Beyond: Two Souls is a game I had wanted to play for a while. Ever since its announcement, I had waited in eager anticipation, as 2013 shaped up to be a wonderful final year on the current console generation.

Beyond: Two Souls was developed by Quantic Dream. Those of you who have played Heavy Rain, will know that Quantic Dream also produced that.

Beyond: Two Souls handles in much the same way Heavy Rain did. Basically nothing but QTEs. However, that didn't stop Heavy Rain from being a must play. Is Beyond in the same category?

Graphics - 7

I wasn't really blown away for the end of a console generation game. The game looked nice at points, but given how limited the scope is when you are able to move around on your own, and thus look at the scenery, I expected a little more beauty. The majority of the best looking parts of the game are near the beginning, and even then mostly in scenes where you will be too busy trying to succeed at QTEs to notice the picture they are trying to paint.

However, character design is well handled. Everyone looks believable, if a bit lifeless, and have distinct looks to them. Of note is the main character's (Jodie) progression as she ages. Chronologically, she is about 5 or 6 when the game starts in earnest, and ends in her mid 20s. Throughout all of this you will play with several different character models, from the little girl, the punk rock teenager, the "hobo", and eventually the Ellen Page look alike. Which makes sense, since she's acted by Ellen Page. The animation can be a little lifeless, which is a shame since the technology is there. However, when it comes to QTEs, the game is believable, and that is what matters.

Sound - 7

The sound wasn't exactly lights out either, for the most part, it was pretty bland, and uniform, and about what you'd expect from a low budget studio. You know the type, generic, and stock, stuff you've heard, or close to stuff you've heard. Beyond doesn't take any real risks, choosing instead to go with what is known to work. It works fine, but it comes off as uninspired, and uncaring.

Where the game shines though is the voice acting. Willem Dafoe acts as Nathan Dawkins, the caretaker for Jodie Holmes when she is a child, and one of the main characters of the game. But the star of this show is Ellen Page, who plays the lead, Jodie Holmes herself. Anyone who knows me knows I love Ellen Page. And she does not disappoint in Beyond, showing some good promise throughout what I believe is her first appearance in a video game. I for one hope she gets more involved in the video game scene and acts more characters.

Sound Effects are there, but honestly, you probably won't notice the quality unless you are looking for it. And even then, they can come off as substandard.

Addictiveness - 8

I had trouble rating this one. On the one hand, I played this entire game in one sitting, throughout the course of a single day. (I don't remember my play time, but it was around 10 hours?) As such, it had an addicting feel to it, of wanting to get to the end and see how the story panned out.

But on the other, I'm not sure if I'll play this game a second time through. The game lauds multiple endings, but if I can be perfectly honest, odds are your endings won't be that different and hardly justify a second full playthrough. The only thing that really changes is who is alive and dead in the end. The main bulk of the endings is based on 2 personal choices you make at the very end of the game, and that kills it for me. It's almost a Mass Effect 3 level of screw. "Your choices mean nothing, and ultimately, we decide how the game ends."

However, that said, Beyond: Two Souls is a very fun game while it lasts, and if you play it a second time, you may notice stuff you missed the first time through. And with fun being one of the big ones for me as a gamer, Beyond gets a pass in the category.

Depth - 7

I have to take away a few points here. I was prepared to give it high marks, but I came away disappointed in just how little there is to do.

For the most part, you are shoehorned into doing things a certain way. Sometimes you can find an outside the box solution, but even then, it changes barely anything. Maybe a cool scene and an explosion, but that's what Youtube is for.

The real meat, again, is supposed to be in the multiple endings, but upon seeing these different endings, I can safely say they really aren't worth the extra time invested. I haven't seen all of them (just mine and a few friends) but I can't imagine any of the others are too terribly different.

There are a few collectibles you can get throughout the game, but ultimately, there are very few, they are easy to find, and they are pretty pointless in the grand scheme of things.

If you are purchasing this game because of replay value, you may be sadly disappointed.

Story - 9

Beyond: Two Souls has a pretty difficult to explain story, since I'm not trying to spoil anything. I guess what's important to note is that the game's premise is you control Jodie Holmes from the age of 5ish to 25ish. You jump around from time to time, so while one second you are 17 year old Jodie, the next you could be 25 year old Jodie or 7 year old Jodie. The jumping around sounds like it'd be obnoxious and get in the way of story telling, but I honestly think it helps the game more than it has ever helped any other.

Because each scene you jump to is in some way directly connected to the last scene you did. Chronologically, it may make less sense than it does the way the game chooses to present it.

But getting back to the actual story... Jodie has a special friend named Aiden. Aiden has been with her for as long as she can remember, and while this sounds great, it terrifies everyone, from her parents to people she tries to be friends with, to the people she works with. The rare lot who aren't terrified tend to be using her for their own ends. Essentially, despite having someone constantly watching over her, Jodie Holmes is alone and ostracized.

Throughout the game, you meet a wide cast of characters, from teenage girls at a party, to rebel freedom fighters, to corrupt government officials, to wary parents, to Navajo farmers just trying to survive. But they all mesh into Jodie's life seamlessly, and tell a tale worth repeating.

If you play a second playthrough, it's definitely because of the story, and not necessarily the ending. Definitely the saving grace of this game.

Difficulty - 4

I'm not giving it a 4 because the game is hard. In fact, it's one of the easier games I've played. As far as I can tell, there are no game overs, and you can generally fail all the QTEs, and still get to the final level the same as you would if you succeeded all the QTEs. No, what I give this game a 4 for, when it would deserve a 1, is how difficult it can be to get some of the QTEs.

In Heavy Rain, this was accomplished by having an on screen prompt, like "Push Left to win". But with Beyond, your only on screen prompt is a slow motion scene. You are supposed to move the control stick in accordance to how Jodie is supposed to move. IE - if she's jumping, you press up, if she's kicking a guy in the side, you push left or right, depending on which direction the kick is going. Most of the time, you can figure it out pretty intuitively, but there are a few times where pushing the right direction won't do anything. Like during one scene, where you are fighting a guy in practice, it said clearly to kick right, and block left. I pressed right, and then left, but the game refused to count my kick. It took me 4 tries to kick, and I was right every time. It just didn't register the first 3 attempts apparently.

But alas, the game is easy enough that anyone can and should beat it.

GRADING FOR BEYOND: TWO SOULS
Graphics - 10% (10% of 7 is .7)
Sound - 10% (10% of 7 is .7)
Addictiveness - 35% (35% of 8 is 2.8)
Depth - 20% (20% of 7 is 1.4)
Story - 25% (25% of 9 is 2.25)
Difficulty - 0% (0% of 4 is 0)
Total - 7.85

No bonus points for it being glitch free this time. It froze in the middle of a couple scenes, and the game isn't really intensive enough for me to think that there was much need to really bug test. There are only a few ways something can go, so I'm not going to be generous today.

Overall - 7.8

I know I could round up to 7.9, but instead I'm choosing to round down and give it a 7.8. Why?

While the game was fun, there are some issues with it, and I can't say I expected too much more out of Quantic Dream. They made one of my favorite games of the early PS3 (Heavy Rain) so it's not like I don't know they can't do better.

For fun, I'm looking back on my Heavy Rain review. Back then, I gave it an 8.8 overall, but that was before my grading system came into effect.

GRADING FOR HEAVY RAIN
Graphics - 10% (10% of 9 is .9)
Sound - 10% (10% of 7 is .7)
Addictiveness - 35% (35% of 9 is 3.15)
Depth - 20% (20% of 8 is 1.6)
Story - 25% (25% of 10 is 2.5)
Difficulty - 0% (0% of 2 is 0)
Total - 8.85

So the grading system actually does match how I felt about Heavy Rain.

When comparing the two, it's obvious to me Heavy Rain is a better game. Scoring a full point higher should illustrate that point. That's not to say Beyond: Two Souls is a bad game, it's not. A 7 is a good score, especially for a game at the end of a console generation, when teams are focusing more and more on the next generation.

Quantic Dream can do better, and I hope they are going to develop a game for the PS4. Because this game makes me want a sequel and I know that anything they do will be quality.