Battlefield 2: Special Forces
F.E.A.R.
If the millions of first-person-shooter fans out there are any indication, then whoever claimed violence is bad for games is clearly an idiot.



Online gaming clans have no doubt already embraced Battlefield 2 as the new king of first-person shooters, and there’s even more to look forward to before the end of ’05: Battlefield 2: Special Forces. This expansion introduces Navy SEALs, Russian Spetznas, and other elite forces to the game, as well as new stealth-driven gameplay mechanics and gear (night vision goggles, flashbang grenades, etc.). A handful of new maps—all designed with these new toys in mind—round out the experience, which might be best described as Battlefield meets Splinter Cell.
As October is a month widely known for ghosts, goblins, ax murderers, and EverQuest cosplayers, VU Games’ aptly named F.E.A.R. couldn’t be timed more perfectly. Here, you’ll head up an elite strike force team to contend with grisly murder scenes, Predator-like stalkers, and other eerie supernatural menaces. F.E.A.R. is no survival-horror game, though. Developer Monolith bills the suspenseful, atmospheric shooter as a “cinematic combat experience”— picture Die Hard meets The Ring and you’ll have a good idea of the type of creepy, immersive action that’s in store. Just spare us the clich?Doom 3–style jump scares, OK?