|
|
F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate
|
|
|
|
|
|
Graphics & Sound:
F.E.A.R.: Perseus Mandate is the 3rd iteration of the F.E.A.R. series and is sold as a stand-alone expansion game - no need for the original F.E.A.R. to be installed. Prior knowledge of the original storyline will make Perseus a bit more interesting, but a quick replay of the demos from the first 2 games will serve to get you acclimated.
Right off the bat, you notice that the graphics have taken a back seat - to what I'm not sure. No other aspect of the gameplay has been beefed up. For some reason, the game starts to look better toward the end, but you'll have to keep faith until that point. The upside of this is that minimum specs are pretty accurate, and you should be able to sail through if you meet them.
On the first F.E.A.R., the soundtrack was eerie and made your skin crawl. But like the visuals, the soundtrack in Perseus Mandate is pretty forgettable. It doesn't match with the action as well as it could. It goes without saying that it doesn't elicit much of an emotional response. Sound effects are okay, but come packaged with bugs. For example, the Slo Mo, or bullet time effect, muffles sound while it is turned on. Sometimes the muffling remains, however, after bullet time is over. You'll have to exit out to reset the sound in these cases.
|
|
|
Gameplay:
In F.E.A.R.: Perseus Mandate, you are a member of a secondary F.E.A.R. team sent in to Armacham's complex to investigate and retrieve any data on the Perseus Project. It is a parallel story of the first 2 F.E.A.R. games and you are made aware of the other team's presence through radio chatter and familiar interwoven storylines.
The intro starts off with the same quick and to the point manner as the first two games. You are debriefed on the general situation on the ground and then given your mission, a fade to blur and your mission begins. You do a "halo" drop onto the complex which seems more like a 30 foot base jump.
The claustrophobic and creepy atmosphere found in the first two instances of this game are replaced with roomy mazes and long distance shooting. It's just not as up close and personal as the first 2 games.
You do get into an office setting later on, but even though it's a refreshing change, you may find yourself irritated at the blatant advertisements. It seems that Alienware and Dell XPS systems are the brands of choice for top secret projects. Oh yes, it goes all the way up to the highest levels of power.
The game still has its moments. You'll be chasing after someone down a corridor just to find a couple of boxes keeping a 55 gallon drum company. You'll shrug your shoulders and turn around to discover a ghost very much in your personal space, and probably end up unloading half a clip on it.
At the final stage, you are treated to a knock-down,drag-out fire fight (the whole price of admission for this game.) You are rewarded to three bonus unlock missions: Clinic, Arena, and Sprint. The premise in all three bonus missions is "Fight your way through numerous foes as you rush to reach the goal." So if story gets in your way, you'll have to wait until the end to get to the sweet spot.
Though there is an online multi-player component, I was struck down once again by lack of anyone to play with. Either way, it's available. |
|
|
Difficulty:
Minimum difficulty will hand you plenty of medkits and seasoned FPS fans should be able to get through F.E.A.R.: Perseus Mandate with minimum use of the bullet time effect. A.I. is smart, but only within the same room. If you retreat from the room, they will be more than happy to forget you existed.
Nightcrawlers are the toughest enemies, quickly outmaneuvering you and basically proving to be the most aggressive enemies yet. The Nightcrawler leader mimics your skills and abilities (even bullet time, it seems) making him one of the biggest challenges in the game. Higher difficultly will not ramp up the A.I., but rather make you take much more damage. At the highest difficulty, bullet time is a necessity. This is in contrast to the first game, where close quarters forced you to have to use that skill regardless. |
|
|
Game Mechanics:
The game seems like it was rushed and under a tight budget. For one, F.E.A.R.: Perseus Mandate suffers from some serious clipping issues. Enemy soldiers can kneel through walls and fire at you. You're somewhat able to return the favor, as you're given the ability to throw grenades through walls. It evens out, but not as intended. Clipping makes victims of equipment too. Sometimes soliders will fall through walls after their death, and a weapon you had your eye on will be lost behind 6 inches of concrete.
New weapons aren't a big thrill either. The lightning gun provides some visual entertainment, but, like the other new weapons, isn't effective enough to become a regular item in your repertoire.
In defense of the game, the enemy's A.I. is better than the original and on par with F.E.A.R.: Extraction Point. Enemies make full use their environment by hiding behind walls and side-stepping hand grenades just before they explode. They can also shoot one-handed running down the street towards you with pure finesse. However, due to the environment limitations in Perseus, enemy A.I. can no longer kick over tables to create cover where previously there was none. Now, pretty much everything is nailed down.
Overall, the ending is the saving grace, and the story is wrapped up nicely. Spiritually, this doesn't feel like part of the F.E.A.R. series. Although it doesn't capture the feel of the F.E.A.R. series, you do get some questions answered. You also get more questions revealed, leaving the door open to hopefully better sequels. Pick this up only if you're dying to know everything you can about the F.E.A.R. universe. Luckily, F.E.A.R.: Platinum Collection hits the shelves right alongside this expansion, and includes all 3 games in the trilogy including Perseus Mandate. If you've missed any F.E.A.R. so far, you'll be safer going with this multi-pack, rather than buying Perseus on its own. |
|
|
-Fights with Fire, GameVortex Communications AKA Christin Deville |
Minimum System Requirements:
Windows(R) XP, x64 or 2000 with latest service pack
installed or Windows Vista(TM), DirectX(R) 9.0c (December 2006 Edition - included) or higher, Pentium(R) 4, 1.7 GHz or equivalent processor (2.2 GHz for Windows Vista(TM)), 512 MB of RAM or more (1 GB for Windows Vista(TM)), 64 MB GeForce(R) 4 Ti or Radeon(R) 9000 video card, (GeForce(R) 6600 or Radeon(R) 9800 video card or
equivalent for Windows Vista(TM)), 8 GB free Hard Drive Space, Additional hard drive space needed for a swap file and
saved game files, 16-bit DirectX(R) 9.0-compliant sound card with
support for EAX(TM) 2.0, Broadband or LAN Connection for Multiplayer games, Mouse, Keyboard |
|
Test System:
Win XP Professional, Intel Pentium D 820, Nvidia 8800 GTS (Extreme Edition), 4 Gb Ram DDR2 800, SATA 2 HD, X-Fi Fatal1ty |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
