Detroit: Become Human is the game David Cage has been threatening to deliver for years.

His previous work with Fahrenheit, Heavy Rain, and Beyond: Two Souls had established a strong fanbase, with some high praise but plenty of criticism, not least for the their gameplay limitations and use of unnecessary plot devices. Detroit, however, feels like the experience he’s always wanted to produce, the final result of years of experience and trials of experimentation with the medium.

Not only is Detroit a technical wonder; it boasts a powerful narrative, empathetic characters, and tackles complex themes in meaningful ways. The gameplay has largely remained intact from its predecessors -- so those who found Cage’s earlier works unsatisfying as actual video games will likely remain unconvinced by this newest outing -- but for those who have enjoyed the interactive cinema and decision-oriented focus, this could potentially be the pinnacle of video games and movies merging into a compelling whole.

Set in 2038 Detroit, where autonomous androids live parallel with their human masters, the story tasks itself with tackling themes of the meaning of life, oppression of minorities, acceptance of slavery, the dangers and fears of ever-advancing technology, fostering community, and social acceptance. Though this has not been something the gaming industry has particularly excelled at in recent years, developer Quantic Dream attempts to do just that with aplomb, allowing players freedom of choice to shape their own interpretation of these while holding a core narrative that offers the foundation for players to truly question their own sense of morality.

Detroit is definitely not perfect, and it won’t appeal to everyone, especially those who prefer their games to be less thinking- and more action-oriented, but it provides another incredible addition to Sony’s exclusive roster, and offers a real contemplation of real-life issues tied within a fantastic interactive framework.

The Eye for Detail

Throughout your entire experience of Detroit, from the first moment you take on the roles of the protagonists, you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone that would disagree with the game being a technical marvel. Facial animations are incredibly lifelike: eyes portray emotions before words are spoken, lighting effects shimmer across faces and character models, voice-acting and motion capture is top-notch (for the most part), and overall it provides the kind of production values that we always hoped we would see from this console generation. The graphical prowess creates a phenomenal feeling of immersion and connection with the world’s characters, allowing ease of empathy and helping to establish the beings of this world with a true aura of actually being -- ironic given the nature of its themes. Seriously, the difference between an android’s facial work and animation in comparison to human flesh is astounding. It develops a living and breathing world that's easy to buy into.

Speaking of the world, 2038 Detroit is gorgeous. Quantic Dream has poured plenty of love and attention to detail into their environments, creating stunning vistas. In a world where humanity is in the process of integrating androids into normal life, the cues surrounding the characters are even more important than just the personalities you control. Humans will shun your character, shops will be closed off to you, you’ll witness androids being subjected to all manner of abuses and humiliations. The city feels organically alive, a hive of activity and a genuine peek into a potential future as technology imbues itself within our daily lives. The impact you have on the world around you is also felt later, as opportunities to leave your legacy upon the space around you open up. The use of readable magazines littered throughout the environment also do a great job at fleshing out the type of world you’re inhabiting, providing a sense of this being almost an alternative timeline of our current real-world events.

The overall presentation of the game is unparalleled, exemplifying stunning design and craft, which, minus a couple of clipping issues -- my character appearing to merge with another when I moved too quickly through a section being a highlight -- barely dented the almost perfect aesthetic delivery.

What Is It to Be Alive?

Once you’re done marveling at the technical beauty, you’ll notice there’s a story pulling you along through the experience too. Slipping into the roles of androids Markus, Kara, and Connor, you’ll switch between three distinct perspectives and witness the full spectrum of hope, crushing defeat, tension, and small victories. Their stories eventually intertwine, and the buildup through the acts feels distinct. The initial opening sequences have each performing relatively routine activities as you get to understand their contexts, but they quickly develop as personalities and offer distinct narrative perspectives. By the end of the game, I felt gripped, unable to tear myself away as the final third ratcheted up the ante. A couple of places can feel a little slow, but compared to Quantic Dream’s previous outings, the pacing is much better-handled and keeps things moving at a good clip -- rapid when it needs to be, slower when you need a moment to catch your breath.

No spoilers at all here, as every person’s first experience will be completely different. However, this is a Cage experience, which means choice and decision-making are at the fore. Do you choose to be pacifistic or confrontational? Do you challenge your existing programming or obey it blindly? Detroit offers a staggering amount of genuine choice and autonomy of your experience. Unlike in some choice-driven games, even (apparently) minor decisions, mistakes, or rash assumptions will have serious repercussions. Trust me, the feeling of choice-remorse is powerful. It feels like living on a knife edge in the best possible way -- each dilemma is impactful. As always, though, there are some choices that feel as if they should have had a more dynamic effect on the overall story, while some others seemed so inconsequential it was baffling when they came back to haunt or unexpectedly benefit me. Getting the balancing of this particular aspect must be incredibly difficult, and some of the forced decisions mean ending a segment when it feasibly should have been possible to see both branching trees, which was somewhat frustrating.

It’s the heartfelt moments that will have you moving forward, though, with Kara’s story truly hitting those serious emotional strings. I was surprised at how much the story managed to move me in places, which is fantastic when many interactive stories fail to build a real connection with the player.

More Than Just a Walking Simulator

The story is the core of Detroit, propelling the whole experience forward, and while gameplay has been a much-criticized part of games like Beyond: Two Souls for feeling too on-rails, inconsequential, and, at worst, pointless, it’s enhanced and improved in this latest showing. Yes, small areas with multiple interact-able objects return. Yes, there are still a lot of QTEs to simulate fights and battles. Yes, there are still invisible barriers everywhere, and yes, you will still spend some of your time jankily walking around some areas with little to do between points A and B, lamenting your character turning with the speed of an unconscious elephant. There are some small additions, such as Markus' ability to preconstruct parkouring sequences, or Connor's opportunities to scan out crime scenes, but many of the mechanics remain consistent. 

What’s improved this time around is that there are fewer of the slower, enclosed sections, and there’s more of the fast-paced, action-oriented pieces. You’ll experience the typical tropes: on-foot chases, dodging cars on highways, engaging with NPCs, quickfire button inputs, etc. But, there’s also much more of the investigative sections (which, if failed, will have consequences later on), more of the multi-decision scenarios with branching outcomes, more of the putting together and executing of well thought-out schemes. There’s a more satisfying feedback loop of completing a section the “ideal” way, as there’s multiple avenues for failure or missing something important. The frequent use of time-constraint fuels this to fantastic effect. Three minutes to find a deviant (renegade android), ten minutes to find all the clues you can, ten seconds to decide your next action against the person pointing a gun to your head. Using restricted time fosters a palpable sense of tension, it creates rash decision-making, and it gives Detroit a sense of urgency that keeps the momentum of the game moving at a rapid pace.

That’s not to say it doesn’t have its bland moments. Clearing trash and setting the table are no more interesting this time around than they were in Heavy Rain or Beyond, even if they do serve a narrative purpose. Some outcomes also seem unmissable unless you truly try to screw up the QTE sections, so getting to the “best” outcome can appear somewhat obvious in places. There’s a definite feeling of familiarity in the gameplay, so if you’ve hated this form of interacting with a game world before, it’s certainly not going to change your mind now; it’s just more spruced-up and injected with some much-needed urgency.

Sending a Message

Whatever you think of the game itself, it’s commendable just how brilliant a job Quantic Dream has done in injecting powerful themes throughout the experience: racism, privacy, advertising, abuse, the nature of autonomy, segregation, prejudice. Detroit is brimming and practically overflowing with opportunities to witness and challenge your beliefs. Rather than just presenting it, however, you’re provided with the means to shape how these themes play out, becoming somewhat of a testing ground to see how your particular values will interject within the woven narrative.

Ultimately, this is where your enjoyment or value of the game will be derived from -- how willing you are to absorb the world and its story, and then stamp your own moral framework upon it given the opportunities it offers up. There’s a serious amount of replayability potential here, with the end of each chapter displaying a flowchart documenting your choices, alternative potential paths, and statistics of how many followed the same routes you did. It makes for a fascinating opportunity to reflect on your own progression and tempts you to jump back in immediately after finishing to see just how different the scenarios can play out. I’ve rarely felt compelled to replay story-driven, choice-focused games in the past; this is one I can envisage replaying a number of times before moving on, which is the greatest compliment I can provide it.

Special mention must also go to the soundtrack, which is phenomenal throughout and punctuates the scenes with incredible emotion. The tracks complement the themes or scenarios and reflect the world in a way that elevates them from being simply tense to being somber, optimistic, fearful, and pulsating all at once. It truly is a remarkable collection of music, and it’s already entrenched some of the more epic or emotional scenes into my memory. The fact that you can listen to it on its own is testament to just how fantastic it is.

An Unmissable Experience

“Not just a story, this is our future.” The opening statement of Detroit sets the stage for an enthralling tale. Not just content to be a presentation of societal issues, it challenges you to notice and choose your response towards them. Not willing to settle for modest production values, it creates characters and a world that equally inspire and unsettle you. Not happy to be just another walking simulator, it attempts to inject some much-needed tension and urgency to a traditionally slow genre.

Detroit is a game that knows what it wants to be and what it wants to do -- provide a compelling story with AAA production values and give its players a chance to examine their own ethical codes. Boasting spectacular visuals, a stellar soundtrack, complex themes, and a core of interesting characters driving forward a genuinely engaging plot, Detroit offers an experience like no other on the current generation. Despite its minor flaws and gameplay limitations, it creates emotionally charged moments that will resonate with a number of its audience. This is a game where the biggest enemy you’ll face is your own indecision or rash judgment, it crafts an experience that exerts a level of tension and responsibility on its audience we rarely see.

Not at all decisions are created equally, but they’ll all hit hard just the same.

Limited Replayability 

If you're going to shell out $60 for a brand new game, you'd want to at least get your money's worth out of it's experience right? Well, despite providing some of the most captivating narratives offered in gaming today, you might still not be getting your money's worth.

Heavy Rain's biggest problem was its limited replayability. No matter what decisions you made, no matter who lived and who died, the villain always stayed the same. Once you've played through the game once, there won't be as much of an appeal to go through the campaign all over again, especially since the mystery behind hunting for the "Origami Killer" will be long gone. And considering that's the entire point of this butterfly effect title, all you're left to do is to see how you can kill off your characters for fun.

Once you've gotten that ending you were so desperately after, the appeal of "Choose your own adventure" games immediately wares off. Sure, you can pop in the game again and see what you could have done differently, but since it's essentially an interactive movie, things are still going to play out mostly the same. The majority of stories in games go from beginning to end, but they break up those moments with gameplay sections that give freedom to the player to play the game the way they want to. Butterfly effect games don't really do that.

However, despite the limitations of butterfly effect games, I would love to see more pop up in the near future, so long as developers don't stick to a routine, and actually try to revolutionize the field with age. What once started out as unique and spectacular has slowly devolved into a gimmick thrown about to make it appear that the player is in control, when it's really just the developer jingling keys in front of your face for a few hours. 

How do you feel about butterfly effect games? How do you think they can be improved in the near future? Be sure to comment and let us know your thoughts!

There are choices you still can't make

As mentioned before, endless possibilities aren't realistic for butterfly effect games, but the player should still be given some semblance of control in how they want a narrative to span out. And while Fallout 4 wasn't exactly like fellow butterfly effect titles, it still gave players the option to make choices that would effect the game's ending. At least, a select few options anyway...

You, as the vault dweller, eventually had to choose a faction to side with. Whether that was the Railroad, The Institute, The Brotherhood of Steel or something else was entirely up to you, but for the sake of context in this argument,I will mention that I chose the Railroad. The final campaign mission involved us liberating synthetic slaves from the wasteland's Institute, which I thought was great. It brought up a valid question of "if a robotic life can think, act, and feel things for itself, does that constitute an individual life?" The Institute said no, but the Railroad said yes. So I was up and ready to take arms and liberate the slaves from their prison!

However, my problem was when the Railroad suddenly decided to blow up the Institute and effectively kill everyone who happened to be living in it that wasn't a robot. I wanted to choose not to do that, but by that point, it was too late. I couldn't suddenly decide to rebel against the Railroad for wanting to kill innocent civilians who weren't synths, or for that matter, blow up a place that could bring the world back from the brink of the apocalypse. I was given no real free will to decide "I want to free the synthetics, but the Institute must also survive for the betterment of mankind." Nope, the best hope for mankind just blew up right in front of my face. Perfect. 

This could be chalked up to oversight from Bethesda, but it perfectly showcases how there's still ultimately no free will to play the games however you see fit. You just get a few choices to make, which are ultimately met with a point of no return. And that's very disappointing. Does the Mass Effect 3 ending ring any bells?

Encourages cheating

Uh oh. Someone's about to die. It's all up to you, as the player, who gets to survive and who doesn't. Who to choose, who to choose, the timer's running out, you better think fast! Or, you can just pause the game, and look up the results online.

Why bother making that rash decision yourself, when you can just Google the end results of either decision before choosing it for yourself? Perhaps this isn't always a problem for everyone, at least for the players who decide to live with the results of their actions, but humans are perfectionist creatures that can't handle loosing a dollar out of their pockets one day, you think most people are going to handle being responsible for killing off their favorite game character? 

But that doesn't necessarily mean you'll get the results you want anyway from cheating. Some games like Infamous and Call of Duty: Black Ops II implement a sort of "choice-less choice" in their campaigns that especially encourage people to look up an action's result online. 

Within Infamous, main character Cole had to choose between saving his girlfriend or several doctors who could help save the city. If you chose the doctors, your girlfriend died. If you chose your girlfriend, she still dies. You see, the game throws a curve-ball at the player depending on how you play that girlfriend Trish will be one of the seven doctors if you tried to save her, and the person you though was her being someone else entirely. If you save the doctors, Trish isn't among the doctors and dies from your lack of saving her. For lack of a better word, what a gut-punch Sucker Punch! 

Endless possibilities aren't realistic

Development teams are only capable of so much. Sure, having endless possibilities to choose from would make for one of the most groundbreaking game experiences to date, but such a task is impossible. The decisions and the results that happen from them aren't left to chance like in the real world, these moments have to be programmed into a game.

You can't throw caution to the wind and expect anything as a possibility, only so much is actually possible in the world of programming (at least nowadays.) If you make a certain decision in a game, it'll yield a specific result, you can't try the same thing over and over again expecting different things to happen.

Butterfly effect games are just like a choose your own adventure book, you can only choose so many paths to take, and they're bound to yield similar results regardless of how you get there. It's like waiting in line at the DMV. Go ahead and talk to as many people as you want, but you're still gonna end up with some employee named Desiree who loves making life difficult to those who come her way. 

They're essentially "Interactive movies"

Telltale Games has made a substantial collection of butterfly effect games over the past few years. And as they should, most of their titles showcase excellent storytelling with likable characters often spawned from our favorite franchises (Borderlands, Batman, etc.)  

However, it's not like every new game they spawn out is absolutely unique in every ways, Telltale Games typically follows a pattern: Plenty of cut scenes and dialogue, with only sparse amount of actual gameplay (that doesn't revolve around choosing what you want your character to say.) Essentially, it's just like watching a movie that just so happens to let you walk do something every now and then. But it all ends up mostly the same towards the end. Your character will still have to face the villain at one point or another, very rarely do butterfly effect games give you any other alternative. 

We still have yet to see a game that transforms based on the way you interact with the environment. Not by what you choose to say or who you choose to save, but by how you play. Yet, such an idea also leads us to the next big problem with butterfly effect games. 

Don't let the title completely fool you. A lot of the games that encompass the format of butterfly effect games are quite excellent. Heavy Rain was the first game of this "your choices matter" experience I had ever played, and to this day it holds a nice place in my memory, thanks to it being such a unique of an experience in my earlier days of gaming. 

But the idea that the player is given "complete control over how a game ends" is a complete bullshit statement. There's absolutely no way a gamer can decide to do something that breaks the boundaries of a game's narrative, as there's no real way to allow it. It's not like you can decide to say "screw it" in the Mass Effect trilogy and "nope" the hell out of there to find planet Earth. Narratives such as these can be a lucrative experience, without a doubt some have been groundbreaking for that matter, but let's explore some of the inherent problems in butterfly effect games that continue to exist within this booming genre.

Last year at Paris Games Week, we learned that game developer Quantic Dream, famous for its interactive story dramas such as Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls, is working on a new PlayStation 4 exclusive titled Detroit: Become Human. This week, we learned through IGN video host Greg Miller that the game will make an appearance at next week's E3 conference. 

Additionally, Quantic Dream co-CEO Guillaume de Foundamière recently tweeted that fans shouldn't miss Sony's E3 press conference, further implying that more information about the game, or perhaps even a trailer or gameplay footage, will be revealed during Sony's conference. 

Detroit: Become Human will follow an android named Kara as she struggles to live among humans -- who still largely regard her kind as practical tools created for humanity's benefit -- in the city of Detroit. The game is based on the developer's 2012 PS3 tech demo Kara. Few other details are known, but it is expected that Detroit will build upon many of the interactive, narrative-based, and cinematic elements of its predecessors. Fans of Quantic Dream's other works would do well to check out Detroit, and follow Sony's E3 press conference for any further information on this heavily-anticipated title. 

It's a good day for PlayStation fans, because Heavy Rain is available on PS4 today. Released in 2010 for PS3, this horror narrative is releasing on PSN digitally in North America. The game has been re-mastered and improved for this launch.

Heavy Rain is an interactive drama published exclusively for PlayStation. The game follows four characters and their interactions with the Origami Killer -- a serial killer who uses periods of extended rainfall to drown his victims. Players use the game pad to make decisions that drive the narrative. The game has several endings, and the main characters can be killed during the story. The film-noir story hasn’t lost its touch over time.

Heavy Rain was critically and commercially successful, selling over three million copies on PS3. Aside from the PS4 version of the game, a film adaptation is in development.

Those who purchase the developer's other title, Beyond: Two Souls, on PSN can download Heavy Rain discounted for $7.99. Heavy Rain is bundled with its first DLC Chronicles 1.

Several new features and improvements come with the PS4 version:

• Enhanced Audio and visual effects. The game now runs at 1080p with improved lighting and shadows. The DualShock 4 speaker is also utilized while playing as the Entity
• Highlights at the end of scene compare your choices to other players.
• The game is playable in chronological order from the start. A fan requested feature for the PS3 version.

Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two souls released as a physical combo set in several other territories. I'm not sure why America does not receive a physical version. It is always possible we see a physical release of the title later on. Whether you are rediscovering or playing for the first time, Heavy Rain PS4 looks great.

Beyond: Two Souls has been given a release date of November 24th for PlayStation 4. Fortunately for all the fans, they can be playing the game as soon as next week!

The game will be released as a digital only copy through the PlayStation store, and if you didn't get the chance to play it the first time around then now is a good chance to. There are a few updates to the original PlayStation 3 title that are worth noting -- the graphics have been given an overhaul to reflect the PlayStation 4's hardware, the "Enhanced Experiments" DLC will be included, and there is the option to play the whole game again in chronological order once an initial playthrough has been completed.

The story of Beyond: Two Souls follows Jodie Holmes as she struggles to adjust to life with her supernatural powers. The game stars two of Hollywood's biggest stars, Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe, and received lots of critical acclaim upon its original release in 2013. You can watch the launch trailer below.

There is also a nice incentive to purchase Beyond: Two Souls. If you do so, then you will get a discount off Heavy Rain, which will be released digitally on March 1st next year.

Are you a fan of either titles? Perhaps it will be your first time playing them! Let me know in the comments below!

Video games are such a big business today that sequels are always made every year. When new games are released, you can expect a follow-up. But, what are some long lost games that actually deserve a sequel?

5) Brink

Every game deserves a second chance. When Brink came out it was all flash and no substance. It had great parkouring mechanics but... that was pretty much it. A sequel would need a storyline, and Call Of Duty style gunplay.

Titanfall did this type of thing recently to some success. Also, the first Borderlands game barely had a story, just like Brink, and when Borderlands 2 came out, it had a bigger story. Brink could take cues from both of those franchises.

4) Shadow of the Colossus

The atmosphere of Shadow is almost as big as the Colossi. This game touted so much style from a simple story, that this world should definitely be expanded on. Shadow of the Colossus had you playing as a young protagonist who sought to bring down 16 massive monsters to save the life of a girl you like.

Of course, nothing ever goes according to plan and when the game ends, it leaves you wanting more. A sequel could explore exactly where the Colossi and their master came from and who are the group of people who go after the protagonist. There's such an air of mystery to the game that could be expanded on.  

Maybe the rumored movie will help. 

3) Enslaved: Odyssey To The West

Definitely a sleeper hit, Enslaved: Odyssey To The West is a postapocalyptic game where machines take control of the earth. The main character, Monkey, and his friend, Trip, journey across the wasteland in search of help and, of course, nothing goes according to plan.

Enslaved ended on a very questionable and polarizing ending. A sequel would have to pick up from there. The origin of the machines could be expanded upon, as well as our two main characters. But let's resolve the cliffhanger first.

2) Freedom Fighters

If Independence Day can make a sequel 20 years later, why can't Freedom Fighters take a hint? Over 10 years old, Freedom Fighters was a simple tale about Russia invading America and a working class hero named Chris Stone taking a stand and leading the resistance. 

The first game ends with America pushing back the invaders and the words "they'll be back" are spoken, which opens the door for a second game. More recent games like Homefront tried to do the same type of thing but was dwarfed by Call Of Duty. A sequel to a shooter from 10 years ago would have a tough time competing in today's market, unless they change-up the gameplay. Developers have altered the classifications of their games in the past to much success. I'm looking at you: Resident Evil.

How about making Freedom Fighters a RTS game?

1) Indigo Prophecy 

If one game (that isn't Half Life 3) deserves a sequel, it's Indigo Prophecy. From Quantic Dreams, the minds behind Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls, came a murder mystery with a supernatural twist. Lucas Kane, the hero of the game is blamed for a murder he didn't commit. Just as he thinks it can't get worse, a powerful sorcerer comes for blood.

Indigo Prophecy has three different endings, so a sequel would have to choose one as canon, just like the PlayStation exclusive Infamous did. A second Indigo Prophecy could be about the forces after Lucas coming back tenfold and making themselves known to the world. Quantic Dreams has never done a sequel before, but if they would, this one has a great deal of potential.

Games that make a lot of money aren't the only ones that are getting sequels. With the rise of crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter, long dormant games like Shenmue are getting revived. If there was any time to give a franchise a second chance, it would be now. 

Beyond: Two Souls is an interactive-drama and action-adventure video game starring Hollywood actors Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe.  The game's developers at Quantic Dream describe it as:

The world's largest performance capture and motion capture production ever realized: 65 days of multi-actors full performance capture, along with 120 body motion capture shoot days.

The graphics are indeed excellent, and overall the game is a beautiful cinematic experience.  

It's fitting that the game premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival (only the second video game to have that privilege).  Beyond: Two Souls is an extremely positive example of an 'interactive film' game.

The Story

The game follows the life of Jodie Holmes in a series of nonlinear episodes spanning from her childhood all the way to adulthood.

Jodie has been psychically bonded with an invisible and incorporeal entity called 'Aiden' since birth.  Aiden has various abilities, such as telekinesis, mind control, and even the ability to kill someone with just a thought.  

From an early age, Jodie has been monitored and studied because of this. Everything only gets harder as she grows up.  She is forcibly recruited into the CIA, thrown into a warzone, becomes hunted and goes on the run.  

She also must contend with other entities that are very different from Aiden. These ones are violent, and slaughter any human they come across.

There is a kind of disconnect in tone and atmosphere between some of the episodes in Jodie's life. For instance, some of the game plays like a psychological thriller, some of it makes use of stealth mechanics in a warzone, and some of it plays like a social simulator.

Ellen Page's incredible acting performance and portrayal of Jodie is what pulls it all together and makes it work. You bear witness to every key moment of Jodie's life. You see her at her lowest point, you see her make mistakes, and you see her break.

And seeing everything makes it all the more important when she gets back up.  

The Gameplay

Beyond: Two Souls has the player alternating between playing as Jodie and playing as Aiden.

Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw, a game journalist and reviewer for The Escapist, denounces the game for consisting of mostly quicktime events and no gameplay to speak of. He says about the game (very sarcastically):

The great thing about this is that you can recreate the 'exciting interactive narrative experience' by watching any normal film and pressing the pause button every two seconds.

This is an unfair dismissal of what the game actually has to offer.  

It is true that the mechanics are somewhat limited, and they do not adhere to the standards of a more conventional game.  Instead, Beyond: Two Souls achieves something unique.

Jodie

As Jodie, you are responsible for directing her out of harm's way during quick time events and other situations of peril.

You are also able to influence what Jodie does.

These decisions impact how the game pans out.  There are several different endings to the game, and there are different ways to get there. In this way, the game has given you the power to tailor this 'film' to your own personal tastes.  You are the invested viewer, and also the participant.

This is even more relevant when it comes to Aiden.

Aiden

As Aiden, you shift to the first-person perspective and are free to maneuver through the game's three-dimensional space unimpeded by walls or gravity.  

You always have to stay relatively close to Jodie though, since Aiden is psychically tethered to her. Aiden is able to manipulate certain things in Jodie's surroundings.  He can move around or break objects, heal Jodie's injuries and shield her from harm.

He can also possess certain people, and instantly kill others.

Playing as Aiden was one of my favorite parts of this game, not just because of his abilities, but also because it cast the entire player's experience in a very interesting light.

You (The player)

Just like Aiden, you are a disembodied and invisible presence that follows Jodie everywhere she goes, watching and looking out for her.  

Oftentimes a video game's main character is meant to become the player's proxy for navigating and interacting with the game's world and story. Beyond: Two Souls is different. Jodie is no one's proxy; her story is her own. For the most part, you are watching over her. However, because of how the game's mechanics work, you are not reduced to a mere observer.  

When you play as Jodie, you feel like you are helping her along in her struggles. When you play as Aiden, you can intervene. You can help protect Jodie, and sometimes you can even kill the people who hurt her.

This results in an experience that is not just like "watching any normal film and pressing the pause button every two seconds".  It also is not quite like playing a video game.  It is something unique and unforgettable.

Well Sony fans, you may get an early peak at what Sony has in store. An anonymous source has supposedly just leaked Sony's E3 plans. Approached by the source, DualShockers has what looks to be most of what's in store at the Sony press conference. In addition to the leak, they've reconfirmed with a second source on all the first party game reveals in bold.

- Uncharted PS4 3 Minute Trailer showcasing "In-engine" footage interspersed with gameplay segments. Visuals are supposedly unprecedented and set a benchmark for console graphics. Summer 2015 release date. It looks absolutely stellar. Features tropical setting and differing time periods with Nate/Francis.

- Media Molecule's new title will be a landmark title for Morpheus. 3D world building, beautiful, quirky visuals. Extremely creative and fun. Possibly related to the "Entwined" trademark filed last week by SCE (not sure). Late 2015.

- Gran Turismo 6 is coming to PS4 as 1080p 60FPS repackaged title in the vein of Gran Turismo 7: Prologue. Stunning visuals, extra features (social connectivity, new tracks, dlc etc). Coming mid-late 2015.

- God of War 4 teaser will be present - will be CG with snippets of in-engine footage. A little early for reveal, but is designed to offset negativity surrounding canceled new IP and generate excitement - also to partially offset CG announce of Gears of War at Microsoft presser. Late 2015. Date wont be announced.

- Kill Strain trademark is related to Syphon Filter reboot for PS4. Sony Bend working on revamping the franchise. Stealth, beautiful visuals and a possible Winter 2014 title. Bend finally getting to join the big boys.
Wipeout is also making the transition to PS4. Source is unsure of who is developing it, but hints that it could be Sony London, Evolution, or Firesprite.

- Quantic Dream has a trailer prepared - unsure whether it is penciled in for Gamescom or E3. Sony will be watching Microsoft's presser earlier in the day to gauge whether additional titles will need to be slotted in to dampen hype. Expect Dark Sorcerer- like visuals in real time. Off-topic, but still relevant - they are close to deal to become a Worldwide Studios developer, along with Ready At Dawn.

- Speaking of Ready At Dawn, The Order:1886 will get a stage demo. Big title for Fall 2014. Sony is expecting great things from said title - franchise hopes rest on its performance.

- Ninja Theory working on a PS4 exclusive - possible Heavenly Sword sequel which was shelved a number of years ago. Quite far into development.

- Sony London will be at E3. First AAA title in many years. 3rd person title. Gorgeous. They're back with a bang,

- Guerrilla Games bringing their RPG to E3. Provocative setting - very interesting. Insane visuals as usual. A good reaction to the title is expected. Will please the hardcore.

- Sucker Punch busy at work on an inFAMOUS: Second Son DLC. Really cool. New powers. Possible new setting. E3 debut.

- Sony Japan Studios debuting two, maybe even three titles. Project Beast - spiritual successor to Demon Souls. The other is The Last Guardian. Retooled for PS4, possible Winter 2014 title. The Other title is shrouded in secrecy.

- Evolution will give Driveclub some time in the limelight. It's shaping up to be incredible with jaw-dropping visuals. Demo release will be timed with the press conference.

Ubisoft, EA, Konami, Capcom, Warner Bros., Activision, Square Enix, and possibly Take-Two (to announce the PS4 version of Grand Theft Auto V) will all be in attendance as well for their various third-party games. There will also be new PS Plus instant game collection announcements, an update on Playstation Now, and The Last of Us 2 the grand finale.

How much of the list is accurate we'll only truly know when E3 hits, but some things seem far more likely than others. PS Plus and PS Now news fits, as does the cavalcade of publishers.

With GTA V PC finally happening, a next-gen console version does seem inevitable as well. What's harder to believe is something like The Last Guardian. Worse, even though some people (myself included) would love for it to be true, I highly doubt Heavenly Sword 2 is in development for PS4. It'd be incredibly exciting if all of these were true, but it's likely we will only see a fraction of them.

What in the above list would you like to see at E3? Do you think any titles are likely or unlikely? Let us know in the comments below!

Yeah, we continue to see studies concerning the dangerous effects of video games. The mainstream press continues to use the industry as a scapegoat at every turn. Many still believe gaming is highly addictive and still just a "kid's toy."

All those stereotypes exist in abundance, unfortunately. However, news like this should be embraced by gamers everywhere, because it directly combats those bad vibes.

Quantic Dream founder and artistic visionary David Cage will receive France's highest honor: The Legion of Honour.

He's the first video game developer to earn the prestigious award. It will be presented by Fleur Pellerin, French Minister Delegate with responsibility for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Innovation and the Digital Economy.

Cage is known for creating narrative-driven games, which he often dubs "interactive dramas." Heavy Rain was a critical and sales success, and although last year's Beyond: Two Souls fell a little shy of the mark (according to most critics), it was still a top-tier achievement.

France has paid tribute to other industry greats, such as Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto and Ubisoft's Michel Ancel; each received the Order of Arts and Letters. Cage is the first game designer to receive the Legion of Honour, though, and that's pretty darn special. Here's hoping this is the kind of press that gets mainstream attention, even though I'm willing to bet most news outlets still want "kid kills grandmother after playing GTA" headlines.

The Last of Us was a brilliant game with beautiful visuals, an incredible story, and fun gameplay. There’s even a small love story between Joel and Tess, but it doesn’t get very much buzz. After thinking about it for a little while, I decided why it is often overlooked in the grand scheme of things, and I’ve figured out the one thing it needed that would have made it better:

Nudity.

Pushing the Envelope Is A Good Thing... Within Reason

Obviously I’m kidding about the scenario between Joel and Tess, but it’s starting to seem like maybe this is what game studios are thinking. Over the last few years we’ve seen a lot of games that have included some nudity, and not just a little bit--we’re talking full-on frontal nudity, and even sex. The most recent of these examples is Grand Theft Auto V, where you can enter a strip club, get a private (topless) lap dance, and if you spend enough time with her and “woo” her, she’ll let you take her home.

This isn’t a condemnation of GTA V or any other game featuring nudity, but I was reminded recently that even games you wouldn’t expect to have nudity are trying to push the envelope a little bit as well.

Beyond: Two Souls recently made headlines when nude images of Ellen Page (the actress who plays the character Jodie and was fully motion-captured for the game) surfaced on the internet after being pulled from hacked files found in the game's code. The images were reportedly incredibly realistic, so much so that the developers even had to come out and say that the animated images were not of Page's actual body.

While these nude images weren’t in the actual game, the Jodie character takes a shower and the player is given the (somewhat creepy) option of watching her, and you can see a lot more skin than you might expect. I understand that in the context of where this shower scene appears, it makes sense. But the amount of Jodie that we can see seems really unnecessary.

I have to think that scenes like this are designed to create buzz and get more people to buy the game based purely on the fact that people might get to see some skin. I imagine the conversations developers hope people are having sound something like this.

Player 1: Dude, have you played Beyond: Two Souls yet?

Player 2: No, what’s that?

Player 1: It’s a game that uses real actors, and you can watch the girl from Juno take a shower!

Ignorance Is Bliss

Clearly, most people buy games for the gameplay, story, or experiences that they provide, but there will always be a population of kids (and some adults) that pick up games because they get the opportunity to see some things they may not normally be allowed to see. Nudity, violence, drug use, and more are all things that earn games "M" ratings from the ESRB, but unfortunately, that doesn’t actually mean kids won’t be playing them.

Kotaku put up a letter that was written by someone who works at a video game retail store, and he was talking about some of these same issues. He mentioned that recently, his store sold around 100 copies of Grand Theft Auto V to parents of children who "could barely see over" the counter.

He then went on to say almost exactly what my biggest fear is if games continue heading in this reckless direction, especially as the parent of two young girls.

"I don't tell you these things because I don't like your parenting style. It is because, when I look at little Timmy there in my store, I can't help but picture him as the little boy sitting across the table from my daughter in her first grade class.

"Now this is where those of you who are not parents will sound off with 'you should let them judge' or 'I killed hookers in GTA III when I was five and I turned out fine.' That is great. I accept your opinion. Although, when your daughter comes home from elementary school crying because someone called her a b***h, you might change your tune."

I do not want my children to be affected by the poor decisions made by other parents. 

Pushing the Envelope is the Norm

But blaming parents is a whole other topic that I’m saving for a rainy day. I want to focus on whether we’ve created a world where games need to have nudity or sexuality just to compete with each other. If Grand Theft Auto V didn’t have stripper nudity and it didn’t have scantily clad player-created females in GTA Online, would it have sold quite as well?

People aren't buying that game simply so they can see half-naked strippers, but you better believe one of the first things many of these teenagers are doing is heading straight to the strip club. And Rockstar knows this. So from now until who-knows-when, Rockstar will be including this type of envelope-pushing content to see just how far they can go, and how many new, curious gamers they can attract.

Again, I’m not blaming Rockstar here, because the problem runs deeper than that. This is what the games industry has become. Just like in the early days it was a battle for more “bits.” Eventually we wanted full-motion video in our games. Soon came an era where we wanted to be able to play online with our friends, and soon after that, we wanted to play with EVERYONE (MMOs).

Now, a culture that exists where we are able to make games that look damn near lifelike, which means slipping in naked women is even more alluring because the models look so realistic. No longer is this Leisure Suit Larry where it’s obvious we’re looking at a cartoon. Those nude images of Ellen Page’s Jodie probably fooled a lot of non-gamers into thinking they were real. That’s the world we live in today.

As developers continue to push the envelope and the limits of technology, we are bound to get even more games that shove sex in our face, and this makes me sad. My daughters will grow up loving video games, and I’m concerned what they’ll be seeing in the future. Will they grow up thinking that this sexualized world is just the way it is? Powerful women can only get respect if they are scantily clad? Taking off your clothes is a good way to get what you want? Kids today will not grow up in a world like we did where this kind of content in video games is taboo. Instead they will grow up at what appears to be the dawn of a video game sexual renaissance. As parents and responsible adults, we need to be aware of this and monitor our kids’ games.

Let's Ban All Games! (Ok, Not Really.)

I'm not saying children should be forbidden from playing games (although keeping them to games that are age-appropriate is probably a good rule of thumb), but knowing what they’re playing and being in the room with them while they play is important. The only way we can have impact on our kids is if we know what’s going on and communicate with them. So get involved.

I wouldn’t normally have a problem with the hacked files of Beyond: Two Souls getting leaked onto the internet. I mean, after all, those images were never supposed to be in the game. But it does make you wonder why they were there at all. Were they left intentionally, knowing that someone would find them, post them, and drive more attention to their game? It’s sad that we live in a world where the only way we can drum up buzz about our games is to leak nude images.

Sex Sells, But So Did The Last of Us

I began this article insinuating that the only thing that could have made The Last of Us better was a nude Tess. I think you know now that I was 100% being facetious, and that this would actually have harmed the game. Call me old-fashioned, but I want games to get back to blowing our minds with amazing stories, thrilling gameplay, and beautiful graphics. Leave the cheap sexual tricks for the Leisure Suit Larry franchise.

If I have my way, my girls will grow up knowing that they are strong and powerful enough on their own, WITHOUT taking their clothes off. They won’t live in a world where sex and flaunting the female body is the only way to sell a product. Maybe I’m naive for even thinking this is possible, but as parents, we certainly have the power to help change the world through the way we parent our children.

Earlier this month, Reddit user dgmockingjay uploaded screenshots of the shower scene in Beyond: Two Souls. The reason this is a big deal is because the screenshot images show Ellen Page naked. The game's shower scene never shows Page's bare breasts; however, the user was able to obtain access of this by manipulating the game's camera to show the naked body while in debug mode. 

A Kotaku source confirmed that Page's nude body was indeed in the game. The source also noted that although the developers of the game disallowed access for cheats, the free-camera functionality was left enabled! If the nude model had been deleted, hackers like dgmockingjay might not have been able to gain access of the footage in the first place. 

According to Escapist Magazine, a Sony PR rep said that "it's not actually her body." However, Sony also said that this situation is "very damaging to Ellen Page" and that they are trying to remove any postings of the situation, so to "end the cycle of discussion around this."

Although some sources say Page will be suing Sony for this, Page has not publically commented on the situation as of yet. 

Last Thoughts

Why would Quantic Dream or Sony have the characters nude body in a full-detail? Why wouldn't they delete it so that hackers like the Reddit user don't obtain access to it? Sure, the body may not truly be Page's and instead it may be that her face was placed into the CGI body, but why would they keep this?

A closer look at the Special Edition voucher

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Special Edition Voucher includes the following downloadable content:

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• Advanced Experiments 
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• Beyond: Two Souls Dynamic PS3 Theme
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• Beyond: Two Souls PSN Avatar Pack
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And The Making of Beyond: Two Souls Behind The Scenes Videos:

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• Music Videos 
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• Writing & Directing An Interactive Dream
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• Best of Behind the Scenes
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• Beyond's Story and Characters
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As far as I can tell, the Advanced Experiments is a new 30 minute sequence exclusive to the limited edition, the soundtrack is a nice touch and I can't wait to check out the Behind the Scenes features.

I'll see you all in a few days after I've spent some time with the game, giving you my first impressions in yet another Quantic Dream experience.

Underneath the disc and voucher card, I was disappointed to not have a manual, but hey I can live with the gorgeous artwork. Besides, no manual means less paper, which means a smaller impact on the forests of the world.

Inside the case all we have is the game's disc, and a Special Edition voucher card. A code for redeeming the Special Edition content was on the back of the card. (No you can't have it) 

The game's title Beyond: Two Souls  is displayed along the side of the steel book. All in all I'm pleased with the quality of the case and am really smitten with the artwork.

The back of the steel book case doesn't feature any character, just some sort of explosion, but I was really hoping for Willem DaFoe's character.

... A figure who turns out to be: Ellen Page! I mean Jodie Homes, the game's lovely and enigmatic protagonist. 

Sliding up the cardboard sleeve reveals a figure...

Outside of the plastic shrink wrap the cardboard really looks a little cheap compared to the steel book it houses...

Beyond: Two Souls came out this week! I managed to remember to pre-order a Special Edition copy in advance and it finally is here! 

With about a week left to pre-order the new Playstation 3 exclusive title Beyond: Two Souls, gamers might be curious what makes their Special Edition special. 

Quantic Dreams' DLC is called Advanced Experiment, and will feature a series of training missions as taken by Jodie and Aiden. That means 30 more minutes of additional playable content. 

Beyond: Two Souls is billed as a "unique, psychological action thriller" from the makers of Heavy Rain. Featuring Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe, it's certainly one of the more star-studded games to be released, and follows the supernatural exploits of Jodie Holmes. The announced DLC will delve further into Jodie's character. 

The steel book Special Edition will also feature the soundtrack, which is comprised of the games four main themes, as well as four exclusive "making of" videos with writer/director David Cage, Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe. 

Beyond: Two Souls is set to release October 8th on Playstation 3. You can still pre-order the game, and a demo will be available on October 1st. 

Today, on the official Playstation blog, a demo for Beyond: Two Souls was announced for October 1st. They will also be announcing ways for people to get it on September 24 soon.

The demo will include two scenes from the game. One will show the main character, Jodie, at a very young age and the start of an experiment at the Department of Paranormal Activities. The second will show her, years later, as she tries to escape the department. Both involve playing as the mysterious entity that is tied to Jodie.

The third part of the four-part "Making of" video series was also released. It shows off the performance capture shoot, which took a year to complete for the game, involving Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe.

A lot of detail is going into the game, but it is to be expected from the developers of Heavy Rain. It looks like Quantic Dream is going to deliver another hit with Beyond: Two Souls. It launches on October 8th for Playstation 3. How do you feel about this upcoming title? Discuss in the comments section.

So most people in the gaming community now know Ubisoft has announced that in the future they are not going to even bother thinking about making a game that does not have the potential to be made into a franchise.

"That's what all our games are about; we won't even start if we don't think we can build a franchise out of it. There's no more fire and forget – it's too expensive."

Tony Key in an interview with [a]ListDaily

Not Every Story Needs a Sequel

Does this mean that they are going to continue smothering their IPs with a pillow until there is no life left in them whatsoever? While I personally hope that they pack in endless sequels to Assassin’s Creed because I have really enjoyed those games; I'll admit even I have been getting a bit tired of AC since Revelations.

Some games only require one game to be able to tell their story, and there are some games from Ubisoft, like The Division, which at first glance don’t seem to have much need for a sequel. But Ubisoft’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Tony Key, said “It is too expensive"... Really?

Budget Vs. Quality

Just because they are making a game does not mean it needs a big AAA budget.

If you look at the overall spending used for The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings next to the marketing cost alone for both Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty it is nearly twenty times as much, not to mention that the graphics in Witcher were absolutely breath taking.

For those whom are interested in the figures, in total the development costs of the vanilla version of Witcher 2 set CD Projekt Red back $7.97 million, whereas the marketing both Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 was budgeted by EA and Activition at around $100 million each, meaning that you could develop the vanilla version of witcher more that ten times before you hit even one of their marketing figures!

Not All or Nothing

I am not saying that all games should be stand alone; different ideas have different levels of story capabilities, and some work well across a franchise. But I feel that Ubisoft is making a mistake - there are games that aren’t franchises which are successful. A good example of standalone games is every game from Quantic Dream, who use writing from David Cage to deliver great games like Omikron: The Nomad Soul and Fahrenheit, which don’t require a sequel, and they are releasing yet another new IP in October, Beyond: Two Souls starring the voice of Ellen Page.

Come on Ubisoft - don't pass up a great game just because it's a challenge.

Last week at E3 I saw an amazing tech demo for the PS4 that you all have to see. I will start off by saying that, sadly, this is not an actual game in development. Though if they decide to make it I would totally buy a PS4 just for this game. Take a look for yourselves at this hilarious demo, it is 12 minutes long and well worth your time.

The Dark Sorcerer is a tech demo running in real-time on the PS4, and it looks amazing. The graphics are stunning, so much so that I almost forgot it was a tech demo. If this is the kind of visuals the PS4 has in store for us then it might actually make it into my living room. The video was hilarious, and very refreshing with all the serious titles we have seen this week.

Quantic Dream boss David Cage gave us a remark on the reception of his project. "The comedy genre hasn't really been explored since the old Lucasarts titles. We've really been taken by surprise, the feedback has been incredibly positive. People laughed and the booth was crowded all day long." He also didn't rule out a full release of The Dark Sorcerer saying, "Never say never".

Hopefully we will see this amazing demo turn into a full game, but as of yet it is not in development.

Many people loved Heavy Rain, a great emotional tale that gave surprises at every turn. It was well acted and used the top of the line facial recording. Now, Quantic Dream's latest title, Beyond: Two Souls, looks to be pushing that much further.

The Improvements

Finally showing off some gameplay at E3 this year, Qunatic Dream has shown that they are pushing the limits of story-driven, immersive gameplay and it shows in every scene you witness. With new ways of detecting player motion and emotion, every "cutscene" and movement has been recorded by the actors with sound being recorded at the same time. This is something brand new in video games and will have a great effect on the emotional backdrop the story takes place in. By seeing realistic facial expressions and the sounds of pain or the quivering when Jodie's scared will add a level of attachment to her character that has never really been seen in video games.

They tore your heartstrings out with some of the decisions that had to be made in Heavy Rain and it looks like you'll be even more torn with Jodi's main character.

The Story

Taking place over the span of 15 years of Jodie's life and her second soul of Aiden, Beyond's story looks to be vast and interesting. In the gameplay demo shown, you are given a glimpse into the training Jodie went through to become a military weapon. Previously shown was when Jodie is down on her luck and hanging out with a bunch of ragtag homeless people.

The fifteen years are not in chronological order. In an interview with Gamespot, Guillaume de Fondaumiere, mentions that you won't see the consequences of your actions immediately because in one scene you'll be 22 and the next you'll be eight. By giving the story a nice pacing it will further the emotional pull of the unique characters that we've seen will be in the game. By having two characters in one person adds an interesting complexity and the relationship with Aiden is a tale I can't wait to dive in to. Also, death will play a factor, something they didn't allow in Heavy Rain, not really.

The Gameplay

Finally revealing and talking about the gameplay got me very excited. I was interested in learning how it was going to be different from Heavy Rain's QTE game mechanics.

You're always in control of your characters. While you're playing you are controlling both Jodie and Aiden, switching between the two with the press of the triangle button. As Aiden you have a multitude of abilities such as taking control of them or suffocating them. You can control cars, blow(throw/blast) things around you, and sneak around, among others that haven't been mentioned. 

Watch Out

This game is looking more and more like a great movie that happens to be interactive. With the emotional struggle of Jodie just wanting to be "normal" and her wishing that she could just go home. The interesting gameplay that looks to have been really thought out promises an intense fighting system and a great way to stealth and leaves open many options to every scenario you're thrown in to. October 8th, exclusively on PS3, and I can't wait to choke some bad guys as an ethereal entity.

I sit here writing this article on one screen of my computer, simultaneously streaming movies on the other via Netflix, simultaneously having a paused game of GTA IV behind me on the flat screen, (you know, just in case…) while simultaneously not wearing any pants (you're welcome, ladies) and I suddenly find myself at a sad realization:

I have this unnecessary habit of not wanting to give up one medium for the other at any given moment.

So when games come along that merge the cinematic genius of movies with the depth and interactivity of video games, I promptly scrape myself off my chair, re-clothe myself and frolic with glee to my local video game store. I haul my jug with me, that jug we all have, the one that has been accumulating green pennies since we were nine.

BEYOND: Two Souls was one of those games that made me do all of the above and was announced at E3 almost a year ago. When I saw that its developer was Quantic Dream, the company that also made Heavy Rain, I nearly spat the mixture of processed foods I was eating all over my screen.

I have been losing sleep from excitement ever since.

ICE, ICE Baby!

“Interactive Cinematic Experiences” or “ICE,” as I love calling them, are games which make use of Hollywood story telling devices - something we normally wouldn't see in a typical video game. Heavy Rain followed this mold and has sold nearly 2.5 million copies worldwide.

There are a couple subtle things about the trailer below that say ICE to me, and by subtle, I mean that If this doesn’t scream “I’M A MOVIE AND I’M ALSO A GAME!” to you then I’ll give you my enormous jug of pennies.

Wait… this is a game? But I’m at Tribeca.

This is one of the game's trailers, released at the Tribeca Film Festival. Carefully note the word “Film” in that last sentence. It is abundantly clear that Quantic Dream looks at video games from a whole different perspective than most of the gaming community.

Ellen Page (that pregnant chick from that one movie which is also a city in Alaska) gives a stunning performance via motion capture as Jodie, the main character. Willem Dafoe (Green Goblin from the only good Spider Man movie) also stars as a pseudo father figure/scientist that wants to poke at her brain with sharp things.

Where’s my UI?

Another thing that is worth noting is that we will be getting the awesome quick time event centered gameplay that Quantic Dream brought us with Heavy Rain, which really adds to the feeling of immersion and tension in their games

Additionally, it seems that we will be able to play as the ghost that follows Jodie around as well; this adds a whole other dimension to the movie...erm…game.

 If you will excuse me, I have to go start counting my pennies.

Heavy Rain score composer Normand Corbeil, aged 56, passed away this past Friday after a lengthy fight with pancreatic cancer.

Corbeil's son posted on the Cancer Forums just hours after his father's passing, understandably giving very few details on the situation.

My father, Normand Corbeil, 56, passed away today at 2:56 PM. He was a great composer and an amazing dad... I am in shock.

His forum signature reveals that he was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer on August 15, 2012. After five months of combating the disease, he passed away on January 25, 2013.

Corbeil was a Montreal-native and worked as a composer for several movies and television shows. His most recent work was on Heavy Rain with developer Quantic Dream, for which he also did the score to Indigo Prophecy. He was composing the score for the studio's upcoming Beyond: Two Souls before his passing.

Our hearts go out to Normand Corbeil's family and friends in this tough time, and we hope the best for them in the future.

(Via PlayStation Universe)