Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

[The Bard]

This is the only game in recent memory where the writer (Danny Boyle no less) has been present throughout the entirety of the games development and has overseen that there is as little disconnect as possible between the narrative and the actions the player is performing. Which is what makes it interesting to me. I haven't played it though, but I'll get it soon. Too bad it tanked =(.

[flameboy]

This is the only game in recent memory where the writer (Danny Boyle no less) has been present throughout the entirety of the games development and has overseen that there is as little disconnect as possible between the narrative and the actions the player is performing. Which is what makes it interesting to me. I haven't played it though, but I'll get it soon. Too bad it tanked =(.

 

£12 on amazon I just picked it up! Namco though to be fair to them have come out and said its still selling since its release and has now reached over 750k in sales and they are still interested in carrying on the franchise at some point.

 

I wonder if its made its money back? Because I do think we need to move away from this notion of everything under a million seller being a failure. Look at Homefront, it was critically not the best recieved game but it sold 1.2 million and made its money back yet its considered a flop and Kaos Studios were shut down in the last week.

[Daft]

I hated this in the end. It was a chore to play. Bulletstorm has a similar, yet better, environment, is much more fun and probably has a better story (and at the very least a much more entertaining script).

 

Danny Boyle no less

 

Huh...what is less than nothing?

 

there is as little disconnect as possible between the narrative and the actions the player is performing. Which is what makes it interesting to me. I haven't played it though, but I'll get it soon. Too bad it tanked =(.

 

Play Uncharted. Uncharted pulls it off. Unlike this.

[The Bard]

That's cool, I was only speaking in terms of the hypothetical, since that was the goal - as to whether they pulled it off is another story, I'll have to play it and find out.

 

As for Uncharted; swing a PS3 my way and I'll get right on that =p.

 

Finally - the Danny Boyle hate. Why? (Except for the fact that Slumdog was the worst film that came out that year )

[Aimless]

Play Uncharted. Uncharted pulls it off. Unlike this.

I don't know, Uncharted is the current king of ludo-narrative dissonance in a way: you brutally kill hundreds of people throughout the course of the game, yet Drake is portrayed as a likeable rogue; characters can soak up tens of bullets at a time, except for cutscene bullets which are far more lethal.

 

Not that the above should really hamper your enjoyment of the game — there's no easy way around such things for Naughty Dog — but you're definitely required to suspend your disbelief and separate story actions from game mechanics.

 

That said I think Enslaved's story could have been better integrated in a lot of ways, most notably the rather rubbish ending, although it is generally more successful than other games.

[Daft]

Finally - the Danny Boyle hate. Why? (Except for the fact that Slumdog was the worst film that came out that year )

 

You're too generous.

[Magnus]

I hated this in the end. It was a chore to play. Bulletstorm has a similar, yet better, environment, is much more fun and probably has a better story (and at the very least a much more entertaining script).

I haven't played Bulletstorm, but "entertaining" describes my impression of the game perfectly. It seems very over the top and doesn't appear to take itself too seriously. So yeah, it seems entertaining, but Enslaved is a game that tries to make you care about the characters.

 

(Of course, I know nothing about the story in Bulletstorm, so if it's really moving, feel free to correct me.)

 

When you first meet Trip and she's sitting there with her arms wrapped around her leg, you can tell that she's really freaked out about what she's gotten herself into. Or when you have to carry her as you're climbing on a collapsing bridge. Just working together to get through an area makes it feel like you're in this together. These are characters that feel real, with real emotions.

 

I agree that the gameplay is severely flawed, but I think the game is saved by its well-written characters. Sometimes that's enough.

[Daft]

But ultimately it just felt like great cutscenes strung together with utterly laborious gameplay. Which is unforgivable. It's a game, I could (and regularly do) forgive games for having it the other way around.

 

Not to mention the actual story is awful. The end is just laughable.

 

The characters aren't moving in Bulletstorm because that's not the tone of the story, like you said. They are well realised, though. I'd have a drink with them if they weren't just a bunch of pixels. Enslaved, on the other hand, really does take itself too seriously.

 

Whatever floats your boat in the end.

[Nolan]

Just finished this up, I enjoyed it all the way through, but can't say I regret waiting this long to play.

 

And I know this is rather late, but Danny Boyle didn't write anything for this game. Alex Garland is the writer, Danny Boyle is a director. Though the two collaborate enough getting them mixed up is easy.

[sumo73]

I got this game as an Xmas present last year. I played a bit and then lost interest in it (I bought other games) but I'd like to get back to it at some point. Did anyone buy the DLC for this game and if so is it worth buying?

[flameboy]

I got this game as an Xmas present last year. I played a bit and then lost interest in it (I bought other games) but I'd like to get back to it at some point. Did anyone buy the DLC for this game and if so is it worth buying?

 

It centres around the Pigsy character and from what I heard its worse than the main game!

[Magnus]

Well, as someone who has actually played the DLC, I recommend it.

 

It plays very differently from the main game - focusing more on stealth and using gadgets to get around enemies - and it's fairly lengthy for a piece of DLC.

 

Plus Enslaved is a game with great characters, and it's nice to get some more backstory for Pigsy.

[Derrick]

I've heard some vaguely interesting things about that game.

 

Sadly, I've also heard that it isn't coming out for PC, which puts it beyond my reach.

 

Oh well, hopefully it turns out good.

Edited December 12, 2011 by Derrick