@PieSnatcher @Skakruk I'm different from you. I consider myself a hardcore gamer, but I enjoyed Beyond far more than TLOU (or, for that matter Super Mario Galaxy 1-2, The Walking Dead, GTA6, the Nathan Drake games, etc.)
@marthead Normally I'd agree with you. But for me the game was meaningful enough that an attack upon it seems like an attack upon most of the things that make life worthwhile (silly though that may sound).
Your mileage may vary, but for me, the game is transcendent.
It transcends both video games and movies to become something greater than either medium would ever be by themselves. I'm an avid gamer (I have 400+ Steam games, 400+ iOS games, and 100+ console games). Yet--to speak for myself--*I* found this game far more moving, thought-provoking, meaningful, and entertaining than many other games (including Super Mario Galaxy 1-2, Grand Theft Auto 4-5, The Last of Us, and others).
I can only compare it to Heavy Rain, The Walking Dead, or the Metal Gear Solid series: deep rich stories that have themes and messages that convey something of lasting meaning; something beyond the mindless (but fun) shooting and platforming of other titles.
I will remember this game for years to come. There are few works of fiction of any medium for which I can say the same.
If you like a rich deep story line and don't care about a lack of "agency" (it's always illusory in video games, anyway--there are always incredibly restrictive rules on game play), then this is *the* game of the seventh generation. The comparably minor errors in execution and direction can be ignored, when viewed in light of the whole.
Indeed, the question of whether this qualifies as a game is, like Dear Ester, a largely irrelevant and pedantic: It entertains. It provokes thought. It is emotionally moving. And it illustrates that games--like cinema or literature--can be taken seriously as a medium to both entertain and enlighten.
It seems to me that most reviewers of this game have profoundly and tragically missed the point.
Your mileage may vary, but for me, the game is transcendent.
It transcends both video games and movies to become something greater than either medium would ever be by themselves. I'm an avid gamer (I have 400+ Steam games, 400+ iOS games, and 100+ console games). Yet--to speak for myself--*I* found this game far more moving, thought-provoking, meaningful, and entertaining than many other games (including Super Mario Galaxy 1-2, Grand Theft Auto 4-5, The Last of Us, and others).
I can only compare it to Heavy Rain, The Walking Dead, or the Metal Gear Solid series: deep rich stories that have themes and messages that convey something of lasting meaning; something beyond the mindless (but fun) shooting and platforming of other titles.
I will remember this game for years to come. There are few works of fiction of any medium for which I can say the same.
If you like a rich deep story line and don't care about a lack of "agency" (it's always illusory in video games, anyway--there are always incredibly restrictive rules on game play), then this is *the* game of the seventh generation. The comparably minor errors in execution and direction can be ignored, when viewed in light of the whole.
Indeed, the question of whether this qualifies as a game is, like Dear Ester, a largely irrelevant and pedantic: It entertains. It provokes thought. It is emotionally moving. And it illustrates that games--like cinema or literature--can be taken seriously as a medium to both entertain and enlighten.
It seems to me that most reviewers of this game have profoundly and tragically missed the point.
@DeanTheJinn Seconded. A lot of people seem to despise him. I honestly do not understand why.
The word may be overused, but I consider David Cage to be heroic. He strives to elevate gaming as an art form. He wants to prove that it's a medium that can change the world. Or try to. ;)
@ZombehDino "I DO have a problem with Cage whining about how the gaming masses can't comprehend his glorious masterworks"
I think you (and many others) shortchange Mr. Cage. He does not come off as arrogant, in my opinion. And I agree with what he says. I don't think you are justified in considering his words to be insulting, either.
This is an insult however: in my opinion, someone who cannot appreciate Beyond: Two Souls in its entirety is lacking. I think they are missing a critical part of their humanity. And to the others (who haven't experienced it): hating this game seems like cutting off your nose to spite your face.
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