Why Quantum Break is My First Real Next-Generation Experience

Quantum Break is Xbox One's first AAA console exclusive of 2016, and it is great third-person shooter fun. It delivers an interesting sci-fi story that delves deep into the theories of time travel without breaking its own rules as clearly established in gameplay and highly detailed documents in the form of collectible pick-ups. It boasts cool time manipulation mechanics that make the only-average gunplay tolerable and the graphical fidelity showcases the amazing performances by great actors like Shawn Ashmore, Aiden Gillen and more. Sounds like a great time, right? It is. As a third-person shooter action game, Quantum Break is pretty awesome. If that's all it was, I think it would be a commendable achievement for Microsoft in the way of their new exclusive IPs. But that is not all Quantum Break brings to the table.

If you want to read my more critical thoughts on Quantum Break, check out my review right here.

Quantum Break contains five acts of gameplay that move Jack Joyce's story forward. This playable element of the game keeps the perspective zeroed in on just Jack and those he encounters in his mission. He can read e-mails, documents and other collectibles to really flesh out the story, but this all remains in his perspective. Those collectibles are used so effectively, but they aren't what makes Quantum Break different (although, it does make it one of the funnier games in recent memory).

I believe Quantum Break is my first real next-generation experience because it successfully merges video games and live-action television with its four-episode show between the five acts. Some players may only see this as glorified cut scenes, but Quantum Break already has beautifully rendered cinematics that follow Jack Joyce. They only contribute to the development of his story, not the goes-on around town. Remedy Games uses the television show to showcase other characters that play pivotal roles elsewhere in the city of Riverport that directly impact the story even though Jack Joyce doesn't encounter them regularly. If Remedy chose to force the player to play through these scenes they may be detachment from the character because they have already centred on Jack Joyce and Paul Serene. And there is a lot of talk in these episodes that develop the story. But there's also some great action scenes that look as convincing as some premium cable shows. These four episodes could have been weak, phoned-in glorified cut scene conversations, but they fill the void of story gaps, character development and motive explanation that the game would fail to deliver.

So, what makes this a next-gene experience? When I played new games over the last few years I thought "That's got to be the next-gen experience." Such examples would be Titanfall, Shadow of Mordor, Bloodborne and The Witcher 3. These are all great games that up the ante in mechanics, graphics and AI in their own way, but that's just a development of what we've seen before during the previous console generation. In labeling Quantum Break the true next-gen game, I have to make clear what the criteria would be. When the Xbox One was introduced, it was identified as the home-media box that could do everything without the need for two, three, four boxes in the home entertainment set-up. Your game box would be your television box and you could do it all at once if that's what you're about. I know not everyone supported this concept and then Microsoft's Xbox division backed off this campaign in favour of the all-games-all-the-time approach. That's all well and good. But the Xbox One is still the entertainment box that they wanted it to be, even if it isn't the central focus. Quantum Break delivers on both fronts in ways other games have yet to accomplish in this generation. It merges games and television in ways others have not. It was a bit of a risk to pour everything into this combination for Remedy Games, but it works because they didn't hold back. Rather than acting as cut scenes, the TV show episodes go elsewhere and build the story where Jack Joyce can't be. Quantum Break embodies that initial next-gen intention of blending entertainment, and it does it well.

Quantum Break is a cool game, but it brings more than that. I'm not saying it's better than Bloodborne or The Witcher 3. I'm not even comparing them to that degree. But Quantum Break does something new and it's an experience I can't really pinpoint in previous generations. It's a lot of fun and I recommend playing it. I hope you enjoy the game and the show.