F.E.A.R. was a great blending of horror and action. While the atmosphere wasn't as creepy as Condemned, the psychological chills were some of the best moments outside of Eternal Darkness. F.E.A.R. Files is a compilation of the game's two expansions, Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate. What at first looks like a great deal isn't much of one since you're ultimately paying for one great, but short, game and one that is below average.

Although both Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate are expansions to the same game, it is surprising to see such a visual drop-off between the two. The more noticeable difference between the two is apparent when it comes to environments. Extraction Point retains the same complex environments as the first while Perseus Mandate's locales are flat and boring. Both attempt to keep the same dark, moody atmosphere of the original, though it is more apparent in Extraction Point. There are a few more brightly-lit areas in both games, though most of the experience is spent in the dark. Neither produces the same "jump at your own shadow" feeling of the first, but at least Extraction Point does a better job at this than Perseus Mandate, which can feel a bit generic.

Sound is on par with the original. It is still neat to hear enemies call out your locations or creep through quiet environments only to be jolted out by gunfire or other noises.

Although F.E.A.R. Files is an expansion, it isn't necessary that you play F.E.A.R. beforehand; though it will certainly help you get a better grasp on what is going on. Once again you play as a member of the F.E.A.R. - First Encounter Assault Recon - team, which is a government Special Forces team that deals primarily with paranormal attacks.

Extraction Point's plot doesn't go much deeper than the title. You play as the character from the first game and battle clones and try to make it to the helicopter and escape the city of Auburn. Although the story isn't as complex as the original game, the action holds up well enough that it makes up for any shortcomings. Perseus Mandate is the exact opposite; the story is pretty good with a noticeable drop in action. About halfway through the game, there's a shift between gameplay styles, going from a shooter to more of a reflex-based game where you have to rely on your time-bending powers more than your aim.

The two single-player campaigns are joined by an Instant Action mode, which should be familiar to anyone who played the original on the Xbox 360. Here you battle an army of enemies as fast as you can and have your scores uploaded to an online board. Though a fun distraction, the Instant Action modes really aren't that fun unless you're ultra competitive and just have to see your name high on the leaderboard.

Multiplayer is also around and features a dozen or so maps and a handful of FPS standard match types, like Deathmatch and Capture the Flag. One of the more unique aspects of online matches is that you can use the single-player game's slow-motion ability, which gives the entire match a different feel. However, in order to use the ability, you first need to pick up a power-up which, in addition to giving you the ability, also lights your location up for everyone to see. This adds a slight bit of strategy that you normally don't see in an FPS. The downside is that multiplayer matches can sometimes be hard to come-by on Live, especially now that Halo 3 is out.

Enemy soldiers are incredibly smart. If you aren't careful, you can quickly find yourself in a bad situation. If an enemy spots you, he'll immediately call for help. There are even times where one will keep you distracted and pinned down in a location, while another outflanks you from the side or behind. There are a few times where they'll show a lapse in judgment, though these instances are rare.

Enemies will even use their environment to their advantage by hiding behind objects or anything that could obstruct your view or bullets. They'll even use the game's physics system to knock over objects to create cover if it doesn't already exist.

F.E.A.R.'s biggest selling point, besides the horror feel, was the reflex abilities. These powers can be activated in short bursts and create a bullet-time effect. Although this may not seem all that special - after all, nearly every game has attempted some sort of bullet-time in the past few years - it is handled in such a way that mastering when to use the skill is vital to your success considering how smart and numerous enemies are.

Again, Perseus Mandate is the weaker of the two expansions. There are loads of noticeable clipping issues which really didn't show up in the first game or Extraction Point. Overall, the entirety of Perseus Mandate feels rushed and lacks polish.

As much as I hate to rip on Perseus Mandate, it really brings down what would otherwise be a nice package. I would almost rather see the original packaged with Extraction Point rather than see a great game get saddled with a sub par one since Extraction Point is worth playing through. However, this isn't the case, making F.E.A.R. Files a good rental, but a poor purchase.