You mean “mainstream” the way the Sims or Madden or GTA or (maybe) even WoW are? No.
I think even among the gamer community, FEAR wasn’t one of those games that became really popular or left a strong impression: certainly not to the point where FEAR in-jokes would mean much to most gamers.
Sorry, mate, but you’re alone in finding that one funny. Guess you’re just weird that way. :-)
Are you claiming sales volume or the breadth of society that plays the game to qualify for mainstream? Sure Madden sells a bazillion copies but is trading gaming geeks for sports geeks really mainstream just because there’s a lot more sports geeks?
In the case of the Sims, breadth of society that played the game. But sales volume sort of matters too, because you can’t really get to mainstream status without being financially successful. And the Sims gets a fair amount of stories written about it in non-gaming news sites.
The reason I mention sports games is because sports are looked at by a very different perspective to the non-gaming world. It’s much more accepted and understood. Everyone understands how football, baseball and basketball is played.
I’m sure a decent number of people have heard of FEAR, bit not as many have played it, since its tech requirements are pretty stiff and it’s PC-only. So, the Jankowski joke (such as it is) is too much removed. There was enough press and exposure for FEAR to qualify as mainstream, but that doesn’t mean a lot of people ran out, played it, and can recall the main character’s name from it.
There are black chairs and the walls are kind of metallic. It’s really cool. I come walking in and I say, ‘This bickering is pointless’. Not a single reaction. They just looked at me."
Trevor? Is that you?
Troy