F.E.A.R. spreads to PS3

The desert may not seem like the ideal place to make a major game announcement, but Sierra Entertainment did anyway. Entertaining journalists from various gaming media outlets, the Vivendi Games subsidiary held an event at the Parker Hotel in the triple-digit heat of the Palm Springs desert, and used the occasion to announce its first PlayStation 3 game.

F.E.A.R., the popular shooter from Monolith Productions (Condemned: Criminal Originals), is currently in development for Sony's next-gen console. This will be the third platform the series has spread to, following a previously announced Xbox 360 version, due in November, and the PC version, which was named Best Shooter of 2005 by GameSpot.

The game is being ported to the PS3 by Day 1 Studios, which is also working on the Xbox 360 version. What's more, would-be PS3 owners won't have to wait for F.E.A.R.--the game will be one of the system's launch titles when it debuts in the US on November 17.

In addition to the single- and multiplayer portions of the game, F.E.A.R. for the PS3 will also include exclusive content--though Sierra reps were not divulging any details.

The timing of the announcement may seem a bit unusual for fans of the series, as earlier this year the now Warner Bros. Interactive-owned-Monolith announced that a sequel to F.E.A.R. is already in the works for "multiple next-gen consoles," which almost certainly includes the PS3. The sequel will not be named F.E.A.R., however, since Vivendi owns the rights to the name.

Regardless of what the sequel is named, there will still be plenty of F.E.A.R. to go around this year. In addition to the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game, Sierra is releasing a PC expansion pack, F.E.A.R. Extraction Point. Today it also released F.E.A.R. Combat, the multiplayer portion of the PC game, for free download.

F.E.A.R. for the PS3 has not yet been rated or priced, but the Xbox 360 version will be $59.99 and is rated M for Mature.