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Enslaved 4 U

Here are a few shots of the next game from the developers of Heavenly Sword in a story I only wrote so I could make some kind of tired-ass Britney Spears reference in the headline. Sorry?

Namco has officially released the first details on Enslaved, an upcoming Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 release from Ninja Theory, the development studio responsible for Heavenly Sword. It's due out sometime in 2010.

The game features two main characters, named Monkey and Trip, and takes place 150 years in the future, where only a shrinking human population and evil robots remain. It's described as a "tactical action-adventure game."

Here are those screenshots I was talking about: 
 

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Jeff Gerstmann on Google+

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jeff

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Edited By jeff

Namco has officially released the first details on Enslaved, an upcoming Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 release from Ninja Theory, the development studio responsible for Heavenly Sword. It's due out sometime in 2010.

The game features two main characters, named Monkey and Trip, and takes place 150 years in the future, where only a shrinking human population and evil robots remain. It's described as a "tactical action-adventure game."

Here are those screenshots I was talking about: 
 

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damnboyadvance

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Edited By damnboyadvance

Hm, nothing interesting to me.

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Arjuna

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Edited By Arjuna

This reminds me...  I've never played Heavenly Sword...  I keep expecting a price drop for the game, since it was released years ago...  but it's always the same 60 dollars(CDN)...

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The_Shanimal

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Edited By The_Shanimal

The girl kind of looks like Nariko.

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breadfan

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Edited By breadfan

This game looks very...meh

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Carlos1408

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Edited By Carlos1408

Doesn't really speak to me lol 
But who knows could turn out to be good! I just know nothing about this

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Hamz

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Edited By Hamz

I like the look of the game visually, Heavenly Sword may not have been the best game ever but it did have a nice art style and general visual quality that I could appreciate. Hopefully we'll see more of this game over the next few months, I'm mildly intrigued now that I have a PS3.

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ryanwho

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Edited By ryanwho

So hey, those guys are still together huh. I thought maybe they quietly dissolved.

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MattyFTM

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Edited By MattyFTM  Moderator

The storyline sounds like The Terminator. The screenshots don't. Until we hear/see more there's not many more conclusions to draw.

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GunstarRed

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Edited By GunstarRed

that city looks strangely similar to the one in Bionic Commando... I enjoyed Heavenly Sword in an I-burnt-through-this-in-an-afternoon-and-ill-never-return-to-it-ever-again kind of way. I'm pretty certain it will have some excellent voice/acting work though seeing as they have a proper writer and andy serkis back on board for it. 
I really hope it is more substance over style this time though. 
 
Kai  from HS is one of the greatest videogame characters ever if you ask me
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Venatio

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Edited By Venatio

Hmm interesting...although I suppose those screenshots are from an early build, lets hope the final produckt looks way better

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Almeida69

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Edited By Almeida69
@The_Shanimal: No she looks exactly like her. Maybe she fell into a time machine and lost her memory so now she uses her skills to fight robots
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PJ

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Edited By PJ

Great to see that Ninja Theory isn't dead since Heavenly Sword is one of this generations most under appreciated games. Wonder why they never ported HS to the 360. Yes I know its an exclusive but another publisher could have released it for the 360 like EA did whit Mass Effect for the PC.

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rjayb89

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Edited By rjayb89

Maybe they'll have enough time to finish a game this time around.

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gingertastic_10

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Edited By gingertastic_10

This game interest me.

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Hackjob135

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Edited By Hackjob135

Heavenly sword was just kind of good action game. Liked it but didn't rock my world. But there's no denying that the teck behind the game is damn good. Movement, animations, art, vary expressive charters. Ive been waiting for there next project. Hopefully they'll add some depth and do something fresh and cool for this one. I like where they could go with there works. 

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zombie2011

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Edited By zombie2011

Heavenly Sword was such a rip off, i remember my friend buying it and beating it in 5 hrs. Luckily he bought it 2 years after release for like $15.

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buzz_killington

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Edited By buzz_killington

I'm A Slave 4 U... the greatest song ever made.

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VWGTI

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Edited By VWGTI
@The_Shanimal said:
"The girl kind of looks like Nariko. "

Very much so.
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Akeldama

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Edited By Akeldama

could be cool?

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Kiemoe

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Edited By Kiemoe

Read about this in a magazine whose name escapes me. I find it interesting that they said that the further along the story line the characters get, the more they care for each other, and that shows in every one of their evolving animations throughout the game. For example, monkey throws trip to get across a gap wrecklessly at the beginning, and more carefully closer to the end.

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Jayzilla

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Edited By Jayzilla

i know if i had to battle robots i wouldn't wear a shirt either, and i would also be really buff because i would have tons of time to squeeze in a workout regimen coupled with vitamin therapy and a perfect diet. if i was a girl, i would wear less than what she has on while battling robots that wanted to kill me, say a thong and maybe topless? i am soooo bored with stuff like this.

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JJOR64

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Edited By JJOR64

The screens look solid.  I just want to see some gameplay now.

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stephengotlost

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Edited By stephengotlost

Monkeymen in a post-apocalyptic world?
 
I'm sold.

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DukeTogo

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Edited By DukeTogo
@PJ said:
" Great to see that Ninja Theory isn't dead since Heavenly Sword is one of this generations most under appreciated games. Wonder why they never ported HS to the 360. Yes I know its an exclusive but another publisher could have released it for the 360 like EA did whit Mass Effect for the PC. "
Maybe because it was a shit game?  Seriously, the game was as generic as Golden Axe: Beast Rider, it just had 100 X the production value.  Much like Lair, it was form over function, where the art department clearly had more say in the development process than the game designers.  All the fancy story and high production values don't mean a thing if your game plays like a half-ass Ninja Gaiden clone.  The combat was generic, with too much focus on counters and fights against wave after wave to pad time and falsely increase the play time.  And don't get me started on the forced projectile modes that littered the game.
 
I loved the production quality of the game, it remains arguably the high-water mark in game cinematics involving actors, but it's because of that the game suffered at being an actual game.  Here's hoping they learned their lessons and focus more on the gameplay and less on epic grandeur.
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RHCPfan24

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Edited By RHCPfan24
@VWGTI said:
" @The_Shanimal said:
"The girl kind of looks like Nariko. "
Very much so. "
Just what I was thinking....
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ryanwho

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Edited By ryanwho
@Jayzilla said:

" i know if i had to battle robots i wouldn't wear a shirt either, and i would also be really buff because i would have tons of time to squeeze in a workout regimen coupled with vitamin therapy and a perfect diet. if i was a girl, i would wear less than what she has on while battling robots that wanted to kill me, say a thong and maybe topless? i am soooo bored with stuff like this. "

The real key to knowing they're battling robots in a post apocalyptic future are the self tattoos and the white people dreads. 
Hey that dumb looking belt scarf thing is new. That's this game's new thing. The belt scarf. Baby steps of progress. 
The name has to go, though. This game should be called Beastmaster 2150.
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Andorski

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Edited By Andorski

Not a fan of the art style, but the character relationship concept is a bit intriguing.  Plus, it's Ninja Theory!  Heavenly Sword still stands out to me as the most overlooked PS3 game.

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DragoonKain1687

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Edited By DragoonKain1687

Why do I have the feeling that it will suck as much as Heavenly Sword did back in the day?

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galerian

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Edited By galerian

They sure like their red-head :)

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gzl5000

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Edited By gzl5000

Is it me or does the guy look a little bit like Hehachi Mishima?

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metal_mills

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Edited By metal_mills
@RHCPfan24 said:

" @VWGTI said:

" @The_Shanimal said:
"The girl kind of looks like Nariko. "
Very much so. "
Just what I was thinking.... "
It is her. 
 
Edit: Actually, no it's not. I don't know what my friend was talking about.
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Milkman

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Edited By Milkman

Looks a lot like Heavenly Sword.

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MCXCI

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Edited By MCXCI

Heavenly Sword kinda sucked. Don't know how much I care about this one.

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borgmaster

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Edited By borgmaster
@Kiemoe: that was game informer
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ITSSEXYTIME

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Edited By ITSSEXYTIME
@DukeTogo:


Funny how we live in a world where God of War 3 is the most hyped thing in the coming months but a game with a similar gameplay style is "generic".


Heavenly Sword had some really great gameplay elements and had a well-crafted story, the only bad part about the game was it's length.

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Edited By JackiJinx

For those that aren't hip on the scene, the game's named Enslaved because Trip has enslaved monkey via the headgear he has. He's the brawn, she's the brains. 
 
When I read about it in Game Informer, it sounded interesting, if only for the story. 

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Andorski

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Edited By Andorski
@ITSSEXYTIME said:
" @DukeTogo:


Funny how we live in a world where God of War 3 is the most hyped thing in the coming months but a game with a similar gameplay style is "generic".


Heavenly Sword had some really great gameplay elements and had a well-crafted story, the only bad part about the game was it's length.

"
Agreed.  Heavenly Sword did nothing new, but what it set out to accomplished did so with great competency.  My only real comlaints about the game was its length and the lack of having to master all the combo moves in the game to beat it's hardest difficulty.
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kwyee

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Edited By kwyee

The premise sounds recycled and generic, but the game sure looks great.  Hope they can execute the game well and with more content than Heavenly Sword, possibly with some co-op action?

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zitosilva

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Edited By zitosilva
@MattyFTM: 

It's quite different actually. The plot starts with Monkey and Trip getting captured. Trip wishes to return to her home, but knows she won't be able to without Monkey's help. But it seems the protagonist doesn't care about other people, and won't willingly help her. She thens put some kind of bandana on him, used to enslave people (hence the title). This bandana forms a type of link between the two, making that if Trip dies, Monkey dies as well. He then finds no other way but to help her.


Oh, and it also seems that the rest of the plot is somewhat based in The Journey to the West, a classic in chinese literature. That's why the main character is called Monkey.

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digital_sin

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Edited By digital_sin

Looks pretty and badass.

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joelalfaro

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Edited By joelalfaro

Hehe nice title, Jeff. 
 
Theres something odd and interesting about the look... even if it doesn't pull me in right away. 
 
I like the blue skies. I'm pro Segaish blue skies. 

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Zaapp1

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Edited By Zaapp1

Who wants to take bets on which one's Monkey and which one's Trip?

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MordeaniisChaos

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Edited By MordeaniisChaos

Weird, she looks oddly familiar....
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Edited By AllanIceman

No need to be sorry Jeff.

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teh_destroyer

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Edited By teh_destroyer
@Almeida69 said:
" @The_Shanimal: No she looks exactly like her. Maybe she fell into a time machine and lost her memory so now she uses her skills to fight robots "
That would give the game an awesome plot twist.
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BABS

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Edited By BABS

I was really looking forward to some Britney, too.

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Grim_Fandango

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Edited By Grim_Fandango

Doesn't seem to enticing... But this is just a first look on my part, who knows what will happen in the months to come.

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FesteringNeon

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Edited By FesteringNeon

hopefully there will be a 'jump' button?
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Edited By c1337us

Screen shots look alright I guess. This isn't much to go on for a game I haven't heard of before. Wait and see I guess.