A new behind-the-scenes trailer for F.E.A.R. 2 has been released, showing off some scary footage from the horror shooter, as well as an interview with two developers talking about how they built the game.

Freshly inciting fear for all-around creepy girl Alma, Monolith has unleashed a new FEAR 2 Project Origin trailer, showing cinematic in-game footage focusing on the main antagonist.

The game is due out February 2009 on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

A new ‘bloody’ trailer from Project Origin, the upcoming sequel to F.E.A.R. It is in development at Monolith and is set for release on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 later this year.

Having already announced the game for the Xbox 360, Vivendi Games has announced F.E.A.R. for the PS3. It is scheduled to launch this November, although it wasn’t mentioned whether it will be a launch title or not.

The PS3 version will feature exclusive single-player content as well as multiplayer. It is being developed by Day 1 Studios in conjunction with Monolith Productions.

F.E.A.R. Combat has been released, offering the multiplayer component of Monolith’s horror FPS as a free download. You can find details here, and download it from the Official Website, 3D Downloads, 3D Gamers, AusGamers, Computer Games, Filecloud, FileFront, GameArena, Gameguru Mania, Gamer’s Hell and Worthplaying.

A new F.E.A.R. website has gone up, teasing us with the tagline “COMBAT IS COMING”. There’s only a countdown on the site, with 18 days remaining, along with a registration link for those wanting more information.

No details were provided, but many are speculating that this is the about the addition of team-based combat to the horror FPS, though it is yet to be validated.

Screenshots from F.E.A.R. Extraction Point, the first expansion pack to the horror-shooter from Monolith:

A prequel to the 2004 Gamecube RPG Baten Kaitos Origins was announced at Nintendo’s conference. Details:

Format: Nintendo GameCube™
Launch Date: Sept. 25, 2006
ESRB: RP (Rating Pending)
Game Type: Role-Playing Game
Accessories: Memory Card
Players: 1
Developer: NAMCO BANDAI Games/Monolith Software/tri-Crescendo

Baten Kaitos Origins is a prequel to Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean, a Nintendo GameCube exclusive released in late 2004. The plot revolves around a group of characters who are struggling to discover the source of frightening changes (both natural and political) that are occurring in their world. During their journey, they will learn many details that help flesh out the first game, including how the despotic Empire government came to be.

• Players explore a massive world filled with memorable characters and bizarre creatures. From the high-tech high-rises of the empire to a rustic farming hamlets, the level and character design in Baten Kaitos Origins is wildly innovative.
  
• Players immerse themselves in the Baten Kaitos universe. With a twisting, turning storyline, dozens of side quests and thousands of lines of voice-acted dialogue, they will easily spend 80+ hours in this world.
  
• Players leap into the fray with the real-time combat system. With hundreds of weapons, armor pieces and items at their disposal, even fights against the smallest monsters will be a fun and frantic experience.

Game storyline: Baten Kaitos Origins takes place 20 years before the first Baten Kaitos game. It explains how the diabolical Emperor Geldoblame rose to power, and it also fills in many details about the heroes from the first title. In addition, players will learn about the origins of the world itself and why the Lost Ocean is returning.

Characters: The hero, a blue-haired young man named Sagi, was sent to assassinate the Emperor but found the job had been done for him. Blamed for the death, he’s now on the run with two friends – a robot named Guillo and a young woman named Milly. (Character names are not final.)

How to progress through the game: In the initial stages, the player’s party will progress in a linear fashion, moving from one area to the next along a set path. After playing the game for a few hours, players will acquire a ship that lets them visit areas in the order of their choosing, allowing them to either pursue optional side quests or blast through the main mission as they see fit.

Special powers/weapons/moves/features: Unlike traditional RPGs, where characters gain levels in categories such as strength and agility, the majority of leveling-up occurs by procuring better Magnus cards. There are more than 600 different Magnus cards in Baten Kaitos Origins, some of which have truly fantastical properties. Players can acquire cards in many different ways, including trading, buying, winning as spoils of war or by creating them themselves.

Nintendo’s pre-E3 conference saw the unveiling of quite a few titles. Disaster is one of them:

Disaster: Day of Crisis

Format: Wii™
Launch Date: TBA
ESRB: RP (Rating Pending)
Game Type: Action
Accessories: TBA
Players: TBA
Developer: Monolith

Survive nature’s most devastating catastrophes in Disaster: Day of Crisis, a panic inducing survival game for Wii. In a devastatingly short period of time, an unprecedented wave of natural disasters has pummeled the United States. On top of this inexplicable series of disasters, a rogue special forces unit has taken advantage of the chaos and seized a nuclear weapon. Only Ray, a former member of an elite rescue task force, has decided to take a stand.

• Cutting-edge physics and gripping visuals re-create the sheer terror of major catastrophes.
  
• Players race a car down a mountain to escape a roaring pyroclastic flow, dodge toppling buildings during a devastating earthquake and swim for their lives in a raging flood. No matter what happens, fight to survive.

VU Games has announced Extraction Point, the first expansion pack for F.E.A.R.

F.E.A.R. Extraction Point kicks off where the original game ended – with a bang. The First Encounter Assault Recon Team (F.E.A.R.) returns to battle the now free Alma and her paranormal minions across a destroyed city. New locations, weaponry and enemies combine to take the F.E.A.R. franchise to new levels of action and suspense.

It is being developed by TimeGate Studios in conjunction with Monolith. Extraction Point is due for release this Autumn.

Confirming various rumors, VU Games has announced that F.E.A.R. is headed for the Xbox 360 it will be publicly unveiled at E3 starting tomorrow.

Having garnered critical and commercial success on the PC, the next-gen version of the game will be designed to immerse the player deeper in the world of F.E.A.R. The Xbox 360 version will feature brand new multiplayer content, making full use of Xbox Live.

F.E.A.R. for Xbox 360 is being developed by Day 1 Studios in conjunction with Monolith Productions and is planned for release this Autumn.

I just love having weird, creepy girls appearing out of nowhere! You’ll love them too, as Monolith has announced that it plans to release F.E.A.R. sequels. The studio has mentioned that it will be continuing the story of the original on PCs and multiple next-gen consoles, but that it won’t carry the F.E.A.R. name tag, as Vivendi owns the rights to the name. The sequels will carry a new, unannounced title. No release date or publisher’s name was stated.

Apparently, the sequel(s) will see different PC and console iterations, ala Ubi’s Far Cry. President of Monolith, Samantha Ryan, says: “We believe that the PC audience is entirely viable and can support a game just as it did support F.E.A.R. To deliver the best quality title, the PC needs to be a focus. We believe that next-gen will also be awesome, but again, it has some differences and this is the approach that we’re going to try.”

As the article points out, the story will remain consistent between the games and will pick up where the original left off.

Monolith is currently looking to hire staff to work on the new titles.