Something I read today that was interesting was that the expansions are not canon. In the case of Extraction Point, I think that's a good thing.
I distinctly remember the evening I finished
F.E.A.R. and was so amped up by the amazing finale that I immediately jumped into
Extraction Point...and quit forever after about thirty minutes. The expansions were farmed out to TimeGate and it really shows.
Sadly,
F.E.A.R. 2 is also a pretty poor game. Where the first game had a really chunky physicality to it, with powerful weapon impacts and exaggerated particle effects to emphasize the Bullet Time hook, the sequel seemed content to craft the most generic corridor shooter of all time and edit in some a forgettable slo-mo filter as an afterthought. I honestly don't remember a thing about the story.
I'm about halfway through
F.E.A.R. 3 as we speak, and from what I've seen, it's built around two core principles:
1) The combat in
F.E.A.R. 2 was generic as hell, so let's build the biggest, flashiest 80's action movie game we can, and
2) Nobody, anywhere, cares to comprehend this weird-ass story anymore, so let's build a big, flashy 80's action movie!
To give you a sense of how the third game focuses your attention, every level in the game is built as a Score Attack round with dozens of challenges for racking up kills with specific weapons, nailing enough headshots, killing enough dudes from behind Active Cover(!), spending enough time in slow motion, and finishing the level quickly enough. There's, like, some psychic ghosts too, but nothing you can't solve with enough explosions.
Honestly, it's kind of great, especially for the going rate of $5-$10. Doubly so with a co-op partner to control the psychic ghost who's on your team. Just don't go into it expecting the eerie tension of the first game -- this is the very epitome of rockin' run-and-gun action.
-Autistic Angel
