Of course, Alma Wade—the psychic, ghostly child-woman who hates you—has other plans. What separates Extraction Point from its predecessor is its sheer, unrelenting nihilism. The original F.E.A.R. had moments of light; office buildings with fluorescent bulbs, industrial zones with safety signs. Extraction Point has none of that.

Released in late 2006, just a year after Monolith Productions’ genre-defining first-person shooter, Extraction Point wasn’t developed by the original team. Instead, it was handed off to TimeGate Studios. For most franchises, a "B-team" expansion is a death knell—a quick cash grab of recycled assets and lazy level design. But in a twist of fate, Extraction Point did something remarkable: It understood F.E.A.R. better than its creators did.

The lighting engine, still impressive today in its stylistic brutality, casts shadows that move when you aren't looking. You will shoot at a flickering light at least three times. You will be right to do so. You can’t have a F.E.A.R. game without new toys and new monsters. On the toy side, the Minigun and Laser Carbine are added to the arsenal. The Minigun turns the slow-motion mechanic into a symphony of brass and gore, while the Laser Carbine is a surgical scalpel for popping Replica soldier helmets.

The answer is terrifying. And absolutely worth extracting.