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    ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West

    genkicoll
    genkicoll


    Posts : 8426
    Join date : 2011-12-28
    Age : 50
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    ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West Empty ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West

    Post by genkicoll Tue Feb 10, 2015 1:55 pm

    ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West
    by Ninja Theory - October, 2013

    Available at:
    GamersGate
    Steam

    ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West Header

    Follow a gripping, surprise-filled journey as two dissimilar characters form an uneasy partnership in order to survive through a perilous, post-apocalyptic America.

    150 years in the future, war and destruction have left the world in ruins with few humans remaining and nature having reclaimed the world. Mysterious slave ships harvest the dwindling population and take them out west, never to return.

    Trip, a technologically savvy young woman has been imprisoned by a slave ship but manages to escape using her mental prowess. Monkey, a strong, brutish loner and fellow prisoner also gets free by virtue of his raw power and brawn. Trip quickly realizes that Monkey is her ticket to freedom and is her only hope to survive her perilous journey back home. She hacks a slave headband and fits it on Monkey, linking them together. If she dies, he dies and her journey has now become his. ENSLAVED centers on the complex relationship between the two main characters. Players take on the role of Monkey, utilizing a mix of combat, strategy and environmental traversal to ensure he and Trip survive the threats and obstacles that stand in the way of their freedom.

    • The Premium Edition includes the original critically-acclaimed game, and additional DLC content “Pigsy’s Perfect 10” as well as character enhancement skins Ninja Monkey, Classic Monkey and Sexy Trip.
    • Engaging Storyline - A post-apocalyptic retelling of the classic 400-year old novel Journey to the West co-written by famed novelist and screenwriter, Alex Garland.
    • A Cinematic Masterpiece - Dramatic cutscenes co-directed by Andy Serkis, who also plays the lead role of Monkey, portraying critical events that drive the story of Monkey and Trip.
    • Stunning Environments - Explore a beautiful, eerie world of war-ravaged cityscapes that have been reclaimed by nature and are fraught with danger at every turn.
    • Dynamic Combat System - Attack and defend with agile prowess using a combination of melee attacks, blocks, and intense
      takedowns. Use Monkey to overtake an enemy, steal its weapon, then rip the enemy apart systematically.

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    Last edited by genkicoll on Sun Nov 27, 2016 2:30 pm; edited 1 time in total
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


    Posts : 8426
    Join date : 2011-12-28
    Age : 50
    Location : Pacific Northwest

    ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West Empty Re: ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West

    Post by genkicoll Fri Feb 20, 2015 1:29 pm

    ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West (Action-adventure)

    Let me preface this review by saying that I am analytical by nature -- I'm one of those people who watches a movie (or reads a book, plays a game, etc.) and says to themselves, "C'mon!  That completely defies the laws of physics!" or "Oh, please. That is literally physically impossible."  Yeah right  I'd like to say right up front that if you're like me in this respect, you'll enjoy this game much more if you simply put reality aside and enjoy the game for what it is -- a game.

    Options include separate sliders for music and effects, and subtitles are OFF as the default (turn them on in the audio section of the options.)  You can play with the keyboard and mouse, or with a controller... or both, if you prefer.  Keyboard controls CAN be re-mapped if you wish to do so.  As for the graphics options, there are multiple settings, but the most notable (to me) are resolution settings from 800x600 up to 1920x1200, gamma control (brightness), and graphics quality.  I REALLY needed this last setting, since my computer just barely met the required specs.  I was able to play at the lowest quality (it was still gorgeous!) but I did occasionally have some lag.

    There are two modes of play to choose from; Easy and Normal.  I chose Normal for my play-through, and I used an X-box 360 controller -- mostly.  I'll explain later in the review. Wink

    From the main menu you can choose to "Continue Journey", which of course continues your game from the last save point. Saves are automatic; just watch for the swirling blue symbol in the bottom right corner.  If you choose to continue after you've already finished the game, you'll get to re-watch the game's epilogue.  You can go back and try to get all of the collectibles via "Chapter Select" (it will give you stats on the collectibles per chapter from this section), and if you've gone back since finishing the game, "Continue Journey" will return you to the chapter you were last working on.

    The Chapter Select is available from the beginning of the game, though of course you can only access chapters that you've already been to (no jumping ahead in the story.)  Just be aware that if you decide to go back and replay a chapter, whatever chapter you're currently in will be reset to the beginning.

    So, what ARE these collectibles I keep mentioning?  There are two to collect in the main game -- "tech orbs", which are floating balls of light, and as of chapter 3, masks.  The masks add a little bit of extra depth to the story, and the orbs you will need to grab to get upgrades.  More on that later.

    The tutorial is pretty straightforward, but I'll add some of the info here so that you can get an idea of the gameplay and combat.

    We have full 360-degree control of both our character and the camera... most of the time.  Sometimes we have only limited control of the camera, which I believe the devs did to help us know which direction we're supposed to go.  There were a few moments when I simply could not figure out what I was supposed to be doing, but by taking my time to look around, I'd eventually spot something flashing.  These flashing objects are items that you can climb, jump on/to, clamber on, etc.  Our character is quite acrobatic, but you don't have to stop and watch him twirl around to finish his maneuver before jumping to the next location; that can be fun, but when you're being attacked, I really don't recommend it. ;p

    By the way, you generally can't fall to your death in this game.  There are exceptions of course, but what I mean is that if you're up so high that death would be the result of falling, your character will simply refuse to jump.  You won't fall off of -- say -- a steel girder when you're clambering across, not even if you try reallllly hard. Laugh  Another nice thing the devs have added is that when you climb a ladder, it takes a single push of a button -- climbing up and down is automatic.

    You have two types of attack: Up-close combat and shooting, both of which are done with your handy staff.  Ammo is VERY limited, so be choosy on what you decide to use it on!  We have both plasma and stunning ammo.  The plasma blast will NOT break through a shield, but the stunning ammo will.  The only other thing that will break through a shield is a "charged" hit with your staff, which you do by holding down the attack button until the staff glows.  'course you could just run behind them where their shield doesn't cover, but what would be the fun in that? Belly laugh  (In other words, I'm not dextrous enough with close combat to be able to do it. *snicker* )

    Wait, what about us?  Don't WE get a shield? *petulant pout*

    Yes, yes. *pats on head* We have a shield, too.  Don't worry, the tutorial will explain all of that. Elk grin Let's get back to shooting, shall we?

    I really had trouble with using the controller to aim accurately when in the midst of combat.  Eventually I remembered that I could use the controller AND the mouse, so whenever I needed to shoot something, I used the mouse, and used the controller for everything else.

    Some of the mechs you run into will have symbols over their heads.  These are enemies that you can do a takedown on.  Hit 'em until the prompt comes up, then push the appropriate button for the takedown.  Highly recommended since it will affect any other mechs that are present, and absolutely necessary during certain boss battles -- there's no way to beat some of them without using the maneuver!

    We have a companion on our journey, which already know if you've looked at any of the game screens.  Trip has many abilities of her own, and she is also the reason we've been collecting those tech orbs.  First off, though, let me explain a little bit about the dynamics.

    We have a screen we can bring up to interact with Trip, and there we have some options.  We can tell her to create a distraction, run or do some kind of action (like flipping a switch for us), apply a health serum (provided that we have some), and the upgrade function, which is where the tech orbs come in.  There are four sub-options for upgrades: Staff, Combat, Shield, and Health.

    I'll let you discover for yourself what each category entails~

    Trip is not the badass we are, so sometimes she needs a little help... like picking her up and flinging her across a chasm... you know, that kind of thing. Elk grin  How you, personally (not our character), feel about Trip is going to depend on your decisions.  I know that's pretty vague, and perhaps even those who've played the game won't know what I'm talking about, but I can't really say more than that without giving spoilers (something I won't intentionally do.)

    There is a widely-experienced GLITCH during one scene in the game, and I'm putting this in spoilers in case you don't want to see the solution:
    Spoiler:

    The graphics are stunningly beautiful.  I have 147 screens at the moment, and am sure to have many more the next time I play (since I'll have the subtitles off during the next play-through.)  The attention to detail is just incredible, with those little extra touches that really add to the scene -- the way things move in the wind, lighting effects, scratches on our characters' skin, scars, even pores!  This dystopian world is really brought to life through the amazing graphics, and you know what?  The creators didn't "cheat" on those areas where we have limited camera range.  If you try aiming to shoot something, you'll be able to see the full 360-degree view, and that the graphics are still fleshed out in areas we shouldn't be able to see.

    My one gripe is that cutscenes cannot be skipped, so if you die soon after a cutscene, you'll have to re-watch it. >_<  I read somewhere that these scenes CAN be skipped, but nothing I tried worked for me.  If you know the secret, please share!  It'll be nice for the next time I either re-play or try to get all of the collectibles!

    The voice acting is excellent, and the characters are full of personality.  I generally didn't notice the music, and to me, that's the mark of really well-chosen tunes... It means that the music so perfectly fit the scene(s) that it wasn't jarring, annoying, or feeling out-of-place.  The sound effects were great, too. ^__^

    I felt that the ending was ridiculous in some respects, but that's because of my aforementioned habit of analyzing things.  It may have felt unrealistic to me, but it ALSO felt compelling, thought-provoking... profound.  You have to realize that the storyline presented in this game is based on a story that is four hundred years old, and that explains some things that might have bugged me more, otherwise.

    _________________________________________________________________
    EXTRAS (unlocked upon completion of the game):

    • Pigsy's Perfect 10 - Play as a lonely Pigsy just looking a bit of company*
    • Classic Monkey - Changes Monkey's outfit to red & gold and doubles his striking power
    • Ninja Monkey - Monkey becomes outfitted in black, and he has unlimited stunning and plasma ammo
    • Sexy Robot Trip - Changes Trip's outfit and doubles the length of all stunning attacks

    *Pigsy's Perfect 10, additional info:

    You can set options separately for this portion of the game, and remember to turn on the subtitles if you want them!  The controls are different, since Pigsy has different abilities, and we have two kinds of collectibles (though I won't spoil it by telling you what they are Wink  )

    The music, the one-liners, the voice, the way Pigsy runs... all so freakin' funny!  What a hoot this guy is!  It seems like this section was a couple of hours long, but I can't be sure, since I kept getting interrupted.  The gameplay took a lot more thought that the main game did, and I enjoyed it, though towards the end it started feeling a bit repetitive.

    I think that Pigsy's bonus adventure may have originally been meant to be part of the original game because half of the cutscenes were the polished, gorgeous visuals we became accustomed to in the main game, whilst the other half were cartoon-y and unfinished.  A nice thing the devs did for us on this bonus portion is that we don't have to keep re-watching cutscenes if we happen to die.  Much preferred!

    Overall, the bonus chapters are well-worth playing, and a lot of fun... and I took some really great screenshots during this portion, too -- something that always makes me happy Elk grin
    _________________________________________________________________

    I had taken a break from the ENSLAVED early on, and decided to just start over when I came back to the game.  It is of note that I still had all of my upgrades and all of my tech orbs, despite having started a "new journey".  The orbs that I had originally grabbed were gone, and only the ones I'd missed were there to collect.  I would have expected that on the Chapter Select option, but surely didn't expect it for a new game.  I don't know if there's a way to reset it to have a completely "fresh" game, and I'm not ready to experiment with it just now, so I can't give you any answers on that one.

    For those of you (like me) who love achievements, there are 58 to earn in ENSLAVED, though I really don't know how a couple of them are possible Huh?  In case you missed it previously, the Chapter Select section shows you the percentage of orbs that you've collected per chapter, as well as how many masks you might be missing.

    I really enjoyed everything about this game (with the one exception that I already mentioned) -- from the sights and sounds to the story to the gameplay, I just enjoyed the hell out of it.  I have to agree with those who have mentioned that this is a hidden gem.  I really do think that the game deserved a lot more attention than it got, and I highly recommend it to any action-adventure fan. Two thumbs up
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


    Posts : 8426
    Join date : 2011-12-28
    Age : 50
    Location : Pacific Northwest

    ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West Empty Re: ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West

    Post by genkicoll Sun Nov 27, 2016 2:39 pm

    A hidden gem with gorgeous graphics, great gameplay, and a good story: ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West is on sale for $5 right now, and totally worth it!!
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