Disappointed with AAMFP

[Alardem]

As stupid and blunt as Outlast is, it at least has a mechanical understanding of horror. That much can't be said of AMFP

It has overly bombastic yet unimpressive audio and that really kills a horror game as far as I'm concerned. Well, AMFP's soundtrack is bombastic but at least it's CREEPY.

[Fortigurn]

It has overly bombastic yet unimpressive audio and that really kills a horror game as far as I'm concerned. Well, AMFP's soundtrack is bombastic but at least it's CREEPY.

I watched a let's play of Outlast on YouTube, and it became clear that the game was full of unfulfilled potential. The fact that the playlist was less than four hours long didn't impress me. I watched the entire game and I'm glad I saved my money.

[Alardem]

It has overly bombastic yet unimpressive audio and that really kills a horror game as far as I'm concerned. Well, AMFP's soundtrack is bombastic but at least it's CREEPY.

I watched a let's play of Outlast on YouTube, and it became clear that the game was full of unfulfilled potential. The fact that the playlist was less than four hours long didn't impress me. I watched the entire game and I'm glad I saved my money.

Watching it, the whole game reeked of FEAR 2 in terms of its scare tactics, aesthetics (scarred guys in hospital garb, evil corporate thugs and high-tech machinery) and plot. Thing is, FEAR 2's lack of creepiness was redeemed by being an action game focused on shooting bad guys.

[Fortigurn]

Thing is, FEAR 2's lack of creepiness was redeemed by being an action game focused on shooting bad guys.

Graphics, sound, environments, and general presentation were good in Outlast, but it didn't redeem itself at all. The plot took an abrupt turn close to the end, wasting an hour of buildup, and finally retreated into an anti-climax.

[Alardem]

Thing is, FEAR 2's lack of creepiness was redeemed by being an action game focused on shooting bad guys.

Graphics, sound, environments, and general presentation were good in Outlast, but it didn't redeem itself at all. The plot took an abrupt turn close to the end, wasting an hour of buildup, and finally retreated into an anti-climax.

"But the lack of resolution makes it scary! Besides, how are we going to get a sequel if we finish the plot?"

:p

This isn't the place to 'bash' another game, but to Frictional's credit each game of theirs had satisfying endings. Rushed and annoying from a gameplay stand-point, but at least I don't feel gypped.

Speaking of which, A Machine For Pigs' ending DOES feel a little rushed and I personally would have had it be more visceral. The pig-line, for instance, feels very restrained. Digging into the files for that level reveals audio files of people getting sliced alive by Pigs, which isn't present anywhere in the final product.

[Fortigurn]

"But the lack of resolution makes it scary! Besides, how are we going to get a sequel if we finish the plot?"

Lack of complete resolution is ok, if it's done right. But Outlast spent all this time convincing you that the guy you were listening to and following was going to help explain everything and help you sort it all out, and then completely failed to do so. Suddenly that guy was throw aside as completely irrelevant, and the plot took another direction entirely, heading into a blind alley at the end of which no resolution was in sight. You were left wondering what the point of it all was.

It's a bit like the TV series LOST. In the tradition of Movie-A-Minute, here is a synopsis of the entire series.

(Some people CRASH THEIR PLANE on an island. SPOOKY THINGS happen, and no one knows WHY.)

Heroic protagonist (Shepherd/Sawyer/Sayeed/Locke, etc): Where am I? What is this place? Why are we here? What's happening?

Enigmatic antagonist (Ben/Widmore/Jacob/The Artist Formerly Known As The Smoke Monster): Follow me and do EXACTLY as I say, and I'll EXPLAIN EVERYTHING.

(He doesn't.)

THE END.

[Quizerno]

I know I'm late to the party here (stupid job and biological need for sleep) and probably can't add much to what's already been said, but truthfully OP, a lot of us that loved the game have dealt with the same arguments over and over, on this or other forums. It gets old, having to repeat and repeat oneself on the same points.
I see a lot of 'well it had the Amnesia title on it, it must be the same', as if the Amnesia series is a long established series with a particular idiom. It isn't. Let them try new ways of approaching horror instead of the same formulaic, warn out cliches.
Personally, psychological horror appeals infinitely more to me than horror that is all shock and jump scares (I find it rather cheap).
In the end, I'm probably not going to persuade anyone who has clearly made their mind up. I love the game, as well as its predecessor. Oops.

You see. People aren't asking for the same thing, this is a fallacy, they were asking for an expansion or change to Amnesia's mechanics, instead they got a subtraction. It'd be like playing Tetris, and then in Tetris 2 you can only put the pieces down in one way.

To me, AMFP was actually more jump scary than TDD, all the loud noises that happened now and then just served to show me how bad the game was at creating horror. The loud noises in TDD were actually followed by dangerous events, so I understood that they had weight.

Saying AMFP is more psychological horror does not change the problem, many of us did not find the game scary, period. Whereas TDD scared me both psychologically and physically.

[Fortigurn]

To me, AMFP was actually more jump scary than TDD,

I agree. What surprised me was that virtually every time you encountered a monster your only option was a high speed chase scene, instead of a quiet, stealthy, fear inducing crawl. The piston room with the two pigs gave good value for money stealth crawling, until one of them caught sight of you, then it turned into a bolt for the exit.

[VaeVictis]

I know I'm late to the party here (stupid job and biological need for sleep) and probably can't add much to what's already been said, but truthfully OP, a lot of us that loved the game have dealt with the same arguments over and over, on this or other forums. It gets old, having to repeat and repeat oneself on the same points.
I see a lot of 'well it had the Amnesia title on it, it must be the same', as if the Amnesia series is a long established series with a particular idiom. It isn't. Let them try new ways of approaching horror instead of the same formulaic, warn out cliches.
Personally, psychological horror appeals infinitely more to me than horror that is all shock and jump scares (I find it rather cheap).
In the end, I'm probably not going to persuade anyone who has clearly made their mind up. I love the game, as well as its predecessor. Oops.

You see. People aren't asking for the same thing, this is a fallacy, they were asking for an expansion or change to Amnesia's mechanics, instead they got a subtraction. It'd be like playing Tetris, and then in Tetris 2 you can only put the pieces down in one way.

To me, AMFP was actually more jump scary than TDD, all the loud noises that happened now and then just served to show me how bad the game was at creating horror. The loud noises in TDD were actually followed by dangerous events, so I understood that they had weight.

Saying AMFP is more psychological horror does not change the problem, many of us did not find the game scary, period. Whereas TDD scared me both psychologically and physically.

Perhaps I should have been clearer. A lot (i.e. the majority) of the criticism I have seen/read can be traced to a frustration with new, unfamiliar experiences and an expectation of the same formula with a different map and character. Not all, of course, but many.
Anyway, many of the loud noises (many made by the machine) were events occurring within the game, though not immediately consequentional to the player. The Machine moves and people are slaughtered (indirectly by YOUR hand). How is this not scary? Something doesn't need to be immediately threatening to be horrifying.
But I guess, here we come to a simple matter of personal preferance.

[felixmole]

This game is starting to look like crap compared to Outlast

Hell yeah!
Outlast = Survival Horror
AAMFP = Fairy Tale

Haha, that was funny , but I don't think you need to use your brain a lot in TDD, either.