Is anyone even reading reviews?

[Hubert Cumberdanes]

OK MAN ENUOGH

i dun wanna go to each forum each time wiht guys like you always talkin shit. i had enuf when i used to play modern warfare 2 and you pc elitists would always come in like you wn the place

some of us are tryin to have a good time here ok

if we wunna read reviews what can uyou even do to stop us., nothing so why bother with your sarcastic crap please just go away ok

[thrash242]

I prepurchased it about a year ago or whenever it was officially announced, and even if I hadn't, no, I wouldn't have read reviews before playing.

[RoadCrewWorker]

No seriously Hubert, you should get your dyslexia looked after, even more so in the digital age of spell-checkers. And really, your inferiority complex and consequent paranoia regarding "pc elitists" isn't helping. Although I have to admit, there is almost some artistic creativity in your use of punctuation.

On topic, i usually read a lot of reviews - the actual text arguing the weaknesses and strengths rather than the number score at the end, which tells me pathetically little about how the game matches my preferences and expectations - but with a game this focused on plot and tension there's simply too much danger of overeager reviewers spoiling elements of the setting.

[-[Badger]-]

Reviews do matter, as a good review could lead to more sales. but Really the only reviews I am interested in are those by all of you, here. most of us pre-ordered it because penumbra was so great. Im very glad I did too. Amnesia is like penumbra on a-whole-nother level.

[Kerghan]

The game is doing quite well with critics so far. At the moment, Metacritic has it at an 83% average with 10 reviews.

[Hubert Cumberdanes]

No seriously Hubert, you should get your dyslexia looked after, even more so in the digital age of spell-checkers. And really, your inferiority complex and consequent paranoia regarding "pc elitists" isn't helping. Although I have to admit, there is almost some artistic creativity in your use of punctuation.

On topic, i usually read a lot of reviews - the actual text arguing the weaknesses and strengths rather than the number score at the end, which tells me pathetically little about how the game matches my preferences and expectations - but with a game this focused on plot and tension there's simply too much danger of overeager reviewers spoiling elements of the setting.

oh THATS IT IM RPEOTRING YOUR CRAP FOR THEL ATS TIME ITMS O SICK OFI T

Seriously now though, I don't watch or read reviews and haven't for a while. It's a good way to not be surprised as you get spoilers showing what's in the game, features you may have otherwise not known about may be shown, the reviewers (especially on larger 'gaming' aka glorified advertisement driven websites) are almost always members of the Halo generation and wouldn't know a real game if it bit them on the ass, the score could influence your own decision and most importantly why would you care what anyone else thinks anyway?

If you want a clear indication if a game is going to be crap or not check if it's made my EA or Activision. It's almost guaranteed to be shovelware that 14 year old boys get boners over because their (to quote Rev Rant) macho male power fantasies are fulfilled. That's about the extent of any review process I need to go through before I decide whether to buy a game or not. And the demo released really nullifies any real need for a review. Though they are hardly released anymore, they now give out beta's for the most part which are pointless, as being 'betas' somehow derives you from drawing any negative criticism of the game as IT'S JUST A BETA OMFG!!! THEY CAN FIX IT IN 3 DAYS LOL!

And Hubert Cumberdanes is a fictional character in Jerry Jackson, which is a parody of Hubert Cumberdale from Salad Fingers. FYI.

Anyway..

U RELY BEED TO JSUT HSUTU P OK AND FFS WIF WE WANT TO Reajhd the reviews then we wil n thers nothin u can do about it k? good.

[suibriel]

Uh, guys...

My point was specifically for Amnesia. For a game where every little detail counts, I think reading reviews and such beforehand largely ruin the experience. Lines such as,

"The game doesn't fall into the closet monster trap"

Now you know that you'll never jump from some unexpected scare. Now you know you won't turn around and have a little Alma wannabe scaring you. It has provided you comfort in something that was previously an unknown, thus taking away from the game.

"The puzzles are always interesting and you rarely are stuck"

Now you know that everything will be fairly obvious and all you need to do is follow the logical steps to solve puzzles. This shows that the game won't really pressure your intelligence which leaves you with less to look forward to, thus again taking away from the unknown and the experience.

"Luckily when you die you are not forced to restart and respawn in a close area"

Now you know that monsters are less a fear and more an inconvenience. Again, taking something away from the unknown. You instinctively shit your pants and run away when you are spotted by an enemy, but now, meh, if I get trapped I'll just take the death and respawn real quick.

Am I making any sense?

[VALIS]

I've only read the RPS review and that was just after completing the game. But before that I was on a complete media-blackout, no reviews no screens, all that hyped me was that first video called "Scary" something. Now that I've finished the game there was no better way to experience it, I went in with barely any knowledge of the game. All I knew is that it was made by the Penumbra guys and it was going to be scary, which alone made me want to buy it.

[suibriel]

^ Exactly how it should be.

[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. "