F.E.A.R.: Perseus Mandate

The Good
I don't understand why every reviewer bashes a late (and probably second) expansion pack to a critically acclaimed game. Sure, it may not bring major improvements to the table but when the original is already polished to perfection, why should the developers mess with the successful formula instead of providing more fun revolving around the initial premise laid down before them?

Timegate's (now non-canon) second effort do not strive for treading new ground and even more than the first pack, focuses on small-scale, visceral infantry combat. Seriously, F.E.A.R's replica troops are among the best (if not 'the best') AI soldiers I've encountered in a shooter - and I know I longed for more when I came to the premature end of the original story arc. They're nearly alive as far as AI opponents go: all the cold-blooded talk and clever maneuvers make them more to be feared than the so-called 'scary moments', at least for me.

That doesn't mean I don't like those defining moments either, they were surely original and initially nerve-wracking. However, TimeGate's copying of the same ideas to their first expansion pack took away much from the effect. I'm happy to state that Perseus Mandate does not offer more than a handful of such scenes (or they would surely be annoying this time). Since you don't play as the 'Point Man' anymore, the idea makes sense too. Why would Alma show herself to a mere sergeant, who is not of her blood?

To be exact, I didn't like what was 'thrown' at me as story in Extraction Point. Simply put, it was a lazy excuse - five minutes into the game and I discover that Fettel's still alive commanding his troops. Sorry but what happened to that dramatic scene where I, as the 'Point Man', put a bullet through his forehead? Then in the midst of the relatively short campaign, my only contacts, Holiday and Jin were also taken away from me one after the other. The expansion than turned into a slog to the said Extraction Point after throwing false premises at me. What remained then was the core combat which suffered much owing to the poorly-constructed and overly dark maps. The new weapons were fun, but the overall experience was not.

Perseus Mandate gets rid of 'Point Man' and gives you the role of a sergeant in the secondary F.E.A.R. team that goes in when things go awry. Thus the pack takes the 'Blue Shift' route where at times you experience the same events through a different perspective. Having clearly defined objectives and a team of two (usually) with you helps much with the sense of accomplishment as well as the immersion.

Since TimeGate's mappers are obviously not as experienced as Monolith's, their chances rely on design choices - and this time, it works. Even though Monolith neglected these two packs, TimeGate's story here expands the universe with newer characters and of course, more evil schemes behind the initial experiment than you've thought.

Although technically inferior to the standards set by Monolith, the maps on offer are highly varied and sees the player fighting outdoors as much as indoors. To tell the truth, they're more practical than aesthetically appealing. However, the set pieces on offer are well thought-out and I guess that's what matters most in a game that relies on tactical firefights - so no worries here. On a positive note, this straight-forward, less-detailed style of mapping helps the game run more smoothly, especially compared to the prior pack where it was clear that the authors craved for highly-detailed, brush-based design which was obviously way beyond their technical expertise.

Just like the first pack, TimeGate throws in three more weapons to an already sufficient inventory. Apart from an advanced assault rifle which helps in darker environments, the other two remain mostly as one-shot affairs (again, just like the prior three) since they're all heavy stuff and you won't find much ammo lying around.

What makes the combat fresh is not the weapons but the addition of a new mercenary group coming in with intentions of their own, namely Nightcrawlers. Their AI may not be much different from the now standard replicas, however their speech patterns and weapon selection makes them special enough - and beware of the Elite among them! With inhuman reflexes, even one of these guys will give you a hard time.

Composed of seven intervals, the campaign takes longer to complete than Extraction Point's. The intensity gets higher along the way and the last few levels turn out to be an all-out war. That's not a bad thing in case of F.E.A.R. I say. Moreover, you unlock three bonus maps (each one clocking around ten minutes) upon completion which will make sure that you remember the original F.E.A.R trilogy as an adrenaline-pumping shooter. That is, if the campaign on offer here hasn't already formed such an idea in your mind.

The Bad
Even though I mentioned above that the campaign here is more about combat and taking the player through different environments (still within the given context), I must also admit that even looking at it from this perspective, some maps come out unacceptably bland in the end - and that's not a comparison between this and the earlier products within the series. The quality highly differs in the product itself: the first half looks neglected compared to the second. It must be a case of different authors.

Sadly, both TimeGate's packs lack Monolith's polish. I believe that the levels here would benefit much from a re-lighting process. Apart from a few later pieces, Monolith's high-contrast, dramatic lighting is nowhere to be seen - thus the character shadows are also mostly missing. Worse are the levels which are dimly lighted all throughout even though there are no apparent light sources in vicinity. Details like these reminds me of poor users maps for older shooters out there - amateur designers may get away without polish, but a professional studio can't.

I didn't get how the sergeant I played as is capable of slowing down time. Apparently, he is no 'Point Man' and has no psychic connection to Alma either. He is your ordinary grunt, nothing more. Still, I didn't wonder much about it once the action fully kicked in. Simply explanation: SloMo is a gameplay gimmick that couldn't be removed, or the pack wouldn't be a F.E.A.R. extension anymore. Even a boss battle is acceptable, as herein done, but SloMo is destined to stay no matter what.

Another little detail that irritated me came out later in the game where the control was taken from me to show what happens right before my eyes in a cutscene. What is the point of that? I don't remember a single instance where it happened so in the original game after I took control of things in the very beginning. It is against the style. Here, have a little cutscene in the midst of Half-Life: would it be acceptable?

The Bottom Line
Perseus Mandate is unambitious, it does not offer anything vastly new, it lacks the overall polish of the base game - but who is to know what it sets out to do? Here are the most enjoyable firefights of the original trilogy. It clearly surpasses the previous pack and stands at the top with the original pack in this respect - at some high points, it even bests the original game's set pieces owing to the sheer scale of the things.

I strongly believe that if the gameplay remains enjoyable, dedicated players will always see behind the technical shortcomings and get the enjoyment out of the product. I don't think the designers set out for more than an extended brutal battle. Thankfully, they accomplished it. I wouldn't recommend the first pack with ease but get this one if you enjoyed F.E.A.R. (even slightly) on its combat basis.

The Good
Well, I remember saying that I wanted to review MoH Pacific Assault but you may know by now that I need the envy to do it and I'm lacking of it for now. Without warning, I felt suddenly inspiration for FEAR Perseus Mandate. I'm still wondering if it's the upcoming FEAR 2: Project Origin or if it's because of the concept art contributed for another website that triggered my desire to review Perseus Mandate.

Yes, I finally played it. When I reviewed FEAR, the original game, and its first add-on, FEAR: Extraction Point, I told you that I haven't played Perseus Mandate but that I was thinking it was perhaps a mistake to ignore both add-ons for the upcoming sequel FEAR 2: Project Origin.

I'm correcting it now: I'm still disappointed to the fact that EP will be ignored but Monolith is right to do it with Perseus Mandate. Perseus Mandate shares some common points with Half-Life Blue Shift: both are the second add-on to the original game, both aren't bringing novelty, both are stand-alone games and both are somewhere to forget.

I'll explain it.

FEAR stands for First Encounter Assault Recon, a special unit, mostly used when paranormal is manifesting. In the original game, you were the Pointman, a new member of the agency, and you were sent to capture Paxton Fettel, a man with psychic abilities, property of Armacham Technologies. Fettel took the army he was destined to command if the project wasn't abandoned and just invaded the Armacham facility site. Oh and he's eating people also. Just for getting information from them. He's searching particularly for Harlan Wade, the scientist behind his conception. That's where Alma enters. Alma is a paranormal phenomenon. Or if you prefer, Alma is a spirit that never dies. She hates the people. She suffered enough to appear in a older creepy form than the somewhat innocent look when she is a young girl in a red robe.

In the end, you discovered that Alma was used to produce two prototypes (Paxton being the younger), that she was the lead scientist's daughter, the famous Harlan Wade, and that she was seeking revenge for what they've done to her (as she woke up during the first childbirth). But the most important is that you were the first prototype, the baby she wanted back, the one who initiated her hate towards humanity.

Oh, great. You were there for stopping Paxton Fettel and saving Harlan Wade and now, you have a psycho little brother, a vengeful mother, a grandfather who used his own daughter for the experiment and an aunt who is more preoccupied by her father's safety than her own. What a cute family!

Monolith then began working on FEAR 2. I don't know the why or the how, but the editor had the license on the name and gives another studio the development of an add-on. It was good for Monolith but it wasn't what they wanted as "sequel".

Indeed, FEAR Extraction Point take places directly after FEAR, like FEAR 2. No need to wait for a few years after like in Half-Life. In this add-on, you were still the Pointman, still with your psychic abilities (resumed as time slowing) and you survived the crash of your helicopter, along with Jun, your female coworker, and Billy, your Delta buddy. Paxton Fettel gets resurrected by Old Alma (the hating form from her death) and wakes up the Replicas Army, the same one he was leading in FEAR. Well, you have just to reach the Extraction Point on the roof of the Auburn Hospital. But try to reach it by feet. Between hangars, subway, church and even the hospital self, you will have to do some... stuff. Like saving Jun for example. Or trying to save her. It's more appropriate.

In the end, you manage to council the two aspects of Alma (the younger, who was protecting you, and the older, who was trying to kill you) and to clean the disturbance, at the cost of your friends though. Old Mom didn't have a pity for Billy and Jun. Where Paxton promised that he will touch your female coworker, he said that he wasn't sure about your mom. If Young Mom was helping you, OId Mom didn't want you alive. But when it was time to get out of this, unfortunately for you, your little brother, Paxton, crashed your rescue helicopter. You're left on a roof, watching the city burn.

What a very loving family, indeed.

And then, as FEAR was having success, came Perseus Mandate, Mission Perseus for the Germans. Exit the Pointman, you're now a member of FEAR but in another team. Along with your captain and your lieutenant, you're sent during the middle of the original storyline to retrieve information about Armacham. What happens? Well, you're visiting Armacham facilities, you're having visions thanks to Alma and most important, you're stuck in the city because of the explosion of Origin facility. Not only the result is dramatic because now, you're in the disturbance and the enemies going with it but you have to confront a new enemy, the Nightcrawlers, interested in Fettel and Alma's DNA's.

No more family stories now. Oh, well, we'll do it without all the emotion implied into the storyline of FEAR and EP.

As you can see, if the storyline involved the Pointman, it would have been interesting. But it's not possible, as the original hero is unfortunately taken elsewhere...

FEAR Perseus Mandate is the stand-alone add-on for FEAR, the last one before the arrival of FEAR 2 Project Origin, with more Alma... and again a new hero. Perhaps that if he's possessing the time slowing feature, it will be explained. Because for our sergeant of PM, it's not.

Yes, our new hero is a sergeant in a three-man team with a captain and a lieutenant. And I don't think he got a name.

Well, I didn't like the storyline. That's why you'll find a passage about it later.

The gameplay is similar to the previous game: it's a FPS. Load, lock and shoot. Even if sometimes, you'll have to duck or to run away. For killing enemies, you'll have all the weapons from FEAR and EP. So, basically, you'll find rocket launchers, heavy minigun, the laser-7 useful for sniping, the basic sniper rifle, the grenades, the landmines, the laser gun, etc..

But PM is a FEAR game. That means that you can't carry more than three weapons with you unless you're cheating. And that was already something I dislike. If you want to use another weapon than your three currently in your inventory, you'll have to drop one of them for taking the new one. So, you have to make some choices and you never know if it's right or not. It adds to the realistic part of the game but someone like me who is used to have all the weapons will be disoriented. Indeed, when you love more than three weapons, it's always painful to say goodbye to your favorites. You find the weapons on your enemies, so, it's not a problem for finding them.

As I've said, our new hero possess the same abilities as our Pointman: the time slowing. Use it for slowing your enemies while you're still at the same speed. It's very useful when you're fighting against the EVE robots or a bunch of soldiers.

Speaking of the enemies, I've already spoken about the newest addition but well, you need to know also that they're very hard to beat, very fast and use different things like grenades for beating you. With that, I can speak about the AI.

It hasn't changed: enemy AI is very good. They can duck, take cover or try to ambush you in order to kill you. Yes, everyone know that at the end, you'll be victorious (I hope) but having played games where the enemies do not see you even when you're in their eyesight or enemies running at you, making their death an easier task, I can assure you that FEAR can give some hard work to the hero.

As for the friendly AI... Well, they're doing also their best by taking cover... but it's scripted. I always saw my coworkers in the same place. So, no real friendly AI, here.

Graphics are also very good. It's still the same engine, so, I don't have to complain about it: the lights and shadow effects were efficient to scare me in the mine, the weapons are still well-modelised (but you'll tell me that it was only a reuse of things already developed) and the characters were different enough to make a difference between the basic enemies and the key characters. My only regret is that color dominating the mine (orange/red/brown) and the strange red colour in the first level of the last facility. It was enough for me to wish to have never entered these levels. So, as you can see, the ambiance that they wanted to develop is really at the rendez-vous. I have also an earlier complaint about Alma's creepy body when she's appearing like a young woman. I hate it. But after all, that's the Alma who died alone in her jail...

As for the soundtrack, well, as it's still from FEAR and FEAR EP, well, it's like for HL BlueShift, it's sufficient for keeping you in the ambiance but not enough for a new release. I mean, including some new tracks is a plus for the game, see HL Opposing Force and its military track (justified by the fact that you were playing a Marine in the game).

If there is any replayability, it's for getting all the extra boosts for HP and the time slowing. Because for the story, it's not worth it. Also, as the last levels seemed long, it's not really a good choice to play it again. Or be like me and replay it long after, perhaps you'll find something you've never see before... For the lifetime, it can take hours to complete it if you're not cheating. If you're cheating, it will still take hours but with all the weapons and being in GOD mode, well, it will be more easier to fight Replicas, ATC guards, Nightcrawlers, Nightmares, etc..

The Bad
Well, it's rare for me to say: plot sucks. For once, I'll say it. Why?

You already know that I missed the Pointman and his shadows. Don't forget that he's the eldest of Alma's sons, that his grandfather was the responsible for the situation and that his aunt (apparently of the same age as him) was killed by lil'bro Paxton.

In PM storyline, however, if trying to extract Fettel and Alma's DNA's is a fact that could happen in FEAR universe, the rest isn't. Yes, being caught in the disturbance of Extraction Point, is normal. But no, it's not normal that the hero has the same abilities as the Pointman without explanation as the time slowing feature was coming from his psychic abilities and the fact that he was Alma's son. Here, our sergeant is just a normal guy but manages to act like the newest recruit (and well, don't forget that the FEAR leader was impressed by it). It's a plothole. And it's not really something I want to see in a complex universe like FEAR.

Also take the Nightcrawlers. They're here for a reason: the DNA. Why? Perhaps for making an army. For who? It's not determined. And well, what will become of Alma's DNA, as you finally recuperate it at the end? We'll never know it as this alternate storyline, as described by Monolith, will never have sequels.

If the developers wanted to do something like Half-Life and co., a game bringing answers but also new mysteries, here, well, it failed. It's not bringing answers and it's not bringing serious questions about Alma or the Pointman or Paxton or anything else having a tie with the original game. It's just a side story, a sort of secondary quest.

You already know that I hated the three-weapons carrying. And you guessed right: I cheated during the game. I've too many favorite weapons for making a choice. Strangly enough, it's not bothering me for Call of Duty or a Medal of Honor Pacific Assault. Perhaps because you don't have to really choose between a shotgun, a sniper rifle, a minigun or a special laser gun. The weapons seemed all the same and so, you can switch easily between them. Here, well, it's frustrating.

Your path is very linear but in the end, you forget about it. Well, not really. Because the trip in the last Armacham facility as well the run in the mines is awful. It seems long for me. Mostly because I was beginning to wish to exit these locations for two reasons: I didn't want to have anymore strange things and I was really looking to see the end. Impatience yes but getting in the same environment, as it was the case for the passage in Armacham offices in FEAR, is also annoying.

For once, I didn't feel that characters who were present were essential to the FEAR universe. They're transparent: no Jankosky for guiding you, no Jun as familiar face, no Paxton for giving clues. Only Alma is present but not in the same amount as in the other games. After all, our sergeant isn't her son, so, why care?

If I was asked to choose a word for describing PM, it would "lacking". It lacks of novelties. No new weapons, no new tracks, no improvement for the graphics, no depths in the storyline, well, it's FEAR without having the FEAR essence: Alma. Alma isn't having her usual aura in this stand-alone. If Alma wasn't so present, developers could have compensated it by trying to extend her touch in a more depth plot for example.

The Bottom Line
Plain and simple: play it only if you're curious to see what Monolith is ignoring for FEAR 2. If I'm not glad that they're also ignoring Extraction Point, with my favorite psychology storyline, I'm happy to see that Perseus Mandate will not be taken in count. Lousy storyline and not real novelty except for one enemy is killing this stand-alone, despite graphics, soundtrack and a very good AI.

I wanted my Pointman, my Alma and their complicated ties, I was expecting a plot twist like the new hero being a clone or something like that. Nope. Only the new chief of Nightcrawler bringing Fettel's DNA to a unknown man in suit. Bang. End of the game. End of the FEAR alternate universe.

And final words: if you're looking for a good FEAR sequel, play Extraction Point till FEAR 2 is coming.

The Good
It still has the same AI as the original F.E.A.R., the enemies are still very tactical and flanking your enemies is still the best choice you can make.

Now you can team up with three NPC's to fight the Replica soldiers which is a lot of fun. You just got to love their reactions whenever you use slow-motion.

Unlike the previous expansion, I didn't notice any glitches that got on my nerves.

The Bad
I am sure everybody agrees that Monolith wanted F.E.A.R. to be about Alma Wade (they even made an official statement saying so), but in this game both Paxton Fettel and Alma are pushed to the side. This story is more about some PMC that employs psychic themselves. You can't believe how fast I lost interest. It gives the impression that somebody was just making a generic shooter using the F.E.A.R. AI and crow-barred some horror into it one week before release.

This story is even more simple then Extraction Point, you are just chasing people. There aren't even any good horror moments, the only one that startled me was one they copied from Extraction Point. The only new enemy in the story is an over-obvious dark hole in the ground that will suck you in, but there is no way anybody could ever fall for that more then twice.

The game introduces a completely new F.E.A.R. team, but fails to endear them to the player. I really didn't care what happened to the new characters. Even Point Man is absent, you are now playing as another F.E.A.R. operative with psychic powers and a lack of emotion, but they forgot to explain why that is so.

The game took me three hours more then Extraction Point, but the problem is that the game is incredibly repetitive and stretched out. The last few minutes were quite interesting, but everything before that was in dire need of an editor armed with a chainsaw.

The Bottom Line
The only people I can recommend this game to are the ones that just can't ever get enough of the franchise. Even if you got the game for free on Steam you might want to pretend it's not there.