The original F.E.A.R. was, for the most part, a very decent game. A quick straw poll around the office and that fact is pretty much unanimous, although towards the end it started to suffer from major corridor fatigue. For this reason, any expansion would have to do something markedly different; more of the same, in this instance, simply won’t do.

It’s almost painful, then, to discover that yet more horrifically mundane corridor marching awaits and, in all respects, the laziness on show simply beggars belief. But there’s a new plot isn’t there? Well, no. Extraction Point, the first of the two expansions included on the disc, begins exactly where the original ended. Having killed (remember that kids, KILLED) Paxton Fettle and nearly escaped Alma it’s time to give those corridors a serious walking to. We stroll innocently into a nearby church, where, guess who? The very much alive Paxton Fettle is awaiting us. How? Well, to cunningly get around this glaring incongruity, Fettle exclaims simply, “I know what you’re thinking, it doesn’t make any sense to me either.” Job done. Then there’s Perseus Mandate – the second of the expansions beginning with “Paxton Fettle is at large”, which continues to tell the same story as the original title yet again, only this time, from the perspective of a different squad member, which has allowed the developer to use the same assets, textures, enemies, characters and story.

The graphics, although slightly improved in Perseus Mandate, still resemble the fossilised remains of an engine long past its prime. What’s more, both the graphical assets and all of the incidental dialogue of the first game have been unashamedly reused and the enemy AI makes shelves look clever. F.E.A.R. Files is nothing but a disturbingly average, mirthless, grating, irritating, bore-fest – and a distinctly lastgen experience at that. Do yourself a favour and wait for F.E.A.R. 2 (which will be awesome… maybe).

Dan Howdle