Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs Discussion Topic Part 4

[Cuyir]

I can feel a thread coming from myself in a couple of days. Would use the personal review thread but I'm planning of discussing more than just my review of the game.

Why do I bring this up?

Because of one of the points I'll explain in full detail at a later date. But for now:

(the following spoiler tagged post is like this so the wall of text doesn't bother anyone who doesn't want to read it. You're welcome, hahaha.)

Spoiler below!

A significant amount of people were expecting TCR to do an FG game. I remember someone from FG saying that their goal for bringing TCR into the fold to develop A:AMFP was so they would do a TCR game, NOT an FG game.

I also think that people (specifically the ones that discovered A:TDD through lets plays and such) treated A:TDD as one of those scare houses or whatever they're called. You guys know the ones, the ones that pop up during october and people visit so they get a scripted horror show first hand (with jump scares and all).

FG themselves (in one of their blogs, can't remember the name so if someone can link it and prove/disprove me i'll be thankful) said how A:TDD was shallow (can't remember the specific word the writer used but i'm pretty sure it was shallow). I really enjoyed A:TDD but it did feel like a pseudo shallow scare fest. That's what horror games are for though, correct? Yes, but a game that's, for example, in the horror genre and tries to do more than just a scarefest is more meaningful and special. Run of the mill genre games are fine and all but I personally prefer games that do more with their genre, not just offer what's expected of the genre.

This is why I was excited for TCR doing a horror game. They have the writers and know how to craft a great story. Haven't finished the game but the atmosphere, narrative and world is great so far. Nothing against FG but their attempts at a story in A:TDD started well (though very very very very VERY Lovecraft influenced, to the point of tribute) and then just fell flat. They had a better story with the Penumbra universe cause they used their Lovecraft influences in a setting that felt slightly less cliché and much more interesting.

Anyway, I digress. My point is that people were expecting the wrong things from TCR. TCR did what they do best and so far it's working. Are the people that expected something else ''wrong"? No. But they should have known better than to expect the same style of horror they got from FG. This whole, pardon the language, clusterfuck reminds me of when some people hated Dishonored. Why did they hate Dishonored? Cause they expected an open world stealth game just because it was PRODUCED by Bethesda. It was developed by Arkane Studios, which had a pedigree that had to their name Deus Ex and Thief. There were a few months, still think some people haven't gotten the memo, where people thought that Bethesda developed the game. This lasted well AFTER it released.

Now to tackle another part of the detractors. Now to the people that can't get over less environment interaction, inventory system being axed and the sanity meter being thrown away. As for less environment interaction i'm not even going to argue because it's such a minor thing that focusing on it seems pretty silly. I haven't missed it at all. Why? Cause there are still items in the world that have nothing to do with puzzles that you can play around with. The Inventory system and sanity meter detractors have some points to their arguments but at the end of the day those being removed don't neuter the game and turn it into a ''walking simulator.'' A:AMFP plays exactly like every single FG game (with the exception of the HORRIBLE combat in Penumbra: Overture) and the removal of those two gameplay elements don't even register in my mind. Are some people righteously bothered by A:AMFP not having those two elements? Of course. Are a LOT of people overblowing this? You betcha. How does removing those two elements get rid of the other elements that have always been in FG games? They don't. It's just an example of people grossly exaggerating the whole ''issue''. Sensationalism to a tee.

And this is why I want a thread for *all* my thoughts on this matter. Too expansive. Going to be working on it while I play the game and such. I expect my full thoughts (and thread) in a week or two (or beyond, seeing how i'm a full time college student).