I feel sorry for any survival horror title that's released in the next six months, because it will inevitably be compared to that masterpiece of zombie slaying, Resident Evil 4. The Resident Evil series has always been the yardstick by which such games are measured, spawning a horde of imitators, all seeking to ride the series' undead coattails to fame and fortune. RE 4 brought the franchise, and the genre, to near perfection, leaving some Jolly Green Giant-sized shoes to fill. As a result, players taking Cold Fear for a spin will be tempted to regard it far more harshly than it actually deserves. While admittedly a Resident Evil wannabe that misses its mark more than once, Cold Fear contains enough moments of truly inspired gameplay to make it a worthy addition to any survival horror addict's collection.

The action of Cold Fear begins one dark and stormy night (no, seriously) as a U.S. Coast Guard vessel receives a distress call from a seemingly abandoned Russian whaling ship. Players take on the role of Tom Hansen, who boards the whaler with the rest of the Coast Guard crew, only to discover that (cue ominous music) things are not what they seem. Big surprise there, I know. Hansen and his crew get separated, and when the running and the screaming stop, he's the last man standing, apart from a few scattered, frightened, and shockingly well-armed Russian sailors, that is. Hansen quickly discovers the remnants of the whaling crew have been turned into, yep, you guessed it, zombiesque creatures called ExoCels that can only be killed by mmmbopping off their heads.

Ok, ok, so Cold Fear isn't going to win any prizes for originality. It is obviously cut from the exact same cloth as the Resident Evil series, and devotees of that franchise may find themselves a bit put off by Cold Fear's copycat nature. I didn't mind the reminiscent plot, but I was disappointed to discover that Fear also felt compelled to lift RE's unforgiving camera. As horror fans know, it's not what you can see that's scary, it's what you can't see, and Fear's designers apparently took that very much to heart. Unfortunately, it's not in the "Blair Witch Project" sense, but rather in the "I can't get a bead on this zombie because the camera keeps shifting" sense. It doesn't make the game unplayable, but it is very frustrating, especially given the game's setting. It's perversely unfair to Fear that its faithful depiction of the tight corridors and cramped rooms of a whaling ship, though providing a wealth of claustrophobic atmosphere, combines with the uncooperative camera to make examining the scenery frustratingly difficult. In other words, Fear offers plenty of cool stuff to look at, then makes it really hard to look at it. Sure, sightseeing may not be the most important aspect of the game, but fiddling around in order to catch a glimpse of extra ammo or a vital memo grows old very quickly.

The controls are similarly aggravating, although ironically enough they can make dealing with the lousy camera a little bit easier. Unlike certain other survival horror games that will remain nameless, Hansen can run and gun at the same time. Players have the choice of third- or first-person aiming, and although either one is fine for actually shooting nasty creepies, first-person mode makes it much easier to look around the environment. Aim at a sign on the wall, for example, and Hansen will put that Russian class he took back in high school to use. A map of the ship is included in the game's instruction manual, a nice touch that makes navigating the confusing hallways of the vessel much easier.

As he explores his surroundings, Hansen encounters the usual key/lock puzzles that fans of the genre have come to expect. I would like to take a moment now and ask a question, one that has been plaguing me for years: who the hell keeps stealing the door handles? Look, I know it's just a design element meant to limit the area that can be explored at any given moment, but have you ever, in all your life, come across a door that had no handle? Locked, sure. Stuck, absolutely. Blocked, fine. But no handle? I suppose it's ridiculous to be annoyed by the unbelievability of something in a game populated by the walking undead, but it really just drives me nuts.

Speaking of the undead, they provide more than one good scare in Fear. I happily admit to yelping like a fidgety Pomeranian as bodies fell out of lockers, corpses dragged themselves across floors, and hands grasped blindly for new victims. The Exos are also remarkably spry, given their physical shortcomings, and can close the gap between them and Hansen in short order. Fast zombies are just plain more fun than slow zombies, that's all there is to it. Hansen has the usual armaments to take down the bad guys, including pistols, shotguns, machine guns, a flamethrower, and everyone's favorite, a speargun. Shortcuts to favorite weapons can be assigned to the directions on the D-pad, making hot-swapping during battle a cinch. Hansen can also simply choose to run away, but doing so will deplete his stamina and leave him vulnerable to attack. Fortunately, his standard walk is fast enough for standard exploration, so running can be spared for life or death situations.

If he chooses to stand his ground, Hansen can do more than just pop Exos in the noggin. Depending on how much ammo he has for his given weapon, Hansen can either execute a critical hit, or a shove move. If an enemy tries to grab Hansen during a fight, and if he has enough ammo for his selected weapon, a critical hit meter will appear. Rapidly tapping the circle button will fill the meter, and when it's full, hitting R1 will release the critical hit, dealing major damage. If Hansen doesn't have enough ammo, pressing the circle button instead executes a shove move, hitting the Exo with the butt of the gun. The shove move can also be used to interact with the environment, such as breaking open crates.

Most of what Cold Fear has to offer is unremarkable and all-too-familiar, but what really brings it close to brilliance is its full-on commitment to its setting. When Hansen is on the whaler's deck, the ship pitches and yaws, and he stumbles accordingly. The rain drives in sheets, making it difficult to see further than just a few feet, and waves crash over the top rail, threatening to sweep everything overboard. Watching the rolling of the waves and the tilting of the deck, I actually began to feel quite seasick. Normally, a game making me nauseous would be a bad thing, but in the case of Cold Fear, it was a testament to the amazing sense of setting being provided. Hansen can grab on to nearby railings to steady himself (and his aim), and can also grab ledges to keep from being washed overboard, but the constant movement of the ship makes simply crossing the deck a challenge. Belowdecks, the low ceilings and narrow rooms create apprehension and dread as Hansen moves through the bowels of the ship. Whatever dramatic quality the voice acting lacks is more than made up for by the musical score. Sure, Hansen just sounds annoyed most of the time, but the cinematic scope of the soundtrack does much to add tension and unease.

Fans of the survival horror genre have seen most of what Cold Fear has to offer many, many times before. The story is unoriginal and the camera is uncooperative. The controls are fairly clunky, but can be worked with, which is more than I can say for the save function. Cold Fear takes the ability to save the game entirely out of the player's hands, and decides when and where saving is possible: a dialog box simply comes up at certain times, asking the player if he'd like to save the game. It's mind-bogglingly frustrating to play without any idea of when, where, or if a save is going to be allowed, especially since Fear's criteria for such decisions seems fairly arbitrary. Yes, parts of Cold Fear are a real pain in the ass.

Now do me a favor and forget I just said that.

Although it doesn't reinvent the wheel, Cold Fear is still worthy of being played. Its setting is original, handled beautifully, and treated realistically (missing door handles aside, that is). Sure, being able to grab on to a railing to steady Hansen's aim is a minor aspect of the game, but it's just the sort of innovation and attention to detail that begs to be appreciated. There's more than enough head-splattering fun to make it worth your while, even if it is borrowing from Resident Evil's playbook.

Pros: Nifty attention to detail, excellent soundtrack
Cons: May lead to *urp* seasickness, worst save system ever. EVER!