F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate is a stand-alone expansion pack for the psychologicalsurvival horrorfirst-person shooter video gameF.E.A.R. The expansion was developed by TimeGate Studios, the same development team behind the first expansion, F.E.A.R. Extraction Point. It was ported to the Xbox 360 and released as part of the F.E.A.R. Files package in November 2007. 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 Pointexpansion 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., , ignores the events of both expansion packs.
Plot
Just after ATC murders Aldus Bishop and openly begins to battle against F.E.A.R. and Delta Force, Commissioner Rowdy Betters airdrops a second F.E.A.R. team to ATC's secondary facility to investigate the company and any wrongdoing 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. 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. 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, 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 betrayed and 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. 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 phantom then fades away. After the credits roll, a Nightcrawler agent is seen approaching the Senator, bringing him the sample of Fettel's DNA. The Senator asks how many losses there were, and the Nightcrawler agent replies that the losses were "acceptable".
Canonicity
It has been stated that the expansion takes place in an alternate universe from the original F.E.A.R., and that the game's sequel, , mostly disregards the storylines of both Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate. However, the "massacre at the Perseus Compound" is also briefly mentioned in an e-mail found in F.E.A.R. 2's first level. This expansion pack could therefore be considered part of the series canon.
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 and five new enemies. 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.
Reception
F.E.A.R Perseus Mandate received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. IGN cited the lack of notable new content and stated that the graphics and gameplay were virtually identical to the original. Hexus concluded that F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate was uninspiring and repetitive, "a digital example of flogging a dead horse". GameSpot said 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."
