Quantum Break: The most ambitious

Remedy Entertainment is showing insanely massive aspirations as it heads into the next generation. The studio isn’t simply striving to make Quantum Break a stunning Xbox One exclusive; it wants to bridge the gap between digital and live action entertainment in a way the videogame industry has never before been exposed to. Will it work? It’s certainly too early to tell, but we’d be lying if we said we weren't extremely excited by the prospect of something different.

Time amplified third person shooting and platforming sections in Quantum Break shine a spotlight on the game’s heroes Jack Joyce and Beth Wilder as the duo attempts to stop time from unstitching at the seams while intercut episodes of a live-action TV show follow the game’s villain Paul Serene and his company Monarch Solutions. Remedy is leaning on its past experiences with Max Payne and Alan Wake to form the skeleton of its latest venture but as it strives to take every concept bigger, Quantum Break continues to sound more outlandish than anything the studio has attempted before. Outlandish is exactly what we want in a new generation.

“Lord Of The Rings actor Dominic Monaghan and X-Men’s Shawn Ashmore have signed up to Quantum Break”

In an era of ‘me-too’ copycat shooters, Quantum Break’s fresh approach to the genre is something of a revelation. Epic’s Unreal Engine 4 is being utilised to make the game as photo realistic as possible, with a heavy emphasis being placed on digitally replicating actor's faces and motion capture. Why? Because actors will be reprising their roles in the live-action show, ensuring a level of immersion across the project that we just aren’t used to seeing from traditional tie-in shows and promotional material.

After  Watch Dogs and its budget actors killing any hopes the game had of harbouring an engaging narrative it’s understandable to be hesitant of the concept. Remedy has made moves to ensure gamers that it isn’t cutting any corners in this regard, as it reveals Lord Of The Rings actor Dominic Monaghan and X-Men’s Shawn Ashmore have signed up to Quantum Break in (at the time of writing) unannounced roles.

If it stays on track, we should be playing or should that be experiencing? Quantum Break by the end of 2015. Considering the development hell Alan Wake went through before finally finding release, we can only hope Remedy has a handle on development of both the show and game. Quantum Break is ambitious, and that could be its undoing or its making. Like we said, how can you not be at least a little bit intrigued by the prospect of something that’s a bit different?