The Thanks-Give-Away is now over, congrats to gp Pa22word for winning the lost copy.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/pa22word/
Hope everyone had a good time, congrats again to the winners.
Friday, November 26, 2010
TGA Round 3
And just like that, the second round is over, three more copies gone, and just one copy left to go.
The lucky winners:
http://steamcommunity.com/id/325432534
http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197998483539
http://steamcommunity.com/id/santyl0c0
Congrats to the three of you.
Round 3 is now open to entries.
How do you win round 3?
There can be only one. Email me your ultimate, best super villain plan to conquer the world and win the last copy of Freedom Force in this giveaway.
Best of luck, villains.
The lucky winners:
http://steamcommunity.com/id/325432534
http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197998483539
http://steamcommunity.com/id/santyl0c0
Congrats to the three of you.
Round 3 is now open to entries.
How do you win round 3?
There can be only one. Email me your ultimate, best super villain plan to conquer the world and win the last copy of Freedom Force in this giveaway.
Best of luck, villains.
Thanks-Give-Away Round 2
Round 1 was a success, three copies down, 4 to go.
The lucky winners:
http://steamcommunity.com/id/Linogare
http://steamcommunity.com/id/JRDeBo
http://steamcommunity.com/id/shamble57
Many congrats to you all, hope you enjoy your game.
Round 2 is going to be a bit more fun. Now as this is for the same game (and so it is fair to everyone), previous winners are not eligible for the last 2 rounds.
In round 2 you are to design your own super hero. Give him a name, a secret identity, describe their powers, costumes, origin, a love interest or villain perhaps, have fun with it.
As per last time send entries to: ourthengw@live.com with the subject: Thanks-Give-Away Round 2
Good luck gaming pals.
The lucky winners:
http://steamcommunity.com/id/Linogare
http://steamcommunity.com/id/JRDeBo
http://steamcommunity.com/id/shamble57
Many congrats to you all, hope you enjoy your game.
Round 2 is going to be a bit more fun. Now as this is for the same game (and so it is fair to everyone), previous winners are not eligible for the last 2 rounds.
In round 2 you are to design your own super hero. Give him a name, a secret identity, describe their powers, costumes, origin, a love interest or villain perhaps, have fun with it.
As per last time send entries to: ourthengw@live.com with the subject: Thanks-Give-Away Round 2
Good luck gaming pals.
Thanks-Give-Away
Hey gaming pals, your NGW here. Today, in the spirit of Christmas Thanksgiving Black Friday (oh how I loathe having to go to work in a few hours) I'm going to be doing a bit of a giveaway, this will be a multi-round competition, each round varying a bit from the last. I'm not going to be giving out the details of each round until..well until that round actually comes to pass, but I assure you each will be fun and rewarding.
So what exactly is up for grabs? In total I will be giving out 7 copies of Freedom Force for the PC (via Steam, of course). This super-hero RPG will make an excellent addition to anyone's collection.
So, what shall the first round be? Well this is going to be the easiest round, by far, and will end after 3 copies of the game have been given out.
Round 1
Email me your favorite super hero/heroine and why you should receive a copy of the game. Include your steam id so that if selected you can receive your copy of the game.
Email: ourthengw@live.com
Subject: Thanks-Give-Away Round 1
Good luck gps.
So what exactly is up for grabs? In total I will be giving out 7 copies of Freedom Force for the PC (via Steam, of course). This super-hero RPG will make an excellent addition to anyone's collection.
So, what shall the first round be? Well this is going to be the easiest round, by far, and will end after 3 copies of the game have been given out.
Round 1
Email me your favorite super hero/heroine and why you should receive a copy of the game. Include your steam id so that if selected you can receive your copy of the game.
Email: ourthengw@live.com
Subject: Thanks-Give-Away Round 1
Good luck gps.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Amnesia The Dark Descent: Review
In addition to my two interviews with Frictional Games, I also did a full review of Amnesia shortly after completing my first playthrough of the game. Read on to find out what I thought about this masterpiece of horror gaming.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent Review
by NGW
Platform: PC, Mac
Developer: Frictional Games
Rating: Not Rated
Amnesia is a first person survival horror game that takes place in the late 1800s. Players assume the role of recent amnesiac Daniel as he explores the halls of Castle Brennenburg. It's hard to get too into the story of Amnesia without treading dangerously into spoiler territory. Without giving too much away, the general plot of the game never really changes from the outset. It isn't long into your journey that you happen open a note from your former self, explaining that you are to descend the dark depths of Brennenburg to find and kill a man named Alexander, the baron of the castle, and that you are being hunted by a shadow, a living nightmare distorting reality. As the story unfolds, players will find themselves up against horrifying ghouls, moral dilemmas, and tough decisions that make them question Daniel's -- and even their own -- motivations.
The graphics are quite impressive, even if you aren't able to max the settings out. The rooms and hallways of Castle Brennenburg are all brought to life with a level of grisly detail some may wish could remain unseen. Rooms and passages vary from your archetypal castle halls and claustrophobic, mazelike confines of dungeons and sewer systems, to sprawling, open chambers and bloodsoaked torture cells; all rendered with a sense of dark, gritty, unnerving realism.
From the chilling atmosphere to the eerie story and tone, everything exudes an ethereal darkness that at times seem to be closing in all around you. The overwhelming darkness is more than just a scare tactic, it becomes a crucial part of gameplay as players often find themselves having to choose between using light and darkness to their advantage. In the light, players can allow Daniel's mind to rest, however they subject themselves to being much more easily spotted by the game's terrifying monstrosities that stalk you. In the darkness, players can hide themselves better at the cost of their sanity.
Yes, Amnesia brings back a much missed feature from the likes of Eternal Darkness, a sanity meter. As Daniel witnesses more disturbing imagery and creatures, or spends too long in the dark, his already broken mind begins to fracture further. It starts out simply enough with a simple blur to your vision and minor hallucinations, but as you lose more and more of your grip on reality, controls and movements begin to slow, and before too long Daniel will find himself crawling to find some source of light, hoping to regain even the smallest bit of his sanity. Another side effect to higher levels of insanity is that even the darkness can no longer shelter you: enemies gain almost nightvision-like eyesight and move at greater speeds straight towards you. And don't think that when they find you that you can simply defend yourself. Following in the footsteps in Frictional's own previous title Penumbra: Black Plague players are left utterly defenseless against the horrors they face. Amnesia features no weapons or combat system at all. Your only means of defense are running and hiding, a tactic best learned quickly lest you find yourself falling victim to one of Alexander's ghastly servants.
I'm thoroughly convinced sound design is a key component in what makes Amnesia as atmospheric and frightening as it is. For being a centuries old castle, Brennenburg is far from silent. From the wonderful soundtrack composed by Mikko Tarmia, to the wonderfully implemented sounds handcrafted by sound designer Tapio Liukkonen, the walls and environments around you feel truly alive. Players will find themselves overwhelmed at times by the screams of unseen victims, footsteps from every direction leaving no sense of just where danger may be, and the moaning of the accursed grunts that haunt the castle's halls. When I say overwhelming I do mean it, there are times that the soundtrack can be a bit much, making the player feel that they too are losing it right alongside our hero.
Death is handled quite differently than you find in most traditional games. Instead of starting you from a previous save or checkpoint, Amnesia doesn't force any loss of progress on a player. Rather, the player is simply respawned, sometimes in a slightly different area, and allowed to continue. The game's manual mentions that things in the world do change upon a death, but the changes I've noticed have been minor: a door may have been shut that once was open, or an enemy may have spawned somewhere else or even removed entirely. I've actually found myself placed beyond where I was killed, allowing me to proceed without any sort of penalty. I'm not sure if this was intentional or if these are just isolated events, but it takes the fear of death away just a bit.
Not too many games come out that I really feel are deserving of the "horror" they claim to deliver. In an age where steroid injected musclemen gunning down zombies has become the norm for the genre, a game that is as unnerving and genuinely frightening as Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a welcome breath of fresh air. As players explore and descend further, they are met with gruesome sights, unspeakable, indescribable monsters, and a slew of mind bending paranormal events; many of which the game emphasizes with audio and visual cues and movements of the camera. The game's immersive nature is a double-edged sword: some players may find this to further immerse themselves in the role of Daniel, while others may feel it a bit too obtrusive and commanding by telling them when and what to be scared of. The tactic does seem to be effective for the most part, as I have had many seasoned gamers tell me that the game is just too much for them. Several sequences may leave you holding your head as you struggle to regain composure -- I won't spoil too much here, but water is not your friend, and running is. The game's lack of combat and ability to properly defend yourself creates a sense of vulnerabilty and helplessness that few other titles have ever even come close to. Make no mistake, this is a game that will scare you.
Overall Amnesia is a wonderfully, refreshingly terrifying game, though not without minor issues that, although noticeable, won't take anything away from the overall experience. The atmosphere and gameplay are all top notch, with some wonderful musical scores and truly disturbing sights. This is a game you will want to play in the dark with headphones on for the full experience. Admittedly, there are some cheap scare tactics that may put some gamers off initially, however the scares that aren't predictable may prove too much for even seasoned horror gamers to handle. The way deaths are handled is a bit of a sticking point for me, as it does detract from the overall fear of dying -- one of the most significant sources of fear in a game like this. In the end though, I have to applaud Frictional Games for delivering another much needed dose of true terror to a genre that recently has had the tendency to borrow from cheesy slasher-flick action-horror standards rather than classic, truly frightening horror.
Final rating: 9/10
Game was played over the course of multiple sessions totaling approx. 11 hours by final completion of the single player campaign. 1 of 3 endings achieved (the best possible ending). An editor has been released for the game that allows players to create their own maps and stories to share online with others to play.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent Review
by NGW
Platform: PC, Mac
Developer: Frictional Games
Rating: Not Rated
Amnesia is a first person survival horror game that takes place in the late 1800s. Players assume the role of recent amnesiac Daniel as he explores the halls of Castle Brennenburg. It's hard to get too into the story of Amnesia without treading dangerously into spoiler territory. Without giving too much away, the general plot of the game never really changes from the outset. It isn't long into your journey that you happen open a note from your former self, explaining that you are to descend the dark depths of Brennenburg to find and kill a man named Alexander, the baron of the castle, and that you are being hunted by a shadow, a living nightmare distorting reality. As the story unfolds, players will find themselves up against horrifying ghouls, moral dilemmas, and tough decisions that make them question Daniel's -- and even their own -- motivations.
The dark halls of Amnesia's Castle Brennenburg are truly beautiful, if a bit unnerving to behold.
The graphics are quite impressive, even if you aren't able to max the settings out. The rooms and hallways of Castle Brennenburg are all brought to life with a level of grisly detail some may wish could remain unseen. Rooms and passages vary from your archetypal castle halls and claustrophobic, mazelike confines of dungeons and sewer systems, to sprawling, open chambers and bloodsoaked torture cells; all rendered with a sense of dark, gritty, unnerving realism.
From the chilling atmosphere to the eerie story and tone, everything exudes an ethereal darkness that at times seem to be closing in all around you. The overwhelming darkness is more than just a scare tactic, it becomes a crucial part of gameplay as players often find themselves having to choose between using light and darkness to their advantage. In the light, players can allow Daniel's mind to rest, however they subject themselves to being much more easily spotted by the game's terrifying monstrosities that stalk you. In the darkness, players can hide themselves better at the cost of their sanity.
Yes, Amnesia brings back a much missed feature from the likes of Eternal Darkness, a sanity meter. As Daniel witnesses more disturbing imagery and creatures, or spends too long in the dark, his already broken mind begins to fracture further. It starts out simply enough with a simple blur to your vision and minor hallucinations, but as you lose more and more of your grip on reality, controls and movements begin to slow, and before too long Daniel will find himself crawling to find some source of light, hoping to regain even the smallest bit of his sanity. Another side effect to higher levels of insanity is that even the darkness can no longer shelter you: enemies gain almost nightvision-like eyesight and move at greater speeds straight towards you. And don't think that when they find you that you can simply defend yourself. Following in the footsteps in Frictional's own previous title Penumbra: Black Plague players are left utterly defenseless against the horrors they face. Amnesia features no weapons or combat system at all. Your only means of defense are running and hiding, a tactic best learned quickly lest you find yourself falling victim to one of Alexander's ghastly servants.
I'm thoroughly convinced sound design is a key component in what makes Amnesia as atmospheric and frightening as it is. For being a centuries old castle, Brennenburg is far from silent. From the wonderful soundtrack composed by Mikko Tarmia, to the wonderfully implemented sounds handcrafted by sound designer Tapio Liukkonen, the walls and environments around you feel truly alive. Players will find themselves overwhelmed at times by the screams of unseen victims, footsteps from every direction leaving no sense of just where danger may be, and the moaning of the accursed grunts that haunt the castle's halls. When I say overwhelming I do mean it, there are times that the soundtrack can be a bit much, making the player feel that they too are losing it right alongside our hero.
He just wants a hug...honest
Death is handled quite differently than you find in most traditional games. Instead of starting you from a previous save or checkpoint, Amnesia doesn't force any loss of progress on a player. Rather, the player is simply respawned, sometimes in a slightly different area, and allowed to continue. The game's manual mentions that things in the world do change upon a death, but the changes I've noticed have been minor: a door may have been shut that once was open, or an enemy may have spawned somewhere else or even removed entirely. I've actually found myself placed beyond where I was killed, allowing me to proceed without any sort of penalty. I'm not sure if this was intentional or if these are just isolated events, but it takes the fear of death away just a bit.
Not too many games come out that I really feel are deserving of the "horror" they claim to deliver. In an age where steroid injected musclemen gunning down zombies has become the norm for the genre, a game that is as unnerving and genuinely frightening as Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a welcome breath of fresh air. As players explore and descend further, they are met with gruesome sights, unspeakable, indescribable monsters, and a slew of mind bending paranormal events; many of which the game emphasizes with audio and visual cues and movements of the camera. The game's immersive nature is a double-edged sword: some players may find this to further immerse themselves in the role of Daniel, while others may feel it a bit too obtrusive and commanding by telling them when and what to be scared of. The tactic does seem to be effective for the most part, as I have had many seasoned gamers tell me that the game is just too much for them. Several sequences may leave you holding your head as you struggle to regain composure -- I won't spoil too much here, but water is not your friend, and running is. The game's lack of combat and ability to properly defend yourself creates a sense of vulnerabilty and helplessness that few other titles have ever even come close to. Make no mistake, this is a game that will scare you.
Overall Amnesia is a wonderfully, refreshingly terrifying game, though not without minor issues that, although noticeable, won't take anything away from the overall experience. The atmosphere and gameplay are all top notch, with some wonderful musical scores and truly disturbing sights. This is a game you will want to play in the dark with headphones on for the full experience. Admittedly, there are some cheap scare tactics that may put some gamers off initially, however the scares that aren't predictable may prove too much for even seasoned horror gamers to handle. The way deaths are handled is a bit of a sticking point for me, as it does detract from the overall fear of dying -- one of the most significant sources of fear in a game like this. In the end though, I have to applaud Frictional Games for delivering another much needed dose of true terror to a genre that recently has had the tendency to borrow from cheesy slasher-flick action-horror standards rather than classic, truly frightening horror.
Final rating: 9/10
Game was played over the course of multiple sessions totaling approx. 11 hours by final completion of the single player campaign. 1 of 3 endings achieved (the best possible ending). An editor has been released for the game that allows players to create their own maps and stories to share online with others to play.
Amnesia the Dark Descent: Interviews with Frictional Games part 2
So, as I said in my last post, I interviewed the team over at Frictional Games for Xugo Gaming twice, once prior to the release of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and once after its release, as a bit of a followup. Below is the second of these interviews.
NGW: Let's start by talking a bit about the game that almost wasn't, if you don't mind. Leading up to its release it became known that you guys almost had to drop work on Amnesia completely. Care to shed any light on the subject?
Frictional Games: It's also lost in a haze of Amnesia so can't remember really. Nah, the short version is something like this: We originally had a publisher to do a new game, we had to break that contract and found ourselves with no money to really run the company for as long as it would take to finish the game. We had a rush where we tried all possible solutions, from bank loans to investors, right at this time there was a sale of Penumbra on Steam, which had a huge success. We then took a quick decision to cut salaries in half and re-plan the project to be completed in a short timeframe and started working furiously. We did not have the money needed to finish the project, but we had a couple of months and made a budget where we had some key areas where we needed to get more money.
The same year we had a great combination of a Penumbra Collection for Linux/Mac re-launch, with a heavy sale and a spot on blog post on a popular Linux blog (blog of Helios) which created another great weekend sale of madness. This occurred just as things were looking pretty game over for us.
We continued on and during the rest of the project we managed to get some extra cash when needed, so we kept running on the low burner and managing to survive. Then during this late spring there was the HIB, at which point we knew already that we were going to be able to finish the game with out any troubles, but the HIB really made it feel very safe and warm, that after finishing the game we would not be completely out of money. Thank's to the HIB we have been able to sleep comfortable and knowing that even if Amnesia failed tremendously we would have a couple of months again to think of solutions. Thank fully Amnesia did not fail...
NGW: Following on from above, you also have stated that your future as a company is pretty much being decided on this one release. Has Amnesia sold up to (beyond?) expectations? Do we have to worry about your future as a company or is all good?
FG: That's true, the good news is that Amnesia met our expectations so we are continuing on in an OK form. It's not a huge success, we have met our sales expectations so far, but the reviews and reception has been a lot more positive than we expected, so with this in mind we are a little worried that the sales could be viewed as worse as the game is better than we had planned!
Frictional Games has not been in such a good shape as we currently are. But we had hoped to have a bit more financial success because we have some ideas and visions that would require a bit more stability. We are on the right track though!
NGW: Speaking on Amnesia's performance, the game has received fairly positive reviews, I don' think I've seen any less than an 8. Obviously as a team you're shooting for the highest possible scores, but are you as a whole satisfied with the game's performance score-wise?
FG: Yup, very satisfied.
NGW: There's no doubt that Amnesia is a frightening game, I've had seasoned gamers, even Penumbra veterans, tell me that Amnesia is just too much for them. Do you feel that it is possible to make something that is "too scary", either in that it pushes away too large a group of potential buyers or that it really could be harmful to the health of your players?
FG: Haha, hopefully not harmful! Yes on the possibility of pushing potential players away from the game. Not sure that has to be negative, it is a niche and to be really horrifying in this niche makes us stand out and hopefully attract more players than we loose.
NGW: One complaint I have seen pop up in regards to Amnesia is the almost scripted feel to some of the scares. Not just so much that things like certain monster encounters or environmental events or some such are scripted to happen and will happen in every play through, but that Daniel's own reactions may differ too greatly from the player and pull them a bit out of the experience. While I personally feel it does work if you approach the game with the right mindset, I can see how it may be a turn off for some players. What say you?
FG: There was a suggestion to make an option in the game to "disable player character reactions", which we have said to be a great idea. We will not do it for Amnesia, as it would require some work we have not planned for, but for a next game we can keep this option in mind and create the game with that option. We think it is a typical design issue that adds a lot to the game for some people but detracts a lot from the game for others.
NGW: The way deaths are handled in Amnesia are a bit different from most other games, in the manual it mentions that somewhere, something in the game world changes upon a death. Now I've died a few times in both of my plays of Amnesia, but I can't say I've quite experienced these changes, at least not to the degree I'd have expected. More often than not I'd respawn, generally in the same area outside of a couple of circumstances, the creature that killed me would either be gone or farther away, and I'd actually in some cases have been moved slightly ahead. Is this how it was intended or is there more to this system? Care to give examples of things that may change?
FG: There are more interesting changes, but overall it can be a bit simplified. The main reason is to make sure that players do not get stuck and have to play the same part over and over, so while the first death might change something more interesting the second or third might simply be something that eases the difficulty level to pass the specific section.
It can be difficult to notice what has changed, because some are simply that you will get encounters later in the level that you do not get if you did not die. Some might be more noticeable, as starting out in a strange place, with some sort of event happening. If you die and think now I will pay attention and see what has changed it might not always be easy if it is not one of those events, as the change will occur later.
NGW: What are some things that have changed over the course of Amnesia's development? I did begin a play with the commentary, and found some interesting facts out (such as Daniel's initial lack of the titular Amnesia upon his awakening), are there any other examples? I recall in trailers Daniel being able to barricade a door with objects such as a tables to block Alexander's servants from getting in, this has changed from the final product and much less of the world is that interactive, what was the reasoning behind this change?
FG: Originally Amnesia had a working title of horror pacman, the idea was to have smaller rooms that you entered and solved puzzles. So a horror themed story driven puzzler, a bit like Saw if you so like. This was later moved towards a horror game with combat elements, the reasoning behind this was that combat allows for easy to make gameplay. When it is puzzle and story driven, you really have to craft every single minute of gameplay, but if you have combat you can add a weapon and an enemy and off you go (sort of). But with the weapon we got the same problem as in Penumbra Overture, that for some combat was really easy and for others it was really difficult. Then we actually went back to some older ideas, which was more like Penumbra, but with a re-usable gameplay with using shadows and light instead (shadows being dangerous and light being safe basically). We never really got that far, as we first started to prototype the game as a whole without that specific gameplay bit, so we eventually had prototyped something that was quite close to what Amnesia were on the release. We mostly spent the last year removing typical gameplay elements, like coins, potions, the quest system and things like that, in order to make something that was really concentrated on the "not to play and win, rather to experience" idea behind Amnesia.
NGW: With the toolkit now released, are there any expectations you have or things you are hoping to see develop from the userbase? Any specific requests?
FG: No expectations at all to be honest. We are surprised and very happy about the interest already! We did not expect so much stuff to be made this soon as it is, so we are simply enjoying all the fun stuff showing up. We even already have seen the very first Machinima made with the tools, created a good laugh in our Skype chat!
NGW: You have stated in the past that Amnesia is a stand-alone title, and that it will not be handled in an episodic manner like Penumbra. But is there a chance that we may in the future revisit the world of Amnesia? Perhaps find out more about the orb and the shadow that guards it, or this other world mentioned by various characters and notes, maybe explain a few things left unanswered by the end of the game? And while you've stated there is no direct connection between Amnesia and the Penumbra games, are they possibly in the same universe or are they completely removed from eachother?
FG: There is no link at all between Amnesia and Penumbra. Amnesia really was a fresh and lovely start on something new for us. There is a chance for more Amnesia in the future, but most likely not what we do next. It will be near impossible for us to gather the inspiration to do another horror game like that and to make something that will meet the expectations. We are very happy with the reception of Amnesia and feel ourselves right now that we will have problems trying to make an even better Amnesia game. So we are off to look high and low for new inspiration.
NGW: I've stumbled upon some interesting theories regarding the story of Amnesia, as well as the meaning behind the password used for the super_secret.rar file in the game's folder. How close would you say some of these are? Any clarifications you wish to make? Or is it more open to one's own interpretation.
FG: No comment.
NGW: I have to ask this, as it pertains to a personal favorite story/moment of mine. Late in the game there is a strange metal cylinder, and from this cylinder a voice. Is this meant as a reference to "The Whisperer in Darkness", my favorite HP Lovecraft story? If so, I love you guys all the more. And do you have a favorite Lovecraft story?
FG: A bunch of stuff in the game is inspired by Lovecraft stories, but we do not want to (or can) say exactly what. As you read books, watch movies, you fill your mind with inspiration and some of this is bound to end up in the game. Amnesia is not meant to specifically be a Lovecraft inspired work, but there is bound to be lots of stuff in there that relates to his stories.
Hard to pick a favorite, Statement of Randolph Carter, Case of Charles Dexter Ward and The Hound are some that pop up, but hard to pin down just one.
NGW: What were some specific challenges you faced when developing Amnesia, be they story or design related.
FG: Tons! With our prototyping it is safe to say that we had a hard time figuring out the main concept in the game, what the player should actually go about doing while playing. It was a challenge to let go of many rules that you have about games, that they need to be challenging, difficult and even fun is a must. We spent a lot of time trying to convince ourselves that you can remove all that and yet present something that will be a great experience for the player.
NGW: Any plans for the future now that Amnesia has released? Can we look forward to, mayhaps a sci-fi/horror title along the lines of the original Alien, something like what Dead Space could have been? Or do you have something else planned?
FG: We are full steam ahead already on what is coming next, but too early to say anything specific about it. Lots of things can change before we have something that can truly be said to be the next project. It will not be Amnesia 2 that is as good as certain and we doubt it will be in space!
NGW: Any last words or tips for our readers?
FG: Visit amnesiagame.com and try the demo, what else is there!?
NGW: Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions, always a pleasure to speak with you. Congrats once again on the release and success of Amnesia, looking forward to whatever more you have planned for us. Here's hoping we can keep this contact again in the future.
Kindest regards,
NGW
FG: Thanks and best regards,
Frictional Games
And for anyone looking for more information on Amnesia, Penumbra, or the team behind them be sure to check them out at Frictional Games' website.
NGW: Let's start by talking a bit about the game that almost wasn't, if you don't mind. Leading up to its release it became known that you guys almost had to drop work on Amnesia completely. Care to shed any light on the subject?
Frictional Games: It's also lost in a haze of Amnesia so can't remember really. Nah, the short version is something like this: We originally had a publisher to do a new game, we had to break that contract and found ourselves with no money to really run the company for as long as it would take to finish the game. We had a rush where we tried all possible solutions, from bank loans to investors, right at this time there was a sale of Penumbra on Steam, which had a huge success. We then took a quick decision to cut salaries in half and re-plan the project to be completed in a short timeframe and started working furiously. We did not have the money needed to finish the project, but we had a couple of months and made a budget where we had some key areas where we needed to get more money.
The same year we had a great combination of a Penumbra Collection for Linux/Mac re-launch, with a heavy sale and a spot on blog post on a popular Linux blog (blog of Helios) which created another great weekend sale of madness. This occurred just as things were looking pretty game over for us.
We continued on and during the rest of the project we managed to get some extra cash when needed, so we kept running on the low burner and managing to survive. Then during this late spring there was the HIB, at which point we knew already that we were going to be able to finish the game with out any troubles, but the HIB really made it feel very safe and warm, that after finishing the game we would not be completely out of money. Thank's to the HIB we have been able to sleep comfortable and knowing that even if Amnesia failed tremendously we would have a couple of months again to think of solutions. Thank fully Amnesia did not fail...
NGW: Following on from above, you also have stated that your future as a company is pretty much being decided on this one release. Has Amnesia sold up to (beyond?) expectations? Do we have to worry about your future as a company or is all good?
FG: That's true, the good news is that Amnesia met our expectations so we are continuing on in an OK form. It's not a huge success, we have met our sales expectations so far, but the reviews and reception has been a lot more positive than we expected, so with this in mind we are a little worried that the sales could be viewed as worse as the game is better than we had planned!
Frictional Games has not been in such a good shape as we currently are. But we had hoped to have a bit more financial success because we have some ideas and visions that would require a bit more stability. We are on the right track though!
NGW: Speaking on Amnesia's performance, the game has received fairly positive reviews, I don' think I've seen any less than an 8. Obviously as a team you're shooting for the highest possible scores, but are you as a whole satisfied with the game's performance score-wise?
FG: Yup, very satisfied.
NGW: There's no doubt that Amnesia is a frightening game, I've had seasoned gamers, even Penumbra veterans, tell me that Amnesia is just too much for them. Do you feel that it is possible to make something that is "too scary", either in that it pushes away too large a group of potential buyers or that it really could be harmful to the health of your players?
FG: Haha, hopefully not harmful! Yes on the possibility of pushing potential players away from the game. Not sure that has to be negative, it is a niche and to be really horrifying in this niche makes us stand out and hopefully attract more players than we loose.
NGW: One complaint I have seen pop up in regards to Amnesia is the almost scripted feel to some of the scares. Not just so much that things like certain monster encounters or environmental events or some such are scripted to happen and will happen in every play through, but that Daniel's own reactions may differ too greatly from the player and pull them a bit out of the experience. While I personally feel it does work if you approach the game with the right mindset, I can see how it may be a turn off for some players. What say you?
FG: There was a suggestion to make an option in the game to "disable player character reactions", which we have said to be a great idea. We will not do it for Amnesia, as it would require some work we have not planned for, but for a next game we can keep this option in mind and create the game with that option. We think it is a typical design issue that adds a lot to the game for some people but detracts a lot from the game for others.
NGW: The way deaths are handled in Amnesia are a bit different from most other games, in the manual it mentions that somewhere, something in the game world changes upon a death. Now I've died a few times in both of my plays of Amnesia, but I can't say I've quite experienced these changes, at least not to the degree I'd have expected. More often than not I'd respawn, generally in the same area outside of a couple of circumstances, the creature that killed me would either be gone or farther away, and I'd actually in some cases have been moved slightly ahead. Is this how it was intended or is there more to this system? Care to give examples of things that may change?
FG: There are more interesting changes, but overall it can be a bit simplified. The main reason is to make sure that players do not get stuck and have to play the same part over and over, so while the first death might change something more interesting the second or third might simply be something that eases the difficulty level to pass the specific section.
It can be difficult to notice what has changed, because some are simply that you will get encounters later in the level that you do not get if you did not die. Some might be more noticeable, as starting out in a strange place, with some sort of event happening. If you die and think now I will pay attention and see what has changed it might not always be easy if it is not one of those events, as the change will occur later.
NGW: What are some things that have changed over the course of Amnesia's development? I did begin a play with the commentary, and found some interesting facts out (such as Daniel's initial lack of the titular Amnesia upon his awakening), are there any other examples? I recall in trailers Daniel being able to barricade a door with objects such as a tables to block Alexander's servants from getting in, this has changed from the final product and much less of the world is that interactive, what was the reasoning behind this change?
FG: Originally Amnesia had a working title of horror pacman, the idea was to have smaller rooms that you entered and solved puzzles. So a horror themed story driven puzzler, a bit like Saw if you so like. This was later moved towards a horror game with combat elements, the reasoning behind this was that combat allows for easy to make gameplay. When it is puzzle and story driven, you really have to craft every single minute of gameplay, but if you have combat you can add a weapon and an enemy and off you go (sort of). But with the weapon we got the same problem as in Penumbra Overture, that for some combat was really easy and for others it was really difficult. Then we actually went back to some older ideas, which was more like Penumbra, but with a re-usable gameplay with using shadows and light instead (shadows being dangerous and light being safe basically). We never really got that far, as we first started to prototype the game as a whole without that specific gameplay bit, so we eventually had prototyped something that was quite close to what Amnesia were on the release. We mostly spent the last year removing typical gameplay elements, like coins, potions, the quest system and things like that, in order to make something that was really concentrated on the "not to play and win, rather to experience" idea behind Amnesia.
NGW: With the toolkit now released, are there any expectations you have or things you are hoping to see develop from the userbase? Any specific requests?
FG: No expectations at all to be honest. We are surprised and very happy about the interest already! We did not expect so much stuff to be made this soon as it is, so we are simply enjoying all the fun stuff showing up. We even already have seen the very first Machinima made with the tools, created a good laugh in our Skype chat!
NGW: You have stated in the past that Amnesia is a stand-alone title, and that it will not be handled in an episodic manner like Penumbra. But is there a chance that we may in the future revisit the world of Amnesia? Perhaps find out more about the orb and the shadow that guards it, or this other world mentioned by various characters and notes, maybe explain a few things left unanswered by the end of the game? And while you've stated there is no direct connection between Amnesia and the Penumbra games, are they possibly in the same universe or are they completely removed from eachother?
FG: There is no link at all between Amnesia and Penumbra. Amnesia really was a fresh and lovely start on something new for us. There is a chance for more Amnesia in the future, but most likely not what we do next. It will be near impossible for us to gather the inspiration to do another horror game like that and to make something that will meet the expectations. We are very happy with the reception of Amnesia and feel ourselves right now that we will have problems trying to make an even better Amnesia game. So we are off to look high and low for new inspiration.
NGW: I've stumbled upon some interesting theories regarding the story of Amnesia, as well as the meaning behind the password used for the super_secret.rar file in the game's folder. How close would you say some of these are? Any clarifications you wish to make? Or is it more open to one's own interpretation.
FG: No comment.
NGW: I have to ask this, as it pertains to a personal favorite story/moment of mine. Late in the game there is a strange metal cylinder, and from this cylinder a voice. Is this meant as a reference to "The Whisperer in Darkness", my favorite HP Lovecraft story? If so, I love you guys all the more. And do you have a favorite Lovecraft story?
FG: A bunch of stuff in the game is inspired by Lovecraft stories, but we do not want to (or can) say exactly what. As you read books, watch movies, you fill your mind with inspiration and some of this is bound to end up in the game. Amnesia is not meant to specifically be a Lovecraft inspired work, but there is bound to be lots of stuff in there that relates to his stories.
Hard to pick a favorite, Statement of Randolph Carter, Case of Charles Dexter Ward and The Hound are some that pop up, but hard to pin down just one.
NGW: What were some specific challenges you faced when developing Amnesia, be they story or design related.
FG: Tons! With our prototyping it is safe to say that we had a hard time figuring out the main concept in the game, what the player should actually go about doing while playing. It was a challenge to let go of many rules that you have about games, that they need to be challenging, difficult and even fun is a must. We spent a lot of time trying to convince ourselves that you can remove all that and yet present something that will be a great experience for the player.
NGW: Any plans for the future now that Amnesia has released? Can we look forward to, mayhaps a sci-fi/horror title along the lines of the original Alien, something like what Dead Space could have been? Or do you have something else planned?
FG: We are full steam ahead already on what is coming next, but too early to say anything specific about it. Lots of things can change before we have something that can truly be said to be the next project. It will not be Amnesia 2 that is as good as certain and we doubt it will be in space!
NGW: Any last words or tips for our readers?
FG: Visit amnesiagame.com and try the demo, what else is there!?
NGW: Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions, always a pleasure to speak with you. Congrats once again on the release and success of Amnesia, looking forward to whatever more you have planned for us. Here's hoping we can keep this contact again in the future.
Kindest regards,
NGW
FG: Thanks and best regards,
Frictional Games
And for anyone looking for more information on Amnesia, Penumbra, or the team behind them be sure to check them out at Frictional Games' website.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Amnesia The Dark Descent: Interviews with Frictional Games part 1
Greetings gaming pals, this is your NGW back with some journalistic work I did for a little site called Xugo Gaming. Now a while back I got into contact with a small indie team called Frictional Games. You may have heard of them, they released the Penumbra trilogy of games, and most recently Amnesia: The Dark Descent. To date they've managed to put out the genuinely most terrifying and amazing horror games..honestly I'd say ever. They really seem to just GET horror. Doesn't hurt that they are HUGE Lovecraft fans, their work is heavily inspired by his mythos, I mean they even named their game engine after him. So, being the fan of Lovecraft and Frictional's work that I am, I got a hold of the team prior to the release of Amnesia to do an interview with them in regards to their upcoming game and on them as a team on behalf of Xugo Gaming. Being the awesome chaps that they are, they agreed. The following is the first of two interviews I did with Frictional Games, which was done prior to the release of Amnesia.
-To start, let's hear a bit about your background, how exactly did Frictional Games come to be?
Thomas: Jens and I met when I worked on Unbirth, a now cancel hobby project, where he helped with sounds. We then did a thesis together. Then we made Penumbra tech demo during a course, which did so well that we decided to make a commercial version. That is pretty much it!
-Now, if I'm not mistaken, all of your releases to date have been developed and released exclusively for PC as opposed to a multiplatform or console release. Is this due to the accessability of the platform for independent developers or is there some other reasoning behind it?
Thomas: The main reasons are resources, knowledge and money and they are all connected. Developing for the PC is much cheaper as you do not need to have a dev-kit or costly QA. Also, we are all familiar with the PC platform meaning we can jump right into development. Given that we have little time and people that can do work, it is important that we do not get stuck at other issues than making the actual game.
That said, we would like to make console games and it would not be impossible for us to do so in the future. It depends a little on our financial situation and what kind of opportunities that comes along.
-I'm a huge fan of H.P. Lovecraft, and the Lovecraftian influence on your company and work is clearly quite obvious. Was this just sorta a natural development due to a passion for his work, or did you more consciously try and include references and Lovecraftian imagery and ideology?
Thomas: 10 years ago or so, I made a hobby game called Fiend and this was pretty much me making my first Lovecraft game. All other games from that have got more inspiration than actual copying material. I am also a huge fan of Lovecraft and I think he will always be an inspiration, and can be found lurking in our games' design. It is of course also fun to throw in references now and then (like names of books, etc), but that is usually more eastern eggs more than anything else.
-Would you say that there's also a heavy Lovecraftian theme to your upcoming title Amnesia? Care to tell us how his works may have come into play in the development of it?
Thomas: As I mentioned, the Lovecraftian atmosphere will always be a part of our game's somehow. Amnesia has some lovecraftian themes, story and gameplay-wise, but is not a central part of the game. Parts like mysterious note and a sort of scientification of the horror are things that can be directly connected to Lovecraft's work and are big part Amnesia. But this comes more from what we find works in a horror game, rather than us having to make a “Lovecraft game”. Also, Lovecraft have been such a huge inspiration on modern horror that it is hard to do anything that is not just a bit Lovecratian.
-It's clear you guys have a great grasp on the horror genre, really seeming to just...get it, as opposed to a lot of other developers nowadays that seem focused on making action games with horror themes to them. I'd assume you're fans of horror in general? Besides the obvious Lovecraft influences, were there other films, games or books that inspired you?
Thomas: For Amnesia, inspiration has come from many non-fictional sources. For example, the general settings has been inspired by reading books about 17th -18th century scientists and how they went about with their work. Also the Milgram and Standford prison experiments have also played a large part and laid as a base for some of the themes that the game explore. I read and watch a lot of horror stuff, and while I cannot point to anything specific, many situations and feelings has been transferred into the game. Like if a film has some character in a tight crawlspace, then you might get an idea for some event to use in the game. That sort of things.
-Something the Penumbra series was able to do that I've never seen replicated in another game before or since is create a real feeling of vulnerability and helplessness, especially so in Black Plague where, while you tecnhically can harm your foes, its not really a viable option, players best opting to run and hide. How are you carrying this over into Amnesia? Will players have ways of defending themselves outside of the run and hide we've seen in previews ala Overture or will you be relatively defenseless more in the spirit of Black Plague?
Thomas: No weapons in Amnesia either and you will be just as (if not more?) vulnerable as in Black Plague. We felt that taking away weapons in Black Plague really changed the way the players approached the game and we feel it was something we wanted to keep. When the player does not have weapon up front, it changes their view immensely and many seem to be more willing to roleplay and immerse themselves. When having combat, it is so easy that the game becomes mechanics oriented and losing focus on story, environments and other crucial parts (this happened to me when playing Dead Space for example). It really makes the horror elements so much better with no weapons in the game.
-What sort of philosophy and mindset did you have when beginning work on the Penumbra trilogy? Would you say you took the same sort of approach with Amnesia, or has anything changed?
Thomas: Back then I think it was mostly about making a horror game in general. Now days we have a stronger focus on creating emotions and building mechanics and situations that help convey this. So it is just not as much that we want to make a “horror game”, but rather that we like to create a certain experience.
-I've gotta ask about the third chapter of the Penumbra trilogy, Requiem. Now this game took a very very different turn from its predecessors, opting for more of a puzzle focused game than a survival horror one, either to the benefit or detriment of it depending on who you ask. Regardless of that, why is it you choose such an approach for the third installment? Do you feel it was overall the right way to close the series out or looking back would you have gone with a style more in veing with Overture and Black Plague?
Thomas: Paradox actually asked us if we wanted to make a sort of add-on for Black Plague and because we did not feel like building a new story and so on, we made a puzzle focused game. The interaction system we have allow for a lot of fun things, but in the previous games we where heavily constrained by story on what we could do. So we thought it would be fun to make a game where we just skipped story and focused on the puzzles. This was not very well received though and is not something we will repeat.
-The Penumbra series was your first real efforts as a development team putting a game out for retail, how has your experience with that differed from your soon to be released Amnesia?
Thomas: There is a lot of things that we have learned over the years since we first started. There is so much that goes into making a game, and not just things directly connected with the development itself. For example, there is accounting, team management, localizations, contract and tons of other stuff. We have slowly figured out how to handle these things and although we still have a lot to learn, we feel we have really matured as a company.
-With Amnesia just a few short weeks away, is there any info you're willing to divulge about it?
Thomas: Apart from that we are really happy about how it is turning out, I am not sure there is that much new to tell. We do not want to spoil too much before release and the current info available should be a more than enough:.
Amnesia is a game that focus on immersion and exploration. It does not focus on some fun gameplay gimmick, but is an holistic experience that tries to truly terrify the player. You awake in a desolate castle, only remembering that something is hunting you. Soon you find a note written by yourself to yourself, where you are told to kill someone named Alexander, who resides in the castle.
That is pretty much all a new player should know!
-Touching back on how most modern day horror games seem to focus on being action/horror titles rather than survival-horror, do you feel this trend is good for the genre? Is it something you'd ever consider taking a shot at?
Thomas: I think it is good that so many (all?) horror games seem to have the horror more as a side thing and have more focus on the action. This makes our own game stand out more!
It is not really something I personally want to create though. There are far too many other interesting game ideas to explore.
-I've already asked about influences you've had as far as the horror genre goes, but are there other developers out there that have had a hand in shaping Frictional Games or your work?
Thomas: Not sure really. We have contacts with some other indie developer's and hearing about success from other small companies is always inspiring. Can not come up with any developer that we have had as a sort of role model though.
-Digital distribution is obviously an up and coming market, but some question its validity and stability in the long run, as well as its benefits to smaller developers. With the Penumbra series being available both on Steam as well as your own online store, and Amnesia only receiving a digital release, its clear you're fond of the practice, what words would you have for the naysayers?
Thomas: I would say there is still room for both! Amnesia is being released as retail in Russia and would have been in EU and US too if we have gotten a deal ready in time. I understand why some people like to buy a physical copy and at the same time I personally buy all my games digitally.
From a financial stand point digital distribution is really ace. You get money quickly and you get the largest part of the cake with no middle hands. So it is really nice for a small developer as ourselves. But it does not mean that the retail market is dead. At least not yet!
-I'm sure I've eaten up enough of your time so I've got just one last question. If you could name any movie as the be all, end all of horror movies, what would it be and why?
Thomas: There is a lot of movies from the seventies that had really stood the test of time. Like Alien, Omen and the Exorcist. There have been very few films to reach the height of those.
-To start, let's hear a bit about your background, how exactly did Frictional Games come to be?
Thomas: Jens and I met when I worked on Unbirth, a now cancel hobby project, where he helped with sounds. We then did a thesis together. Then we made Penumbra tech demo during a course, which did so well that we decided to make a commercial version. That is pretty much it!
-Now, if I'm not mistaken, all of your releases to date have been developed and released exclusively for PC as opposed to a multiplatform or console release. Is this due to the accessability of the platform for independent developers or is there some other reasoning behind it?
Thomas: The main reasons are resources, knowledge and money and they are all connected. Developing for the PC is much cheaper as you do not need to have a dev-kit or costly QA. Also, we are all familiar with the PC platform meaning we can jump right into development. Given that we have little time and people that can do work, it is important that we do not get stuck at other issues than making the actual game.
That said, we would like to make console games and it would not be impossible for us to do so in the future. It depends a little on our financial situation and what kind of opportunities that comes along.
-I'm a huge fan of H.P. Lovecraft, and the Lovecraftian influence on your company and work is clearly quite obvious. Was this just sorta a natural development due to a passion for his work, or did you more consciously try and include references and Lovecraftian imagery and ideology?
Thomas: 10 years ago or so, I made a hobby game called Fiend and this was pretty much me making my first Lovecraft game. All other games from that have got more inspiration than actual copying material. I am also a huge fan of Lovecraft and I think he will always be an inspiration, and can be found lurking in our games' design. It is of course also fun to throw in references now and then (like names of books, etc), but that is usually more eastern eggs more than anything else.
-Would you say that there's also a heavy Lovecraftian theme to your upcoming title Amnesia? Care to tell us how his works may have come into play in the development of it?
Thomas: As I mentioned, the Lovecraftian atmosphere will always be a part of our game's somehow. Amnesia has some lovecraftian themes, story and gameplay-wise, but is not a central part of the game. Parts like mysterious note and a sort of scientification of the horror are things that can be directly connected to Lovecraft's work and are big part Amnesia. But this comes more from what we find works in a horror game, rather than us having to make a “Lovecraft game”. Also, Lovecraft have been such a huge inspiration on modern horror that it is hard to do anything that is not just a bit Lovecratian.
-It's clear you guys have a great grasp on the horror genre, really seeming to just...get it, as opposed to a lot of other developers nowadays that seem focused on making action games with horror themes to them. I'd assume you're fans of horror in general? Besides the obvious Lovecraft influences, were there other films, games or books that inspired you?
Thomas: For Amnesia, inspiration has come from many non-fictional sources. For example, the general settings has been inspired by reading books about 17th -18th century scientists and how they went about with their work. Also the Milgram and Standford prison experiments have also played a large part and laid as a base for some of the themes that the game explore. I read and watch a lot of horror stuff, and while I cannot point to anything specific, many situations and feelings has been transferred into the game. Like if a film has some character in a tight crawlspace, then you might get an idea for some event to use in the game. That sort of things.
-Something the Penumbra series was able to do that I've never seen replicated in another game before or since is create a real feeling of vulnerability and helplessness, especially so in Black Plague where, while you tecnhically can harm your foes, its not really a viable option, players best opting to run and hide. How are you carrying this over into Amnesia? Will players have ways of defending themselves outside of the run and hide we've seen in previews ala Overture or will you be relatively defenseless more in the spirit of Black Plague?
Thomas: No weapons in Amnesia either and you will be just as (if not more?) vulnerable as in Black Plague. We felt that taking away weapons in Black Plague really changed the way the players approached the game and we feel it was something we wanted to keep. When the player does not have weapon up front, it changes their view immensely and many seem to be more willing to roleplay and immerse themselves. When having combat, it is so easy that the game becomes mechanics oriented and losing focus on story, environments and other crucial parts (this happened to me when playing Dead Space for example). It really makes the horror elements so much better with no weapons in the game.
-What sort of philosophy and mindset did you have when beginning work on the Penumbra trilogy? Would you say you took the same sort of approach with Amnesia, or has anything changed?
Thomas: Back then I think it was mostly about making a horror game in general. Now days we have a stronger focus on creating emotions and building mechanics and situations that help convey this. So it is just not as much that we want to make a “horror game”, but rather that we like to create a certain experience.
-I've gotta ask about the third chapter of the Penumbra trilogy, Requiem. Now this game took a very very different turn from its predecessors, opting for more of a puzzle focused game than a survival horror one, either to the benefit or detriment of it depending on who you ask. Regardless of that, why is it you choose such an approach for the third installment? Do you feel it was overall the right way to close the series out or looking back would you have gone with a style more in veing with Overture and Black Plague?
Thomas: Paradox actually asked us if we wanted to make a sort of add-on for Black Plague and because we did not feel like building a new story and so on, we made a puzzle focused game. The interaction system we have allow for a lot of fun things, but in the previous games we where heavily constrained by story on what we could do. So we thought it would be fun to make a game where we just skipped story and focused on the puzzles. This was not very well received though and is not something we will repeat.
-The Penumbra series was your first real efforts as a development team putting a game out for retail, how has your experience with that differed from your soon to be released Amnesia?
Thomas: There is a lot of things that we have learned over the years since we first started. There is so much that goes into making a game, and not just things directly connected with the development itself. For example, there is accounting, team management, localizations, contract and tons of other stuff. We have slowly figured out how to handle these things and although we still have a lot to learn, we feel we have really matured as a company.
-With Amnesia just a few short weeks away, is there any info you're willing to divulge about it?
Thomas: Apart from that we are really happy about how it is turning out, I am not sure there is that much new to tell. We do not want to spoil too much before release and the current info available should be a more than enough:.
Amnesia is a game that focus on immersion and exploration. It does not focus on some fun gameplay gimmick, but is an holistic experience that tries to truly terrify the player. You awake in a desolate castle, only remembering that something is hunting you. Soon you find a note written by yourself to yourself, where you are told to kill someone named Alexander, who resides in the castle.
That is pretty much all a new player should know!
-Touching back on how most modern day horror games seem to focus on being action/horror titles rather than survival-horror, do you feel this trend is good for the genre? Is it something you'd ever consider taking a shot at?
Thomas: I think it is good that so many (all?) horror games seem to have the horror more as a side thing and have more focus on the action. This makes our own game stand out more!
It is not really something I personally want to create though. There are far too many other interesting game ideas to explore.
-I've already asked about influences you've had as far as the horror genre goes, but are there other developers out there that have had a hand in shaping Frictional Games or your work?
Thomas: Not sure really. We have contacts with some other indie developer's and hearing about success from other small companies is always inspiring. Can not come up with any developer that we have had as a sort of role model though.
-Digital distribution is obviously an up and coming market, but some question its validity and stability in the long run, as well as its benefits to smaller developers. With the Penumbra series being available both on Steam as well as your own online store, and Amnesia only receiving a digital release, its clear you're fond of the practice, what words would you have for the naysayers?
Thomas: I would say there is still room for both! Amnesia is being released as retail in Russia and would have been in EU and US too if we have gotten a deal ready in time. I understand why some people like to buy a physical copy and at the same time I personally buy all my games digitally.
From a financial stand point digital distribution is really ace. You get money quickly and you get the largest part of the cake with no middle hands. So it is really nice for a small developer as ourselves. But it does not mean that the retail market is dead. At least not yet!
-I'm sure I've eaten up enough of your time so I've got just one last question. If you could name any movie as the be all, end all of horror movies, what would it be and why?
Thomas: There is a lot of movies from the seventies that had really stood the test of time. Like Alien, Omen and the Exorcist. There have been very few films to reach the height of those.
Welcome to Next Gen Gaming
Greetings gaming pals. I, NGW, shall be your host as we explore all things gaming, movies, and more. From the latest rumors and gossip, to up to the minute news, previews, interviews, and reviews, as well as opinion pieces, top 10 lists, and more. I'm sure that, if you are reading this, that you want to know a bit more about the guy that's gonna be blabbing on to you for the foreseeable future. So a quick bit about myself. I'm a gamer, been gaming about as long as I can remember. A child of the 90's I grew up in the heyday of gaming, starting with PCs and the Genesis, Super Nintendo, all the way to today with the PS3, Wii, the 360, and of course the PC. What do I do outside of gaming and talking about gaming? I'm an art student, taking graphic design courses in Orange County, still in my first year, but ya gotta start somewhere. Big movie buff, from the classics to modern day summer blockbusters, primarily a fan of horror films and sci-fi and the like, but there's not many genres I don't care for. Probably put Craven, Carpenter, Cameron (what's with all the C's anyways?) amongst my favorites, I mean The Thing is probably my favorite sci-fi/horror flick of all time, great movie. Books, I'm big into books. Again mostly horror fiction, Lovecraft being my personal favorite author. I also collect things like toys (so do expect a bit of plastic crack to show up here every now and then), comics on occasion, really just whatever interests me.
I do have a few articles I plan on publishing tonight, so I'll leave you all with something to read. Look forward to what the future holds.
Until next time gps.
-NGW
I do have a few articles I plan on publishing tonight, so I'll leave you all with something to read. Look forward to what the future holds.
Until next time gps.
-NGW
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