This was my third time playing this expansion and it only really hit me this replay how much it doesn't compare to the previous entry. It starts and ends well enough, but everything in the middle goes from alright to kinda-stinky in a cycle until the hospital segment.

Gameplay wise it's still FEAR, which is pretty much hard-carrying the entire middle portion, though I did notice in some instances the AI couldn't quite navigate around certain areas in an effective manner, either refusing to follow me into a previous room and entering a neutral state or running in circles around the room I was in. The new enemies themselves aren't interesting either, the minigun Replicas are just walking bullet pinatas and the other two may as well be reskins of enemies that already existed.

I honestly find the additions to the player's arsenal nothing to write home about. The minigun is alright, if not suited for the amount of long-range combat there is before the hospital. The laser rifle seemed fine but since only 3 or 4 enemies in the entire expansion carry it and it runs out of ammo extremely fast, it never seemed worth really using much. The little turret didn't really do much damage-wise and only seems worthwhile as a comically useful distraction.

For the most part the horror and narrative is extremely weak. The horror boiling down to mostly weird jumpscares, a lot of reused visions and voice clips from the original game, and aaaaaaaargh not the flesh men that stare at me and do nothing!!! The narrative is essentially just "We gotta get the fuck out!!"

It's not exactly the most interesting shit out there but it's the best possible thing you can play if you REALLY need more FEAR.

It is an undeniable act of God that this game managed to sell enough to spawn a franchise. This isn't just the roughest of gems, this is a gem that cuts your spirit with its abrasiveness. You'll accept this game for its faults, refuse to give up, and do your best to continue - then the game will sucker punch you with some of the most tedious bullshit rng ever created when every iron pickaxe you spent good zenny on breaks in a single strike, and with not even a single piece of ore to reward your efforts. This game has a soul, it knows you're playing it, and it absolutely despises you with every continued second.

Not a terrible game, but certainly not as good as I recalled. The melee feels fun and fluid to use, until you've spent half the game slicing up the same enemies because the gunplay is extremely flaccid. Any encounter that necessitates pulling out a firearm just causes any fun to immediately come to a full stop, just like the aggressively shitty boss fights. It's a fun enough game but really everything after the halfway point is just an immensely steep drop in enjoyment, and the game just keeps dragging on and on. It's worth a single playthrough, especially at the price one can find it at, but I can see why I've never replayed it till now.