaries]] (either Hana, Deke, or Glas) and pilots them through areas filled with human and non-human enemies. The game controls are similar to the early ''[[Resident Evil]]'' games, with an exception being that the characters can run and shoot simultaneously. When wielding two guns (one in each hand), they are also able to shoot multiple enemies at the same time. Another feature is the ability to duck and roll; whilst facing a number of the armed foes, the player can roll a short distance and avoid taking enemy fire.
The game's title refers to the player's [[life bar]], a meter which resembles a pulsing [[Electrocardiogram|EKG]]. When the player is damaged, the green line of the EKG will pulse faster and turn red. It is possible to 'regain' health by performing acts that will calm that character's heart rate. These include solving a puzzle or sneaking behind a guard to perform a stealth kill. Both will be rewarded with a health boost that brings the meter back to green.
==Plot==
When the daughter of a powerful [[Hong Kong]] [[Triad society|Triad]] boss disappears, a trio of mercenaries arrive in the city to look for her. The fact that they have not been hired to do so does not dissuade any of them; their intentions are to find and kidnap the girl before her father's men locate her, then hold her for [[ransom]]. The girl in question, Wee Ming, has vanished into the [[fictional]] Shan Xi [[protectorate]]; Hana Tsu Vachel, the lead character and [[femme fatale]] of the group, used to work in a [[brothel]] somewhere in that region.
Hana arrives in Hong Kong accompanied by her male partners, Mr. Glas and Deke DeCourt. What begins as a simple snatch and grab turns into a fiasco: The father of the runaway, Mr. Lam, attributes his fortune and power to a pact he made with [[demon]]s long ago. Wee Ming, who is of demonic decent, has been scheduled to serve as a sacrifice to Yim Lau Wong, the mythical "[[Devil|King of Hell]]". When Glas is caught trying to rescue Wee Ming, Mr. Lam shows his disapproval by cutting off Glas' left arm. At the same time, Deke is murdered while trying to infiltrate the brothel.
The one-armed Glas reawakens in a [[meat locker]], surprised to find he is still alive; he surmises that Mr. Lam must be planning a slow death for him. Fortunately, Wee Ming arrives and tries her best to free him. When Hana storms in to confront her former boss, Madam Chen, she learns that Chen is actually a demon in disguise. In the ensuing fight, Chen and her minions are killed, but Mr. Lam disappears with his daughter into a [[Portal (fiction)|portal]] to [[Hell]]. Determined to save Wee Ming from whatever fate Mr. Lam has in store for her, Hana follows them into the portal, with Glas reawaking, and frees himself to give chase.
The last chapter of the game is a surreal journey through Hell. Glas encounters the reanimated corpse of Deke, who is being tortured for the many murders he has committed. Deke takes on a grotesque demonic form and attacks Glas. After he is victorious, Glas promises to avenge Deke. Meanwhile, Hana finally confronts Yim Lau Wong, who explains that Hell has become overburdened with the [[soul]]s of the guilty. Once Wee Ming is returned to the netherworld, Yim Lau Wong will be able to expand the reaches of Hell and consume Earth. Hana was chosen to look after Wee Ming because Yim Lau Wong desired someone "ruthless" to be her guardian.
At a critical moment, Glas reappears and tries to kill Wee Ming, believing her to be the root of the chaos. During the tense standoff between Hana and Glas, the player is given a choice over which of them should die. This decision will determine the final [[boss (video games)|boss]] as well as the subsequent ending. On the "Hard" [[Difficulty level|difficulty setting]], a third option will become available: spare the lives of both Glas ''and'' Hana. In this ending, the pair emerge from the smoldering wreckage of the brothel, where they find a befuddled Deke sitting on a toilet. Deke has no memory of being killed, and asks how they made out on the "deal". As he hoists himself out of the pit, Glas is stunned to realize that his left arm has been completely restored. The three partners walk off into the sunrise to continue their exploits.
==Development==
The game was originally titled ''Fear Factor'', and some pre-release advertising used this title. The title was changed because it was too similar to popular metal band [[Fear Factory]].
==Movie adaptation==
In [[2004]], [[Uwe Boll]] bought the movie rights to the game as a deal with Eidos, who promised him the rights to [[Hitman (series)|Hitman]] if he bought the rights to Fear Effect.<ref>http://1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3118303&did=1</ref> Eidos did not hold up on the deal, and as a result, Boll dropped the film. The rights were later picked up by [[Mindfire Entertainment]], with [[Stanley Tong]] ([[Rumble in the Bronx]], [[Supercop]]) in negotiation to direct and frequent Uwe Boll collaborator [[Mark A. Altman]] handling the script. Although it is listed as "in production" and having a 2008 release date,<ref>http://imdb.com/title/tt0461661/</ref> there is very little concrete information regarding the film.
==References==
{{refs}}
==External links==
*[http://www.feareffect.com/ Official site]
*[http://www.gamespot.com/ps/adventure/feareffect/index.html?q=Fear+Effect GameSpot review]
*{{moby game|id=-group/fear-effect-series|name=''Fear Effect'' series}}
[[Category:2000 video games]]
[[Category:Adventure games]]
[[Category:Cel-shaded video games]]
[[Category:Eidos Interactive games]]
[[Category:PlayStation games]]
[[Category:Horror video games]]
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