Entire F.E.A.R Multiplayer to be made available completely FREE

Sierra Entertainment today announced that the multiplayer component from the award winning PC title F.E.A.R. (First Encounter Assault Recon), has been renamed F.E.A.R. Combat, and will be made available to the public as a free download on Thursday August 17th, 2006.

As an avid gamer and major cheap-arse, this is welcome news. Over the past few days, to quell the boredom that has filled my waking hours, I have been playing some freeware games. I could have been studying, or doing homework, reading, writing a novel, doing creative crafts or any number of things; instead, I was hunting down a 3d Space Invaders clone (and found one, actually; http://www.endbossgames.com/index.php?select=2&gametitle=11). If more polished, complete, and most importantly, good free games are released, the P.C. gaming market could move in a new direction; I believe the future in gaming is advertising. With rising costs and slimming profits, making a game is becoming a harder and more expensive undertaking. I remember hearing about those teenagers who became millionares by designing simple Amiga games (or something like that). But now days, with specular lighting, bump mapping, blah blah blah etc. it's hard for an amatuer to make a successful game. This wouldn't be so bad, but it seems that games are only being made now if they are a guaranteed cash bringer. There are no risk takers; only emulators of other games (no, not illegal emulators, you ROM addicts). So where was I? Oh. Right. Advertising in games. I don't know where risk taking in games came in, but what I meant to say was that there would be a lot more free games if there was a successful advertising model that could support development. Radio, television and other media (even the Internet itself) rely on advertising for revenue; is it selling out to put it in games as well? You be the judge. I don't know what this has to do with FEAR, but maybe by some skewed logic it does.


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