Ok, first post here, so...hi!
Now, I know there are a lot of threads that already gave high praise to Amnesia, and I know that I could have very well posted in any of them. However, I want to make sure that the fine folks at Frictional Games will see this, so forgive me if I bypass the standard forum etiquette by making a new thread.
Frictional - you get it. You set your goals and delivered in a way that no other developer really has for years. How is it possible that you took a relatively small team and churned out a product that the "big boys" should be ASHAMED that they have been unable to come close to duplicating? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying other companies haven't put out some really good products, but let's face it - we've also watched them spend tons of money and development time, only to charge us 50-60 bucks (more in pounds, etc) for games that could only be considered ok at best.
Those companies always try to push the envelope in technology, boasting about some new collision detection, lighting technique or particle system, yet many times the end result leaves us wondering if they were trying to make a fantastic game, or just a lengthy tech demo.
Now I'm and "older" gamer by a lot of standards (let's just say I got Pong when it was new), and I've watched the industry grow from the very beginning. In my 30+ years of gaming, there have only been a handful ot times when I was truly "blown away" by the sheer genius of a particular game. I'm happy to say Amnesia is one of those times.
You didn't just take a genre and recycle what we've already seen. You didn't just say "Hey, let's make a horror game to compete with (fill in the blank)". What you DID do was give us what at least I consider to be the scariest game ever. Wait, scratch that - scariest EXPERIENCE ever.
That alone is a great accomplishment, but it isn't only the scare factor, but the gameplay, the environment, the extremely well-done sound and voice acting - everything - that makes Amnesia such a well-crafted work of art. And I can't tell you how much I appreciate the fact that you didn't charge us an arm and a leg for it!
I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. As far as I'm concerned, Amnesia gets the Game of the Year award. Fantastic job, Frictional!
I want to ask everyone who loves this game as much as I do to PLEASE spread the word. People need to know that the huge companies aren't the only ones able to put out good games. If you can, buy the game for a friend (the holidays are coming, you know).
And Frictional - please keep the excellence coming. I anxiously await whatever it is you have in store for us!
THANK YOU!