Quantum Break is definitely a reason I bought an Xbox One.
To get it out of the way, Quantum Break is based of time, more specifically Chronon. Chronon are the particles that make 'time'. In a nutshell you take control of Jack Joyce and after a series of events in the opening portion of the game, begin to fight this entity known as Monarch, a super secret corporation with lots of interesting shady back story to read about. The end of time is coming and they seem to have an agenda, Jack finds himself on the opposing end as his friend Paul goes from ally to enemy in a flash.
First thing I noticed when I took control of Jack is it definitely looked like a Remedy game. The graphics were excellent and the settings were interesting and dark. The opening level of the game also had a bunch of stuff to read and look at. When you meet Jacks best friend Paul and they begin reminiscing of their past together laughing and prodding at one another, you really felt like they knew each other. The acting talent and writing in this game is exceptional, having Sam Ashmore(Main Character Jack), Aidan Gillen as Paul(bad guy?) and Dominic Monaghan as Will(Jacks brother) has a huge affect on this games cinematic impact.
Another thing that blew me away is even as the characters are walking and talking, their faces were all motion captured even for simple dialogue between characters. When it comes to the cut scenes, the motion capture, vocal delivery and graphics can confuse you into thinking you're watching a live action show, Yes it looks that good!
So how does the game play, some reviewers disliked the movement and cover system, but for me it was not a problem. Jack is not a professional soldier and what really gives him a leg up is his awesome time powers. Though the gun play to me isn't bad, freezing enemies and flashing around the battle field is the star of the fighting. Your time powers are upgradable and once you really start to get a hang of the time powers, you feel like a beast rampaging around the battle field. Another great thing is that there are things littered all over the place to blow up and otherwise cause destruction. The weapon choice is nice, you have your choice of several pistols, heavy weapons(shotguns or light machine guns) and assault rifles, all shoot differently and handle differently and I enjoyed the shooting aspect of this game.
When it comes to your time powers, the detail put into how the enemies and environment react to your time powers are also pretty fun to play with. I once shot a fire barrel and right before it exploded next to an enemy, used my freezing power(or super slow mo) and watched in slow motion as the explosion erupted from the barrel and the enemy was taken off his feet before the bubble disappeared and he flew off the cat walk at standard speed.
The big star of the game is time and it is as much your enemy as any of the humans raising guns at you. As time has fractured in this game, you spend quiet some time roaming in broken 'stuttering' time fragments. Not only are graphical and design choices in these segments awesome to look at and watch, some of the stuff happening in the environment is crazy to see. You will find yourself doing some light platforming around frozen environments and using your time powers to navigate.
This game is also richly built up in lore. It's staggering at the amount of history they created between characters and events. There is a part with Paul near the end of the game that is pretty incredible to look over as well. This is where one of my only gripes come in with this game. Yes the backstory is awesome, but I chose staggering for a reason. It is of course optional, but if you want to really understand everything that is happening, reading computer logs becomes as frequent as pulling a trigger. Most of the stuff you read is interesting, but can be impressively long. I felt almost half my time in game was reading computer logs. Again it's all interesting, but it can really break up the flow of the game. I feel it was a lost opportunity to get these great actors and characters to at least do a lot of audio logs. Alas it is mostly text. The only other thing in this game that aggravates me is that when you have to do light platforming Jack moves fine, however trying to jump stuff that maybe he isn't supposed to jump, it comes off as a bit clumsy.
The second half of the game is the live action episodes. I really enjoyed these, as with the in game cut scenes, the acting in these segments are, I thought, excellent. I enjoyed the production. The live action episodes give you a chance to see what is happening on the other side of things, showing Monarch personnel and events happening during the game. I always enjoyed watching each episode and almost wished there was more of it. That leads me to a very good point, the game is so interesting, story so deep it leaves you wishing the adventure wasn't over and that you could deeper explore this universe. Though it took me 18 hours to finish the game(I read a lot of the logs in my first play through) I still felt like there was so much here to uncover and explore that it honestly left me wanting more. The games ending is pretty good. Hopefully with news that it is doing well on the sale side, we'll see more Quantum Break in the near future.
My final thoughts are; Quantum Break is an excellent blend of terrific story telling, wonderful acting and fun game play. The way the actors gel together and Remedy's meticulous motion capture really bring these characters to life. As an Xbox One exclusive, it looks and sounds fantastic and I would recommend anyone who enjoys a fun game with deep story to pick this up. Support Remedy and if we're lucky we'll get a Quantum Break 2 and Alan Wake 2 in the future.
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From the manufacturer
Fix Time Before It Destroys Everything
When time breaks, catastrophe becomes your playground. As hero Jack Joyce, you'll fight your way through epic disasters that stutter back and forth in time.
Plunge Into a Dramatic Story
A failed time machine experiment has fractured time itself, leaving Jack Joyce to pick up the pieces.
Experience Time- Amplified Combat
Push cinematic action to the next level in this time-fractured world. Freeze time to gain the upper hand. Turn time-frozen objects into weapons.
Maneuver Through Epic Destruction
Time collapses around you, creating epic stutter moments where a suddenly frozen world jerks back and forth violently.
Go From Gameplay to Screenplay
Your gameplay affects how the live action story unfolds, creating a completely unique entertainment experience.
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Quantum Break Live Stream
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Quantum Break may be coming to PC
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Quantum Break Gameplay Accolade Trailer
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Reviews with images
Decent game with a few minor gripes from an older gamer
Older gamer here (50) who is not a huge online fan. As such it is nice to have a game that doesn't require you to play with or against other players to drive the story. I have enjoyed the story so far but I do have to say that I am not a huge fan of how directed and linear it is. You have to be very careful walking through doors because most of the time you will not be able to return back to that area to search for anything you may have missed! Plus with the checkpoint saves as opposed to being able to quick save when you like you may find yourself having to redo an entire act just to pick up some particles you missed the first time around! The frame rate seems to lag from time to time and the game is not without its glitches! (see attached photo) The control layout took a bit of getting used to for me, but that may have been due to muscle memory from Fallout 4. I am enjoying all the Alan Wake references scattered throughout the game though, and some of them are very subtle thus they can be easy to miss if you are not paying attention or were not a big fan of Alan. (See attached photo) Overall the game is worth buying but if I had to do it over again, I would wait for the price to drop.
Top reviews from other countries
KarmaPrz
Excelente juego, mejor en Xbox one x
Reviewed in Mexico on January 27, 2018
Marcos Rodriguez Montalvo
Buen Precio y rapida entrega
Reviewed in Mexico on December 13, 2019