F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate
Tags: F.E.A.R., Mandate, Perseus
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May 19th, 2010 at 4:53 pm
Lately, the are a number of novels sporting ROBERT LUDLUM’s name up front – yet they are ghostwritten by in-stable-writers of his publisher. A good effort in their part, yet, of course, they feel nothing like a LUDLUM’s novel.
SIERRA, the legal owner of the FEAR franchise, is putting out this official (stand alone) expansion – whilst, MONOLITH, the original team that actually created FEAR, has announced its own upcoming expansion named PROJECT ORIGIN.
As with ghostwritten books, the in-house elves do not feel confident to create anything new and instead take baby-steps around the original story. Thus, the PERSEUS MANDATE is actually the same story as the original FEAR – seen from the perspective of a different F.E.A.R. agent on a timeline that runs parallel to the original.
To make this idea more palatable, a new set of weapons and gadgets are available (you will love the UV scope that helps targeting in foggy rooms) and the set of enemies is refreshed with some new additions. Paxton Fettel, the original villain gets replaced by, well, Perseus (whose Mandate we are concerned with), Alma (the scary little grungy girl) only makes fleeing appearances – and Shade fits the shoes of the scariest spectral beast around.
The graphics, although somewhat improved, do not veer far from the original – which may not be a bad thing, since they were quite good, yet somewhat dated today. What has clearly improved is the sound: PERSEUS MANDATE may not be as visually scary as the original but it sure is aurally scary!
All in all, a slightly improved game with a clearly weaker story.
The cookie-cutter at work…
Rating: 3 / 5
May 19th, 2010 at 6:34 pm
As usual, the “professional” reviewers got it wrong. This is an excellent addition to the FEAR franchise. If you enjoy FEAR, you will love this episode. I enjoyed this a bit more than Extraction point, I found the action much sharper, the few new weapons fun (the grenade launcher is a little lame though) and the storyline decent.
It starts out sort of the usual FEAR pace and you might not get pulled in, but by a third of the way in, the pace picks up BIG time! Then it starts to get really really good. There are a couple of new spooky things, and a really awesome abandoned underground city/subway area. The last third is really excellent, with massive firefights, and fierce action compared to the original FEAR game.
Its too bad that so many people review games without ever playing them. Thats pretty pathetic in my humble opinion. And too many are done by 14 year old adolescents who just parrot others.
All in all, if you liked FEAR, this is a terrific addition. I hope they keep going and make more.
Rating: 5 / 5
May 19th, 2010 at 9:12 pm
If you loved FEAR, this is a great addition. Jump right in and blast away, with a few soldier buddies by your side. Very cool. A must-have if you enjoyed the first FEAR!
Rating: 5 / 5
May 19th, 2010 at 10:56 pm
I’ll preface this by saying I’m a big fan of F.E.A.R as well as the prior expansion, Extraction Point, and as a fan of those games I found Perseus Mandate to be pretty solid.
In short, this game is more of the same, which is good or bad depending on your liking of the previous installments. Not much has changed in the graphics or gameplay department, but that’s not to say this game isn’t fun or enjoyable. The game seems very similar at the beginning, but really picks up toward the end. The entire last interval is amazing as well as the bonus missions you unlock after completing the title.
The new weapons, enemies and a beefed up A.I. from the original F.E.A.R put some nice touches on an already good formula. While the firefights are still intense (especially with the new enemies), the plot and horror elements are not nearly as good as the previous two games. Still, even though Perseus Mandate serves to only give us new levels (about 8-10 hours in total), they are very enjoyable and will more than tide you over before the official sequel, Project Origin, is released by the original developers of F.E.A.R (EP and PM are made by another company).
Also, one thing to note is that if you’ve never played F.E.A.R I strongly suggest starting with the original instead of this game. Perseus Mandate makes many references to the prior games and you may feel lost not having played the original and Extraction Point.
Rating: 4 / 5
May 20th, 2010 at 1:47 am
This latest installment of F.E.A.R. is enough to get us by until the real sequel (or prequel as it were), entitled “Project Origin” makes it’s appearance. The story is much weaker here than in the original, what story there is. It’s jumbled and hard to follow, with no real focus. The developers assume you know the drill about Paxton, Armacham and Alma, they mix in some new weapons and push you off the diving board to sink or swim you navigate these warmed over, but recognizible waters. Let’s face it, for the developers this game has a built in fanbase, so they make a little money and keep the F.E.A.R name out there until the release of “Origin”. The only notable difference in gameplay here are that many battles take place in open spaces instead of the tightly confined areas of the original. If you are a fan of the F.E.A.R games then go for it, it’s worth $20. If are not yet a fan, try the original first so you will be properly steeped in FEAR knowledge before you pursue Perseus.
Rating: 4 / 5