F.E.A.R. Files

The Good
F.E.A.R. from Monolith, was a big success for both the PC and consoles is graced. So it was only a matter of time before the expansions were released. There are two to be exact. Extraction Point, and Perseus Mandate. These were released together with the original game in the “Gold” version of the game, As well as sold separately. Xbox 360 gamers got both expansions in one set called F.E.A.R. files.

With the long history of great FPS having mediocre or just plain crap ass expansions, how does F.E.A.R. Files hold up?

“Get To The Chopper!”

Extraction Point is an epilogue of sorts. Set after the cliffhanger ending of the original game. You are left in an utterly abandoned city. Where you and your fellow surviving FEAR teammates must get to the extraction point.

There are some very cool bits here. The city seems even creepier with all the soldiers stopped, like puppets with out their master. And seeing more of the city from ground zero is certainly interesting.

And of course the action is still up to par. With new weapons to play with. As well as new enemies to face.

But the scares take a backseat to the action. Or maybe it’s just that after seeing what the original game had to offer the add on was just not as impressive. This is a huge flaw seeing as the brilliance of the original F.E.A.R was the combination of the scares and the action.

Are You Asking Me Out On A Man Date?

In Perseus Mandate, you play as a new even more mysterious character. Whom is the leader of a second F.E.A.R. team. So part of the game takes place during the events of the original game. And some during Extraction Point.

The emphasis of action is even more apparent in Perseus Mandate. But once more there are new enemies and weapons around.

And like the first expansion. This one has it’s moments. But I won’t give them away here. As they involve spoilers.

The Graphics are good, just as they were in the previous game. If not a little dated. But the lighting is still amazing. As are the particle effects and the rag doll physics.

The sound holds up as well. And while there are less eerie sounds to be found. They are all still good. As is the voice acting. And the music.

The Bad
Both campaigns are relatively short. Even playing the back to back, the game is only a fraction the length of the original game.

The emphasis on action is disappointing. And as before the difficulty levels are unbalanced. And like many expansions, much of the game relies too heavily on recreating all the cool moments from the original game.

And in the end the expansions are pointless. As none of the revelations revealed will be used in F.E.A.R 2: Project Origin.

But maybe that is just as well as they tend to just make the game’s ending make less sense.

The Bottom Line
Overall the expansions for F.E.A.R. are decent. They may not as good as the ones for Half-life, but at least they are not as bad as the one made for AVP2. If you liked F.E.A.R, they are worth a play if you can find them for a reasonable price. And to help you get pumped for F.E.A.R. 2. Even if these mini-adventures will be discarded, in it.