Heavy Rain: The Origami Killer

[TaraJayne]

Quantic Dreams has denied speculation that Heavy Rain: The Origami Killer will be released this year and instead insisted that it is sticking to a 2010 launch.

Despite Sony having previously suggested that the PS3-exclusive game would be made available in 2009, studio executive Guillaume de Fondaumiere has dismissed this as a matter of wrong timing.

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, he said: "Most publishers today realise that it's not ideal to release a new IP or a new genre just before Christmas. It's a very crowded place to be and certain games need more space to live their life.

"Everybody working on the project, both at Quantic and Sony, believe this [2010] is the right time. We've always known that we had a window to release the game, and it's important for us to finish it the right way.

"We've got some margin either way, to some degree, but again I think there's a responsibility, and we don't want to deceive - so it's important for the game to be polished up until the last minute."

In terms of the game's ambition, de Fondaumiere said that the title will show that it is "possible to offer players something different to just fighting, shooting and driving - that interactivity can be more than that".

He added: "I hope that Heavy Rain will leave an imprint in people's minds, like the best movies or books - that's really our objective.

"I hope it's going to be not only something that they can look back on from a gaming perspective as new and original, but maybe from a more global perspective as an entertainment form, a form of expression."

[nCogNeato]

If Sony finally drops the price of the PS3 this year, this may be my first PS3 preorder.   

[xnightcrawlerxx]

4 mins of game footage

[GamerMan316]

Heavy Rain to be censored in different regions

At the tail end of August, a rumor indicating that Heavy Rain may be censored made waves around the PlayStation blogosphere.  The rumor, started by Italian PlayStation blog UPSBlogIt, indicated that Quantic Dreams was pushing for an interactive, motion captured sex scene.  If that sounds outlandish to you, then you should take a look at the PC versions of Quantic Dream's previous games, Omikron and Indigo Prophecy(Farenheit), which both feature QTE sex sequences.

Now, Heavy Rain executive producer Guillaume de Fondaumiere has seemingly confirmed that rumor in a recent interview.  Fondaumiere explains that, even though Heavy Rain is intended for mature audiences, the game will still be tailored to fit guidelines across the different regions worldwide.

"We wanted to have pretty much the same game everywhere, be it Europe, in the United States, or in Japan, of course, with slight adaptions, for instance, the Japanese version" Fondaumiere said, "but I don't think the changes we made will make a big difference, so that those are real modular things.  We felt the need to adapt the content to the culture."

Heavy Rain is scheduled to launch early in 2010, exclusively for the PS3

[xnightcrawlerxx]

good thing those governments are looking out for their citizens best interests. 

[Failed]

good way to stir up some interest in their game

[GamerMan316]

Heavy Rain dated for February release

One of the biggest and most mysterious PS3 titles has been Heavy Rain. After being unveiled around the time of the PS3s introduction, the title vanished for several years never to been seen again until just this past year. With the sudden surge of new information also came a surge of hype. Utilizing new concepts of character interaction, Heavy Rain is going for something totally unique and the release date of the title is sooner than one expected.

Famitsu is reporting a February 18th release in Japan, which means a North American release date will surely be around the same time, too. Though Sony America hasn't formally announced a date, it's been assumed it'll be in the opening months of 2010. Hopefully, this means we'll also have a February release date to coincide with the Japanese release.

[GamerMan316]

European box art revealed

[nCogNeato]

I'm excited for this game, but I know I probably won't get around to playing it until later next year.

I need to complete the 360 games I already have backlogged.
I need to not buy anymore 360 games except for the ones I already have preordered, which is unfortunately made up of mostly RPGs which take forever to complete.
I need to play (or at least open) Uncharted 2 which has been sitting on my shelf since release.

I need to learn how to use Auto Circadian Meditation and survive without sleep (like Batman).  Imagine all of the gaming you could do if you didn't have to sleep.   

[Failed]

I need to learn how to use Auto Circadian Meditation and survive without sleep (like Batman).  Imagine all of the gaming you could do if you didn't have to sleep.   

Think of my Gamerscore!!

[xnightcrawlerxx]

Joystiq Previews The First Full Chapter




While Heavy Rain attempts to welcome both serious and more casual players, it's clear that many will find the unique controls and the story's slow burn a bit too jarring, unconventional, and even boring. Sony has already released so much (arguably too much) footage of Quantic Dream's adventure, and chances are that you've already passed judgment on the title. Perhaps more than any other game before it, Heavy Rain hopes that you want to like the experience. Why? It is -- at its core -- a role-playing game.

When people find out I've been playing Heavy Rain, the first question that generally pops up is, "Is it anything but a series of Quick-Time Events?" The problem with that question is that it inherently assumes that a QTE necessitates a lack of player control. While it's true that the majority of player input is done via on-screen indicators, to simply call them quick-time events is a bit derogatory, ignoring the innovations that developer Quantic Dream has made. Not all actions require players to press buttons as quickly as they see them. In fact, most of the commands involve a very deliberate pace: you may need to move the analog stick slowly, or hold down two buttons while transitioning to a third. Some inputs use the PS3's built-in motion controls, while others will use a combination of various inputs. There are many ways of interfacing with the controller, with each QTE trying to simulate its corresponding, real-world action.

However, variety is not Heavy Rain's greatest innovation. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of the game to explain is its integration of inaction. You are often given the opportunity to do nothing -- and counter to your intuition, that can be the most satisfying option to pursue.

Early in the game, you're forced to take care of a rather uncooperative child. (We're skimping on details, simply to avoid spoilers.) You're given the option to do a number of things, but I chose the action that seemed to make the most sense to me: spend time with the kid, sitting down on the couch and watching TV with him. There were no buttons to mash in order to continue watching the TV, nor were there any clear indicators that I was "winning" or "losing." Time continued to pass, and I felt like I had gotten closer to my estranged virtual son.

The idea of doing nothing in a video game might sound terribly unexciting, and I'm not suggesting everyone should follow my example. Instead, this single scene should serve as an example of why you'll want to absorb yourself in the fiction. There were a number of other options to pursue in that scene: play basketball, cook food, or even ignore the child altogether. Should you assume the role of these characters as you would in real life, and perhaps not "in a game," Heavy Rain will be thoroughly captivating.



Even in just the first full chapter of the game, Heavy Rain delivers a number of genuinely memorable moments. "Hassan's Shop," which Joystiq writer Griffin so elegantly laid out, is one of those nerve-wracking scenes. While Griffin experienced a number of different possibilities for that single scene -- sneaking up behind the burglar and knocking him out, getting caught and shot in the shoulder, or engaging in verbal negotiations -- he probably didn't see the most gruesome result of them all. Once again, inaction is a valid choice and, in this instance, ends in the brutal murder of the shop owner. "I should've done something," Detective Shelby says when he sees the stiff body lying on the floor, the puddle of blood expanding. Like Hassan's Shop, many of the other scenes in Heavy Rain will make you stop and think: "Wow, I've never seen this in a game before." It's exhilarating to play something that feels like a next step in the evolution of the medium.

As innovative as Heavy Rain is, there are a number of caveats that even the most accepting will find hard to ignore. The controls will undoubtedly be a point of contention. You have to hold R2 in order to walk around the environment, evoking memories of the classic tank-styled Resident Evil controls. It's actually far more intuitive than Capcom's horror game, though. Unlike in Resident Evil, controls are not relative to the player, but to the camera. You'll move your character as in any other third-person action game. Only difference? You'll have to hold down the R2 button. It's a rather small change, and we're still somewhat surprised Quantic Dream deemed it necessary. Holding R2 without using the analog stick enables an automatic path-finding routine for your character -- but we think most will wish they could simply explore the environment in a more traditional way.



The slow introduction will also undoubtedly frustrate some. While Indigo Prophecy started with a bang, Heavy Rain starts with a ... shower. Yes, the first three scenes serve as the tutorial for the game and set up the events to come. However, the impatient among you will be bored long before the game's first (optional) action sequence, which occurs well over an hour into the story.

Most disappointing of all, though, is the voice acting. For a game that's all about motion capture, realistic graphics, and earnest storytelling, it's surprising to encounter such lackluster performances. Sony raised the bar with Uncharted 2, and Heavy Rain represents a noticeable step down. The main character, Ethan Mars, sadly lacks a dramatic presence and his delivery is oftentimes stiff and unbelievable. How is it possible that the casting found an actor worse than the one used for Indigo Prophecy? (ProTip: Don't like the English voice acting? You can switch to any of the 9 other vocal tracks!)

Despite those issues, we believe that if you're hungry for mature video game storytelling, you'll be very interested in partaking in Quantic Dream's narrative experiment.

[Failed]

Honestly i read that little preview and i'm thinking it's not a game i'd like. The only reason i liked playing Shenmue was because my mate played the whole game and i did the QTE's and some of the fights. The mooching in Shenmue grated on me, like it does in Fallout and Oblivion. I can agree they're amazing games, but i just hate wandering too much.

.. and any game you 'look after' a kid ... jeez, i get to watch virtual TV with a virtual kid. That's not my idea of entertainment.

I do hope this game does well however, it'll be great for the serious gamers in a world of Wiitendo crap.

[nCogNeato]

This game sounds like it may be the first game I've ever played that was designed for "adults" (not in a xxx way).

Mature games that are rated for the violence are still appealing to children.  The slow story pacing and unfolding events that shape Hard Rain will probably have kids bored to death, as the above article suggested.

I'm really looking forward to playing this.

[GamerMan316]

This game sounds like it may be the first game I've ever played that was designed for "adults" (not in a xxx way).

Mature games that are rated for the violence are still appealing to children.  The slow story pacing and unfolding events that shape Hard Rain will probably have kids bored to death, as the above article suggested.

I'm really looking forward to playing this.

[nCogNeato]

Hard Rain

Dammit.

Now everyone knows my deep dark secret.  Every time I hear the name "Heavy Rain" I think of that movie.