Beyond: Two Souls Review

In the game industry it is typically the norm for people to follow what the major review websites say without trying the game for themselves. Many an internet traveller complained about Mass Effect 3's ending without having even played the game and this is becoming increasing common on message board and video reviews.

Of course there are some truths to the statements made by the masses but they usually stay firm, unwavering in their opinion. Take Call of Duty as an example - I have played all of the games in the series and enjoyed them, personally finding the fourth game in the series, Modern Warfare, to be the pinnacle. The formula of the following games were very staid in their approach but Black Ops 2 was a lot better than it's predecessors. Still, whilst this new game was good, and in fact even if it had been even better, I am certain the overall internet attitude towards it would have still remained negative, simply for the fact that in society Call of Duty has a bad name now - at least to vocal gamers... it still sells massive amounts!

Beyond: Two Souls is far better than Heavy Rain in every respect - be it controls, graphics, or story! However, Quantic Dream's previous game, Heavy Rain, was looked down upon by gamers (who probably never played it) as a sequence of quick time events, which drastically reduced it's sales. I sure hope people give Beyond a chance and don't just relegate it to "Heavy Rain Redux."

The point is: from other reviews of Beyond I have seen on IGN and Gametrailers, they don't seem to want to "risk" giving it anything higher than a 6 or 7.2 due to the notion that all of David Cage's games are not typical "games" and as such should be avoided. Much like film or literature there is, sure, a pattern to be found in the way they are experienced linearly, but who is to say this is worse than an open world game such as Skyrim (which also has a linear main story!)? Assigning scores is also difficult as something more linear such as Beyond: Two Souls affects people differently. Really the score should be ignored and a qualitative opinion should be made.

Having played through Beyond and revisited it I have noticed there to be a great deal of replay value for the completionist, but even if you only play the game through once it is an unforgettable experience well worth the asking price of admission. Isn't that what makes a game good? The overall satisfaction with the experience and not which buttons we pressed to achieve the "end game?!" Why do we discriminate by giving good reviews to big open world games and not appreciating equally enthralling (in my opinion more so) linear experiences like Heavy Rain or Beyond: Two Souls? Yes, the story could use a little work but the saying "it's the journey that counts" applies heavily to Beyond. Give it a go and decide for yourself if you liked it without becoming a sheep! :P In comparison to the other reviews out there here is my Beyond: Two Souls Review.