Enslaved - First Impressions

So where have I been lately? I've been enslaved by this new game. Hahah *fart* Anyway I am a few hours into Enslaved : Odyssey to the West on PS-Triple, and here are my impressions so far.

This game is good. How good? You could even say it's great, that's how good. It combines decent melee combat with fun exploration and easy platforming. From a gameplay standpoint, the one word I would have to use to describe it is 'adequate'. Not in a bad way mind you, everything works well and gets the job done. It just doesn't stand out in any particular way.

That's ok though, because the main attraction here is the presentation. This game is drop dead gorgeous. It literally ejaculates color all over your face the moment you start it up. Post apocalyptic cities never looked so lush. At first I wasn't a fan of the character designs but they are growing on me, like the characters themselves.

The main character is named Monkey, in a reference to the original Journey to the West that is about as subtle as a brick in the face. In case that wasn't enough he also fights with a staff and has a sash that looks like a tail, DO YOU GET IT NOW THIS IS AN ALLUSION!! Jesus christ, video games... Anyway he is funny and he's got a cool accent.

Trip is the girl who captured Monkey and forces him to escort her back to her home. I know what you're thinking. "I bet she's really fucking annoying!" Well surprisingly enough, having to tow her around isn't that bad. Make no mistake, she certainly is annoying but not to an unbearable degree. She helps you out in various ways like healing and distracting guys. I have to wonder though if female sidekicks are going to become the next bullet time.

One thing that does sort of annoy me though, being the big fat nerd that I am. It's that there are glowing orbs everywhere for you to collect. They are supposed to be machine technology, or upgrade material or some crap. It just strikes me as a very video game-y contrivance in a game that tries so hard to be cinematic. This isn't Ratchet and Clank, I shouldn't be collecting fucking bolts to upgrade my stuff. Finding them is rewarding, and gives you an incentive to explore levels. I just wish they thought of something that makes more sense in the context of the game.