Okay, so apparently "Q" topics are a bit demanding and troublesome this year. Tonight's entry is another game, an Xbox One exclusive, that I was originally really excited about. Roughly two years ago or so? Likely at the same E3 convention that released gameplay footage of The Division. But it's honestly a game that I've lost quite a bit of interest in, a result that multiple delays didn't help.
Unlike The Division, Quantum Break (released April 5, 2016) is a single player, third-person shooter. It's rare I bother with single player games (despite some being great), being I'm all about multiplayer, but this looked intriguing. Slowing time, or "Bullet Time", one of the game's main concepts/features, isn't exactly new or original, especially in games and movies. I am, however, drawn towards those kinds of game mechanics, reminiscent of Max Payne.
What set Quantum Break apart from some of the same ilk was the inclusion of live-action footage. For some reason I thought there was going to be an actual TV show associated with the game, launching around the same time, but I may be getting Defiance jumbled into the mix. I had the impression this may be a Defiance contender. While unique in its idea, the series and game [Defiance] fell short of expectations for many. If it was planned for Quantum Break to follow the same concept, they may have pulled the plug, seeing the difficulty in achieving the feat.
So, considering I don't know much about the game, I'll do my best in giving a very brief synopsis. The story of Quantum Break centers around the protagonist, Jack Joyce (hey, I'm partial to Jacks!), who was a part of a failed time-machine experiment — leaving him with an ability to slow time — trying to stop a close friend from initiating the End of Time (whatever the heck that is).
But as you can tell from the first teaser trailer compared to the newer released, they obviously made a good handful of changes during their delays. The most prominent of which being the replacement of the lead actor (if there was one for that original portrayal and not just being CGI?) with Shawn Ashmore (X-Men, The Following). Given how much I really liked The Following, and his acting, I view this as a positive update. Included in the following Accolades Trailer are other actors I (and you may) know, such as Dominic Monaghan (Lord of the Rings, Lost), Aiden Gillen (The Wire, Game of Thrones), and Lance Reddick (Lost, Fringe), to name a few. All of these are great additions to the project!
We are also shown live-action intermingled again, something I assumed thrown aside, so maybe that idea remained intact, but only for the sole purpose of driving the storyline, being confined to just the game. Either way, that does make me a lot more interested in Quantum Break. But I'll wait until reading some reviews and/or borrow the game from a friend before buying it. Unless I can score it on the low, then I may have no choice...
Have you played Quantum Break? If so, what are your thoughts and opinions on it? If not, does it look like a game you would enjoy? Are there any actors involved in the project that you like a lot? What other games have you played that featured slowing time?