User Reviews

A Long Day's Journey - Review of Enslaved: OttW

Jonathan Barnes — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:53:00 GMT

In the world I see - you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You'll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. You'll climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Tower. And when you look down, you'll see tiny figures pounding corn, laying strips of venison on the empty car pool lane of some abandoned superhighway.

~ Tyler Durden, Fight Club

Welcome to the wasteland. Civilization has fallen and we, humanity, have lost. The machines have risen and are collecting up the last of us. For all of those unfortunate souls who paid money to see Terminator Salvation, this sounds all too familiar. A slaver ship arrives, abducts you and every other human around, and begins to cart you off. You’re trapped in a cell, no hope of escape, little hope of survival, only sure of the uncertainty which will befall you.

Enter Monkey, the protagonist of Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, a lone wolf and solo fighter who lives with his wits and his weapons, the latter of which is currently missing. Locked up on a slave ship heading to god-knows-where, your fate is all but sealed: slavery, possibly death, and definitely the end of your free existence.

Being a video game, however, you, as the player, can be certain that this is only the beginning of the story and not the end. You’re soon rescued by Trip, the cutest, most naïve (but technically genius) Ginger on the planet. Freedom is not free however, as she outfits you with a slave headband and essentially forces you to protect and guide her as she voyages to the West, to her home and safe haven.

If you haven’t figured it out, the strongest aspect of Enslaved is the story. While post-apocalyptic dystopias are a dime a dozen in modern games, the story in Enslaved, while similar to others, does a great job of making you truly care about the characters, the world, and the situation. The world is colorful, eschewing the mottled browns and greys that are all-too-common in the post-apocalypse. Bright colors flourish and the world (somehow) shines and shimmers with a hyper-realistic gloss that makes everything seem bright and sunny, no matter how far society has fallen.

Complementing the visual presentation is the voice acting, the three primary players (Andy Serkis as Monkey, Lindsey Shaw as Trip, and Richard Ridings as Pigsy) do some of the best work I’ve ever seen, nee' heard, in games. The characters feel alive, with intention behind their words and emotion in their delivery. No one “phoned in” a performance, which is a rare compliment in gaming.

While the story and luscious aesthetics are Enslaved’s strongest suits, the gameplay, unfortunately suffers at times. As a third-person, Action-Adventure game coming out of Ninja Theory, gamers can expect tight, fluid combat that allows for combos and masterful destruction. To this degree, there is a partial degree of success. Gaining Tech Orbs allows you to upgrade Monkey’s skills, weapons, defenses, and health. Doing so unlocks new and more powerful attacks which gradually allow you to shred through lower-level enemies. While this is all fine and good, the major drawback is with the camera, which is usually user-controlled, but occasionally fixed (often at odd angles) at the worst possible times. This rapid, drastic, and harsh shifting of perspective wrenches the gamer out of an otherwise incredibly immersive experience. Also adding to the frustration, are the camera changes in the middle of climbing and platforming segments, which can lead to a few unfair deaths.

While the gameplay, at times, had slight hiccups, the biggest disappointment comes in the game’s ending.

SPOILERS BELOW

As you progress through Enslaved you will come across masks that show you flashes of images from a past that is full of happiness, families, farms, a burgeoning society. When the climax arrives, you find out that these images are from the mind of one man, the man behind the Pyramid, the man who has captured the last remaining humans and hooked them into a neural network that does nothing but feed them pretty pictures of an idyllic past. They’re all plugged in, blissfully unaware of the calamites that have fallen upon earth, wasting away as machines (in essence) rule the wasteland.

Sound familiar? It should. Because it’s The Matrix.

END SPOILERS

After thoroughly enjoying the game, nothing spoiled it more for me than a lifted, blatantly plagiarized ending that felt so disingenuous that I wanted to spit.

On the achievement front, you can expect the basics of collecting kills through various means, a few difficult time challenges, and finishing the game on different difficulties. In short, it’s nothing that completionists should fear.

In the end, perhaps Tyler Durden is right, perhaps there are no “unique and beautiful snowflakes” when it comes to endings and we should just enjoy the pretty accumulation of generic snow. In my opinion, however, gamers deserve better. A game as enjoyable as Enslaved deserved better, and so do gamers. With top-notch story and presentation values, Enslaved looks and feels like a great game. Unfortunately, average combat and terrible ending end up marring the experience. Thus, like many other games, Enslaved is an enjoyable game that falls short of elite status.

A broken hook can still catch a fish?

Josh Wagner — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 01:11:00 GMT

Sometimes I see a busted chick, and after a few double-takes, I kind of start to think she's attractive anyways. Not to mislead about Enslaved -- if this game was a chick at a bar, you'd be retarded to not talk to her. The backdrops and scenery are that stunning.

I'm actually a bit disturbed at how attractive I found Trip, one of the main characters. There are three main characters, one (Pigsy) not appearing until much later in the game. Monkey, the protagonist, actually presenting himself as more of an anti-hero, has an exaggerated muscular build and large hands. Pigsy, a disgusting and clumsy mechanic with the a huge jealously complex, is on the other end of the spectrum. He's fat, short, and augmented with some pig-like features. These character models are an interesting contrast to the realistic look of the game, and make hot-ass Trip look seriously out of place.

The animations are just as gorgeous, but they come with hitches. Nothing about this game is smooth. There's a choppiness, and that isn't just with the visuals. Sometimes the sound vanishes, or ticks a few seconds behind the action it's suppose to sync with. Monkey often has a difficult time deciding which context function he needs to perform, with jump and dodge mapped to the same face button. Only certain spots can be leaped across, and the consistency of which spots those are seems to change from one level to the next. Coming under heavy fire from mechs, discovering that the barrier I was able to hop over and duck for cover last level, is not an interactive part of the current level. There are also some issues with scenarios that need to take place in order to progress in the game, not taking place. I restarted 3 or 4 levels from the the last checkpoint because the game stuck me in a crap-chute.

Despite the problems, there's just something about Enslaved that's worth the patience. The combat is pretty diversified for an action/slasher. The platforming is acceptable, if not linear. The "boss fights" are decent. The only downers are the chase scenes and the cloud segments, which feel like Jet Moto to me (not a good thing). As individual items, nothing is great. But as a whole, there's just enough of everything to be entertaining. The story is well written. The characters are emotionally engaging. I always felt compelled to continue, and I was invested in what was happening. So, even if the mechanics aren't super-sound and there's nothing new for someone who has been playing games since childhood -- I feel like Enslaved was worthy of my time.

Quick Enslaved Review

Robert — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 02:47:00 GMT

So i just got done playing through enslaved for the second time, and i have to say i enjoyed this game alot more that i thought i would.

The combat starts off a little tough but after you get a few upgrades it changes to a bit of a cake walk. And there are not alot of combat combos to keep the hard core action gamer happy. But for anyone who likes platformers with a nicely satisfying combat system will get a lot from its simplicity.

The universe reminds me of the jak and daxter universe for some odd reason, which made me happy. Everything looks great in the game but in my 2nd playthrough i did notice a few bugs and glitches. Nothing to bad but their there. And i had to turn down the right thumsticks camera sensitivity because it put a strain on my eyes.

The games story really griped me at first but throughout the game i realized i had no idea what i was fighting for or why i should care.

So if your looking for a cheap game to up you gamerscore or want to get an easier game for the kids i would recommend it.

Game Over... continue? Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Game Over... continue? — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 01:36:00 GMT

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West was one of those titles I was intrigued by, but ultimately didn't have time to play. I was a fan of Ninja Theory's other work Heavenly Sword and love Andy Serkis with a passion, so I picked it up a while after release on the cheap. And I have to say, I'm glad I did because the story is fantastic... but the game itself has a couple of prominent flaws that hold it back.

Enslaved tells the story (apparently loosely based on a famous Chinese fable called Journey to the West... I've personally never read it, but hear it is fantastic) of a misfit with the rather apt moniker of Monkey (Andy Serkis). The tale starts as Monkey is fleeing a burning slave ship with a young woman named Trip (Lindsey Shaw, who is also very good in her role).

But after a bumpy landing, Monkey awakes to discover Trip has attached a slave headband to him. She enslaves him... see? Trip has set it so that he will feel a blast of pain at her command. Hopefully, this will keep him compliant. And if he gets any clever ideas (like snapping her neck for instance) the headband will unleash a lethal dose. If she dies, then so shall he (you can already see the basic gameplay coming into shape can't you?)

The end result is that they are stuck together; an unlikely duo. She promises that if Monkey can get her home, then she will release him. Problem is her home is three hundred miles across the wasted ruins of the Eastern seaboard crawling with evil robots... she can't do it alone. And while she abhors herself for what she had to do to poor Monkey, she had no choice. While I don't want to give too much away, the story develops about as you would expect (barring a brilliant ending that I didn't see coming). It's at times heartfelt and poignant, at times funny, and at times exciting.

It's funny, I'm not sure if it's the writing or the brilliant performances put in by the cast but I can't honestly remember the last time I was so absorbed with the story and characters in a game. I can tell you that the astonishing facial animations along with the brilliant voice work and motion capture of Andy Serkis, give these slightly cartoonish characters an unbelievable amount of personality. I can't honestly think of a game where raw emotion has been so well captured, it really is quite impressive. It's in the eyes...

But it's the gameplay and design where Enslaved is really a bit of a head scratcher (please imagine a monkey scratching his head... thank you). There are some really cool elements at play here... but they don't go anywhere. Monkey has a staff that serves as his primary weapon. You have your standard light and heavy attacks that can be mixed up to form combos. These are perfectly satisfying, but don't evolve at all. The combat is essentially the same from beginning to end. I don't know if it's because I read about this problem in other reviews, but I couldn't seem to get that thought out of my head... it became more obvious the longer I played that I was simply spamming the same attacks over and over.

The other thing is the platforming. Monkey lives up to his name, climbing acrobatically all over pretty much everything. It looks amazing (the animations look great the first few times but quickly become repetitive)... but it's actually surprisingly easy. If Monkey can jump from one place to the next, he will do so, but if he can't then he won't... so you won't end up leaping to your death like you do in other games (Assassin's Creed for example). At first this might not seem like such a bad thing, but by removing any inherent difficulty that comes from the decidedly risky endeavor of climbing around simian-style, the truth is it actually makes things a little boring as all you are doing is watching the same animations ad nauseum. For such an agile chap, it's surprising where he can't go if you see what I mean...

Then there is Trip. Monkey must protect her, that's part of the deal. You only play as Monkey, but can control Trip from a menu of preset actions. You can tell her to wait or create a diversion, things like that. If she does get cornered she will release an EMP blast to stun the bad bots, but it takes a while to recharge so you have to be on your toes. On the whole though she seems to stay out of the way pretty well.

One of the bigger complaints for me is the camera. It's sort of a pseudo-360 degree camera that the player controls some of the time... but it only seems to work properly half the time. There seem to be a lot of invisible barriers that interfere with the camera as you are panning around. This causes rapid zooms or worse, leaving you staring right into a wall. It can make combat frustrating. Other times the camera will randomly change to a different perspective when you enter a new area. If you had Monkey running in a certain direction the change in angle means he'll suddenly take a right turn into a brick wall. It's not a game breaker, it's just annoying.

While the facial animations are some of the very best I've seen, the rest of the game is a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to graphics. Some of the environments are stunningly vibrant and rich. But upon closer inspection some parts are almost last-gen quality. It's a weird dichotomy. But with the market over-saturated with post apocalyptic wastelands colored in browns and grays it's nice to see some color at the end of the world.

Then there are the orbs... oh, those orbs! Trip can upgrade Monkey's staff or shield if he collects red orbs from fallen foes or finds them on their travels. And that ain't hard because they are everywhere... I enjoy running around each level and checking every nook and cranny (I do that anyway) but this is a bit ridiculous. It feels more like a chore...

I really enjoyed Enslaved, but felt that as good as it was it could have been better. Bashing the snot out of the mechanical menace is pretty fun, but it does get fairly stale. Taking the combat mechanics from God of War or even Heavenly Sword would have given the player more options to keep the action fresh. The camera can be a pain in the butt. The platforming looks cool, but offers no real challenge. I would have loved to be more free in that respect, I think Assassin's Creed climbing mechanics with this story would have been awesome. But all in all, I think it's worth checking out simply for the 'Steam-punk version of The Matrix' story and the wonderful performances put in by Andy Serkis and Lindsey Shaw.

Cheers,

Score = 8.0 / 10

A Journey Worth Visiting for the Story Line

Goodfellas — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 18:35:00 GMT

I was wondering how good Enslaved would be when I first heard about it. I thought it would be interesting, but wasn't sure if it would be any good. I was right and wrong with my expectations.

Presentation: Landscapes look beautiful as well as the characters. The look of an abandoned and run-down New York is an eerie yet fascinating sight because of the over-grown wildlife. The buildings are covered in moss and giant statues are on the edge of collapsing. Very cinematic scenes keep your attention thanks to the graphics and the occasional frame rate glitch is nothing that takes away from the overall quality. Character models behave with very real animations and even the afraid look in someone's eye can be spotted.

Sound: Trip and Monkey both are believable and strongly acted. The emotion can be heard through the soft-spoken Trip and Monkey sounds ticked off... a lot. The machines scattered around the city sound like giant hunks of metal. The sound effects from everything going on is quite good and an impressive musical score is a nice cherry on the top.

Gameplay: The point in which the game can lose you is with gameplay. Beating down robots with a staff while button mashing is not the most inviting way to draw someone in. There are combos that can be done, but for the most part it is heavy attack or light attack. Blocking and countering can also be performed but the core is diving away, charging in, evading, and finishing. Every once in a while Monkey will be shown in close up as he dismantles a piece of machinery to show the anger in his eyes. Boss battles are somewhat common but these have the same ideas as others except the take more damage and end with executions. There is another way Monkey gets around and that is with his boogie board. With this he floats on water and land and jumps over obstacles. This is a way of traveling quicker and a refreshing way compared to the standard vehicles in games. The other (and most common) way of getting around is by jumping and leaping across designated areas. The next jumping target is highlighted so you don't get lost, but this takes away the freedom. It is cool to see some of the jumps performed, but it also gets tiring.

Story: By far the best part of the game lies within the story line. After crash landing in New York Monkey wakes up with a headband on. Before him is a girl who he saw on the aircraft before it came down. She informs him he is enslaved to her and if she dies so does he. There is immediate tension between the two and this carries on for the beginning of the game. After they warm up to each other the story line picks up. Along the journey many twists and turns happen and will leave you guessing at whats next. Enslaved features of the best and most enthralling story lines in adventure games.

Enslaved was a big question for me when it came out. I did not know what to expect and wasn't sure if it would get good reviews. An unoriginal combat system that gets tiring gets in the way of the overall quality. The occasional crazed eye of Monkey doesn't save it either. The presentation and sound quality is worth noting as well as the story line. The experience was quite fun, but the part worth playing for was the story. Overall I would give this game an 7.5/10.

Enslaved Odyssey to the West and DLC Review

Aronius Joe — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 03:52:00 GMT

The moment I heard about this game, mainly the story aspect drew me right in, it has a great plot, and has some amazing set pieces. The base of the game is that you are enslaved by a woman to help her return to her home, but this plot enlarges and takes you on a Trip to save mankind, which is why the woman's name is Trip, since she takes you on one hell of an adventure. Ultimately it becomes in a sense a love story, the collar turns into a bond between the two main characters. The gameplay is solid and the upgrade system is adequate, the platforming is smooth and easy to use, however it is fall free. The graphics are unique and truly wowed me at times, there is one particular section of the game where it is a vast exspanse of land and it lacks much scenery, and seemed to have been neglected. Other than these minor issues the story absolutely engrossed me, I played this game start to finish on normal difficulty in around 9 hours. Might I add in one sitting I enjoyed it that much. I give the game an 8.25 it was wonderful, but It could have been so much better the potential was there, but it wasn't used to it's fullest.

The DLC Pigsy's Perfect Ten is another 3-4 hours but is a completely different game, It is far more tactical, it features the games other main character Pigsy and explains some plot points of the game, while providing some incite on why he does what he does when you first encounter him in the game.( quite interesting) The story isn't as interesting it is however a cute tale of Friendship. You die far easier than Monkey, ( roughly 2 hits) You must use four different gadgets to disable enemys and allow you to line up a headshot with your gun. I enjoyed this gameplay far more than the main game, it had a higher level of difficulty, and it also included some collectibles, and some humor. I give this DLC a 9.25 for solid gameplay, graphics, and story.

Ultimately I enjoyed every second of this game, it has a greta story, and has some very funny spots of humor that may be some of the funniest I've ever encountered in a videogame, I enjoyed the game so much I played it in one day, as well as purchasing the dLC(10$) and I could still play it some more, I easily logged 20 hours of game time if not more, within just a few days. It may only have recieved Decent reviews, and under sold from what was originally projected but It is a definite if you have some cash that you got over the holidays, whether you buy it new or sued, opr even rent I strongly suggest you try it out, I also reccomend you play it on Hard, or at least Normal. Enjoy the game and have a great New Year.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West - Game Review

gamesight — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 01:12:00 GMT

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Again another game I had not planned to play but after a friend from work suggested I give it a playthough, I decided why not. After reading more about this game and coming to learn that the plot was inspired by the Chinese novel Journey to the West, I was greatly intrigued as I have read the English translated version of this novel before. Having liked the story of Journey to the West I figured this game was well worth a review after having peaked my interested. The story of Enslaved is not quite the same as the ancient novel; however thats not necessarily a bad thing as the story is a very strong positive aspect of this game and one of the things I loved about it. Enslaved is set sometime in the future in an post-apocalyptic world where most humans have either been killed by mechs, become enslaved or live in small villages/communities. As the protagonist Monkey you make your way through this mech filled world, fighting for survival as you are accompanied by Trip a fellow survivor who has forced you into helping her return home. In the opening chapter you discover that Monkey has been captured by slavers, he is freed by accident and then tries to make his escape from the slaver ship before it crashes. Long story short...the slaver ship crashes and after recovering from unconsciousness you find yourself enslaved by a headband that has been put on you by Trip. This "selfish" action on her part has single handedly connected your fates as your life is dependent on yours. If her heart stops beating you will die and therefore you get the whole thing I said earlier about being forced to help her. With no other choice but help Trip to return home..the Odyssey to the West begins.

Now She Wants To Help

I will be honest at the beginning I found Trip to be useless and quite frankly very annoying. She doesn't really fight and can barely climb but she eventually becomes of some use. It took sometime for me to warm up to her character but it might just have been the fact that I disliked that she enslaved another person in order to get what she wanted. Trip is clearly the brains of this duo not saying that Monkey is dumb but as you will learn Trip is very tech savvy. Throughout your journey she shows off her skills by helping you see mechs that are up ahead, opening doors and even hacking power sources. She provides useful advice and the more you learn about her the more likable her character becomes. Monkey on the other hand is very likable from the start of this game and is the muscle in this relationship However, he also has a softer side which will become more evident through the game as he starts to genuinely care for Trip and vice versa. Monkey's major skill is that which her name implies...he can climb like no one's business. These two characters actually play off each other very well once the story gets going. The dynamics of the relationship and story develop very well and is one of the best parts of this game.

Nature Has Returned

Another one of the immersible things about this game is the beauty that is presented in it. The graphics are amazing and the post-apocalyptic New York setting is one that I found to be my favorite. Being a New Yorker myself I picked out landmarks and found it interesting as to what it would look like if nature reclaimed the city. Instead of the usual dark, dreary and sad post-apocalyptic setting we are familiar with, Enslaved serves up a lush, color filled and refreshing spin on the world after a major catastrophe. Trees grow through destroyed rooftops, grass covers the pavement and nothing but green over takes the skyline as sky scrappers are ravaged and collapsing. It is truly a work of art and I kind of wish the story spent more time there. However you eventually escape from the city and make your way deeper into your journey. I will not spoil it any further for those who have not played this game yet but you do meet another character along your journey named Pigsy and again the name implies a lot about this character. Pigys is very likable and becomes the comic relief in this tale as he helps, Monkey and Trip complete their destiny.

Trip, Monkey, Pigsy

Mechs

Now that I have covered all the great things about this game let's sort out some of the "bad". One thing about this game that I found more annoying than Trip were the controls. This is an action/platform game and therefore the controls play a big part in many actions that Monkey must perform. The controls felt touchy and inaccurate at times. There were also times where Monkey would have a delayed reaction to a button or move I was trying to preform. That could also be accounted for by the sometimes slow framerate that seemed draggy and really impacted the gameplay. There are also visual glitches that are again accompanied by the poor framerate and at times became really disappointing. The controls for this game can really use some tightening up to really bring the flow of the game back to were it should be. Another thing that could be improved are the combos. When fighting the moves are repetitive and can often become boring as you are constantly doing the same 3 or 4 moves over and over again. This seems to be a problem with a lot of games lately as fighting becomes the same from one level design to the next. You are able to upgrade your weapons in this game however I didn't really see the need to as upgrading didn't seem to help or hinder me one way or the other. This game has its ups and downs and can defiantly be improved. The end of the story kind of left me feeling a little confused and just kind of like huh? But you will see for yourself if you decide to partake in the adventures of Monkey and Trip. This game is fun, I can't deny that but it does stumble throughout and I would recommend that you rent before you think about buying this one. From the visuals alone this game is worth a look and if you have an interest in the novel Journey to the West then you will like storyline presented in this game. As for me I might play it again, sometime in the future but for now..on to the next.

Enslaved: Not as bad as you may think.

Jyotiko — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 20:05:00 GMT

Enslaved is fun. That's the best way to put it, because regardless of any of the shortcomings, it is never derailed at any point by any overwhelming problem. The story follows Monkey, a brutish warrior who found himself trapped on a slave ship with fellow prisoner Trip, a tech-wise woman who sends the ship spiraling down into the ruins of New York City. Upon escaping on Trip's pod, he awakens from the crash landing with a slave band on his head, controlled by Trip. She demands he help her make it back to her home, since she wouldn't make it on her own. If she dies, Monkey dies.

The gameplay is repetitive.The enemies, mechs, come in 4 distinctive types, with a couple of variations of Each, typically normal or with shields. While you see them repeatedly over the course of the game, malfunctioning mechs, which explode when Monkey gives them a little nudge, and EMP mechs which stun surrounding enemies when they are taken down provide some strategy in an otherwise beat-em-up combat system. The tech upgrades aren't particularly deep, but they are useful and give you incentive to find the orbs scattered across the level, and Monkey's expanded combat options, while shallow and rarely needed, are nifty nonetheless. Boss fights are standard fare, and while some are spectacular setpieces, one in particular loses it's flair the second time you encounter it.

The platforming is extremely easy. The only time I found myself punished by the game's climbs were when I grew impatient in the timing and simply jumped through flames or similar obstructions, which rarely damaged me too terribly much, and as has been noted fervently by many reviews, you cannot fall or miss a mark. You can mistime jumps occasionally, but rarely do they challenge players. Seasoned platformers will be quite unimpressed. I didn't mind Trip pointing out the path I needed to take at every turn, however, there are some combats that are frustrating when she repeatedly points out what must be done, even if you already know or can get the idea.

The story is excellent. It's not cliche in any way, the interaction between the limited cast members is amusing, and you find yourself caring about what happens to them as the game nears its conclusion. However, the ending does leave a lot to interpretation, and it didn't really give me as much closure concerning the two main characters as I had hoped. That said, the environments rarely change much. Overgrown city, junkyard, and mechanized interiors seem to be the only three types, and the latter two are unimpressive.

Overall, seasoned gamers will likely not be terribly impressed with the entire package, since the gameplay feels like it's been stripped from every other platform action game around, but it's friendly to casual gamers, and the entire experience is certainly worth a play. Team Ninja did a good job in creating characters as interesting as the cast in Enslaved, and it carries the tired gameplay as easily as Monkey carries Trip.

Enslaved: Huge Let Down

Jeremyx5 — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 07:40:00 GMT

Reading the reviews other people have posted, I don't think we were playing the same game. Follow your instincts! If you start playing Enslaved and you feel like it sucks (which you will, because it does) just turn off your console. Do not waste your time.

If you're willing (and able) to look past the 4 billion glitches per chapter: screen tearing, lack of audio in cut scenes, or your character randomly disappearing into ladders, walls, and other parts of the scenery... it will give you a tiny glimmer of hope that maybe... just maybe...even though it is epic fail as a game... the story will somehow redeem itself.

Nope it's just a half-ass ripoff of The Matrix. yup I said it; and I didn't even warn of spoilers because trust me, I just did you a favor. It ends with "did i do the right thing?" That's it, nothing else. What a let down.

To be fair, when the screen is not tearing, it is a beautiful game. But let's not forget it's supposed to be a game, not a movie. If you're looking for a movie, just rent the Matrix.

Enslaved

derek lewis — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 16:17:00 GMT

Ninja Theory has proven once again that they know how to spin a nice yarn. I found the combat and "earth tone" colors in the game to be more than satisfactory. I also personally enjoyed not dying from cheap deaths such as missing a jump. Enslaved=brilliant!

Ninja Theory Did it Right...

gfunc88 — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 07:14:00 GMT

I am wondering why more people are not playing this game... It takes the best game mechanics from:

God of War - Finishers and brutal beat-downs of robots instead of Greek things.
Assassin's Creed - Jumping and climbing and the ever popular jump to a ledge above you, even if it's 5 feet behind you. Impossible jumping/leaping from falling ledges.
Uncharted 2 - Having an escort the entire game to make sure she doesn't die has been done before, sure, but the dialog is still funny. Throw in a smart-ass third wheel (who's a pig) and there you go. At least the chuckles kept me going...

Granted, the platforming is straightforward - your next jump is highlighted for you, but scenery is gorgeous. This game gets the cut scenes right - when was the last time voices lined up with character lip movements? Enslaved gets it right.

I understand the low rating by the pro reviewer, but I think in terms of over all fun and enjoyment from bashing mechs and ridiculous platforming, this game is certainly worth checking out. At least rent it, it's certainly doable over a weekend. You'll be glad you did.

Great story, and (as opposed to Reiner) good gameplay

RabidCat — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 19:55:00 GMT

When Enslaved was released this morning, I was the first in line. After reading Reiner's review and playing the game....Reiner must have been in a bad mood, this game is a must have. The story is great, incredible graphics (although the frame rate does slip a few times) and the gameplay mechanics are good.

I can see why Reeves gave it an 8 on his second opinion.

Straght forward action adenture game with personality

Rmatey — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 23:02:00 GMT

    Just looking at Enslaved it is hard to tell what the game truly is. The art style is the most unconventional part about it. The color palette is all over the place, with its earth tones, warm colors, and neons cranked to almost the highest saturation; it feels like something you have never seen before. The theme is a a mix of different genres where it is a sci fi setting but nothing is practical and falls more into fantasy. But lifting the surface of the game and you will find a very conventional designed system under the hood, with mechanics and you have seen and done before. With its combination of unique art style and tried and true game play how does Enslaved come together? Is this the next generation of peanut butter and chocolate, Scooby doo and The Harlem Globe Trotters or is this more like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito in the movie Twins? Well the short answer is, it won’t make you rethink your stance on contracting Diabetes like peanut butter jelly but the two contrasting aspects makes the journey feel like a “treat”to play through.
    The story is very basic in nature. The game is inspired/based on the Chinese novel “A Journey to the West” (also inspired the Japanese anime/manga Dragon Ball, fans will easily spot the similarities while playing). You play as Monkey, a simple man who literally has the mobility and posture of a primate. A George of the Jungle type character without the awkwardness of learning human reproduction. The refreshing part, he is simple and stays in that context, he is not simple like a space marine who lost he wife, daddy issues, corrupted back story, etc., etc, etc.,. He is a guy who you really don’t need to know his back story just that “he rolls with the punches” which lends itself well to a linear video game. Your counterpart is Trip, a female tech specialist that brings the main motivation of the game and has some trust issues. The beginning of the game starts with an escape from a slave airship that brings the two characters together but gives the upper hand to Trip. During the escape Monkey is left unconscious and gives Trip time to facet a slave headband to him which gives her the ability to communicate or kill him anytime. Kinda like a really terrible friendship bracelet that can also keep the hair out of your eyes. Trip has a home she needs to get but needs Monkey’s strength to survive the wilds. Did I mention it is set in post apocalyptic New York City and its main inhabitants are killer robots? Well it is, plus many more locales as your progress through the story. There is a greater story tying into the world but it is only hinted at and finally revealed at the end. On paper the game’s story is decent, but the game can really shine during the in game dialog sequences between Monkey and Trip. Andy Serkis gives a great performance as Monkey and the team behind it do a great job in capturing it. It sets the bar higher for Video game animation.
    Enslaved revolves mostly around platforming (a la Prince of Persia 2008), melee combat , and lite shooting. Spiced up with collecting, leveling, and some unique sequences. Yes it is actually as it sounds a video game. The platforming is as straightforward as it comes. You jump from point to point and its all designed based. There isn’t a free form jump only when it is programmed to leap to the designated spots. In the very beginning of the game this can seem boring and just an act of hitting the jump button with move until you reach the destination. Over time the game has the freedom to make the places you are traversing that much more grandiose without the frustration of falling to your death over and over again because it is almost impossible to walk off the edge. Of course the game adds challenge with timing by the end, but it is the freedom of viewing the environment around me moving with the speed of a monkey man that makes it an enjoyable act rather than just a task of hitting a button over and over again. Of course Enslaved has it’s own design moments here and there one. One of those being its cover based moments against projectile enemies. Your character hunches down and moves from cover spot to cover spot looking for the sparse amount of ammo. You never stick and you have a agile nature. It feels like the American Gladiator’s event Assault, famous for its bad ass tennis ball gun. The game adds enough elements or rotates to keep your interest over time. The boss battles are actually fun and a welcomed challenge. Trips element to the game play is one that can give you choices at time, a consideration for her traversal through the environment, or a hint system that can help lead the way. It is not a escort mission and the parts were you need to keep her safe are brief. She is a complimentary companion who is needed to keep you company in this ghost town like world.
    Art style seems like a main motivator for the creation of this game. This being my first introduction to a Ninja Theory project, it seems like visual style is something they want to solidify and put a water mark on their craftsmanship. Their use of color, texture style, effects, and animation all seem very unique to their direction. Of course some of the environments can be mucky and typical in nature. The introduction of the game brings you into a ugly dirty loud green yellowish airship. But over time you thrown into a beautiful blue sky setting. It is at these high points that can be just as enjoyable to watch as it is to play. Even the little things like eyes are some of the best in video games reflection and effects as well conveying the emotion of the characters. The lighting is superb and can really show what the Unreal Engine can do with the lights turned on. One of the stranger things are how significantly worse the rendered cut scenes are in contrast. Yes it has artifacting like any comprised video but the assets and quality across the board are lower. The nice thing they are used in transitional sections or in place of a load time.

The game for the most part has a smooth pacing from the beginning half. Around the third act things become a bit rougher with the rotation of gameplay and narrative. You are introduced to Pigsly he is the embodiment of the third wheel. He changes the dynamic between Monkey and Trip and just plan gets weird at times.Try and and spot the most awkward moment in video games this year with the use of the P word. Things do pick up at the fourth act and there is a great game play crescendo nearing the end. The epilogue is something that comes from left field, content wise and the way it is portrayed. But it is something I accepted and a fitting end for a game finding a personality.

Enslaved is a very solid game at the end of the day. It is straightforward 8-10 hour action adventure title. There isn’t much of a reason to replay it but there is downloadable content coming. This a rental for the most part but this would be a perfect time for Namco Bandai to put out the the DLC for a free future release to motivate people to go buy and not resell the title. The title falls a bit short from greatness.t. Should this titles be overlooked? I would say no, the journey with Monkey and Trip is a fun enjoyable trip worth your time.