So this game made me fall in love with Ellen Page. This past week I've been watching all her movies... some of them are kinda meh but she makes them worth watching
The vignette-heavy nature of Beyond reminds me a bit of The Tracey Fragments. Reviews are really mixed on that one but I enjoyed it--not one of her more likeable films, though. It's pretty out there in terms of cinematography style.
Played the game a bit past the "Hunted" scene from the demo. Some notes;
- Visuals are unbelievable at times. Like literally. The train chase scene looks practically photoreal many times if you squint a bit. I think this might be the first published game that's using a physically correct shaders for all the materials, same technique we've seen deployed in MGS5, and next gen gams like KZ:SD, Ryse, etc (we'll be seeing a lot in the future). Scene at the party where the kids dim down the light gradually showcases the best what this sort of thing can do. Everything looks so nice and real in total sunlight, as well as in darkness, and all the steps in between.
I know people are losing their shit over something like Second Son, but I honestly believe this game looks a lot better, both from a graphical and animation standpoint. There's a scene at a bar where the soft lighting of the neon and streetlights blew my mind. All the particle effects from fire and
entities
is similarly amazing. The beginning of the Condenser chapter when you're walking through the crowd of workers was unreal. Just unbelievable that this is coming out of a PS3.
I wouldn't know how to compare it against a game like SS, because this is after all, heavily, heavily scripted, and even in some scenes where you can move her around, it's almost like on rails, like when you're on top of the train. In games like SS or even linear games like Uncharted or TLOU just the same, they have to make sure the whole interaction of characters and the world works flawlessly, but in a game like this that's almost not needed, so I'm guessing a lot more can be done with mocap.
However, compared to similar games, like TWD or tons of other 3D adventure games, or even Heavy Rain, this looks and animates so much better. Not just cutscenes, but when you move the guy around in TWD it's very robotic compared to when you walk around in this game. I especially like the scenes where you're
Jodie as a little kid
. There's such good sense of earnestness in the ambiance but also in the way she moves, just how she makes simple turns around the corner, goes up or down the stairs of house, looks around when you're close to thing etc. It helps that she just walks and never runs, but still the success they made there should not be underestimated. I say again, just compare to other similar games.
Man, as someone who has a very deep relationship with their mother, every scene with child Jodie and her Mum is exhausting. It practically gets me emotionally in like seconds each time lol
The acting is so good and the music so manipulating too :/
I think the Homeless chapter rivals anything else I've played this year. Including Winter from TLoU. Just hit me hard. I've played it twice to do different things, really well done.
Some of the others fall flat, or are just ridiculous...but at least they're oddly interesting.
Great game overall imo. Hate that I have to feel defensive about it though.
This game has already proven completely divisive. It's probably worth a play so that when someone else asks you if you've experienced the weirdness that is Beyond: Two Souls, you can nod sagely and talk about the Navajo briefly and then move on to the next topic.
People cringe at the teenager party but man, maybe you didn't see stuff like that as a kid but honestly I saw situations that played out just like that. Being mean, being superficial, pretending to be your friend and then turning on you. Sure it a bit stereotypical and cliche but it's that way for a reason. It happens to alot of kids growing up. Especially the unpopular ones.
As for some of the people talking about how crazy or outlandish the game gets in what occurs later on, especially in the desert sequence. This is a game about spirits and the paranormal. I don't know how someone can think that having a spirit that can minupulate and kill others around it perfectly normal, but then think something out of the desert scene or condenser chapter seem totally out of place? If the game was trying to convey realism in its story the entire time and then suddnely change it up that would be understandable, but I don't feel Beyond is trying to trick anyone into that from the start.
Finally beat the game. Absolutely amazing. Best graphics on PS3, beautiful soundtrack, and such a unique experience. I just don't understand why reviews were hating so much on this game.
Finally beat the game. Absolutely amazing. Best graphics on PS3, beautiful soundtrack, and such a unique experience. I just don't understand why reviews were hating so much on this game.
opinions and agendas, ones are healthy other not so much, but the game is a pure gem along with Heavy Rain, actually we have a bunch of reviews stating this but no ones cares since it's cool to hate on popular games it seems, in my opinion of course.
Special Edition - It was underwhelming. The "steelbook" feels pretty cheap. As a comparison, the Watchmen steelbook I have feels much more substantial. The artwork isn't my cup of tea either, and something on the back would have been welome. I was disappointed that all the extras (and manual) are digital downloads. Really wish the featurettes and soundtrack had been their own discs. Also, the soundtrack is only 4 tracks, surely there's more than that in the game? Sigh... oh well. At least it looks like you can get the soundtrack off the PS3, with the copy option. Haven't tried yet though--maybe the featurettes have a similar option. Or is there some way I don't know about to download this stuff to a computer?
The following spoilers concern events in these chapters:
The Condenser, and Homeless.
Game itself - I wasn't really into it until I got a little past (in game order) the demo sections.
The Condenser
is where I really got pulled into the game. Was hard to get myself to stop playing. Floating around as Aiden is fun, but there's really not too much to do. The whole game could have benefitted from adding a lot more side interactions. There are precious few, so far. For a movie-ish game, there's surprisingly little dialogue sometimes--wish there was more, some characters are underdeveloped because they speak like 1 or 2 lines, when there's obviously more to say--and it's not expressed in body language either, the game just ushers you along.
The plot can be a bit dull, but the acting can make it work. For example, I really liked the
Homeless
chapter, but it suffered from the too little dialogue problem. When you're introduced to the group, they each get like one very short tidbit of their lives out, then THAT'S IT, YOU NOW CARE ABOUT THEM, MOVING ON! Sometimes the game is so terse, the abrupt transitions and abandoning of situations/conversations, that you'd think would last at least a little longer, can really hurt the moment to moment flow and overall pacing. The other part of
Homeless
that flopped for me, was the
hilariously evil brat-pack of douche bags
. I mean,
they REALLY stalked the homeless girl the ENTIRE evening/night, then WAITED for them to fall asleep, THEN lit a whole buiding on fire, WHILE taping it??? AND waited to see if they'd escape... Seriously!? I laughed at the reveal of the source of the fire. I had a hard time letting the cartoonishly evil douche squad thing slide. It would have been better had the fire's source remained a mystery, and they found some less stupid way to hospitalize Jodie. Harassing and physically threatening a homeless man is one level of evil, but they took it to a completely ridiculous level of unbelievable.
That whole thing hurt the overall impact, IMO. Still, overall the chapter was great (my favorite so far), and the scene immediately after really brought the feels.
How about good things? The atmosphere is great, the emotions can really flow, and sometimes it's just really cool. When you get in a good fight, and let the punches flow, it's really great even if the controls are simple. Some chapters are really awesome, and more need to be like
Homeless
, where you actually have multiple ways to solve a problem. I wish every chapter were as good as that. The quieter chapters can be great too. I really liked the ones where you could use Aiden to continue following a conversation, that Jodie was no longer aware of. Also, dem grafix! Hard to believe a PS3 can pump these out.
The portal to the other side room in The Condenser was incredible looking, with all those lights and entities
. If having black bars can let you crank up the graphics like this, I personally give devs permission to use black bars for all remaining PS3 games, haha. Speaking of the black bars, I also like the cinematic aspect ratio it gives the game, I feel that adds to the atmosphere.
Anyway, I wasn't so hot on the game the first night. But the game seems to have hit its stride in action and the quiet moments, so I'm really starting to like it. Yay, video games!
It's great to hear that that the quiet moments are just as good as they were in Heavy Rain. These are definitely the parts I'm looking forward to the most.
Though if I had to give 1 negative about the game it would be the controls.
Sometimes it just gets tedious having to go through the same exercise of 'Left' 'Up' 'Tap X', in some scenes more then others, like when you are going through the lab.
At times I was like get on with it already. It kind of ruins the p[ace of the story some bit.
My order still hasn't progressed beyond processing which means I'm probably unlikely to get it tomorrow.
WHAT THE FUCK, WHAT THE FUCK, WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK!!!!
Jesus, this is the second time in as many weeks that Amazon have let me down. What the hell is going on if even Amazon can't be trusted to get a game delivered by release day....
It's great to hear that that the quiet moments are just as good as they were in Heavy Rain. These are definitely the parts I'm looking forward to the most.
Yeah they are. Just one healthy advice: When some NPC wants something from you while you are exploring, it's always better to ignore it. Because it always means plot progression and afterwards you can't do any of the interactions anymore. But they are so worth it, so finish them first, then do what the game wants from you.
Also it really depends on who you are. I played a bit more and this becomes even more apparent later on. There is one really fucking long chapter that could have used some serious fat trimming. It's not even bad. It has nothing to do with the plot, but is pretty important for her character. But it is just too long. Afterwards when the game goes back the timeline again it really hurts the flow. Definitely the low point so far for me, but at least it started to pick up again. But you really have to care about her character.
Also it really depends on who you are. I played a bit more and this becomes even more apparent later on. There is one really fucking long chapter that could have used some serious fat trimming. It's not even bad. It has nothing to do with the plot, but is pretty important for her character. But it is just too long. Afterwards when the game goes back the timeline again it really hurts the flow. Definitely the low point so far for me, but at least it started to pick up again. But you really have to care about her character.
I know which chapter you're referring to, and it appears to have split opinion. Some love it and think it's the highlight of the game, while others found it boring, irrelevant, and would have been better off as DLC.
I know which chapter you're referring to, and it appears to have split opinion. Some love it and think it's the highlight of the game, while others found it boring, irrelevant, and would have been better off as DLC.
Really want to get started on the game, but I'm holding out so me and the gf can get through it together at some point. I watched her play Heavy Rain after me because she was genuinely curious about the game after watching a trailer. She never plays console games, so it excites me when a game comes along that she might like to try (the only other game she's ever wanted to try was Heavy Rain).
Anyways, about the Duo mode..
Which option would be best for her to control? I'm guessing Aiden might be a bit simpler for her? And how are the controls on the smartphone?
Still enjoying the game. The disjointed feeling of the story is getting a bit old and I wish it would have been told in a more straightforward fashion.
Speaking of straightforward I feel like Beyond is way less interactive than Heavy Rain, which is kind of a disappointment. Maybe it'll get better in that department. I am enjoying being Ghost Dad though. If only I could give Jodi some jell-o.
I think the Homeless chapter rivals anything else I've played this year. Including Winter from TLoU. Just hit me hard. I've played it twice to do different things, really well done.
Some of the others fall flat, or are just ridiculous...but at least they're oddly interesting.
Great game overall imo. Hate that I have to feel defensive about it though.
the way Jodie turns into a saint feels anvilicious. Like, we get it, she's a goddamned miracle who can deliver babies, beat down hobo bullies, play the guitar and sing like an angel (and make tons of hobo bank in the process), AND rescue everyone from a fire. Fantastic.
That said, I haven't tried playing that section differently, so maybe
I just made her into a saint by being too awesome a player.
While it does stick out as not being neccesary, I found that it added to the story to let the player know that
these things exist, and moreso then just in a lab, or experiement. That this is very real, and all over the world. It also hints at the fact that others have spirits attached to them as well with that drawing she sees.
While it does stick out as not being neccesary, I found that it added to the story to let the player know that
these things exist, and moreso then just in a lab, or experiement. That this is very real, and all over the world. It also hints at the fact that others have spirits attached to them as well with that drawing she sees.
I know which chapter you're referring to, and it appears to have split opinion. Some love it and think it's the highlight of the game, while others found it boring, irrelevant, and would have been better off as DLC.
Oh I definitely liked the chapter overall. But afterwards for some reason you really don't want to go back anymore in time. You just want to see what happens next chronologically. This desire was never so strong as after this scene. I think this is, because the chapter is so long, so you are too invested in her current age.
Anyways, about the Duo mode..
Which option would be best for her to control? I'm guessing Aiden might be a bit simpler for her? And how are the controls on the smartphone?
I have a question, i really wasnt crazy about how Heavy Rain controlled (actually i hated how it controlled) and thus didnt end up playing it other than the demo, but now im really in need of something different to play and this seems interesting to me. Am i gonna hate the controls again with this game or should i just jump in?
I have a question, i really wasnt crazy about how Heavy Rain controlled (actually i hated how it controlled) and thus didnt end up playing it other than the demo, but now im really in need of something different to play and this seems interesting to me. Am i gonna hate the controls again with this game or should i just jump in?
What did you hate about the controls? It depends. You don't have to hold R2 to walk anymore (thank God) so there's an improvement. Other than that, it's pretty much the same with more simplified QTEs.
Just finished the 12 th chapter I believe and damn that had me teary eyed there for a few seconds lol,of joy,hehe....good stuff,I love this game and Ellen Page's voice acting is superb,damn I whish she would do more work in video game voices,just great work.
What did you hate about the controls? It depends. You don't have to hold R2 to walk anymore (thank God) so there's an improvement. Other than that, it's pretty much the same with more simplified QTEs.
I have a question, i really wasnt crazy about how Heavy Rain controlled (actually i hated how it controlled) and thus didnt end up playing it other than the demo, but now im really in need of something different to play and this seems interesting to me. Am i gonna hate the controls again with this game or should i just jump in?
Then you should like Beyond. You never have to hold more buttons than 2 at the same time. No more R2 to walk. No more up, down, shake controller to drink orange juice. But to make sure you could just play the demo and see for yourself.
Just finished the 12 th chapter I believe and damn that had me teary eyed there for a few seconds lol,of joy,hehe....good stuff,I love this game and Ellen Page's voice acting is superb,damn I whish she would do more work in video game voices,just great work.
Then you should like Beyond. You never have to hold more buttons than 2 at the same time. No more R2 to walk. No more up, down, shake controller to drink orange juice. But to make sure you could just play the demo and see for yourself.
Then you should like Beyond. You never have to hold more buttons than 2 at the same time. No more R2 to walk. No more up, down, shake controller to drink orange juice. But to make sure you could just play the demo and see for yourself.
Homeless got me the most (trying to eat pizza from a trash can and Stan's story).
Also every emotional scene between young Jodie and her mum is painful for me.
Yep it's that section,all of it was awesome...I was nervous at one point,hoping I wouldn't fail,even though I knew it would not let me fail anything...the last part in that section would of lost all effectiveness if there would be a game over/retry part...ok, you dont ''hit'' what you have to do 100%, but it goes on and keeps the tension anyway because of the situation at hand,I like that this game is like that because it's different and works well.
chapters? They could have totally gone in that direction and would have been fine with me. Very Metal Gear.
The rest is a bit oscar bait lifetime movie though, especially
chapters? They could have totally gone in that direction and would have been fine with me. Very Metal Gear.
The rest is a bit oscar bait lifetime movie though, especially
and I'm having a great time. The first part of the game builds up a bit slow (might be due to things I've already seen in demo's/trailers though) and I can understand why critics aren't praising it like its the best game ever, but some of the lower review-scores this game got seem to once again simply be given because the reviewers giving them do not like the Heavy Rain/Fahrenheit-style of interactive entertainment.
The experience is at least on the same level of quality/entertainment as Heavy Rain till now (though I got to admit I dug the whole serial killer scenario more, but that's nothing but personal preference). If you think that sounds like a good thing (Heavy Rain was awesome!), buy/rent this game, if that sounds awful to you (Heavy Rain sucked!), save your money for something else. Can't make recommending this game simpler than that.
It's great to hear that that the quiet moments are just as good as they were in Heavy Rain. These are definitely the parts I'm looking forward to the most.
Actually the quite moments are too few and far between.The game has too many explosive action sequences and they are quite tiresome at some points.
Quite moments are also what I look for in a DC's games.
Also, I think the game is a step back from heavy rain in everything but acting.Ellen page is electric on screen.Characters , plot, player choices , OST , atmosphere are all superior in HR.
Still enjoying the game. The disjointed feeling of the story is getting a bit old and I wish it would have been told in a more straightforward fashion.
Speaking of straightforward I feel like Beyond is way less interactive than Heavy Rain, which is kind of a disappointment. Maybe it'll get better in that department. I am enjoying being Ghost Dad though. If only I could give Jodi some jell-o.
No. The first one was excellent. Dat training montage. It's so ridiculous that they created 4 extra models of Page just for 7 minutes. One of them is only used for like 10 seconds lol
Also the stealth mechanics are surprisingly solid.
Also, I think the game is a step back from heavy rain in everything but acting.Ellen page is electric on screen.Characters , plot, player choices , OST , atmosphere are all superior in HR.
Mhm I disagree. The side characters are much better in Beyond. In Heavy Rain the only one who left any impression is Blake. HR has 4 well done main characters though, but when Beyond only has one and she is done well (which I think she is), then I can't blame the game for it. She is certainly better than Madison at any rate. Plot is definitely not as good. Player choices seem to be about the same (if you don't include perma-death). I like the OST in Beyond more so far, although some themes of HR remain unbeatable. I probably feel this way cause HR recycled each of them like 5 times and Beyond has more unique music for each chapter. Atmosphere seems to be about the same for me also. I think the sound design, animations, walking controls and graphics are superior in Beyond as well.
. When they say "Team" I half expected Solid Snake, Sam Fisher, Gabe Logan and Adam Jenson to walk through the door. That would make Beyond the best game of all time.
I think the biggest problem with the game is that the skips in the game timeline are seemingly random. It's not like it shows a future segment, shows you something that the cast understands, but you as the player doesn't, then jumps back to the time in Jodie's life where it is explained. It'd be a lot better if it was like this. But it's not.
No. The first one was excellent. Dat training montage. It's so ridiculous that they created 4 extra models of Page just for 7 minutes. One of them is only used for like 10 seconds lol
Also the stealth mechanics are surprisingly solid.
Does they all come near the end? I just played
"The Dinner" and so far except for Hunted and the final part of Condenser there weren't any scenes with an empathize on action.
HR has 4 well done main characters though, but when Beyond only has one and she is done well (which I think she is), then I can't blame the game for it.
Outside of maybe one section, I thought Madison Paige was poorly done. Out of all of them she is the least developed and seemed to just be there for Ethan. And just like Ethan's blackouts, her character seemed to have a greater role in mind and then was cut down severely to what we saw.
Keep in mind though, I haven't played HR since launch, despite still owning it. I just remember finding Shelby and Ethan being executed well, Norman not doing too bad himself, and Madison being very underwhelming.
