Heavy Rain: The Origami Killer

[Failed]

Heavy Rain won't be as good as Hard Rain, what a movie!

[GamerMan316]

Heavy Rain won't be as good as Hard Rain, what a movie!

I really enjoyed that movie, Morgan Freeman as a bad guy, whats not to like 

[GamerMan316]

New Screens

[xnightcrawlerxx]

Quantic Dream's Heavy Rain just got heavier, both in content and in physical package size. Sony has detailed the first of the DLC releases that we confirmed earlier this week, called Heavy Rain Chronicles. The first DLC episode is an expanded version of the "bonus" taxidermist scene shown in 2008 and will be available "after the launch of Heavy Rain early next year" for an unannounced price. More downloadable episodes will be revealed later.

Sony Europe has also announced a Collector's Edition of the game (for Europe), which will include access to the expanded Taxidermist episode day-and-date with the retail release. The limited-edition box will include the DLC episode, along with a downloadable soundtrack and XMB theme, plus a cool "rain-effect" slipcase (pictured above). Sony didn't note a date for the Collector's Edition, so we'll just stick to our best guess: February 26.

While there's no announcement about a Collector's Edition for North America, according to PlayStation Blog, if you pre-order the standard edition, you will gain early access to the first "Chronicle" (or DLC episode). As in Europe, the DLC will be available for non-pre-orderers at an unspecified post-launch date, though the North American episodes have been priced at $4.99 each.

[GamerMan316]

Heavy Rain "Not A Video Game Anymore" In Creator's Mind



While there are some who believe Heavy Rain creator David Cage is a gifted man, others think he (and his games) are a little too full of themselves.

Both types will probably find these comments of interest, then. "Heavy Rain is not a video game anymore in my mind because it breaks with most of the traditional paradigms, but it's fully interactive," he told Destructoid. "If the format becomes successful, we will probably have to find a different name for this type of experience".

And if it doesn't, we will probably have to find a different name for David Cage.

Full Story

[nCogNeato]

"If the format becomes successful, we will probably have to find a different name for this type of experience".

No.  You give its genre a new name.

If you play it, it's a game.  If anything, immersion just makes it MORE of a game, not less.

[xnightcrawlerxx]

he does sound a bit full of himself. but, i have to be excited about a developer that isnt afraid to try something completely new and possibly fail miserably. so let him call the "experience" anything he wants. im just excited to have something other than another shooter/rpg to look forward to.

[GamerMan316]

The origins of Heavy Rain's exclusivity

The heavily anticipated PS3 exclusive Heavy Rain is due out early in in 2010.  The upcoming January issue of GamePro features a pretty in depth cover feature on the man behind the game, David Cage. In it, Cage explains how Heavy Rain came to be exclusive in the first place, as relayed by GamePro EIC John Davidson in the latest 4G1U podcast.

The PlayStation 3 was first introduced at E3 2005.  PlayStation father Ken Kutagari and then SCEA president Kaz Hirai promised a technical monster, claims bolstered by prefabricated trailers, like the infamous Killzone 2 and Motorstorm trailers.  Expectations for the PlayStation 2's successor were set astronomically high.

One year later, with the PS3 just months from launch, Sony was faced with the daunting task of coming up with real PS3 footage that matched the impressive mock up trailers from a year earlier.  This is when Quantic Dream approached Sony with Heavy Rain.  They had started work on 'The Casting', an impresive in-engine tech demo, earlier in 2006.  Sony, desperate for something to show at E3, quickly snapped up Heavy Rain.

A wise decision by Sony, as Heavy Rain was easily one of their brightest stars at E3 that year - a year that spawned several internet meme's at Sony's expense.  David Cage, producer of the title, recently told GamePro that if that situation hadn't played out like that, Heavy Rain may have never even happened.

Heavy Rain is tentatively due for a February 2010 release.

[TaraJayne]

The US version of Heavy Rain has been dated.

The latest issue of Qore, Sony's members-only online magazine, has dated the game for February 16, according to Examiner.

Although retailer HMV recently retracted its February 26 estimate for Europe that was announced with the Collector's Edition, "watertight retail sources" told CVG that it will be released on that date.

The source added: "That's the date we've got and as far as we're concerned they've committed to it."

Heavy Rain will be a PlayStation 3 exclusive adventure by Quantic Dream, developer of 2005 title Fahrenheit. (not to be confused with the uber awesome community 360 Degrees Fahrenheit)

[xnightcrawlerxx]

i never really understood game developers having different release dates for different continents. would it really be that diificult to have games to have a world wide release date? 

[Failed]

localisation, it's the difference between fries, chips and crisps

[nCogNeato]

i never really understood game developers having different release dates for different continents. would it really be that diificult to have games to have a world wide release date? 

I always thought it was due to industry-set release days.  In the US, most retail media is released on a Tuesday.  I just assumed other countries have a different days of the week for releases.  I could be wrong.

[Failed]

UK is a Friday, except worldwides which are usually a Tuesday.

[xnightcrawlerxx]

i never really understood game developers having different release dates for different continents. would it really be that diificult to have games to have a world wide release date? 

I always thought it was due to industry-set release days.  In the US, most retail media is released on a Tuesday.  I just assumed other countries have a different days of the week for releases.  I could be wrong.

that makes sense

[xnightcrawlerxx]

Did Qore say February 16 was the day Heavy Rain would be released? It meant February 23! As if specifically intended to correct this morning's report, Sony just announced the for-real North American release date for the adventure game. A reminder: pre-ordering the title will get you free launch-day access to the first downloadable Heavy Rain Chronicles episode, which won't be available otherwise until a later date.

Sony also confirmed European release dates for Quantic Dream's interactive novel thing: February 24 for mainland Europe and February 26 in the UK and Ireland.