Ps. There is lots for them to do. They go shopping for clothes..and get to dress puppy. They have a little sticker book… they can give baths… feed and give water to puppy. Much excitement for a toddler :O)
Rating: 5 / 5

I have a 70″ TV that tends to really make most games look poorly since the screen is so large, and this one looks excellent. On 5.1 surround sound it is great. The colors of the game tend to be unrealistically bright and it bothered me initially, but that has gone away and it no longer bothers me at all. I find that I like them.

Initially, from the opening scene to about 20 minutes into the game I hated it. I was expecting it to be great from the reveiws and I felt that it was too fake, I did not like the atmosphere and I really thought it would turn out to be boring. I was wrong. After forcing myself to play it longer,it turns out this is one of my favorite games of all time.

What I like about the game the most is your sidekick Trip and the emotions she creates in myself as the player. She is a hottie. Yeah, I know, I should not be fantasizing over animated girls. Regardless, she is hot and pleasing to look at. Because of her hotness and dialog, it makes me want to protect her even more so. I know she can die and we will both die and I can just restart from the last checkpoint but because I have a protective nature I really try hard to make sure she doesn’t get hurt and even get a bit anxious when it appears she will. I don’t typically do that in games.

I also enjoy the puzzles in the game. You do not simply run around and hack and slash. There are many portions of the game where you need to use your brain and really take the time to figure out how to get to the next area. Typically I do not like this, but it is integrated so effortlessly in the game that you do not realize you are doing it until it is too late and you are already enjoying trying to outsmart it.

The fighting is perfect difficulty in my eyes. Try as I might, I pretty much suck at gaming. Even the easy level for most games is a challenge for me. On this game, I kept it at normal level and I find that it is the perfect frustration level for me. Not to easy, but not to hard.

You can button mash if you want, but if you take the time to learn a few of the moves for the combos it makes it much more satisfying.

The story is exceptional, the dialog is realistic and believable, and I even get angered at the characters in the game. The game is able to absorb my emotions into it, because it is done so well.

Without a doubt, I would recommend this game to those who want to be immersed in a game. You don’t really need skill in this game to excel like you do in FPS or fighting games although it does help.
Rating: 5 / 5

The game is set in a post-apocalyptic United States that has been overrun by vicious mechs. You play as a character named Monkey with awesome climbing and fighting abilities. With the “help” of female companion Trip, you escape a slave ship together. The gameplay involves solving puzzles and fighting mechs with your female companion throughout the game. Trip reminds me a lot of Elika from 2008′s Prince of Persia. She is very helpful throughout the game, and although the game is one long escort mission she never gets in the way. The gameplay reminds me most of 2008′s Prince of Persia, except the weapons are very different. The climbing in the game reminds me of both Prince of Persia and Uncharted 2.

The graphics are awesome! The scenery and character models are both very well done. The game world is extremely colorful and beautiful. The sound is also incredible. I really love the epic soundtrack. The voice acting is extremely well done and made me really care about the characters. Perhaps one of the best aspects of the game is the story. For me it’s a tossup between Mass Effect 2, Alan Wake, and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West for best video game story of the year.

Don’t take this game for granted. You need to play Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, especially if you enjoyed Uncharted 2 or Prince of Persia 2008. Really can’t express enough how enjoyable this game is. On “Normal” settings the game took me about 10.5 hours to complete. I’m looking forward to another play through on “Hard” settings.

I have readjusted my Top 10 games of the year to the following:

1. Mass Effect 2

2. Battlefield: Bad Company 2

3. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

4. Red Dead Redemption

5. God of War III

6. Halo Reach

7. Super Mario Galaxy 2

8. Alan Wake

9. Bioshock 2

10. Heavy Rain
Rating: 5 / 5

To anyone who is considering getting this game, get it! These are the same people who did heavenly sword, which was another game that did pretty well, but had its problems. The team at ninja theory brought back Mr. Andy Serkis who is an amazing amazing actor, and is someone that really added something special to this game. There isn’t any multiplayer, or too many reasons to replay this game besides getting the collectibles, but it is so good that you will naturally want to replay it! The whole game is a fun ride through, and it is the type of story you can share with your little brother. I really hope they make another game in this series, because it seriously has a lot of potential. Great job to everyone at Ninja Theory!
Rating: 5 / 5

The game itself is a mix of platforming and combat, coupled with occasional brief cutscenes. Combat is fluid and challenging. Monkey (the man on the game cover — the character you control) battles primarily with a staff. Slow, strong moves, and fast, weaker moves can be chained together as well as other powered-up abilities you can acquire with the game’s upgrade system. You can also use the staff to shoot at enemies from a distance. Thankfully, you usually have to apply some thought to battles as some enemies frequently block, others hit very hard, and others attack from a distance.

Visually, Enslaved is impressive. The environments are vibrant and detailed. It’s hard to explain, but Enslaved truly makes ruins and wasteland look beautiful. The music of Enslaved is just as great. It has a haunting orchestral feel at times which fits perfectly with the desolate world Monkey and Trip inhabit. Natural, believable VA work rounds out the superb audio of Enslaved and enhances the characters.

My only issues with this game are on a technical level. My largest issue is with the camera, sometimes it works, other times it feels way too close or unresponsive. While not often, I do experience frame-rate drops at times. Also, there are occasional pathing issues with Monkey (you’ll be positioned perfectly for a jump but the game simply won’t recognize it), or when an enemy awakes from a stun, sometimes the game won’t recognize your input till after the enemy lands a hit on you. These issues are nothing serious and should not detract too much from the beautiful visuals, engaging storytelling, and satisfying gameplay.
Rating: 5 / 5

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West takes place about 200 years or so after a nuclear holocaust in the United States. Vegetation is beginning to overtake structures and the world is beautiful in a despairing kind of way. You play as Monkey, a strong brute of a man who was captured by slavers and stored on a slave ship. In transit to wherever it is they were taking you, a girl breaks out of her cell and continues to sabotage the ship in her hasty attempt to get free and sets you loose. The ship is coming down and you need to make it to an escape pod. After some platforming, you eventually make it to the last escape pod, which is taken by the girl who caused the commotion. You hold on for dear life to the escape pod as she ejects and you land in a desolate NYC years after a nuclear war. Upon awaking, you find that the girl, named Trip, has fitted you with a slave headband that shocks you if you don’t do her will. She can issue commands to you and you must do them for her. If she dies, you also die. So Monkey is a rough spot, but Trip isn’t bad. She did this because she knows she would never get home without Monkeys brute strength. Her proposition to him, take her 300 miles to the west to her sanctuary village made by her father and she’ll remove the collar. With no choice in the matter, Monkey agrees and the two set off on their Odyssey to the West.

And with that, Enslaved begins. The opening sequence is very epic and the graphics in the game are some of the best I have seen on the 360 this side of Gears of War 2. If you aren’t familiar, the game is actually loosely based on Journey to the West, an old Chinese story that is apparently pretty popular in the UK due to some tv shows about it. I wasn’t familiar with it until I googled it. Regardless, you don’t need to know about the book to enjoy the game. They use some of the same names and try to leave subtle clues to the book, but it’s really a different beast altogether.

The story so far is top notch and I’m really excited to see how Monkey and Trip make it to the west, but there are other things besides story in a game. Namely, gameplay. The gameplay is sort of reminiscent of a platformer like Prince of Persia. There’s a lot of climbing and swinging, but at the same time combat plays a huge roll. You’re going to be doing a lot of computer AI co-op to outsmart enemy mech’s, the games most prevalent enemy. For instance, Monkey is the strength, Trip the brains. In one scenario, Monkey needs to make it across a huge area to take out an automated turret, less they be shredded to bits. So, Trip uses her armband to create an electronic diversion that draws their fire. That leaves you to circle around flank the enemy. In doing so, you rip the arm off the mech and use it to finish off the remaining turrets. But, the path you took here required a lot of jumping and swinging, something Trip can’t do. You need to go back and carry her on your back across hazardous areas and throw her to places she can’t jump to. At first, I thought it would be a pain in the ass, but I found I enjoy the times you have to carry her. During these times is when the next thing I loved about the game begins to shine…

The talking between the two characters is key in the game. You never know when it will start or end, but they talk a lot. It’s in these times you learn the stories of the two travelers and what worlds they come from. Without spoiling anything, they come from two totally different backgrounds so relating is a little rough. Their banter is almost flirty in some regards so if you’re into the chemistry between two co-op partners, you’ll enjoy this portion of the game. I found it refreshing and a nice diversion. The world around them is crumbling but they have each other in rough times.

I already mentioned it but the graphics are amazing. The vistas and backdrops are truly breathtaking, especially when your ship crashes in the beginning. Take a long look at the NYC skyline and be sure to keep your jaw from hitting the floor. It’s amazing and a true sight to see in a video game. Plus, this is a post apocalyptic game that isn’t brown. How many games are out there that automatically equate post apocalyptic with brown, but in reality, after the fallout (if any) the world would be overtaken by nature. It’s nice to see this in a game.

So far, I haven’t had many complaints about the game. If I had to point out anything I’d say that maybe the gameplay could get repetitive, but that’s just me trying to find gripes where none exist. There’s an upgrade system that Trip performs that allows you to learn new combat options and new moves (as well as health and shields) that have the ability to keep things fresh. If you like platformers though, you already know how those games can get after a solid gaming marathon. It’s something that comes with the territory, but most good platformers get around this by having varied level design, which Enslaved has in spades.

So, should you buy this game? Depends…do you like platformers that have heavy combat and some stealth scenarios? If so, I’d say yes. How about story? I’m a sucker for a good story in a game so this one was a no brainer. Enslaved could be a rent if you aren’t too thrilled on the idea of platforming but be sure not to miss it. This has the possibility of being a sleeper hit of 2010. It won’t compete in sales with the Call of Duty and Medal of Honor games, but it’s a new IP in a world of sequels and remakes. Give it a shot so we can tell the industry we want to see new games, not just sequels.
Rating: 5 / 5