I hope this isn't another POS title like Machine for Pigs

[_MaZ_TeR_]

It felt like that game was completely rushed. Scariest parts were in the first 20-40 minutes of the game, the end was really weird and often rage-inducing (parts where you had to run away from the pigs).

[sturmkoenig2k]

I enjoyed AMFP.

[Aerisnoir]

Pretty Original Story-centered (POS) games are definitely not for everyone...As is with all games. Some you like, some you don't.

[spole]

Machine for Nígs was made by the Chinese Room and all they make is story driven walking simulators. This has been in development longer than AMFP and is being developed by the OG lads behind the Penumbra games and Dark Descent.

[centuryon]

I think Frictional admitted that A Machine for Pigs was even supposed to be more "limited" in scope when TheChineseRoom initially proposed it, and would only take somewhere like 2 hours of playtime.

And yeah, if you play any of the other TheChineseRoom games they're almost the same. Machine for Pigs probably has the most interaction and "gameplay" of them all, even including their latest Everybody's Gone to the Rapture.

[Timpa]

A machine for pigs had the writer aspects. The Chinese Room (actual creators of that game) sure knows how to tell a compelling, poetic story, but they are pretty dull when it comes to gameplay. A machine for pigs had some scary psychological elements, and it was mostly just a spine chiller more than an actual scary game. It also fell short on some absolutely abyssmal design decisions, like the regenerating health, no inventory, and the design on the enemies.

Soma seems to be somewhere in the middle so far. From what I can tell it will have the philosofy storytelling like AMFP while still having enemies that are not just munching at your knee's and glitching all over the place.

[that's what she said]

Originally posted by Timpster:

A machine for pigs had the writer aspects. The Chinese Room (actual creators of that game) sure knows how to tell a compelling, poetic story, but they are pretty dull when it comes to gameplay. A machine for pigs had some scary psychological elements, and it was mostly just a spine chiller more than an actual scary game. It also fell short on some absolutely abyssmal design decisions, like the regenerating health, no inventory, and the design on the enemies.

Soma seems to be somewhere in the middle so far. From what I can tell it will have the philosofy storytelling like AMFP while still having enemies that are not just munching at your knee's and glitching all over the place.

I prefer smart game with less gameplay to dumb game any day. First Amnesia was stupid game with afwul art-direction, there was literally nothing psychological in it, but the gameplay was fun. Machine for Pigs was smart and very stylish, but gameplay got cut in the progress. I guess people don't really care about smart games as I see Outlast and Alien: Isolation getting very high reviews but both being extremely stupid games with brain-dead stories and deep-as-cardboard-cutout characters - they are tailored for the masses. Frictional won't be tailoring a perfect game for a mass market - they don't know and don't want to do that. They have no choice but to take the risks. Last time it didn't work for public, but they were happy about it. And that great, I liked Machine for Pigs too.
p.s.: Yea, obviously, I'm the guy who still thinks Silent Hill 2 was the best horror game ever existed because it is the smartest story ever created in gaming.

[mike_235]

Amnesia: AMFP was made by a completely different dev. Frictional games had very little to do with it.

[centuryon]

I liked A Machine for Pigs, but I'm also frustrated with it because it was a missed opportunity. The Mandus Processing Plant had great potential to be a truly horrifying and terrifying place (come on, an industrial-age Meat/Butcher packing plant), but TheChineseRoom didn't focus on that aspect, instead mainly making the story about Mandus himself and a pseudo-commentary on the ills of the 20th Century. Nothing in the game came to the level of uncomfortable Horror that was found in The Dark Descents final act when you as Daniel uncovered your participation in those gruesome tortures. Even though Mandus wrote of great Horrors in his journal, because ChineseRoom were focused on writing, they left out "showing" instead of telling.

And then of course there's the parts of limiting environment interactivity, arbitrarily locking doors, removing sanity effects (or just effects) of looking at monsters (yeah, they wanted you to sympathize with them, but then they should have left that to the very end of the game), and adding that "blue haze" everywhere.

I think there's a good balance to be had between the more gameplay focused The Dark Descent and the story-focused Machine for Pigs and I'm hoping that SOMA is just that.

[Wistful]

I got about 20 minutes into AAMP and found it so boring it's just been sitting in my library for 2 years.

[Aerisnoir]

Originally posted by that's what she said:

p.s.: Yea, obviously, I'm the guy who still thinks Silent Hill 2 was the best horror game ever existed because it is the smartest story ever created in gaming.

You're not the only one. The solid story crafting of SH2 and the well-timed introduction of characters, environments, enemies and their deeper meaning were great. I certainly hope the game still inspires many horror game developers.

[centuryon]

I was actually someone who really loved Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. Which reminded me of A Machine for Pigs because that game too had a great story and narrative, but most people felt it was a terrible Silent Hill game.

[Gotta Ramble]

Different developer so i should hope not.

[Dex]

Originally posted by aerisnoir:

Pretty Original Story-centered (POS) games are definitely not for everyone...As is with all games. Some you like, some you don't.

lol, i see what you did there

[Icarus]

Originally posted by Gotta Ramble:

Different developer so i should hope not.

[Sysgen]

Originally posted by glowering:

I got about 20 minutes into AAMP and found it so boring it's just been sitting in my library for 2 years.

You should finish reading AMFP, its awesome.