Beyond: Two Souls

I have to be honest.  I hadn't even heard of this game until the day it came out.  However, I'm almost glad I didn't hear of it because it never would have surprised me as much as it did.

Beyond: Two Souls is an absolutely stellar interactive drama action-adventure game about a girl named Jodie who has had the special power to communicate with an intradimensional being, Aiden, since the very day she was born.  This game takes you through just about every major scene in Jodie's life.  And these events aren't simply her first ballet dance either.  Being sent to a laboratory by her own parents for experimentation when she was eight, avoiding armies of other dimension beings, fending off ancient Indian gods, getting shot multiple time whilst neutralizing a terroristic threat, and avoiding your own suicide multiple times are just a few of the events that this girl has to go through.

Throughout the entire game, the player (whether they like it or not) builds a certain bond with the protagonist and her ghostly companion.  The story and gameplay certainly play a part in immersing the player, but what I think really drives it home are the visuals.

This entire game is one big movie.  The scenes flow so well that it's difficult to tell when there is a cutscene and when there is gameplay; which I think is amazing!  Not very many games possess that sort of power.  And they didn't use any ol' low resolution models and basic facial expressions either.  This entire game was made with advanced motion capture technology capable of recording the tiniest of muscle movements.  Add in some modern shaders and effects and you have your own piece of Hollywood in the palms of your hands.

Okay, so it's a movie and it's a game.  What's the big deal?

Well, I think that this game is a perfect example of bringing two worlds together.  Gaming will always be a genre where the game challenges the players to complete certain tasks or interact in some way.  Movies are solely designed for entertainment and require no effort from the audience whatsoever.  Over the years, filmmakers have developed techniques for better movies just as games have done the same.  But what happens when you combine both of those skill-sets?  What would happen if you were to make a game so much like a movie that it retained the properties of one?  In short, you would get a game like Beyond: Two Souls.

So what makes a game a movie?  Aside from the cinematic camera angles and lifelike models, this game has a distinct lack of user interface.  Like a couple other PS3 exclusives, this game uses a very subtle UI that is only brought on screen when it is absolutely necessary.  The only time when there is major UI is at the beginning of the game when you step throughout the tutorial.  The less user interface there is, the less of a wall there is obstructing the player from actually immersing themselves into the story.  Of course, if a game has too little UI, then it may almost become frustrating to play.  Beyond: Two Souls, however, does a good job at avoiding this.

Some people may disagree, but I find that putting two and two together in this case is a fantastic idea.  A lot of games in the past have been able to sway the emotions of its audience in the direction that it intends.  To utilize a cinematic approach to game is ingenious and powerful.  I really do think that more games should try something like this in the future.

Needless to say, I don't think that Call of Duty should make and interactive drama as their next installment in the series but it may be wise for them to take some notes...