So forgettable, in every way. So forgettable, that's what we say.
Perseus Mandate starts out with a whimper as you and the second F.E.A.R. team are called in to investigate happenings in another office building/warehouse/sewer complex. Instead of continuing the story of Alma and the first F.E.A.R. team developer TimeGate chose to run the story parallel to the original. While the story is, in fact, parallel, the gameplay is almost exactly the same. And while the firefights can still offer up some pretty decent thrills, the aging engine and scare tactics left us frustrated and bored. We've played this game, twice.
While there is a story, it barely matters. The compelling bits of fiction in the original F.E.A.R. were the stories of Paxton Fettel and Alma. Both of these characters are only shown in snippets with only a bare thread of connection that doesn't particularly make any sense. What we're left with is a bunch of new FEAR agents and we haven't been given any kind of compelling reason to care about them. In a game like this where bad things are bound to happen, you really have to give at least care a little bit when they do or the whole idea falls apart at the roots.
F.E.A.R. was pretty creepy and occasionally scary and Perseus Mandate tries to keep up with the original by using the same basic tricks. There are guys walking away and dissolving into ash, guys appearing right behind you, ghostly enemies attacking from the darkness, and occasional creepy sounds and environmental cues like lights falling off of the ceiling. These techniques have lost their effectiveness because a) these instances aren't presented in as slick a fashion as we've seen in the past and b) we've already seen this in the original and the expansion. There are a couple of creepy moments with enemies that try to grab you and pull you into the ground, but the other "tense" moments are confusing and more laughable than frightening.
Perseus Mandate isn't completely devoid of worth, however. If you still enjoy the firefights of the F.E.A.R. franchise, you'll enjoy these as well. The arenas where the battles take place will likely look pretty familiar. There's not a lot of imagination being used here in design. Nearly every firefight takes place across a courtyard, in a section of a warehouse with two stories and pipes, or across an office building's hallways and reception areas. Still, it doesn't make the firefights any less fun since the AI still reacts well to your moves, seeks cover, and uses grenades regularly and effectively.
There are three new weapons to carry with you into battle including a new chain-lightning gun that's effective but not as powerful as the tiny amount of ammunition found in the campaign would lead you to believe it would be, a nifty new machine gun that has a scope that can magnify light, and a grenade launcher that isn't really worth bothering with in most cases. As you'd expect from previous F.E.A.R. titles, you'll need to use any of the weapons with a healthy dose of slo-mo since the enemy AI will murder the hell out of you otherwise.
There's also a new enemy type called the Nightcrawler. These guys are a huge pain in the ass because they can move quickly (or perhaps just use the same slo-mo technology you have in their favor) are accurate, throw two grenades while vaulting off of the walls, and take about a thousand bullets to the chest before dying. They're definitely the most challenging of the enemies in the game including both the small and big mechs and are a welcome addition.
Not much else can really be said about Perseus Mandate. It has some decent firefights in levels that look so similar to the original F.E.A.R. and the last expansion Extraction Point that you'll wonder why everything looks so bad. Probably because the engine is over two years old and, like a former beauty queen that's been hanging out in the sun too much, looks prematurely old and pathetic next to younger models. Textures are even more bland when compared to modern games, models look downright sad next to games like Call of Duty 4, Half-Life 2, TimeShift, and even Jericho. One saving grace was a collapsed underground area where textures suddenly had more life and detail and used color a little more effectively.
Closing Comments
We’ll make this easy. If you’re a fan of F.E.A.R. and have just been looking for more of the same firefights with a couple of new weapons and enemies, then you’re probably going to find Perseus Mandate fun. If you’re looking for something new or compelling and some flahy sound or visuals, don’t bother.
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