Picture this: you’re at the E3 2012 conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center in LA or conveniently in the comfort of your own home streaming it live on fullscreen. Sony is eleven minutes into its press conference when the lights quickly go down. The room is completely silent, and for the next six minutes, your eyes are permanently glued to the screen.


Quantic Dream, the creators of the award winning PlayStation 3 exclusive, Heavy Rain, has created a new and unique psychological action packed thriller. BEYOND: Two Souls is, no doubt, going to be a major hit, and that is not simply because Ellen Page is the voice of the main character, Jodi Holmes. Page’s performance in  Beyond will commemorate her video game debut, and gamers had a first look of this upcoming game at E3 a few weeks ago. If Quantic Dream kept with the gameplay that made Heavy Rain immensely popular, we can expect our choices and actions to have unsuspecting outcomes in this new title. The storyline seems original and intriguing, and it has already been mentioned that having Ellen Page on board is exciting, right?

From the trailer that premiered at E3 and from the gameplay demo that followed after the show, we can gather that Jodi is not exactly…normal. She is plagued by a supernatural entity, which she calls Aiden and which she is able to interact with. This is probably why Jodi is in her current situation. She finds herself under interrogation at the police station, which is the primary setting in the trailer. The trailer begins with Jodi in custody, while an inquisitive officer stands over her and attempts to pry into her background by playing twenty questions. Jodi remains unmoving and stoic as the cop gets nowhere with his prying. When the officer notices a scar on the back of Jodi’s neck, he moves to touch it and the coffee cup that was sitting in front of Jodi whizzes across the room and shatters against the far wall. Seemingly calm about what has just taken place, the officer gives Jodi an odd look and leaves the room. Once she is all alone, Jodi says her first words since being in the police station. To Aiden she quietly says, “I know. They’re coming.”

Suddenly, members of the SWAT team break into the police station like they’re…members of the SWAT team, for lack of a better description, and it’s clear that they want Jodi. We are not entirely sure why they are after her or how our protagonist has landed herself in this predicament, but this is why the game needs to be purchased in 2013! With the help of Aiden, more than likely, Jodi escapes from the police station, and intense action scenes are shown in a series of events prior to her containment. Before the trailer ends, Jodi’s final comment to one of the SWAT members is priceless (I won’t ruin it for you, watch the trailer). This PS3 exclusive definitely looks worthwhile.

The game director of Beyond: Two Souls, David Cage, explained in an interview that Aiden has been a part of Jodi’s life since she was born. A prominent question on some gamers’ minds is “will Aiden ever disappear”. The game will cover approximately fifteen years of her life, and we will have the opportunity to play Jodi at various ages. This is something to look forward to, because we will be able to develop a deep connection with Jodi throughout the course of the game.

The gameplay of Beyond boasts commendable graphics, nice camera angles, and cutscenes that appear to be happening in real time. Follow Jodi Holmes and her mysterious spirit, Aiden, on an intense, whirlwind of events in this upcoming title from Quantic Dream. This looks promising.

About The Author

GuestPost represents the work of past New Gamer Nation writers. Though they may not be with us anymore physically, we know they are with us in spirit.