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Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
Developer: Ninja Theory
Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
Platform(s): Xbox 360, Playstation 3
Release Date: October 5, 2010
In an industry that is currently thriving off of First Person Shooters and online Multiplayer, it's a breath of fresh air to see a developer step outside of the box and create an emotionally, riveting single player experience that challenges the boundaries between video games and modern entertainment. Ninja Theory has done just that, with their latest release, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, which hit US and UK stores this past week.
Story
Being a developer who is known for their stories, Ninja Theory made sure to not take any shortcuts, hiring screenwriter Alex Garland, who's work includes 28 Days Later and Sunshine, to pen a script loosely based off of the ancient Chinese novel, Journey to the West. In the novel, Sun WuKong, or Monkey, is a disciple of the Buddhist Monk, Xuanzang, and is described as a very violent and rebellious individual. The only way to control him, is by placing a magical gold band around his head, which causes severe headaches whenever Xuanzang chants the Tightening-Crown spell.
Gameplay
Throughout Enslaved, you'll play as Monkey with an AI controlled Trip accompanying you through most encounters. The game is a pretty even split between platforming, environmental puzzles, and hand to hand, or should I say hand to mech, combat.
While the gameplay may not be perfect, it gets the job done and propels the story forward, which is really the main focus of the game, and it shows. If Ninja Theory could tighten up the gameplay and provide a little more variety and still have the amazing story they would truly have something special on their hands. Unfortunately Enslaved's gameplay falls a little short from spectacular.
HOW DOES IT LOOK? Enslaved is by no means a bad looking game. Some environments, particularly the lush green locales, look better than others, and while it may not win any awards the game is still very pleasing to the eyes. I think where it shines the most is in its character design and facial modeling. Like I said earlier, other than Naughty Dog and maybe Valve, I can't think of a company that does facial capture better than Ninja Theory. The subtle facial twitches and lip-syncing are spot on, and character's looks and movements are superbly crafted.
HOW DOES IT SOUND? The sound design for Enslaved is very gritty and real, from the movement of mechs to the environmental textures. Everything sounds the way it looks and nothing seems strange or out of place. On top of that, the score is excellently composed. There are a couple tracks near the end, as well as the closing credits song, that are some of the best I've heard this year. They do a good job of conveying and adding to the emotions playing out on screen and just add that extra little layer to the overall experience.
HOW DOES IT PLAY? While it may not be the most robust or revolutionary combat system, Enslaved does what it has to do to get the job done. Monkey, for the most part, is very responsive and while it may take a little time to get used to, I think the controls are very fitting for the style of game and what Ninja Theory tried to accomplish.
HOW LONG WILL IT LAST? Enslaved will last you a good 10+ hours depending on how you play the game. If you are the type of gamer who actively seeks out every nook and cranny for collectibles, like myself, then you should have no problem reaching that 10+ mark. However, if you were blazing through the game, I can definitely see this being around the 8 to 9 hour mark for all you Speedy Gonzalez's out there. At the end of the day, it all comes down to the old phrase, "bang for your buck." Personally, I felt like Enslaved deserved the 60 bucks. It provided me with one of the best single player experiences of this year, and I couldn't have asked for more. You can tell that Ninja Theory put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this project and it's nice to see them pioneering the story-telling aspect of video games.
HOW IS IT PRESENTED? Enslaved is a game to be experienced, start to finish. From the vivid, larger than life color pallet, to the gripping and emotional journey the characters experience, it's a true testament to the fact that video games can be more than just video games.
Final Verdict:
Enslaved is by no means a perfect game, it probably won't win any GOTY awards, and may not make many people's Top Ten Lists of the year. However, what it does right should be highly noted by other developers within the industry. Ninja Theory is pioneering video games as a storytelling medium, much along the same lines as film and television. They are showing that video games can be used to tell grand, epic adventures, and aren't contained to just high octane shooters. If you're like me, and you enjoy a great story every once in a while, then Enslaved is definitely a game to pick up.
Highly Recommended If You Like A Good Story
Posted by
Jacob
Might check this game out.
Must get but only after Castlevania: LoS.
Will there be a video review for this though?
Sweet. The demo convinced me it was worth a look, now I know I won't be wasting my money next week. Heavenly Sword was fantastic I'm looking forward to this one for sure.
they should of just made heavenly sword 2...and they already f@cked up Devil may cry...,
Looks GREAT
There aren't a whole lot of good games like this these days. Might be worth checking out.
Iwas interested in this game when I realized how great the narrative looked. I'll check it out even if the gameplay isn't as good.
anyone else thinks that the character was designed after the 'monkey king or son gokou'?
@ ZeroOverOne
The game is based on Odyssey to the West.
A 400year old book, that has seen countless interpretation in contemporary media. Dragonball being one of them.
So in effect Monkey King, Son Gokou and Monkey are all based on one character.
I was looking forward to this game, and I'm glad to see that it's good.
yea, i was also hoping this game was good. something new for once.
You'd think given that they made heavenly sword on PS3 they could smooth out glitches and frame rate issues. What's with bad PS3 ports? Its really getting annoying.
Played the PS3 demo... so bad compared to Uncharted 2. Just not up to par. And considering that these people made Heavenly Sword, the graphical/performance issues are totally unacceptable. I'm finished with Ninja Theory until further notice.
http://l33t.razerzone.com/index.php?user_dtl=b431ca5b3fa29ad7cb53 e91a19074f1e guys go to that link and sign up so I can win Razer gear pretty please? :P
Well..that's actually surprising. Considering they worked on the PS3 exclusively for so long I can't believe they'd make a shoddy port like this. Oh well...I got it for my 360 anyway. And strange as it seems Konomi's Castlevania game play's better on the PS3...(at least the review code, from what I've read. which should be fixed on the 360 by release.)
So i'll stick to the way I had the games to begin with..PS3 for Castlevania and 360 for Enslaved. Can't wait to start playing them.
@candy...
Wouldn't compare the game to Uncharted...besides the fact that it's a multiplatform game and should't be held to the same graphical standards..it's also a completely different type of game.
To everyone complaining about the little bugs:
Making a game is an expensive, expensive endeavour. It's entirely possible they ran out of funds, or budgeted their funds to focus more on a great overall experience than one that is completely flawless under scrutiny. As gamers, we should be able to look past little bugs and hiccups. Otherwise, we will only ever be playing expensive, same-y sequels to blockbuster games from big studios.
this game looks less impressive compared to the new castlevania game however we must be gullible and buy games only ign approves of.lol I really get the impression that castlevania will be a great game despite a unfair review because the creators did the samething many game studios do and that is to takeout positives from other games and add them to their own games.I believe castlevania has been given unfair reviews ever since they changed from 2d to 3d and in my opinion the 3d games are just as good.This game enslaved will not be better than castlevania
meh. only heard about this game last week and ive already got castlevania, fallout, fable and vanquish on reserve for this month. Perhaps i'll pick it up when there isnt so much else coming out.
i am kinda miffed at how a game with subpar gameplay gets a good score because it has a decent story (with a crappy ending) and amazing facial animations in cutscenes though. Seems like gameplay should take more of a leading role in a review..... thats just my opinion though.
Definitely getting this even if only for the story. Get it at Kmart from Oct 5th - 16th and you get a $25 game coupon with it.
This game sure does have alot of problems yet it still got an 8 which leads me to think this must be a great game to play.
I haven't read a review in a while where they state for a fact there are so many bugs in a game and it wasn't the downfall of the score.
I'll play it for sure, maybe not now since fallout new vegas is coming out and other games too such as EA MMA and two worlds 2 but perhaps next summer I'll play it.
They picked an awful time to release this. Who would choose this over Clos?? Not to mention all the other great looking titles due out this month. I'll probally pick this up next year when theres nothing else out for a while. You would think ninja theory would be able to make a game that doesnt have lag inputs, after everyone complained about it on HS. It cant be that hard to do. Im kind of bummed theyre doing the next DMC, capcom shoulda kept it inhouse.
Gamefly rental for sure. No way I'll waste my money on buying it.
I played the demo and found that it's controls were not the best and it kinda turned me off. I did find the story interesting but i can't warrant this a full price buy with all the heavy hitters that are out.
I also think this should not be higher then castlevania because granted it is god of vania but its a damn pretty game and its controls are nice. But that is the thing different people equal different scores which is why you read the review
I still want to play through this one but I don't think it will be a buy fro me until the price goes down.
My only concern is that it is 10-12 hours long which is about the same length as Heavenly Sword. It seems like a good game, but I might wait until the price drops.
I thought the demo was awesome, Now I can't wait to get this...
lame ass game!...next!
Is this game really better than Castlevania LoS?
Doesn't look promising for the next Devil May Cry. : (
Uggh..
I loved the demo and though it may not be the next Uncharted its still gonna be a blast. A review score of an 8.0 is pretty good I mean think of budgets. The higher the budget, higher the review score... in most cases.
before i played the demo i was like whatever this is crap, after i played the demo i felt in love with it.
Jacob, perfect review man, well-written, well-explained (benefits and negative aspects of the game), and above all I felt the review was completely fair. One day doing all these reviews will pay off happy
Didnt notice loose controls in the demo. Cant comment about the frame rate because the demo didnt have alot going on at once
In the demo, there was an issue with lip syncing. They would speak first and then the lips would move which was rather annoying. I didn't expect this great of a review for the game esp since the graphics were not par on with what NT did with Heavenly Sword. Also, they should make HS2 with improved graphics!
Loved the demo, love the concept. Day one purchase for me. It'll be nice to have something to do between Reach and Fable III.
Great review. I liked the loose controls in the demo, Because it fit's this type of game. Ninja Theory has done a really great job with the visuals and acting.
Good review. I'll probably pick this one up instead of Castlevania.
Might check this game out.
I played the demo and well and while some here may not have liked it, I found it interesting enough. This review seals it for me. I'm going to give this full version a try. Had a bit of an 'Uncharted 2' feel to (gameplay-wise). So it already had me there.
Yes, I love story heavy games. Don't know if I wanna pay 60 bucks for this, but I definitely want to play through it at some point
Yes, I preordered and paid for this game yesterday. After playing the demo it could of gotten a 5 out of 10 I'd still play it. The part were you talked about the platforming being on auto-pilot was actually alot better compared to all the games I've played where I died in stupid platforming sections. I prefer it that way.
video review please!
i loved the demo and i had to add to the list.(the games i want list) maybe ninja theory is becoming one of the premier developer.
Yet another game with framerate issues on the PS3. And this is coming from a company that made a launch exclusive for the PS3. Get it together, devs!
Loose, unresponsive controls and uninteresting combat? This does NOT bode well for Devil May Cry.