There are few studios that produce such uniformly excellent content as Naughty Dog.  Producing exclusively for the Platform since the beginning their work has, in large part, defined each generation of PlayStation hardware.  Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter and Nathan Drake are truly iconic characters.  Never ones to over-stay their welcome the studio decided against a fourth “Uncharted” game and instead have moved into more serious territory with “The Last of Us”.  They presented the first gameplay trailer at E3 and it’s absolutely stunning.

As I discussed in my comments on “Beyond: Two Souls” the most impressive games from E3 this year have not been those attempting to carve out new territory but rather those that have decided to polish existing genres.  For all their undeniable genius Naughty Dog has never been known for truly orignal games.  Rather they excel, more than any other studio, at perfecting existing paradigms.  “Uncharted” was far from the first pop-and-shoot adventure game – but it was the best one.

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French studio Quantic Dream, the highly regarded studio behind the under-appreciated classic “Indigo Prophecy” and 2010’s highly successful PS3 exclusive “Heavy Rain”, has announced their next game, “Beyond: Two Souls.”  Surprisingly for a new announcement the trailer is substantial (over five minutes long) and offers a significant look into the tone being set by the game.

Quantic Dream has always approached their games firstly from a cinematic view-point and this one is no different.  Ellen Page’s acting, seen clearly and meaningfully through the filter of the studio’s updated motion capture techniques, is clearly the focus of the trailer.  However it’s also clear that this game will feature more action than many have come to expect from this team.

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