Ben-DutkaAs far as Quantic Dream boss David Cage is concerned, there is no one definition for the term, "video game."
According to a recent GameSpot interview , Cage said nobody should be allowed to define precisely "what a game is or should be."
"Some people can be very conservative about this medium and this is sometimes frustrating. Some people wish that games would always stay what they were in the past 30 years, just with more polygons. No one should be allowed to define what a video game is or should be; no one has this power."
Cage went on to say that he wants developers to expand, open things up, explore new horizons, and generally create fresh ideas "where shooting is not the main thing." Cage admitted that established franchises like Battlefield and Call of Duty are great, but his team's latest release, Beyond: Two Souls is completely different.
"Beyond is different. As a game creator, this is what I believe in. And I would like you to try it and hopefully you'll like it. It's a different route and this is definitely the route that I chose in my career."
In terms of trying to convince people that Beyond is worth experiencing, Cage said there are actually two types of gamers that must be convinced: The hardcore gamers who think games are only about shooting and action and "competing and adrenaline," and those who have never played video games, and as such, don't have a full understanding of what a game can be. For them, Cage says:
"They think video games are just about violence and that there is nothing there for them or that they are too complex to play or that they are not interested in shooting. And you say no, video games can be something else. Give Beyond a try and see if you enjoy it or not."
For our thoughts on Beyond , check out our thorough review .
I agree with him but he's kind of always been saying this, I'd like some comments on the mixed reviews since he's always up for talking.
Also, can anyone tell me how the tablet connectivity works for Beyond? Does it have to be bluetooth or can it connect over the wifi or what?
Not sure this will help you.
http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/iPhone/Beyond+Touch/feature.asp?c=54356
Keep playing!
Thanks that does help, I'll be using my controller to play but I might be doing an experiment with the touchpad function and a non-gamer.
David Cage has a vision and a passion and I admire him for that. He is trying to resist what many debs, not all, are doing and its caving in to the vocal gamer who says, I want this and I always want it this way. Thats fine, but when it can stifle creativity and the evolution of gaming… ugh.
So far Cage has not disappointed me. I am thoroughly enjoying BTS and catching myself smiling, laughing and at times telling myself "argh, why did I make that choice". In as much as overall small things may or may not affect the game at its conclusion, I feel I am shaping the characters life at different stages. Don't see that too much in games. Yep some allow you to increase stats… hmmm sure… I guess.
Hopefully the project he is working on is on this journey of game evolution with some great stories to tell.
I have to slow myself down with playing BTS. I think I am moving to fast and not taking my time to explore where I can and look at and decide on other options that help reveal and develop the game story. 🙂 Gotta save some play time when portions of Thanksgiving weekend get slow… especially stuffed with turkey.
Keep playing! ( I know I am… thank you Mr. Cage)
I'd love to have Quantic Dream take up Shenmue 3, that would be the sheeeet!
There are currently two types of gamers that are the bane of the industry – Twitch gamers (a.k.a. teh FPS hardcorez) and non-gamers.
The two are really just two sides of the same casual-gamer coin. They both love to play mainstream games and nothing but. They're the type of gamers that developers cater to with mostly-online games that feature generic story modes & repetitive gameplay that requires little to no skills.
With that crowd, Beyond Two Souls is never going to become as popular as a CoD game. And Cage needs to come to terms with that. Just like Square-Enix did (oh wait, no they didn't).
Instead, he should be trying to CONVINCE the type of player that appreciate games that feature deep & engaging gameplay. Gameplay that is so addictive, that it can even look like freakin' TETRIS and still be all kinds of awesome.
Now, these type of players look at BEYOND and see a hybrid of a game that wants to be a movie more than a game. Where a player's input is only there to move a story forward. And where the story is suppose to be the main source of everything of value within the game. Leaving such gamers to wonder about what happened to the gameplay. Why is the gameplay itself considered little more than an afterthought.
So instead of throwing his pearls before swines, Cage should be going after the players that actually understand videogames. Why is he trying to convince CoD players?
Dat casual-gamer money, man….. is a huge magnet.
its crazy he said this…. just other day was discussing Beyond TS …. was asked if i would check Beyond like i did Heavy Rain, said no cause after seeing more of the story & it revolving around Ellen its not my type of game… was asked what made me check Heavy Rain, said the story was a set of characters where eventually their actions collide.
gave demo a try…. it suprised me. didnt expect nothing but the approach was real koo. didnt buy Heavy Rain played it from my folk & enjoyed. my type of games is driving sims, fighting, action & rest of genres i try whenever but there not my main interest. saying this cause i respect folks that deliver a different approach on formats. if i was young again with the freetime i had & still being involved in alot, Beyond would be in my lineup with Heavy Rain & rest of games.
One thing I hate about this game is the trophy list. For trophy collecting addicts who also like story telling, the trophy list creates a problem. Trophies want you toplay a ccertain way, but I want to play my way! The walking dead did trophies right. No matter what you choose, you still unlock all trophies with progression.
What David cage is trying to do with his game, he's killing that vision with his stupid trophy list. "Watch all endings"?DAFUQ? NO! My story was told, why in TF would I want to watch all endings.
I'm not a trophy whore anymore. Like I was. But the trophy lost kills his vision.
I didn't worry about trophies on my first playthrough of Heavy Rain, I didn't even look at them until my 3rd playthrough. It's a nice way to go back and explore the game afterwards, but anyone trophy whoring on the first playthrough is ruining it for themselves.
Best to play once how you want, consider that ending your story and then explore the others and pretend they are "alternate endings" 🙂
well i will again say i think he's right we do need stuff that doesn't involve shooting of just a minimal amount but we need a change or scene a breath of fresh air in the industry from a games stand point in the bigger and biggest games i guess in all games on most platforms we just need change and someone or some company/companies need to take a step of faith and see if we will buy something else cos they might be surprised just saying.
happy gaming =)
I agree with him that the industry has afar to many games that focus on shooting, I have been saying this for years. However, in the demo of Beyond I was prompted to take control of a police officer and shoot fellow officers to progress with the game… While it has different control method that is still the same action in principle.
I'm not saying Beyond is a QTE shooter, but it seems more action packed and I have seen various shots with guns in it. Heavy Rain did too. My main gripe with guns is that it seems developers cant get around them to deliver a game with action – Unless it is a sport game most games with any sens of action have guns in them. Most of all Platformers, it broke my heart when Naughty Dog conformed and made Jak II bad-ass with an arsenal of guns, Jak & Daxter was such a beautiful platformer as well, but in copying Ratchet & Clank it tanked the genre. Now it's been left for indie devs to pick up…
its easy to define what a game is.
which is exactly why ive always hated the notion that his games are not games but interactive movies.
nope cage makes games, things like dear esther, games where you just walk around, thats it just walking, those are the things that are not games.
i have to say im really pleasantly surprised by beyond so far.
i really loved the party scene, its oh so much fun to scare the sh*t out of people!
the actings a little overdone though, i mean instead of making you feel bad for the character your more like jesus f*cking christ dude get a grip on yourself!
one thing im missing so far, i just dont care for the characters like i did in heavy rain.
every time you got into a fight, every time someone got hurt, you cringed, your heart started racing when the characters were threatened.
now i just couldent care less, its so disappointing beyond just feels like any other game.
i really couldent care less whether character x died or not, where heavy rain you were so invested in the characters.
such a shame!
Well, I couldn't help it… I finished BTS. I just got too much into the game I loved it and the ending(s). Some surprises which I had not expected but it was definitely a journey.
Have read some complaints in other forums regarding unnecessary parts that were boring and not action oriented. Hate to tell them, this is Jodies life story. At least DC removed all the having to go to the toilet scenes. I mean really. No crossword puzzles/books in the bathroom to pass the time.
As much as the controls were difficult to work in combat, I thoroughly enjoyed BTS, the story, music and the characters flawed or not as they were (by design). Maybe cliche but part of the stories development.
For me, BTS needs another play through and/or chapter replay to see how things tunr out.
Sorry to be in the minority here, but David Cage definitely deserves a 9 for experience and 9 for what I would think is a close to original story (I say close).
Amidst all the criticism and hate reviews/postings along with the reasonable and honest reviews ( those who did not play GTA5 before playing this … lol) this game for me was worth the purchase. Again, sad I am in the minority, but maybe its is one of many games that catered to my likes and tastes.
I know DC hinted at a BTS sequel (possibly), but with what is starting to look like a not so lackluster success, it probably will not happen. Hopefully the next game on the PS4 will better received and not necessarily what the audience demands… but needs. 🙂
Keep playing your game… be safe… watch out for the monsters!