I want to be as concise as possible with this review. People will say that the game is linear. It's not open world nor does it need to be. There is a correct way to go and an incorrect way to go, a complaint that I hear frequently. Again, yes; it's not open world, and again, it doesn't need to be. It tells a story that invokes genuine fear and tension despite its simplistic and generic story. While not the most convoluted story, it's effective at setting the background for an effective horror experience because it's not the story that creates fear but the journey and this is where the game shines. Unlike it's successor, it has the best balance of chase scenes with periods where you encounter nobody and the environment is what creates the fear. This is one of my favorites in the genre and is memorable experience.
I was a huge fan of the first game, and don't get me wrong, there are some very good moments in this game, but they just relied way to much on the chase sequences. There were a few of those moments in the first game, but that wans't really what made the first game so great. This game really is all about trial and error. You run then die run and die until you find exactely were you are supposed to go. This becomes tedious and repetitive fast. There were some things that they got right like graphics and more hiding spots, but many times these were less than useful. It's not that they just put out a crap game or just didn't try, it's just they tried a defferent approach that just didn't work; at least in my opinion. I would definitely pay more for the first game than I would this one.
