Centered around a worldwide cataclysm known as “The Event” that has wiped out the majority of civilization and left the world damaged, I Am Alive focuses on protagonist Adam who was away from his wife and daughter when the event occurred and has come back in search of them. I Am Alive takes place in a city called Haventon where Adam and his wife and daughter lived, because the event has affected the city so much players will see a lot of the usual desolate, bleak, all hope is lost vibe similar to games like Dead Space, Silent Hill, and the classic Resident Evil games which is aided by the game’s greyish black and white visuals though they sometimes give parts of the game’s environment a slightly dated look.

     One of the game’s best features is the protagonist’s stamina bar and how its used and managed throughout the game, as Adam sprints, climbs, jumps, and fights he will use up his stamina bar but what makes it a notable feature is the game’s dynamic musical score that slowly kicks in in increased volume the lower the stamina bar goes giving a “Oh my God can he make it?” feeling of tension over almost everything you do. Because of the nature of the stamina bar and how strongly it plays into gameplay, players have to learn to carefully examine every situation and manage their stamina/health replenish items accordingly especially since the game uses a numbered retry system for every mistake.

       Retrys are scarce but can be earned by using your limited resources to help out civilians in danger throughout the game which in return will give extra information on what has been going on since the event occurred or what your objective is, while these are nice they are never a necessity and whenever someone did give me a little backstory on what was going on since the event occurred it was information that I either already knew or got the jest of.  Even though there are people in the game willing to help you out, there are those who would rather bully or just kill you outright and that’s where I Am Alive’s combat comes into play.

       Adam gets armed with a machete early on in the game which can be used to surprise kill an approaching enemy or used for a struggle kill which pits Adam and the enemy in a bladed dual. Later in the game, however, Adam gains access to a pistol but is restricted to limited ammo so the pistol is used as a means to scare his enemies or even shoot one or two to make the rest surrender if confronted by a group, though not all of them will be scared of it and if players try to hold up an enemy for too long they will come in for the kill regardless which brings up some of I Am Alive’s problems with its combat system. Players can hold up enemies to keep them off of them but the game dosent have any type of true fighting system so when enemies call your bluff on holding up your gun for too long or if they find out you have no ammo your forced to either let them kill you or just restart to a previous checkpoint which costs a retry on either suggestion which makes no sense since Adam has a machete but his only means of fighting is a struggle kill which only works if there is just one enemy since it takes about 4 full seconds to kill someone with it.

Another problem with I Am Alive is the fact that the main character himself seems to get sidetracked a lot throughout the game because out of the 20+ chapters in the story, Adam only spends the first three searching for his family. Along the way he meets a lost little girl and spends more time helping her search for her keeper which leads to him helping her keeper search for her lost mother, this is fine and all but once I completed the game I felt as if there was more that should have been elaborated on and I felt as if I just went through a really long side mission only to have the main objective concluded in the last 10 seconds of the game via a cutscene. Even with its few missteps I enjoyed my time with I Am Alive, even though the concept isn’t fresh, the execution makes up for it.

Final Verdict: 8.25/10

Summary: Join a man in search of his lost family across a desolate world

Sound: Voice acting does the job, neither disappointing nor amazing

Playability: Where the combat seems fun at first and then eventually fails do to its issues, the platforming is the star of the show.

Entertainment: Fans of games that use platforming elements such as Assassin’s Creed and Uncharted will feel at home though the same cant be said for the combat.

Graphics: Looks good for a PSN/XBLA game that isn’t a top down or side scroller though sometimes parts of the environment looked as if the developers either didn’t have a high enough budget or just wanted to cut corners.

Replay Value: Moderate

Anyone that wishes to donate to the Xbox BF3 server, simply post here and after we are all comfortable with the numbers, I will start accepting donations.

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The vast majority of us TPwn members are students in various levels. Me, I am a senior in college. So I feel that I have a responsibility to share my experience and knowledge with the youngsters. First and foremost, know what you have to do. Master and memorize your schedules and deadlines. Knowing this will allow you allot some daily game time. If you have 4 chapters to read for tonight’s homework, then you definitely should not be gaming. Alternately, read 2 chapters as soon you are classes are done and 2 chapters after you get your gaming fix. Dedication is key. I will use me as an example here. Back in the fall my schedule was hectic. I was reading at least 2 books a week. Yeah you read that correctly. I was miserable, but I sucked it up. There was absolutely no game time for me. However, I made the time by managing my time wisely. If you take anything away from this article, its that time management will make or break you.

Now I understand that a few of you are still in high school and your schedule is not as flexible as a college student’s. The same principles apply though. Manage your time wisely. I cannot stress that enough. As soon as you get off the bus in the afternoon, sit down and pound out any algebra II work you may have. Yeah it sucks, but you have to do it. I urge you to set aside your gaming addiction.

Knowing what kind of student and learner you are allows you procrastinate. Yes, this is very hypocritical. I was just preaching dedication and time management. If you are an above average or exceptional student, intelligent if you will, and school comes easy then you have a little more play in how quickly you need to get things done. If you know that you got to work a little harder than the rest, then do not slack at all. Studies should always be taken seriously, but know your level. If you are Will Hunting and can solve a calculus problem with ease, then relax a bit. But if you are normal or terrible at math then do not slack off. Know your strengths and weaknesses.

Divide and conquer. An example of this is writing a 20 page paper, something I am oddly good at. I am good at this because I break it down, divide, into four 5 page papers. Looking at a daunting paper like its 4 individual assignments allows you conquer it quicker and makes it seem much smaller than it is. Do this with reading, math work, or anything. Got 300 pages to read by Friday? Divide it up and set a goal for each day. This frees up some time, a lot of time actually. Huge assignments can kill you if you put them off for, lets say, gaming. Do not do it. Just don’t. Take it from me. It is terrible.

To sum it up, do your work. Games are not going any where nor will they take you any where. Your school work will take you places. Whether you are a sophomore in high school or finishing your masters thesis, time management and such will help you more than you know. I hope this sheds some light on how to make gaming and school work.