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Preview -- Beyond: Two Souls

Older gamers will likely remember the developer Quantic Dream, the team behind such memorable classics as Omikron: The Nomad Soul, Indigo Prophecy (or Fahrenheit as it was known elsewhere in the world) and Heavy Rain. This generation, Quantic Dream has only released one game: the aforementioned PlayStation 3 exclusive Heavy Rain, which was met with great enthusiasm and review scores. It is no surprise then that Quantic Dream's next title, Beyond: Two Souls, is also a PlayStation 3 exclusive.

Even though it was officially announced at E3, David Cage, the head of Quantic Dream, had already made mention of the fact that his team had a PlayStation 3 exclusive to unveil at the show. When Sony allotted Quantic Dream a segment of their E3 2012 press conference, gamers everywhere knew they were in for something special and Beyond: Two Souls did not disappoint.

Not much is known about the game's story, though what we do know is reminiscent of the Quantic Dream style of storytelling. The game follows Jodie Holmes through the first 15 years of her life; however, unlike a normal girl, Jodie Holmes finds herself hunted by government forces due to her strange abilities. Jodie shares a link with a mysterious spirit named Aidan who not only protects her from harm but also endows her with great powers. Much like Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls promises a deep story that explores themes not often seen in video games today such as death and the afterlife.

It is no surprise that with a premise such as this David Cage has promised that Beyond: Two Souls will be Quantic Dream's most action-heavy game to date. While the exploration segments of Heavy Rain are still present, expect Beyond: Two Souls to move at a much quicker pace.

The graphics engine is similar to Heavy Rain as well; while the graphics are an improvement over Quantic Dream's previous efforts, the grim and gritty graphics style that served Heavy Rain so well has returned for Beyond: Two Souls. Of special note is the facial animation, rivaling other games lauded for their facial animations such as L.A Noire; this is due to the proprietary motion capture software than Quantic Dream is utilizing for the game.

Preview -- Beyond: Two Souls The control system will be very familiar to anyone who has played Heavy Rain as well. Beyond: Two Souls, much like Heavy Rain before it, will take advantage of the motion sensing SixAxis capabilities of the PlayStation 3 controller, requiring the player to move the controller in time with certain motions. Beyond: Two Souls will also support the PlayStation Move, much like its predecessor.

Fans of Heavy Rain know that the outcomes of your actions and whether you succeed or fail a quick time event can drastically change the events of the game, including the ending. Quantic Dream promises that feature will return with Beyond: Two Souls, increasing the replayability of the game and allowing gamers to receive a personalized story based on their actions. David Cage also states that multiple solutions are present for every outcome, further increasing the personalization and replayability Beyond: Two Souls offers.

Astute gamers may sense a familiarity within main character Jodie Holmes; this is due to her voice actor, Ellen Page. Starring in such films as X-Men: The Last Stand, Juno and Inception, Page is lending not only her voice to Beyond: Two Souls but her likeness as well. However, Page has gone one step further and portrays her character via motion capture, leading to a lifelike quality that far surpasses any game we have yet to see.

If you have not already watched the E3 2012 trailer for Beyond: Two Souls, prepare to be blown away. No release date is available just yet for the game; however, many gamers are thinking it is coming in 2013 due to the lack of information. Beyond: Two Souls could very well be one of the last PlayStation 3 games released, ensuring the PS3 goes out with a bang. With games such as Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls, we can only hope that Quantic Dream continues their Sony exclusivity in the future with the PlayStation 4.

Article by - Joshua Phillips
Insert Date: 07/02/2012

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