Should Soma be more like Penumbra or The Walking Dead?

[eliasfrost]

What counts as a masterpiece is highly subjective.

For me, Amnesia felt like a rehash of Penumbra with a few new ideas (albeit great ones). I still prefer the two Penumbra games over all of their other products. Not because it's better, not at all. Amnesia is undoubtedly a great game but for someone who played Penumbra, Amnesia was highly predictable (at least that's how I felt), it used the same gameplay, the same story-telling techniques, the same enemy patterns and type etc. The reason is that it was far too much like their previous games that it didn't entirely stand on its own feet following the shadow of Penumbra (no pun). At least not for veterans (and I don't mean this in an elitist way, see below).

You could say it's nostalgia talking, or "the virgin effect" as Superbunnyhop calls it. The thing is, if they truly do something new with the formula, I will probably get it, but if this ends up like Amnesia did (in comparison to penumbra) then I probably won't get it because it won't engage me the way I'd like it (and expect) it to.

I just think it's important to cover new ground instead of gaining new unsuspecting audiences while at the same time losing an old one. There's nothing wrong with that but hey, maybe I just think too highly of game developers than I should, who knows.

EDIT: Also, take note that I've never said that it's a requirement or that they "should" make different games, I said it would do them good to try new things and branching out. To avoid misunderstandings.