I Am Alive - Xbox 360 Live Marketplace 1200 Points
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10
10
10
Addicting!
I loved this game! It was tough! at times i felt like i just couldnt do it, but it was soooo gripping that i couldnt stop playing it!!!!!!!!! i would definetly recommend it!
2/20/13
Very Surprising
When I first downloaded I am Alive, I was skeptical. It was an independent game, and had a very low price. It blew me away, with just the first few minutes of gameplay. The graphics were incredible, the gameplay was realistic, and the concept was genius. The literal cliffhanging, and confrontations with dangerous thugs will alone give you chills. At certain points, It felt as though I was playing Silent Hill, because of the dusty environment, and walking the deserted streets. not knowing who or what is waiting for you. This game will blow your mind. If you want a taste, just download the free trial from Xbox's Game Marketplace.
7/15/12
'Shadow of the Colossus' meets 'The Road'
There's no other game that delivers an experience like 'I Am Alive.' The closest would probably be 'Shadow of the Colossus,' because both feature lots of climbing while making use of a stamina bar and, more importantly, put players in control of a character in a world filled with things much bigger than they are.
I don't consider it a spoiler to say that you won't affect the world at large over the course of 'I Am Alive.' There was some sort of ecological apocalypse that covered most of the Earth in dust storms, and your experiences take place exclusively in a New York analogue called Haventon. The protagonist is an unnamed man searching for his wife and daughter. He begins his journey with a can of food, a bottle of water, some rope, and a pistol with no bullets. You will never have more than five bullets, and the vast majority of enemies you encounter only need one. The gun, in fact, will often be used to bluff enemies into surrendering or backing into environment hazards (cliffs, fires, etc). You acquire a machete fairly early on, making your combat options slightly more diverse. I'll describe a standard combat scenario by around midgame to illustrate the 'combat' of 'I Am Alive.'
If approached by, say five guys, and two of them have guns, they are your primary targets because they will *not* surrender, and you will die after anything more than a single bullet. As they approach, the protagonist naturally adopts a 'I'm not armed' stance, and usually one of the gunmen will be at the forefront. When he gets close enough, you can perform a quick-kill by clashing his throat with your machete, then draw your pistol and kill the other gunman.
From there, you keep your gun drawn and pointed at the remaining three. Ammo conservation is key, so even if you have three bullets, you don't want to just shoot them. Instead, you listen, switching your aim between the three to keep them scared as they try to talk you down. One of them is a bit more confident than the others. He has his hands up, sure, but he's trying to convince his cohorts that you probably don't have any more bullets.
If you have one bullet left, kill him with it. His death will prompt the other two to surrender (getting on their knees and dropping their weapons), and you won't need to kill two of them before that surrender is even on the table.
Bullets have other uses, too. Occasionally you'll find gates padlocked shut, and the contents of the room beyond it being a mystery. These rooms are entirely optional, mind you, but from a meta-game perspective, if you have a spare bullet, you should ALWAYS shoot the lock and loot the interior. Sometimes you'll even find a gun inside, meaning you're getting the other stuff there for free.
But frankly, the climbing is more combat-like than anything else. The environment is your biggest enemy in this setting. There are no zombies or monsters as a result of this apocalypse: just a suffocating cloud of dust that drains your stamina quickly as you walk through it (though you get a gas-mask later that helps a ton). To navigate around it, you'll need to climb. Climbing drains your stamina, just like in SotC, but you have items that can restore small amounts of stamina in your pack, as well as climbing spikes you can deploy once to provide a point that you can hang onto and regain stamina.
The only really annoying part of climbing is the music. When you get low on stamina, the music starts to get more tense, and after a while, it gets really annoying. Most story-related buildings and such that you need to climb will trigger this music multiple times no matter what route you take, and it gets rather grating.
I compared 'I Am Alive' to 'The Road' for a reason. The atmosphere of this game is...well, it's just amazing. Your journey takes you from repurposed malls and metro stations to subway tunnels and hotels. And like 'The Road,' your journey isn't about solving the problems of the apocalypse: it's about a hero who isn't in any place to do anything heroic. Anything you do to help the NPCs you run across (providing food/water/medicine or helping them out of rubble) is by your own volition. They're small acts of kindness that won't reward you (usually) with anything more than some additional information about the apocalypse itself. You won't find some military bastion hoarding supplies for the societal elite. You won't find a shadowy government conspiracy behind the disaster. You won't even find some sort of bandit-kingdom to topple and free the land, devastated though it is, from tyranny.
You'll find a man who wants nothing more than to find the two people who mean the most to him. The storyline might feature him helping another small group, but the emphasis is on the small kindnesses in a harsh world making a difference.
And for a game that has such strong ties to 'The Road,' that's enough.
4/20/12
I just love it.
i like the realism, like how you can point your gun at someone with no ammo and they act like you do. But, the graphics are just a little off. Last, you should make it either 1st or 3rd person, not both, I would prefer 1st person.
4/13/12
Better than I expected
this game is like a poor mans uncharted (in a way) the atmosphere
is very dreary and all the rubble you have to climb over , most to all
in B/W , the controls take about 3 minutes or so to get the hang of it ,
and the map to me is not quite clear , but I have not played a whole lot of the game yet , I started with the demo and in bout 5 minutes I said this is a keeper for $14.99 you can't go wrong ! it's quite an experience now
i'll have to figure out the supply source because you'll meet some shady characters along the way some just keeping to themselves and others looking to put the hurt on you ! to me it's just plain fun and unique and I really think the designers did purty darn good , buy it and enjoy , i'm sure you will if you just try the demo ...
4/3/12
Scary, heartbreaking AND fun
There are quite a few things that contribute to the success of this game (I'm talking about success as a great game, not success in the commercial sense. I have no idea if the game is selling well or not). For me the most important thing is the story telling. This well written tale is told very well. From the opening scene it will suck you in and hold your rapt attention until the credits roll. The game will wrestle the full gamut of emotions out of you. At times I experienced sadness, fear, rage, elation, dread, horror, loss, all of it. The game is atmospheric, I really like the design choices made. The controls took me some getting used to, but after about half an hour it clicked into place. I had no control issues once I got past the learning curve, so it pays to stick it out until you are used to the controls. I can't think of a reason not to highly recommend this game. It’s not perfect but it’s real close.
3/20/12
The world has ended again!
I have only played the demo but I am definitely going to buy this game. An "event" has happened, I don't know where my family is and i must find them! There's not as much freedom as Ubi's other creation Assassins Creed, but it is labeled as an arcade game for only $14.99, so I think it is worth it. The gameplay is fun, and the stamina bar keeps you on your tose. You can't run and climb for hours without end which made the game a little more real life-like. try it!
3/11/12
hardest game ever
this game is the hardest game i ever played because you have to climb alot of buildings and other courses its very hard but the action of killing the ai is pretty fun
3/10/12
All-around good game AND worth the $15 download!
When you combine graphics,gameplay,sound & story, this is a good game for only $15. I like the fact that you have to play skillfully on 'survivor' mode, with limited resources and retries. Makes you get your money's worth out the game.
3/10/12
Fun, Exciting, Feels like your the player
I really enjoyed the game soo far. It has a "I am Legend" feel with a mix of Uncharted as far as the climbing. I personally think the controls aren't that difficult if your an casual/hardcore gamer then the controls are a breeze. I love the fact that its a cheaper game but for only playing for like a good 90 mins, you definitely feel like u got ur money's worth. The BEST part so far is when facing enemies!!!! its like a real life situation....you have to decide quickly or they will decide ur fate for u. Be aware thou BULLETS ARE RARE!!! so use them wisely . Its a 3rd person game but when u use the gun it goes to 1st person. If your a gamer who only like 1st person then don't get this game bc if you play the game and face the elements of the land youll understand why its important to be in 3rd. I heard the game is a lil short thou but i'm still playing it and i really like it ALOT. I recommend it to anyone who like survival games and adventure.
3/10/12