Enslaved: Odyssey to the West - Xbox 360

Ninja Theory, the creator of Heavenly Sword, are the minds behind Enslaved. Since I liked Heavenly Sword for the most part, thought why not give this one a shot. At least the trailers looked good. After finishing the game once and replaying few chapters, here is my impression. PROS. ADORABLE CHARACTER DESIGN: One thing Ninja Theory knows how to do is character design. The main characters (while not many), are really beautifully designed. While the facial expressions of characters are not as remarkable as say in top notch games such as Uncharted 2, they are still very good. Other than character's aesthetic looks, the Ninja Theory has also done wonderful job portraying character personalities. Little quibbles and exchange of emotions between main characters Trip and Monkey make the story very touchy and enjoyable. You have to play it to feel it. GORGEOUS LEVELS AND WONDERFUL GRAPHICS: Again not as gorgeous as you may see in games like Uncharted 2 or God of War 3 nevertheless they are some of the most stunning graphics you see in games these days. The game is set in post apocalyptic setting; however, Enslaved has much different view of post apocalyptic settings than games such as Fallout 3 or Rage. While surroundings are barren and filled with enemies, they still have greenery and majesty to them. Each level (chapter) has different types of settings. This variety truly prevents the experience from being repetitive. TACTICAL BATTLES: Compare to their previous game, the Heavenly Sword, the battles are more tactical. Pure button mashing will easily get you killed on normal or higher difficulty mode while proper use of dodge, defend and combo hits will give you edge over the enemies. Thinking and executing commands will feel very rewarding and keep you engaged in the gameplay. ACROBATS AND STRATEGIC GAMEPLAY: In this game to get through a level, you will have to travel from one structure to another. For that you will mainly utilize Monkey character who can acrobatically jump from wall to wall, climb upward etc. However, you will also have to make sure that you help out the side character Trip by making a way for her, assisting her to reach high places by throwing her etc. (kind of like Prince of Persia 2000 game and Uncharted 2). The side character Trip is not as useless as she sounds though. She will create decoy for you so you can safely go past machine guns, upgrade your weapons and even heal you. So honestly it is pretty fun controlling both characters. ENGAGING STORY AND UNIQUE ENDING: This is what I loved the most about this game. Almost every action you perform has something to do with the story. While a lot a games these days make the gameplay repetitive by mindlessly forcing you to perform the same actions repetitively, in this game there is a clear story related motive behind each of the objective. Also, the ending is mysterious, unique and deep. UPGRADABLES: You can upgrade your moves, weapon, defense etc. Doing so will give you an edge in combat and make the battles more enjoyable. Love how majority of games are adding RPG element to them. This is one of the few things that make this game somewhat replayable, unfortunately. CONS. SHORT GAME AND LITTLE OR NO REPLAYABILITY: The game lasted me about 13 hours, but I am one of the people who will walk to each and every corner of a map during the very first gameplay to get majority of collectibles, so it always takes me longer than average player to get through the game. Unfortunately, once you finish the game there is not much to do. The game does give you option to play your favorite chapters (so you don't have to play the whole game again), but honestly that's only good for unlocking particular achievements. RIGID CONTROLS: While they work well for most part, compare to games like Prince of Persia, jumping wall to wall and climbing wall controls feel quite rigid. You have to wait few milliseconds before you tap the button again jump from wall to wall smoothly. Wish it were as fluid as Prince of Persia games. Same thing with combat, if you have played Heavenly Sword and Devil May Cry 3, the difference is the same. Action is not as smooth as in games like Devil May Cry 3. This is particularly concerning to me as the Ninja Theory is not directing Devil May Cry reboot. Hope they fix these controls by then. LACK OF VARIETY IN ENEMIES AND BOSSES: While they do have few different types of enemies and bosses, majority of small fry enemies look the same and major bosses simply reappear in later levels. Disappointed. CONCLUSION: All and all it is a pretty good game, but I truly wish it were a bit longer. Nevertheless, I truly think fans of games like Prince of Persia (2000) and Uncharted 2 should at least give it a rent. Chances are you will like it.

Best played in HDMI output, to showcase its pretty environments, the ending was ok,,but left me wanting more out of it. EXCELLENT Story, action is great/with the combat mechanics.

Enslaved is a game from Ninja Theory, developers of a well made PlayStation 3 exclusive - Heavenly Sword. The story follows two characters, Monkey and Trip, as they navigate their way through an apocalyptic United States that is home to very few human survivors, and lots of mechs waiting to do some harm. The story, in brief (Warning - light spoilers below): Monkey and Trip escape a slave ship that is in the process of slowly falling out of the sky. As Trip is making her escape using an escape pod, Monkey makes his way to the outside of her escape pod and grabs hold as it shoots away from the ship and makes its descent to Earth. Trip takes the opportunity to outfit Monkey with a slaver headband while he is unconscious from taking a hard fall from the escape pod once it landed. This slaver headband allows Trip to control Monkey and his actions, and once Monkey wakes up from his nap, Trip explains the situation and that if he doesn't help her get home, and keep her alive in the process, the headband will kill him. The game follows this journey of Monkey and Trip making their way home. The gameplay is a mix of combat, platforming and some cutscenes spread throughout. Combat is a combination of two buttons, light and heavy attack, with some of the enemies having context sensitive grapples with a third button. You can also jump, and do a roll to avoid enemy attacks, or roll behind a shielded enemy to hit them from behind. One of the greatest parts of this game, or something that I thoroughly enjoyed at least, is when you do hit the B button to perform these context sensitive grapples, you will see Monkey brutally tear apart a mech. These are without a doubt some of the most memorable and enjoyable portions of this game. Seeing Monkey's face in slow motion as he tears apart a giant mech is a rather enjoyable experience. The combat can become a little repetitive, but there are never any points in the game where I felt like I was fighting for too long, and I never found myself getting bored with the combat. You will collect orbs throughout each level that will be used to upgrade Monkey's health, shields, and combat skills. Orbs can be found laying throughout the level, with some of them hidden rather well, and you will also collect these orbs from defeating enemies. As well as there being direct melee combat, which does have new moves waiting to be unlocked with orbs (special attacks such as Monkey's staff collecting a sort of "energy" that can be unleashed against your enemies to do massive damage), Monkey's staff also doubles as a projectile weapon. As you make your way through the game you will pick up Plasma charges and Stun charges to use against your enemies. The effects of the Plasma and Stun charges can also be upgraded using the orbs you will pick up throughout the game. The Plasma charge is a direct attack, while the Stun charge is mostly used to get past shielded enemies, or to just stun the more difficult ones. There are a minimal number of boss fights, and in context with the rest of the games difficulty, these bosses will not cause you too much trouble. I found the methods at which you had to defeat these bosses rather creative, but again, even on the hardest difficulty you won't find them too much of a challenge. The platforming in the game is spread out rather evenly, though you won't find much challenge here either. There are a few areas to go off the beaten path to locate orbs, or masks in the game, but other than that the game will always present you with a straight path, and a nice glowing rock/handle/tree branch/metal beam for you to grab onto in order to progress. Overall you're going to want to play this game because of the story and atmosphere. The developer, Ninja Theory, knows what they are doing when they set out to create an enjoyable world, with creative and enjoyable characters. Their motion capture and acting is top notch, and some of the best you will see in gaming today. The story and characters will pull you in and you won't want to stop playing once you start. I highly recommend this game to anyone who enjoys an excellent action/adventure game with the story and characters being the main star. The combat is limited, but with upgrades and excellent pacing you will never feel like you're fighting so much that the combat becomes too boring or repetitive. The changes in pace with platforming and cutscenes makes your trip through the world of Enslaved a very enjoyable one.