Heavy Rain

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**nintendoeats**

Am I the only person that is totally gaking themselves over this game? First thing Tuesday morning I'm heading into the city to pick it up...man is it going to be great!

If you've ever seen the movie Memento, you might not know that the director of that movie first made a film called Following (yes I'm going somewhere with this). Memento is clearly a better movie, but if you watch both movies you can see how Following was crucial to figuring out how Memento should be made.

It seems like the same thing here. Farenheight (which is a much better title than Indigo Prophecy) was a great idea, but it felt like they were really struggling to realise it (as evidenced by the fact that I started it more than once, but could never finish it). From the demo and the reviews I haev read, it really feels like they have taken that experience and used it to create a really fantastic bit of work.

So yeah, anybody else ready to "support interactive fiction?" (there is actually a trophy for that, and I presume that you get it as soon as you start the game).

**SilverMK2**

It is one of the only PS3 exclusive games that has struck my attention since the PS3 came out. I hope the 360 gets a port at some point so I can play it.

**nintendoeats**

I guess if you don't like MGS IV I can see that (not that I understand not liking MGS...)

On the other hand, I would actually largely expand you statement to the industry as a whole. There hasn't been alot of really groundbreaking work. Some good games and the occasional work of genius, but the whole industry just seems stagnant. I just feel like I'm sitting around waiting for Valve or Kojima to release something

Thats one of the reasons I'm so excited about this

**dogma**

I intend to at least rent it, as I usually do with these sort of titles. If it has more replay potential than Indigo Prophecy, which I liked (apart from certain issues with the story), then I'll buy it.

**nintendoeats**

dogma wrote:I intend to at least rent it, as I usually do with these sort of titles. If it has more replay potential than Indigo Prophecy, which I liked (apart from certain issues with the story), then I'll buy it.

I would take an alternate stance. With a game of this sort, I want very little immediate replay value. My game design philosophy is "set pieces, set pieces, set pieces...and some interesting gameplay too." that usually means very little replay value, but a really great concentrated experience.

**dogma**

nintendoeats wrote:I guess if you don't like MGS IV I can see that (not that I understand not liking MGS...)

I think I'm the only person on the planet who deeply hated that game. The action was certainly entertaining, and the production was top notch, but the story was so ridiculous that I couldn't get past it. I know, MGS is built on ridiculous story premises, but there was just so much of it here (In a temporal sense) that I couldn't let it slide.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

nintendoeats wrote:
I would take an alternate stance. With a game of this sort, I want very little immediate replay value. My game design philosophy is "set pieces, set pieces, set pieces...and some interesting gameplay too." that usually means very little replay value, but a really great concentrated experience.

What I mean when I reference replay value in this situation is variance in the way set-pieces can be resolved. Too often I felt like Indigo Prophecy failed to reward creative thought because the solutions to most problems were very obvious in the context on any environment, and not just the one presented by the game.

**nintendoeats**

dogma wrote:
nintendoeats wrote:I guess if you don't like MGS IV I can see that (not that I understand not liking MGS...)

I think I'm the only person on the planet who deeply hated that game. The action was certainly entertaining, and the production was top notch, but the story was so ridiculous that I couldn't get past it. I know, MGS is built on ridiculous story premises, but there was just so much of it here (In a temporal sense) that I couldn't let it slide.

That makes sense. I always felt that MGS1 was stronger than the others because the artistic goal of the game was clear. Nukes=bad.

MGSIV just covers too much ground. While I liked (yes, liked) the hour long cutscenes, I do wish that their was a grand point too it.

**BrookM**

I played the demo on my brother's PS3. It's something to look forward to, but I can't play it for crap as I can't handle a PS3 controller, I prefer a 360 controller.

**Kilkrazy**

I think Heavy Rain will be very cool if the detective methods to work properly.

Obviously it's impossible to know about that without playing it.

**nintendoeats**

You mean the ones in the demo, with the awesome glove thing? From that experience I would say they worked.

**Anshal**

Meh perhaps, I`m going to check it out at some point but I doubt I will be buying when i comes out. But if someone can convince me then perhaps

**Cheese Elemental**

It's kind of stupid how you can fail brushing your teeth.

**Kanluwen**

...You'd be surprised, Cheese. It's not as hard as you'd think.

**nintendoeats**

Agh! Spoiler!!!

Yes, I really consider that a spoiler...thats how pumped I am for this game.

**nintendoeats**

Just picked it up. Going to play the whole thing at once on Sunday.

If I can wait that long.

**Alpharius**

I'm glad I spotted this thread - it is a reminder to go download the demo tonight!

**nintendoeats**

Alpharius wrote:I'm glad I spotted this thread - it is a reminder to go download the demo tonight!

Why would you do that? ITS OUT NOW! BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!

**Alpharius**

I have to TRY before I BUY on this game!

**nintendoeats**

Well, I can't see the demo hurting your opinion of the game...so enjoy

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Nuts to band practice.

I'm doing a marathon STARTING NOW!!!!!!!

**nintendoeats**

Ok, I just finsihed the game.

Up until now, there were two gaming experiences that I felt all people should have. The first time you get ot fly in a level in SM64, and more or less all of MGS4 (because the really incredible bits only work in context).

This game is now on that very short list. Nuts to the demo, it doesn't give you the foggiest idea of how great this game is. Buy it, and get everybody you know to play it.

I would say more, but it is 3:00 AM and I just spent the last 8 hours (almost exactly in fact) playing an emotionally draining game. Hell, it made me cry!!!!! Once again, only other game (actually, only other work of art) to make me do that is MGS4.

**Kilkrazy**

I played the demo. Some bits were good.

I liked using the clue discovering computer though was annoying to find a suspect footprints and not be able to tell the police to get casts and photos. Footprints are usually a really good clue. Presumably there is a way to do something with the clues in the full game.

I found the walk system a total PITA. It was also tedious to have to use a pattern of four different actions just to use an asthma inhaler. I think they put a bit too much detail in the game when you have to do special actions to open car doors and things like that, and there are so many different types of button presses.

The 'rhythm action' combat worked better than I expected and was quite gripping.

**nintendoeats**

Kilkrazy wrote:I played the demo. Some bits were good.

I liked using the clue discovering computer though was annoying to find a suspect footprints and not be able to tell the police to get casts and photos. Footprints are usually a really good clue. Presumably there is a way to do something with the clues in the full game.

I found the walk system a total PITA. It was also tedious to have to use a pattern of four different actions just to use an asthma inhaler. I think they put a bit too much detail in the game when you have to do special actions to open car doors and things like that, and there are so many different types of button presses.

The 'rhythm action' combat worked better than I expected and was quite gripping.

ARI stores all of that data digitally for use later.

The tank controls are kind of bollocks, but you sort of get used to them, and they rarely get in the way.

The detail really makes the game. Its about pacing, keeping you involved, and reminding you of the countless different things you have to do every day. I just read the giantbomb review, and there is a point where he mentions some player directed character development that was spuirred purely by his decision to drink OJ instead of Beer...but only AFTER he had picked up the beer first.

Oh, and that first time you used the inhaler in the demo isn't actually in the game, most actions are not that detailed (at least not the minor ones).

**Kilkrazy**

London Evening Standard gave it 4/5, said it is visually very impressive, not great as a game (they also mentioned the controls) but a very involving story.

**nintendoeats**

I feel this misses the point personally. An involving story is precisely the thing that other games completely fail at, and what Heavy Rain is all about. Its like complaining about CS being crap in single player...of course its crap in single player, they designed the game to be played agaisnt other people!!!

**Kilkrazy**

One of my old colleagues was strongly against the idea of story based games. He was strictly into shmups and other action based genres. He wasn't against stories, he simply did not feel a game was the way a story should be told.

I have some sympathy for that thinking, since there are plenty of games which use the idea of the story as an excuse for doing a bunch of cut scenes when the player could be given the next level objective much more quickly.

For example, MGS4. A lot of people didn't like it because there was too much sitting around and not enough playing.

In some sense Heavy Rain is a bit like a Fighting Fantasy game book. It's not linear because there are multiple paths and possible endings. There isn't complete flexibility because as a player you are limited to the actions the designer put in.

**nintendoeats**

I find that people tend to judge the games industry on what its doing right now, and not on what it could do. Yes, most games use story as a mcguffin, but it doesn't have to be that way. Game players and designers just need to get out of their little boxes.

Iv'e seen another place comparing Heavy Rain to those books to, and there is nothing wrong with that. Heavy Rain just proved that you could do that in a game, and that you could use more serious themes. Next up: a game with clear political purpose (other than MGS and Army of Two...I can't believe I just put those games in the same brackets...)

**The Dreadnote**

I don't see games getting a political agenda anytime soon. You could alienate a large portion of your potential audience. Developers/publishers wouldn't consider it.

**nintendoeats**

I don't see how it could not happen. Game designers are still people, and they are still going to want to say things.

**Kilkrazy**

A major games company won't publish a title which goes, "Vote Democrat/Republican Not Republican/Democrat."

We will certainly see games which involve political scenarios and backgrounds of some kind.

There are already games that take place within a recognisable world environment which includes some political/social commentary.

**The Dreadnote**

What KK said, basically. If you're talking about games like MGS (whose "political purpose" goes as far as "nukes are bad, war is bad"), sure, I can deal with that. If the gameplay's entertaining enough I can probably ignore whatever rhetoric it's trying to force on me.