F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate - Interval 02 - Revelation - Disturbance

F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate is the second standalone expansion pack for the first-person shooter psychological horror video game F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon. Developed by TimeGate Studios and originally published by Vivendi Games under the Sierra Entertainment label, it was released for Windows and Xbox 360 in November 2007. The Xbox version was only available packaged with the first expansion, F.E.A.R. Extraction Point, and released as F.E.A.R. Files. On the PC, as well as a standalone release, Perseus Mandate was also bundled with the original game and Extraction Point for F.E.A.R. Platinum Collection, which was also released on Steam in 2012 and GOG.com in 2015. In 2021, F.E.A.R. Files was added to Microsoft's backward compatibility program, making the games playable on the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. Neither expansion is now considered canon, as the Monolith Productions-developed F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin ignores the events of both. The game is not a narrative sequel to Extraction Point, but rather a "sidequel" that runs parallel to the second half of the original F.E.A.R. and most of Extraction Point. The story follows a new player character who is a member of a secondary F.E.A.R. team tasked with investigating Armacham's Perseus Project. Finding themselves facing a previously unknown and highly skilled mercenary squad, the team must race to stop the mercs from acquiring potentially dangerous information pertaining to Alma Wade and Paxton Fettel. The game received mixed reviews on both systems. On the PC, although they praised the combat mechanics, critics were unimpressed with the dated graphics and the game's similarity to the previous titles in the series. Similarly, on the Xbox 360, most critics found F.E.A.R. Files dated and too similar to the original. Critics were also unimpressed with the new playable character, noting that he is virtually identical to Point Man in every way. F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate is a first-person shooter with gameplay very similar to the original F.E.A.R. and the first expansion pack, F.E.A.R. Extraction Point. As in both of those games, the player's arsenal includes handguns (which the player can dual wield), an assault rifle, submachine gun, shotgun, sniper rifle, nail gun, repeating cannon, rocket launcher, and particle beam. The minigun and laser carbine from Extraction Point are also available. New weapons in Perseus Mandate are a grenade launcher, night vision rifle, and lightning arc. Each weapon differs in terms of accuracy, range, rate of fire, and damage. Only five different firearms can be carried at any one time. The player also has access to four different types of projectile - frag grenades, proximity grenades, remote bombs, and deployable turrets. The player can carry ten of each type and can carry all four at once (allowing for up to 40 projectiles), but only one type may be equipped at any one time. Additionally, when using the remote bombs, the player must holster their weapon.[6] As in the original game and Extraction Point, Perseus Mandate's melee combat is a viable combat alternative.[8] The butts of all firearms can be used in close combat; lighter weapons, although less powerful, allow the player to move around more quickly and increase the chances of a successful melee attack.[8] Movement speed is maximized if a player holsters their weapon, which allows them to engage in hand-to-hand combat. As well as the basic melee attack, players can also perform a jumping kick and a sliding tackle, both of which, if landed correctly, instantly kill regular enemies.[8] A prominent gameplay element in Perseus Mandate is "reflex time"; an ability which slows down the game world while still allowing the player to aim and react at normal speeds.[9] This effect is represented by stylized visual effects, such as bullets in flight that cause air distortion or interact with the game's particle system. The duration which reflex time lasts is limited, determined by a meter which slowly fills up automatically when the ability is not being used.[10] The player can permanently increase the size of the reflex meter by picking up reflex boosters. Other pickups available during the game include medkits (of which the player can store ten), protective armor (reduces the amount of damage the player takes during combat), and health boosters (permanently increase the player's health meter).[4][6] Reflex time is an important element of the game's combat mechanics insofar as Perseus Mandate's artificial intelligence allows hostile NPCs an unusually large range of action; enemies can duck to travel under crawlspaces, jump through windows, vault over railings, climb ladders, and push over large objects to create cover, all in reaction to what the player is doing at any given moment.[11] Various opponents may also act as a team, taking back routes to flank the player, using suppressive fire.