Five Nights at Freddy's already in development

[Dervish]

http://m.ca.ign.com/articles/2015/01/06/five-nights-at-freddys-3-in-development

And you thought Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed were bad for being annual releases. The first Five Nights game came out last summer, the second one a couple months ago, and if trends hold, this will probably come out in spring.

Now, I always thought the games were the pinnacle of lazy, half-assed game design this side of Flappy Bird, but seriously, these games would have never been popular if big Youtubers weren't overreacting to identical, predictable jump scares for views.

 

[Hellis]

I actually thought the games were pretty ingenius. Just because the mechanics are simplistic, it doesn't make the game lazy. That's a inherently toxic attitude towards games. That said, the moneygrab is real.

 

[Cpt Toellner]

Yeah, what's worse is the fan-art.

I have seen some frightening pictures of that chicken during my travels on the internet.

 

[K3l]

I actually thought the games were pretty ingenius. Just because the mechanics are simplistic, it doesn't make the game lazy. That's a inherently toxic attitude towards games. That said, the moneygrab is real.

Pretty much summed up my views towards it. Good job, Hellis!

 

[K3l]

Yeah, what's worse is the fan-art.

I have seen some frightening pictures of that chicken during my travels on the internet.

Fan-art? You mean the cool ones or the ones that scream I'm gonna stick my dick in the robot?

 

[Windsong]

I can't play it because of the jump scares. The guy making it has a knack for it. Mostly because he's vague on tons of things which drives communities into ideas of wild theories.

Relevant:

 

[Hecatoncheires]

Having played a chunk of the first one, I wouldn't call the design 'lazy'. Simplistic, maybe, but the way each level (night) builds up tension (with the 'bots slowly getting more and more active) is a cool example of how you don't need a massive budget to create very effective horror.

But yeah, then Youtubers/fanboys/insert-thing-you're-mad-about kinda got ahold of it and yeah, the rate at which sequels are coming out is a bit silly.

Still, if people still wanna buy Freddie games? Then I dun really see a problem with the guy making them.

 

[redblood]

You should check out the game theorists videos on the game :3 It will open up your eyes :D

But yeah, those kind of games only entertain me for about five minutes, so I have never really bothered to play them myself. I've only seen a few let's plays. I have nothing against them being released annually (or more often) though. If people like to play them, then it's good that they can get more games like it. And if the sequel is equally popular, why not make another sequel until they no longer sell? It's normal for the entertainment world.

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

I knew nothing about this game for a long while, so I decided to look up video footage of it, which happened to be Markiplier (He was the first click/link).

And I have to say, the game (At least the first, I haven't looked at #2 yet) seems rather genius and horrifying.
Precisely because it uses simple and easy mechanics, it keeps you on your toes, watching constantly, imagining what could happen next etc.

Granted, I imagine after some time playing you learn to recognize the movements, when exactly to press the button, efficient camera/door techniques etc.
But that same criticism can be applied to every Horror game, you've already played it and know what to expect. Even Amnesia get's trivial once you're replaying stuff and know exactly what to do/expect.
Horror games by nature don't scare people well multiple times (like movies) because you learn what to expect with each re-run, it's the scare you get the first time that matters the most and determine's it's quality/effectiveness.
As a general rule at least, there will be some games which are unique in the way they scare people. And then there's the whole "Scares you with the concept/moral dilemma" kind of horror which is a completely different field from "Unknowing/On your toes" horror.

 

[ᴛᴏᴄᴋᴀ]

Yeah, what's worse is the fan-art.

Watch what you say.... My daughter does FNAF fan art. Granted, she'd 13, but still.

Honestly, I play it because it keeps my kids entertained, mostly because they can get further than I can, and partially from the random scream factor of it. I don't think the game is really geared toward adults, but kids.

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

I don't think the game is really geared toward adults, but kids.

I'm 20 though and this game freaks me the hell out. :/
And I have yet to find a Horror Movie to scare me.

 

[LeVen]

Fan-art? You mean the cool ones or the ones that scream I'm gonna stick my dick in the robot?

God I hope not the latter.

Personally, I feel like the game should have stopped at the first one. But hey, if it makes money people will keep making more until it stops being profitable.

 

[Hatsune Candy]

Dude, the Five Nights at Freddy's games are like the only horror games I'm brave enough to play. That, and SCP Containment Breach.

I love the vagueness of the story, too, giving you just enough to stay interested, but not enough to fully comprehend it. It says a lot about a game when people can't even agree on whether it's a sequel or a prequel (I'm on the prequel side, just fyi). I also love the subtle hints that the games' creator, Scott, has been giving us up until now. A hidden 3 in a picture on his website, hidden phrases in the site's code, and then suddenly... BAM, teaser picture. It's great, I think more game developers should do that, it's a good way to build up hype.

 

[Jerem_co]

I really liked the first one. The second felt kinda rushed and unfinished cause the enviroment wasn't as detailed as the first game.

 

[Dervish]

You should check out the game theorists videos on the game :3 It will open up your eyes :D

But yeah, those kind of games only entertain me for about five minutes, so I have never really bothered to play them myself. I've only seen a few let's plays. I have nothing against them being released annually (or more often) though. If people like to play them, then it's good that they can get more games like it. And if the sequel is equally popular, why not make another sequel until they no longer sell? It's normal for the entertainment world.

The Game Theorists episodes were pretty great. It definitely illustrated how much thought and research went into the story and setting, which is definitely something I can respect and admire. Definitely a prime example of show, don't tell. The part that really interested me was a feature I didn't even know about in the second game until I watched the videos where you play an old Atari graphics minigame that fills in glimpses of what might actually be the back story.

I think the games would have been a bit more effective and scary if you actually had to physically move around the buildings and complete various little sub missions while trying to avoid the puppets. It becomes a lot less of an excercise in just limited resource management and pattern recognition and more dread if the puppets did things that forced you to leave the office from time to time, like they cut power to the cameras, doors or lights and you have to go reset it and make your way back, maybe having to duck into rooms and slamming doors to get away if you are seen and are being chased. Give the music box a longer timer and you actually have to go wind it up in person while staring at the fucking purple thing that totally wants to rip your face off.

I'd be all for the games and their format if they did something like that, but the games suffer from a similar problem as Slender did where at higher difficulties, you're so busy trying to do things flawlessly (flip through cameras uber fast so you don't waste power in Freddy's because you barely have enough to get through the night, and in Slender you constantly have to basically be running and not slow down at all past 4 pages in Slender) so you don't lose. There's no build up of tension at that point; you're just fighting the game's ever more glaring limitations and systems rather than spooking yourself. Horror games tend to lose their fear factor if you can lose in two minutes, you don't have time to immerse yourself.

 

[Queenslayer]

I can't play it because of the jump scares. The guy making it has a knack for it. Mostly because he's vague on tons of things which drives communities into ideas of wild theories.

Relevant:

Ahhh, good ol' Trevor. xD