Is anyone even reading reviews?

[shagen]

I enjoy the reviews. A review in no way ruins any of the gameplay. It's like saying a movie trailer spoils the whole damn movie. Is simply untrue. Not only do I like to hear what other people feel and think about the game, but it is also entertaining while at work (and unable to be playing (T)he game) to hold me over until I actually get to play more.

Anyway,
here is what I have to say... I could say a whole lot more about the physics & interaction but I mostly stuck with the story, sound & gameplay. The most important aspects. I know I think I used the word "fluid" more than once which sort of hints at the interaction mechanics:


"Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a must have for survival horror and more specifically fans of the Looking Glass Technologies style of gameplay. Amnesia is a wonder of minimal gameplay mechanics. The pacing of the game is much more fluid than similar titles within the genre - Thief, System Shock, Bioshock, Penumbra, etc. Puzzles for the most part are logical and most of the time come natural. This is what sets the game apart from the packs. Using an inventory system taken from classic adventure gaming - combining objects, yet the puzzles that utilize the inventory objects are never nonsensical in the way many other adventure games use the mechanic. Since the levels are heavy in atmosphere the level design is fairly simplistic which only benefits to keep the player engaged and helps to move the puzzle solving along. The sound design is top notch. The sound designer took field recordings were really well recorded; feels very real, atmospheric, foreboding. Amnesia is just as much an aural experience as a visual experience, sometimes the sound is so intense with the gameplay that I've taken off my headphones just to continue. It can be that intense. The story is actually very well written and sinister. Though, largely the environments are seemingly empty they are alarmingly alive with past atrocities.The 'find-documents-along-the-way' game mechanic has been done so many times in this genre. But, never has it been done so well. The story is very well written and will capture your attention unlike in other games that deploy this element. They are somewhat reminiscent in tone with the Thief series and it definitely helps that some are very well voice-acted. The visual insanity mechanic is wonderful. I don't want to spoil it but it is visually much like tripping on LSD. Which is swirling textures, disorientation... it's pretty neat. The physics mechanics, the atmosphere, the story, the pacing, the presentation. It's immaculate. It's very polished and much more fluid than Frictional's previous endeavors and that is saying a lot. This game is simply a must buy for those into Looking Glass type games, horror, or innovative games in general. "