Hidden Agenda (PS4) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
92A playthrough of Sony Interactive Entertainment's 2017 cinematic action-adventure game for the Sony PlayStation 4, Hidden Agenda.
Hidden Agenda is the next big thing from Supermassive Games, the developers behind 2015's Until Dawn. Until Dawn really impressed a couple of years ago with its own unique brand of storytelling and the tech driving the game's graphics, and while it's a very different feeling game, Hidden Agenda capitalizes on many of Until Dawn's strengths.
Given the varying nature of the game's plot, this video shows two different playthroughs of the story mode, each with very different outcomes. The second (the more "successful" run w/ "Case Closed" ending) begins at 1:19:06.
Everything was captured from a PS4 Pro@1080p60 through an X-Capture 1 card.
Instead of horror, Hidden Agenda has us delving into a mystery from the perspectives of police detective Becky Marney and DA Felicity Graves. Whatever they do, or whether they'll live at all, depends on what you tell them to do.
You "direct" the action more than you directly play it - rather than moving the characters around on-screen, you tell them what to do and how to react, and your commands will be carried out accordingly. There are only a couple of different modes during gameplay: there are branching conversations (your choices at key intervals change the direction the plot will take), action scenes (quicktime events that require you click on something in time), and investigation scenes (you scour a scene for clues to help you solve the mystery). Up to six-players can play at once, and beyond the first option screen, the game doesn't require any PlayStation controllers. It is one of the first games in Sony's new "PlayLink" line-up, requiring access to only a cell phone or tablet on the same network as the console to jump in, and the app is solid and works well with virtually no lag. I never once had any issues with dropouts, weak connections, or glitches. It just worked.
The game can be played socially or alone, and I think that it's probably just as good either way - what you get out of it probably will depend on the type of experience you are looking for. It's incredibly engaging though, there's a huge amount of variation in scenes depending on your choices - you'll want to go back for at least a couple of extra playthroughs just to see the stuff you missed. Though a game only runs for about 1:40, there's easily enough content here to fill that run-time a few times over - you won't see the whole game in a single sitting. And for anyone that wants to bemoan the length of the game - consider this: a new release on Blu-Ray is $20-30 and generally lasts 1:30-2:00. Hidden Agenda is a brand new game being sold at $20, lasts about the same length as the movie, and the viewer can decide how they want it to play out. I think the price is more than fair.
Finally, the thing that really brings all of the pieces together: the presentation. You can't have a game successfully pull off a "cinematic" experience if the graphics are horrendously crude or technical issues abound. All I can say here is have no fear. These graphics are easily the most lifelike I've seen yet in a game. The motion-captured animation looks near perfect in many places, and while there are a few moments of "mannequin face," the whole things looks.... dare I say it? Real.
This is the first time I think I've ever felt that way about a game, but a solid 95% of the time, it looks real - the type of real where other people could walk into the room and ask you what you're watching because they don't realize it's a video game. The faces are incredible here! Even the tiny details, like the texture and wetness of eyeballs, or pores in someone's cheeks, look dead on. There aren't even any instances of chicklet teeth! Until Dawn was an extremely good looking game, but Hidden Agenda's graphics are a huge improvement on them. Damn, Supermassive. Color me impressed. The acting and voice-overs are done quite well too. Most of the cast here won't run away with "Best Actor" honors, but at the least they all do a professional and believable job, which really helps to sell the narrative.
I think that Hidden Agenda is a completely fantastic experience, and well worth the $20 that's asked of you to play it ($15 right now, since it's on sale!). It won't replace the AAA FPS games on the sales charts, but it makes for a novel and fun evening with friends - even those that wouldn't normally go near video games.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
_
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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