"An Excellent Expansion For A Good Shooter"
I loved this expansion. While the story is about equal to the original's (as in, its bad), the gameplay is even better this time around. The levels are much more interesting in F.E.A.R.: Extraction Point, which was greatly needed after the repetitive nature of the original's level design. The horror is also amped up and is executed much better than the original game, which was surprising given how tacked on it felt for the first title. All of these contribute to one of the best expansions I have ever played for a game
The gameplay is boosted by the addition of two new guns, as well as a new piece of equipment. The laser rifle is cool to use, although I wish that it would slice foes into bits to make it extremely satisfying. The new equipment, a sticky turret, is useful for certain battle arenas, and helps you cover multiple angle while weaving in and out of cover/camping in a corner (whatever strategy works best). However, both of these are just mediocre when compared to the Minigun. This thing shreds enemies apart, and whenever you get it, you have the ability to just go berserk. It was the most powerful I had ever felt in any of the F.E.A.R. games so far, and I was always ecstatic to find this weapon after defeating a new enemy.
The levels are also much more fun this time around. There is more diversity in location, spanning a church/mortuary, subway, office complex, construction site, and sewer system. This, along with the new enemy types ("rocket robot", shifters) made for some interesting and sometimes terrifying encounters. The combat flowed so nicely in this game, a surprise for me considering I thought the combat in the first game was fantastic already.
Lastly, the horror was really well done this time around. While there are still some jumpscares, moments where the invisible type enemies as well as "shifters" appeared were effective. Fighting the new enemies made the hairs on my neck stand up due to their unpredictable nature, and it was much better than "a spooky skeleton flying out of blood" like in the first title. It added a nice change of pace to the combat, and I think it is the only title in the series so far that has a healthy enough balance of both.
This expansion is better than the base game. While it continues the awful story even further, the gameplay, level design, and horror all take a step forward. Sadly, I have heard that it is all downhill from here for the series, but I will definitely play this title again in the future. I would Recommend this expansion to any fans of the original game, and who value gameplay and design improvements over any addition of story for the F.E.A.R. franchise!
Final Verdict: 8/10 (Great)
I loved this expansion. While the story is about equal to the original's (as in, its bad), the gameplay is even better this time around. The levels are much more interesting in F.E.A.R.: Extraction Point, which was greatly needed after the repetitive nature of the original's level design. The horror is also amped up and is executed much better than the original game, which was surprising given how tacked on it felt for the first title. All of these contribute to one of the best expansions I have ever played for a game
The gameplay is boosted by the addition of two new guns, as well as a new piece of equipment. The laser rifle is cool to use, although I wish that it would slice foes into bits to make it extremely satisfying. The new equipment, a sticky turret, is useful for certain battle arenas, and helps you cover multiple angle while weaving in and out of cover/camping in a corner (whatever strategy works best). However, both of these are just mediocre when compared to the Minigun. This thing shreds enemies apart, and whenever you get it, you have the ability to just go berserk. It was the most powerful I had ever felt in any of the F.E.A.R. games so far, and I was always ecstatic to find this weapon after defeating a new enemy.
The levels are also much more fun this time around. There is more diversity in location, spanning a church/mortuary, subway, office complex, construction site, and sewer system. This, along with the new enemy types ("rocket robot", shifters) made for some interesting and sometimes terrifying encounters. The combat flowed so nicely in this game, a surprise for me considering I thought the combat in the first game was fantastic already.
Lastly, the horror was really well done this time around. While there are still some jumpscares, moments where the invisible type enemies as well as "shifters" appeared were effective. Fighting the new enemies made the hairs on my neck stand up due to their unpredictable nature, and it was much better than "a spooky skeleton flying out of blood" like in the first title. It added a nice change of pace to the combat, and I think it is the only title in the series so far that has a healthy enough balance of both.
This expansion is better than the base game. While it continues the awful story even further, the gameplay, level design, and horror all take a step forward. Sadly, I have heard that it is all downhill from here for the series, but I will definitely play this title again in the future. I would Recommend this expansion to any fans of the original game, and who value gameplay and design improvements over any addition of story for the F.E.A.R. franchise!
Final Verdict: 8/10 (Great)