When
Half-Life 2: Episode One released last summer, the idea of added content or
expansions (albeit in the form of “episodic content” that doesn’t require the
original game, etc.) was dramatically shifted. No longer is the focus “more
weapons and exotic locations,” but great story elements that pull you in to
discover what happened to your characters after the events of the original game.
Therefore, coming out after Episode One puts F.E.A.R. Extraction Point in an odd
position.
The
expansion to last year’s wildly popular F.E.A.R., Extraction Point doesn’t
really add a whole lot to the story elements of the original, basically having
you escape through a destitute city landscape as hordes of replicants pour at
you from all directions. F.E.A.R. Extraction Point does add some new weapons and
creepy enemies, and provides for some genuinely freaky moments. However, the
story elements are pretty slim and the expansion is very short (even for an
expansion pack), meaning that those hoping to walk away with a little bit more
of the F.E.A.R. mythos will be out of luck.
Extraction Point begins right after the end of the original game, with the
remnants of the F.E.A.R. team escaping the site in a helicopter. However,
something goes awry and their ride crashes in the middle of a city, surrounded
by deactivated replicants. However, they don’t stay deactivated for long as the
psychic/psycho/cannibal/kitchen-sink villain Fettel intervenes to make your life
a living hell yet again. It’s then up to you to fight your way to the Extraction
Point and get the hell outta Dodge.
Perhaps
one of the biggest things going for it is that Extraction Point feels like
F.E.A.R. The visceral ambience and creepy atmosphere is fully intact, and
Extraction Point doesn’t compromise in this regard. You’ll still be on the edge
of your seat through the whole thing, and the new ghost enemies bring around
their own creepiness by coming at you quickly and in huge groups.
Unfortunately, Extraction Point does have a few issues to hinder it. As I
mentioned earlier, Extraction Point doesn’t really add much to storyline, just
basically having you escape from your situation. While the game will
periodically hint at the bigger picture, nothing ever is revealed to draw you in
the way that the original game would.
Another
problem is the expansion’s brevity. F.E.A.R. Even for an expansion pack,
Extraction Point is very short, and I was able to plow through the campaign in
less than four hours. The game doesn’t end nearly as strongly as it begins too.
The first few areas (“intervals” as they are called) start off with a bang,
filled with frights and intense firefights. However, the last couple of
intervals kind of peter off and then the expansion ends.
Graphically, F.E.A.R. was an intense game on anyone’s graphics card, and the
expansion pack doesn’t slack. While not really offering any vast improvements
outside of what you’d get from a patch, F.E.A.R. was and still is one of the
best looking games on the PC. Unfortunately, many of the environments are sparse
and look too similar to each other (and to those from the original game for that
matter).
The
sound is also largely the same, although it did feel like music played more of a
key role in the expansion than it did in the original game. The enemy chatter
and ambient noise is still extremely unsettling and effective.
F.E.A.R.
Extraction Point is a fun experience, while it lasts. It won’t answer any
questions posed by the original game, but if you’re scratching at the walls for
some more F.E.A.R. action, you should give this one a look.
|
Review Scoring Details for F.E.A.R. Extraction Point |
Gameplay: 8.0
Even though it’s
short, even when compared to other expansions, F.E.A.R. Extraction Point is a
fun and visceral experience in league with the original game.
Graphics: 8.5
F.E.A.R. was a
gorgeous game when it released last year, and the expansion pack is certainly no
slouch as a result. It would be nice if the environments were more varied,
however.
Sound: 9.0
Extraction Point
features the same sound effects that made the original just so damn creepy.
Music plays more of a key role this time around, with musical cues giving the
game even more of a cinematic feel.
Difficulty: Medium
Multiplayer: N/A
While Extraction
Point does feature the same multiplayer elements as the original F.E.A.R.,
nothing has been added nor changed.
Concept: 7.5
Extraction Point
offers more of the same thrills as the original game, and while this makes for
another fun and exciting experience, it doesn’t really add a lot overall to the
F.E.A.R. mythos.
Overall: 8.0
F.E.A.R. Extraction Point is
a short-lived but fun experience.
