Layne McKinnon

Supermassive's best of the lot so far, comparing to Man of Medan and Until Dawn. Such an improvement on MoM, the ending sequence was great, some of the QTE segments were incredible as well. This felt really intuitive for a choice-based game by Supermassive that still follows their usual formula. The only downside is, I wish it was a bit longer! - Definitely feels like Silent Hill, you can see the inspiration from it in every nook and corner. It's not really off putting, and I had fun seeing all the inspiration shine through. It didn't feel like a rip off at any point, and if anything I'd say it was quite comparable to things in the movie(s) rather than the games. - It was nice to have a free-move camera but it was a bit annoying with the torch moving with the camera (lagging behind it, if anything, not pointing exactly with the camera). It'd be nice to maybe hold R1 and move the torch by itself, release to use the camera + torch. - Glad they upped that walking speed a bit too, shame that the 'run'/walk faster barely makes a difference still. A gentle jog would be more preferable than an ever so slightly faster walk. - The faces didn't look uncanny! This seems to have the right balance between realism and cartoonishness, so it doesn't look uncanny and scary. I'm so glad the older characters have less detailed faces while not compromising on getting across their age. - They got rid of that weird.. clunkiness that happened in Man of Medan between scenes that made it feel there was a lack of fluidity. There's only been once or twice where it's occured and, after it had, I wasn't even sure if it had actually occured or not. - Had very little problems with it compared to Man of Medan: one half-minute long freeze that resolved itself, a facial model "t posing" once, minor lighting glitches. Environments, characters, game play, sound design, all nice and top-tier for Supermassive.

Having read at least The Passage (1/2 of The Twelve so far); I went into this open minded as my usual thoughts are "it has to deviate to keep things fresh." I now get why my partner would get annoyed when I said that in response to Harry Potter - this is a little too much. Deviations from the plot that can potentially ruin the end of The Passage and part of the reason The Twelve (#2) exists. Character-ruining changes such as Babcock's backstory, making [her] a victim of circumstance instead of someone you can't relate to, but understand the backstory of in an uncomfortable way. And... I can't even begin to express how unhappy I am that they opted for Hot Blonde Woman over towering, glowing, monstrous creatures. Veiny Man With Vampire Fangs instead of towering, glowing, monstrous creatures. It really has just turned it into another vampire story, despite that being a comparison Cronin had made fun of in his own books. I understand the concept of "based on [the books]," but sometimes it feels like a kick in the face - and this is really it. If you haven't read the books, I think the show is fine enough, but I would say you're better off just reading the books if you have the ability/time and want something more compelling (albeit long-winded). I don't like the route they're going down but I'm willing to see where it goes nonetheless, I want to give it a chance despite its rocky, disappointing start. That being said: Please just read the book.