Enslaved: Odyssey To The West Review (8.5/10)

Enslaved: Odyssey To The West comes off as a surprise, getting lots right despite having little to no media coverage surrounding its release. For a start, the graphics are simply ace for any current-generation title, making most locales and characters look pleasantly realistic yet with a meaty sense of fantasy also injected throughout. There's also a nice soundtrack to accompany you on your travels as Monkey (played excellently by Andy Serkis, best known for his motion-capture role as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy), and what travels they are- developer Ninja Theory are by no means afraid to throw countless exhilirating setpieces at you in just one single level, frequently building to a climax that will literally have players on the edge of their seats to the last (not often you can say that about a video game anymore- shame). Some stumbles are made, however, in the game-play department: the automatic jump mechanic can often misjudge where the player wants to send Monkey, leading to a few unfair demises, and the combat is pretty iffy. You probably won't care for the plot much, either- it is quite interesting at times, but certainly cannot hope to set the world of games alight. All the same, if you're getting tired of the lack of new games on our shores right now (the onslaught doesn't start until April), then it's definitely worth returning to this cruelly overlooked 2010 title that boasts tons of flair and substance!