Quoted from Cheeks:I'm glad you and others are, but I (as a Halloween fan as well) am not loving everything I see so far. HOWEVER, I fully realize how early it is and have not passed judgement. I'm just not as optimistic as I was when I heard about the theme. I'm encouraged to hear Luke admit that HWN is behind UM because of licensing delays. This means more positive changes could/should be coming.
As someone who also grew up with UM, I'm loving how this title is progressing. I went into this banking on HWN, but staying open to UM. After my first impression I'm more banking on UM, but keeping myself open to HWN. I'll be in a real pickle if both turn out to be amazing, so I'm closet-rooting for one or the other to go in a direction I don't like, so my decision is easier.
And this is kinda why I'm not vibing with HWN yet. I agree it should feel like these things, but to me, it doesn't. There are a ton of pinball things that don't translate over a stream...obviously. And one of the least transferable things is atmosphere. But between the weird floating cut-out illustrations (like the waving-hand and bobbing head), the really orange playfield, the bright flashy lights, and some other things I can't put my finger on - I'm concerned that this game is currently stuck in the middle of trying to be brooding and atmospheric, but not exactly getting there.
Compare the lighting (color and intensity) of Alien to HWN. I don't think playing Alien is that fun, but the game does set the tone with music and lights. At this point, HWN feels more Trick-or-Treat than Michael is about to murder you. This can still change and I hope it does! Just voicing my "too early to have an opinion" opinion.
Totally get where you are coming from. Had I grown up watching UM or if I were more familiar with that theme, I am guessing I would be more drawn to that one right now too. Hell, I'm drawn to it and I have literally never seen an episode. It makes me want to watch the show for sure.
I am still a little leery of the HWN lighting myself, but I am staying cautiously optimistic and putting my faith in Bug and the Spooky crew. And worst case scenario, I'm sure there will be ways to mod it. I have a feeling it is going to be pretty awesome though. Stranger Things is one of my favorite games right now, and the atmosphere it builds is one of the big reasons for that. I am confident Spooky can match that level of immersion and atmosphere, and if they do, I will be a VERY happy camper. (and now I want a Sleepaway Camp pin...LOL...ohhhhhh I'm a Happy Camper...I love the summer sun... )
As for the animations, I really like some of them, but understand the dislike of some of them as well. My guess, and purely a guess, is ones like the car one everyone hates could be a placeholder. There are very similar scenes in the movie, which possibly once approval is granted will be put into the game in place of the animation. I'm sure there will be places that the animations will stay in either because of lack of rights, or lack of a scene which works just right for the mode. I'm ok with that. I like the motion comic/graphic novel style (I'm one of the few that love the AIQ animations), so I do not mind most of them staying. I'm sure there is some tweaking to be done either way. Not going to judge too much at this point. There is tons more to come.