One of the game's points of differentiation is the ability of Jodie to transition into "Aiden" mode. When she does this she can disassociate from her body, and move freely in the 3D space, passing through people, walls, and any other barriers.
But once again, the number of items you are able to move is strictly limited, and each is heavily labelled to show that you can. When you have to move a particular object in a particular way (throw a desk though a window) you are set up in position as soon as you "lock on" to the object, so an opportunity for a puzzle aspect has been missed.
Rather than taking part in the game, the player feels as if they are being dragged through it as a semi interactive spectator. It's a long, drawn out cutscene where you are occasionally requested to press a button. Sometime you must press it repeatedly, sometimes you must hold it down.
There are even times when you must press several buttons in a row. The penalty for not pressing the correct button, for the right amount of time, or as many times and as quickly as possible, is that you might have to do it again, and again, until you get it right.
It's said that Beyond: Two Souls has 22 different endings, so there is a point, certainly, where your actions will begin to have consequences.
In Quantic Dream's previous title, Heavy Rain - this did not happen until around two thirds of the way through the game. I personally do not believe you should have to endure two thirds of a game to enjoy the final third.
Not that ‘endure’ is entirely the correct word for Beyond: Two Souls. It's not an ordeal.
If this is the future of video gaming, I going to give it up for a more interesting hobby. Maybe stamp collecting.
+ Looks beautiful
+ Involved and interesting plot
+ Quality voice acting
Cons
- Uninvolving
- Control method cues inconsistent
- Feeling of inevitability, no influence on events
SPOnGScore: 3/5
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Comments
joseph blower 12 Oct 2013 09:11
1/1
Your mileage may vary, but for me, the game is transcendent.
It transcends both video games and movies to become something greater than either medium would ever be by themselves. I'm an avid gamer (I have 400+ Steam games, 400+ iOS games, and 100+ console games). Yet--to speak for myself--*I* found this game far more moving, thought-provoking, meaningful, and entertaining than many other games (including Super Mario Galaxy 1-2, Grand Theft Auto 4-5, The Last of Us, and others).
I can only compare it to Heavy Rain, The Walking Dead, or the Metal Gear Solid series: deep rich stories that have themes and messages that convey something of lasting meaning; something beyond the mindless (but fun) shooting and platforming of other titles.
I will remember this game for years to come. There are few works of fiction of any medium for which I can say the same.
If you like a rich deep story line and don't care about a lack of "agency" (it's always illusory in video games, anyway--there are always incredibly restrictive rules on game play), then this is *the* game of the seventh generation. The comparably minor errors in execution and direction can be ignored, when viewed in light of the whole.
Indeed, the question of whether this qualifies as a game is, like Dear Ester, a largely irrelevant and pedantic: It entertains. It provokes thought. It is emotionally moving. And it illustrates that games--like cinema or literature--can be taken seriously as a medium to both entertain and enlighten.
If judged solely as a film, or only as a game, I can understand the bad scores, but when you combine them, I think the effect is unique and something we need to see more of. It seems to me that most reviewers of this game have profoundly and tragically missed the point.
It transcends both video games and movies to become something greater than either medium would ever be by themselves. I'm an avid gamer (I have 400+ Steam games, 400+ iOS games, and 100+ console games). Yet--to speak for myself--*I* found this game far more moving, thought-provoking, meaningful, and entertaining than many other games (including Super Mario Galaxy 1-2, Grand Theft Auto 4-5, The Last of Us, and others).
I can only compare it to Heavy Rain, The Walking Dead, or the Metal Gear Solid series: deep rich stories that have themes and messages that convey something of lasting meaning; something beyond the mindless (but fun) shooting and platforming of other titles.
I will remember this game for years to come. There are few works of fiction of any medium for which I can say the same.
If you like a rich deep story line and don't care about a lack of "agency" (it's always illusory in video games, anyway--there are always incredibly restrictive rules on game play), then this is *the* game of the seventh generation. The comparably minor errors in execution and direction can be ignored, when viewed in light of the whole.
Indeed, the question of whether this qualifies as a game is, like Dear Ester, a largely irrelevant and pedantic: It entertains. It provokes thought. It is emotionally moving. And it illustrates that games--like cinema or literature--can be taken seriously as a medium to both entertain and enlighten.
If judged solely as a film, or only as a game, I can understand the bad scores, but when you combine them, I think the effect is unique and something we need to see more of. It seems to me that most reviewers of this game have profoundly and tragically missed the point.