Sony Computer Entertainment of America has announced that the demo for Heavy Rain
This PlayStation 3-exclusive demo will feature two full chapters from the game, in which players will immerse themselves in the roles of Norman Jayden, a FBI profiler brought in to help local law enforcement find and capture the Origami Killer, and Scott Shelby, a private investigator hired by families of past victims to bring their killer to justice. Gamers will finally get the chance to try this psychological thriller where players make choices that will determine their story, all in the hopes of uncovering the mystery of Heavy Rain.
I hope everyone has a chance to download and play the demo on Thursday because Friday is going to be like book report day! I can’t wait to compare experiences with y’all. This is, by far, the most excited I’ve been for a downloadable demo. Is it Thursday yet?!?
Not going to download it. I want the experience to be as fresh as possible. Day 1 buy for me, don't need nor want a demo for it.
I may download it. I'm still really not sold on the gameplay, so I do want to check it out before I pass judgement on the game one way or the other.
The review embargo must have lifted today because the reviews for Heavy Rain are showing up and they are all glowing.
Looking forward to trying it out since I too have questions about the gameplay
I watched the demo video on G4 and it's about what I expected; it looks really nice, but it's one big search for the next QTE symbol. I think the story looks like it could be real interesting, and it looks very charcter driven, which I am all for, but everything, from knocking on a door, to trying to squeeze your fat ass past a garbage can brings up a QTE movement. Just not feeling it.
I for one applaud a developer that can make a great game that doesn't have to rely on the age old safety net of shooting everyone in sight for 8 hours.
@Nightshade
To each his own. If it's not for you then it's not for you.
There are plenty of ways to make a game fun without it being a shooter. A non stop barrage of QTE's just doesn't sound like the way to do it.
Plenty of ways? Care to name a few?
So you've never played a game that didn't rely an shooter mechanics? Honestly?!?
How about giving the player direct control of the character's actions rather than just being a passive observer. If I want to watch a nine hour movie, I've got the extended editions of all three LotR's movies. I feel like I'll get the same experience from a non stop barrage of QTE's. And while the story may still be enjoyable, that doesn't make it a "game."
"So you’ve never played a game that didn’t rely an shooter mechanics? Honestly?!?"
Yeah, they're called sports games.
@RROD – There are a lot of genre's to games, only one of which is a shooter. The majority of games these days tend to go in that direction because that is what's popular. I am all for bucking trends, and it looks like they made a beautiful game, but there is a level of minutae I am not cool with that I saw in that demo.
I think if you want this game you should not download the demo.
I also think that if you start downloading it Thursday morning…it might be done by Friday when you get home from work.
@Nightshade
You're missing the point totally. Heavy Rain is about the story and how your decisions affect it. It certainly won't be for everybody but there are a lot of people, myself included, who see this game as a breath of fresh air.
“So you’ve never played a game that didn’t rely an shooter mechanics? Honestly?!?”
"Yeah, they’re called sports games."
@RROD – Dude, really?
@RROD – he's not missing the point. There are other ways to tell a story in a game then using a constant stream of QTEs, which in effect is what Heavy Rain is. Game Developers have been telling stories apart from that dynamic for years now.
Most characters in fantasy RPGs don't shoot anything.
@LarcenousLaugh
Yeah, really. What games do you own that doesn't have a gun in the character's hand? Keep in mind that a sword equates to a gun in fantasy RPGs. Killing is killing.
@RRoD: I'm not missing the point at all, I just have serious concerns on how a game of nothing but QTE's can be fun. I loathe them in short sequences. I don't want 9 hours of that crap. There has to be a better way to tell the story they're trying to tell without boring me to death with the gameplay.
Portal. End of discussion.
I understand everyone's hesitation about Heavy Rain but no one is forcing anyone to buy it. I'll say it one last time, it's not for everyone.
@RROD – I have to disagree. The majority of RPGs are not shooter focused, and in the most recent, I can tell you that in the most recent that is shooter oriented, I spent more time in dialog and exploration then shooting almost 3:1. And in doing that dialog, and participating in the gameplay elements they have put forth, I am making choices, both large and small, that change the game world around my character.
I applaud them for putting story first, but going just off of what I have seen, I think they packaged it in quite possibly the laziest shell possible. There is not thought a QTE. There is no choice. There is only reflex.
@RROD – sword gun just as God of War Uncharted 2.
Games/Movies/Stories are about conflict. If all it takes to equate a game to a shooter is putting a gun in someone's hand, you better take another look at this game, because at least one of the character's is armed with a gun, and I am sure at one point or another you have the option to use it.
That was supposed to say: sword [does not equal] gun just as God of War [does not equal] Uncharted 2.
I just don't understand how gamers can't appreciate a developer for taking a different route, even if you don't like it. Isn't more variety a good thing in gaming. Scribblenauts don't interest me in the least bit but I applaud them for making a good game that doesn't require killing like most other games.
@LarcenousLaugh
To my knowledge fantasy RPGs don't use guns to kill, they use swords and magic. Whatever you use to get there, killing is killing.
@RRoD: You're making a leap there by assuming what the rest of us do and don't appreciate. I can appreciate what they're trying to do, I just don't think it works from a "gameplay" stance. And ultimately we play games for the combination of ALL of the elements. If one thing is great, but another is totally broken, the game as a whole suffers from it.
Talk about a god damn pretzel in my head, shit with that reasoning you might as well tell me that Mario is a shooter because stomping equals gunplay. Or Sim City is a shooter because disasters equal AK47s. Or Myst is a shooter because my mouse pointer equals the aiming sight in MW2. Or Cooking Mama is a shooter because she uses a knife, which equals a gun, to cut vegetables which obviously equal my enemies. Or Wii Bowling because the bowling ball hurtles through the air like a bullet towards pins that if you squint are oddly human shaped.
Also, personal opinion, but reviewers put too much emphasis on innovation and not enough emphasis on fun.
Take for example the average reviews of Dante's Inferno:
A lot of sites are dinging it for being a God of War clone. That being said, every FPS borrows from the successful formula of the first Doom, and yet no one dings Call of Duty or Halo for that fact. So I'm not sure if it's really fair to ding a game that borrows successful elements from another game and puts their own twist on it.
However, I'd like to see the game do something new on top of that, and I'm not really seeing that so far aside from the separate leveling paths based on the game's morality system. I'm still only at about the 3rd circle so far though.
@LarcenousLaugh
The bottom line is that no matter what the genre is and what the story is, don't most games require you to kill everything in sight?
@Nightshade
I agree with your last comment but a review is only one person's opinion. Also, "fun" is different for everyone. What's fun to you may or may not be fun to others and vice versa.
@Nightshade
I know all games borrow something from previous ones but come on man, Dante's Inferno is a straight rip off of God of War. I don't know if you've ever played a GOW but trust me it is and I mean EVERYTHING.
"To my knowledge fantasy RPGs don’t use guns to kill, they use swords and magic. Whatever you use to get there, killing is killing."
You do know that the game you are lauding is about a serial killer? And that you will most likely be participating in some form of death/conflict during the time spent within the story?
I completely appreciate trying to seperate the game from whatever main stream there is. I appreciate different choices in movement and in story, different ways to explore the environment, different ways to interact with the world they have created. I just don't agree with the way they have done it.
These opinions are interesting. A lot of the backlash I've encountered stems from people being close minded about what's "fun" and what a game is supposed to be. Some of the opinions here are pre-judging the game because it doesn't follow traditional conventions.
I've played both God of War games for the PS2. They're both fantastic. And by no means in Dante's Inferno as good as either of those games. But so what? It's still fun, and that's what matters most. I like innovation as much as the next completely cynical gamer. But not everything has to be completely shiny and new, especially if it WORKS.
Besides, this is the same developer that made Dead Space, which I thought was a much more innovative game than Dante's Inferno. So it's not like Visceral Games doesn't know what they're doing. If anything it's a credit to them that they were able to Ape the successful elements if God of War in a way that so many other action games have failed to do.
Besides, it can serve as a nice appetizer for everyone getting ready for GoW3 next month, or as a taste of what non-Playstation owners are missing out on. As the world's biggest PS3 fanboy, all you've got to say to someone who likes Dante's Inferno is "Dude, you've got to check out the God of War series! Dante's Inferno basically copies everything from those games. And they're only available on Playstation!"
@RROD – …
Every game puts you in conflict with something. It has to, otherwise there is no reason to be playing it. Even if the conflict is internalized, you are in conflict with something/someone.
In Heavy Rain, you are in conflict. It is the energy that drives the story forward.
Guys, as far as storytelling goes, gameplay don't tell stories, cut scenes do. Without cut-scenes it would be extremely difficult to tell a story. Heavy Rain has a lot of interactive cut-scenes to help make the story excellent and all reviews are raving about the gripping story in Heavy Rain.
@Nightshade
Yes, but if you take EVERYTHING from an already established and successful game then you better do it justice because if you don't there will be a media backlash.
@Nightshade386 On the flip side, a game doesn't have to be traditional to be fun.
I'm not sure what's so innovative about Heavy Rain. I don't understand why people are calling it that. Quantic Dream is focusing on different aspects of game development instead of traditional ones. It's going heavy on storytelling and mood to create an interactive experience that's "different", if not particularly innovative.
@RRoD: In a sequel you essentially take EVERYTHING from an already established and successful game, and half the time the original developers don't do the original game justice. only about half the time they meet or exceed the expectations of the original. But no one cries foul as loud when someone screws up their own franchise as when someone else comes in and does a pretty good job of copying it and making it their own……unless the sequel was a total failure. That's really kinda stupid when you stop and think about it.
@Ray: Nine ours of QTE's doesn't sound like fun to me. I hate when I have to deal with them in 30 second blips. If you think that's fun, more power to you.
But when I question how that kind of gameplay can be fun, the response is always, "the story is amazing." Ok, great. But that didn't answer my question about the gameplay.
*hours, not ours.
@LarcenousLaugh
You're right, Heavy Rain is not new. The correct term would be different. It's seems innovative and new because this generation has been all about the shooters.
@LarcenousLaugh
"I find that QTE gameplay removes the “player” from the equation. "
Then how do you feel about RTS games?
@Nightshade
Uncharted took heavily from Tomb Raider but it far exceeded what Tomb Raider ever dream of doing. If Uncharted was not good then it would have gotten crucified.
@Ray: That's what I've been asking. But whenever I ask if there's more to the GAMEPLAY than that, all I get is "the story is amazing." Ok, great, but what about the gameplay?
But all the reviews I've read so far make it sound like that's the case. Even the one's that seem to like the system go a long way towards churching up the fact that it's a 9 hour game of nothing but QTE's. That's why I said I'm gonna check out the demo before I buy it, because everything I've heard is that that's all there is too it gameplay wise.
If it's foolish to believe what people say in the reviews, then what's the point of reading them at all? Cause I've read about 8 of them today and that's pretty much what they all say.
@RRoD: True, but let's not kid ourselves, FPS's get a pass for all being clones of each other in ways that the Action Adventure genre does not.
The first Uncharted was just really above average. The gunplay was mediocre and only registered a clean headshot about half the time you had one lined up. And if I never have to do those stupid jet ski missions again it'll be too soon.
But when you think about it, the Tomb Raider games have been a grease fire for so long that an improvement by an outside development team is very much welcome. That formula has been proven to work when when done right.
And certainly the second Uncharted was much better than the first one, or any Tomb Raider game since Tomb Raider 2.
@Ray – It's neither. It's just focused differently.
@RROD – RTS's are all about player choice. You have the choice of whether or not to turtle on defense or go all out offensively… or something inbetween. Are you going to focus on tech upgrade or troop turn out? Can you focus on your economy while also deflecting a "zerg" rush.
QTE's on the other hand require you to hit button at predetermined times, in a predetermined order, producing a predetermined effect. It's 0% based on choice, it's either a do/don't scenario, pass/fail scenario.
What Heavy Rain does differently with the scenario is not having a failed QTE force a do-over, it simply continues on. That's neat. Not $60 neat in my opinion, but neat nonetheless.
Here's a quote from the 1up review that I think sums it up:
"Though shorter than other epic, multi-disc titles, there's more than enough content in Heavy Rain to warrant a purchase. At the end of my first playthrough I was left utterly satisfied with the conclusion of the story and wanting more titles of this caliber. Heavy Rain may not appeal to every twitch-shooter fan out there, but if you believe games can evolve beyond Pac-Man and Mario then I suggest supporting the amazing work Quantic Dream has done."
http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3177883
@Nightshade
True, but unfortunately it's all about the FPS games nowadays.
@LarcenousLaugh
But don't RTS games "take the player out of it" too? RTSs and QTEs are both just button presses, right?
@Nightshade386 You're completely exaggerating. None of the reviews I've seen say that it's "nothing but QTE’s". If the game is suppose to be heavy on storytelling then how is it comprised nine hours of QTEs and nothing else? That's what I find foolish. Again, you think that's all the game has? You're dismissing every other aspect of it, as well as looking at it from an extremely narrow point of view.
Look at a game like Ico. There was nothing innovative about the gameplay. You could even call it primitive. Yet it was one of the most critically acclaimed games of its generation. If you're judging it just on gameplay, Ico sounds completely boring if you haven't played it. Experiencing it is another matter entirely.
You say you're not going to judge the game until you try it out, but you've made several passive statements in this thread that show that you're already judging it.
@LarcenousLaugh Yes, which is what I said earlier. A lot of people are knocking it because its focus is different.
@RROD – By your statement of logic, then all games take the player out of it because they are all button presses.
While the troops themselves react according to their station, their placement, rollout, and eventual victory is completely do to the choices you make.
A QTE is not about choice, and as such I feel it takes the player out of it.
@Nightshade
That's only true because COD, Halo, and Gears didn't drop in the first quarter. Just wait until the Holiday season when COD and Halo battle it out. Let's face it, this generation is all about the sales too and none of those games you mention sell like the top shooters.
@LarcenousLaugh
The QTEs in Heavy Rain ARE about choices.
@Ray: I'm allowed to be cynical going in and still make up my mind for myself when I play it. I enjoy being pleasantly surprised.
And no, I'm not dismissive of the story aspect at all. But when I ask, "is there more?" no one seems to be willing to answer me with anything other than, "you're being dismissive," or "you're missing the point."
So that tends to lead one to the conclusion that either there is no more to it, or no one here actually knows any better and has formed their own opinions in a positive slant before actually playing the game simply because it's different. Different doesn't necessarily equate to "good" or "fun" though.
And sorry, but when I read the reviews (like the one RRoD posted from 1up), when they touch on the gameplay (which is my chief concern) they are basically churching up the fact that the majority of the gameplay consists of QTE's…..with some pretty wonky third person controls at times. Sterling McGarvey over at G4 goes a long way towards trying to dissuade the very notion of the QTE being a bad thing in his review. But if you play games and don't like QTE's as a general rule, it's pretty fair to ask, "is there more to the gameplay, or is this it?"
I actually enjoyed Shadow of the Colossus much more than Ico. In either case, the fact it was minimalistic didn't detract from the gameplay, because the core mechanics were still enjoyable. In truth, both games were much more minimalistic in their story. Different, but still wholly satisfying. Maybe Heavy Rain will be the same for me. But it's fair to ask questions.
@Nightshade386 The problem is you're asking one question but using the replies you've seen to answer two. Is there more to the gameplay? Not really. Is there more to the game? Certainly.
You're also doing more than just questioning the game. You don't see that?
@RROD – how is a predetermined QTE about choice? What leap are you making that I am failing to? I have watched the demo. Person A walks around until QTE popup pops. Does required QTE for event. Person A runs into Person B who is treating Person C like garbage. Person A "chooses" to get involved, QTE plays out detailing his involvement. Person A doesn't decide whether or not to throw a punch or a kick, QTE decides, player simply pushes button to lock action in. No choice, just button during action. Unless you are seeing something different then I am, and if so I am open to your interpretation. As long as it's not, swords equals guns as QTE equals choice :P
@Ray: I'm questioning the gameplay…because as I said earlier, "There has to be a better way to tell the story they’re trying to tell without boring me to death with the gameplay." And that's an entirely fair concern. We are talking about a GAME here, aren't we?
Also, I realize that anytime something different comes along it becomes a critical darling almost by default, often long before it's ever actually released or even played from start to finish by said critics.
But that doesn't mean the average gamer can't look at a game like Heavy Rain and say, "But I've done something like that in other games and I didn't like it. How is this gameplay fun?" That's not foolish. That's not dismissive. That's an honest question. One I haven't gotten a good answer to other than, "you're being foolish," or "you're being dismissive" or "the story is amazing." None of these answer the question about the gameplay.
And if you're saying that there's really nothing more to the gameplay than that, then I'm gonna remain skeptical until I get a chance to check it out.
@RROD – ok, those are thought bubbles represented by buttons, but I can buy choice in those, even though they were all options until used in the demo.
Which part of that describes an RTS? I posted my description of RTS choice earlier and it did not match what I posted above regarding QTEs.
Once more for emphasis: A QTE is a sequence of button presses that play out during a pre-determined sequence of events (almost like an evaluation during a cutscene to make sure you are paying attention). This does not happen in an RTS.
@larcenous: the comments section on that other site is so buggy that it makes me not want to post there.
@Nightshade386 Yes, I understand that you're questioning the gameplay. So what? You appear to be pre-judging the whole game based on one aspect, which isn't very smart. Ultimately, I'm pretty sure that you're not going to like the game because you've already made up your mind about it. (There's nothing wrong with that, btw.)
You're also under the impression that I answered your question by saying you're being foolish. That's not the case at all. I never cared to answer the question because I think it's a bad question.
Lastly, I never look at anything you write as the opinion of an "average gamer". You write about games for a site.
@LarcenousLaugh That's a pretty good analogy. Props to whoever posted that on TheFeed.
Considering how every gaming website has had their panties in a twitter about this game for months, I’d expect nothing less than glowing reviews. However, even in some of the rather glowing reviews I’ve read I’ve seen lines like:
“For many people Heavy Rain won’t be more than a progression of quick-time-events,”
“Unconventional and somewhat unconvincing gameplay,”
“It’s barely a game in the popular sense of the word,”
“It’s essentially a nine-hour film that you nudge along by following on-screen button prompts,”
That’s from four different reviews, all of which scored the game over a 8.5. But they all basically say what I’ve been fearing about this game. No substance to the gameplay. I’ll check it out before I bite on it.
@LarcenousLaugh
That’s cool and like I said to Nightshade, this game won’t be for everyone and that’s a fact. You’re correct when you say there are a lot of genres out there but most of them are shooter focused now. Most so called RPGs are now shooters because you spend more time shooting than anything else. If there is a gun in the character’s hand then it’s a shooter at heart.
“You do know that the game you are lauding is about a serial killer? And that you will most likely be participating in some form of death/conflict during the time spent within the story?”
Yes, I know there will be a few deaths in Heavy Rain but that is not the primary game play mechanic. One or two deaths in the story is a far cry from gunning down wave after wave after wave of baddies. Bad comparison.
@RROD – that’s the comparison you made when you said “killing is killing.” It’s not a bad comparison when the premise is poor. Heavy Rain is not reinventing the wheel by introducing gameplay that does not rely on violence. Maxis was doing it for years while allowing players the ability to craft their own stories in their Sim games. Cyan Worlds did it with Myst and it’s umpteen sequels. It’s not new, and it’s not original. It’s just different then the standard.
@Ray – it doesn’t need to follow traditional conventions to be fun. I would argue that in recent years, QTEs have become a traditional convention as their use has escalated. That being said, I find that QTE gameplay removes the “player” from the equation. All a QTE requires is shape recognition and quick reflexes.
@LarcenousLaugh So is it traditional or innovative?
@Nightshade386 Assuming the game is nine hours of QTEs is foolish. You think that’s all there is to it?
i wish you guys would stop going to that "other site"
i posted there for 4 years, and as soon as i heard about this site, i stopped..immediately
im not telling you what to do, but that site is full of hypocrites and callous, pretentious jerkoffs
my opinion:
qtes dont bother me…i actually used to really love dragons lair games growing up
the reason i cant wait for this game is because it seems like there are MANY ways to play the game, im so god damn sick of linear gameplay, id like my own experience when playing a game.
i just finished dragon age, and there are many ways to play that too, but even in that game, many things end up the same way, regardless of how you choose to play the game.
saying that qtes predetermine how things go is somewhat foolish. If i play an rpg like dragon age, often i cant choose specific dialogue, i cant change cut scenes, i cant take the story in the direction that i want to take it all the time. Your interaction with characters is limited to 3 or 4 different lines of dialogue which often lead the player to the same end result no matter how you play the game. Fallout 3, despite the choices you make in the game, ends in one of 2 ways…you either sacrifice yourself, or let the girl kill herself (what i did). Yes, the end sequence may have different dialogue, but its the same thing…
dragon age has the same ending no matter how you play it, the characters have different outcomes, and in some cases, different roles…alistair and cailans daughter for example….but ultimately, its you against the archdemon.
heavy rain is a game that you can choose where the story goes, it will be different EVERY time you play the game, for every person who plays it…thats how its been marketed anyways. I will be downloading the demo and sharing my experience….
“True, but unfortunately it’s all about the FPS games nowadays.”
That’s not true in the least.
In fact, the first Quarter of 2010 has been very good for fans of all genre’s.
The Action Adventure genre. Bayonetta, Darksiders, Dante’s Inferno & God Of War III all coming in quick succession.
RPG’s. Mass Effect 2, White Knight Chronicles and Final Fantasy XIII are all coming in a very short span.
The only real AAA FPS this quarter was Bioshock 2. I guess you could count Army of Two as well.
Oh, and then there was Blood Bowl. We won’t talk about that one……
I thought the devs of Heavy Rain ( i really want to call it chubby rain ) said that there really is no replay value since the main story elements are revealed in your initial playthrough? I could be mistaken and confusing this with another title.
Personally I am going to pass on this title until it is either the price of a bluray, or it is gifted to me. I never cared too much for King's Quest and I'm pretty sure I could watch this on youtube and the only thing I'm going to miss is the minute interactions. That's fine by me lol.
err.. sorry it was Andrew Pfister’s review, not McGarvey’s. Sterling just posted it on the Feed. Credit where credit is due.
@LarcenousLaugh
I was talking about the QTE choices that circle around the character’s head in which to choose from.
Your last comment perfectly described an RTS game, by the way.
You know, I just read a comment on the other site regarding how this is the next step up from the old “point and click” stories. I can see that. It’s kind of like an old style Lucas adventure/mystery with some fancy polish on it and a controller instead of a mouse. I can get behind that idea. Still not a day 1 for me, but I can understand the gameplay a bit more when I look at it from that perspective.
Could be the next evolution of King’s quest type of game.
@smartguy
gotcha suckas!!!!!
Heavy Rain doesn’t have a real gaming label, as far as I know. Just like Linger in Shadows wasn’t considered in any gaming category but instead called interactive art. Not exclusively using QTE but it did have other things you had to do. Heavy Rain is similar to a point, and non traditional. Which is why it intrigues me. But from my research it’s not all QTE and has some gameplay, probably not what everybody likes. But that’s ok, everyone’s opinions are different :) But I’ll be getting the demo lol.
playing it now, i think its totally awesome
better than i expected even
There is a way to get it already. It was posted on Kotaku I think. I have played it and it’s pretty awesome, though the controls don’t feel very natural.