 Review By: Jared Black |
Developer: | Monolith Productions |
| Publisher: | Sierra Entertainment | |
| Genre: | FPS | |
| ESRB: | Mature | |
| # Of Players: | 1 (2-16 online) | |
| Online Play: | Yes | |
| Accessories: | Includes F.E.A.R. Director's Edition and Extraction Point expansion |
The final piece of content here is the first expansion pack to the game, Extraction Point. Extraction Point was actually developed by TimeGate Studios, and not Monolith, and picks up the story right where the original game left off. 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 the expansion pack 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 the expansion however lies 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 the expansion pack 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 the expansion pack, and a lot of little touches that reward the player for keeping a sharp eye on his or her surroundings.
Bottom Line:
I realize this isn’t exactly a timely review, with expansion pack Perseus Mandate and F.E.A.R. Platinum (combining the base game and both expansion packs) both set to release in just a few days. Since the MSRP of F.E.A.R. Gold is still $29.99 as of the time of this review, and Platinum is set to release at $39.99, I strongly suggest holding off just a little longer and getting the Platinum edition instead. Still, if you can find this version on the cheap, it’s an excellent introduction to the franchise.
| Pros: | Cons: | Final Score: |
|---|---|---|
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| 8.5 |
Posted: 2007-11-05 09:56:55 PST