In a genre that seemed to be getting stale, 2005's first person shooter F.E.A.R. was a breath of fresh air, featuring truly scary gameplay, solid AI and great looking graphics. Now the game gets an expansion pack in F.E.A.R.: Extraction Point later this month, with developer Timegate Studios extending the storyline in Monolith's original game. FiringSquad chatted briefly with the game's producer Tim Hall of publisher Vivendi Games to learn more about F.E.A.R.: Extraction Point.

FiringSquad: First, why did Timegate Studios get the gig to develop the expansion pack?

Tim Hall: Timegate pitched another game to us and when we saw it we thought they would be great for F.E.A.R.

FiringSquad: How does the expansion pack continue the storyline from the original?

Tim Hall: The story picks up right after the original F.E.A.R. ended. In F.E.A.R. your main objective was to find out what was going on but now that you know you are running for your life trying to escape it.

FiringSquad: What sort of new weapons can we expect to see in Extraction Point?

Tim Hall: We have 3 new weapons. The minigun is my personal favorite as when you start tearing up a room that and everything is flying around, including the bodies, it’s quite spectacular. We also have one other gun and a new mine but that’s all I’ll say about them.

FiringSquad: What new enemies can we expect to encounter in the expansion?

Tim Hall: We have some much larger AI units for you to go against and some far better armed ones – you don’t think we would just give you the mini-gun do you? We also have a creepy little thing that you can only make out by seeing his shadow.

FiringSquad: The original game was critizised for its lack of level variety. What can you tell us about the new levels and locations in Extraction Point?

Tim Hall: We did listen to the criticisms of the original F.E.A.R. and we have added some ranged combat in some much larger areas. We also have the player going through the city so we have all sorts of fun happening in places like the subway and hospital.

FiringSquad: Will there be any new multiplayer features in Extraction Point?

Tim Hall: Since we did just release F.E.A.R. Combat – the online portion of F.E.A.R. – as a completely free multiplayer game we felt that with this expansion we wanted to concentrate on the single player aspect of it.

FiringSquad: What other new improvements and additions will the expansion pack have?

Tim Hall: The AI is now more proactive about taking cover and moving things to take cover behind which adds for some great moments. My favorite thing we’ve added are these green gas cylinders that take off like an RPG if shot. I can’t shoot enough of them to be honest. Not only is it great fun if you can manage to use one to take some replicant out but they add this great element of danger as you never know when they will turn or bounce back towards you.

FiringSquad: What can you tell us about any graphical improvements in Extraction Point?

Tim Hall: F.E.A.R. still looks great and we’ve added more blood and more things that explode – what more could you want?

FiringSquad: What is the current status of the expansion pack's progress and when will it be released?

Tim Hall: F.E.A.R. Extraction Point will be available this fall

FiringSquad: What plans does Vivendi Games have for the future of the F.E.A.R. franchise beyond Extraction Point and the upcoming PS3 and Xbox 360 ports?

Tim Hall: We have all kinds of plans but they are top secret at the moment.

FiringSquad: Finally is there anything else you wish to say about F.E.A.R. Extraction Point?

Tim Hall: It’s been a pleasure working with Timegate on this project and we look forward to expanding on the F.E.A.R. universe with F.E.A.R. Extraction Point.

Blog + Share: Digg • Del.icio.us • Reddit • SU • furl • More: