First Nightmare. Awesome. Positive Childhood Memory. Check.
I have to admit, if I looked at ONLY the promos when I first started playing these, Nightmare II would have gotten my vote. I had no asperations for Baron Samedi being any good. I thought the character looked goofy and the "Yo Baron, I can DIG IT!!" was a little over the top, but after playing it, the Baron actually became my favorite. I warn people, I know it sounds cheesy, but trust me, it'll grow on you, and it always does. Great lines and overall experience.
Nightmare III, trying to get people to play all these games can be tedious when people feel like they're playing the same game. I think Nightmare III Anne De Chantrane takes the prize on this one. (Not good prize) It plays fairly similar, and the character is hard to understand much of the time. I found that some people had no idea what she was saying in some cases, but on top of that there is a CONSTANT giving and taking away of ALL the keys, which put a bad taste in ALL my friends' mouths. I think at this point Nightmare jumped the proverbial shark. They needed something new. We played this once and sent Anne back to the Black Hole for this one...
Nightmare IV, While they tried something new, adding a new deck of cards (rose cards) and a game dynamic that turned your friends from players to conspirators of Bathory, it did pose an interesting twist, though the game only lasted 15 minutes. Though adding the sex appeal of Elizabeth Bathory, a new deck of cards and a diary in which to twist the game even further, it left us wondering if we could get the Gatekeeper to reign these characters in again.
After Nightmare II the "fun" of the characters had waned. I think focusing on the Harbingers as "hosts" kindof broke the spirit of them trying to escape the hell that they were in. I think Atmosfear (VHS) brought the spirit of the game back to what it was supposed to be and made it more complex for the true of heart. Bringing back the original Gatekeeper was truly the peak of it all! The soul rangers were a good addition (even if Dr. Mastif wasn't) but it gave the players the ability to really do battle with one another and the Gatekeeper which was a great relief to what appeared to be steps in the wrong direction.
Would I have bought the others if they had come out? Heck yeah! I just think they realized the path they were taking wasn't going to generate the interest, plus once you have everyone's attention, it's hard to keep people's attention. I understand the "been there-done that" as a gamer and collector.
What say you? Which one did you think was the worst?
darkgaizat