We reviewed Beyond Two Souls

Driftwood
Tuesday, October 8, 2013 | 5:00 PM
45 comments

GSY Review PS3

Last week, the premiere of Beyond: Two Souls, Quantic Dream's latest title, took place in Paris, something which doesn't happen much in the video game industry. David Cage and his team were accompanied by Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe and it was a pretty great evening. A day before the official release of the game, it is now time to find out what Gamersyde thought about it, in the translated verdict of our review.

Verdict

When all is said and done, Beyond: Two Souls is for us a case of love at first sight, no less. As subjective as it may be, David Cage's new game is clearly among the best experiences we've had this generation, giving the Playstation 3 another jewel for the players to cherish. As imperfect as the game is, it does everything so much better than Heavy Rain that those of you who enjoyed Quantic Dream's previous title should be pretty happy. Whether in terms of storytelling, plot, graphics (we've never seen in-game characters who look so real before) or even gameplay mechanics, Beyond improves over everything the studio has ever done before. There are obviously some flaws, which we've chosen not to mention as they were very minor to us, but at the end of the day, the time we have spent with Jodie Holmes will remain in our memory for a long time, if not forever. Some hardcore gamers probably won't embrace Cage's vision, which we think is normal considering that appealing to everyone is close to impossible these days - after all, not all gamers like car racing titles or RTS, however good they may be. That being said, if you have an open mind and accept to embark upon Jodie's journey, there is little chance you will be disappointed by what Beyond has to offer. Take your time, let yourself be carried away and overwhelmed by your emotions. Quantic Dream's new creation is about the choices you make, the paths you take, and they will differ from your friends' on a more or less important level. To sum up, Beyond is another proof that the legacy the PS3 is leaving to its little sister is of great value and it holds the promise of even richer tomorrows in terms of gaming experiences. What more could we possibly ask for?

Note:

• For obvious reasons, Beyond is a game better played than watched, so although none of videos will spoil you anything, we believe that they can never convey the right sense of involvement. We still wanted to show you a few extracts because we wanted you to realize the amount of work that has been achieved here. It is however quite obvious that it is best not to watch so you can experience everything as a player - and actor -, and not just as a mere spectator.

Téléchargement

Commented on 2013-10-08 17:22:54

Cheers for this. The game seems to be getting reviewed very divisively but, to be honest, I am much more interested in this than the endless stream of tedious shooters and f2ps that are becoming the norm.

In reply to

b0vril

Commented on 2013-10-08 17:34:58

I'll hopefully be getting a PS3 next month & I am defiantly interested in playing this.

KORNdog

Commented on 2013-10-08 17:44:15

getting massively split reviews, but given the nature of the title, i expected no less. i really liked the demo (which i told myself i would not play, but did anyway) and i'm looking forward to playing it come friday. i have a feeling i won't enjoy it quite as much as heavy rain though, but who knows.

gonzax

Commented on 2013-10-08 17:56:30

I thought Fahrenheit and Heavy Rain were two masterpieces so this is a day-one buy for me. Anyway, I loved reading your review after seeing so many poor scores on the net. Not that I care, I still cant wait to play it.

_killzone_

Commented on 2013-10-08 18:04:21

Nice graphics. I really wanted to get this but have too many other games that I need to play. I have stopped caring about reviews, sales but I guess these things matter for popularity, success of a game these days.

GangStarr

Commented on 2013-10-08 18:25:31

played the demo, gameplay was nowhere near as immersive as heavy rain. the fact all you need to do is move the analog towards where Jodie is attacking/defending is extremely dull and lazy. Heavy rain didnt exactly have deep gameplay but the gameplays were immersive in that it usually wanted you to re-enact the action the character was doing through your controller

my bro is buying it but i wont, i will wait till he is done or watch a playthrough on youtube

Nietzsche

Commented on 2013-10-08 18:44:01

I never planned on buying this (never cared for Fahrenheit or heavy rain) but I am still surprised by how poor it's metacritic score is). Ign seemed to think the story was too muddled so I'm guessing this isn't for me but I'm tempted to at least rent it as I love the graphics and artistic direction of the game. I was hoping for better reviews but the review here makes it tempting to rent.

Xoar

Commented on 2013-10-08 19:06:49 In reply to KORNdog

Posted by KORNdog

Been getting pretty poor reviews compared to Heavy Rain which deservedly got great reviews. Shame as this was my swansong on PS3...Now it's a rent only.

Driftwood

Commented on 2013-10-08 19:25:18 In reply to Xoar

Oddly enough, the game and its story are much more solid than Heavy Rain. Reviewers...

This message and account have been deleted at the user's request

lara

Commented on 2013-10-08 21:43:28

this is the end of reality.

docLEXfisti

Commented on 2013-10-08 22:50:10

BIG fan of David Cage since The Nomad Soul and was very looking forward to this game - but though it's looking better than Heavy Rain I cannot get aquainted with the story and it's "features"or the female main-character after playing the demo ... will buy it used, a first time for a Quantic Dreams title for me

PS: PS3 is out of this world with [mostly] the textures in this game, the system really shines bright at the last miles

CloudXIV

Commented on 2013-10-08 23:26:28

People here talk about Heavy Rain like it was a good game and had a story that wasn't a complete and inconsistent disaster filled with plotholes and scenes as emotional as Kirsten Stewart's acting. I was excited for Heavy Rain and bought the game day one, but it was a huge disappoitment. And I mean HUGE. I'm gonna stay clear from any game that has David Cage's name near it. Maybe it would've turned out better for Quantic Dream if they hired someone who can write a half decent story.

FunkYellowMonkey

Commented on 2013-10-08 23:28:14

lol looking @ lara and doclexfisti avatar, looks like one whole body! lol

Megido

Commented on 2013-10-08 23:51:29

So is there any actual gameplay in this one, or is it still Dance Dance Revolution with a movie playing in the background?

Commented on 2013-10-08 23:56:03 In reply to Megido

Posted by Megido

Play the demo and find out, it's what it's there for.

Commented on 2013-10-09 00:18:09

Can't be arsed to plug the ps3 in, and i don't have any space on the drive :P

Commented on 2013-10-09 00:22:52 In reply to Megido

Then maybe quit with the pedantic questions? :P

Loakum

Commented on 2013-10-09 08:32:58

I'm playing it now, and it's awesome! I hope to beat Beyond Two Souls and GTAV by the time next gen consoles are released next month. Beyond Two Souls is like Heavy Rain, it's not for everyone, but for those who love HR's type of gameplay, will definitely love Two Souls! The graphics looks next gen before next gen! I'm having a sadistic pleasure making "Aden" run amuck!

(btw, I'm just on 20% in GTAV)

munkini

Commented on 2013-10-09 10:40:04

Boring shit and nothing in terms of the evolution of games, we don't need to go LESS interactive.

Cage is barking up the wrong tree and exploring territory that was played out in the 90's.

Commented on 2013-10-09 12:34:14 In reply to KORNdog

Did i strike a nerve mayhap?

I'm literally just asking if it's Cage as usual or if he's made an effort to, you know, actually make a game this time. Is that so hard to just answer? I mean if it is still just a glorified Dragons Lair then i'm not that interested, where as if there is actually gameplay in it this time then that might be a reason for me to give it a go.

Commented on 2013-10-09 12:56:10 In reply to Megido

Did i strike a nerve mayhap?

not really, no. but you have a means to answer your own question with first hand experience, rather then second hand opinion... yet you're not willing to bother, suggesting you don't actually care what the game is like, but instead want to make snarky comments based on your blind hatred for david cage. but whatever, carry on. :P

Posted by munkini

Boring shit and nothing in terms of the evolution of games

This is hugely ironic given the fact you recently defended call of duty.

Sath

Commented on 2013-10-09 13:17:44

From what i seen from the "game" this is another interactive movie with alot of button prompts and cutscenes from start to finish with slight full character control, basically Heavy Rain in a new franchise, nothing changed.

GFreeman

Commented on 2013-10-09 13:59:01 In reply to Sath

Posted by Sath

Can pretty much say that about any genre of game though.