• 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 - Review Thread

C

codhand

Member
it sounds like the writing is about what we can expect for the time being, until more funding is available to dedicate to a script.

if beyond is like heavy rain, i will probably enjoy it.


fortunately, for my gaming habits, i tend to judge writing on a biased, video game scale, not a filmic or academic scale,

i found gta4's writing to be annoying and juvenile, but that's one of my favorite games of all time
 
D

Dabanton

Member
Lime said:
It's incredibly sad to see a creative chance with a large financial backing behind it like this fail in one of its most important and crucial aspects, namely its writing.

The developers are given the extremely lucky and almost unattainable privilege to develop a game that emphasizes its narrative along with high production values and marketing, yet the developers in question *once again* fumble with the opportunity because of a lack of talent and critical approach to their work.

It's very sad to see (not that I didn't expect it).
Click to expand...

It's damm near shocking. How the hell does Cage's writing even pass muster at QD?

Technologically QD are amazing but the writing is Z- Level. And despite him once again saying the next game will be different I bet he'll worm his way into doing a bulk of the writing again.

He can't help himself.
 
H

hedmunky84

Member
All I have to say about reviews is that they are opinions. One cannot decide to buy or not buy a game based on 1 review. You need to check out every review out there to get the likes and dislikes of each reviewer and form your own opinion a.k.a review. If your still on the fence about buying a certain game, just rent it. I personally bought Beyond cause I love Mr. Cage's work and I give Beyond 8.75/10 or 4.5*/5*. Its not perfect, but I really enjoy it.
 
C

codhand

Member
dalenorth Mod
• a day ago

Me? I was fully entertained. While I'm completely in line with Jim's feelings on Aiden's limited usability with his points on how he's only really useful when prompted, neither had me throwing my hands up in distaste. I was never anything other than fully engaged.

The story is not fantastic, but unlike Jim, I think some of the performances are. Now that I've finished it I can look back and realize that Cage only grazed the potential for this supermatural/experiments type story, but I don't think it's as hollow as Jim feels it was.

Not everyone is going to love the game's world interaction system, which usually has you moving the right analog stick in a way that would mimic what the player needs to be doing. I found it to be agreeable, and far better than simply pushing X to see what would happen next. Lots of games these days have cinematic events where you do nothing but watch. Beyond gives you something to do, and sometimes its pretty creative.

For the quicktime events, well, I didn't hate them. The action in this game is made up of multiple paths of short scenes that you have some control over. So while you may not be, say, directly controlling Jodie's leg in a kick, you are required to stick in the proper direction to get the scene to go the way it should. There are scenes that use this to great effect, really pulling you into the action. Even without direct control, the play here is still engaging.

The huge issue people will have will revolve around wether your actions/choices/command inputs have consequences. You'd have to play the game more than once to find this out. I think I lived through times where I should have died, or made it through something I thought I shouldn't have. While the old-school gamer in me might find that a bit weird, I think that getting hung up on that really shouldn't matter in the end.

What matters is that I enjoyed Beyond: Two Souls. Different, certainly not perfect, but for most of my play-through I was totally engrossed, and I came away fully pleased that I put the time into it.

Just another opinion! Dont' hate me, Jim ;)
Click to expand...
.

Found this in the comments of Jim Sterling's review.
 
M

maomaoIYP

Member
Lime said:
It's incredibly sad to see a creative chance with a large financial backing behind it like this fail in one of its most important and crucial aspects, namely its writing.

The developers are given the extremely lucky and almost unattainable privilege to develop a game that emphasizes its narrative along with high production values and marketing, yet the developers in question *once again* fumble with the opportunity because of a lack of talent and critical approach to their work.

It's very sad to see (not that I didn't expect it).
Click to expand...

David Cage has never been a particularly competent writer despite giving lots of interviews which led most people to think otherwise. Both Indigo Prophecy and Heavy Rain had really bad writing, I'm just glad that more people are calling him out for it.
 
C

cascardian

Member
Lime said:
It's incredibly sad to see a creative chance with a large financial backing behind it like this fail in one of its most important and crucial aspects, namely its writing.

The developers are given the extremely lucky and almost unattainable privilege to develop a game that emphasizes its narrative along with high production values and marketing, yet the developers in question *once again* fumble with the opportunity because of a lack of talent and critical approach to their work.

It's very sad to see (not that I didn't expect it).
Click to expand...

Having just finished the game at a friend's house, this comment nails it the most. The writing is unmistakably David Cage's. It's not even completely bad. It is the flashes of brilliance that surround the mediocre-to-bad storytelling that make it so frustrating. In general, it's all over the map, but even from a sentence-to-sentence point of view it can be wildly inconsistent, which is baffling while you're playing it, because it catches your willingness to suspend your disbelief off-guard.

In some way (and this is going to sound very weird), Cage's writing reminds me of the first two seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation in the awkwardness of some of the lines and the pacing overall. I believe the perfect word for the entire thing would probably be sophomoric.
 
B

Buzzman

Banned
LRKoxfo.png
Click to expand...
what
 
Vire

Vire

Member
Lime said:
It's incredibly sad to see a creative chance with a large financial backing behind it like this fail in one of its most important and crucial aspects, namely its writing.

The developers are given the extremely lucky and almost unattainable privilege to develop a game that emphasizes its narrative along with high production values and marketing, yet the developers in question *once again* fumble with the opportunity because of a lack of talent and critical approach to their work.

It's very sad to see (not that I didn't expect it).
Click to expand...

I thought both Dark Sorcerer and Kara were brilliant, but stretching out his ideas over the course of a full game really shows his weaknesses. The flashes of brilliance makes it all the more frustrating.

Hopefully Cage can put aside his ego and hire a group of veteran writers to help him write the script of the next game. It's a shame that the rest of Quantic Dream almost go to waste, because they are so immensely talented in their visual design, audio, and technical prowess.
 
K

kqgaming

Banned
after reading the Foxconn news related to PS4 i think people should stop criticizing this game



we are living in a "" first world problems "" bubble
 
Vire

Vire

Member
BabySlayer said:
so is this not worth the $60?
Click to expand...

Did you really like Heavy Rain and would you like to continue to support this style of game? If so, then by all means go right ahead and get it.

If you are on the fence, try out the demo and see if it's your style, just know the story gets pretty fucking silly... couldn't hurt to wait for an impending price drop with next gen coming and all though.
 
F

Faustek

Member
Just thought of an idea, perhaps it will cause too much of a shitstorm, giving more fodder to the haters but I would find it interesting.
But wouldn't it be interesting that in addition to this list add if the reviewer was female or male? Always wondered if it really was a difference between the sexes when it comes to these "non-games"(I think it's a game and I'm certain I will enjoy more of QD's work come PS4). Or if it will be as mixed as the reviews themselves.
 
R

robertsan21

Member
They got the chance of creating something great but fumbled with the poorly written script.

Sad to see :(

So far the only studio capable of producing super high quality games with good written script and dialog is Naughty dog. They always deliver.
 
Yoshichan

Yoshichan

And they made him a Lord of Cinder. Not for virtue, but for might. Such is a lord, I suppose. But here I ask. Do we have a sodding chance?
So the acting is top notch but the script is bad this time around?
 
K

KHlover

Banned
kqgaming said:
after reading the Foxconn news related to PS4 i think people should stop criticizing this game



we are living in a "" first world problems "" bubble
Click to expand...

We're on a video games forum. Visit Amnesty International if you want to discuss the Foxconn incident (or simply the thread here on NeoGAF). This thread is about Beyond: 2S and for my entertainment as a passive reader I'd like it to stay like that.
 
L

LordJim

Member
Stealthcobra said:
The game is pretty awesome to me.. If you're looking for pulitzer level writing that's you're first mistake. Its a frickin video game
Click to expand...

And there have been games with a better story and characterization. Lots of them.

If Cage stopped writing plots with the 'I will stick everything cool I saw in various movies in a single game, no matter how well it meshes plus mundane human activities you have to manually control' approach, less people would think it's cringeworthy.
 
B

Billen

Banned
I have only tried the demo. Based on my experiences with it, I wouldn't buy the game. Too much guessing where to activate the controls, just looking for blips to telekinect (yes) etc. During the motorcycle sequence it felt like I was playing Full Throttle, without the humor.

I think the game could be a fantastic experience story-wise, but the game play felt lacking.
 
T

The Smoking Bun

Banned
I have not finished the game,
doing The Condenser
but I really loved the CIA training chapter. Anyone wished they went more in the direction of Jason Bourne meets Chronicle with a dash of Resident Evil as opposed Oscar Bait lifetime movie with non-stop kick the dog moments?

Also, melee combat idea, L1 & R1 for fists, L2 & R2 for legs, left stick for movement and dodge, right stick for attack direction. Click both sticks for finisher. Thoughts?
 
Z

zackmorris

Member
BabySlayer said:
so is this not worth the $60?
Click to expand...
I guess that's a matter of opinion. I would say that the game is good enough to spend 60 dollars on. But if you're comparing value to other games, then it may not be. To me the biggest negative I have read about this game is that no one really seems compelled to play through again and see what impact alternate choices would have, which is usually what drives a game like this.
 
D

dragonbane

Member
KHlover said:
Well, the story kinda was supposed to be on movie level, though. Why do you think they hired Oscar-winning actors for this game?
Click to expand...
Not it wasn't. A 8-12 hour game can never be compared to a movie.


Yoshichan said:
So the acting is top notch but the script is bad this time around?
Click to expand...
Depends on who you ask. I think the main story is kinda superfluous and the rest of the script (dialogue, characters) is excellent.
 
F

Fabrik

Banned
ComputerMKII said:
http://leplus.nouvelobs.com/contrib...-francais-a-enfin-son-nanar-hollywoodien.html "sleep-inducing"
Click to expand...

Nanar hollywoodien, lol. Shame this review is in French, it's really funny. And made me discover the interactive game "Time Gal".
He has a point thought, whether you like it or not, with all the seriousness, pretentiousness, pushing the industry forward comments from David Cage, in the end, his games have not evolved from Dragon's Lair or Road Avenger, it's just more "emotional" (TM) and with a more sophisticated tear rendering technology. The only interesting and redeeming aspect of those games is the illusion of choice, what would YOU do in that situation, but apparently Beyond Two Souls even fails at that. The rest is fluff and all the drama it presents would be better communicated in a movie.
 
H

HeelPower

Member
Lime said:
It's incredibly sad to see a creative chance with a large financial backing behind it like this fail in one of its most important and crucial aspects, namely its writing.

The developers are given the extremely lucky and almost unattainable privilege to develop a game that emphasizes its narrative along with high production values and marketing, yet the developers in question *once again* fumble with the opportunity because of a lack of talent and critical approach to their work.

It's very sad to see (not that I didn't expect it).
Click to expand...

not to mention the oscar nominated talent that is page and dafo.

Failure all around to be honest.A step back from heavy rain even.
 
S

something fishy

Member
Stealthcobra said:
The game is pretty awesome to me.. If you're looking for pulitzer level writing that's you're first mistake. Its a frickin video game
Click to expand...

That's the problem, it's a video game where the game aspects have been paired right back in favour of narrative and characters to create an interactive movie.

the concept falls apart if the story is bad.
 
T

The Smoking Bun

Banned
something fishy said:
That's the problem, it's a video game where the game aspects have been paired right back in favour of narrative and characters to create an interactive movie.

the concept falls apart if the story is bad.
Click to expand...

Ironically, two very conventional games this year have had a more compelling and better told narrative than this game whose entire point is to be purely narrative focussed.
 
D

Derrick01

Banned
BabySlayer said:
so is this not worth the $60?
Click to expand...

Even if the writing in this was phenomenal it's hard to justify $60 for what's basically a 1 time, 8-10 hour experience. Yeah there may be other endings and similar choose your own adventure situations but for the most part it's like a movie, you've seen the story and it's disposable now.
 
dugdug

dugdug

Banned
I think, generally speaking, people are a bit too hard on Cage's writing abilities. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's clear that he has some serious flaws in ability. And, more than most writers in the industry, the guy desperately needs an editor.

But, most of the time, I think his writing is serviceable to decent. There are some genuinely affecting moments in Beyond, if you don't go in looking to just rip everything up and find stuff to hate or laugh at. The dialogue works most of the time. And for the moments that don't, Page and Dafoe make them work.

I get that, for your money, you should expect good writing. Especially, since QD's games rely so heavily on it. But, I'd argue that, if you took a look at it, 95% of games have bad writing. We get (maybe) 2 or 3 games a year that have stories that could stack up against other mediums, IMO. Even some of the greatest games have shit stories (MGS, for instance). At the very least, I do feel Cage is trying, and, I can appreciate that, even in the moments where I'm wincing at the screen, or laughing unintentionally.
 
A

AkuMifune

Banned
There have been some cringe worthy parts already, but overall I'm enjoying the story and there are some really interesting bits as well.

The dynamic of switching to Aiden and the freedom you can feel, even early in the experiment room while also experiencing how powerless Jodie is, pretty cool. Definitely something that could only be in a game. And definitely something that watching it alone wouldn't convey. So suck it.

The only issue I have is with the no chronological order, not because I don't like it, but Ellen page looks the same at 4 as she does at 24. Hard to tell when I am sometimes.

Hope Cage continues to be able to create interesting games. And I hope people keep complaining. Its the best.
 
T

Tohsaka

Member
BabySlayer said:
so is this not worth the $60?
Click to expand...
I thought it was absolutely worth it.

Derrick01 said:
Even if the writing in this was phenomenal it's hard to justify $60 for what's basically a 1 time, 8-10 hour experience. Yeah there may be other endings and similar choose your own adventure situations but for the most part it's like a movie, you've seen the story and it's disposable now.
Click to expand...

I don't replay 95% of games regardless of quality, so that doesn't really matter to me. Unless I really like a game I don't touch it again after I finish it. I'd rather play something new instead.
 
E

equippedwithtowel

Member
toddhunter said:
What I disagree with is that there isn't quality content in HR and (based on the demo) Beyond. What Cage does do extremely well in my opinion is emotion. In fact, I can't really think of any games that do it better.
Click to expand...

Putting aside the ridiculousness of this statement considering the near limitless definition of emotional responses limiting the term to what I assume you're referring to; this is still a statement from ignorance.

I terms of invoking an emotional response "antiquated" games such as Wind Waker or Shadow of the Colossus mange to emotionally involve me more in the experiance not because of their ability to depict human emotion but in how they manage to take very simplistic (yet charged) narratives and combine them with striking visuals and memorable music.

Beyond (pun intended?) any discussion about gameplay, I'll take one of the aforementioned games on the merit of their "emotional" elements over the hollow human drama QD is offering.
 
mekes

mekes

Member
I don't like
how the game is paced in the first 3 hours or so. I'm fed up of moving from young Jodie, to teen Jodie to adult Jodie. It is seriously impacting certain scenes as I don't really know how to feel about most of the characters yet.
I feel that this is a really bad problem to have for what this game is trying to achieve.

Loved Heavy Rain, but things would have to change quite dramatically for me to feel the same about this game. So far it is more of a chore than entertainment. Entertainment is there, but it is so fleeting it ends up feeling more like a frustration when a scene is over and done with.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

SaGa Emerald Beyond | Review Thread
Opinion Analysis Review
13
1K
Thick Thighs Save Lives replied
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake | Review Thread
Analysis Review
10
1K
Magic Carpet replied
Homeworld 3 | Review Thread
Analysis Review
20
1K
P:axMagellanic replied
Little Goody Two Shoes | Review Thread
Analysis Review
29
3K
PanzerCute replied
Endless Ocean Luminous | Review Thread
Analysis Review
32
2K
kunonabi replied
Top Bottom