120°

Explicitbaron's Thoughts: Enslaved: Odyssey to the West Review

Every year among the cluttered holiday season a few great games get missed and brushed under the rug. They end up in bargain bins months later or not in stores all together. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West was one of those games. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is an action adventure game set 150 years in the future in a post-apocalyptic world. The story revolves around two people, a strong and lonely nomad known simply as Monkey and Trip, a young and seemingly innocent girl on a mission to get back to her village.

Read Full Story >>
explicitbaronsthoughts.wordpress.com
explicitbaron4392d ago

Please subscribe to the blog. In a month or two I'll be launching my own gaming/Tv/film website and I appreciate any feedback and help. You'll be doing a huge favor to a broke college student.

Baka-akaB4391d ago (Edited 4391d ago )

It wasnt that cluttered actually ... most of those games you listed were releaded at least a month after in nov , and some at the very end of it .

It's an excuse ... Enslaved didnt fail because of Gran turismo , assassin creed , cod , fifa or fallout . Again most of those werent even there , and from a widely different genre and appeal .

Enslaved mostly had Castlevania Lord of Shadows to fight against , and was wiped to the floor by it .

Its sales werent impressive like you claim . The whole media was backing the game , there was a demo for everyone to see , some advertising , and it flopped hard .

Castlevania easily outsold enslaved at launch and through its life . That excuse doesnt work imo .

Auld4391d ago

Well said my friend, well said. I couldn't agree more :)

explicitbaron4391d ago

I don't recall a big marketing campaign, nevertheless it was a good game. Don't dismiss due to the sales. It's still one hell of a game and an overlooked game like Ico and Rayman Origins.

Baka-akaB4391d ago (Edited 4391d ago )

I think it's a very mediocre game , with an awful gameplay (it even got input lag ...) , and with technical issues , on top a beautifully designed universe , with a story i couldnt grow to like (but still a well executed story) , but that's not related to my point about sales .

I never mentioned a big marketing campaign , but there was still one .
The game also had a demo , and a massive push from every press outlet out there online and paper as well . It was their critical darling , and they event tried to guilt people into buying something they "were missing out on" .

People just werent attracted to the game or prefered , rightfully so , better games (like again Castlevania) .

To each their own , but i find it insulting to even compare it to Ico or Rayman Origins .
Enslaved brought nothing new on the table , mechanics or storytelling wise , and had a traditional but subpar gameplay . Enslaved has the mechanics of three different games, combined by people who have no idea what makes them fun .

Ico was actually an ovni , and Rayman Origins while nothing new was perfectly crafted .

Redempteur4391d ago (Edited 4391d ago )

I agree with Baka-akaB

Enslaved failed by his own faults , and for the crime of having only a design for their story but not for the gameplay ..

If you want to succeed on november during the sales YOU HAVE to have good gameplay ..average or just "ok" isn't enough ..That's why bortherhood, castelvania and many others floored enslaved ... if pretty graphics ( or stories ) were the key to make good games ..nintendo wouldn't be stuck years in the past for so long ... With all their franchises

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4391d ago
NeoTribe4391d ago

Enslaved dererved to fail. It was horrible.

120°

15 PS3 Games That Would Absolutely Shine as PS5 Remakes

GB: "With this feature, we talk about 15 games on the PS3 that should be remade for the PlayStation 5."

Read Full Story >>
gamingbolt.com
kenpachi26d ago

You left out The Darkness games bring those back

fan_of_gaming25d ago

The head of Nightdive Studios has posted that The Darkness is on their list of games they want to do, so hopefully something comes from that

Yi-Long26d ago

Little Big Planet 1 and 2 deserve a mention, IMO.

Good call on Motorstorm, a game released 2 gens ago but still looks and feels so good. Motorstorm 2 and Motorstorm RC were gems as well. They followed up the Motorstorm games with the brilliant Driveclub, which still manages to put modern racing games to shame. Imagine closing down a studio as talented as that ... (!) Incredible.

A little 'arcade-gem' back then was The Last Guy, a top down 'follow the leader' snake-like game where you had to find and lead survivors to safety during an alien invasion, on terrible looking 'Google-earth' maps. Graphics were poor, even back then, but would love that same gameplay with modern maps and graphics.

Street Fighter 4, once it finally had a full roster, was quite good, but it was always an ugly game, sadly. Imagine bringing that back while using the current SF6 engine.

fan_of_gaming25d ago

Good suggestions, I'd be in for
LittleBigPlanet
LittleBigPlanet 2
Motorstorm: Pacific Rift
Motorstorm: RC

purple10125d ago

God damn I love motorstorm so much

At the time I had a low-mid range sony 40” tv, The latency to the controller was waaaay too high, would to play a modern version

In saying that later I got a 3d lg tv and playing the 3d motorstorm in my bedroom with the environment crumbling around the track, was something special, specially compared to what others were playing at the time, will always remember that

Skuletor26d ago

Some good choices here and Resistance: Fall of Man is my most wanted PS3 remaster/remake. Not sure about their claim it was Sony's answer to Gears of War though.

CrimsonWing6925d ago

I’d rather have sequels than remakes. Look at Dead Space 1 Remake. Would’ve been cooler if we got a new entry and it failed with sales sealing the fate of a sequel rather than just replay the same game and it fail in sales and we never get a new entry.

Remakes are great for things like PS2 and earlier games to really get a crazy new graphical coat, but I think we should ease up on all these remakes and actually do sequels.

fan_of_gaming25d ago

Yeah for sure, sequels would be ideal. But in the current market environment where many big publishers are risk-averse, I'd rather get a remaster or remake that a developer can do on a budget that will be approved, rather than nothing for an IP.

Inverno25d ago

I rather they remaster and port over to PC and current gen all the games permanently stuck on PS360. Those games don't need remakes, they need to be given a chance to live again outside of their confined consoles and then give a few proper sequels. Like Sleeping Dogs, Motor Storm, LA Noir, should get another entry.

fan_of_gaming25d ago

Yeah I'd be fine with remasters of PS3 games too, they don't have to be remakes.

Show all comments (17)
410°

Former Hellblade Director & Ninja Theory Founder Explains Why He Left The Studio

Former Hellblade director and Ninja Theory co-founder has offered an explanation regarding his departure from the now Microsoft-owned studio.

Read Full Story >>
twistedvoxel.com
XiNatsuDragnel30d ago

I hope he forms a new studio soon

Cacabunga29d ago

It is a good studio.. i really enjoyed their dmc game that i platinumed it.
I did not try hellblade, because it doesnt tell me much.. Enslaved was very mehhh
Heavenly Sword was good not great. Amazing graphics back in the day but so repetitive and not so engaging in the long run.

stoney10129d ago

I really enjoyed Enslaved and Heavenly Sword back in the day. Wish they'd return to that sort of game. Hellblade isn't really for me to be honest. Not saying it's not a good game, I just couldn't get into it.

Popsicle29d ago (Edited 29d ago )

That is fair. I enjoyed Hellblade but can definitely see how it isn’t for everyone.

Would like to see how Heavenly Sword would have turned out if developed today. It’s easy to forget that games like Heavenly Sword were unprecedented and in their infancy.

shinoff218328d ago (Edited 28d ago )

Enslaved has been their favorite game for me. Loved the atmosphere.

1nsomniac28d ago

Heavenly sword was a staggeringly good game!! One of the most memorable of the PS3 generation in my opinion.

Babadook728d ago (Edited 28d ago )

Heavenly sword was good. It had ambitious graphics and as a result the frame rate suffered and as a result the gameplay suffered. But the story was phenomenal. Great acting, especially Andy Serkis as the king.

Jingsing29d ago (Edited 29d ago )

"Microsoft" we all read between the lines. We have seen the exact same thing happen with many of their other acquisitions

InUrFoxHole28d ago

Jesus man! Try reading the article at least.

cthulhucultist29d ago

One thing that pleasantly surprised me, was the Switch port, as back then it was my only console. The graphics were amazing and the artistic design helped a lot to enhance the visuals.I took some really impressive screen shots while playing which I still revisit them from time to time to remind me what a capable developer (QLOC) can achieve with weaker hardware.

Show all comments (20)
400°

Xbox Acquired Hellblade Developer Ninja Theory for $117 Million

According to FTC filings, Microsoft acquired Ninja Theory for $117 million.

Obscure_Observer314d ago

Ninja Theory is made of very talented and passionate developers.

I´m glad that saw that studio´s potential and chose it to be part of the Xbox family!

Now under Xbox they´re AAA and has all the freedom and resources in the world to deliver amazing games for us!

Thank you Phil and Tameem Antoniades.

blackblades314d ago (Edited 314d ago )

Stop slurping in public

RpgSama314d ago

He is getting out of hand lately, he took it to 11 now.

Army_of_Darkness314d ago (Edited 314d ago )

@Obscure_Observer

"oh thank you so much Xbox! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! I bend the knee for you my lord!" 🤣🤣

Ninja theory is okay. Not great.

Elda314d ago

LOL!! That's the behavior & words from a true fanatic.

Crows90314d ago (Edited 314d ago )

The potential??? Remind us all who they've tapped their potential? What new IP are they working on???

Oh wait...that's right. They needed a cinematic story driven IP ...hellblade was well received so they bought them for peanuts.

And let's see.. what are they currently working on and to what scope compared to before??

Basically the same game but #2
Similar situation to the tomb raider sequel except this time they made this sequel a permanent exclusive.

Knushwood Butt314d ago

Maybe Bleeding Edge was the potential.

Crows90314d ago

@knush

Oh crap you're right. Lol that thing was definitely a result of the Microsoft acquisition.

4Sh0w314d ago

Ninja Theory has alot of potential, but Hellblade 2 needs more action gameplay before I get excited. They did well with Heavenly Sword & DMC games so hopefully we'll see a full blown new action IP from them after H2.

Crows90314d ago

@4sh0W

Just imagine what they could do...people falsely claiming hellblade 2 is like god of war...Heavenly sword, which was a playstation exclusive, was more in competition with god of war.

Obscure_Observer313d ago

"Oh wait...that's right. They needed a cinematic story driven IP ...hellblade was well received so they bought them for peanuts."

MS paid $117 million for Ninja Theory which at the time was an indie studio made of only 20 people.

Sony paid $229 million for Insomniac which at the time were made of 400 employees.

That was a steal! Lol!

"And let's see.. what are they currently working on and to what scope compared to before??"

The original Hellblade was developed and produced by only 20 people (Melinda included).

As an Xbox first party studio, Ninja Theory has now 200+ employees and Hellblade II will be full AAA game powered by UE5. In term of scope, the original Hellblade only features only small areas to explore, while in Hellblade II gamers will be allowed to explore all areas of Iceland.

"Basically the same game but #2"

Lol. You´re in for a major shock! XD

Crows90313d ago

@obscure

There will be shock...but It think itll be all over you.
The same but number 2 wasnt meant as an insult. I liked the first one..so I know I'll like the second. You probably didnt care for the first one for a couple of reasons.

1. They were you referred to it as a small indie game
2. It wasnt an xbox exclusive

Youll be in shock when its pretty much the same but number 2. Number 2 of any game is ALWAYS bigger.
God of War Ragnarok is essentally God of War but number 2. Same kind of game but bigger in scope.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 313d ago
314d ago
314d ago
neutralgamer1992314d ago (Edited 314d ago )

Obscure

You really think he gives a damn about you or me thanking him? Seriously man does it not bother you at all that you are such a huge fanboy of Xbox and your comments come across like cult members

Be a gamer for gaming these corporations don’t care about any of us. We are dollar signs to them

On topic

I am glad for NT because their last game they struggled so much just to complete it and companies even provided equipment just for them to get the work done. Now they have peace of mind with resources they need. Hopefully they can naturally grow into a bigger studio and make some amazing games

Godmars290314d ago

They're mid tier devs at best. Failed to nail one of their biggest shots with Heavenly Sword, went way over their weight limit with DMC: DmC, and got lucky with apparent one-shot, B title Hellbalde. Which MS expects them to make into a franchise?

I'll just wait for the first "Hellbalde better than GOW" article. Cause that's going to be fun...

4Sh0w314d ago

Salt, Salt, Salt is basically all you said.

Vengeance1138314d ago

Mid developer remains mid lol Wake me up when they actually put out something half decent haha

porkChop314d ago

It's funny how no one called them mid tier until Xbox acquired them. People loved Heavenly Sword, Enslaved, Hellblade, etc, but now they're suddenly mid tier? Touch grass.

MadLad314d ago

@porkchop

I mean, you called it out first and you're not wrong.
DmC definitely got the shaft, yet it was successful and a good game. The closest thing they ever released to be considered "mid" was Heavenly Sword.

Lightning77314d ago

It's Bad now but great here. https://n4g.com/news/208826...

Even saying support Hell Blade because Shadow Of Wars Microtransactions.

Scroll down a little bit and you'll even see Obscures comment. He may be A hardcore Xbox fanboy but at least he's consistent here. Can't say the same in these comment sections.

314d ago
1nsomniac313d ago

While the corporate xbox ass licking is as pathetic as it gets. How is it any different to the Sony usuals in here that sprout this pathetic crap on a daily basis!

They both need to get filtered elsewhere so the grown ups can talk like adults.

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 313d ago
P_Bomb314d ago

I wonder if they’ll ever reboot Enslaved?

shinoff2183314d ago

I liked enslaved I felt it was one of their better games

Sonic1881314d ago (Edited 314d ago )

Enslaved was just mediocre. So I doubt they'll bring that back. Tbh most of their games were mediocre including Hellblade. That felt like a walking simulator

Knightofelemia314d ago (Edited 314d ago )

Enslaved was a sleeper hit which it was and is still a great game to play. If a person who missed out on it I would say snag it off Ebay and play it. It's still one of my favorite games.

Melankolis314d ago (Edited 314d ago )

It was a good game, but....just good, not great nor it interesting. Maybe the background of the characters aren't well told, lack of lore, just start and play. I gave it 8. Good but easily forgettable. Yeah you may call it mediocre. NT is quite talented, but they lack something.

Sonic1881314d ago (Edited 314d ago )

@Knight

I never felt like their games were great. Just solid or mediocre but that's my opinion. I am still interested in playing Hellblade 2 on PC because of the graphics. I think this game is going to look fantastic on PC

mkis007314d ago

Damn this really puts into perspective yet again how good a deal sony got for insomniac...the workhorse of the industry at this point.

Aloymetal314d ago

That was the 1st thing that came to my mind, Sony got Insomniac for pennies and they've been pumping out great games since this gen started nonstop. Amazing.

MEGANE314d ago

Yes but any winnings there they lost on bungie, imo.

mkis007314d ago

I somewhat disagree. They bought Bungie for the expertise. The largest chunk of Bungie was for talent retention; they paid more to make sure everyone stayed at Bungie. Sony wants talent, IP's are just a bonus because they know they can and will create more.

__SteakDeck__314d ago (Edited 314d ago )

@MEGANE I know I’m going to get downvoted to hell, because this is n4g and people here hate GAAS games. But how the hell did they lose on Bungie? Do you know how much money Destiny will bring and Marathon will bring? Lol

MEGANE313d ago

I get it, but a couple Billion more and they could have bought square enix… a publisher full of IPs… I don’t disagree with acquiring bungie but 3.5 billion and sony can’t even dictated exclusivity? Please.

PhillyDonJawn314d ago

They have High potential. Add some good combat mechanics and action to go with the graphics and story telling. Ad you got a mega hit.

314d ago
Show all comments (50)