First Impressions: I Am Alive (XBLA)

[wpspoiler name=”First Impressions vs. Reviews” ]First Impressions are based on demos while Reviews are based on entire games.[/wpspoiler]

I Am Alive tells the story of a man who spent over a year crossing the ruins of a ravaged country to get back home to his family. He’s practical and cautious, prepared with just enough of the right tools and abilities.

Gameplay is also practical and cautious with just the right amount of badassery.

Ubisoft makes such a wide variety of games from Farcry to Rayman so depending on how you’ve personally interacted with Ubisoft, this gritty, post-apocalyptic, personal journey might be something to add to the deck of awesome or something very unexpected but still very awesome.

Check out the official launch trailer:

 I Am Alive Pros:

1. This game starts out practical and level-headed. You have a gun, but no bullets. You have a stamina and a health bar and you are able to do normal feats that a normal man in good shape can do.

2. The protagonist is sexy. Similar to Nathan Drake in the uncharted series, he’s somehow both, every-man and the man no man can be. He’s driven and thoughtful, his voice is gritty and confident.

3. Innovative solutions to to same old problems. I mentioned earlier that you have a gun but no bullets; this is an age-old apocalypse related issue. What happens when the bullets run out? You use the gun to intimidate your enemies; they don’t know you don’t have any bullets!

 I Am Alive Cons:

1. It’s a bit lonely, but that’s to be expected when everything is destroyed and everyone is dead.

2. On that note, the game seems a bit sad. Though, again, this is really just the nature of the apocalypse and a game that’s realistic will have to be true to the fact that the apocalypse might not be all fun and games.

3. I felt like I was learning this a little later than I should have. It was like as you’re walking in to a fight someone hanging over your shoulder and explaining the mechanics of throwing a punch and than as a fist is coming at your face, the mechanics of blocking. Thanks, dick. That would have been helpful to know before I got punched!

Overall, what I think of I Am Alive:

I loved this demo. If it had naughty bits, I would lick them. I was engaged in the story, as sad as it was, and found it easy to get into the gameplay.

I feel it’s well worth the 1200 MS Points. When I have points in my account and time on my hands, I will own this game!

Check out the official site for more details!

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