Speaking of complicated, many critics derided RE for continuing to incorporate a ridiculous save system in which your character must seek out typewriters (which are still being used heavily, even in bioengineering labs, apparently). Had said critics known of the alternative used in Cold Fear, they'd be kissing those dusty keys instead. In Cold Fear there is even less choice as to where and when you can save. Usually after you've completed a relevant task, you'll be asked to save after exiting the room. Choose not to, and you'll have to wait for the next major event to occur, which could happen anywhere from five to fifty minutes down the road.

The setting for Cold Fear does lend itself to some nice gameplay features. While on the ship’s surface, the torrential downpour leads to some interesting concepts. Your character’s stability drops tremendously, and running about while the ship is rocking can lead to a nasty spill that could land you in the briny deep. Combat is a bit more enjoyable in the rain too, as the pinpoint laser aiming device loses its effectiveness, making gunfights much tenser.

While there are a few bright spots to Cold Fear's gameplay- the combat is enjoyable enough, and the absence of illogical puzzles and item management is refreshing- there are some major problems that come about because Ubi Soft tried to reinvent the wheel in too many spots. The lack of maps, consistent save points, and a self-manageable health recovery system largely overshadow the positives.

Graphics:

While it may be extremely similar to Resident Evil 4 in many respects, Cold Fear is far from the graphical marvel the graced many a Gamecube. While not overly ugly, Cold Fear’s character models are unspectacular at best and the lack of variety in enemies is appalling (apparently, everyone looks the exact same way when they’re reanimated after death). The environmental design gets worse the further down you go on the ship, as the majesty of Mother Nature makes way for Port Side Engine Room. Whereas RE4 had the style and splendor (and as a byproduct, the feel) of a Hollywood blockbuster action movie, Cold Fear seems more like a direct-to-video release likely to star Kirk Cameron.

Sound:

Like the graphics, the audio portion of Cold Fear chooses to make almost no impression instead of a negative one. The voice actors aren’t awful, but they aren’t particularly memorable either (which is saying something when a good amount of the characters speak Russian- the coolest language ever devised). The music consists of decent, Die Hard-esque score, but the game would’ve benefited from more of the creepy minimalist tunes that move survival horror fans to the edge of their seats. The sound effects are passable, but without the appropriate groans, shrieks, and yells, the enemies are much less imposing.



Good luck remembering this guy's name fifteen minutes after you finish playing.


Replay Value:

For a complete newb to the survival horror genre, completing Cold Fear shouldn’t take over a dozen hours. If you’ve tackled your share of RE knockoffs, you can clear this one between breakfast and lunch. There are no alternate endings or decent unlockables (an art gallery and a higher difficulty). If you’re so completely engrossed by the story that you must experience it to completion, you may end up spending more time collecting files, but that’s pretty darn unlikely.

Overall:

Cold Fear emulates Resident Evil 4 in so many respects that it practically begs to be seen as a secondary alternative. Unfortunately, the few aspects in which it deviates from Capcom’s blueprint are where it fails the worst. Doing away with item management turned out to be more a blessing than a curse, and the novel setting ends up leading to more blasé environments later on. When drawing on a nearly-perfect game for source material, being as utterly average as Cold Fear is unacceptable.