First Impressions: F.E.A.R.; Quake IV; Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter

So, on Black Friday I took some money and went down to the local Gamestop, where they were having a 'Buy Two Get One Free' sale, and so I bought three games. These are my impressions of them.

F.E.A.R. (Xbox 360)
Okay, so far, this is probably my favorite of the three games. It has solid FPS action, a creepy atmosphere, and so far, a good story. Now, that is not to say that it is without faults. It is definitely a little bit repetitive, having you basically traverse through a little bit of a maze, just killing the guys that come at you while simply trying to progress to the next story point. So, that kind of gets old. As far as everything else goes...I can't really complain. The graphics are nice, although a little lo-res or low detail at some points, and the enemy AI is a joy to fight against, especially with the slow motion. The horror moments are cool, albeit not very scary, and so far the story has been brief and spread thin but still enjoyable.
My favorite part of the whole package for this game so far has been the slow motion ability. First off, it's just a cool feature on paper, but the way that it is implemented, with all of the visual effects and super cool filters, make it just plain awesome. The best part about the slow motion: the blood sprays. The blood is just streaked across the screen, and it just looks awesome. The best gameplay addition to the slow motion: the shotgun. It is just absolutely amazing to see an enemy cut in half using that powerful shotgun, showering the area in a massive amount of blood and what is left of the enemy's body. There are very few greater feelings in video games today.

Overall 1st Impression: 8.5/10

Quake IV (Xbox 360)
I bought this title simply because I absolutely love id Software. All of their games have been groundbreaking and have pushed the industry forward as a whole, especially in the graphics department, and Doom 3 and Quake IV were no different. Sure, Quake IV wasn't developed by id, but it was made using the Doom 3 engine, and so I think that that sort of links them together in a way, and if they aren't linked by graphics then they are sure linked by gameplay.
I beat Doom 3 on the Xbox (I'll have to post a review some time) and that was a very fun game. It wasn't great, but it was good, with solid action, albeit sucky level design, and interesting creatures. The game delivered, even with an extremely weak story. So far, Quake IV looks to be the exact same thing. The levels seem very industrial and Doom 3-esque, and all of them are cramped and while they are interesting to fight in, they just get a little old after a little bit. Now I know that you get to fight outdoors and that you are eventually transformed into a Strogg, but from what I've seen so far, the game isn't all that spectacular.
Now, my favorite part of the game so far has to be the opening sequence. It opens on a marine that looks like he's floating through space. It looks like it could be a dream, but then the camera pulls back and shows you that he is floating through space, and that his body has been ripped in half and is showering the space around it in blood. It is just awesome.
Also, I love the fact that id and Activision included a bonus disc with the game. It's got a few cool documentary things, but the coolest part is definitely the inclusion of Quake II. That game was just awesome (It wasn't my era but I've played it) and it's really a blast using a gamepad, since I really don't like PC controls.

Overall 1st Impression: 7/10

Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter (Xbox 360)
I bought this game mostly just because of how awesome it looked. The graphics are just absolutely beautiful. Now, playing it on the other hand is a little wierd. The controls are fine, and everything about it is great except for two major things:

1) The aim speed. It would be really hard to play this as anything other than a really slow tactical shooter. The look speeds are just so slow it's unbelievable, and every single encounter practically turns into a sniping encounter whereas they might have been a really awesome assault encounter.

2) Why can I not save when I want too!? Why!? I absolutely hate this. Especially when I get called away and I don't have time to finish what I'm doing. I had to do most of one mission twice before I got a message that saved "Saving..." and then I shut the game off. Still, I'm not even sure it actaully saved it.

My favorite part so far...........I dont' know, I'm still looking for one.

Overall 1st Impression: 7/10

So there you have it!