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BEYOND: Two Souls (Ellen Page, Willem Dafoe) |OT| Press Triangle to Aiden

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MeisaMcCaffrey
Y2Kev said:
Why are you all so sure reviewers won't like this? Heavy rain reviewed very well.
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I expect a lot of 7-8 scores. That lonely Metacritic review sums it up really: "Is there a game to be found? This reviewer is still looking."

Gameplay mechanics have been toned down even more in Beyond compared to Heavy Rain and I'm pretty sure a lot of reviews are going to point out how awful those slow-mo action sequences are.

Astery said:
For those who had completed the story, is the story good and makes sense? That's about the only thing I care to decide if I'm buying it at this point.
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Loved it.
 
E

Elios83

Member
Y2Kev said:
Why are you all so sure reviewers won't like this? Heavy rain reviewed very well.
Click to expand...

Indeed, probably a bit of damage control from fans who want to feel prepared for the worst :p
But this is reasonable considering that there are people who hate this genre (''where is the game? bla bla'') and on top of that there are people who hate David Cage specifically.
Some of them will definetly happen to review the game although they probably shouldn't.
Heavy Rain also had the benefit of being something relatively new, Beyond is more a different take on it with more action scenes.

Still special edition tomorrow night for me :p! Can't wait =)
 
D

dreamfall

Member
Here's the thing, I really enjoy Cage's games but he truly is an awful writer.

I loved Fahrenheit, I platinumed Heavy Rain- I wanted to see every little interaction, every thought, every mundane walking animation.

But goodness, the narratives always derail into the batshit insane. Some really poor character evolution, some strange voice actor selection, you name it. There will probably be some of that- but I'm really excited for the quieter moments and the character interaction with Jodie/Nathan.

I like the mundane daily activities of shaving, or strumming a guitar. Walking around with Carla, with Martina Topley Bird playing in the background of her apartment was one of my favorite moments last gen.
 
M

madmackem

Member
Just played the demo, yeah it give me a heavy rain feel in the controls, in that i felt i wasnt in control 100% of the time or would do something wrong i thought was right. However it looks fucking amazing and the story looks real interesting think ill pick it up on friday.
 
C

ComputerMKII

Banned
BlackBanditSho said:
Just finished. This post nails it. if you work through it, the game is better than some of the parts that make up the sum, but it's satisfying. Ambitious, too.
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That's very true. There are a lot of flaws and things to nitpick with David Cage's games. He has interesting ideas but as a writer he's not very mature. By that, I mean he doesn't seem to have much experience and he relies too much on stereotypes. (Edit: Kara was particularly bad, for instance. In my opinion, it was very cliché and even creepy.) However, I can see that he's honest about what he wanted to convey with Beyond and Heavy Rain. His games have heart and that's how I choose to see and experience them.

'Ambitious' is also one of the first words that came to mind when I finished Beyond. It's pretty much 'Life and Death: The Game'. For most of the game you wonder what the bigger picture is (especially since Cage talked so much about how he came up with the main idea in his interviews) but as you finish the game it all comes together.
 
B

Bollocks

Member
So can anybody tell me how the gameplay is compared to Heavy Rain, if at all?
I loved that your actions had an impact on the game's story and could influence whether you play a certain level or not.
 
S

Shadow2222

Member
dreamfall said:
Here's the thing, I really enjoy Cage's games but he truly is an awful writer.

I loved Fahrenheit, I platinumed Heavy Rain- I wanted to see every little interaction, every thought, every mundane walking animation.

But goodness, the narratives always derail into the batshit insane. Some really poor character evolution, some strange voice actor selection, you name it. There will probably be some of that- but I'm really excited for the quieter moments and the character interaction with Jodie/Nathan.

I like the mundane daily activities of shaving, or strumming a guitar. Walking around with Carla, with Martina Topley Bird playing in the background of her apartment was one of favorite moments last gen.
Click to expand...

I will mostly agree with you. I think the his writing is great in short bursts, but when looked at in regards to the story, he just has problems tying together the narrative in the end. Indigo Prophecy was excellent, and I don't even mind the twists at the end, but the narrative itself just falls apart and the entire last 1/4th of the game feels rushed. Heavy Rain was definitely an improvement, but suffered from the voice acting.

I also platinum'd Heavy Rain, and I will most likely do the same with Beyond, so I do love these games, flaws and all.

What I definitely agree on is the simple activities. For whatever reason, I get such enjoyment out of doing those in story-driven games. Maybe I feel like I can connect more, even considering the sci-fi nature of Indigo Prophecy and Beyond?
 
S

Squishy3

Member
BlackBanditSho said:
It's the overall story that irks me more than the the technical or design foibles, which are really questionable.
Click to expand...
This is true for any David Cage game, though. Having recently replayed Indigo Prophecy and Heavy Rain, there are some great scenes in those games, but the whole of it is just astounding in how it doesn't come together.

Indigo Prophecy's great scenes being stuff like the very first one where you're covering up the murder in the diner, or where you're putting together the clues to solve the crime. Then you have completely ridiculous stuff like tripping balls in the office and dodging imaginary bugs or tripping balls in your apartment and playing furniture dodger extreme, or the infamous Matrix fights.

In Heavy Rain, you have really neat stuff like Jayden's investigation sequences, or even Scott investigating the Origami killer, especially with how pressed you feel to finish the final clue matching sequence at the end of the game.

Heavy Rain and Indigo Prophecy spoilers following:
Then you have stuff like Ethan's blackouts never being explained in the context of the game. (and then when it actually is revealed what they were originally supposed to be, it's as dumb as anything from Indigo Prophecy, he would somehow have made a psychic connection with the Origami killer, they then realized that sounded stupid but kept everything retaining to the blackouts in game as a red herring to make you think Ethan was the killer with no explanation for it instead of cutting them altogether and making different scenes to replace them) Then you have another red herring in the clock shop where Scott Shelby murders Manfred while the camera is focused on Lauren looking at the music box. It's one of the worst uses of the unreliable narrator ever. I love the idea of Scott being the killer pretending to investigate it so that he can erase all the evidence leading to him. But as a whole it was just executed awfully. Then we have the absolutely horrid treatment of Madison where every scene she isn't being a shoe horned in love interest for Ethan someone is attempting to rape and/or murder her. Also the stuff retaining to the psychic connection to the Origami killer literally David Cage thinking "Hey, Harry Potter did that, I should do it too." Not the first time he did it either, as in Indigo Prophecy the homeless people from the end who had been waiting for the Indigo Child belonging to an organization called The Invisibles fighting against people from another world who wish to enslave humanity. This is very similar in plot to Grant Morrison's The Invisibles. Remember the Matrix fights at the end too? The Invisibles is also considered one of the primary inspirations for The Matrix.
 
D

DukeBobby

Member
dreamfall said:
Here's the thing, I really enjoy Cage's games but he truly is an awful writer.

I loved Fahrenheit, I platinumed Heavy Rain- I wanted to see every little interaction, every thought, every mundane walking animation.

But goodness, the narratives always derail into the batshit insane. Some really poor character evolution, some strange voice actor selection, you name it. There will probably be some of that- but I'm really excited for the quieter moments and the character interaction with Jodie/Nathan.

I like the mundane daily activities of shaving, or strumming a guitar. Walking around with Carla, with Martina Topley Bird playing in the background of her apartment was one of my favorite moments last gen.
Click to expand...

Glad to see that I'm not the only one who enjoys the mundane stuff and quieter moments.

Quantic Dream really nail those parts.
 
C

ComputerMKII

Banned
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri said:
Im kind of flabbergasted that Sony greenlit this, because the subject matter definitely doesn't sound like something that the majority of people will enjoy. I know that there are hints at a life of solitude and despair in all the promo material but all the impressions so far make it clear that this game is pretty much steeped in pathos. Pretty damned gutsy of both Cage and Sony to stick to their guns, and I'm more curious than ever of what their PS4 title will embody
Click to expand...

According to this interview, Sony pretty much gave Quantic Dream a blank check for them to make whatever they wanted. QD have always been enthusiastic about the creative freedom they get from Sony.
 
E

eival

Junior Member
has there been any recent PS3 system updates, i guess i should boot it now and maybe by the time the game comes tomorrow it'll be finished and ready.
 
C

ComputerMKII

Banned
something fishy said:
Seems cagey folk like it but if you didn't like the last one its best left alone from the sense I'm getting.
Click to expand...

For what it's worth, I thought Heavy Rain was a bad game. However, I liked the idea (a game that focuses on story and emotions, with a wide variety of paths and endings). I just thought the subject matter was nothing special and the gameplay sucked. But man, as bad as Heavy Rain was, it had potential. Ever since HR came out I was eager to see what would come next, hoping they'd iron out some details - and they did, for the most part. Beyond is better written, better directed, MUCH better acted and the gameplay has been improved (even though it's still kind of clunky).
 
B

BlackBanditSho

Member
ComputerMKII said:
That's very true. There are a lot of flaws and things to nitpick with David Cage's games (he has interesting ideas but as a writer he's not very mature, as in, he doesn't seem to have much experience, relying too much on stereotypes for instance) but I can see that he's honest about what he wants to convey. His games have heart and that's how I choose to experience them.

'Ambitious' is also one of the first words that came to mind when finishing the game. It's pretty much 'Life and Death: The Game'. For most of the game you wonder what the bigger picture is (especially since Cage talked so much about how he came up with the main idea in his interview) but as you finish the game it all comes together.
Click to expand...

Yeah. As I was playing it, I started retitling the game: "The Amazing and Curious Life of Jodie". Beyond: Two Souls doesn't work for me. He relies A LOT on stereotypes. I HATED 'The Mission'. Hated.

But they do have heart. He's like Kojima in that way. He's got something that he really wants to say, and it comes through in his work.

The ending credit to Normand Corbiel really stung. I probably wouldn't have enjoyed Heavy Rain 1/2 as much if it wasn't musical score. While the soundtrack in this game was good, I shudder to think what he would've done with this material. Rest in Peace, indeed...
 
C

ComputerMKII

Banned
Astery said:
For those who had completed the story, is the story good and makes sense? That's about the only thing I care to decide if I'm buying it at this point.
Click to expand...

It definitely makes sense. The game doesn't even have those weird 'Cage-like' twists you can find in his previous games. The story unfolds in a progressive but logical manner. With each chapter you get to know a little more, so that at some point (which may differ depending on who's playing), you pretty much realize you understand what's going on.

There's no 'I am your father'/'OH SHIT!' moment that makes you doubt about the credibility of what you've seen so far.

BlackBanditSho said:
Yeah. As I was playing it, I started retitling the game: "The Amazing and Curious Life of Jodie".
Click to expand...
That's funny because I thought the same thing (almost word for word) and I almost wanted to write it in one of my posts. For most of the game, it is 'The Amazing Life of Jodie Holmes', until it all comes together and you start thinking 'OK, things are getting serious now', then it's a race straight to the final chapter and the epilogue.

Edit: This thread has been going too fast, I have a lot of posts to catch up on and reply to (then I have to re-read my post and correct/edit them). But it's OK, it's rare that I'm truly enthusiastic about a video game these days and have such a stimulating conversation about it.
 
B

BlackBanditSho

Member
Squishy3 said:
This is true for any David Cage game, though. Having recently replayed Indigo Prophecy and Heavy Rain, there are some great scenes in those games, but the whole of it is just astounding in how it doesn't come together.

Indigo Prophecy's great scenes being stuff like the very first one where you're covering up the murder in the diner, or where you're putting together the clues to solve the crime. Then you have completely ridiculous stuff like tripping balls in the office and dodging imaginary bugs or tripping balls in your apartment and playing furniture dodger extreme, or the infamous Matrix fights.

In Heavy Rain, you have really neat stuff like Jayden's investigation sequences, or even Scott investigating the Origami killer, especially with how pressed you feel to finish the final clue matching sequence at the end of the game.

Heavy Rain spoilers following:
Then you have stuff like Ethan's blackouts never being explained in the context of the game. (and then when it actually is revealed what they were originally supposed to be, it's as dumb as anything from Indigo Prophecy, he would somehow have made a psychic connection with the Origami killer, they then realized that sounded stupid but kept everything retaining to the blackouts in game as a red herring to make you think Ethan was the killer with no explanation for it instead of cutting them altogether and making different scenes to replace them) Then you have another red herring in the clock shop where Scott Shelby murders Manfred while the camera is focused on Lauren looking at the music box. It's one of the worst uses of the unreliable narrator ever. I love the idea of Scott being the killer pretending to investigate it so that he can erase all the evidence leading to him. But as a whole it was just executed awfully. Then we have the absolutely horrid treatment of Madison where every scene she isn't being a shoe horned in love interest for Ethan someone is attempting to rape and/or murder her. Also the stuff retaining to the psychic connection to the Origami killer literally David Cage thinking "Hey, Harry Potter did that, I should do it too." Not the first time he did it either, as in Indigo Prophecy the homeless people from the end who had been waiting for the Indigo Child belonging to an organization called The Invisibles fighting against people from another world who wish to enslave humanity. This is very similar in plot to Grant Morrison's The Invisibles. Remember the Matrix fights at the end too? The Invisibles is also considered one of the primary inspirations for The Matrix.
Click to expand...

This game is actually clear of that stuff. While I didn't like certain chapters, it's not because they were silly inclusions. Beyond is Cage's most cohesive game by far.
 
G

GroundCombo

Member
I have a feeling I'm going to like this a lot, but as someone who hates stealth scenes in non-stealth games to death, how annoying are those on a scale of "no, you were not supposed to go there yet" to "instant fail when seen by the guard behind the blind corner"?
 
A

Astery

Member
ComputerMKII said:
It definitely makes sense. The game doesn't even have those weird 'Cage-like' twists you can find in his previous games. The story unfolds in a progressive but logical manner. With each chapter you get to know a little more, so that at some point (which may differ depending on who's playing), you pretty much realize you understand what's going on.

There's no 'I am your father'/'OH SHIT!' moment that makes you doubt about the credibility of what you've seen so far.
Click to expand...

Actually I do like twists, just not some nonsense twist that only comes together if you force yourself to say "yea that absolutely sounds legit" *cough* Heavy Rain.
 
C

ComputerMKII

Banned
BlackBanditSho said:
The ending credit to Normand Corbiel really stung.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that took me by surprise and made me smile (yet I wanted to tear up at the same time). Then
a dedication, to the like of 'To X and Y, who must still be watching us from the Infraworld' appeared. Beyond (no pun intended) its sheer poetic beauty, it felt like the final touch that put everything in perspective and connected Beyond's fictional story back to the real world (and I was immediately reminded of Cage's interviews when he said he had the idea for Beyond after he lost a loved one). The whole thing went full circle.

It was just one sentence during the end credits -almost nothing- but ending on that note was so powerful. I can't judge harshly a game that had such an effect on me.
 
C

ComputerMKII

Banned
BlackBanditSho said:
This game is actually clear of that stuff. While I didn't like certain chapters, it's not because they were silly inclusions. Beyond is Cage's most cohesive game by far.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's what I meant. You said it in a better and more concise manner. As weird as it may sound, Cage has learned from his previous works. He's making less blatant mistakes.

GroundCombo said:
I have a feeling I'm going to like this a lot, but as someone who hates stealth scenes in non-stealth games to death, how annoying are those on a scale of "no, you were not supposed to go there yet" to "instant fail when seen by the guard behind the blind corner"?
Click to expand...
While I've found the stealth scenes in Beyond superfluous/boring, they weren't particularly hard (just make it a habit to use Aiden a lot, to know your surroundings) and you can't really fail. There's no 'Game over'.
 
E

Evo X

Member
Has this review been posted yet? They gave it a 5/5.

Beyond: Two Souls goes beyond expectations

With great graphics, solid gameplay and an engaging plot, Beyond is definitely a rival for Grand Theft Auto V and The Last of Us for the Game of the Year Award. If you need to buy one last game for the PlayStation 3 before heralding the arrival of the PlayStation 4 on our shores, it has to be Beyond: Two Souls.

Verdict: 5/5
Click to expand...

http://www.todayonline.com/tech/games/beyond-two-souls-goes-beyond-expectations
 
Acquiescence

Acquiescence

Member
Ceaseless Discharge said:
I'm a lttp PS3 owner, bought a super slim recently for The Last Of Us, never played Heavy Rain and was mostly unaware of Beyond Two Souls until reading this thread on the train today.

Downloaded the demo and absolutely loved it. This is the perfect game to play with Mrs. Discharge as she loves the whole supernatural thing, and I can geek out on the graphics and environments. Definitely a game to enjoy at night with a bottle of wine. Get into the whole vibe and angle of it.

Really looking forward to the release.
Click to expand...

Mrs. Discharge sounds like a moniker a woman would adopt for a webcam show or something.
 
digoutyoursoul

digoutyoursoul

Member
SolidSnakex said:
It's definitely going to get mixed opinions instead of the universal love that TLoU and GTAV have received.. I can see it being one of those love it or hate it games. Very little middle ground.
Click to expand...

I want more titles like this and The Walking Dead, they make a great alternative to the GTAs, Gears, Uncharteds and Call of Duty.

I'm a pessimistic person so I dread the reviews in the sense I'm hoping I'm wrong and it does well. I know Heavy Rain got some low scores but I enjoyed that despite some terrible writing
 
M

Miles Quaritch

Member
digoutyoursoul said:
I really hope it doesn't get panned, been looking forward to this for ages
Click to expand...

It will. Better to accept it and ignore the reviews altogether. If you're a fan of Cage's games, it's one to buy. If you're on the fence, wait for a price drop. If you hate his games, the negative reviews will be masturbation fuel for months...
 
C

ComputerMKII

Banned
Miles Quaritch said:
It will. Better to accept it and ignore the reviews altogether. If you're a fan of Cage's games, it's one to buy. If you're on the fence, wait for a price drop. If you hate his games, the negative reviews masturbation fuel for months...
Click to expand...
The more time passes the more I wonder what the point of reviews even is. Sometimes even a bad review makes me want to buy a game because what the reviewer didn't like is what I was actually interested in.

Hell, Metal Gear Rising, Diablo 3, Mass Effect 3, Guild Wars 2, The Last of Us and GTA V got great reviews yet I disliked those games.

Hobohodo said:
So for those of you who have played it how long are we looking at?
Click to expand...
I haven't counted but I felt like I played 10-12 hours, and that includes taking my time to explore everything with Aiden. The game has a LOT of acting and dialogue. I totally believe David Cage when he said shooting Beyond was like shooting several full feature films.
 
M

Miles Quaritch

Member
Hobohodo said:
So for those of you who have played it how long are we looking at?
Click to expand...

10 -15 hours.

ComputerMKII said:
The more time passes the more I wonder what the point of reviews even is. Sometimes even a bad review makes me want to buy a game because what the reviewer didn't like is what I was actually interested in.
Click to expand...

Yeah, reviews have lost a lot of their appeal for me over the past couple of years. I tend to either buy the game and decide for myself or wait for community impressions from people who I know have similar tastes as mine.
 
D

DieH@rd

Banned
I've finished the game and it was AHMAZING!


- it took me between 11-12 hrs, but I did not measure it precisely. I've cut one or two chapters to be shorter intentionally, but I've respected my choices, no going back :)
- best visuals on PS3, really really stunning in some parts. UI and gameplay were much better than in HR [especially Aiden]
- journalists trashed that military section in Somalia, but in my playtrough I EJOYED IT A LOT!!! They did not receive gameplay training required to play that section. It was really fun and tactical, and it had one action sequence manged to visually trash similar Uncharted section! [Team ICE was mentioned in ending credits :D ]
- technical problems were very minimal, they did not have impact on my experience at all - very rare texture streaming [UE3 fade in of HQ texture], slight fps drop during savegame icon when HDD was in heavy use [few secs]
- 2.33:1 ratio served the game really well, I barely noticed it.
- great music
- very streamlined story that kept me very engaged, Cage really knows how to keep player wanting for more, with perfect ups and downs in terms of intensity. Ending was... surprisingly epic. :)
- Page/Dafoe gave 110% percent, their characters were great. Some side-characters did not get much depth (those who appeared only in 1-2 chapters), but this game is fully focused on the story of Jodie. Page/kid actor delivered, year of strong female characters continues to shine.


What to say.... except that HR and Beyond are two very different game in term of style (dark noir tale vs exploration of one strange life), but Beyond managed to be better in every aspect I can think of... HR was one of my favorite games in PS3 1st party offering, and Beyond is better and way more accessible to non gamers. It has to be played by everyone.

And for the sake of everything holy GAF, try to avoid spoilers AT ALL COSTS!!! Ending and some other important aspects of the story are really easy to be spoiled.
 
M

Marceles

Member
Seeing that Finland review to jump start the metacritic review train sucks. Not that I'm convinced the game is bad, but the "see? Told you this 'game' is trash" replies are gonna make me wanna jump kick someone in the neck
 
C

ComputerMKII

Banned
DieH@rd said:
I've finished the game and it was AHMAZING!


- it took me between 11-12 hrs, but I did not measure it precisely. I've cut one or two chapters to be shorter intentionally, but I've respected my choices, no going back :)
- best visuals on PS3, really really stunning in some parts. UI and gameplay were much better than in HR [especially Aiden]
- journalists trashed that military section in Somalia, but in my playtrough I EJOYED IT A LOT!!! They did not receive gameplay training required to play that section. It was really fun and tactical, and it had one action sequence manged to visually trash similar Uncharted section! [Team ICE was mentioned in ending credits :D ]
- technical problems were very minimal, they did not have impact on my experience at all - very rare texture streaming [UE3 fade in of HQ texture], slight fps drop during savegame icon when HDD was in heavy use [few secs]
- 2.33:1 ratio served the game really well, I barely noticed it.
- great music
- very streamlined story that kept me very engaged, Cage really knows how to keep player wanting for more, with perfect ups and downs in terms of intensity. Ending was... surprisingly epic. :)
- Page/Dafoe gave 110% percent, their characters were great. Some side-characters did not get much depth (those who appeared only in 1-2 chapters), but this game is fully focused on the story of Jodie. Page/kid actor delivered, year of strong female characters continues to shine.


What to say.... except that HR and Beyond are two very different game in term of style (dark noir tale vs exploration of one strange life), but Beyond managed to be better in every aspect I can think of... HR was one of my favorite games in PS3 1st party offering, and Beyond is better and way more accessible to non gamers. It has to be played by everyone.

And for the sake of everything holy GAF, try to avoid spoilers AT ALL COSTS!!! Ending and some other important aspects of the story are really easy to be spoiled.
Click to expand...

Agree 100%. However, I do insist that the character called Ryan (he's in the demo) deserves recognition for his acting, too.
 
D

DukeBobby

Member
Marceles said:
Seeing that Finland review to jump start the metacritic review train sucks. Not that I'm convinced the game is bad, but the "see? Told you this 'game' is trash" replies are gonna make me wanna jump kick someone in the neck
Click to expand...

Expect plenty of that in the review thread tomorrow, especially from people who had an agenda against the game all along.
 
D

DieH@rd

Banned
ComputerMKII said:
Agree 100%. However, I do insist that the character called Ryan (he's in the demo) deserves recognition for his acting, too.
Click to expand...

Yes, he had a lot of appearances and even his own story arc. He was big part of Jodie's life, biggest side-character in the game for sure.
 
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