Enslaved: Odyssey To The West - Playstation 3

I knew from the beginning that Enslaved: Odyssey to the West was going to bring a unique experience. The exclusive look that Game Informer had proved it to me. In a current age of video games where cookie-cutter games are a dime a dozen, I could see that Enslaved wanted to do something different. Made from the same chaps that worked on the great PS3-exclusive 'Heavenly Sword', Ninja Theory set out to give Enslaved the same top-notch treatment. From the deeply involving storytelling, to the amazingly detailed graphics and facial recognition technology, Enslaved was set up for success from the very beginning. After reading that Ninja Theory had once again enlisted the talents of Andy Serkis to not only play the main character Monkey but help direct the cinematic flow of the cutscenes, my hopes were very high. Serkis brought a depth of character to the brutish Monkey that I think few could pull off, and I believe that Lindsay Shaw did a great job as Trip,as well. Both with her completely believable show of fear and uncertainty and also just a great all-around acting performance. I'm not too familiar with the actor that portrayed Pigsy, but he did a good job as well. I found myself laughing at things I normally wouldn't because of his portrayal. I was also pleased to hear that Nitin Sawhney, composer from 'Heavenly Sword' was returning to write Enslaved's musical score, and I must say that the music had a way of pulling me into the game a little bit further than most others. So congratulations on that. Now to the gameplay. What can I say other than 'I completely loved it?' I found action-filled combat, puzzles and platforming all in equal measures. It was a blast hacking my mechanical enemies to tiny bits with Monkey's staff and blowing them up with ranged plasma shots. Although the puzzles weren't terribly difficult, I did find myself taking a few extra moments to try and work through the problem. Oh, and the platforming! The bread and butter of the entire experience, really knew how to make you feel awesome. Although the process was very straight-forward, Ninja Theory knew how to keep you involved in the action by either giving you enemies nearby that are trying to kill you (or that you have to sneak past) or by giving the enviroment its own healthy dose of life-and-death danger. All I have to say is that Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is not only one of my favorite games of the year, it's one of my favorite games period. With a rich story that takes a fresh look on the old Chinese classic, Journey to the West, deep characters that you end up actually caring about, great gameplay the entire way through, and a pretty mind bending ending, Enslaved gets a 5 out of 5 for me. ^_^ Sidenote: Even though I loved everything about the game, I didn't really enjoy the inclusion of some curse words here and there. It's more of a personal preference than a detriment to game, so I didn't detract any points there. I just wish that some games would come with a profanity filter. Also, because of this, this game isn't really for kids. I'd say an age range of about 15-17+.

I had my doubts about this game seeing how it flew under the radar for so long and then dropped in price so quickly. Usually when something drops to $15 that fast its not worth the time to pick it up unless you really want to play it. Enslaved suprised me at how good it really was. Its not going to wow most people seeing how it is a Button masher, and some of the combat can get very repetitive. But the story is where the game shines and makes you move forward button mashing, swinging and climbing all the way to the ending. Graphics look great. Alot of detail used in the facial animations. You might recognize the voice of the fat guy (Scott Shelby) from Heavy rain who plays Monkey. From the bosses to the backgrounds the game looks gorgeous. Top notch. Story is the best part. You rarely come across a great story anywhere be it movies or sadly in videogames but Enslaved actually pulled the story off very well. Basically you are caught by Slavers who want to Enslave you to do their work etc. When Trip (the female) breaks you (Monkey) free unintentionally and as you try to escape you meet up with trip who has highjacked one of the slavers headbands used in controlling the slaves to force you to help her get home since she can't do it on her own. Pretty much if she dies you die. Gameplay is probably the weakest part of the game. You have the climbing, leaping sections similar to Uncharted and the typical button mash then grab said enemy for a finishing move similar to almost every other God of War clone game to date. But because the combat is so standard doesn't mean its without any fun to it. You have some cover sections where you use trip as a distraction to get closer to enemies so you can beat their heads in and also the opposite, you can draw attention away from her when shes being targeted by fire. Replay value all depends on if your a trophy hunter or not. I for one am somewhat of a trophy fiend but i shyed away from this platinum because of the tedious collecting X trophies. While some of the other trophies are fun to get, some of the others seem way too time consuming to bother with. Twice through was about enough for me then i moved on. At $15 that's pretty good value.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West begins mid-story, seemingly, as our hero and heroine, Monkey & Trip, head for a meeting with destiny aboard an out of control slave ship as it hurtles across a post-apocalyptic and gone to seed Manhattan. They form an uneasy alliance and navigate the terrain in search of Trip's home. What follows is a romanticized sci-fi mini epic that mostly does what it sets out to do. The story is unconventionally structured and open ended enough to give a sense of a larger game world that could be fleshed out further. And the story takes some unexpected turns and like a memorable old school sci-fi story, ends on a soberly ironic note. Art design is a cool mix of asian deco and Flash Gordon style tech... Firefly fans will likely get a charge out of the look, here. In game voicework and music by Nitin Sawhney are top quality. Then there's the gameplay. Enough's been made of linear jumping sections, I didn't have a problem with that so much, I felt it streamlined the action so you could enjoy the scenery more, and the scenery's nice (especially the Manhattan modeled after the 'Life After People' History Channel series).. The combat felt a little loose in the camera, but did manage to convey a sense of heaviness to the swings, so not bad, but not great. The best sequences involve (surprise) using both Trip and Monkey to overcome obstacles. They play well, and even get some emotion going in a few places. Reminiscent of Ico in that you are guiding the girl to safety, but more modern in that she can take care of herself.. except when she's being carried off by some giant creature that you have to chase on your hover board.. err - "Cloud". Ok. Must there always be a floaty wobbly thing that steers like a waterbed in sci fi games? Can we commit to not doing the floaty thing anymore? The worser sin of doing chase scenes with them? It's not fun. Stop it. Seriously. And the same goes for the 'green' level. You know the 'green' level? It's in every sci fi fantasy adventure game.. & it's in this one. The puke green industrial level with the toxic ooze and the wrecked machines that offers nothing except another visually uninspired slog to get to the chapter you're trying to get to. More insulting is that the character you meet on the green level in Enslaved is dressed (and acts for the most part) like a pig.. more painfully reminiscent of Beyond Good & Evil since you're already fighting with a bo staff just like Jade. An homage? It doesn't feel like one, it just feels cheap. Those things cost this game some emotional investment, which is bad because mood is where this game succeeds. It's as if the idea of uneasy alliance seems to have penetrated this game down to it's core, but for the worse. For every sequence that bonds you with the characters (the appearance of the 'dogs', the bridge sequence) there were plenty of others including the above-mentioned that would de-invest you back into playing by rote through sequences you felt you played before. So, it's hard for me to strongly recommend this title on gameplay. At all. On the other hand, I felt the art and the overall beauty of this game make it worth playing, if only once. I fully respect what they tried to with the story, and I liked the ending alot.

This game did not sell well, nor did it really receive any praise. I played the demo and I admit, I was even turned off by this game. Then it went on sale for $10 brand new so I picked it up. Post apocalyptic worlds I find interesting. The gameplay plays like Assassin's Creed during its platformong and a cheap mans God of War during combat. The platforming is actually quite fluid and well done. The combat is the weakest point in the game. It actually improves dramatically as the game progresses and you buy powerups with orb collectibles, but it still isn't the greatest. Fighting robots can be a chore, although some of the boss battles are very thrilling. The highlight of this game and what kept me so imvolved is the story. It is one of the best written games of all time. On par with the last of us. The characters, dialogue, underlying message and story are top notch. The characters are great. You want to learn more about them and you do.as the game goes on. The setting is gorgeous and there are many collectibled to keep you exploring. Level design is impressive in this regard although sometimes it feels repetitive at some parts or a bit small. Graphics were decent when the game came out. Nothing to rave about. They probably look a little dated by todays standards but to me graphics isn't important to me. Just get me involved and engaged and that takes care of everything.

It makes me so sad when I see the low price, and hear that this game hasn't sold as many units as expected. I just don't get it, because "Enslaved" honestly has so much going for it: incredible graphics depicting an original and entrancing world; great gameplay containing simple, satisfying fights and varied, fast-paced platforming; a great setting and story filled with danger, thrills, pain, and friendship; but most importantly, affecting characters that you'll remember for years. I finished the game a week ago and I just can't stop thinking about Trip and Monkey, especially Trip. As the female counterpart to your character Monkey, you develop an incredible bond with her, since you are her protector. She is of course designed to be beautiful and embody the "damsel in distress," but the developers also imbued her with intelligence, compassion, and a longing for companionship, all of which eventually penetrates Monkey's shell. Just as important, though, you bond with her because of the amazing, authentic performance of Lindsey Shaw, the actress who plays her, as she makes it all so real. The voice-acting and motion-capture animation (which captured the actors' facial expressions perfectly), combined with a fantastic script, create so many moments between Monkey and Trip, both tense and quiet, that I just can't stop thinking about them. This ranks up there with Xenogears and Final Fantasy VII as having the most memorable characters I've ever come across. The developer of the game, Ninja Theory, deserves all the praise it has been getting. I really hope there is a sequel, but either way I will definitely be on the look-out for any other game Ninja Theory comes out with (they were hired by Capcom to do a re-boot of the "Devil May Cry" series). --------- Addendum: To quickly touch upon the other aspects of the game, I'll simply say that everything fits together well. --Fighting: Boss battles, in particular, are impressive for being inventive, tense and fun, but most importantly plausible - the developers deserve a lot of kudos for accomplishing this without making them huge, overblown spectacles. --Pacing: The world they have created is also 100% believable, even without much of anything in the way of explanation - the characters are dumped in this post-apocalyptic world, and you are simply pulled forward by the great pacing of the game, with equal measures of fighting, platforming, and character development. --Character development: While a lot of the character development is done through cut scenes, plenty of it is also interwoven brilliantly into the fighting and platforming, usually with you saving Trip, or Trip saving you.

This game has been reviewed well by critics and gamers alike, and yet it still hasn't seen the appreciation it deserves. I'm hoping that by writing this review I can help convince some other people to buy this great game. The story is great. Monkey and Trip are well written, and the voice acting and facial animations really capture the emotions of each character. As you move through the journey you will want to see how the story unfolds, and how it affects the two main characters. The combat is fun, though it gets a little repetitive their are enough new enemies, fun and challenging boss fights, and different techniques and weapons for Monkey to use to keep it interesting. You'll collect tech orbs to upgrade Monkeys gear, and make his health and shielding last longer. Finding ways to use Trips abilities to help Monkey to overcome the different obstacles is fun and creative. The world is very nice, with lush green foliage to contrast against the gray of the empty ruins of New York. The environments are well constructed, and taking Monkey through each different area is fun and challenging. Figuring out how to get to different places, keep Trip safe, and finding little hidden areas with special items is fun and will make sure you want to play through each chapter more than once. If this isn't enough, for those of you feeling the crunch on your wallets, the games price has dropped since initial release, and the new price makes the game well worth the purchase, whether it's for yourself, or as a present. This game would be a good buy for anyone over 13 that likes to play video games.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is an action adventure game from developer Team Ninja that attempts to re-imagine the ancient Chinese story Journey to the West with a bit of future apocalyptica flare. You follow the story of a young tech girl named Trip and a battle-hardened vagabond named Monkey. After escaping from a slave ship, Monkey must escort Trip safely back to the village she was kidnapped from, whether he wants to or not. Set in a time where free men struggle to survive in a world dominated by the homicidal mechanical ruins of a long ended war, you must run, jump, and smash your way through crumbling cities and clockwork goliaths to reach your goal. I had a lot of fun playing Enslaved and can honestly say that I fully enjoyed the experience. That experience, however, has to be taken with a grain of salt. Do not purchase this game expecting a deep gameplay experience. It is very straight forward. Run and hit things. That's pretty much it. The battle system mainly boils down to pressing the attack button repeatedly while intermittently tapping a dodge button. There are some more aspects involved but nothing really game changing. Outside of combat, the game has a heavy focus on parkour-style exploration. However, this feature is noticeably shallow. Rather than preforming any button combinations that may require mental and reflexive dexterity, you simply run toward the object in front of you and tap jump, and your character takes care of the rest. Hell, you don't even have to guess at where to go next, because that area will be lit up brightly just in case you stopped to wonder if you had to go anywhere but straight for once. Level designs are straightforward, with exploration only ever really extending as far as 'there is a path that veers slightly to the right, lemme check there for something new'. This isn't going to scratch your adventure game explorer itch the way say, Ocarina of Time may have. That being said, this game is enjoyable so long as you don't go into it expecting more than it is capable of offering. It is beautiful. The graphics are fantastic, and the world Monkey and Trip travel through is at times breath-taking. Sapphire blue skies that reach out to the horizon, as well as lovingly detailed urban environments with the lush greens of invasive nature are the staple of this game. I often found myself stopping and playing with the camera angles just to get a look at the world the developers had crated. The level design is also fantastic. Yes, they usually are straightforward, but the complexity of the scenery and architecture around you will quickly help you forget that you are essentially traveling down a convoluted corridor the whole time. Another winning point for this game is the characters. At first they seem rather cookie-cutter at first: the strong hero tasked with protecting the weak, but support-effective girl, and the third wheel comedic relief. While they do fill these roles rather typically, their personalities, dialogue, and voice acting truly set them apart and above other video game casts to date. Also, the game has a very subtle sense of humor that took me completely by surprise. I found myself at several moments bursting with laughter at dialogue and cutscenes that were delivered with such perfectly unexpected comedic timing. The motion capture is phenomenal, and by the end of the relatively short campaign you will feel a true sense of humanity from each of the heroes. Speaking of the end, I was pleasantly surprised by that as well. Without spoiling anything for you, be prepared for the game to end with a twist that is both unexpected and slightly unsettling. All in all, if you're a fan of adventure games and can appreciate a title for its good points without it being some ground-breaking achievement, get this game. However, don't you dare pay full price for it. Nothing more than $30 is acceptable. If you do find it for cheap though, jump on it. So long as you dive into the game without expecting it to give you things it can't promise you should be able to garner a sense of appreciation for it, as I have. *** 3/5 stars ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thanks for reading, hope this helped with your purchase. Leave questions/comments if you like. Ender

Flawed but fun! The highlights of this game are the story and voice characterization which kept me interested throughout regardless of the jittery frame-rates and jumpy gameplay. While you do not gather new weapons you can upgrade the powers you do have, as well as boosting endurance and health. Being able to regenerate without health packs can be crucial in the later chapters so be sure to upgrade that at some point. The battles are entertaining clashes with "Mechs" and other, much larger robotic behemoths. Each "Mech" has strengths and weaknesses and remembering what to do against each, even with a large variety closing in, is part of the strategy. While most of the battles occur as close-quarters melee, many others require more thought and speed and time to accomplish. I just finished the game, all fourteen chapters, plus a final "Epilogue" cut-scene section, and I am buzzed. The final boss battle is epic! That is not to say the other battles are inferior but after the action-packed opening sequence all that follow are a slow build-up to the final, exhausting conclusion. The opening sequence is both a tutorial and a great set piece to start the game and is one of my favorite openings to a game since "Uncharted 2". However, the flaws of this game bring it down a notch with the animations fluttering occasionally, breaking the story immersion, and the hand-to-hand combat can be so hectic at times you may lose your place and the location of any enemies attacking you. It is a shame, really, as this had the potential to be amazing but must eventually settle for good. If you want a game with a grand storyline and interesting characters (with a sprinkle of romance) and some truly "forgiving platforming" where you rarely 'fall' to your death then "Enslaved: Odyssey To The West" is a solid choice.

wish I never sold and this review is like 9 years too late lol

In the opinion of many Enslaved is perhaps THE most under-rated Action/Platformer on the PS3 and after playing this game, I count myself among those that are astonished. The best part about this game is the story. The original concept has been taken from the Chinese classic "Journey To the West", and the creators have struck an excellent balance of keeping the integrity of the original story intact while giving their own spin to the characters. While the Action/Platform genre in the PS3 era was defined by big titles like God of War, DmC, and the Arkham series, Enslaved was, unfortunately, one of the games that slipped through the cracks of everybody's attention. Boasting an excellent story, crisp game mechanics, and stunning visuals, this game is a MUST have for anyone who enjoys story driven Action games.

Un bon jeu, pas disponible sur PS4. Usagé en bon état. Merci jeux+ Sherbrooke!

Very good games but some problems

It's impossible to get a brand new sealed ps3 disc nowadays, but this was new with book and ps3 seal, worth the buy