Namco Bandai "Proud" of Enslaved, Considering Franchise Potential

[RoyalWelsh]

I thought it was decent enough, even though I found the combat to be a bit naff, but the game looked stunning and the character relationship between Monkey and Trip was really well done imo.

I, for one, am hopeful for a sequel.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Maybe they'll have learned how to make actual games before the release of their next title. Maybe. Possibly.

...

*sob*

DMC is going to suck. Not because of the Dante redesign, but because Ninja Theory focuses too much on story, and has proven themselves merely competent at gameplay. Story has never really been the selling point of DMC...and they'd really need to step up their game to make DMC's gameplay live up to the series.

I'm aware of this. Hell, in spite of how much the redesign and reinterpretation of Dante pisses me off, it's not the deal breaker. If the game does live up to the series standard, or better, exceeds it, I'll buy it. Trouble is, Ninja Theory's design history indicates that their combat system won't even reach the spectacular heights of Devil May Cry 2.

It won't even reach the heights of God of War, if history is anything to go by.

 

[Mantonio]

Am I the only one who finds the premise of Journey to The West, well, a bit horrifying?

This woman escapes from a slave train, PUTS AN EXPLOSIVE HEADBAND on Monkey, then says "Get me home or you die!" And yet we're supposed to want to protect and feel for this person? And Monkey even ends up HAPPY with this in the end! What the hell?

If a sequel doesn't begin with him tearing off that headband and beating her to death with it, I shall be disappointed.

Idiot.

I'm sorry, really, I am, but the whole point, and the BEST BIT about this game, was the way the relationship DID form. It is no Knight & Day (starring Tom Cruise), it actually does it very believably, and he does make it known that if the headband comes off he'll tear her to shreds. The thing is, if she dies, he dies. So he HAS to protect her in order to live. He is definitely very angry. No, they don't fall in love, but you can see a genuine friendship begin to form as he learns her motivations and begins to feel sympathetic towards her.

I'm told at one point, the girl takes the headband off him and tells him to go, but he just tells her to turn it back on, and then they have a 'moment'. How is that not messed up?

"What, this thing? This headband that lets you make me do whatever I say, and will blow up my head if you die? Nono, leave it on, that's fine"

My beef is the fact that the fact that she kidnapped him, enslaved him and then he ends up being happy as a slave. The game basically says that's it's okay for her to do that because 'Friendship YAY!'. You may look at it and think 'Awwww', I'm looking at it and thinking 'Hello, she TOOK YOU HOSTAGE!' The words Stockholm Syndrome also come to mind.

 

[Baralak]

Honestly, I really enjoyed this game. Great story and motion capture. Combat was okay, but nothing special, needs a better camera. I like the platforming sections. They let Monkey live up to his name and was flashy to boot.

Honestly, I'm glad I paid $40 for this game new. I have no clue how a sequel would work out, though...

I really enjoyed this game's story, and I don't see why people hate Trip so much. She HAD to do that to monkey, or mechs and slavers would have gotten her. Monkey's, understandably, pissed off about it and hates Trip in the beginning. However, as they travel and get to know each other better, a good friendship was born. It wasn't a romance, which is something I really loved, since we ALWAYS get those shoved down our throat. No, it was a good, deep, genuine friendship.

Spoiler

In fact, I was really touched when Trip deactivated the slave headband, and Monkey told her to put it on.

I mean, heck, Trip didn't even abuse the abilities of the slave headband! She had every possibility and the power to tell Monkey "No, we do this my way." "No, we're doing this." But instead, she always heeded what Monkey said, following his cues and listening to his advice. .


I honestly have no clue why people hate this game's story so much. Seriously, play the game, it's really good.


EDIT: Did I mention why Monkey would want the headband back on? The headband was what gave access to the game's HUD, and what let him see what the firefly saw. It was the only way he'd have access to those, and he knows and trusts Trip enough to know that she won't just activate the headband for no reason.

 

[Arkley]

It definitely has sequel potential. You see, the first game did all but a few things right. The problem was that the few things it did wrong were very big, very important things.

Enslaved was a benchmark in voice acting, facial animation, character interaction and development. The chemistry between the characters was fantastic. The writing was top-notch. It was a graphically impressive and unique depiction of a post-apocalyptic world.

The problems? Well, to begin with, the combat was uninspired. It managed a visceral feel, but without much actual depth. Usually, a lack of combat depth can be excused if it isn't the main focus of the game - there's much more to Enslaved's combat than there is to, say, Zelda's or Assassin's Creed. Zelda and AC get to skirt around accusations of poor combat because it isn't the focus of the game and it does the job. So why does Enslaved get a bad rap for its fighting?

Because there isn't much else to focus on. One could argue that the platforming was the focus of the game, but the platforming was almost fully automatic. Which brings me to the second big flaw: The platforming. There's no challenge in it. Most of the time, the game will literally not allow you to fail. You can't even jump unless there's something to jump to.

Lastly, there simply isn't much to the gameplay aspect besides the underdeveloped combat and automatic platforming. There are a few clever, unique moments in which you have to manage your position along with your partner's, distract enemies and sneak around 'till you're in a better position to handle your situation. But moments like that are few and far between. The puzzles are also extremely simple and little more than momentary delays along the path from beginning to end.

Basically, if Ninja Theory can resolve the gameplay issues and create more involving platforming along with more of those clever and unique situations that force you to think on your feet and act quickly, a sequel to Enslaved could be an incredible game - provided the excellent qualities of the first game aren't compromised in the process.

 

[smeghead25]

Am I the only one who finds the premise of Journey to The West, well, a bit horrifying?

This woman escapes from a slave train, PUTS AN EXPLOSIVE HEADBAND on Monkey, then says "Get me home or you die!" And yet we're supposed to want to protect and feel for this person? And Monkey even ends up HAPPY with this in the end! What the hell?

If a sequel doesn't begin with him tearing off that headband and beating her to death with it, I shall be disappointed.

Idiot.

I'm sorry, really, I am, but the whole point, and the BEST BIT about this game, was the way the relationship DID form. It is no Knight & Day (starring Tom Cruise), it actually does it very believably, and he does make it known that if the headband comes off he'll tear her to shreds. The thing is, if she dies, he dies. So he HAS to protect her in order to live. He is definitely very angry. No, they don't fall in love, but you can see a genuine friendship begin to form as he learns her motivations and begins to feel sympathetic towards her.

I'm told at one point, the girl takes the headband off him and tells him to go, but he just tells her to turn it back on, and then they have a 'moment'. How is that not messed up?

"What, this thing? This headband that lets you make me do whatever I say, and will blow up my head if you die? Nono, leave it on, that's fine"

My beef is the fact that the fact that she kidnapped him, enslaved him and then he ends up being happy as a slave. The game basically says that's it's okay for her to do that because 'Friendship YAY!'. You may look at it and think 'Awwww', I'm looking at it and thinking 'Hello, she TOOK YOU HOSTAGE!' The words Stockholm Syndrome also come to mind.

No no no, rent it out or something, it does actually work When she takes it off him, she'd just pretty much let everything out, told him why she had done it and how utterly horrible she felt. She had this entire revelation of what a bad person she was. She caught him by surprise by unlocking it, so at first he was kind of shcoked, but also he didn't want to kill her anymore. But at the same time he was absolutely infuriated that she'd done it to him and wasn't really feeling in control of himself. He knows that he'll snap soon, but after what he's just heard from her, after all she's gone through, he knows he would feel guilty for killing her. He understands what she's been through and why she would do it, even if he doesn't at all agree with what she did. I'm really not doing the game justice here, it has to be seen really :/

Rent it out if you don't want to buy it. It's worth a playthrough at least, should take a day or two but even with it's flaws (combat isn't quite deep enough, and platforming is too easy) it really is a charming game with a unique atmosphere. I didn't think much of it at first but my local store had a cheap deal on it and I decided to pick it up. It's up there with the best games from last year, and has an ending that you'll either love or hate, but you can't say it didn't try something new in that regard

 

[faspxina]

Am I the only one who finds the premise of Journey to The West, well, a bit horrifying?

This woman escapes from a slave train, PUTS AN EXPLOSIVE HEADBAND on Monkey, then says "Get me home or you die!" And yet we're supposed to want to protect and feel for this person? And Monkey even ends up HAPPY with this in the end! What the hell?

If a sequel doesn't begin with him tearing off that headband and beating her to death with it, I shall be disappointed.

maybe Monkey likes it rough

Stockholm syndrome.

 

[Jonluw]

Yes! This reminds me of the time I found out that they're planning a sewuel for Mirror's edge.

Considering I finished Enslaved in one sitting, I'm very happy that it'll probably get a sequel.

 

[faspxina]

DMC is going to suck. Not because of the Dante redesign, but because Ninja Theory focuses too much on story, and has proven themselves merely competent at gameplay. Story has never really been the selling point of DMC...and they'd really need to step up their game to make DMC's gameplay live up to the series.

That's exactly why I'm curious on how they'll be doing this. I thinks it has a grea chance to be a breath of fresh air in the series, if not better.

 

[Mantonio]

Spoiler

Am I the only one who finds the premise of Journey to The West, well, a bit horrifying?

This woman escapes from a slave train, PUTS AN EXPLOSIVE HEADBAND on Monkey, then says "Get me home or you die!" And yet we're supposed to want to protect and feel for this person? And Monkey even ends up HAPPY with this in the end! What the hell?

If a sequel doesn't begin with him tearing off that headband and beating her to death with it, I shall be disappointed.

Idiot.

I'm sorry, really, I am, but the whole point, and the BEST BIT about this game, was the way the relationship DID form. It is no Knight & Day (starring Tom Cruise), it actually does it very believably, and he does make it known that if the headband comes off he'll tear her to shreds. The thing is, if she dies, he dies. So he HAS to protect her in order to live. He is definitely very angry. No, they don't fall in love, but you can see a genuine friendship begin to form as he learns her motivations and begins to feel sympathetic towards her.

I'm told at one point, the girl takes the headband off him and tells him to go, but he just tells her to turn it back on, and then they have a 'moment'. How is that not messed up?

"What, this thing? This headband that lets you make me do whatever I say, and will blow up my head if you die? Nono, leave it on, that's fine"

My beef is the fact that the fact that she kidnapped him, enslaved him and then he ends up being happy as a slave. The game basically says that's it's okay for her to do that because 'Friendship YAY!'. You may look at it and think 'Awwww', I'm looking at it and thinking 'Hello, she TOOK YOU HOSTAGE!' The words Stockholm Syndrome also come to mind.

No no no, rent it out or something, it does actually work When she takes it off him, she'd just pretty much let everything out, told him why she had done it and how utterly horrible she felt. She had this entire revelation of what a bad person she was. She caught him by surprise by unlocking it, so at first he was kind of shcoked, but also he didn't want to kill her anymore. But at the same time he was absolutely infuriated that she'd done it to him and wasn't really feeling in control of himself. He knows that he'll snap soon, but after what he's just heard from her, after all she's gone through, he knows he would feel guilty for killing her. He understands what she's been through and why she would do it, even if he doesn't at all agree with what she did. I'm really not doing the game justice here, it has to be seen really :/

Rent it out if you don't want to buy it. It's worth a playthrough at least, should take a day or two but even with it's flaws (combat isn't quite deep enough, and platforming is too easy) it really is a charming game with a unique atmosphere. I didn't think much of it at first but my local store had a cheap deal on it and I decided to pick it up. It's up there with the best games from last year, and has an ending that you'll either love or hate, but you can't say it didn't try something new in that regard

Spoiler

Honestly, I really enjoyed this game. Great story and motion capture. Combat was okay, but nothing special, needs a better camera. I like the platforming sections. They let Monkey live up to his name and was flashy to boot.

Honestly, I'm glad I paid $40 for this game new. I have no clue how a sequel would work out, though...

I really enjoyed this game's story, and I don't see why people hate Trip so much. She HAD to do that to monkey, or mechs and slavers would have gotten her. Monkey's, understandably, pissed off about it and hates Trip in the beginning. However, as they travel and get to know each other better, a good friendship was born. It wasn't a romance, which is something I really loved, since we ALWAYS get those shoved down our throat. No, it was a good, deep, genuine friendship.

Spoiler

In fact, I was really touched when Trip deactivated the slave headband, and Monkey told her to put it on.

I mean, heck, Trip didn't even abuse the abilities of the slave headband! She had every possibility and the power to tell Monkey "No, we do this my way." "No, we're doing this." But instead, she always heeded what Monkey said, following his cues and listening to his advice. .


I honestly have no clue why people hate this game's story so much. Seriously, play the game, it's really good.


EDIT: Did I mention why Monkey would want the headband back on? The headband was what gave access to the game's HUD, and what let him see what the firefly saw. It was the only way he'd have access to those, and he knows and trusts Trip enough to know that she won't just activate the headband for no reason.

See, now I know these it makes more sense. Without these, she just sounds evil. Maybe not Sauron evil but definitely Lara Croft evil.

 

[bojac6]

Am I the only one who finds the premise of Journey to The West, well, a bit horrifying?

This woman escapes from a slave train, PUTS AN EXPLOSIVE HEADBAND on Monkey, then says "Get me home or you die!" And yet we're supposed to want to protect and feel for this person? And Monkey even ends up HAPPY with this in the end! What the hell?

If a sequel doesn't begin with him tearing off that headband and beating her to death with it, I shall be disappointed.

Idiot.

I'm sorry, really, I am, but the whole point, and the BEST BIT about this game, was the way the relationship DID form. It is no Knight & Day (starring Tom Cruise), it actually does it very believably, and he does make it known that if the headband comes off he'll tear her to shreds. The thing is, if she dies, he dies. So he HAS to protect her in order to live. He is definitely very angry. No, they don't fall in love, but you can see a genuine friendship begin to form as he learns her motivations and begins to feel sympathetic towards her.

Wait, you're calling him an idiot when you think the game develops into a "Genuine friendship"? More like psychological conditioning. Seriously, Mantonio is not an idiot for saying he finds Stockholm Syndrome to be horrifying, he's a sensible person. You, on the other hand, are trying to argue that a victim of what essentially amounts to a long term kidnapping with the constant treat of death can ever amount to a true friendship. "Best bit" of the game indeed. Instead of defeating the bad guy, it ends with you sympathizing with her. If you want to treat it as an examination of the psychological trauma, it's a decent story point, but it certainly is disturbing and horrifying.

 

[Jonluw]

Am I the only one who finds the premise of Journey to The West, well, a bit horrifying?

This woman escapes from a slave train, PUTS AN EXPLOSIVE HEADBAND on Monkey, then says "Get me home or you die!" And yet we're supposed to want to protect and feel for this person? And Monkey even ends up HAPPY with this in the end! What the hell?

If a sequel doesn't begin with him tearing off that headband and beating her to death with it, I shall be disappointed.

Idiot.

I'm sorry, really, I am, but the whole point, and the BEST BIT about this game, was the way the relationship DID form. It is no Knight & Day (starring Tom Cruise), it actually does it very believably, and he does make it known that if the headband comes off he'll tear her to shreds. The thing is, if she dies, he dies. So he HAS to protect her in order to live. He is definitely very angry. No, they don't fall in love, but you can see a genuine friendship begin to form as he learns her motivations and begins to feel sympathetic towards her.

I'm told at one point, the girl takes the headband off him and tells him to go, but he just tells her to turn it back on, and then they have a 'moment'. How is that not messed up?

"What, this thing? This headband that lets you make me do whatever I say, and will blow up my head if you die? Nono, leave it on, that's fine"

My beef is the fact that the fact that she kidnapped him, enslaved him and then he ends up being happy as a slave. The game basically says that's it's okay for her to do that because 'Friendship YAY!'. You may look at it and think 'Awwww', I'm looking at it and thinking 'Hello, she TOOK YOU HOSTAGE!' The words Stockholm Syndrome also come to mind.

First of all: Don't you think you give the game a bit too much shit, considering you haven't actually played it?

Listen, he can't take the headband off, and he can't kill Trip. He'd die in both those cases. (And the headband isn't explosive, but that's just nitpicking)

That "One point" where she deactivates his headband, is supposed to be the climax of their character development. Thing is, in the beginning, Monkey does hate Trip. He hates her with a passion, and tells her repeatedly that he'd kill her if he could. However, trial and hardship, and cooperating to reach a fellow goal brings them closer. Over time, Monkey sees Trip's life story fold out in front of him. He gains an understanding of why she did what she did; and seeing the horrors she goes through, he comes to sympathize with her. Trip also stops using the effects of the headband after some time. She will not command him to do things, but rather ask nicely.
When they then finally manage to do what they set out to, Trip deactivates the headband. However, Monkey, being a macho-man, has trouble accepting the feelings that he has developed for Trip; so he needs an excuse to stay with her (At least that's how I interpret it). He tells her to reactivate the headband, in what is a very tender moment.

Call it Stockholm syndrome if you will; but the fact that their relationship develops from Stockholm syndrome doesn't make the story bad.

 

[se7ensenses]

I enjoyed it! Fix the camera & add some variations to the combat system. Maybe a variety of weapons as oppose to just a staff. Look forward to more of ENSLAVED!

 

[Frenger]

Spoiler

I'm pretty sure Monkey removes the headband at one point, but puts it back on.

The game had really lackluster gameplay, but I loved the characters and the music. It's rare, but sometimes that's enough.

 

[Sonicron]

While I did enjoy the game very much, I'm not sure how they'd go about continuing the story in a meaningful way. If theycan actually pull that off and iron out some of the gameplay kinks, I'll gladly play a sequel, but as it stands I'm sceptical.

 

[ZeroMachine]

Am I the only one who finds the premise of Journey to The West, well, a bit horrifying?

This woman escapes from a slave train, PUTS AN EXPLOSIVE HEADBAND on Monkey, then says "Get me home or you die!" And yet we're supposed to want to protect and feel for this person? And Monkey even ends up HAPPY with this in the end! What the hell?

If a sequel doesn't begin with him tearing off that headband and beating her to death with it, I shall be disappointed.

Idiot.

I'm sorry, really, I am, but the whole point, and the BEST BIT about this game, was the way the relationship DID form. It is no Knight & Day (starring Tom Cruise), it actually does it very believably, and he does make it known that if the headband comes off he'll tear her to shreds. The thing is, if she dies, he dies. So he HAS to protect her in order to live. He is definitely very angry. No, they don't fall in love, but you can see a genuine friendship begin to form as he learns her motivations and begins to feel sympathetic towards her.

I'm told at one point, the girl takes the headband off him and tells him to go, but he just tells her to turn it back on, and then they have a 'moment'. How is that not messed up?

"What, this thing? This headband that lets you make me do whatever I say, and will blow up my head if you die? Nono, leave it on, that's fine"

My beef is the fact that the fact that she kidnapped him, enslaved him and then he ends up being happy as a slave. The game basically says that's it's okay for her to do that because 'Friendship YAY!'. You may look at it and think 'Awwww', I'm looking at it and thinking 'Hello, she TOOK YOU HOSTAGE!' The words Stockholm Syndrome also come to mind.

You have no concept of the grasp of a developing relationship, do you?

That scene? At the very end of the game. After the relationship had formed. It wasn't some instantaneous thing. Stop bashing something you don't know the details of. He isn't happy as a slave, he HATES being a slave, and if you knew the ending of the game you'd see that. But he grows to care for her after hearing her story and seeing the pain she goes through.

It's called character development. *gasp* Such a strange concept, no?

 

[Smooth Operator]

But they ended the story in the first, the big evil empire is no more, where do they pull out more baddies then?

 

[ramboondiea]

i really liked this game,probly one of my all time favs, that isnt to say it was perfect, it could certainly do with some polish here and there (looking at you 'combat', and dont try hiding 'upgrades', we all know your problem). so the idea of a equal certainly excites me, plus the story allthough fantastic is very open ended and unanswered, my only fear is if they milk it till it dries and i end up hating it as a whole

 

[Dectilon]

Enslaved is on my list of games to pick up eventually. It's not something with a lot of staying power obviously since the main reason to play it for me is to see if they can pull off a story in a video game that doesn't annoy me to no end.

I wonder if it wouldn't be a better idea to make another pastiche rather than trying for an actual sequel though. And I hope they're fully aware that they need to work considerably harder on the combat for dmc. They can't go in with the philosophy of trying to simplify and streamline it. Hopefully they're aware of this.

 

[NickCaligo42]

*sigh* Guys... no. Just no.

Let's push all arguments about the game's quality--in one way or another--aside. Do you really want this relatively original game and the studio who created it to be pushed into a never-ending stream of insipid and forced sequels instead of, you know, developing more original titles?