It's not "gamey" because it's not artificial. It's rather realistic. When you have a lamp you need it to stay on, don't you. Although I don't know how long such a lamp burns in real life...
Disagree. It's gamey because it's an unnecessary system (see the sequel) that exists to make you pay attention to it, and it's unrealistic because the lamp would likely burn longer, or the guy would find a better supply of oil before heading into the darkness. The mechanic aims to create a sense of dread, for me it just created a sense of being annoyed.
Disagree. It's gamey because it's an unnecessary system (see the sequel) that exists to make you pay attention to it, and it's unrealistic because the lamp would likely burn longer, or the guy would find a better supply of oil before heading into the darkness. The mechanic aims to create a sense of dread, for me it just created a sense of being annoyed.
I think after playing this and then going back to TDD a lot of people will start to get more annoyed by the lantern than before and realise it was a good decision to remove such tedious mechanics. Then again some probably won't but I'm glad they didn't just do more of the same. I hate sequels or successors that has almost identical mechanics to it. Even if sound effects are the same I dislike it but this is a nice fresh take on Amnesia and I'm trying not to compare and just enjoy what it does well
The writing and sound design alone are fucking miles better than anything in TDD
I imagine just took your time about puzzles or reading.
Other horror games do a good job of hiding issues or preventing you from seeing behind the curtain. It doesn't mean that others will not have an issue, but once you have to force yourself to suspend disbelief? Well the magic is broken anyway right?
Anyway, I think this will be a very divisive game when everything is said and done. I am glad I played it..just not so glad about the price.
I probably did. I spent a lot of time thinking about the texts I just read. In that respect it's really similar to Gone Home and Dear Esther. If you don't want to get involved or if you don't want to put effort into getting involved, nothing will happen with you. In that respect, yeah, it's probably going to be pretty divisive. I just think gamers should stop with their definition (Is it a game or not? Is it horror? What is horror? Does it fulfill everything I expected?) mongering and they should stop seing everything so absolute as in ratings. As if a game were quantifiable in numbers. I think The Chinese Room themselves don't give a shit about those things, they just do what they do. And that's what I really respect them for. Also the music. And the writing. God, it is so superb.
As for breaking the magic: I've never had the desire to go near those monsters. The first time I saw a monster I immediately turned around to go as far away as possible.
I probably did. I spent a lot of time thinking about the texts I just read. In that respect it's really similar to Gone Home and Dear Esther. If you don't want to get involved or if you don't want to put effort into getting involved, nothing will happen with you. In that respect, yeah, it's probably going to be pretty divisive. I just think gamers should stop with their definition (Is it a game or not? Is it horror? What is horror? Does it fulfill everything I expected?) mongering and they should stop seing everything so absolute as in ratings.
I agree. Too many people are hung up on "does it do this this and this?" or "how does it compare?". Just play the damn thing and enjoy it for what it is instead of trying to put it into a genre or category.
I agree. Too many people are hung up on "does it do this this and this?" or "how does it compare?". Just play the damn thing and enjoy it for what it is instead of trying to put it into a genre or category.
Absolutely. It was the same thing with Dear Esther. People hating on it because "it wasn't a game" and "the story was dull" - sometimes I really hate gamers. Ugh. Horrible.
Don't pass just because others might not be as happy with it. There's plenty of us who are really enjoying it.
For me, story-wise, it may be better than the first. The atmosphere is quite unique too. Sound design/score much improved. A few gamey features removed doesn't mean it's bad. At least wait until the price goes down if that's a concern.
It's unpacking now. Finally after so long. I'm gonna play for about 3 or 4 hours and hit the bed around midnight. I can't wait. It's gonna be fun. I'll post a Stream link when I get it up and going if anyone wants to watch.
edit:
I love your review style, but I'm actively avoiding your videos as to be spoiler free as possible.
Yeah my review style is going to be a bit simplified for the next few games as I'm super behind after a move and review copies are piling up. Appreciate the feedback. Make sure to check that 16 minute mark after you play the game. That's honest to god fear at that moment. I felt ridiculious afterwards and you can see my expression change almost instantly once it hits me.
As for the stuttering happening in the game. Glad to know I'm not the only one having issues.
Absolutely. It was the same thing with Dear Esther. People hating on it because "it wasn't a game" and "the story was dull" - sometimes I really hate gamers. Ugh. Horrible.
Same thing happened with Gone Home too, I really enjoyed that game but so many people were running around saying "it's nowhere near all those high scores" "it's not a game"
Same thing happened with Gone Home too, I really enjoyed that game but so many people were running around saying "it's nowhere near all those high scores" "it's not a game"
Right, I forgot about Gone Home. Loved that too. Maybe some developers should get on "inventing" their own niche, their own genre and market it thusly. Because obviously games that break bonds are only going to be held back by some people's misguided grasp at rating things.
Gone Home was great... just for the price... 55 minutes was not enough length for me. That said Amnesia AMFP is way more game like then Gone Home, if you want to look at it that way. Amnesia has puzzles to solve and you can die and it extremely creepy.
as someone who thought Dear Esther was pretty bad (
ridiculously unsubtle hammering home of LOL IT WAS A CAR ACCIDENT OR SOMETHING, completely lacking in anything interesting or meaningful to say, stupid reveal of you were a bird all along at the end #whatatwist
), I'm guessing this isn't worth trying? If there was something interesting about the story I might be in, but it sort of sounds like there probably isn't..
We didn't receive a pre-release build so have had no opportunity to investigate SLI support. Submitting a request to our SLI team today, but can offer no ETA.
as someone who thought Dear Esther was pretty bad (
ridiculously unsubtle hammering home of LOL IT WAS A CAR ACCIDENT OR SOMETHING, completely lacking in anything interesting or meaningful to say, stupid reveal of you were a bird all along at the end #whatatwist
), I'm guessing this isn't worth trying? If there was something interesting about the story I might be in, but it sort of sounds like there probably isn't..
I get the game is open for interpretation and what not but I think it's fairly safe to say, the twist of Dear Esther is not that you were "a bird all along". You may want to even think about it in terms of whether you really turned into a bird at all, and if you were ever on an island, etc
Amnesia was an incredibly tense and oppressive game. The enemies were unpredictable and extremely threatening. The environments became more grotesque over time, making time itself an ever-looming threat. Every encounter with an enemy felt like you were slipping past death. Beating a level of Amnesia was like a breath of fresh air, finally making it out of whatever hellish situation you'd been placed in; be it a potion fetch quest in a room filled with enemies, or the heart-pounding chase of an underwater monster as you burst through a never-ending series of doors bringing it closer and closer until the narrow escape.
AMFP feels more like you're simply trodding along. The enemies aren't threatening, just obstacles, you can simply waltz past them and they'll give up within a few seconds. Story was nowhere near as engaging for me, probably due to how unengaging the game itself was. It's like being on auto-pilot for the sole purpose of the narrative. It has the story-telling aspect of the first, stripped of almost everything that made it a good game.
/IMO. Not to say that AMFP is bad or anything, just doesn't stand up to the original for me, let alone the year-long delay build up of hype. I'd say worth a go at $10.
as someone who thought Dear Esther was pretty bad (
ridiculously unsubtle hammering home of LOL IT WAS A CAR ACCIDENT OR SOMETHING, completely lacking in anything interesting or meaningful to say, stupid reveal of you were a bird all along at the end #whatatwist
I don't think that it was subtle hammering. It was just revealed bit after bit, but not as a solution of a mystery and not even necessarily as a main plot point. I also don't think that you were a bird all along, I would rather see that as a metaphor/analogy or, say, a non-real-story-transformation. I have no idea how to say this, actually, since I've only come across this type of storytelling in books.
Played half an hour of AMFP earlier anyway, suffering a bit of stutter and the blue hue thing some people have mentioned. Took a scan through the thread and saw people mentioning bugs later on too, I might just put it on ice and play next week after a patch has been pushed out, and people have come up with some solutions to the game's jank. I liked what I played though. I feel bad though, it was 1pm when I played, I always feel like I'm cheating if I play a game like Amnesia during the day.
ridiculously unsubtle hammering home of LOL IT WAS A CAR ACCIDENT OR SOMETHING, completely lacking in anything interesting or meaningful to say, stupid reveal of you were a bird all along at the end #whatatwist
Not necessarily. When the person you control climbs onto the beacon and jumps down and starts flying you can see the shadow of a seagull. That's it. Up to your interpretation.
as someone who thought Dear Esther was pretty bad (
ridiculously unsubtle hammering home of LOL IT WAS A CAR ACCIDENT OR SOMETHING, completely lacking in anything interesting or meaningful to say, stupid reveal of you were a bird all along at the end #whatatwist
), I'm guessing this isn't worth trying? If there was something interesting about the story I might be in, but it sort of sounds like there probably isn't..
Played for about an hour, up to the point right after
the pistons bit, and there's some sort of torture chair and a mixer for chemicals in the next area
. Really enjoying it. Art style is amazing, especially enjoyed the
church with the meat altar
, even though some assets repeat themselves quite a bit. Soundtrack is also fantastic. Writing so far is great, but in typical Dear Esther style I still don't have much of a clue as to what's going on. I will say one thing, DE felt a little more focused because there was one voice narrating all the story bits - here, there's a little too much going on, with voiceovers, phone calls, gramophones, journals, documents, etc. Still really interesting. A bit wary of them doing (speculations)
religious cult stuff, which is what I got from the church area, considering I usually hate that kind of thing in my horror stories
. Really hope that's just a minor theme.
As for the gameplay - I like the linear nature of the game despite the relatively annoying puzzles. They have so far ranged from average to annoyingly poorly thought out. Maybe I'm just a bit thick, but I spent ages looking for the
second candlestick in the church
, seriously, that object should probably have been a bit easier to find. The monsters are suitably scary, not sure what the complaints are about the game not being frightening enough - they look intimidating, and the sound effects that accompany them are quite terrifying.
Looking forward to seeing how the story pans out, as this is what I'm here for - I found the last Amnesia's story to be a bit cliche, so hopefully this one will turn out a bit better
Looking forward to seeing how the story pans out, as this is what I'm here for - I found the last Amnesia's story to be a bit cliche, so hopefully this one will turn out a bit better
Let's say this. Some things, especially your confusion with all the different things going on, tie together nicely, although the nature of some things remain enigmatic. As for the ending, I found it to be amazing but it's not an ending that wraps everything up and explains it like you're five years old. Like in Dear Esther, there is lots of room for interpretation. But man, those last 5 or 10 minutes are still haunting me.
Think I'm done with this game. Autosave is pretty much shit. Just finished the part where
I had to fill the tank with gas and put it in the truck
. At that point I had to take a break because it was getting a little too much for me (in a good way). Take a look at my stream options before I do something else, and notice I had it downsampled to 720p (who knows why I did that).
Fix my settings and boot up the game, and I'm back to when I was in the main room where the
animal trophy room is at.
It's not that far in, but stuff like that takes me right out of a game. Too bad I can't get a refund on Steam.
Let's say this. Some things, especially your confusion with all the different things going on, tie together nicely, although the nature of some things remain enigmatic. As for the ending, I found it to be amazing but it's not an ending that wraps everything up and explains it like you're five years old. Like in Dear Esther, there is lots of room for interpretation. But man, those last 5 or 10 minutes are still haunting me.
Think I'm done with this game. Autosave is pretty much shit. Just finished the part where
I had to fill the tank with gas and put it in the truck
. At that point I had to take a break because it was getting a little too much for me (in a good way). Take a look at my stream options before I do something else, and notice I had it downsampled to 720p (who knows why I did that).
Fix my settings and boot up the game, and I'm back to when I was in the main room where the
animal trophy room is at.
It's not that far in, but stuff like that takes me right out of a game. Too bad I can't get a refund on Steam.
Thanks. Put up a thread. Hope something is done about that autosave and my problem soon, or I'm just never playing anything related to The Chinese Room or Frictional Games ever again.
Can't wrap my head around that. I don't think that you "love" horror games. How can it get tedious after just 20 minutes anway!?? That's hilarious.
And If "gamey" means that you interact with your enviroment in a meaningful way which also needs skills and is more than just watching an interactive movie...that's a good thing, you know. It's videogames. Not interactive movies.
I disagree, I felt like more than anything Amnesia TDD was tedious. Personally ruined the game for me unfortunately as the premise sounded absolutely amazing.
The meaningful interaction is a bit of a stretch really. It's a novel mechanic, but one that wasn't implemented nearly as good as it should've been.
Has anyone else experienced a half-second pause/stutter when a spooky effect/audio loads up? I've had this problem since receiving a code before launch, and now that the game is out I wanted to ask around if this was a common error with a possible solution.
It sounds like a minor thing, but it essentially gives away that a scary thing is going to happen before it happens, which is a pretty big deal for a game like this. I tried tinkering with some of the advanced settings but it didn't seem to do anything. Any ideas?
Has anyone else experienced a half-second pause/stutter when a spooky effect/audio loads up? I've had this problem since receiving a code before launch, and now that the game is out I wanted to ask around if this was a common error with a possible solution.
It sounds like a minor thing, but it essentially gives away that a scary thing is going to happen before it happens, which is a pretty big deal for a game like this. I tried tinkering with some of the advanced settings but it didn't seem to do anything. Any ideas?
People keep saying this but how? Nothing happens in the first hour of TDD. Wind blows, doors open and you get tiny hints of monsters. The first actual monster encounter doesn't happen for a good while.
Are people just remembering TDD more fondly than it actually is? I went back to play it about a month ago and I didn't enjoy nearly enough as I had remembered
Also having played an Amnesia game already is clearly gonna take some of the sting out of its sequel. You're used to it before you even play it
People keep saying this but how? Nothing happens in the first hour of TDD. Wind blows, doors open and you get tiny hints of monsters. The first actual monster encounter doesn't happen for a good while.
Are people just remembering TDD more fondly than it actually is? I went back to play it about a month ago and I didn't enjoy nearly enough as I had remembered
Also having played an Amnesia game already is clearly gonna take some of the sting out of its sequel. You're used to it before you even play it
Yeah. I'm not saying it's rose-tinted nostalgia glasses, but rather that if you've played the original, you're already familiar with the types of scares and how the enemy AI works. Just like in the original, in AMFP the actual threat is a handful of enemies that you can often run past (and if they do kill you, it's a quick respawn close-by), or scripted chase sequences.
Now I'm not saying this game is scarier or better or not, as that's very subjective anyway. I'd also concede that the original had some interesting set-ups
(Such as luring the water monster with meat, or distracting the enemy in the sewers with a rock)
that are absent here. But I do think that some comparisons with the original may be unfair. The reason why AMFP is perhaps less scary, is because it is too similar to the original. I felt similar about Justine for example. It felt a helluva lot less scary, even though it was "new".
That said, the last hour really ratchets up the tension and has some creative enemy encounters.
I've finished it now, about three and a half hours it took me according to Steam.
The last half is much better than the first half. Got some big scares out of me. Overall, not nearly as memorable or special as the first game, though. Like many of you have already said, that was almost always going to be the case.
I'd like the next Amnesia to be a very different setting and maybe re-think their enemy encounters.
I've finished it now, about three and a half hours it took me according to Steam.
The last half is much better than the first half. Got some big scares out of me. Overall, not nearly as memorable or special as the first game, though. Like many of you have already said, that was almost always going to be the case.
I'd like the next Amnesia to be a very different setting and maybe re-think their enemy encounters.
It was never gonna be better anyway I don't think. Especially changing devs and then delaying it because it had originally been designed to be a shorter experience
Also Amnesia had the fact of being released when people were in need of some more really good horror games and then it rose to prominence. We've had a huge influx of horror games since then so AMFP is being released in a completely different environment. Especially seen as Outlast came out a few days prior
There's too many variables I think to draw a straight comparison to the original. I still like AMFP so far
So..... am I just fortuitously missing enemies? I must be at least a third of the way through (
just primed the 6 furnaces to turn the giant pistons
) and I've encountered only one enemy (
in the church basement
). Yeah I see them in all the scripted run-past-the-doorway glimpses, but I'm now so used to being alone that exploring is almost relaxing. And with few physical objects and no gameplay to make me engage with the world I may as well be flipping through a picture book, try as I might to make the most of the atmosphere.
So..... am I just fortuitously missing enemies? I must be at least a third of the way through (
just primed the 6 furnaces to turn the giant pistons
) and I've encountered only one enemy (
in the church basement
). Yeah I see them in all the scripted run-past-the-doorway glimpses, but I'm now so used to being alone that exploring is almost relaxing. And with few physical objects and no gameplay to make me engage with the world I may as well be flipping through a picture book, try as I might to make the most of the atmosphere.
Okay, so I've got an HP Pavilion dm4 with a shitty Intel HD Graphics Family card. I actually never ended up getting the first Amnesia to run properly. It would display nothing more than a black screen when I tried to play it. Well, apparently Pigs is doing the same thing. I've been trying to look up a fix, but I can't find a straight answer or anything that seems to work. Does anyone have a diagnosis for me? Am I just wasting my time or is there something I can do?
