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A Video Game Retrospect - Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix

posted by Mark Fujii at 2:44 pm.

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Every now and then there are games that truly push the envelop when it comes to societal acceptability, and for the most part, politicians and parent groups are usually pretty quick about making sure they get the public spotlight they deserve by lambasting and crucifying said title through the media. Sometimes the game is Grand Theft Auto, sometimes it’s Soldier of Fortune, and every now and again some political stooge tries to accuse games like Mass Effect of corrupting our youth -the same youth that’s busy doing heroine, downloading hardcore pornography and listening to Insane Clown Posse.

But there was one game that actually managed to sneak underneath the radar without any real political backlash. It was a game that not only depicted, but emphasized all sorts of naughty sexual innuendo including female homosexual relationships, prostitution, and getting molested by a giant caterpillar monster machine. Not even joking, but more on that later. It also had its share of profanity, blood, gore, allusions to the occult, etc. -a literal laundry list of things that would probably earned itself a spot on Fox News prime time (because we all know Fox News doesn’t have anything better to report) for promoting homosexuality, murder, drug abuse, and probably the callous bludgeoning of a litter of baby kittens. That game was Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix for the Playstation.

While the game definitely did try to sell itself using the whole entire “this game has hot lesbians” card (a slew of magazine advertisements for the game had the two female protagonists in their underwear giving each other massages) at its heart was a surprisingly complex third person shooter that certainly had more challenging puzzles than it did scantly clad lesbians. Following the story of a group of mercenaries who are charged with rescuing the daughter of a kidnapped Chinese executive, Fear Effect 2 followed closely in the steps of its predecessor by being a brilliant blend of puzzles, action, dark storytelling, and excellent production value (the 3D cel-shaded graphics were amazing as was the voice acting).

When it came time to shoot you had an arsenal of guns to kill everything from sentry robots with mini guns to ninja scientists to demons, but when it came to puzzles, the game adopted an approach highly reminiscent of titles like Sam and Max or Escape from Monkey Island. You’d often have items in your inventory that you could use to interact with other items, people, or locations throughout a wide area. Other times, the puzzles would have you matching up DNA sequences or other feats that proved to be incredibly mind boggling.

Despite what the ads for Fear Effect 2 might have insinuated (a lesbian orgy for starters)  the game’s sexual undertones were pretty mild and largely forgettable if you ignored the whole entire caterpillar molestation thing (I told you I’d get back to it) which was gratuitious and really came off more juvenile than anything you’d genuinely raise an eyebrow at.  The graphic violence, however, was anything but mild, and the mature themes that underlyed the entire gaming experience mroe than earned Fear Effect 2 it’s Mature rating.

While games these days do get away with lots of pretty edgy stuff at times, I have trouble believing that a game like Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix would’ve been able to slid by without recieving its share of attention. Maybe if it did, however, it might’ve sold better. The game recieved mixed reviews, and while a sequel was originally planned for the Playstation 2, it was ultimately scrapped due to financial trouble over at Eidos.

I loved the Fear Effect series. It offered great graphics, guns, puzzles, and good storytelling -the trademarks of any good video game. Instead of trying and failing over and over again at making a good Tomb Raider game, I sort of wished Eidos would turn their attention to making a third chapter in the Fear Effect franchise. I bet it’d be awesome.  In the meantime, if you’re looking for a blast from the past that is probably more enjoyable and original than the plethora of mindless shooters that currently saturate the market, be sure to grab a copy off of Amazon or Ebay. You won’t regre it (or you will in which case I didn’t recommend it).

Mark Fujii: I'm your typical college student who plays too much video games. I also work as an electronic sales associate, meaning I sell Ipods and violent video games to your children when not trying to sneak off and play Super Smash Bros while the boss isn't looking. Oh, and I'm totally awesome. True fact.