3) Quantum Break
Probably Xbox One’s most anticipated new IP, Quantum Break debuted earlier this year boasting a creative twist on third-person shooting and traditional narrative cut scenes. Remedy Entertainment’s spiritual successor to the Alan Wake series thrilled us with its awesome time bending mechanics and intrigued us with its terrific production quality.
Gameplay-wise, Quantum Break swaps simple Max Payne-style bullet time slowdown with full-on superhero time warping abilities. Players can completely manipulate time; blink teleporting, suspending enemies in a time bubble and performing a host of awesome slow-motion takedowns. The animations are absolutely superb as well, but frustratingly, the game is too quick to grant these abilities and as such, gameplay becomes tedious well before the conclusion.
That being said, there’s still plenty of meat in Quantum Break’s story. Indeed, though its gameplay might have held the most promise, it’s actually the narrative that emerges as the best quality. Told via animated cut scenes and a live action TV series featuring some familiar faces, Quantum Break’s story puts a neat spin on the themes of time travel.
Both the writing and acting are solid as well, but it’s the agency granted to players to influence the game’s narrative that’s its best feature. The choices made by the end of each act directly affects elements of its story in both the game proper and the live action cutscenes. So, while players will undoubtedly enjoy the novelty of the combat here, Quantum Break’s story is a good enough reason to still give this one a whirl.
