June 2018 Playthrough - Beyond: Two Souls

[singlebanana]

Glad you're joining in.

[douglie007]

I've really enjoyed it so far. On the ps4 you have 2 options to play it Original and Remix. Is everyone doing original?

[singlebanana]

I'm playing on the PS3, so yeah, I assume original.

[Crabmaster2000]

What does everyone think of the non-linear story progression? Can't think of any other games that follow that style of story telling. I find it pretty neat to play through someones life like this. I wonder if they chose to do it story wise from the start or if they broke it up like this during development because maybe playing as a young kid for the first couple hours may not have been as engaging for a lot of players right off the bat.

[Crabmaster2000]

I'm getting close to the end. Should be able to finish it off tonight. Can't wait to discuss the plot and everyone's decisions when the embargo is up.

[singlebanana]

Well, I finally started the game yesterday and I made some great progress.

Spoiler (hover to show)

I'm at the part where the portal has been opened and I'm going through the remains of the research lab. Kids came in and I had to shut it down quickly.

 If you listen to our podcast, you will note that I always have trouble role playing these characters and that I find myself making the types of choices by putting myself in each situation. And I'm kind of doing the same thing with Jodie, but uh..........not with Aiden; I'm a total dick!  It's funny, but I think that my love of horror movies is kind of subconsciously sneaking into my playthrough, and I would definitely call Beyond Two Souls a horror/sci-fi game.  I'm really digging the story right now and I love how it is broken up into parts and jumps around. I've always thought that using this technique is a fantastic way to tell a story and probably remember encountering it for the first time with films like Pulp Fiction and Memento. I'm really dialed in on this story and can't wait to keep playing.

As far as the gameplay is concerned, I'm a little disappointed considering others had told me that the controls improved over Heavy Rain. I'm not finding this to be the case. Though I think that the QTE and action prompts are less intrusive visually, they seem to be more difficult to interact with and sometimes even provide no prompt. There is a particular scene where you are running through a dark forest and I'm pretty sure I hit every damn limb because there are no prompts; you have to choose which direction to move your thumbstick to avoid getting tripped up and I honestly couldn't see anything in enough time to make a suitable response. Same thing with the train scene, I had trouble simply opening doors. I also get turned around and feel underprompted in combat sometimes.  I think it's cool what they are trying to do, but in this case, I feel like less is definitely not more.

I'm getting close to the end. Should be able to finish it off tonight. Can't wait to discuss the plot and everyone's decisions when the embargo is up.

And now I feel like Castro..........

[Crabmaster2000]

Finished it up tonight. Especially eager to talk about the ending once SingleCastro allows us free speech again.....

Memento came to mind immediately for me as well and a few other movies. Can anyone think of another game that has the story progression all over the place time-wise like this? Nothing springs to mind for me.

As for your disappointment with the controls I'm a bit less torn on the subject. If this was any other style of game I'd likely find it infuriating. Areas like the run through the forest at night I LOVE the minimalist and quick reaction approach. I'm Jodie in this scene, I've never been here before, I don't have a light source, I'm disoriented, I'm being hunted, I have a very narrow experience in the world, I'm probably gonna trip over some branches that I can't make out in time or make other poor decisions based on a short reaction time that I would probably make differently in retrospect. There are several combat sections in the game that use the same QTE style of that forest run, but unlike the forest where you have to simply jump or duck you have enemies attacking your and it's not always clear which direction they are striking from or if you should dodge or be offensive. It would feel weird to me if I didn't come out of that combat situation with some cuts and bruises because I'm not Master Chief or the Hero of Hyrule, I'm a young girl with very little combat training who's been able to rely on her attachment to Aiden to solve problems more than her own body in many situations. Yeah I do get frustrated with my performance during these scenes, but isn't that what I should be feeling during/after them? It's almost wrong feeling when you get a trophy for your execution after an area.

I love Heavy Rain a lot, but my biggest problem with it was me. I played it too much like a traditional video game and I feel that tarnished my experience with it. By role playing these types of games to the best of my ability now I feel like I get a lot more out of them. That includes clumsy controls, poor decision making and being ok with the many mistakes I will make during the playthrough. My biggest criticism would be that occasionally (it doesn't happen often) a dialogue option wont have the intended outcome that I thought it would when I selected it. If I intend to show someone I'm angry with them and it comes off as goofy sarcasm or I'm trying to keep some information to myself and my character spits out a few tidbits I find that quite infuriating.

Spoiler (hover to show)

Not sure if it's too late for check points, but there are 4 BIG missions in Beyond so it could be split into 4 weeks like you usually do. Each section up to those is dense in story and would be good stopping points for discussion I think. Could be:
Checkpoint 1 - Condenser
Checkpoint 2 - Navajo
Checkpoint 3 - The Mission
Checkpoint 4 - Epilogue

PS - If anyone has played Detroit yet did you notice a prominent character from the start of Detroit appear midway through Beyond in a small role? I'm not 100% sure, but I'm pretty confident it's the same guy. Is this world building and tying these two games into the same universe or just a fun (or maybe depressing is a better adjective) Quantic Dream easter egg?

[GrayGhost81]

I've really enjoyed it so far. On the ps4 you have 2 options to play it Original and Remix. Is everyone doing original?

I started yesterday and just for sh*ts and giggles I'm going for the remix version. I have played the game before and it was only a couple of years ago so I figured, why not?

[singlebanana]

I'd be curious to hear about the differences

[GrayGhost81]

I'd be curious to hear about the differences

If anyone doesn't know, Remix plays the game in chronological order, as opposed to 'Pulp Fiction' style.

I like it so far. I forgot to mention, I'm trying the same thing as Crabby and going with Aiden the unfriendly ghost and wreaking as much havoc, destruction and pain as I can. However, when given the option to refrain from helping Jodie or rescue her from danger, I cannot bring myself to let her suffer. Isn't that interesting?

[Crabmaster2000]

I'd be curious to hear about the differences

If anyone doesn't know, Remix plays the game in chronological order, as opposed to 'Pulp Fiction' style.

I like it so far. I forgot to mention, I'm trying the same thing as Crabby and going with Aiden the unfriendly ghost and wreaking as much havoc, destruction and pain as I can. However, when given the option to refrain from helping Jodie or rescue her from danger, I cannot bring myself to let her suffer. Isn't that interesting?

Im opting to help Jodie as well. I figure it's self preservation.

[MaterialHandlerMike]

I have been playing this as much as my free time will allow.

Spoiler (hover to show)

Got to the part after you help the Navajo family where you go on a date, but my GF who had watched a play through before, kept on saying how much the guy was a jerk, so I turned it off.

[singlebanana]

Well, I finished the game last night.  I'm really excited to talk about my playthrough and discuss my ending with all of you, but I'll hold all of that in until the 25th.    Best to everyone approaching the finish line!

[Crabmaster2000]

The wait to talk it killing me! I'm hoping I can still remember everything I wanted to say by the 25th.

[singlebanana]

**SPOILERS BELOW - DO NOT READ THREAD PAST THIS POINT IF YOU DO NOT WANT ANY OF THE GAME SPOILED!**