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Beyond: Two Souls - User Reviews


Shiperzz

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Story

 

  • Ellen Page (Jodie) and William Defoe (Nathan) deliver great performances, as to be expected with actors of their calibre I suppose.

  • The story is genuinely interesting, and I found the concept new and refreshing. Playing Jodie from child to adult is very well done.

  • The script is pretty corny, and is often needlessly over-dramatic. Typical David Cage really.

  • I felt there were some minor holes in Jodies character...

    • Jodie is such a strong character yet she seems to be constantly on the brink of a complete breakdown. I suppose that could be what David Cage was going for, but after seeing Jodie balling her eyes out for the hundredth time, even after going through CIA training and all that other bullshit, it felt a little out of place.

  • David Cage tries too hard with the feels, and fails more often than he succeeds. It’s certainly not a TLoU, and tough, leathery man-tears elude me still.

 

Aesthetics

 

  • Fantastic animations, it sounds weird but the walk animations in particular are awesome. The facial animation and motion capture is great as well, certainly an improvement from Heavy Rain.

  • The music is fantastic, it really captures the eeriness of some scenes. One track in particular sounds straight out of Inception and fits perfectly with the more cinematic moments.

  • The graphics are good, though nothing revolutionary. The detail and scenery in certain levels is noticeably good.

 

Gameplay

 

  • If you don’t like QTE’s, this really isn’t the game for you.

  • Its got slightly less choice that you had in Heavy Rain, but its not really noticeable.

 

My Verdict

 

Worth a purchase, but maybe wait for a price drop. My gripes mostly stem from a strong sense that this could have been much much more. It does the creepy supernatural moments well, but the constant fishing for feels got tiresome quickly. Easy David Cage’s finest game so far, but unfortunately doesn't play to its strengths enough for it to be a must have, in my opinion.

Edited by Shiperzz
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I think the dramtics are fine, not overally done at all, and what holes in Jodie's chracter? besides this I agree with everything

 

I just found certain moments a little cringe-worthy, like for example during the Condenser mission when Jodie rescues that scientist (who is later possessed by an entity) and after she refuses to leave he says something like 'we all die alone.' It just felt a little over dramatic. Its peculiar I know, but moments like that in games and movies always irk me.

 

I felt Jodie cried to much. She's had to endure all that bullshit when she was a kid, strolled into a lab full of slaughtered scientists and beat a ton of entities as a teenager, then gone through military training. She's a really strong character, but then at the same time she was balling her eyes out in almost every mission. It just didn't feel real, and it never felt like she truly grew up to me. That's just my opinion of course!

Edited by Shiperzz
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I wrote a mini review too. I don't have a lot of experience with review writing, in fact, my total amount of reviews wrote stands at...... 3.... including this one, so don't expect anything amazing, but see what you think.

 

PS: it's a completely spoiler free review. No plot points are even mentioned.

 

BEYOND: TWO SOULS
SPOILER-FREE MINI REVIEW
 

Beyond: Two Souls is the latest Interactive Drama game from developer Quantic Dream, after 2010's success, "Heavy Rain". David Cage once again wrote the story. That story follows the life of Jodie Holmes, played by actress Ellen Page. She was born with a link to an invisible but powerful entity that she calls Aiden. The player controls both Jodie and Aiden throughout the game, and can even play local 2 player, with one player controlling Jodie and the other Aiden. 

 

Wiilem Dafoe also stars, as Professor Nathan Dawkins, a paranormal researcher who looks after Jodie. Both Page and Dafoe perform brilliantly in Beyond, and it's mainly those performances that help to draw you in.
 
The story is told in a different way to Heavy Rain. While Heavy Rain was told chronologically, Beyond jumps around the timeline. You'll play as older Jodie in one scene, then younger Jodie in the next, then back to older Jodie after that. This may sound like it'd get confusing but it doesn't. Between each scene, you'll be shown a timeline, with the events you've played so far, and the one you're about to start will be highlighted. So for example, you'll know that the scene you're about to play, takes place before the scene you just played, but after the one you played before that. Because of this, you'll never feel lost on exactly what happens when.
 
Graphics are what you've come to expect from the PS3's later years. Highly detailed models, outstanding textures, a frame rate that never drops and gorgeous lighting. There were a few tiny texture pop in's but it was slight and never distracting. Sound is also excellent. The music fits the mood of each scene, the voices are well acted, and sound effects are what you'd expect. That's about all the technical talk I can muster, let's move on to the  gameplay.
 
If you played Heavy Rain, you'll be familiar with the gameplay, though changes have been made. You move around with the left stick now, so you don't need to hold R2 to go forward. White orbs will appear over things you can interact with, just press the white stick in the direction of where it is in relation to Jodie. While controlling Aiden you're a formless entity that can move through certain walls and floors. Blue orbs appear over things you can interact with, and you hold L1 to lock on to the nearest one. While locked on, 2 more orbs appear, which are controlled by each stick. Move them in certain ways to perform certain actions, though each interaction requires a certain movement, so there isn't much choice. Aiden can also see peoples aura. Mostly it's just for show, though you can possess those with an orange aura, and choke those with a red aura.
 
Quick Time Events are again an integral part of gameplay, but they aren't quite as frequent as in Heavy Rain. You press what appears on screen but mostly, it'll slow down time for a brief moment when you need to make Jodie do something. You need to press the right stick in the right direction to complete the action, but the direction isn't shown on screen unless you selected the easy difficulty. If Jodie is throwing a punch toward the right of the screen for example, you'd press right, or if she needs to jump something, you'd press up. Sometimes it's a little vague which way is required, but it can add to the challenge too. In Heavy Rain, I found the QTE's so easy I rarely failed them, but in Beyond I've mucked up a few times.
 
Of course, failure doesn't result in a game over or a try again, (except in one bit, that you have to keep trying until you get it right), but rather, you must go on with the consequences of that failure. Sometimes that means you might miss out on a certain scene, or event's might happen a little differently. At the very least, Jodie might end up with a few more cuts and bruises than if you'd succeeded.
 
Overall, I really enjoyed my first run of Beyond: Two Souls and am now enjoying my second. If you liked Heavy Rain you'll most likely enjoy this one. The story has a more supernatural tone, the action is tense and challenging, Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe play their roles superbly as do the supporting cast, and there are some choices, particularly near the end that you may find tough to make. If you thought Heavy Rain was too much story and not enough game, this one may not change your mind, but still worth giving it a go.
 
If I were to give this a rating out of 10, I'd say, a 9. This is of course my own opinion, feel free to disagree with it, but I think Beyond is an awesome game. Well worth it.
Edited by ShadowGandalf
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I don't have enough time to write a full-fledge review (maybe in the future), but I will say this. Beyond: Two Souls is the best a game has ever been for me. I understand the mediocre reviews, but this is exactly the type of game I have been waiting for. Despite the enormous flaws, Beyond: Two Souls is a huge, beautiful mess. 10/10

 

 

 

 

I just really hope that other AAA don't start doing this genre.

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"The music is fantastic, it really captures the eeriness of some scenes. One track in particular sounds straight out of Inception and fits perfectly with the more cinematic moments."

 

That's because Lorne Balfe composed the score and Hans Zimmer produced it.

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I felt Jodie cried to much. She's had to endure all that bullshit when she was a kid, strolled into a lab full of slaughtered scientists and beat a ton of entities as a teenager, then gone through military training. She's a really strong character, but then at the same time she was balling her eyes out in almost every mission. It just didn't feel real, and it never felt like she truly grew up to me. That's just my opinion of course!

 

Actually, there's nothing abnormal about this. I've worked with traumatized populations for a few years now, and somebody as traumatized as Jodie may cry often regardless of what they'e accomplished or been through. Crying is a valid coping mechanism, and physiologically speaking, it's sometimes the best way to deal with things when you're overwhelmed. It might actually surprise you to hear that veterans who've seen combat are perfect examples of this rule. A lot of them are the toughest human beings you'll ever meet, but can often find themselves in tears in response to something seemingly innocuous. 

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Actually, there's nothing abnormal about this. I've worked with traumatized populations for a few years now, and somebody as traumatized as Jodie may cry often regardless of what they'e accomplished or been through. Crying is a valid coping mechanism, and physiologically speaking, it's sometimes the best way to deal with things when you're overwhelmed. It might actually surprise you to hear that veterans who've seen combat are perfect examples of this rule. A lot of them are the toughest human beings you'll ever meet, but can often find themselves in tears in response to something seemingly innocuous. 

 

I stand corrected. If PTSD was what Cage was going for, then fair play to him. Its not something you usually see in a game. 

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I stand corrected. If PTSD was what Cage was going for, then fair play to him. Its not something you usually see in a game. 

 

To be fair, PTSD can be really hard to portray in-game. Heck, it's oftentimes hard to properly comprehend in real life! In fairness to developers though, I think that most gamers would rather see their protagonists fighting fifty-foot dinosaurs with chainsaw arms instead of characters dealing with their own demons. After all, most people play games to escape reality - not be reminded of it. Besides, the former usually translates better to gameplay. ;)

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My thoughts (spoilers): I really enjoyed my time with Beyond, mainly because of the characters. It really is a character drama first and foremost, and I felt the game was at its best when it was letting me take part in these often mundane yet very strange and sometimes traumatizing events in this young girl's life. To me the true emotional core of the story is in the relationship between Jodie, Nathan and Cole. I don't know how Cage did this, given the fragmentary plot structure, but by the end you really feel like you've spent the majority of your life with them. To a lesser extent this goes for Aiden as well - I loved all the scenes that portrayed Jodie's love/hate relationship with him. The game is already worth playing if just for these two story arcs. What also surprised me was how incredibly fast the support characters in this game grew on me. The Homeless and Navajo chapters are the perfect example. You've know these characters for only an hour or so but by the end of the chapter, you're completely invested in them. But even in its portrayal of characters, the game isn't perfect. Ryan's character for instance needed more work. I was not a big fan of how the game relentlessly kept trying to convince me that he was Jodie's true love. McGrath on the other hand was a complete caricature.

 

The story stumbled a bit whenever it tried to convey a deeper commentary. The whole government conspiracy plot could've been handled a lot better, I felt. It's exactly in these places that the writing takes a dive, but thankfully, Cage never lets the story become too bloated for too long and keeps it personal and fairly focused throughout.

 

I feel there's no need to talk about the gameplay and graphics too much. The graphics are, as expected, gorgeous. I feel like this might truly be the first game where I completely forgot that these characters weren't human beings. That's of course thanks to the immense talent the cast brought to this project - both Page and Dafoe, and all the supporting actors are truly amazing and their performances are nothing short of wonderful.

 

A vital part of an emotional character driven story like this is of course the score and I'm glad to say that Lorne Balfe has delivered. As much as I sometimes dislike the derivative sound and simplistic composition these pupils of Hans Zimmer have a habit of producing, I have to admit Balfe did a great job especially with the hauntingly beautiful character themes and their variations. The scripted nature of the game also allowed for some truly cinematic integration of the score into the game.

 

The gameplay is what it is, a means to an end. A way to engage the player in a story. To allow him to shape it to his liking - not build it up from the ground - but to deliver the finishing touches. Neither a game, nor a movie, Beyond - like all Quantic Dream stories - is a marriage of both worlds. For people who like gripping and rather intimate character driven stories with a supernatural twist and have an open mind about the way stories are told and experienced, I'd say this is a perfect match.

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  • 2 months later...

I absolutely loved my first playthrough of the game. The story was awesome and Ellen Paige's acting was truly amazing. It does have it's faults but overall it was probably my favorite game I played this year. My second playthrough has gotten a bit bland, but the first playthrough is one of the best total immersions into a game I have ever had

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  • 3 weeks later...
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The story is okay but... Men, I enjoyed more playing Heavy Rain than this. Use the right analog the whole time was a bit... aww... David, please....

I waited for price drop, just 15000 CLP. Very cheap for me.

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  • 2 weeks later...
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The story is a 7/10 for me as it's all over the place and the re play to clean up trophies is grueling for the fact that once beat you can't skip that's the only thing that bothers me with this game is that you can't skip even when you go to re do a chapter... but over all it's enjoyable. 

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