F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate

Developer(s)	TimeGate Studios
Publisher(s)	Sierra Entertainment[1]
Series	F.E.A.R.
Engine	Lithtech Jupiter EX
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows Xbox 360
Release date(s)	NA November 6, 2007[1] AUS November 8, 2007 EU November 16, 2007
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate is a stand-alone expansion pack for the psychological horror first-person shooter video game F.E.A.R. The expansion was developed by TimeGate Studios, the same development team behind the first expansion, F.E.A.R. Extraction Point.^[2]

The game follows the exploits of a new player character, a member of a secondary F.E.A.R. team sent in to investigate Armacham's Perseus Project. The game takes place during the events of the original F.E.A.R. as well as the Extraction Point expansion pack. New introductions to gameplay include friendly A.I.-controlled characters who fight alongside the player character, as well as a new faction of enemies. The sequel to F.E.A.R., F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, ignores the events of both expansion packs.^[3]

Plot

Just after ATC murders Aldus Bishop and openly begins to battle against F.E.A.R. and Delta Force, Commander Betters airdrops a second F.E.A.R. team to ATC's secondary facility to investigate the company and any wrong doing it is involved with. This second F.E.A.R. team consists of Captain David Raynes, Lt. Steve Chen, and the unnamed F.E.A.R. Sergeant (the player character). After battling through Replica soldiers and ATC security forces, the second F.E.A.R. team discover that a third faction has already infiltrated the ATC facility and killed everyone inside. This faction consists of highly trained mercenaries known as "Nightcrawlers", who are armed with advanced weapons. The Nightcrawler ranks also include several elite super-soldiers who possess the same SloMo ability previously demonstrated by the F.E.A.R. Pointman.

It is revealed that the Nightcrawlers work for the mysterious Senator, and are searching for "the Source", the genetic template from which the Replica soldiers were created (later revealed to be a sample of Paxton Fettel's DNA). The F.E.A.R. team discover that Armacham had 3 major facilities involved in Project Perseus; an active bio-research facility where Fettel's DNA is stored, an abandoned secret cloning facility where the Replica soldiers were actually produced, and the Origin facility where Alma is imprisoned. F.E.A.R. and Delta Force launch an assault against the bio-research facility, battling through Replica, ATC, and Nightcrawler forces. However, the Nightcrawlers manage to obtain and escape with a sample of Fettel's DNA. The F.E.A.R. team almost manages to capture Gavin Morrison, the Senator's main agent, but are interrupted by the explosion of the Origin facility, which throws the entire city into chaos.

The Sergeant and Lt. Chen awake in an abandoned part of the city's subway system, and discover that the explosion of the Origin facility has unleashed a wave of deadly paranormal activity. Chen manages to fight off an attack initially (the same creatures that killed Douglas Holiday), but is torn to pieces by a new type of Alma apparition that comes out of the floor. The Sergeant continues through the subway system in pursuit of the Nightcrawlers. The Sergeant eventually manages to reach the surface, and reestablishes contact with Captain Raynes, who orders him to make his way to the ATC Cloning Facility, where the Nightcrawlers seem to be headed. This is complicated by the re-activation of the Replica soldiers following Fettel's resurrection.

On the way to the Cloning Facility, the Sergeant encounters Gavin Morrison, who has been captured by the Nightcrawlers. Morrison reveals that the Nightcrawlers are attempting to acquire a sample of Alma's DNA, and that they must be stopped. Morrison briefly accompanies the Sergeant on the way to the Cloning Facility, but is killed when Alma causes an armored car to drop on him.

The Sergeant eventually reaches the Cloning Facility, where he is greeted by the ghost of Paxton Fettel, who makes several cryptic communications with the Sergeant, as well as sending in Replica soldiers to kill him. The Sergeant fights his way through Fettel's Replicas as well as the Nightcrawler forces, but is too late to prevent the Nightcrawler Commander from acquiring a sample of Alma's DNA.

The Sergeant pursues the Nightcrawler Commander through the facility, eventually battling the Commander and the remaining Nightcrawler forces in a final showdown. The Sergeant then acquires the sample of Alma's DNA, and escapes to the surface where Captain Raynes is waiting for him. The Sergeant and Raynes fight their way through Fettel's final Replica Elite soldiers, and successfully manage to reach an evacuation helicopter. (The sky is the same at the end of the first expansion, it must be about twenty to thirty minutes before the next explosion.) When the Sergeant gets inside, Lt. Chen appears to be there waiting for them. Captain Raynes remarks that the Sergeant is due for a promotion to Lieutenant, and that Chen would be proud of him. Chen's ghost then fades away.

After the credits roll, a Nightcrawler Elite is seen approaching the Senator, bringing him the sample of Fettel's DNA. The Senator asks how many losses there were, and the Nightcrawler Elite replies that losses were "acceptable".

Canonicity

It has been stated that the expansion takes place in an alternate universe from the original F.E.A.R.,^[4] and that the game's sequel, F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, disregards the storylines of both Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate.^[5] Only the games developed by Monolith Productions and Day 1 Studios are considered canon.

Characters

The F.E.A.R. Team

• The F.E.A.R. Sergeant: The protagonist of Perseus Mandate. No background information is given about the Sergeant, other than the fact that he is the third member of F.E.A.R.'s secondary team. He seems to possess the same SloMo ability as the F.E.A.R. Pointman, but this is never commented on or explained directly in game itself; although the player can hear some enemies exclaim "He's been enhanced!" when engaging SloMo. Towards the end of the game, Paxton Fettel implies that he has been expecting the Sergeant's arrival, and remarks that the Sergeant reminds him of his brother (the F.E.A.R. Pointman). However, Fettel ultimately tells the Sergeant that the incident is none of his affair, and warns him not to interfere. It could be interpreted by the presence of cloning labs and related equipment, as well as the unexplained SloMo ability of the player and Fettel's remark that the Sergeant and Point Man are similar, that the Sergeant is a clone of the Point Man. Towards the end of the game, the Nightcrawler Commander states that Betters has sent one of his 'tin men' to kill him. The implications of this remark, and the relationship between the Nightcrawlers and FEAR, is unknown.

• Captain David Raynes: The leader of the secondary F.E.A.R. team. Raynes leads the secondary F.E.A.R. team through the mission, issuing orders to Lt. Chen and the player character.

• Lieutenant Steve Chen: The second member of the secondary F.E.A.R. team. A wisecracking soldier, Chen seems to possess a well-rounded skill-set which includes combat, forensics, and technical expertise. Notably, he is the only character in the F.E.A.R. series (other than the player characters and Paxton Fettel) who is mentioned as being able to see Alma.

• Rowdy Betters: The Commander of F.E.A.R. As in the original F.E.A.R., Betters interacts with the F.E.A.R. team over the radio, issuing orders and providing intelligence. Contact with him is lost halfway through the game, after the explosion of the Origin facility.

Antagonists

• Gavin Morrison: The Senator's agent, who is working alongside the Nightcrawlers to collect the secret behind the Perseus Project. Morrison is a former NSA agent who was expelled for his cowboy attitude, and now works as a trouble-shooter for the Washington power elite. Although he initially appears to lead the Nightcrawlers, he is later shown to be a mere middle-man, and is even captured and detained by them after the explosion of the Origin facility that throws the city into chaos.

• The Nightcrawler Commander: The albino leader of the Nightcrawlers, a group of highly trained mercenaries who have been sent in to steal ATC's genetic research. Although he initially appears to be working for Morrison and the Senator, he later makes statements indicating that both Morrison and the Senator are actually expendable. The Commander possesses intimate knowledge of the F.E.A.R. organization, as well as the same SloMo ability as the Pointman and the Sergeant.

• Paxton Fettel: Paxton Fettel's "ghost" appears after the explosion of the Origin facility, communicating with the player character on several occasions, making threatening remarks to the Nightcrawlers, and occasionally providing some comic relief.

Gameplay

Perseus Mandate includes the new weapons and enemies found in the previous expansion pack, Extraction Point. Additionally, the new expansion pack includes three new weapons (an advanced rifle with a nightvision scope, a grenade launcher, and a lightning gun) and five new enemies (a new type of ATC soldier, a new type of Alma ghost, Nightcrawler soldiers, and Nightcrawler Elites and a new bug virus which can lock doors to contain the player).

Perseus Mandate also features 3 "bonus missions" that are unlocked after the single-player campaign is beaten. These bonus missions are similar to the "instant action" missions of the PS3 and Xbox 360 version of F.E.A.R., and feature the player progressing through small plot-free levels while fighting through several waves of enemies.

The game also features a modified version of the original F.E.A.R.'s multiplayer, which includes new player models as well as the 5 new weapons added by the two expansion packs (the previous expansion pack, Extraction Point, had no multiplayer component, and thus the two weapons introduced by that expansion had not previously been available in multiplayer).

Reception

F.E.A.R Perseus Mandate received mixed to positive reviews from critics upon release. As of November 29, 2007, Metacritic had an averaged score of 63/100 with 10 reviews. Most sites stated that the game looks dated, and that a lack of new environments or anything else prevented it from ranking higher.^[6] IGN gave Perseus Mandate 5.9/10, citing the lack of notable new content and stating that the graphics and gameplay were virtually identical to the original.^[8] HEXUS.gaming concluded that F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate was uninspiring and repetitive, "a digital example of flogging a dead horse".^[9] GameSpot gave it a score of 5.5 out of 10, stating that it "feels like a completely unnecessary trip to the well for Sierra, especially considering that series creator Monolith is already working on a proper sequel in the form of Project Origin."^[7]

References