It was new technology, 3D was a fairly new concept in gaming in the mid 90s. But it took so long to get properly implemented. You have super mario 64, gex enter the gecko, lemmings 3D. I am wondering if it was a business decision and not the devs who pushed for a free roaming camera, since it was clearly not a satisfactory result gameplay wise. Because at the same era, you have games with fixed camera angles that are much better experiences overall.
Curious on your opinion on Amnesia The Dark Descent. Especially if you played it near it’s release. I think a good first person survival horror can exist without any combat at all. I suppose there’s that Alien game with similar gameplay that was a little more mainstream as well.
I think a fixed camera can make it feel cinematic, but a player controlled camera wins for immersion.