• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

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

In
Dragon's hideout chapter, after killing the 3 soldiers Jodie says "feels like we're missing something"
what is this thing? I tried to search but couldn't find anything.
You mean in the submarine base? You have to kill the 2 soldiers and then use the possessed one to open the gate so the others can get in. After that just board the sub and take the uniform.
 

Mesharey

Member
You mean in the submarine base? You have to kill the 2 soldiers and then use the possessed one to open the gate so the others can get in. After that just board the sub and take the uniform.
I did that, but still Jodie says (before I take the uniforom) that there's something missing. :/
 
Ended up not having the 5-6 hours I initially I hoped I would have to play this, but played for a couple of hours earlier and it really is pretty incredible.

Controls for Jodie took a little getting used to, but they soon felt like second nature and I hope this is the control method QD use in all their future games. Voice acting is pretty great too and the visuals - holy shit...the screens, gifs, videos do not do the visuals justice. It looks incredible in motion. Really can't be stated enough just how stunning it looks in person. Also kind of dampens my hype for some next gen titles...

Aiden is pretty interesting, controls aren't the best but I expect they'll get better the more you control him. They felt pretty floaty )which is of course rather funny), but they could have used some tightening up...

Story is pretty interesting so far, I'm a big fan of the flashback/flash forward narrative, so I can see myself loving how the story unfolds. Overall, a fantastic first impression and I can't wait to play more, which will hopefully be this weekend.
 
I did that, but still Jodie says (before I take the uniforom) that there's something missing. :/
So you can't advance? Sounds like a bad glitch. Just restart the chapter using the chapter selection screen. Choose to enable saving. Then just play this 10 minute section again and it should work.
Possess the dude, kill the one working on the submarine, second one comes checking, kill him too, open the gate, go to the sub with Jodie and take the uniform.


Ended up not having the 5-6 hours I initially I hoped I would have to play this, but played for a couple of hours earlier and it really is pretty incredible.

Controls for Jodie took a little getting used to, but they soon felt like second nature and I hope this is the control method QD use in all their future games. Voice acting is pretty great too and the visuals - holy shit...the screens, gifs, videos do not do the visuals justice. It looks incredible in motion. Really can't be stated enough just how stunning it looks in person. Also kind of dampens my hype for some next gen titles...

Aiden is pretty interesting, controls aren't the best but I expect they'll get better the more you control him. They felt pretty floaty )which is of course rather funny), but they could have used some tightening up...

Story is pretty interesting so far, I'm a big fan of the flashback/flash forward narrative, so I can see myself loving how the story unfolds. Overall, a fantastic first impression and I can't wait to play more, which will hopefully be this weekend.
Hahaha. Happened to me too. Next gen still looks incredible, but Beyond man. This game. Looks so freaking good. And you haven't actually seen the most impressive stuff yet. Some of the things they do later with particle effects is just insane and I can't imagine how its running on the PS3 without exploding.

Glad you are enjoying the story and controls so far. Story really picks up in the second half too, so don't let yourself get burned by some slower chapters.
 
Hahaha. Happened to me too. Next gen still looks incredible, but Beyond man. This game. Looks so freaking good. And you haven't actually seen the most impressive stuff yet. Some of the things they do later with particle effects is just insane and I can't imagine how its running on the PS3 without exploding.

Glad you are enjoying the story and controls so far. Story really picks up in the second half too, so don't let yourself get burned by some slower chapters.

Yeah, next gen does indeed still look incredible but dammit if this doesn't take some of the wind out of its sails.

Oh nice, that's something to look forward to. I've successfully managed to avoid any major spoilers, so I'm really looking forward to seeing how the story plays out and what's in store for Jodie, etc. My slim sounds like it's about to blow up, seriously crazy how loud the PS3 gets after just a few minutes...would have preferred a digital download over this....
 

Mesharey

Member
I finished the game, the story was really good, the best graphics this gen? If they told me it's a PS4 game I'll believe.

7/10
Needs more gameplay elements.
 
Time for some GIFs:

ib07fcxWTmxcjQ.gif


idpl9G46uD1xg.gif
 

John Harker

Definitely doesn't make things up as he goes along.
Hmm, weird disconnect with The Party scene. Why did the kids suddenly turn on you like that? Totally out of place reaction considering I was nailing most of the actions. So weird.

Also strange the controls are so dumbed down from heavy rain
 

fvng

Member
Hmm, weird disconnect with The Party scene. Why did the kids suddenly turn on you like that? Totally out of place reaction considering I was nailing most of the actions. So weird.

because kids are assholes. It wasn't out of the blue if you watch the birthday's girl's disposition from the get go, and the chick that insulted your tastes in music wasn't exactly friendly either. It felt like a gradual build up, and the kid that pretended to be into you felt disingenuous to me as well.
 

Dr Dogg

Member
Awesome OT Replicant and dragonbane (I didn't know Willem Dafoe was in Finding Nemo!).

Just started this up last night after having it kicking around for a while, well I wanted something not to hectic so why not.

I've tried to avoid anything (p)reviewy or meltdowns about Beyond as not to ruin it but obviously things have slipped out. I only manage about 3 hours or so last night but boy is this game a looker. On that note, first thoughts are how on earth can people be saying this isn't a game or such like? I've found it the best control scheme in any Quantic Dream title I've ever played, in fact it's better and more responsive than some other celebrated titles.

Only quibbles I have so far is the ping pongy narrative structure has made it a bit had to follow at times (I don't know if playing this in short bursts is a good idea) but hopefully it will all fall in to place further a long. Story and the subsequent framework are quite interesting but the dialogue is a bit spotty in places. The interactions between Jodie and Nathan are top notch and the CIA guy as well but the ancillary characters not so much. Might be more of a casting/voice direction thing than script but the quality sometimes is night and day.

Just one quick question to you folks who have finished it. How long roughly did you take and how many outcomes are there?

Sorry if this has already been answered but I didn't want to go through the thread and ruin what so far has been an enjoyable game.
 
Awesome OT Replicant and dragonbane (I didn't know Willem Dafoe was in Finding Nemo!).

Just started this up last night after having it kicking around for a while, well I wanted something not to hectic so why not.

I've tried to avoid anything (p)reviewy or meltdowns about Beyond as not to ruin it but obviously things have slipped out. I only manage about 3 hours or so last night but boy is this game a looker. On that note, first thoughts are how on earth can people be saying this isn't a game or such like? I've found it the best control scheme in any Quantic Dream title I've ever played, in fact it's better and more responsive than some other celebrated titles.

Only quibbles I have so far is the ping pongy narrative structure has made it a bit had to follow at times (I don't know if playing this in short bursts is a good idea) but hopefully it will all fall in to place further a long. Story and the subsequent framework are quite interesting but the dialogue is a bit spotty in places. The interactions between Jodie and Nathan are top notch and the CIA guy as well but the ancillary characters not so much. Might be more of a casting/voice direction thing than script but the quality sometimes is night and day.

Just one quick question to you folks who have finished it. How long roughly did you take and how many outcomes are there?

Sorry if this has already been answered but I didn't want to go through the thread and ruin what so far has been an enjoyable game.
The story picks up in the second half. There are 3 major different outcomes, which one do you get is pretty much decided close to the end. However, these outcomes are then influenced again by another choice you have to make. Also several scenes in the outcome can change depending on some of the decisions you made earlier and who survived and died of the side characters.

Not as many different endings as Heavy Rain though. It took about 13 hours for me, but I explored every environment throughout and interacted with everything. I would say depending on how you play 8-10 is realistic.
 

Dr Dogg

Member
The story picks up in the second half. There are 3 major different outcomes, which one do you get is pretty much decided close to the end. However, these outcomes are then influenced again by another choice you have to make. Also several scenes in the outcome can change depending on some of the decisions you made earlier and who survived and died of the side characters.

Not as many different endings as Heavy Rain though. It took about 13 hours for me, but I explored every environment throughout and interacted with everything. I would say depending on how you play 8-10 is realistic.

Ah top stuff. Cheers for the run down.
 

Scrabble

Member
As someone who actually enjoyed Heavy Rain, despite the obvious issues, I gotta say that Beyond is pretty disappointing. I gotta ask, why exactly do video games always feel the need to raise the stakes and become hilariously stupid? Are small scale, more intimate, stories just not feasible with a AAA game like this? Why do we need to be in the CIA performing Indiana Jones action scenes, inexplicably solving tribal curses, sneaking into top secret govt bases, saving the world, stopping cartoon villains, as well as perform other stupid video game shit that feels completely out of place?

My favorite moments were by far the low key scenes. Having Jodie drink and break free from her shell at the party, making sure to get everything in my apartment set up right before a date, being with Jody as a child, and a few other character driven scenes that were actually really well done. I guess telling a simple story about coming to grips with who you are, growing up, coping with death, etc just isn't feasible in today's market.

Also telling the story in such a disjointed fashion really hurt the game. Most of the time I would have no context for anything that was happening. Why am I here? Why am I doing this? Fuck it I don't know, we need a Navajo and homeless scene that don't really need to be there and don't serve any purpose. And yes I know why from a story point it's disjointed, doesn't make it any better.
 

Donos

Member
As someone who actually enjoyed Heavy Rain, despite the obvious issues, I gotta say that Beyond is pretty disappointing. I gotta ask, why exactly do video games always feel the need to raise the stakes and become hilariously stupid? Are small scale, more intimate, stories just not feasible with a AAA game like this? Why do we need to be in the CIA performing Indiana Jones action scenes, inexplicably solving tribal curses, sneaking into top secret govt bases, saving the world, stopping cartoon villains, as well as perform other stupid video game shit that feels completely out of place?

My favorite moments were by far the low key scenes. Having Jodie drink and break free from her shell at the party, making sure to get everything in my apartment set up right before a date, being with Jody as a child, and a few other character driven scenes that were actually really well done. I guess telling a simple story about coming to grips with who you are, growing up, coping with death, etc just isn't feasible in today's market.

Also telling the story in such a disjointed fashion really hurt the game. Most of the time I would have no context for anything that was happening. Why am I here? Why am I doing this? Fuck it I don't know, we need a Navajo and homeless scene that don't really need to be there and don't serve any purpose. And yes I know why from a story point it's disjointed, doesn't make it any better.

I know what you mean but i think that has to do with the size (AA/AAA) of the game. A more to earth story like you discribed would fit more to a smaller produciton or an indie game but then you wouldn't have these graphics and mocap possibilities.
A 50$ million game with a more quiet story would be hard to mass market. People would say "That was quite boring" so you have to put in the over the top stuff.
More people watch Action/Adventure movies than Dramas most of the time.
But that's why is think games like heavy rain, Beyond, Walking dead, Journey etc. are good for the games industry because it shows that there are still other possibilities to tell stories then watching over a rifle or having a sword in hand.
 
As someone who actually enjoyed Heavy Rain, despite the obvious issues, I gotta say that Beyond is pretty disappointing. I gotta ask, why exactly do video games always feel the need to raise the stakes and become hilariously stupid? Are small scale, more intimate, stories just not feasible with a AAA game like this? Why do we need to be in the CIA performing Indiana Jones action scenes, inexplicably solving tribal curses, sneaking into top secret govt bases, saving the world, stopping cartoon villains, as well as perform other stupid video game shit that feels completely out of place? .
You explained the main reason yourself. An AAA game in today's market has to at least try to attract multiple audiences. So adding some action scenes might make the game more interesting to some. Second reason is to obviously extend the playtime without spending too much resources on story and mo-cap. Third reason is pacing related. It just makes sense to mix slow chapters with faster ones or many people would get bored. Fourth reason is that QD constantly got the feedback that the action scenes in HR were one of the best things about the game. Final reason is that Beyond was billed as an action-drama since Day 1. So by definition it has to include more action than Heavy Rain. Jodie is supposed to be some kind of female badass.

I agree with you btw, but the devs clearly said upfront that this would happen.

I guess telling a simple story about coming to grips with who you are, growing up, coping with death, etc just isn't feasible in today's market.
Well that is still the whole point of the story. The action scenes don't really take away from that message.


Also telling the story in such a disjointed fashion really hurt the game. Most of the time I would have no context for anything that was happening. Why am I here? Why am I doing this? Fuck it I don't know, we need a Navajo and homeless scene that don't really need to be there and don't serve any purpose. And yes I know why from a story point it's disjointed, doesn't make it any better.
I liked it because of the pacing and how the reveals were done. Since there is a timeline and a chapter name most of the time I knew instantly where it fits in the game, where Jodie is and why and even what is about to happen: "Ah, this chapter is called Separation and takes place before Welcome to the CIA, so here we will learn how she got there."

And while the two scenes in question are not very story heavy, they do serve a purpose to Jodie's character. Again, accepting who she is, finding herself and realizing she has to face her past and can't run away anymore. Important transition chapters so to speak.
 

jett

D-Member
Also telling the story in such a disjointed fashion really hurt the game. Most of the time I would have no context for anything that was happening. Why am I here? Why am I doing this? Fuck it I don't know, we need a Navajo and homeless scene that don't really need to be there and don't serve any purpose. And yes I know why from a story point it's disjointed, doesn't make it any better.

The worst blunder of the game. David Cage doesn't know how to tell a story.
 
The worst blunder of the game. David Cage doesn't know how to tell a story.
Well he didn't really try to tell one for 80% of the game. It was quite intentional a character journey without much of an overarching story. I liked it, but I can see why many wouldn't and demand a bigger story that ties everything together.
 

NHale

Member
As someone that loved Heavy Rain (and still do), I couldn't be more disappointed with Beyond.

Severe pacing problems, story is weak throughout the entire game and still manages to fall completely apart in the end, some chapters feel more like DLC than part of the plot, choices don't have any relevant impact on the story.

Fortunately some character driven chapters are great and most of them didn't need 1 hour of stealth sequences with terrible controls.
 
As someone that loved Heavy Rain (and still do), I couldn't be more disappointed with Beyond.

Severe pacing problems, story is weak throughout the entire game and still manages to fall completely apart in the end, some chapters feel more like DLC than part of the plot, choices don't have any relevant impact on the story.

Fortunately some character driven chapters are great and most of them didn't need 1 hour of stealth sequences with terrible controls.
Story doesn't fall apart at all. It makes perfect sense. Much better than Heavy Rain IMO. Stealth sequences were a lot of fun with mostly tight controls, hope they do more of these. Lack of choice is a problem and the pacing is not perfect I agree. Some chapters are a bit too long.
 

Scrabble

Member
You explained the main reason yourself. An AAA game in today's market has to at least try to attract multiple audiences. So adding some action scenes might make the game more interesting to some. Second reason is to obviously extend the playtime without spending too much resources on story and mo-cap. Third reason is pacing related. It just makes sense to mix slow chapters with faster ones or many people would get bored. Fourth reason is that QD constantly got the feedback that the action scenes in HR were one of the best things about the game. Final reason is that Beyond was billed as an action-drama since Day 1. So by definition it has to include more action than Heavy Rain. Jodie is supposed to be some kind of female badass.

I agree with you btw, but the devs clearly said upfront that this would happen.


Well that is still the whole point of the story. The action scenes don't really take away from that message.



I liked it because of the pacing and how the reveals were done. Since there is a timeline and a chapter name most of the time I knew instantly where it fits in the game, where Jodie is and why and even what is about to happen: "Ah, this chapter is called Separation and takes place before Welcome to the CIA, so here we will learn how she got there."

And while the two scenes in question are not very story heavy, they do serve a purpose to Jodie's character. Again, accepting who she is, finding herself and realizing she has to face her past and can't run away anymore. Important transition chapters so to speak.

I'm not saying you can't have more intense moments of action, but have them make sense and be somewhat believable. Jodie running away from the cops is something that I thought was well done, same with her defending Stan. But I lose focus when the story becomes about governments trying to harness entities from some Infraworld to use as a stake for power, building condensers, characters becoming evil for no reason other than to escalate the stakes, and other video game nonsense. These silly "save the world and be a super bad ass CIA agent" moments just seem completely antithetical to the themes and who I expected Jodie to be. It's as if two separate games are being made here, that don't at all fit together. Which is disappointing because for all the issues that were with Heavy Rain, it did succeed in telling a more focused and grounded story.

It's too bad David Cage is the only person making these types of games because within them are moments of greatness and promises of something so much more.
 
I'm not saying you can't have more intense moments of action, but have them make sense and be somewhat believable. Jodie running away from the cops is something that I thought was well done, same with her defending Stan. But I lose focus when the story becomes about governments trying to harness entities from some Infraworld to use as a stake for power, building condensers, characters becoming evil for no reason other than to escalate the stakes, and other video game nonsense. These silly "save the world and be a super bad ass CIA agent" moments just seem completely antithetical to the themes and who I expected Jodie to be. It's as if two separate games are being made here, that don't at all fit together. Which is disappointing because for all the issues that were with Heavy Rain, it did succeed in telling a more focused and grounded story.

It's too bad David Cage is the only person making these types of games because within them are moments of greatness and promises of something so much more.
Hey I'm not saying I disagree with you. But you have to take into account how the game was designed and presented from Day 1. It was unveiled with the words that it would be an action-drama with sad moments and epic action scenes. I would say that is exactly what we got. Of course you have every right to be disappointed by that and want a more grounded story like Heavy Rain. But Beyond wasn't supposed to be grounded, so I can't really fault the game for that.

Cage likes to go against expectations and he will never give you more of the same, even if it is good stuff. So I doubt we will ever see another murder mystery or supernatural thriller. It's sometimes frustrating to be a fan of this studio for sure because of their diverse output, but that's what I like about them. They should keep experimenting and see what sticks and what doesn't.

Their PS4 title is apparently a full blown out sci-fi game and I'm already excited :D
 

Scrabble

Member
Hey I'm not saying I disagree with you. But you have to take into account how the game was designed and presented from Day 1. It was unveiled with the words that it would be an action-drama with sad moments and epic action scenes. I would say that is exactly what we got. Of course you have every right to be disappointed by that and want a more grounded story like Heavy Rain. But Beyond wasn't supposed to be grounded, so I can't really fault the game for that.

Cage likes to go against expectations and he will never give you more of the same, even if it is good stuff. So I doubt we will ever see another murder mystery or supernatural thriller. It's sometimes frustrating to be a fan of this studio for sure because of their diverse output, but that's what I like about them. They should keep experimenting and see what sticks and what doesn't.

Their PS4 title is apparently a full blown out sci-fi game and I'm already excited :D

It's just so frustrating to see a company like Quantic Dream be put in this awesome and unique position to explore different kinds of stories from what we're used to in games, only to devolve into the same bombastic/raise the stakes nonsense that has become so tiresome with games. It's all the more disappointing when you have half a game which attempts to set out and deliver on crafting a more intimate character driven emotional experience, to some good effect, only for it disservice its self with all this silly nonsense: generic evil general, countries fighting for control of spirits, saving the world, and the list goes on and on. I'm not saying those types of stories can't be good, because they have been before, but it's been done to death in video games. So when you are a more story focused, less mechanics driven game, why do you attempt those same kind of generic video game stories?

I want the video game equivalent to stories like Lost in Translation or the Wrestler, where the story is first and foremost about the characters. Not about overcoming insurmountable odds, being badass, and saving the world. I believe Quantic Dream has the perfect avenue, and freedom,to go in that direction. They show signs of greatness and potential that the medium can eventually get to that level, I just feel they are holding themselves back from something so much more. The idea of using interactivity to tell a more human and emotional story is so promising, that I sincerely hope more people begin making the type of games David Cage makes.

Edit:
Seeing the end of the game turn into, what is seemingly Terminator, with an apocalyptic Earth, with Jodie being essentially Sarah Connor off to save the world could not have left me rolling my eyes and shaking my head more. And it perfectly encapsulates where I feel this game fails.
 
It's just so frustrating to see a company like Quantic Dream be put in this awesome and unique position to explore different kinds of stories from what we're used to in games, only to devolve into the same bombastic/raise the stakes nonsense that has become so tiresome with games. It's all the more disappointing when you have half a game which attempts to set out and deliver on crafting a more intimate character driven emotional experience, to some good effect, only for it disservice its self with all this silly nonsense: generic evil general, countries fighting for control of spirits, saving the world, and the list goes on and on. I'm not saying those types of stories can't be good, because they have been before, but it's been done to death in video games. So when you are a more story focused, less mechanics driven game, why do you attempt those same kind of generic video game stories?

I want the video game equivalent to stories like Lost in Translation or the Wrestler, where the story is first and foremost about the characters. Not about overcoming insurmountable odds, being badass, and saving the world. I believe Quantic Dream has the perfect avenue, and freedom,to go in that direction. They show signs of greatness and potential that the medium can eventually get to that level, I just feel they are holding themselves back from something so much more. The idea of using interactivity to tell a more human and emotional story is so promising, that I sincerely hope more people begin making the type of games David Cage makes.

Edit:
Seeing the end of the game turn into, what is seemingly Terminator, with an apocalyptic Earth, with Jodie being essentially Sarah Connor off to save the world could not have left me rolling my eyes and shaking my head more. And it perfectly encapsulates where I feel this game fails.
I understand. You expected something different and that's okay. I read most of the interviews before the release, so I knew exactly what Beyond was going to be and I enjoyed it greatly for it. Quantic Dream is in an unique position, but at the end of the day they still have to sell their game and give the marketing department something they can work with. Their games aren't that expensive, but still expensive enough for AAA status. They don't have quite indie level of freedom.

That being said, Beyond was Cage's take on an epic action-drama. Since he never makes the same game twice, you can expect his next game to be focused on something else again.
 
It's just so frustrating to see a company like Quantic Dream be put in this awesome and unique position to explore different kinds of stories from what we're used to in games, only to devolve into the same bombastic/raise the stakes nonsense that has become so tiresome with games. It's all the more disappointing when you have half a game which attempts to set out and deliver on crafting a more intimate character driven emotional experience, to some good effect, only for it disservice its self with all this silly nonsense: generic evil general, countries fighting for control of spirits, saving the world, and the list goes on and on. I'm not saying those types of stories can't be good, because they have been before, but it's been done to death in video games. So when you are a more story focused, less mechanics driven game, why do you attempt those same kind of generic video game stories?

I want the video game equivalent to stories like Lost in Translation or the Wrestler, where the story is first and foremost about the characters. Not about overcoming insurmountable odds, being badass, and saving the world. I believe Quantic Dream has the perfect avenue, and freedom,to go in that direction. They show signs of greatness and potential that the medium can eventually get to that level, I just feel they are holding themselves back from something so much more. The idea of using interactivity to tell a more human and emotional story is so promising, that I sincerely hope more people begin making the type of games David Cage makes.

Edit:
Seeing the end of the game turn into, what is seemingly Terminator, with an apocalyptic Earth, with Jodie being essentially Sarah Connor off to save the world could not have left me rolling my eyes and shaking my head more. And it perfectly encapsulates where I feel this game fails.

so you didn't want the direction they took the story, therefore they failed? there were a lot of human elements in the game, perticularly in the majority of the first half of the game. that human drama was heavy rain, and quantic has said again and again that this is different than heavy rain yet people still compare beyond to it. EmptySpace liked the adventure part of beyond, given that the earlier parts of the game were all angst and drama and jodie being the weird kid.

that ending is one out of many endings, and you won't get that ending had you chosen the other options.
 

Rutgurk

Neo Member
Hey guys, you might want to keep the spoilers in check, or some more spoilers tags atleast.


I just finished the game for the first time. The obvious: The graphics really blew me away (most of the time) :eek: I enjoyed the story too, although I can see where the criticism comes from... It isn't the best story out there, but I did enjoy it. My only real problem with the game, was that most of the time I felt like I wasn't influencing the story at all. Looking back, I think I can name one, maybe two, decisions I made that had an impact. This diminished my enjoyment a little, as it made me feel like I was just along for the ride instead of creating my own story, like I did in Heavy Rain and The Walking Dead. Especially the Walking Dead has alot of really obvious choices, where you choose for one side, or another, or where you choose action A or B. In my opinion the downside to this is that it breaks the immersion a little, because it shows you (a little to) clear that your choice will turn the story in a certain direction. The upside is that it makes you feel in control of the story and it reminds you that this story is your story, and it's going in a certain direction because you wanted it to. I missed that a little in beyond. Interaction was already limited, the least they could do, is make me feel like those limited interactions add up to something.

Anyway, despite that complaint, I really enjoyed the game. No regrets! And I can't wait for QD's next game.
 

Scrabble

Member
so you didn't want the direction they took the story, therefore they failed? there were a lot of human elements in the game, perticularly in the majority of the first half of the game. that human drama was heavy rain, and quantic has said again and again that this is different than heavy rain yet people still compare beyond to it. EmptySpace liked the adventure part of beyond, given that the earlier parts of the game were all angst and drama and jodie being the weird kid.

that ending is one out of many endings, and you won't get that ending had you chosen the other options.

I'm not saying I want Heavy Rain 2, just that I want a more grounded and personal story. As opposed to the usual bomb bast and raise the stakes save the world story video games seem to not want to shy away from. And just because it was Quantic Dream's decision to choose the story they did, doesn't mean I can't criticize it. Also 'my' ending being bad, doesn't exclude the fact how ridiculous and stupid it was.
 
Hey guys, you might want to keep the spoilers in check, or some more spoilers tags atleast.


I just finished the game for the first time. The obvious: The graphics really blew me away (most of the time) :eek: I enjoyed the story too, although I can see where the criticism comes from... It isn't the best story out there, but I did enjoy it. My only real problem with the game, was that most of the time I felt like I wasn't influencing the story at all. Looking back, I think I can name one, maybe two, decisions I made that had an impact. This diminished my enjoyment a little, as it made me feel like I was just along for the ride instead of creating my own story, like I did in Heavy Rain and The Walking Dead. Especially the Walking Dead has alot of really obvious choices, where you choose for one side, or another, or where you choose action A or B. In my opinion the downside to this is that it breaks the immersion a little, because it shows you (a little to) clear that your choice will turn the story in a certain direction. The upside is that it makes you feel in control of the story and it reminds you that this story is your story, and it's going in a certain direction because you wanted it to. I missed that a little in beyond. Interaction was already limited, the least they could do, is make me feel like those limited interactions add up to something.

Anyway, despite that complaint, I really enjoyed the game. No regrets! And I can't wait for QD's next game.
The Walking Dead handles this pretty bad though. It suggests that you have big choices, but in the end you always get the same ending and everyone dies anyway when they have to. Because you saved them, they die maybe 60 minutes or one chapter later than when you didn't.
It completely crushes the illusion of choice. You don't really influence anything. Out of the 3 games you mentioned, Heavy Rain handles this the best. Still a lot of fake choices, but at least there are different endings and permanent character death.

In Beyond there are about 7 "choices" that can slightly affect the ending. Also some choices in earlier chapters can affect later chapters. It's perhaps not as much as in Heavy Rain, but it's still there and your journey is certainly unique in some way, at least in the way you portrayed and defined Jodie as a character.


I'm not saying I want Heavy Rain 2, just that I want a more grounded and personal story. As opposed to the usual bomb bast and raise the stakes save the world story video games seem to not want to shy away from. And just because it was Quantic Dream's decision to choose the story they did, doesn't mean I can't criticize it. Also 'my' ending being bad, doesn't exclude the fact how ridiculous and stupid it was.
You can criticize, but you can't expect them to give you what you want. They create what they want and they clearly said upfront what Beyond is. They created a mostly grounded story in Heavy Rain. They covered this field already, so they probably have no interest in creating another one.

Next they will probably tackle sci-fi, then maybe comedy, then history etc. They always try out something different. You can give your feedback of course and say that you would prefer another grounded story. Just don't be surprised if they come out with something else entirely. That's their DNA. Not creating stories completely grounded in reality. I can see why this might be disappointing, but that's how they roll, so leave them to it.

Who knows, maybe you will appreciate with what they come out next, grounded or not.
 

Rutgurk

Neo Member
The Walking Dead handles this pretty bad though. It suggests that you have big choices, but in the end you always get the same ending and everyone dies anyway when they have to. Because you saved them, they die maybe 60 minutes or one chapter later than when you didn't.
It completely crushes the illusion of choice. You don't really influence anything. Out of the 3 games you mentioned, Heavy Rain handles this the best. Still a lot of fake choices, but at least there are different endings and permanent character death.

In Beyond there are about 7 "choices" that can slightly affect the ending. Also some choices in earlier chapters can affect later chapters. It's perhaps not as much as in Heavy Rain, but it's still there and your journey is certainly unique in some way, at least in the way you portrayed and defined Jodie as a character.
That's interesting :) I only finished TWD once, so I wasn't really aware that the choices are mostly an illusion. In that case I agree that Heavy Rain handles it best. I actually started my second playtrough immediately after I finished my first. I just had to see how other choices influenced the outcome. It's good to hear that beyond has a few choices that matter as well, should increase the replay value and enjoyment :)

Btw, at the end
The post apocalyptic stuff... Wow! It's like someone said in the spoiler thread: there are so many scenes in this game that totally deserve their own game. The underwater walk was great as well.
 

GAMEPROFF

Banned
The post apocalyptic stuff... Wow! It's like someone said in the spoiler thread: there are so many scenes in this game that totally deserve their own game. The underwater walk was great as well.

The whole chapter in the underwater base had a great, very creepy atmosphere.

I would love, if anybody would make a Survival Horrorgame in a setting like this. I know, there are two Bioshock games in a similar setting, but I would rather enjoy a more realistic portrait of a underwater station.
 
I rented the game for the weekend (and now plan on buying it). The game was fantastic! Not sure about replayability, but I really enjoyed the presentation (and story!).
 

DJwest

Member
Yeah, just finished the game, so amazing. First of all the people who say that the game is good looking because of its linearity/closed areas should play Navajo and The Mission. I hope this game does really well in the eyes of Sony and Quantic Dream and I can't wait for their PS4 game, hopefully by 2015.
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
Renting this game, and I'm running into one of the same problems I had with Indigo Prophecy: parts where you're in the player character's home and they expect you to just know where shit is, but you don't know the layout of their home so you just waste time walking around confused. Like right now I can't find Jodie's shoes.

The interface also kind of sucks. More than once has interacting with an object caused Jodie to do something I didn't want her to do.
 
Renting this game, and I'm running into one of the same problems I had with Indigo Prophecy: parts where you're in the player character's home and they expect you to just know where shit is, but you don't know the layout of their home so you just waste time walking around confused. Like right now I can't find Jodie's shoes.

The interface also kind of sucks. More than once has interacting with an object caused Jodie to do something I didn't want her to do.
That's the point. Just explore your environment. There is a ton of stuff you can interact with. You don't have to act immediately when someone tells you to do something. And her shoes are exactly where you would them expect to be, close to the front door (child Jodie scene) ;)
If you refer to The Dinner scene, there are no shoes for her to wear xD Just go without. BTW you can just press the right analogue stick lightly into the direction of a white dot and see the animation start. Then you know what she is about to do. If you don't want to do it, just let go and the interaction is cancelled.
 

Replicant

Member
That's the point. Just explore your environment. There is a ton of stuff you can interact with. You don't have to act immediately when someone tells you to do something. And her shoes are exactly where you would them expect to be, close to the front door (child Jodie scene) ;)
If you refer to The Dinner scene, there are no shoes for her to wear xD Just go without. BTW you can just press the right analogue stick lightly into the direction of a white dot and see the animation start. Then you know what she is about to do. If you don't want to do it, just let go and the interaction is cancelled.

That scene has serious camera issues though. The fixed camera makes it hard to figure out where you're heading. There were times when I wanted to go to the kitchen but ended up back in living room or stranded in the bathroom because the camera is so badly angled. I need QD to use dynamic camera on their next project. No more of this fixed stuff.
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
That's the point. Just explore your environment. There is a ton of stuff you can interact with. You don't have to act immediately when someone tells you to do something. And her shoes are exactly where you would them expect to be, close to the front door (child Jodie scene) ;)
If you refer to The Dinner scene, there are no shoes for her to wear xD Just go without. BTW you can just press the right analogue stick lightly into the direction of a white dot and see the animation start. Then you know what she is about to do. If you don't want to do it, just let go and the interaction is cancelled.

I've found it's not always possible (or apparent how) to cancel an interaction in this game.

Graphics are realistic as fuck though.
 
That scene has serious camera issues though. The fixed camera makes it hard to figure out where you're heading. There were times when I wanted to go to the kitchen but ended up back in living room or stranded in the bathroom because the camera is so badly angled. I need QD to use dynamic camera on their next project. No more of this fixed stuff.
The Dinner? Yeah it was confusing at first, but I quickly figured out the layout of the apartment after going into each room twice and cleaning up everything, which forces you to go all around the apartment for a bit. Upon replaying I just realized that it is hard as fuck to find the door to her bedroom/bathroom when you don't pick up her dirty clothes (if you do the game opens the door for you lol). It just blends in so well with the wall.

I had more problems with the fixed camera angles in Heavy Rain, but nothing major. Beyond already uses a dynamic or at least a semi-dynamic camera most of the time while Heavy Rain was 90% fixed. In Beyond it's about 30% maybe. For enclosed spaces I think the fixed angles offer a better overview than a dynamic camera. Walking around in tight spaces never felt very good to me in traditional third person games.

Mind you, it is not perfect by any means. But overall I had much less problems navigating in Beyond than in Heavy Rain. I don't even know how many quick double turns I made in that game.


I've found it's not always possible (or apparent how) to cancel an interaction in this game.

Graphics are realistic as fuck though.
To carry out a movement, you always press the right stick towards the white dot relative to the center of the screen. If you have to press down, doing it slowly results in the animation starting showing you what is about to happen. By letting go you cancel it. It should work pretty much all the time. I know I did cancel a couple of interactions I didn't want to do.
 

Cloudy

Banned
Renting this game, and I'm running into one of the same problems I had with Indigo Prophecy: parts where you're in the player character's home and they expect you to just know where shit is, but you don't know the layout of their home so you just waste time walking around confused. Like right now I can't find Jodie's shoes.

You're supposed to explore. It is a passive character development device...
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
You're supposed to explore. It is a passive character development device...

I understand exploring most locations in the game, but there are a few parts where an objective involves information Jodie herself knows but the player doesn't, such as the locations of things. Generally speaking, the interface just isn't as clear as it should be all the time.

I know QTEs are how Quantic Dream does things, but I really feel like this would've been better with a standard point n' click interface using Aiden's powers.
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
So does Jodie just not watch the news?
How else could she not know who the president of Somalia (or wherever this country was) was? That guy's identity and real role seemed like public knowledge.
 
So does Jodie just not watch the news?
How else could she not know who the president of Somalia (or wherever this country was) was? That guy's identity and real role seemed like public knowledge.
In the game he was elected like 3 days ago. Then his face becomes public knowledge. She has been stationed on the base for a while and you can bet they made sure that she hasn't any access to legit news. The CIA planned this mission for a long time.
 

John Harker

Definitely doesn't make things up as he goes along.
Quick question!!

I just completed Navajo. Awesome chapter. But I realize I messed something up in Like Other Girls. If I jump back and redo that chapter, does that reset all my progress? Would I have to continue from there and redo Navajo or can I continue from where I am at the beginningnscene of Separation?
 

sykoex

Lost all credibility.
In the game he was elected like 3 days ago. Then his face becomes public knowledge. She has been stationed on the base for a while and you can bet they made sure that she hasn't any access to legit news. The CIA planned this mission for a long time.

Yeah it makes sense that the CIA wouldn't give her free access to info. Although it's kind of interesting that they'd suddenly get all relaxed and have the news on in the helicopter. I wonder if Ryan got reprimanded for letting Jodie turn on the TV.
 

Replicant

Member
The Dinner? Yeah it was confusing at first, but I quickly figured out the layout of the apartment after going into each room twice and cleaning up everything, which forces you to go all around the apartment for a bit. Upon replaying I just realized that it is hard as fuck to find the door to her bedroom/bathroom when you don't pick up her dirty clothes (if you do the game opens the door for you lol). It just blends in so well with the wall.

The problem was the scene requires you to be somewhat precise with time. I have no time to get lost when every moment counts (if you want to go one way with the playthrough). So having to go back and forth and still end up not where you wanted to go is frustrating after the 2nd to 3rd time. So yeah, I definitely will be voting for dynamic angle next time.
 
Quick question!!

I just completed Navajo. Awesome chapter. But I realize I messed something up in Like Other Girls. If I jump back and redo that chapter, does that reset all my progress? Would I have to continue from there and redo Navajo or can I continue from where I am at the beginningnscene of Separation?
Yeah it does reset. So you would have to replay everything starting from Like Other Girls till Separation without skipping ahead. Honestly you should stick with your choices. It's your unique journey, don't ruin it. You can still replay the whole game afterwards.


Yeah it makes sense that the CIA wouldn't give her free access to info. Although it's kind of interesting that they'd suddenly get all relaxed and have the news on in the helicopter. I wonder if Ryan got reprimanded for letting Jodie turn on the TV.
Probably. He let her escape too. I guess they were like "well after she gets home she will find out anyway sooner or later by turning on her TV at home, so it doesn't matter. The mission was a success and that's it. If she becomes a problem we will just get rid of her."

Or maybe that was the plan anyway and the reason the boss sent his own helicopter, so they could get her to the agency quickly and then see what to do with her when she eventually finds out. Just unfortunate for them that she turned on the TV before arriving there just in time to find out. Probably an oversight.


The problem was the scene requires you to be somewhat precise with time. I have no time to get lost when every moment counts (if you want to go one way with the playthrough). So having to go back and forth and still end up not where you wanted to go is frustrating after the 2nd to 3rd time. So yeah, I definitely will be voting for dynamic angle next time.
I hear ya, but at least for me time was not at problem. He shows up 30 minutes late anyway, so I had plenty of time to prepare everything :D
 
Top Bottom