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Enclave is a first person dungeon crawl which began on the XBox and GameCube before coming out for the PC.
First, the plot. You're in a medieval village. A giant chasm has split you (the "good guys") from the Outlanders (the "bad guys"). In the console versions you must play the good guy missions before taking on the bad guys. On the PC you can start with either.
I really think playing the good guys first made more sense, because you get to meet and know characters that you then play on the bad guy side. There's more "payback" feeling. But some people can't stand being good and want to just be bad.
The graphics are nice, but not spellbinding. There are many other games out there that I can think of that are more polished or authentic feeling. Still, you do get the stone and wood feel for the medieval areas. You work from level to level, gaining gold, gaining experience, buying new weapons and armor.
There are a few puzzles and a lot of hack and slash. Which leads to the next issue with the console versions. You can't save mid-mission which means if you hit something you're having problems with, you keep restarting the entire thing. So then you try another armor combination, or another weapon and go through it all over again. It can get pretty tedious. The PC version lets you save mid-mission.
On the up side, this means that you can easily play the game for weeks and still have challenges waiting for you. You can go back and replay levels, looking for the treasure you missed. You can try for different weapon or armor to see how it might help or hurt. If you race through to find the ending, you're missing the whole point of the game. It's meant to be enjoyed, not to be trashed and then thrown out.
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I really wanted to like this game. I had been anticipating its release for months. And, it really delivered at first. The first couple of levels, while dificult, where at least tolerable (even with the lack of a "save game" option). The graphics are absolutley top notch, and the controls (the "right stick jump" notwithstanding) are really pretty solid. In fact, if you invert the Y-axis in the controller set-up it's just like Halo. The sound is good and the music is very story appropriate.That said, this game really starts to fall apart by the 6th and 7th level. If fact, the dificulty level is so ridiculously high by level 13, I didn't even want to finish it. Being killed by a challenging opponent is one thing, but, after working on a level for 45 minutes just to have a rock land on your head and make you start from the begining is quite another. Really, what desinged this thing. By mission 14, you find yourself set against opponents who are as heavily armoured as you, can kill you with a single blow, and, there's 10 on you at ounce. Oops. Time to start again. If you think that type of challenge is fun, this is the game for you. I just found it frustrating, and eventually, a waste of my gaming time. It's not impossible, but replaying a mission 12 times just to move forward gets downright boring. This is what you will be doing in "Enclave."
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With the XBox lacking in the RPG department, i started searching for "close" games. Enclave captures RPG style, Diablo style, and even some Parappa de Rappa style! no, not so much parappa style. but, you get everything you need in a game! the sound is top notch. it reminds me very much of Gladiator movie style music, and it really puts you into the atmosphere! the graphics are superb, any and all minor details were looked into when they made this one! a few snags, however.....1) difficulty: no easy/medium/hard settings. you really have to go in there and kick some but. on a couple levels i had to put in the God Mode code, since i couldn't have beat them otherwise
2) no save during missions. only 2-3 times will you find checkpoints, and they are immediately before a boss. these guys will come at you in hordes, and if you die it's back to the beginning!
3) the cut-scenes between missions look like the game. yes, the game looks great byitself, but they really could have suped up the cutscenes FFX style
Enclave also offers both the Light and Dark (after you beat Light) campaigns, so once you play the role of the good buy and save everybody, you get to destroy everything and conquer the world! sort of a good facelift from the usual nice guy role!
all in all, if you're looking for an awesome game with great graphics, story-line and sound. there's nothing clunky about the fighting system, and you get alot of freedom with which character you use on which mission and what equipment they use. 2 thumbs up, 5 stars all around the board!
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Truly I am going to admit at the very start:This game isn't the BEST one I have ever played but, being the only one for X-Box I currently own I have forced myself to become obsessed with it.
Graphics 9.8/10 very pretty! BUT this game could have been so much better had the cut-scenes been cinematic graphics as opposed to gameplay-graphics. Some characters faces lack expression, but are topped off with blinking and mouth movement when talking. Over-all it's not bad at all!! You will be pleased with the looks Enclave has to deliver!
Gameplay 8/10 This game was so hard. Oh wow. The other reviews explain it pretty well: no save points + impossible enemies = incredibly annoying. Bridges will collapse beneath you, an unseen crevace will pull you into a lake of lava, or one glance in the wrong direction and you fall of a bridge into shark-infested waters... honestly the old cheat codes came in handy more than once or twice. :) (X,Y,X,Y,X,X,Y,Y = God Mode, Complete Mission Menu during Pause in gameplay, FYI... SHHH!)
Soundtrack 10/10 looooved the sounds! what more could you ask for? everything, absolutely everything from whirring unseen motors, to blood squirts, to chinking wood off of posts to relieve stress with a decorated dagger when you can't figure out what to do next! The musical score, though it can become quite repetitive....
This game deserves 5 stars simply because it's so fun! The story might be hard to follow since you find yourself repeating missions 10-20 times each, and the graphics might leave you sitting and staring instead of hacking and slashing, but there is no reason not to own this game. It is one I would suggest you add to your library!
Final Comment: "This is a MAN's game."
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Enclave is a big, brutal, beast of a game that will leave you breathless with its stunning graphics, sprawling levels, and savage combat. Freshman Swedish developer Starbreeze does not dissapoint with their first game ever, and they have me eagerly awaiting a sequel.Though it is true that all the promising multiplayer was removed for the final build, (Perhaps they left hooks in to add Xbox Live support later?) the single player game left over is excellent. The graphics set a new standard for this type of game on Xbox, rivaling even DOA3 in every department except for Character models.. but DOA3 never had levels like THIS! Huge, massive levels..where enemies surpise you from all directions, setting up traps, ambushes, dropping things on you, rolling things toward you. (bombs usally) and generally doing their darndest to see that you never make out alive.
Luckily for you, The starbreeze guys gave you a MAx Payne style control scheme that allows you to seemlessly move, fire and keep an eye on the ever dangerous and changing environement. And if you get tired of the ol' hack and slash..you can also switch to a "halo-sytle" FPS mode on the fly and at any time, perfect for shooting the heads off orcs from 200 feet away with your sniper arrows.
The replay value is insane as well, with a dozen unlockable characters, each with their own set of attacks and defense capabilities..and a fully customizable list of gear that you can updgrade with gold found while exploring the game's 50+ levels. In fact, selecting the right character and the right mix of toys for them to carry is what elevates Enclave above the purview of the typical action game. Playing through a level as the Druid (who can summon Earth elementals to fight for her) is a totally different experience from playing the same level as the Knight (best of the cutlery experts) or the Huntress. (Sniping Heaven)
Be warned though. Enclave is not just another romp in the medieval park. You will die.. maybe even a lot. The level of difficulty and challenge is old school. The AI is brutal..and they know when you have a missle weapon or melee weapon in your hands and change tactics accordingly. If you start sniping them..they know not to stand still and wait for you to pick them all off one by one. They will bring the fight to you if they can, or duck behind cover and patiently wait for you to advance. You have to be cunning to succeed in Enclave.
Much like Halflife, the environment will also try to kill you at times. Walls come crashing down, bridges collapse, spike shoot up out of the floor, bombs explode..and.. the dreaded bane of all video game heroes..bottomless pits and gaps will have to be crossed, with one wrong step leading to certain death.
And here's where the rub comes. In Enclave. you must complete a level to save your progress. The only time you get a grace save is before a boss fight. (thank goodness) This may frustrate some casual gamers who are used to Max Payne's save anywhere vibe.
The good news is.. if you make it to the end..completely out of ammo and with one hp to your name..you are completely restored for the next sequence. I personally loved the fact that this was not a game I was going to beat in few days or even a week. The addictive gameplay and exploring the excellent levels will keep me busy for some time. If you are looking for a great single player action game, with a lot of depth, challenge and replayablity..you'd be a fool not to at least check it out.
If Enclave were a woman, she'd be a 6'5' leather clad swedish dominatrix in stilletto heels.
She'd hurt you plenty..but you'd keep coming back for more, all the same. :D
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