1. UndyingDeveloper

   10

   As one of the developers of this title, I can say that it was as much fun to develop it as it is to play. The PC version suffered somewhat, as a result of trying to do a console version simultaneously, but at the end of the day, I'm proud of the work done on this title.… Expand

   • Helpful? 6 of 6 users said Yes.
2. NedamI

   10

   The best game I ever played. The game has good story, and it is not just going around and shooting, it is like you have your part in this story.

   • Helpful? 3 of 3 users said Yes.
3. CooterPatooter

   8

   The first third of this title is pure masterpiece. A chilling atmosphere, haunting sounds and great dialogue all work together to make the hairs on your neck stand up. The gameplay while navigating the corridors of the mansion are intense and frightening. You're never quite sure when a Howler is gonna jump at you. This horror concept has been done to death by now, but back in 2001 this was revolutionary and pants-filling stuff. The game begins to suffer when you face human (or humanoid, in the last level) opponents. The game becomes a much more predictable and standard shooter. The humans don't spring from the shadows with a growl and a flash of claws. They just kinda run at you until you shoot them. Yawn. While the gameplay suffers during these levels, the atmosphere and writing remain top-notch. I recently (2011-2012) replayed this title and was pleased at how well it has aged. Recommended!… Expand

   • Helpful? 0 of 0 users said Yes.
4. abcdef

   7

   The game begins as a classic horror game, with the visions of a man hanging at the entrance, ghosts, haunted portraits, poltergeist activity, werewolves etc. The atmosphere and sound are usually excellent. But it begins to lose it very early on when the player steps through a doorway in the house and ends up in another dimension. It's somewhat frustrating that this doesn't receive any reaction from Patrick Galloway who doesn't mention this to anyone when he returns back to the house. Later he creates a portal to the past and though this trip equips him with a key weapon, he didn't know this when he created it, so what was his motivation? The scrye spell was used well in the beginning of the game, revealing ghostly images and memories, but by the end of the game it hardly comes into play, and the game itself seems to forget that it is supposed to be a horror game when you reach 'Eternal Autumn'. Scrying was also quite a wasted instrument, for instead of showing ghostly reinactments and memories that could have illuminated the game's back story and presented horrific scenes and images, instead its mostly used to show the ghosts of dead monks standing around an old cathedral doing nothing. This gets old after the 20th time. The game's story telling mechanisms are unfortunately bad. Apart from a few cutscenes and conversations, the story is almost completely told from diary entries. This is unfortunate if you're not in the mood for reading over dozens of entries or you just haven't picked up information that provides key details. Some of the boss characters I encountered, such as Otto Keisinger, were a complete mystery. I had no idea who I was fighting, even though he and Patrick seemed to know each. Though a few of the diary entries provide some information on him, I just didn't understand where he fit into the story or what his plans were. Maybe I couldn't find one of those key diary entries that provided this info. Some of the characters are poorly developed, particularly Bethany, who really is the least memorable character. The game even fails to provide details on the key antagonist, The Undead King, who is mentioned all the way through, yet we never know anything about him. What Patrick needed was another key character to interact with so that some of the crucial plot twists and details could have been told in cutscenes, which would have been more dramatic and memorable than scribblings on a scrap of paper. Overall, it's a good game but it could have been great.… Expand

   • Helpful? 0 of 0 users said Yes.

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