Enslaved: Journey to the West

Otacon · 16-09-2010 12:11pm #1

The demo for 'Enslaved: Odyssey to the West' was released onto the PSN last night. Did anyone else try it?

While it is a very basic demo, just going through the first level tutorial really, I was actually blown away. The game mechanics are very fluid and fast and the art style and environments are lush and beautiful. I also like the characters and the voice acting appears to be really good from the brief taste of it you get.

I think this just bounced from my 'Ignore' to my 'May Buy' list.

Wiki Link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enslaved:_Odyssey_to_the_West
Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhMm8Mr9WLs

Screenshot:

The Freeman · 16-09-2010 2:28pm

cheers for that, gonna be a busy week for games when this and castlevania come out along with Medal of Honour.

The Male protagonist is voiced by Andy Serkis(Gollum in LOTR Trilogy)
The company making the game expect/hope this to be in the same success league as Uncharted Series and for it to be their flagship title.

Being Downloaded as we speak....

wes · 16-09-2010 2:43pm

Played the demo, and it was very good. The graphics were impressive, and I liked the platfroming and fighting bits. The game look like it will be very enjoyable.

AnCapaillMor · 16-09-2010 3:29pm

Just reading up on it and it looks very interesting, defo picking this up.

Gunmonkey · 16-09-2010 4:24pm

Been following this for a while, has been getting very good previews so far.

Demo was great, had watched all of it already on a Destructoid "First 15 minutes" video but still great to get me hands on it. Serkis does the voice of Monkey but also the mo-cap, hence the great animation and facial detail in the cutscenes.

PaddyBomb · 17-09-2010 11:16am

Having never even heard of this game, that demo made me want this game. Sort of reminds me of Uncharted in a way. Think I'll pick this up when it goes down in price... I've too many games to complete at the moment

Grumpypants · 17-09-2010 12:31pm

It was one of the best looking games at Gamescom and not just because
they had the best looking booth girl

Really looking forward to it.

The Freeman · 17-09-2010 1:46pm

Demo was very enjoyable.only a week to complete it before Vanquish comes out too....nice:p

johnny_ultimate · 19-09-2010 1:58am

Impressed by the demo there: in the temporary absence of Uncharted 3 this will do nicely. Nice cinematic platforming, camera seemed a bit wonky at times but otherwise colour me interested. Definitely agree that the motion capture team and animators deserve a pat on the back for this one

AnCapaillMor · 20-09-2010 7:54am

Yeah camera felt kinda weird alright. Watching the video demo after it reminded me of prince of persistently of 2 years ago.

super_furry · 29-09-2010 8:23pm

Holy crap, how did I miss this one? Haven't been paying any attention to it's development and hype surrounding it, so when I downloaded the demo last night it totally blew me away. Possibly the best graphics I've seen on a console this generation with vibrant, lively visuals that put the browns and greys that every game seems to be swamped by these days.

Gameplay wise it seems to take a big leaf from Unchartered 2's book but has a much deeper and complex fighting system. The whole thing just blew me away, can't wait until next Friday now.

Jerichoholic · 29-09-2010 10:43pm

Yeah, agreed. It's pretty impressive alright. Better than the MMA demo that came out, good lord.

johnny_ultimate · 30-09-2010 12:09am

The demo is impressive, and all the reviews I've read have been pretty positive. As super_furry said, the vibrant visuals are a definite plus, and having a supposedly engaging storyline (written by Alex Garland) is always something I welcome. I doubt it will have the same 'wow' effect as Uncharted 2 last year, but in the absence of a new Nathan Drake adventure this will fill that gap nicely me thinks.

Serious praise is due to the character animators and Andy Serkis - if only all characters moved with the same weight and individuality of Monkey!

Retr0gamer · 01-10-2010 11:03am

I've heard presentation wise it's excellent but the gameplya is a bit ho-hum.

Mr E · 01-10-2010 11:36am

I watched the first 15 minutes this morning (video embedded in Eurogamer review). Its basically a glorified tutorial, but gives a feel for the game. Looks great. Jumping is a bit clunky though (not fluid like POP, Uncharted)....

12 hours long too, which is a decent length.

Grumpypants · 01-10-2010 12:01pm

This has been on my radar for a while not sure if ill get it today as ive a pile of games to clear out first and this one looks like it could take over my life for a good week.

super_furry · 01-10-2010 12:33pm

Grumpypants wrote: »

This has been on my radar for a while not sure if ill get it today as ive a pile of games to clear out first and this one looks like it could take over my life for a good week.

Good news so, it's not out until next Friday. Ran through the demo again yesterday, it really looks amazing.

johnny_ultimate · 01-10-2010 1:50pm

super_furry wrote: »

Good news so, it's not out until next Friday. Ran through the demo again yesterday, it really looks amazing.

Yeah graphically I can't fault it. The setpiece in the demo works well too, feels like you're genuinely rushing against time. It's basically a tutorial, so hard to know how effective it will be in the end, but it's a better demo than Castlevania for sure, even though most are meant to be pretty good.

CombatCow · 01-10-2010 10:38pm

Wow what an excellent demo, just got around to trying it now, the movement and jumping mechanic reminded me of Uncharted and the combat system of Batman Arkham Asylum, that's a very good combo to pull off. Seems like a sleeper hit! Deffo gonna pick this up!

Branoic · 02-10-2010 9:55am

Has anyone come across any console comparisons? Any big differences to be aware of?

Branoic · 02-10-2010 10:22am

From the guys that did Heavenly Sword, and I'm probably one of the few that thought that was an awesome game - specially in the mocap, acting and characterization departments. Defo picking this up.

tman · 02-10-2010 12:50pm

Branoic wrote: »

Has anyone come across any console comparisons? Any big differences to be aware of?

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-enslaved-demo-showdown-blog-entry

They only used the demo rather than the full game, but it should still give you an idea...

Branoic · 02-10-2010 3:58pm

tman wrote: »

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-enslaved-demo-showdown-blog-entry

They only used the demo rather than the full game, but it should still give you an idea...

Thanks. 360 it is so!

Moiph · 03-10-2010 6:40pm

Has anyone played the demo for this? I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it! Getting decent enough reviews now too. Think I'll pick it up next friday when it's out, quite excited about it.

me-skywalker · 05-10-2010 2:34am

Just saw this thread... Have to be honest, I never heard of it until just now but ive checked all the usuals spots, google - youtube- gamespot and im really likeing what im seeing. Currentyl downloading the demo now which is a massive 1.2gb!!

niallon · 05-10-2010 2:53am

I got to try this hands on at a work event and I was hugely impressed. Also fills me with confidence that it's pretty much Namco's sole major release and so would appear to have had dedicated attention paid to it, unlike other titles getting churned out where the script focus is minimal and the multiplayer gets the only proper attention.

Having played the XBL demo and getting a proper feel for the story I think this could be the game that finally properly bridges the gap between game and film. The camera angles are so beautifully cinematic and the story and acting seems to have come great merit to it, think I'll be picking it up at launch!

me-skywalker · 05-10-2010 4:44pm

Played the demo after I downloaded it last night and I cannot wait until Friday. Its beautiful! Slick the action is fun and crips. The soudntrack is atmospheric and the characters seem to have depth about them.

Also the story is written by Alex Garland, who wrote many Danny Boyle movies, The Beach, 28 Days Later/28 weeks Later, Sunshine. All amazing films!!
Can see some of the 28Days later influence on it already.

Also Andy Serkis helped with the creative DIrector on the movement of Monkey! haha you can actually tell when looking at it!

Cant wait.

siblers · 05-10-2010 6:20pm

Played the demo but then it froze on me, what I played I was impressed with. Wont get it on realese as there's just too many games to play and so little time. But will get it when it drops in price.

Moiph · 05-10-2010 9:19pm

I can't wait for Friday either. Definitely picking this one up. It's advertised at €50 on Smyths website but I'm kinda hoping that it might only be €40 when it's out seeing as it's not a major title

niallon · 06-10-2010 12:09am

Moiph wrote: »

I can't wait for Friday either. Definitely picking this one up. It's advertised at €50 on Smyths website but I'm kinda hoping that it might only be €40 when it's out seeing as it's not a major title

No anyone with a loyalty card? Only €45 that way.

Moiph · 06-10-2010 2:26am

Yeah I have a loyalty card, I'll definitely be using it!

Grumpypants · 08-10-2010 11:56am

Any idea if HMV have a blu-ray deal on today for this considering the guy who wrote it has written loads of sci fi films im sure one of them could come free.

tman · 08-10-2010 1:22pm

Seems like I'm the only one who wasn't blown away by this...

Cutscenes were lovely looking, but I found the colour palette to be absolutely garish! Uncharted got the bright colours just right, this hasn't imo...
The jumping sections of the gameplay almost felt on the rails... Can you even mistime jumps and die?
Then there's the combat... Judging by the video that plays at the end of the demo it never really branches out from the limited moves that you're given, so I can imagine that getting old pretty quickly.

I'll still rent it mind you (and most likely end up eating my words), but it just didn't give a very good first impression...

Grumpypants · 08-10-2010 1:59pm

tman wrote: »

Seems like I'm the only one who wasn't blown away by this...

Cutscenes were lovely looking, but I found the colour palette to be absolutely garish! Uncharted got the bright colours just right, this hasn't imo...
The jumping sections of the gameplay almost felt on the rails... Can you even mistime jumps and die?
Then there's the combat... Judging by the video that plays at the end of the demo it never really branches out from the limited moves that you're given, so I can imagine that getting old pretty quickly.

I'll still rent it mind you (and most likely end up eating my words), but it just didn't give a very good first impression...

Thought the same with the jumping but im hoping that they did that because you are in a rush in the demo and when exploring the city it gets better. Still God of war never branched out beyond button bashing and spinning around and thats good.

No deal in HMV but i did trade Alpha protocal and got 28 for it in xtravision so im happy with that.

Taltos · 08-10-2010 2:07pm

I was excited to see this coming.
But was also left under-whelmed by the demo - maybe it was just a bit loose or something - but it just did not click with me.

Might try it again - as this is a game I had really wanted...

valleyoftheunos · 08-10-2010 2:47pm

The demo videos remind me too much of the 2008 Prince of Persia and I really don't need to play that again.

CombatCow · 08-10-2010 2:57pm

Uuugh it's so not like POP, give it a chance!

super_furry · 08-10-2010 3:17pm

Just picked it up there, can't wait to get stuck into it tomorrow now.

Retr0gamer · 08-10-2010 3:22pm

I've a feeling that once the graphical sheen wears off this one it will be a very vapid experience.

NotorietyH · 08-10-2010 3:34pm

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I've a feeling that once the graphical sheen wears off this one it will be a very vapid experience.

Considering every review I've read has praised the writing, story and performances, I'm not sure I agree with you. It looks nice sure, but I don't think that's what has people interested in the game.

valleyoftheunos · 08-10-2010 5:10pm

CombatCow wrote: »

Uuugh it's so not like POP, give it a chance!

I reserve the right to make my mind up about games without having played them;)!

Even if it isn't like POP (which I quite enjoyed but found a bit tiresome long before the end) I have missed too many AAA games over the last 12 months for this to make it onto my list.

CombatCow · 08-10-2010 5:16pm

Yes sir!, sorry sir....

/runs off crying

Notorioux · 08-10-2010 6:30pm

I got this game today and tbh im quite a bit disappointed it just seemed to play itself a bit too much for my liking. :S

Gummy Panda · 08-10-2010 7:20pm

Is this console only?

johnny_ultimate · 08-10-2010 8:15pm

NotorietyH wrote: »

Considering every review I've read has praised the writing, story and performances, I'm not sure I agree with you.

Strangely, that's the thing that put me off purchasing today. Despite the praise the game is getting, very little of it actually seems to be for gameplay - in fact, most reviews I've read point out that it's fairly par for the course when you're actually playing.

Now, I must say a game with good writing and acting is something I very much welcome, but at least Uncharted 2 - which seem to be very similar in some regards, setting excluded obviously! - had rock solid gameplay behind it. This, by general critic reaction, seems to be excellent presentation but probably only a one play through game. So I'll probably just end up renting it or pick it up when it gets cheap, because 10 hours of great storytelling and pretty standard gameplay isn't something that seems quite worthy of a 45 euro investment. I don't mind short games, as long as every minute of the game feels worthwhile. I for some reason doubt that this is entirely worthy for that reason.

Still, I do want to play, just full price is turning me off. And as I said, well written games are embarrassingly rare, so high profile releases like this are always something I like to see.

Vic Vinegar · 08-10-2010 8:27pm

I have just completed a playthrough of this (on normal just!) it's a very good game. The story goes a bit

matrixy

later on! pretty cool.

The visuals and voice acting are top notch, as is the story. The combat is well done too, although a tad simpler than other similar games. You can upgrade the staff and shield etc and there's heaps of agility orbs to collect... if you're anal. Some seemed tricky enough to get (i'm a bit anal)

I'm definitely gonna play through it again on a harder difficulty.

NotorietyH · 08-10-2010 8:39pm

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Strangely, that's the thing that put me off purchasing today. Despite the praise the game is getting, very little of it actually seems to be for gameplay - in fact, most reviews I've read point out that it's fairly par for the course when you're actually playing.

Now, I must say a game with good writing and acting is something I very much welcome, but at least Uncharted 2 - which seem to be very similar in some regards, setting excluded obviously! - had rock solid gameplay behind it. This, by general critic reaction, seems to be excellent presentation but probably only a one play through game. So I'll probably just end up renting it or pick it up when it gets cheap, because 10 hours of great storytelling and pretty standard gameplay isn't something that seems quite worthy of a 45 euro investment. I don't mind short games, as long as every minute of the game feels worthwhile. I for some reason doubt that this is entirely worthy for that reason.

Still, I do want to play, just full price is turning me off. And as I said, well written games are embarrassingly rare, so high profile releases like this are always something I like to see.

I picked it up earlier, and have just played through the first four chapters, but I'm completely engaged in the story and game now. Really liking it. I wouldn't say the gameplay is crap or anything, I'm enjoying it and there seems to be a bit of variety to it, but the story and characters are definitely the stand-outs in the game. I think I'll be playing through it again though, gameplay isn't revolutionary, but it's very good, and really solid.

I get where you're coming from though, it was for pretty much the same reasons that I picked up Enslaved rather than Castlevania today, I'll wait until I see Castlevania cheap down the line to pic it up. The praise Enslaved was getting for its story and writing though is what made me want to pick it up day one, though I did enjoy the demo too. It's a game that totally went under my radar until about a week ago, had heard of it, but had no interest. Hoping it's going to be the sleeper hit of the winter this year, because they've created a great world and characters. It's without a doubt worth playing, I guess worth-buying is another matter entirely though! :P

johnny_ultimate · 08-10-2010 8:51pm

I was still trying to choose between this and Castlevania as I walked into the shop today, but 20 hours won out over ten!

Glad to hear it's good though, mighnt have time to squeeze it in before Vanquish though

NotorietyH · 08-10-2010 9:44pm

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I was still trying to choose between this and Castlevania as I walked into the shop today, but 20 hours won out over ten!

Glad to hear it's good though, mighnt have time to squeeze it in before Vanquish though

Yeah it ended up for me that I'd rather 10 hours with an engaging story than 20 hours with good gameplay but a not as interesting story. I think it's partly the mood I'm in at the moment with games anyway. Been playing a lot of games with little of no story so I can play 'em while listening to podcasts, but now I'm craving a game with story and characters and this seemed to fit the bill nicely and have New Vegas in a couple of weeks for story, but a big area I can explore while listening to podcasts, which really will be the best of both worlds!

Forgot to mention too that the music in Enslaved is great too. Really nice score.

cycocycle · 08-10-2010 10:35pm

Finished the first 5 chapters today. Story and visuals are excellent. Gameplay is solid without being revolutionary. I think overall it's an excellent game which is definitely worth a look.

Grumpypants · 09-10-2010 9:29pm

Its a very solid game and seems to be opening up now that im getting new upgrades enjoying it.

Enslaved: Journey to the West

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