The Party was two interesting ideas badly glued together--in my playthrough
Jodie and Matt talked a little, hit it off, danced, kissed, and had a seemingly legitimately sweet moment.
The random-ass turning point in the scene was a disjarring way to railroad the player into the second half of the scene. It's a fair way of establishing the tone of the game--Jodie inhabits a world populated by cartoon characters who will change motivations on a dime in order to force the story down the predetermined path. It's frustrating because I so enjoyed the front half of that scene, and conceptually liked the back half, but didn't buy them together as one complete thing.
Yeah. I refused Matt, so it made more sense for me. The explanation is probably that he is just a dickhead who can't resist group pressure and that he wasn't truly interested in Jodie to begin with. But they still could have done a better job at it. At least him trying to defend you for a second or something. I hope with more writers on the PS4 project they can plan these branches out properly.
The Party was two interesting ideas badly glued together--in my playthrough
Jodie and Matt talked a little, hit it off, danced, kissed, and had a seemingly legitimately sweet moment.
The random-ass turning point in the scene was a disjarring way to railroad the player into the second half of the scene. It's a fair way of establishing the tone of the game--Jodie inhabits a world populated by cartoon characters who will change motivations on a dime in order to force the story down the predetermined path. It's frustrating because I so enjoyed the front half of that scene, and conceptually liked the back half, but didn't buy them together as one complete thing.
If you have any experience of bullying there is really nothing random about the scene at all. You may not buy the reaction of birthday girl to the gift but I certainly buy into how the other kids followed her lead to start bullying Jodie.
Don't really get the disdain for the party scene myself.
Teens can be ruthless, remorseless and morally unconscionable. You wouldn't get a slew of depressing news over on the OT featuring kids committing suicide due to bullying otherwise. Jodie was already deemed "different" and ostracized by that group before she ever set foot in the home, they were just searching for an excuse to fuck with her.
Don't really get the disdain for the party scene myself.
Teens can be ruthless, remorseless and morally unconscionable. You wouldn't get a slew of depressing news over on the OT featuring kids committing suicide due to bullying otherwise. Jodie was already deemed "different" and ostracized by that group before she ever set foot in the home, they were just searching for an excuse to fuck with her.
Which still doesn't make a lot of sense when in the front half of that scene,
everyone is fairly receptive of her. When the switch happens, it's such a hard shift that it comes off as disjarring. The lead girl goes from not caring that Jodie's even there to "FUCK THIS GIRL! WHO SHE IS AND EVERYTHING SHE STANDS FOR!" It takes a special kind of person to burn someone with lit ciggerette for LITERALLY no reason.
And plus those kids were morons.
"Let's get drunk and high at 1:30 in the afternoon when my mom is due back in a matter of hours! CLEARLY NOTHING BAD CAN COME FROM THIS! AREN'T WE COOL GUYS!?!"That's what took me out of it the most, not necessarily the bullying but the fact that 6 teenagers can't get the fact that if they act out they'll probably catch a little heat. It makes the scene unbelievable.
It's the most jarring disconnect until the end of the game where suddenly none of the people make any sense.
If you have any experience of bullying there is really nothing random about the scene at all. You may not buy the reaction of birthday girl to the gift but I certainly buy into how the other kids followed her lead to start bullying Jodie.
Birthday Girl isn't even cold to Jodie until the gift scene, and which point it's "Let's shove the freak in a storage space!" Jodie's conversation with Matt was normal-ish, I kept her demonstration of Aiden fairly tame, there's just no continuity of character in the teenagers. Maybe if they'd forced me into a conversation that went horribly wrong, or had Birthday Girl more resentful of Jodie from the start I'd have bought it. But the birthday gift as turning point just seemed silly and forced ("Here's one thing the player can't control so we know we can script it as turning point!")
Finished it last. Enjoyed much more than I did Heavy Rain. I pretty much liked everything about it, including the little combat and rushing to cover. I so wanted more of that C.I.A mission, though admittedly I found it's inclusion sort of nothing more than giving the game needless political slant and to be honest the end story might have been better without it. I would love to see them somehow continue the story though.
Finished it just now. So here's my thoughts on it:
There were scattered moments indicating very great player experiences and potentially future ways of game design that I think are few and far between in this day and age of AAA video games, but unfortunately the unbelievable parts of the narrative, as well as the straightforward storytelling and general low quality writing drag the overall experience down.
But I definitely don't see why the game was scored so relatively low compared to other AAA games. I don't think it deserves a 10 or a 9 (maybe a 5 or 6, imo), but the usual AAA dreck that gets 80-90+ are far less interesting and much more dumb than this one. I think I also liked the game more than Heavy Rain thanks to the characterization
I liked
It is most definitely the most graphically impressive game I have ever played on a console. (Going into next-gen will be less of an impression after this game).
I loved the melancholic tone of the game, as well as the consistently red thread of people around Jodie
always letting her down and abandoning her
- in that way the tone felt consistent and it made
her social anxiety and general depression
believable.
The occassional acting was pretty decent and I think Page did a great job with what she was given.
I loved the grounded events in the game, like the Homeless or (the beginning of) The Party chapter. I generally really liked the social decisions and contexts, as they provided questions of empathy and understanding of social phenomena between people.
I didn't like
The writing fluctuated in quality between terrible and decent. There were far too many instances of me rolling my eyes to let me describe each and every single one. But oh boy, there were a lot of facepalming moments throughout the game.
The amount of stereotypes used in the game. Has David Cage & Co. never experienced the incredibly tired clichées in Western media in the last 50 years or so?
Mad scientist Guy, Holy Indians, Warmongering Army General, Abusive Father, Bullying Teenagers,
etc. There were far too many for me to stomach.
The supernatural aspect of the game was too unbelievable to make me put much belief in the events and drama in the game. Sometimes I felt like I was watching Akira or Superman or something, which put me off the more likeable and believable grounded events in the game.
Self-contradictory events within the played narrative from time to time. Some events weren't in line with the "choices" my playthrough had made, such as
Nathan's reprimendal of Jodie when he states "You remember what Aiden did at the birthday party?" - yet Aiden didn't do anything in my playthrough besides opening up the door for Jodie so she could escape.
Another instance of contradiction was when
Jodie wakes up in Nathan's office after being taken in by the CIA: In this case Jodie went out of the office, saw the big Condenser. Nathan then shows up and tells her "Impressive, isn't it? The world's biggest condenser!" and Jodie somehow doesn't comment or react to its existence, despite the fact that the narrative's and Jodie's general opposition against this technology had been established beforehand.
The gendered nature of the depiction of Jodie. The "pinkification" of her as a child (clothes, toys, bunny, etc.), Cole constantly addressing her as 'princess' or the moment where
Ryan arrives to save her in Somalia from being gunned down by the militants
, he fucking carries her like she's a little child - if it had been a guy, he certainly wouldn't have carried a guy like that, but rather over his shoulders or under his arm.
The soundtrack was at times the usual forgettable stuff by the Hans Zimmer Factory Company, i.e. Lorne Balfe didn't do a particularly unique or distinct job that made the music be separated from the conventional Hollywood epic synth orchestra soundtracks.
Sometimes the hand-holding and linearity seemed too much, like
driving a motorcycle or riding a horse, or escaping an underwater submarine base
. Or in the beginning, despite me not doing almost anything with Aiden, the narrative and its characters still reprimanded me.
The Somali level seemed too cartoony at times, especially
the car chase and Jodie allowing the child soldier to follow her around
. Additionally, the fact that Jodie didn't think about the concept of
taking the life of other people until she had to kill Jamal also seemed jarring, considering that she had just killed around 10 or so soldiers beforehand.
I think in total, this game might not have been aimed at me. This game is more along the lines of a regular, shallow Hollywood drama with supernatural elements that might interest more casual players and teenagers who are into supernatural dramas like Twilight and so on. And that's perfectly fine to like such things, they're just not for me.
That being said, I really liked the game for what it tried to do, especially when compared to the usual mainstream high-budget video games we get fed by the gaming industry AAA factory machine. I loved the characterization of Jodie, I loved some of the more personal themes the game brought to the table, I loved the non-obvious decisions one could make in terms of helping, abandoning, or even harming other virtual characters in the game, and I of course were impressed by the graphics.
I just wish David Cage would be more open towards criticisms and third party feedback, because there are a lot of writing flaws that would automatically get fixed with a couple of knowledgeable eyes on the script. Quantic Dream has so many great opportunities to achieve something culturally significant for gaming culture with the budget and market exposure they are given, but unfortunately the lack of narrative standards makes the final experience too flawed.
In summary, Beyond: Two Souls, like Heavy Rain before it, is conceptually admirable, but heavily flawed in its execution. Nevertheless, the game is an interesting indication of how digital games are able to explore other areas of human life than shooting people, such as what it means to be
abandoned by those a main character trust and love or how the lives of homeless people is ridiculously unjustified, or how awkward it can be to be a teenager
. Such themes are much more interesting to me than the seemingly endless amount of shooting virtually depicted people. Too bad the themes are associated with such writing.
Self-contradictory events within the played narrative from time to time. Some events weren't in line with the "choices" my playthrough had made, such as
Nathan's reprimendal of Jodie when he states "You remember what Aiden did at the birthday party?" - yet Aiden didn't do anything in my playthrough besides opening up the door for Jodie so she could escape.
Another instance of contradiction was when
Jodie wakes up in Nathan's office after being taken in by the CIA: In this case Jodie went out of the office, saw the big Condenser. Nathan then shows up and tells her "Impressive, isn't it? The world's biggest condenser!" and Jodie somehow doesn't comment or react to its existence, despite the fact that the narrative's and Jodie's general opposition against this technology had been established beforehand.
Where does the first dialogue take place? I destroyed everything at the party and never got this dialogue from Nathan. To your second point: She definitely looked at the thing with disdain. Not much she can do about it though and she probably expected it as soon as the entities began haunting her again in Homeless. Also Cole mentions it during Old Friends: "Oh the army sunk millions into another condenser. The most powerful ever created."
You also have to consider that this is the first time she is seeing Nathan since 6 years. So she probably has other feelings at the moment than worrying about the condenser.
I think in total, this game might not have been aimed at me. This game is more along the lines of a regular, shallow Hollywood drama with supernatural elements that might interest more casual players and teenagers who are into supernatural dramas like Twilight and so on. And that's perfectly fine to like such things, they're just not for me.
You should maybe back away from that statement. I'm 21, core gamer, loathe teenage dramas and terrible written stuff like Twilight and still really enjoyed this game. Your statement implies bad taste and I don't really like it
I just wish David Cage would be more open towards criticisms and third party feedback, because there are a lot of writing flaws that would automatically get fixed with a couple of knowledgeable eyes on the script. Quantic Dream has so many great opportunities to achieve something culturally significant for gaming culture with the budget and market exposure they are given, but unfortunately the lack of narrative standards makes the final experience too flawed.
His PS4 project is helmed by two other writers, who are mentioned in the Special Thanks of Beyond. He will still be writing stuff, but not everything and probably nothing when it comes to dialogue. This became only possible after Heavy Rain, because the amount of work requires the writers to relocate to France permanently, which obviously not many people from the US are going to do if the studio has no reputation. So Cage was pretty much forced to write everything on its own till now. Beyond's script was finished shortly after Heavy Rain's release, so the influence by the two other writers won't become apparent till his first PS4 project releases. One of them is a scriptwriter and the other one is a regular writer.
I am really torn apart. I try my best to make the choices I would make in a given situation but on the other hand you can miss so much in that game by doing so. To lengthen my experience I started replaying a few of the earlier chapters and got into whole new situations by doing something different. In the end you will be where Cage wants you to be but the way until there is done quite good in my eyes. Of course sometimes there are a few logic errors or situations where your choices don't make any difference at all.
I am really torn apart. I try my best to make the choices I would make in a given situation but on the other hand you can miss so much in that game by doing so. To lengthen my experience I started replaying a few of the earlier chapters and got into whole new situations by doing something different. In the end you will be where Cage wants you to be but the way until there is done quite good in my eyes. Of course sometimes there are a few logic errors or situations where your choices don't make any difference at all.
His PS4 project is helmed by two other writers, who are mentioned in the Special Thanks of Beyond. He will still be writing stuff, but not everything and probably nothing when it comes to dialogue. This became only possible after Heavy Rain, because the amount of work requires the writers to relocate to France permanently, which obviously not many people from the US are going to do if the studio has no reputation. So Cage was pretty much forced to write everything on its own till now. Beyond's script was finished shortly after Heavy Rain's release, so the influence by the two other writers won't become apparent till his first PS4 project releases. One of them is a scriptwriter and the other one is a regular writer.
This is the best possible news I've heard about Quantic Dream in ages. It's cool that Cage has a vision, but holy shit, there are some parts of this game that are terribly portrayed, and don't get me started on his other two games.
It helps to have another set of hands on the pen to prevent things like crazy kung-fu jesus from happening.
Trust me, that particular point in terms of this being a high-risk AAA game automatically made me incredibly positive about it. And I thought QD handled the depiction decently in some areas, while it became a bit voyeuristic and weird in the shower scene and the aforementioned "gendered" extraction. Otherwise, it was great to see.
Interesting.
Where does the first dialogue take place? I destroyed everything at the party and never got this dialogue from Nathan
Teenage Goth chapter. I didn't manage to sneak out (I failed the security check-out because I figured Aiden couldn't be able to speak like Cole properly) and Nathan reprimanded Jodie for the use of her powers, because she knew "what happened at that birthday party". But I didn't do anything with Aiden at the birthday party
To your second point:
She definitely looked at the thing with disdain. Not much she can do about it though and she probably expected it as soon as the entities began haunting her again in Homeless. Also Cole mentions it during Old Friends: "Oh the army sunk millions into another condenser. The most powerful ever created."
You also have to consider that this is the first time she is seeing Nathan since 6 years. So she probably has other feelings at the moment than worrying about the condenser
I see your point. I probably misunderstood the brief scene.
You should maybe back away from that statement. I'm 21, core gamer, loathe teenage dramas and terrible written stuff like Twilight and still really enjoyed this game. Your statement implies bad taste and I don't really like it
Sorry, that wasn't my intention. And choosing Twilight was a bad example, but the only one I could think of in terms of supernatural teenage drama. Maybe X-Men or something along those lines would be a more apt comparison? In any case, my point was mostly informed by my own experiences many, many years ago when I didn't have a problem with liking flawed mainstream entertainment, rather than a judgment of what other people might like.
His PS4 project is helmed by two other writers, who are mentioned in the Special Thanks of Beyond. He will still be writing stuff, but not everything and probably nothing when it comes to dialogue. This became only possible after Heavy Rain, because the amount of work requires the writers to relocate to France permanently, which obviously not many people from the US are going to do if the studio has no reputation. So Cage was pretty much forced to write everything on its own till now. Beyond's script was finished shortly after Heavy Rain's release, so the influence by the two other writers won't become apparent till his first PS4 project releases. One of them is a scriptwriter and the other one is a regular writer.
Cool, thanks for the heads-up. I thought this would be the same case with Beyond: Two Souls, but some of the nonsensical events and the fluctuating quality of writing made me think otherwise.
In general, I have such a love/hate relationship with Quantic Dream's efforts - they do what most other high-profile developers don't and touch upon some interesting themes that almost no mainstream games cover, yet the execution of them falls flat on it face.
His PS4 project is helmed by two other writers, who are mentioned in the Special Thanks of Beyond. He will still be writing stuff, but not everything and probably nothing when it comes to dialogue. This became only possible after Heavy Rain, because the amount of work requires the writers to relocate to France permanently, which obviously not many people from the US are going to do if the studio has no reputation. So Cage was pretty much forced to write everything on its own till now. Beyond's script was finished shortly after Heavy Rain's release, so the influence by the two other writers won't become apparent till his first PS4 project releases. One of them is a scriptwriter and the other one is a regular writer.
I just saw this review myself and I can see where she's coming from, but I also think she's a bit harsh and she probably got (1) disinterested thanks to the plot and writing, as well as her (2) normative understanding of games as systems of interaction. As a result, her opinion might be a bit harsher on it than what other people might think of it, depending on how much (1) and (2) bother you personally. Mind you, I can see where she is coming from and I definitely understand her complaints.
I think the distinction between whether or not you can stomach or like this game, depends on how much the occassional shitty writing bothers you. Some can take it and still appreciate the game, while others, like the reviewer above, presumably couldn't take it any longer and panned the game with lots of expletives.
My personal opinion is that, like earlier QD games, there are the occassional shitballs (offensively simple stereotypes, nonsensical plot events, low quality dialogue, among other things) in Beyond, but there are also some nice and endearing moments that point towards much more, but unfortunately unrealized, potential.
Also, it's probably the best tech demo you'll find on any console this entire generation. So if you are impressed by graphics and visual presentation, this game will fit the bill for you
This review pretty much says the same story as every other review I've seen. It's more about how receptive you are to this style of game.
The way she words issues that the game has is very odd. But she's not wrong on any of her points, she's just very sharp about explaining her displeasure towards things.
That being said, this game is still worth a play through. I don't know if I'd pay full price, but it's definitely an interesting experience.
Nah, only stating what the man himself said and some basic common sense. Of course I have no idea if the writing will actually get any better, maybe the two writers are even worse than Cage. Who knows, but I'm obviously hopeful as a fan of the studio.
Just watched a LP. Person didn't like Homeless that much, but thought Navajo was the best chapter so far. Weird how the perception can be so different.
Teenage Goth chapter. I didn't manage to sneak out (I failed the security check-out because I figured Aiden couldn't be able to speak like Cole properly) and Nathan reprimanded Jodie for the use of her powers, because she knew "what happened at that birthday party". But I didn't do anything with Aiden at the birthday party
Just watched a LP. Person didn't like Homeless that much, but thought Navajo was the best chapter so far. Weird how the perception can be so different.
Teenage Goth chapter. I didn't manage to sneak out (I failed the security check-out because I figured Aiden couldn't be able to speak like Cole properly) and Nathan reprimanded Jodie for the use of her powers, because she knew "what happened at that birthday party". But I didn't do anything with Aiden at the birthday party
The fact that that even happened to you facinates the hell out of me. It's really interesting to see the narrative in a story be willingly compromised by gameplay in a way that doesn't make the story feel disjointed (the narrative does that enough on it's own). Personally, during
the train escape, I never made it to baxtertown, I got caught by the police after the motorcycle chase, so I missed a massive action sequence.
I'll give the game a lot more credit for being able to do that and not feel like the story jumps off a cliff because of it. It's a really interesting idea for game design, this choose-your-own-adventure style progression.
At least give it a rental. It is worth it. I love it personally, but it is pretty divisive. The story structure is very unusual and it comes mostly down to taste if you love it or think it is the most boring thing ever.
I am really torn apart. I try my best to make the choices I would make in a given situation but on the other hand you can miss so much in that game by doing so. To lengthen my experience I started replaying a few of the earlier chapters and got into whole new situations by doing something different. In the end you will be where Cage wants you to be but the way until there is done quite good in my eyes. Of course sometimes there are a few logic errors or situations where your choices don't make any difference at all.
Which still doesn't make a lot of sense when in the front half of that scene,
everyone is fairly receptive of her. When the switch happens, it's such a hard shift that it comes off as disjarring. The lead girl goes from not caring that Jodie's even there to "FUCK THIS GIRL! WHO SHE IS AND EVERYTHING SHE STANDS FOR!" It takes a special kind of person to burn someone with lit ciggerette for LITERALLY no reason.
Nah they were assholes since the beginning. When Jodie chokes on the beer they laugh, they complain about her choice of music etc. Apart from Matt the rest was always pretty shitty to her. Birthday girl maybe not as much, but she wasn't nice to Jodie either and made it pretty clear that she was just invited because of her mum.
Well, after just having finished it a couple of hours ago, it's in some ways better than HR, and Fahrenheit, and in some ways worse.
Cage is probably one of the most frustrating designers out there. In each of his games he reaches for the stars, and in each of his games he comes crashing to the earth, HARD.
I think the thing is, he is actually GREAT at his gaming cinematography, and he is also really good at setting a mood, and he can even get some real emotion out of me at times. Particular chapters of this game are paced beautifully, the acting from Paige and Defoe was quite good, sometimes even amazing, and he is one of the masters of inserting quiet moments into a narrative gaming experience.
He just can't write his way out of a paper bag. He has passion, he has heart, he has a technical knowledge of how to frame a scene, make it interactive, and make me care. But he just can't escape horrible horrible cliche's. I feel like I am watching an amazing gymnast pull off the best series of flips I have ever seen only to shatter their femur on the landing.
I have no doubt I will. I kind of hope Beyond is sufficiently financially successful for Sony and Quantic Dream, because I do want QD to get another shot at another type of game, provided they of course get some more talent to edit their scripts and ideas.
And don't mistake my complaints about Beyond - it's only because the game is what it is that it warrants criticism. Because it's so important to have games like this in contemporary video game offerings in terms of diversity and pushing boundaries on what themes a video game is able to cover. And I really appreciate Beyond for that, despite its narrative failings.
I didn't like
The supernatural aspect of the game was too unbelievable to make me put much belief in the events and drama in the game. Sometimes I felt like I was watching Akira or Superman or something, which put me off the more likeable and believable grounded events in the game.
.
I have never understood this complaint in any video game. When is supernatural ANYTHING believable? It is never believable, that is the entire nature and definition of supernatural.
You do understand suspension of disbelief is required for SciFi right?
You mentioned similarities to Akira. Did Akira's unbelievablity get in the way of your enjoyment of the film? Seems like an unnecessary strike against any work of fiction.
There wasn't a single moment of Pacific Rim where I thought it was possible, but was still a good movie.
As long as David Cage believes himself to be a masterful storyteller who's critics only dislike his work because they want a first person shooter, the writing in these games will never change.
Yep, I'd say my video review is one of the few that absolutely gloated about the entire experience and how it made me feel. Opinions and all but I fall under the camp that just couldn't stop playing and enjoyed every minute.
I have never understood this complaint in any video game. When is supernatural ANYTHING believable? It is never believable, that is the entire nature and definition of supernatural.
You do understand suspension of disbelief is required for SciFi right?
You mentioned similarities to Akira. Did Akira's unbelievablity get in the way of your enjoyment of the film? Seems like an unnecessary strike against any work of fiction.
There wasn't a single moment of Pacific Rim where I thought it was possible, but was still a good movie.
It's not about the supernatural aspect in itself, but how it is established, employed, and executed within the narrative itself. In this case, you had magic
shields
, magic
healing powers
, magic
flashback sequences
, magic
communication with dead people
, and it never felt properly justified within the plot itself, thus making it hard to believe. I.e. the supernatural aspect seemed only actual and relevant when the story demanded it, and neither do we get an actual understanding of the established fictional laws within the narrative in order to make (at least) me feel it believable and plausible. J. Shea briefly touches upon what I am referring to in this article
As long as David Cage believe himself to be a masterful storyteller who's critics only dislike his work because they want a first person shooter, the writing in these games will never change.
Finished the game about an hour ago. I still think I prefer Heavy Rain even with its worse writing and voice acting. I prefer HRs level of interactivity over Beyonds which is too restricted and simple for too much of the game. I got a better sense of changing the outcome of each scene in HR. That said there is a ton of stuff to admire in the game.
I would probably score it a 3/5 and label it an admirable failure though I really wish I could score it higher. What other AAA game has you playing a woman getting herself ready for a dinner date? What other AAA game has you playing a little girl having fun in the snow? Where you struggle with being homeless? It's rare to find this kind of stuff even in indie games. So I applaud Cage for what he is willing to put in his games and what he trusts his audience to appreciate. We also have a new great female video game character to add to a depressingly small list.
Oh and that ending. I got the feels.
Chose the beyond as I felt there was nothing for Jodie to keep living for. I wanted to her to have release and be free from everyone who has abused and used her her whole life.
Teenage Goth chapter. I didn't manage to sneak out (I failed the security check-out because I figured Aiden couldn't be able to speak like Cole properly) and Nathan reprimanded Jodie for the use of her powers, because she knew "what happened at that birthday party". But I didn't do anything with Aiden at the birthday party
Are you aware of what happens if you do sneak out? Would be interested to hear your thoughts on the Bar scene and the way it effects Jodie later in the game.
Are you aware of what happens if you do sneak out? Would be interested to hear your thoughts on the Bar scene and the way it effects Jodie later in the game.
The whole bar scenario happened to me, and then I was kind of bummed that
I couldn't have sex with Ryan. I did everything right; I wore the dress, I cooked, I cleaned the apartment, and I didn't have Aiden fuck anything up. But it still didn't happen. I mean, I understand why, and I loved that connectivity between sequences. It was just a bummer.
The whole bar scenario happened to me, and then I was kind of bummed that
I couldn't have sex with Ryan. I did everything right; I wore the dress, I cooked, I cleaned the apartment, and I didn't have Aiden fuck anything up. But it still didn't happen. I mean, I understand why, and I loved that connectivity between sequences. It was just a bummer.
I did the exact same though I wasn't bummed out about it.
Dude was moving a bit fast for my tastes even though they both wanted it to happen. See how fast that fucker ran out of the door when he knew he wasn't getting any though? Fuck that guy! Told him I didn't love him at the end too.
Again, I can't stress how, now that i've seen other people's runs, impressive the sheer possible variability of the game is. To me, it's, by far, the most impressive aspect of this project.
I definitely agree with her stance on the narrative trying to do too many things, which is why I have such mixed opinions on the game. It would've worked so much better if it branched at
joining the CIA. Instead of being forced into it, there should've been a major choice as to either escape the research facility or join. That way, the escape- story could've had more chapters like Homeless and become more about Jodie journeying across America to find her mother and her history, while pro- CIA could've had more chapters like Embassy.
I mean, this game was focused on one main character's life, and half the time I didn't know anything about her or how she'd gotten to where the current chapter was.
As long as David Cage believes himself to be a masterful storyteller who's critics only dislike his work because they want a first person shooter, the writing in these games will never change.
It's not about the supernatural aspect in itself, but how it is established, employed, and executed within the narrative itself. In this case, you had magic
shields
, magic
healing powers
, magic
flashback sequences
, magic
communication with dead people
, and it never felt properly justified within the plot itself, thus making it hard to believe. I.e. the supernatural aspect seemed only actual and relevant when the story demanded it
From what I have heard he is a very good director. He appreciates feedback and takes it into account all the time. He even leaves room for additions while writing, in case his team comes up with anything. I just met him once during gamescom and he is very humble in person. Not the kind of dude that would scream at his employees. He is undeniable the boss, but his team seems to like working for him. Also he did a very nice gesture during the launch event: http://www.jeuxactu.com/beyond-two-souls-david-cage-rend-hommage-a-quantic-dream-89641.htm
It's not about the supernatural aspect in itself, but how it is established, employed, and executed within the narrative itself. In this case, you had magic
shields
, magic
healing powers
, magic
flashback sequences
, magic
communication with dead people
, and it never felt properly justified within the plot itself, thus making it hard to believe. I.e. the supernatural aspect seemed only actual and relevant when the story demanded it, and neither do we get an actual understanding of the established fictional laws within the narrative in order to make (at least) me feel it believable and plausible. J. Shea briefly touches upon what I am referring to in this article
Except all those things you listed make perfect sense within the narrative and the rules they've created in the plot. The entire premise is that she is connected to a spiritual entity that has access to the spirit world. Given that, it makes perfect sense that
she would be able to channel other dead spirits from the spirit world and communicate with them
Why is that far fetched given the setup? We already know that he can interact with physical objects in the real world,
so doing things like healing her
, makes sense within the rules they established.
I feel like you watched the movie Ghost and said, "That's impossible! There's no way a ghost can interact with the real world like that!" Poltergeist! How did a ghost throw a table across the room? you guys expect me to believe that?
possess the Sheik during the Embassy mission and walk straight upstairs into his office and open the safe without even bothering about the cameras. Then he doesn't appear in the outro sequence looking suspiciously.
possess the Sheik during the Embassy mission and walk straight upstairs into his office and open the safe without even bothering about the cameras. Then he doesn't appear in the outro sequence looking suspiciously.
. Now I have to replay that part. Would replaying and saving from that point would do the job and erase my previous mistake?
And I agree about complaints about "The Party". When it first occured I was like
"WTF You mindless drones? You were okay with her not too long ago!" Look, if everyone was nasty to her I'd be okay with the conflict but except for that one uptight BITCH, the rest of the kids were okay with Jodie until the book scene. They should have added more scenes of them being unpleasant to Jodie if they want to reach to that point more seamlessly. As it is now, it's just jarring and threw me for a loop.
Wow are some reviewers really that inane? I just read an "analysis" of Beyond's story on IGN. I mean I'm not thinking much of that site anyway, but the writer seriously complains about how the game doesn't explain
how the fire in the building started where you delivered the baby!? The game explains it TWICE. First when you escape from the building successfully and second time in the hospital when you look at the newspaper. Then he spends 5 sentences speculating on why the game didn't explain it. Just wow. I mean I can understand someone casually playing it missing this information, but surely when you "analyse" a story you should actually replay chapters to make sure you didn't miss anything right?
And these people review games....The story is so freaking simple and straightforward and he thinks it is too confusing even after beating it lol
Would I be wrong in assuming that there's possibly more DLC like the special edition Advanced Experiments scene coming? For as short as it was, it still utilised a lot of mechanics that weren't in the main game at all and a lot of work must have gone into it. Serious Portal vibes from playing it just now. It even has a 'run' button ffs, could've used that in the main game for sure!
Just seems it might be a waste if that one 20 minute piece of DLC is all that comes of it imo.
Wow are some reviewers really that inane? I just read an "analysis" of Beyond's story on IGN. I mean I'm not thinking much of that site anyway, but the writer seriously complains about how the game doesn't explain
how the fire in the building started where you delivered the baby!? The game explains it TWICE. First when you escape from the building successfully and second time in the hospital when you look at the newspaper. Then he spends 5 sentences speculating on why the game didn't explain it. Just wow. I mean I can understand someone casually playing it missing this information, but surely when you "analyse" a story you should actually replay chapters to make sure you didn't miss anything right?
I'm surprised a lot of people seem to like the Mission. I didn't enjoy playing through it and it was the first time I both wanted more control, and could actually tell the impact of the "no game over" stuff.
. Now I have to replay that part. Would replaying and saving from that point would do the job and erase my previous mistake?
And I agree about complaints about "The Party". When it first occured I was like
"WTF You mindless drones? You were okay with her not too long ago!" Look, if everyone was nasty to her I'd be okay with the conflict but except for that one uptight BITCH, the rest of the kids were okay with Jodie until the book scene. They should have added more scenes of them being unpleasant to Jodie if they want to reach to that point more seamlessly. As it is now, it's just jarring and threw me for a loop.
I can't really tell what you're asking but if you want to redo the david stuff and save, it will overwrite what you have now and make you redo the rest of the game from that point on.
Just watched a LP. Person didn't like Homeless that much, but thought Navajo was the best chapter so far. Weird how the perception can be so different.
I really disliked Homeless. It just throws too much at you in too short of a time period (
initial fight->store robbery->baby delivery->save everyone from a burning building->leap from a burning building which all seems to take place in the span of a few days
). Maybe it would have had more impact if those events had been spread across multiple chapters.
Combine that with the choices you are presented with towards the end, it feels a little haphazard. Navajo has the same problem to a lesser extent.
