Femme Fatal

EP starts exactly where F.E.A.R ends, with a recap of the explosion and the chopper ride. The next thing you know is that chopper has crashed but surprisingly enough you have survived. Alma is still alive, I mean she is dead, but her spirit is still alive (ok I know that didn't make a lot of sense, but you get my point.) Using her telepathy, she now controls all the psychic soldiers, who were rendered useless after Fettel's humorus execution (calling an execution humorus may make me sound like a sadist, but gamers who have played F.E.A.R would agree.) The game's graphics have no major upgrades, but it's the gameplay that's worth the game's worth in gold.

There are new weapons and enemy types, bigger and better than ever before. The MP-50 repeating cannon (mini-gun in gamer's lingo) is my weapon of choice, although limited in ammo; this gun is a sadist's paradise. When you riddle the enemy with this baby, you can see the enemy's body shred into pieces, watch this in bullet time to follow F.E.A.R tradition.

The enemy AI is better as they don't only look for cover but also act like a team. You will be amazed at times with the way the enemy reacts to your presence and holds ground. This particular aspect was present in F.E.A.R as well, but EP takes it the extra mile. As you go about killing, you will feel the presence of Alma, more than once I might add. She is her creepy, ugly self, haunting you even after the "Origin Facility" was destroyed. Why is she still following you, even after her motives seemed to be achieved in the first game? We will know after the full game is released. But if you are one of the lucky gamers who know about the surprise from the original F.E.A.R, (the one that comes after the end of the credits) you might pick up a few hints.

The demo is short but sweet; it can be played over and over again. Try it at a harder difficulty level to really enjoy it. The bipedal-rocket-launching-maniac is back again, but this time you actually eliminate it. But the real test comes in the form of the optic camouflage dudes. I guess, most of you would remember them; this time around the invisible guys want their presence known. They are faster and harder to kill, but if you are good at shadow-boxing, you will survive.

The game offers more of F.E.A.R, which I guess isn't a problem for anyone. This is an expansion so you can expect a lot of similarities to the original but then who's complaining. Download the demo and enjoy, this is one F.E.A.R you would love to pamper yourself with.

you can download the Demo from www.whatisfear.com