Check out our Beyond Two Souls Review. The cinematic experience brought to gaming?
It is no secret what David Cage was after with this game. An interactive movie of sorts, using established actors/actresses, and to deliver another acclaimed first party exclusive to Sony. Did they deliver? Yes in my opinion.
Beyond: Two Souls feels like a new genre of game. I also believe that the intention was to create something accessible to a wider audience. More on that later, let’s start with the basics first.
Story:
Two Souls follows the life of Jodie Holmes and an entity known as Aiden. Some of the moments in the game (no spoilers) are genuinely emotional, infuriating and most of all heart felt. The motion capture technology is used to maximum effect and enhances the storyline via quality performances. I played the game for four days and always wanted to know more about the storyline; the short bursts the story is told in is ideal for those who want to chip away at the game over a few days. After all the game only lasts roughly 11 hours.
Gameplay:
Lots will make the argument that Beyond: Two Souls is an interactive drama and not so much a game. To those people I say this: What is a game? Can we not have games like this that try different things. Sure, I’ll admit at times the gameplay can be a bit auto-pilot. But the PS3 exclusive also has some truly amazing set-pieces that succeed as a game and would not look out of place in a movie.
While choices don’t feel like they play as important a role as say Dragon Age they do play a big part in the game. While playing you will be presented with multiple choices for your actions. Such as what to say, how to execute a mission, and more. This was quite effective, I felt like some of my choices were made in the heat of the moment and changing them wasn’t an option. Choice games are much more enjoyable when you don’t chicken out on choices!
For part of the game I used an android phone as a controller and found it to be very interesting, easy to use and great for a casual experience. I believe that this was a preview of what some next gen games may offer. The ability to play on a mobile phone may be the barrier break console gaming needs. FYI: The gameplay is slightly altered, Aiden doesn’t appear to free roam, to be more phone friendly. Honestly, I found the action scenes too easy using a phone. Keep that in mind if you want the game to be as challenging as possible.
Graphics:
Another equally impressive feat of the game was the amazing graphics. Keep in mind this is a PS3 game running on outdated technology, technology that still can perform to this level, and really shouldn’t look this good. The photo realistic graphics really sell the quality of the story.
Overall:
Beyond: Two Souls should be praised for it’s bold design decisions that really do create their own genre. Sure, the game did feel a bit too easy and at times not like a traditional game, but so what? The gaming world needs more people like David Cage taking risks and presenting new ways of playing games. The use of a phone as a controller on a console was great, the motion capture was brilliant and the storyline was emotional. Go out and buy this game if you want to try something a bit different.
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