Be afraid, or don't. Just keep shooting.

F.E.A.R. Files is a standalone expansion to the 2005 game for the PC. The 360 version of fear hadn't yet been offered the follow up expansion that appeared on the PC, Extraction Point. So both Extraction Point and the newest expansion, Perseus Mandate, come in one box, while the PC version of Perseus Mandate is available alone at the same time.

You won't need the original game to play either of the expansions, but it helps to know that F.E.A.R. is centered around the activity of the First Encounter Assault Recon Team, an elite military unit concentrating on paranormal activity. Along with such duties, of course, come great weapons and metahuman reflexes that explain your option to enter a bullet-time mode as seen in Max Payne, the Matrix and several other games. After fighting through clone soldiers in the first game, Extraction Point starts where that ended, in the middle of a city surrounded by bad guys. The first game blended creepy atmosphere with big battles and a mystery, a pretty compelling reason to figure out what's going on. Extraction Point still has some of that atmosphere, but it's mostly about a battle to get to a helicopter and out of the city of Auburn.

Perseus Mandate revolves around a new character, but that's really the only difference in the games. These are mostly combat expansions, a theme reinforced by the offering of challenge modes that give you a chance to get through a level as best you can and post your results. Both expansions also offer online multiplayer for up to 16 people, with death match and capture the flag game types. The slow motion ability is offered as a power up that players will be running for the minute the game starts.

Both expansions are fun, but are more interesting if you've played the first game and have the benefit of context. The atmosphere in the first game was the result of more than just graphic style, it was part of a story. Even so, each of these has more of the combat that was entertaining in F.E.A.R. but with more weapons to choose from.