Monday Gaming Diary: Going Beyond the Usual

Hahahaha, see what I did there? Yes, I played Beyond: Two Souls this week as I am reviewing it for Action Trip. I can’t say much about it here, because I am saving it for my review, but I can say I finished the game in about 10 hours or so (maybe less) and the gameplay for this type of game has drastically improved since Heavy Rain. I can also say it was nice seeing Willem Dafoe play a part where he isn’t a bad guy or a little messed up. The only other time I’ve seen him play halfway normal was his voice-acting gig for Finding Nemo. I can also say that I will not only never name a kid or a pet “Aiden” after this game, and I did laugh a lot when the game prompted you to press X for yelling, “Aiden!” (If you haven’t played Heavy Rain, that wouldn’t be humorous at all.)

I accidentally wrapped up the game on Saturday night, as I didn’t realize the last chapter I planned on playing for the night was actually the LAST chapter. The game’s timeline jumps around so much from the past to the present that it’s really hard to understand where you are in the game. Just when I thought I was near the last chapter, it would jump back to Jodie’s past for a couple of chapters. So since I was done much more quickly than anticipated, I actually had a chance to crack open The Wonderful 101.

That might not have been the best thing to try out so quickly after Beyond: Two Souls. The two games couldn’t be more different. BTS has more in common with Diablo III than The Wonderful 101. On the one hand, it was nice to play something so drastically bright and upbeat. On the other hand, it moved at a far quicker pace than I have grown accustomed to with either D3 or BTS. Everyone is yelling instructions at you, there’s not really an easing-in phase, and everyone moves so damn fast. The little buggers do not know how to walk at all; everything is a mad dash. With BTS, I couldn’t get Jodie to move her ass unless she was getting shot at.

In other words, I may need a lot of time to get used to this insane pace. And silly me for not taking that into consideration. The Wonderful 101 comes from the same people who did Vanquish, not to mention Bayonetta, and Vanquish was all about how fast you could move and complete missions. I remember after Vanquish it took me forever to see games as anything but slow.

I sense a steep learning curve coming on, or at least the need to replay the Prologue a couple of times. Maybe by then I’ll develop the ninja reflexes I apparently need to keep up with Platinum Games.

And of course, don’t forget I’m still taking donations for Extra Life! Every $10 you donate puts you in the running for a strategy guide of your choice!