While it won't be exactly be called F.E.A.R. 2, Monolith Production's Project Origin (PC, Xbox 360, PS3) is still just as nail-biting as its predecessors. In a video walkthrough of the demo, you can see the improvements they've inserted into the latest game set in the F.E.A.R. universe.

As the demo begins, it puts you in the hands of the same first-person perspective of the unnamed protagonist. All the standard blood-and-gore scenes were inserted quite appropriately along with the creepy soundtrack playing in the background. It's no wonder why the F.E.A.R. series was so highly-acclaimed both as an FPS and as a survival horror game.

All in all, Project Origin has the same look and feel of the previous F.E.A.R. games, which can be both a good and a bad thing. If you want to immerse yourself with the video then we suggest watching it with the lights dimmed and with good surround sound. But we don't want to hinder you any further, go ahead and enjoy the scary walkthrough of the demo.

Oh, and watch out for the token scary little girl at the end of the video.

There's nothing scarier than something that can move faster than you can shoot - at least in survival horror first person shooters. Fast, hungry, and rabid (not to mention out to kill you) monsters may not be on your "who I want to meet" list, but there's no avoiding them in Monolith Production's upcoming video game, Project Origin.

In case you've been in suspended animation in an iceberg for a number of years, here's a bit of a primer. Project Origin is F.E.A.R.'s sequel (why it isn't called F.E.A.R. 2 is a long story), and of course centers on Alma, the creepy little girl in the first video game. Anyway, today we'll be seeing those rabid things in Project Origin's debut trailer, plus a glimpse at Alma. (*shivers*)

Check out the video below and see if you like what you see. Project Origin will be creeping to the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC sometime next year so stay tuned for more details.

 

Games Factory Interactive (GFI) Ltd has just announced that the 2007 Games Convention in Leipzig will become its new playground for revealing games they've got ready for distribution. The Russia-based independent game developer will be at the main exhibitions floor, Hall 1 of the Business Center, to demonstrate their key game products.

According to the official announcement, GFI will highlight four major games, which are JAZZ: Hired Guns, Jagged Farm: Birth of a Hero, Warfare, and Gluk'Oza: Action!. The first three are real-time strategy games set everywhere from Saudi Arabia to Africa, while the last remains a top-down action shooter published by Monolith, starring an eccentric young girl as the protagonist.

GFI will also reveal a few games already released locally in Russia, which include Vendetta. Kill Boss, Vendetta. Casual Weekend, Neuro, Rat Hunter, Homeplanet Gold, Alfa: Antiterror Gold, COPS 2170, StarCalibur and Imones. Digger at meeting room E58 of the Leipzig Business Center.

A rift between Monolith Productions and Vivendi SA is a video game developer; formerly known as Vivendi Universal">Vivendi almost cost fans a sequel to the FPS title F.E.A.R (PC, PS3, Xbox 360). Turns out, fans will be getting two sequels to the title: one from Vivendi (who still owns the F.E.A.R. title and plans to release F.E.A.R. 2) and another title from Monolith set within the F.E.A.R. universe.

Since Vivendi still owns the brand name, Monolith can't use it for their upcoming sequel. With a bit of quick thinking, Monolith has come up with a cool way to get around the whole name issue. They've announced a contest where gamers can send in their suggestions for what the new F.E.A.R. game should be called.

The contest will run until June 22, when submissions will be narrowed down to three finalists. These finalists will get an all-expense-paid trip to meet the game's dev team at Monolith and get a grand tour of the company's facilities. All three finalists will also get their names and likenesses included in the game.

Once the finalists are chosen, the ball will once again be in the fans' court. On July 23, voting will be open to the public to let the fans decide what name to go with. The voting will continue until June 27. For more details, click on the read link below.

Buy: [F.E.A.R. for the PS3]
Buy: [F.E.A.R. for the Xbox 360]

Monolith is now enlisting your help in naming the sequel to its horror FPS game F.E.A.R. (First Encounter Assault Recon). Now, the news of a sequel isn't much of a surprise, judging by how well the first game was received by critics and gamers alike. However, as reported a few months earlier, F.E.A.R. needs to get a new name. Why? Because of the Monolith's rift with publisher Vivendi SA is a video game developer; formerly known as Vivendi Universal">Vivendi, who still owns the F.E.A.R. name, Monolith is left with no choice but to release a game under a different name, but will share the same universe as the first game.

Help out Monolith by submitting your suggestions to nameyourfear.com, and you have until June 22 to think up of a good name. Monolith will then pick the best suggestions and put them up on the site where everyone is free to vote for their favorite name. It wouldn't hurt to try and think up of a name, so give it a shot!

If your brain needs jump-starting, Monolith has provide a couple of concept art as well as a short write-up about the game's concept for inspiration:

A monstrous explosion devastates an American city: thousands dead, innumerable injured.

Within the chaos, Alma awaits…

A child born with extraordinary psychic power, Alma was once the center of an advanced weapons research program. The program was designed to breed psychic commanders who could telepathically control an army of bioengineered soldiers. Despite her potential, her power proved uncontrollable - with deadly results. The program was closed and buried.

Some cruelty cannot remain hidden. Freed from the program's containment facility, Alma stalks a shattered city. Her motives are unknown.

Sent by the government, you must seek out the answers to the unfolding catastrophe. As the line between reality and nightmare blurs, Alma's suffering has just become yours.

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss… but not this time.

  

Stay tuned for updates about this naming contest here at QJ!

Just fresh from the "late" presses is SEGA's recent announcement of its games lined up for a 2007-2008 cycle. According to the report by game dev haven Gamasutra, SEGA has set Condemned 2: Bloodshot, Ghost Squad, Happy Tree Friends: False Alarm, Universe At War: Earth Assault and...what's this? A "new PC RPG deal with Gas Powered Games"?

 

The announcement of the title line-up for the next cycle was made at SEGA's Gamer's Day in San Francisco, and the details of the titles were spilled to certain extent although not as comprehensive as you might hope. The big mystery title being developed with Gas Powered Games comes with even more minute details, keeping the specifics of the game as an "an original and as yet unspecified role-playing game for the PC" coming for 2008.

Coming to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 is Condemned 2: Bloodshot from original franchise creators Monolith Productions. The game was mentioned to be coming with "an all-new fighting mechanic and online multiplayer functionality." It was also added that players will be able to engage in "visceral" combat using the usual firearms, blunt makeshift weapons and combination moves for defensive and offensive purposes.

For the Wii, arcade game Ghost Squad, by SEGA's AM2 division, will be coming in the holiday season of 2007. Revamped with a few more Wii-specific features and game modes, the game will otherwise be coming with its original arcade feel and gameplay, for the casual and leisure gamer in you. Players can expect to use the Wiimote for targeting enemies, defusing bombs and rescuing hostages.

Happy Tree Friends: False Alarm will be heading to Xbox 360 gamers over Xbox Live Arcade, featuring the ironically gory concept of the animated series "Happy Tree Friends." The title, currently under the creative hands of Stainless Studios, will be available by fall of 2007. Combining action elements with puzzles, gamers will have to make use of concrete, ice, gasoline and nitroglycerin (among other resources) to save the Friends from their own bad luck.

Universe at War: Earth Assault, which is currently headed for the PC, will also be making a debut on the Xbox 360 by the first quarter of 2008. The game pits planet Earth under siege by an insurmountable Alien force, and Xbox 360 RTS fans can rest assured that the game is being developed with "a control scheme built from the ground up to ensure smooth gameplay and ease of command for console gamers."

After giving you updates about F.E.A.R (Xbox 360, PS3, PC), we now focus our attention on the shake-up in the Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (which owns Monolith, the game's developer). Samantha Ryan, former CEO of Monolith and producer of the No One Lives Forever series, has taken on the role of senior vice president, development and production at Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

She is replacing Jason Hall, who joined the company after WB acquired Monolith in 2003. Hall was the co-founder of Monolith and even served as its CEO until he took over the responsibility for overseeing and managing WB's games development team. He will now be focusing on his own production company, HDFilms. Aside from that, he would take on the role of executive producer for high profile WB games.

On the other hand, Ms. Ryan will be in charge of managing development and production staff and will take overall responsibility for all of WB's videogame titles. WB president Kevin Tsuhijara has this to say about this development:

We’re extremely fortunate to have Samantha take the helm at WBIE...She has worked with us since Monolith was one of our important production studios and has continued to do so since we acquired the company. We have always been impressed with Samantha as an executive, a game developer and as a person and we anticipate this being about as seamless of a transition as one could hope for.

F.E.A.R. isn't even out on the PS3 yet, but rumors have already spawned about its sequel.

An announcement by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (who owns Monolith by the way), indicates that the sequel to F.E.A.R. is on the company's line of games to come.

This comes after Warner Bros. announced that former Monolith CEO Samantha Ryan joined the entertainment giant as Senior Vice President for Development & Production. She replaced Jason Hall, who is now focusing on his own production company, HDFilms.

There haven't been any further announcements regarding the sequel but since Vivendi SA is a video game developer; formerly known as Vivendi Universal">Vivendi owns the F.E.A.R. name, we can be sure that the sequels (note the plural form) will probably carry a yet-to-be-announced name. According to CVG, the sequels would be custom-made for the different consoles.

Well, it looks like we have another thing to look forward to as the F.E.A.R. sequels come out for the 360, PS3, and the PC.

The first-person shooter S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl has been through quite a few ups and downs through the years. It's been praised, delayed, anticipated... it even got a vaporware award. Things have changed though, and now that developer GSC Game World has THQ's backing, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is finally running on all engines for its planned March 23 release.

As a Zone bounty hunter in S.T.A.L.K.E.R., you'll be scavenging the irradiated land in search of artifacts to sell off. Just because the landscape's a bit uninviting doesn't mean you're all alone, so it would be a very good idea to be familiar with the other, uh, people that roam the Zone.

Read on for a quick look at the different factions that you'll be coming across in your travels, courtesy of GSC Game World and CVG.

Stalkers. These are the Zone bounty hunters, brave souls who risk facing severe radiation and a lot of other deadly threats in the Zone to scavenge and scour the area for artifacts to sell. A dangerous job, but hey, everybody's gotta make a buck. Survival is the name of the game for stalkers, and those who have been able to survive find their own way - either stay a lone wolf or join a community of other stalkers sharing similar values as their own.

The full article awaits after the jump!