 Review By: Jared Black |
Developer: | TimeGate Studios / Day One Studios |
| Publisher: | Sierra Entertainment | |
| Genre: | FPS | |
| ESRB: | Mature | |
| # Of Players: | 1 (2-16 online) | |
| Online Play: | Yes | |
| Accessories: | Xbox Live (online play), HDTV 720p | |
| Buy Now: |   |
Even with the proliferation of built-in storage and downloadable content on all three current consoles, the console world still doesn’t see nearly the number of expansion packs that the PC does. While that gap should continue to close in the years to come, there’s no doubt that enterprising publishers will find a way to bring them to the console world regardless when there’s significant money to be made. Thus it’s no surprise that, after success with console ports of the original F.E.A.R. on both Xbox 360 and PS3, Sierra has brought both of that game’s expansion packs to the console world. F.E.A.R. Files is a standalone collection featuring both Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate, which together comprise a decent extension to the original game.
Even though I had played through both games on the PC, I completed them on Xbox 360 as well and found no real differences aside from the controls and a loss of tweaking ability to resolutions and such. Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate were actually developed by TimeGate Studios, and not Monolith. Extraction Point picks up right where the original game left off, whereas Perseus Mandate features a second team running parallel to the events in the original game and Extraction Point. I don’t want to get into the storyline too much to avoid spoilers, but once again Fettel and Alma play prominent roles. From a storyline perspective, Extraction Point is a good continuation of the original game. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say it includes tons of new revelations, it does further the story along and brings up several interesting twists.
That alone makes it a must-play for fans of the series, but I was actually a little disappointed by Extraction Point overall. There’s a painful lack of new enemies to engage, with Replica soldiers once again playing a major role in the game and the “cooler” enemies once again appearing far too infrequently. Aside from the expected variations of Replica soldiers, new enemies here include a giant mech, a shadowy assassin creature, and deployable turrets. Although by themselves they’re good additions to the game, as I mentioned before they show up too infrequently. The deployable turret is also one of my favorites among the new weapons the player can use, as they can be picked up and used against the enemy and come in handy in several sticky situations. Also new to the game is the Type-12 Laser Carbine (AKA the limb-slicing red laser of death) and a mini-gun to mow down weaker enemies.
My real disappointment in Extraction Point however lays in the direction it takes with its scares. While the original game built up a horrific atmosphere, the expansion doesn’t do nearly as good of a job of sustaining a sense of dread in the player. While it doesn’t abandon the tactic completely, it relies more heavily on “cheap” scares than the original game. It also explicitly points things out to the player a little too obviously, whereas the original game merely hinted at such horrors. I was also hoping that it would make the game a little less linear than before, whereas it basically just maintains the status quo in regards to combat areas. That being said, there are still some excellent freak-out moments in Extraction Point, and a lot of little touches that reward the player for keeping a sharp eye on his or her surroundings.
Despite a few flaws, Extraction Point is still much better than Perseus Mandate. As I detailed in my review of the PC version, this second expansion forgets for its first half much of what made the series special in the first place (the creepy atmosphere) and is more of a straight-up run-n-gun FPS. The gameplay is still solid of course, and some of the scares later in the game are excellent, but there are much better alternatives out there for your FPS dollar. Still, its weaknesses are downplayed somewhat in a collection like this, where you’re not just paying for Perseus Mandate itself.
Story-wise, Perseus Mandate’s events run parallel to both the original game and Extraction Point expansion. So if you’re thinking about buying F.E.A.R. Files but have yet to play the original F.E.A.R., you may want to pick it up first. That being said, the game is hardly story-heavy, and I doubt that many people would have trouble understanding regardless. Perseus Mandate highlights a second team sent in to investigate Armacham, with some new revelations discovered along the way. It also introduces the Nightcrawlers into the fray, a group of mercenaries that have adapted to fighting in darker environments, but otherwise fight in much the same manner as the Replicas in the original game. The weapons they bring to the table, which themselves amplify scarce light sources, are a nice addition to the franchise.
Perhaps to make up for the fact that this is merely a port of two expansion packs, this game also includes an Instant Action mode where the player can jump right in against the series’ still reasonably impressive A.I. in a number of different scenarios. Players are ranked based on the time it takes to complete, accuracy, health and armor used, and other factors. Those scores can then be posted on Xbox Live for others to try to top. This game also throws in some new maps to the standard F.E.A.R. online experience, which has the usual assortment of online game types including deathmatch, team deathmatch, CTF, elimination, team elimination, control, and conquer all. The only wrinkle is that slow-mo can be used in multiplayer, by the player that grabs a reflex booster on the level. However, grabbing it then makes that player a target that glows blue and appears on everyone’s HUD, so there’s some strategy involved in how it’s used there.
Bottom Line:
If you played and loved the original F.E.A.R., then F.E.A.R. Files is a worthwhile purchase. It’s the only way you’ll get the decent Extraction Point on Xbox 360, and despite its flaws there’s some fun to be found in Perseus Mandate as well. Still, there’s nothing so compelling here that you should rush out and buy it right away, and chances are it’ll be budget-priced by the time you finish up the other numerous excellent Christmas releases from late last year.
| Pros: | Cons: | Final Score: |
|---|---|---|
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| 7.0 |
Posted: 2008-01-14 18:17:14 PST