F.E.A.R. Files

"They play great but its just more of the same."

F.E.A.R. has a lot of things going for it: it has solid gun play, a scary atmosphere and some solid AI. When F.E.A.R. hit the pc awhile back it was meant with high critical acclaim and for good reason. It took aspects from a stale genre and improved on them. The AI was unmatched and proved that there are some developers looking to take the time to make a game that doesn't require the player to make themselves. In 2006 FEAR was brought to the 360 to decent acclaim and heavy sales, but could've used some more time in development, although that didn't stop the game from being a blast. Almost a year later, 360 owners get a chance to play the expansion pack, Extraction Point and the brand new campaign, Perseus Mandate along with pc owners.
How do these two games fare on the 360?

PROS:

First of all the gun play is solid. This is pretty much important in a FPS so Monolith can pat themselves on the back for making solid shooting. The guns have the look and feel of power and really if you hit someone with the shotgun there bodies will flail like they were hit by a hurricane. So this isn't doom 3 where the guns look like toys, there are the real deal here. Guns run the gamut from assault rifles, pistols, but some new toys were thrown into the mix such as the lightning gun which shoots out bolts that send opponents flying, and the laser rifle which sends out a straight laser beam that can singe off enemies arms and other limbs. Returning favorites such as the nail gun, grenade launchers, rocket launchers and the sniper rifles also return. Really there is plenty of variety in the weapon selection here so gun nuts will have plenty to play around with. Really if you're worried about FEAR's gun play, then no worries. I guarantee everyone will love the portable turrets, and sometimes they are a necessity to get through some tough areas. Staying with the theme of FEAR, is the return of slo-mo in both campaigns. This is used to great effect and watching the screen blur when activated is a real treat. Not only that but watching bullets slowly zip past you while pumping your enemies with lead is something you thought would only be possible in the Matrix, but its doable here.

The enemy AI from the original game is back and pretty much the same, which is a damn good thing. Enemies find appropriate cover, they flank with brutal efficiency, they'll use grenades to flush you out. If they're numbers are down they retreat and make their own cover by throwing down vending machines or tables, call for back up and keep each other in know of your position. They know how to use every weapon you know and on higher difficulties will school you in the art of combat. If you get too close for their comfort they'll resort to their melee skills and they can cause big damage if you let them. They have even been known to roll through windows to get on the offensive. Now it has been said that they were improvements made to the AI for this release but I haven't noticed, but then again they didn't really need it.

Both single player campaigns have a decent length to them, each seem to top out at 6-8 hours each. They both take place during and after the original game, as well as between each other. Some parts of the game you'll wonder about in EP, but then you play PM and it all makes sense. Confused? At first, but they do a decent job of answering questions you wanted answers to as well as asking a few more questions. Although the expansions have no bearing on the FEAR storyline now, they do tie up loose ends nicely, even if they didn't happen. I know... confusing.

Now there are new enemies, but they are more of the same. Although there is one particular enemy you'll either love or hate in the Perseus campaign. I loved it and I didn't really expect it. In the Perseus campaign you'll encounter enemies with the same reflexes as you. Now this will really make some battles play out differently, although you will only encounter them in small packs and never with any other enemies, which almost makes it feel like a few boss fights. But it is cool to see the AI use this ability to great effect and the AI shows its versatility. It almost seems like things are even on both sides now for a change.

Sure the graphics aren't that impressive anymore, and in Perseus they can be downright ugly, but when the battles erupt you'll see some real magic going on. Dust kicks up when bullets hit the wall, on top of leaving bullet scars. Explosions ring out like the real thing, bodies react differently to different areas being shot. Papers fly everywhere, objects move like the real things thanks to the havoc system put in place. The games have the presentation and it really make the gunfights all the more realistic.

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CONS:

Sure this game is fun but it does have its faults and lets it be the art style and levels. Nothing has really changed since the original game so if you hated the original's style than you'll loathe these games. Most of the the games locations consist of drab office buildings, now in Extraction the outside areas are nicely dark and errie. However, Perseus' outside areas are ugly and blurry. You can tell the engine powering these games were not designed for outside areas and it shows, everything looks washed out and bland. The new enemies in Perseus can be considered nothing but re-skinned clone soldiers, as they both act and perform the same way. In Extraction, the clone army does have some new tricks up their sleeve such as the hulking tank, known as the leviathan. It's really imposing and will take a ton of fire power to bring down. They also now have a new robotic enemy who walks along with a shield in one hand and a huge chain gun in the other. These enemies seem cool but all they do is walk towards you absorbing your bullets, instead of making new, clever enemies. A lot of this is just laziness.

Now the 360 version of the original game was not a perfect port by any means. It had sound issues, the graphics were worse than the pc version and a lot of the trademark gore was missing. Those problems are back and with new problems. Enemies who usually explode into gory bits now just disappear into thin air, or sometimes their bodies disappear but they still cast shadows on the ground. Dead bodies remain clean despite having clips of bullets drained into them. Sometimes the sound is drained out and you can't hear whats going on, other times you can hear phone messages from three rooms away. Its really inconsistent and its really bad, especially since these games are top notch in other ways. There was a patch released to fix these problems for the original, but these bugs still remain and it is still undetermined if they'll be fixed or not.

The multiplayer has potential but is so poorly balanced that its more frustrating than fun. Really very few people play online and with odd weapon balance and bad lag, you'll be hard pressed to even want to continue playing. Now they do have some good ideas, like throwing in slow-mo, but otherwise its your typical fps multiplayer experience. It includes deathmatch, and the usual modes thrown in for good measure. If you want to play, which I don't recommend, just get a few friends together over live and play. Well thats all you can do multiplayer wise anyways, as there is zero splitscreen or system link support. Which is even lamer and playing over systems is a lot more desirable than the lag infested experience on Live. Its hard to believe that a game that looks like this can't be run in split screen. Instant action is back, but is more suited for small diversions as there is no storyline, just lots of adrenalin fueled battles with the game's AI. Also, these maps are impossible on extreme and just like the first game, they are tied to achievements, so achievement collector's will probably get really frustrated before they even have the urge to try them again. Mode wise there really isn't much here which is why this package is so disappointing.

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Final Words:

If you absolutely loved the original game than buy this. It continues the story nicely, but they didn't add a bunch of new things or change anything. It has the same bland multiplayer, the same campaign pitfalls and the same everything thats wrong in the series. Hopefully, Project Origin will make a new fresh start.

Summary:
+ Tight gameplay
+ Presentation is nice
+ AI is solid
+ Weapons are great, especially the new ones.
- Bland looking.
- New enemies are just lazy creations
- A lot buggier than the first game
- Lacking in modes
- Terrible multiplayer
? Why the lack of multiplayer options?????

To buy or to rent?
If you loved the original then you'll love this package. However, if you're a casual fan than this is a rental only. Its hard to say because its wins in so many ways, but loses in others so it just depends on how much you love FEAR. Sure its two games in one, but sometimes too much of something is well... too much.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/09/08

Game Release: F.E.A.R. Files (US, 11/06/07)