Heavy Rain: The Origami Killer Preview

By Ellie Gibson Published 22 August, 2008

Is this living?

"But I'm sure you want to know about the games." So said David Reeves, about half an hour into Sony's Games Convention press conference. He was right, having spent the last 30 minutes showing off portables and bundles and peripherals and services. And quoting Bob Dylan, perhaps ill-advisedly: for all the talk of selling out, it's unlikely that The Times They Are A' Changin' was about the seventh generation of the console war.

With apologies to SingStar Queen and EyePet, though, what we really wanted to see was a specific game: Quantic Dream's long-awaited follow-up to Fahrenheit, called Heavy Rain. And we did. But for all the impressive visuals and talk about emotional experiences during the conference trailer, Heavy Rain still came off looking like a string of pretty Quick Time Events. It wasn't until afterwards, during the 45-minute demo held behind closed doors, that Quantic Dream boss David Cage got to explain why Heavy Rain is so much more than that.

He begins by telling the familiar tale of how the game didn't start out as a game at all. In 2006, having enjoyed success with Omikron: The Nomad Soul and Fahrenheit, Quantic set about creating a tech demo for Sony to show at E3. The crowd went wild, and so did the internet. According to Cage, the original Heavy Rain demo has since been downloaded more than a million times.

Now there's just over a year to wait until the full game is released. So what exactly is it all about? "Heavy Rain is an adult thriller based on five simple ideas," says Cage. The first of these is the "story-driven experience"; the plot that unfolds not via cut-scenes but directly through the players' actions. "You don't watch the story, you play it, and even generate it. You are not only the actor, but the writer and the director of the experience." Cage says he wanted to create an emotionally-involving narrative that would make the player care. "The characters on-screen are not just a bunch of pixels," he says. "They are real, living and breathing characters, and we do whatever it takes to create a feeling of empathy with them."

'Heavy Rain: The Origami Killer' Screenshot 1

Madison considers her options.

In addition, there is determination to create a game with an adult theme and subject matter. "We believe that videogames are mature enough to tell more complex stories carrying depth and meaning," explains Cage, "You've seen so many games telling you about rookies going off to the second world war, heroes trying to save the world... We try to tell a real story that's happening in a real world. No supernatural powers, no monster to kill, just real life." He reckons this can be just as exciting. "If not more."

Quantic wants Heavy Rain to be "accessible to a broad audience", which is always odd to hear from a company famed for cult PC games, but, says Cage, "We believe the challenge should be transferred from the controller to the player's mind, because this is where the difficulty should be." This game isn't about solving puzzles or working out what you're supposed to do next; "We see Heavy Rain more like an unfolding journey, rather than a series of obstacles which have to be set up just to stop the player."

'Heavy Rain: The Origami Killer' Screenshot 2

Please be a secret Twin Peaks licence.

While Cage is explaining all this the Heavy Rain menu screen is being displayed on a big screen behind him. It's a close-up of a woman's eyes, which appear to be scanning the room from within the TV. We may still be in the uncanny valley but the level of realism is high, and the effect is unnerving. The menu, says Cage, is running in real-time 3D. The eyes have not been hand-animated but motion-captured, using a technology specially developed by Quantic. "We don't know about the game, but we believe we have the most beautiful menu of the show," he says with a smile.

And we're off, with a cut-scene that begins just as the trailer shown at the conference did. A woman on a motorbike pulls up outside a suburban house as rain pours from steely skies. Her name is Madison, says Cage, and she's investigating a series of disappearances. But before going any further he's careful to emphasise what we're seeing won't tell us anything about the finished game's characters or plot; this is just a "bonus scene", which will be on the disc but only as a sideshow.

As Madison begins exploring the exterior of the house, which a sign reveals to be the home of the local taxidermist, Cage explains how she's being controlled. The left analogue stick does the movement of her head, rather than her whole body. To make characters move you press and hold the right trigger; they will travel in the direction they're facing. It's "very simple and very intuitive", he reckons.

Madison walks up to the front door. Cage shows how you can choose whether to ring or knock, or what to shout through the letterbox. The options appear on the screen as text, as we've seen in previous games, but to select one you tilt the Sixaxis. The idea is you can move, interact with the environment and talk at the same time - you don't have to wait while your character carries out instructions.

Having established the house is empty and the front door is locked, Madison looks for an alternative point of entry. She comes across a barrel lying near a window that's been left ajar. The chap holding the Sixaxis demonstrates how you can push the barrel by pushing the controller forwards, and force the window up by shaking the Sixaxis up and down.

Inside, the house looks just like it did in the trailer; dingy and dirty, all shabby furniture and yellowing wallpaper. It's full of stuff and it looks lived in. "Sometimes in games you see living rooms that look more like football stadiums than real living rooms, and we didn't want that," says Cage. He confirms you can interact with everything you see - sit on the rocking chair, open the cupboards, turn on the television. It's all context-sensitive; when you're next to items icons appear on screen to show you what button to press to perform the relevant action.

'Heavy Rain: The Origami Killer' Screenshot 3

Are we out of the uncanny valley yet?

Madison takes a brief tour of the garage, where a chainsaw lies on the floor. She tries the switch-operated door to the exterior and discovers it won't open fully. After returning to the main house, she proceeds up the stairs. "We're just having a look around, it's just exploration. Everything's fine," says Cage, but the soundtrack suggests he's lying, having shifted from heavy piano to ominous strings.

He's lying. Madison swings open the bathroom door to reveal there's a dead woman in the bathtub, her head and torso submerged in a pool of blood. Our heroine gasps, stumbles out of the room and opens another door. Just like in the trailer, we see oddly posed and dressed mannequins; except now we see they aren't mannequins at all, but real women who have been gutted and stuffed by the taxidermist.

"Oh sh**," says Cage. The strings reach a peak. The screen splits into two panes, and in the one that takes up the left-hand third of the screen we see a man pulling up outside the house and getting out of his car. In the right hand pane, Madison hears the car and starts looking frantically for an escape route. She heads for the stairs as he enters the house and heads for the kitchen. This isn't a cut-scene, confirms Cage; she's being controlled all the while, and the guy doing the demo is being sure to creep rather than run so the taxidermist doesn't hear anything.

'Heavy Rain: The Origami Killer' Screenshot 4

Is that spot motion-captured? We demand to know.

As he settles down in an armchair and turns the TV on, Madison carefully and quietly opens the door to the garage. She presses the switch, rolls under the gap, races to her motorbike and rides away to safety. The strings ebb away and the ponderous piano music returns. Cage and his audience breathe a sigh of relief.

"That was cool, that was okay," he says. "But that was one story. We made it out of the house, we didn't get caught. We will call the police and the guy will be arrested. But what if, when we were exploring the house, we had changed something - left a cupboard door open, maybe - and the guy had noticed? What if, when we were escaping, we didn't catch that bottle we knocked over, and it smashed and made a noise?" Any number of actions, explains Cage, could have changed the outcome. So, "Let's play differently and see what happens."

Once again, we watch the man leave his car and enter the house. But this time, instead of heading for the kitchen, he starts walking up the stairs to the bathroom. "He's managed by AI, so I can't predict what he's going to do," says Cage.

Madison starts searching for somewhere to hide, and once again the options are context-sensitive - except now more than one button icon appears. This demonstrates something called the "impress system", according to Cage. You may have to hold down several buttons at once to maintain a position, and you may find that as a result your fingers are uncomfortable just like your character. In this instance, the man controlling Madison must hold down triangle, circle, R2 and L1 to keep her hidden in a wardrobe.

The taxidermist, having heard Madison moving around, enters the room. He looks under the bed. "It's a good job we didn't hide under there," says Cage. But now he's approaching the wardrobe. "Sh**." He pulls open the doors, Madison screams and the split-screen disappears as a fully fledged fight gets underway.

It's just like in the trailer; the two characters face off across the bed, and after an X icon appears on-screen Madison picks up a lamp and smashes her enemy over the head. He chases her into the toilet, she kicks him out of the way and races down the stairs. She stumbles and a triangle icon pops up; when the demo man fails to press it in time, she falls and stands up with a bruise on her cheek. Eventually, she makes it to the garage, rolls under the door and runs out to the motorbike. This time it won't start, and another series of button presses is required before Madison is able to drive away. The taxidermist watches her go, then turns and heads slowly back into the house. The screen fades to black and a single shot is heard. It's over. Again.

'Heavy Rain: The Origami Killer' Screenshot 5

The shadows are amazing. On her face we mean. Anyone can do black backgrounds.

"That was another way of playing the same scene. We could play it five, ten or 20 times and show you different versions," says Cage. "We could have stayed hidden in the house, found a phone and called the police, who would have turned up and arrested the man. We could have killed him, perhaps using the screwdriver or the chainsaw. Or we could have been killed by him, which would be taken onboard by the script, and the story would continue with this information... There are many different options."

Cage reiterates that what we've just seen won't be in the finished main game, but adds, "There will be around 60 scenes like this, each one unique and contextual. Each fight is unique. Each situation is unique. You will never see the same animation twice. Each scene has its own story arc, its own interactivity.

"And all this in a very dark and mature thriller full of twists and turns," says Cage. "If you can imagine that, you will start to see what this project is about."

'Heavy Rain: The Origami Killer' Screenshot 6

It's raining in Brighton today. Coincidence? Yes, coincidence.

True, we know more about Heavy Rain now than when there was nothing but a tech demo and a conference trailer to go on. But this more extensive demo asks more questions than it answers. How will it feel to move characters around by controlling where they look? Just how interactive will the environments be? How can game storylines progress once the main character has been killed?

More broadly, what is Heavy Rain? Is it an interactive movie? Is it an action game? Is it next-gen point-and-click? Is it Choose Your Own Adventure for the 21st century?

The answers, as David Reeves might say, are blowing in the wind.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (140) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Razz #1 4 years ago

    Awesome

  • CannonAnBall #2 4 years ago

    Can't wait to find out more about this game.

  • UncleLou #3 4 years ago

    Quoting His Bobness, referencing Twin Peaks.

    Married yet? :)

  • anomagnus #4 4 years ago

    is this the emotion engine they were talking about? 10 years ago...

  • patchbox360 #5 4 years ago

    lair 2

  • miiiguel #6 4 years ago

    http://en .wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_Las...

  • Stuz359 #7 4 years ago

    Sounds cool. This to me is proper next gen. As long as there are no aliens or things like that in it.
    Edited by 1 at 22/08/08 @ 11:59

  • andijames #8 4 years ago

    Sounds like a lot of data to cram on a DV... oh... never mind :)

  • andijames #9 4 years ago

    In all seriousness though this does sound mightly impressive. I hope they can pull it off!

  • repairmanjack #10 4 years ago

    Want it!

    When is it out?

  • DrDamn #11 4 years ago

    Sounds interesting - but they have taken so many standard game elements out (no guns, puzzles, enemies etc.) you do have to wonder what is left in terms of interaction. Though if that bloke wasn't an enemy then what was he exactly? At this stage it's interesting that they are exploring this sort of game genre, but it will either be brilliant or really, really shite. :)

  • shamblemonkee #12 4 years ago

    remains unconvinced. doesn't sound greatly interactive (yes i discount quick-time events as interactive)

  • lambtron #13 4 years ago

    I liked Nomad Soul.
    I did not like Fahrenheit.
    I think I will like this even less.

  • andywilkie35 #14 4 years ago

    i can't wait, sounds absolutely incredible!

  • miiiguel #15 4 years ago

    squarejawhero, yeah...

    /honest mode on/
    I hope it turns out good, I dig this sorta stuff

    ;)

  • Bezzy #16 4 years ago

    QTEs = Fucking pretend gameplay bullshit.

  • penhalion #17 4 years ago

    but to select one you tilt the Sixaxis. The idea is you can move, interact with the environment and talk at the same time

    Sounds great in theory. In practice how would I keep track of anything? What happens if I go to move and tilt the controller by accident?

    So far, the more I hear and see of this game. The more it seems to have nothing but looks going for it.

  • Ninja_Tino #18 4 years ago

    Hope there's no AI thingys or dance offs with insects in the work place!

  • X201 #19 4 years ago

    Please promise me there is no weird alien deus ex machina to resolve the story line.
    It really gets my goat when great games are ruined by having the storyline resolved by throwing aliens into the mix - I'm looking at you Fahrenheit and Far Cry and yes, I'm going to say it, the end segment of Half-Life as well

  • Snooz #20 4 years ago

    Kudos for trying something new-ish...

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #21 4 years ago

    Sounds great. I'll reserve judgement until it's played rather than watched being played by someone who worked on the game.

    I actually got whiffs of the old Lucasarts adventures like Full Throttle reading that. I hope that's true!!

  • Sneerk #22 4 years ago

    I want this game. Please finish it and send it too me. Thank you.

  • TheJuriel #23 4 years ago

    These people made Nomad Soul and Fahrenheit? Alright, now I'm interested. Even though it's for PS3 only, so far...

  • chudders #24 4 years ago

    If it can deliver what's being suggested then it sounds like an exciting proposition. Although I've heard hyperbole like this many times before.

  • rob76 #25 4 years ago

    Sounds good eneough and might turn out to be a belter...

    However there's still a whole year left to hype it out beyond imagination and make everyone sick about it. Assassin's Creed anyone?

  • Katsumoto #26 4 years ago

    Sounds awesome. I loved fahrenheit and this looks like they're taking it to the next level. Hopefully there will have been another price drop on the ps3 by the time this comes out.

  • Agent_Llama #27 4 years ago

    Looks awesome and the themes etc sound like it'd be right up my street, but Fahrenheit was personally my biggest ever gaming let-down. It promised so much and destroyed it with hideous QTEs, cliches and that god-awful stealth bit.

  • espadachin #28 4 years ago

    wow, great article, this game has shot up to the top of my 'interested' list.

  • Schiraman #29 4 years ago

    Sounds really interesting. I wonder if the gameplay will be interesting enough to support the story though.

  • Dizzy #30 4 years ago

    " the man controlling Madison must hold down triangle, circle, R2 and L1 to keep her hidden in a wardrobe."

    Seriously... who comes up with gameplay like that???

    I am sorry... but despite liking their previous efforts is still sounds like a big meh to me. These kind of "games" were discredited in the late 90s. I would be impressed if they managed to have some procedurally generated plot engine or something like that, but this sounds pretty mediocre. This is just Dragon's Lair with more variations.

    And yes I am not a fan of "games need to be interactive fiction". I like my games to be just games and have gameplay.
    Edited by 2 at 22/08/08 @ 12:55

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #31 4 years ago

    It does make me wonder just how good QD are. It's like they're not brilliant games developers (Stealth Mini-Game, QTE's etc etc) but they're also not particularly great at making CG films either (stupid ending, annoying and stereotyped characters)

    Nomad was their best game when they didn't have this obsession with movies.

  • kgthatsme #32 4 years ago

    the 'gameplay' in Fahrenheit was negligible imho, it sounds like this will be the same story. Even the story itself was farcicle. I still might get this though!

  • Zebula77 #33 4 years ago

    It's so nice to see developers actually having the balls to go ahead with projects like this. I'm sick to death of generic FPS blasters and franchise games.
    I agree with the comment that this is true next-gen. Games need to progress. Storytelling in games needs to progress and this seems like just the ambitious project to do it.

    Granted, the concept of quick time-events has gotten pretty boring lately, as more and more games feature them (tho they work well in the God of War games), but here's hoping Heavy Rain won't be all about QTEs. One here and there is ok. All the time would be a big letdown.

    I must say I love the look of this, and the emphasis on storytelling and emotional responses is very intruiging indeed.

    And I loved Fahrenheit.

  • Dizzy #34 4 years ago

    >You only have to apologize if you have something positive to say about a PS3 exclusive.

    Yeah must be that. This possible can't be bad...

    The trend has been to try to develop sandbox worlds with real physics, better AI and procedural generated content (be it graphics or real gameplay data) to get rid (or reduce) of scripted gaming and here comes a game that discards all that and goes back to a QT events driven gameplay with branching scripted events. I am sorry... but as a dev I feel like that is a step back. But who knows.. maybe the story will indeed be so good that it will be a worthwhile experiment. In the end, if it is great fun for a good number of people I am not going to give it bad scores. I just feel like this kind of stuff was behind us technically.
    Edited by 1 at 22/08/08 @ 13:15

  • chris_ace #35 4 years ago

    Post deleted at 11:55:13 13-12-2011

  • moggsy #36 4 years ago

    Madison walks up to the front door. Cage shows how you can choose whether to ring or knock, or what to shout through the letterbox.

    That's the real next gen, right there!

    Or it's a pointless over complication of something trivial?

    You decide.

  • Widge #37 4 years ago

    Also its worth being aware the the QTE isn't on rails, it won't pan out like that every time (unlike Shenmue's get it right or it ends, and its the same presses each time path)... seems like a good way to integrate action and interactivity into an adventure.

  • ps3owner #38 4 years ago

    why doesn't she use her mobile to call the police? I thougt this was as close to "real life" as possible. a reporter without a mobile?

  • moggsy #39 4 years ago

    @ Zebula77

    I'm sick to death of generic FPS blasters and franchise games.

    Play something different then.

  • Zebula77 #40 4 years ago

    Hehe, wiseass! :p

    I am, but developer's seem to spew out titles like that. A little more originality is all I'm looking for.

  • Widge #41 4 years ago

    I hope it doesn't turn out like Full Throttle like someone mentioned... I mean all that pointing and clicking?! Where was the GAMEPLAY!?

  • koji_m #42 4 years ago

    so next gen

  • UncleLou #43 4 years ago

    Nothing shows the game's potential better than the usual suspects rushing into here so early and desparately.

  • Thalanos #44 4 years ago

    "We try to tell a real story that's happening in a real world. No supernatural powers, no monster to kill, just real life."

    Thank God!

    Fahrenheit's main draw was as an interactive story - which was quite good until the terrible final act. A dead guy fighting an alien AI? What?!?! Glad to hear they've moved away from that crazyness! I'm much more excited for Hard Rain with an assurance that they will not go down that road again.
    Edited by 1 at 22/08/08 @ 13:21

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #45 4 years ago

    @Widge

    Actually lots of Shenmue's QTE's weren't like that. If you fucked them up you just got a different outcome e.g. having the football kicked at your head, or chasing the bag thief in part 2. Some of them also gave you multiple chances in the same QTE so if you missed a button Ryu tripped over but he continued the chase anyway.

    Pretty much what they keep saying about this game as if it's the saviour of QTE.

    The actual events where quite spaced out too so you actually got to enjoy the action a bit.

    It was Fahrenheit that got it wrong not Shenmue.


    Edited by 1 at 22/08/08 @ 13:21

  • Negotiator #46 4 years ago

    The fact that it's all AI driven, and not pre-set scripted routines gives this one scene an almost limitless amount of outcomes. You won't know what the guy is going to do at any time, this is the PS3 game that has convinced me to buy one. The fact that Sony is publishing the game, means that a 360 version is never going to happen, so my hand as been forced. Heavy Rain could well be the first true next step forward for gaming, Sony you just won me over, well done.
    Edited by 1 at 22/08/08 @ 13:24

  • Widge #47 4 years ago

    Really? The QTE's I failed on just repeated on me on Shenmue (this is Shenmue II xbox btw)... with it restarting from the beginning of the sequence. I remember once chase doing that, and the irritating climbing the building by going across the beams place.

  • Aname #48 4 years ago

    If they can pull this off, this could be fantastic. I think those who are comparing this to Dragon's Lair are missing the point somewhat. The main gameplay here will be decision making, using your judgement, making meaningful choices - things which Dragon's Lair didn't have at all. A lot of games claim to be story-driven and have meaningful choices to make, but in practise fail to deliver - this one sounds like it could well deliver, as these things are its core focus. Besides all that, there are many other aspects that would distinguish this game fropm being a 21st century Dragon's Lair - you are able to explore the environment as you can in traditional games, it's not the case that you are just watching pre-made footage, in fact in playthroughs journalists have reported that every single object they saw could be interacted with, for example, and I don't think that game was remembered for a mature, emotionally driven story, or one that could branch out depending on player choice. This is a game that tests judgement and investigative abilities as much as, if not more than, reflexes, despite having QTEs, and I for one welcome this if QD can pull it off. I like having a variety of games, I don't see why they should be limited to one idea of what gameplay should be.

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #49 4 years ago

    @Negotiator

    Don't you think you should wait until the games released?

  • RedPanda #50 4 years ago

    Post deleted at 14:31:59 28-01-2012

  • Widge #51 4 years ago

    at the end of the day, the game is still pretty seriously under wraps, and I doubt they are going to give us any whole scale gameplay and story spoilers as that would pretty much defeat the point of the game.

    Its like having something like "oh by the way Master Miller turns out to be Liquid Snake in this game, you'll love playing it" or "watch out for the heart rendering death of Aeris" given to us in a preview.

    So its quite a lot of reading into a game from a very limited preview.

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #52 4 years ago

    @Widge

    Played 1 & 2 on the DC. Some of them were as you described, but some you just failed and the story adjusted. Other's would start you back at checkpoints halfway through the QTE and would give you a couple of scripted failures so if you messed up one the button presses it would continue and could still be finished.

  • Negotiator #53 4 years ago

    Don't you think you should wait until the games released?

    Yeah, I won't buy one until this game is near release, but if this game makes true on its promise, it is impossible to ignore.

  • Widge #54 4 years ago

    Right, I must have just missed out on the branching qte's. I just remember eventually memorising that path up to the top of the building because it was driving me potty.

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #55 4 years ago

    She looks a bit like Sharleen Spiteri.
    Edited by 1 at 22/08/08 @ 13:37

  • Widge #56 4 years ago

    ah, I hope there is a "verbally threaten Paris Hilton" QTE then

  • cardigait #57 4 years ago

    Mmm, for the second time after Lair('till the review) i see a PS3 exclusive that make me want to be a PS3 owner instead of a XBox one. Hope it lasts to the appeal.
    Edited by 1 at 22/08/08 @ 13:42

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #58 4 years ago

    @evilfoxhound

    Really? Everyone?

    "Sounds great. I'll reserve judgement until it's played rather than watched being played by someone who worked on the game.

    I actually got whiffs of the old Lucasarts adventures like Full Throttle reading that. I hope that's true!! "

  • TripSkyway #59 4 years ago

    Sounds ace

  • moggsy #60 4 years ago

    @evilfoxhound

    Maybe they own a PS3 too though? It has been known...

  • andijames #61 4 years ago

    Technically you could play this game again and again and never get the same game twice

  • moggsy #62 4 years ago

    Technically you could play this game again and again and never get the same game twice

    Like FIFA then ;-)

  • glaeken #63 4 years ago

    This is kind of interesting but is it a game or an interactive movie with branching plot lines? I am really not sure. It will be interesting to see how it turns out though.

  • andijames #64 4 years ago

    @moggsy

    yes like fifa which is one game i continually play again and again and not banish to the shelf once i finished it :)
    Edited by 1 at 22/08/08 @ 13:50

  • TheJuriel #65 4 years ago

    Well, it would be nice to have a worthwhile PS3-only game come out... Guess I'll see in a year.

  • Widge #66 4 years ago

    there are quite a few, but then we go into the realms of "in your opinion" and before you know it, the comments thread is 2500 comments long.

  • miiiguel #67 4 years ago

    @evilfoxhound : you aren't doing Sony a favor, you know..., every time I come across something interesting in "your box", I also see that urge for segregation. Talk about anti-climax. Don't ever apply for a job at Sony, you wouldn't sell many units.

  • dr_faulk #68 4 years ago

    "Blowing in the wind?" What is this pansie-hippy shit! GIVE ME TEH WEAP0NZ!

  • moggsy #69 4 years ago

    @ farticusmaximus

    There is no indication that the storyline branches, only that there are multiple paths through each 'scene'. Each 'scene' would appear to have one start and one end point though, based on what we have seen so far.

    Well the article says you can you can kill the bloke or not kill the bloke - so that's a story branch right?

  • Widge #70 4 years ago

    There have been indication that the storyline branches: escape from the house undetected, you can call on the police to go back there and confront this person... get detected and the perp is going to be wise and ready for the approach by the police, implying that the paths open and closed to the player at each point are different. A certain amount of intelligence to the telling of the story.

    Also what is nice to see is that the guy in this on scene isn't scripted, one play through he heads to the kitchen and then the TV, another and he's straight off upstairs. The camera angles imply movie cutscenes but the charater is controlled using R2 for movement, meaning you can effect their movement throughout scenes, context sensitive actions pop up to give you actions throughout what is going on, meaning it isn't an A to B jaunt throughout the action.

    Again, this is all from one small demo, the dev stressed that the game isn't about going round to peoples houses and using QTE's to escape from them.

    Seriously though, read the previews and take in how the game is operating because it is not an on rails qte fest as you are assuming.
    Edited by 1 at 22/08/08 @ 14:30

  • Widge #71 4 years ago

    Now the call that evilfoxhound made is quite fair, you see the moanage, check the profile, look at the post history and lo! it is a non-PS3 owning person who seems to enjoy living in PS3 threads BUT the validity of the call is kind of weakened when you sift through to find crowing about the 360 d-pad revision in the 360 thread.

  • Nithron #72 4 years ago

    Wow. Eyes that look wet. How long has it taken?

  • andijames #73 4 years ago

    I get the feeling this is going to become the 2009 poster child for the PS3. It's something very original in terms of what they're trying to achieve and i, for one, am happy that developers are willing to take a punt on something new and something very fresh.

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #74 4 years ago

    +100 Widge re: 360 owners complaining in 360 threads too.

    I just had a few interesting thoughts about this game:

    Isn't it lucky that the guy happened to do something different the second time they loaded the demo? Surely, given the same set of variables it would have been highly likely he would do the same thing again. AI is very difficult to write so I would please just take this with a pinch of salt. There was an interesting article a while ago about how difficult it is to get a get a character to walk up to a table and pick up a bottle truly by it's own routines. I remember similar things being touted in HL2 previews. This seems like a huge leap and will end up being relatively scripted no matter how much we hope it's not. Ironic that with such touted AI it then resorts to QTE in the same breath - the very opposite of AI.

    Secondly, he did state that this scene isn't in the game so it's very easy for the them to let you do A and get B, or you could do X and get Y. It's a self contained environment that has no effect on a further outcome. We all know from playing games (or working on them) as long as we have, that it is very very hard to make something truly branched and open ended. You have exponential growth in possibilities further up the story just by adding an extra option at the bottom. Again, it just seems like a huge leap in design which I welcome - cautiously.

    Mass Effect suffered from the old 'select two different comments and get the same reply back' and a 'bug' in the story when it tried to give too many branch options in Noveria. It's tough to do.

    Before any of you fucking fanboys jump down my throat I've already said I'm looking forward to this and I'm gagging for a good adventure game too.

    EDIT: Awful, Awful grammar!
    Edited by 3 at 22/08/08 @ 15:20

  • Beek4257 #75 4 years ago

    Wildly off topic:

    Something I noticed in the Too Human review posts.
    I was - foolishly - about to react to one of Blig's posts only to find it ... you know ... gone. So seem all his other posts.

    Did I put him on ignore without knowing? Was it all a dream?

    /whispers: is he behind me? ...
    Edited by 2 at 22/08/08 @ 15:15

  • Beek4257 #76 4 years ago

    and on topic:

    I don't care if it's not really AI making the "decisions" or that it's not really me controlling where the story goes. As long as the developer can sucker me in to thinking it is/I am (the whole suspension of disbelief thingy), I'll be pleased.

  • pinkpanzer #77 4 years ago

    Is it inspired by Chubby Rain - the film Steve Martin's character is making in Bowfinger? If it's not, it should be.

  • johnnybrn #78 4 years ago

    I initially thought this was a translation of that 90's film Hard Rain with Morgan Freeman

  • pinkpanzer #79 4 years ago

    And what's an Origami Killer? Does he fold his victims to death?

  • Widge #80 4 years ago

    Blig vanished.... but I partly think the guy wasn't entirely serious and was on a serious wind up mission.

  • shadow1979 #81 4 years ago

    This is how adventure gaming has "evolved". More companies should follow, I hope this does well, Quantic Dream deserve more recognition.

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #82 4 years ago

    Sounds pretty amazing if they can pull it off. It'll be fantastically replayable if the level of freedom promised is acheived.

    This and LBP are the two games that could make me get a PS3...
    Edited by 1 at 22/08/08 @ 16:05

  • shadow1979 #83 4 years ago

    It's one of the reasons why I bought a PS3.. ;)

    (looks at xbox360 gathering dust.. :( )

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #84 4 years ago

    Widge, let me assure you, blig was very very serious. Tedious little man he is.

    Talking of adventure games. What possessed LA to make the 4th Monkey Island require keys or a joypad?!??! And I defy anyone can look at the 2D Curse and not admit it looks 100 times better than the 3D shit of the Escape! I cried tears of sorrow the day I loaded it up. :(

    Sorry - had to vent.

  • mungolikebeans #85 4 years ago

    farticusmaximus - you didn't happen to watch Ace Ventura last night did you?


  • shadow1979 #86 4 years ago

    SpaceMidget75 - I dunno, the only time where that control for the "new" LA adventure games seemed to work well was for Grim Fandango, the other times I agree, looked pretty bad, although 3d has come a long way since then. Would be really cool to see an updated franchise.

    PS: "Look, a three headed monkey!"

  • mungolikebeans #87 4 years ago

    @fartinmyfaceicus

    Just figured your earlier gonorrhea quote was a result of seeing Ace Ventura. It was on last night. haven't seen it in years. I laughed so hard that a little bit of wee came out.

  • johnnybrn #88 4 years ago

    I prefered Katie Holmes

  • ps3owner #89 4 years ago

    it's always the same schema in hotly discussed threads. first third is ppl posting just about the story, second third is mostly fanboys complaining about the first third (and whatever console in question) and the final third is ppl telling the first 2/3rds that they've put them onto the ignore list as well as declaring that they were right all along.

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #90 4 years ago

    @ps3owner

    Where do I fit? ;)
    Edited by 1 at 22/08/08 @ 16:45

  • Widge #91 4 years ago

    I'm putting ps3owner on ignore

  • Stuz359 #92 4 years ago

    Just an interesting point. Okay, bear with me.
    Take Gears of War. Fantastic game and I absolutely love it. But lets face it, it is one of the most linear games available. Essentially what it does is shovel you from one scripted event to the next. In the context of this area though, how you approach the combat and tackle the situation is entirely up to you. But really, nothing you do is really going to affect the outcome of the scenario. You are either going to die or be victorious and be shovelled to the next area. There are no branching paths or anything like that.

    My point is, the same criticisms could be levelled at Heavy Rain. Okay, instead of guns you have a series of QTE's to keep the action ticking along. But it doesn't mean it's going to be a poor game. Gears was linear, it moved you along to progress the story and you kept playing because the world and story were of interest to you. This is pretty much the same deal, if the story can keep you interested, you are going to want to progress the story along and play more of the game. If not, then you will leave it gathering dust on the shelf.

    Personally, I think the game sounds intriguing and I am for one, looking forward to it. Please don't make snap judgements on a game you have never played.

  • ps3owner #93 4 years ago

    I think since we are on page three we must be getting close to the "ignore" stage ;)
    not sure where to place you midget, neutral... have read most comments but it's friday, late afternoon and only 7 minutes 'till the Restistance movie... been waiting all day for that. (ok was supposed to work as well, but motivation levels are well below the required standard... )

  • Widge #94 4 years ago

    well at least you do converse, rather than serial shit sling hit and runners

  • Widge #95 4 years ago

    I want to see how this pans out when the game arrives, Stuz359, because what you described there for Gears is what the dev of this was going on about with his Uncharted comments. Literally a game that is story bit, action, story bit, action ... where the story bits are merely devices to trigger action. Its a great game, I'm playing it now and have no bones about its structure, but interested to see how this differs from the template.

  • ps3owner #96 4 years ago

    the trailer is on :) yay. way offtopic I guess but it's looking good.

    and yes, I mostly converse instead of throwing bananas. :)

  • Dizzy #97 4 years ago

    "Oh you dont want to play the age card, trust me. I've been gaming since well before colour was introduced to games. "

    Hehehe.. I still remember the original Space Invaders cabinet has coloured strips of plastic to change the color of the "bunkers" and your own ship. Colour gaming!
    Edited by 1 at 22/08/08 @ 19:18

  • Aname #98 4 years ago

    @farticus

    No, the game is not an evolution of Dragon's Lair. That was the point I was making, fundamentally this game is very different as it places emphasis on player choice and making realistic decisions that affect the storyline. Almost every preview there is has made this point explicitly. There has been every indication that this is what the game is about.
    Edited by 1 at 22/08/08 @ 17:35

  • Tyedyed #99 4 years ago

    Ahh I see that the heavy rain refers to the bitter bitter fanboy tears from the frontpage comment xtards :)

  • ronuds #100 4 years ago

    This is one game I want to try out for the PS3. Not sure I completely get the appeal yet, but hopefully it'll reveal itself in time.

    I just don't understand what makes the gameplay better than the usual game which allows full freedom and can also create tense moments. I think if this had crap graphics nobody would be taking a 2nd look at it, but the premise isn't so bad.

  • Pulsar_t #101 4 years ago

    I actually enjoyed Dragon's Lair more than pretentious piece of crap aka Fahrenheit, which became too crazy for its own good towards the end. Having played that POS I'd said any cynicism leveled at HR is pretty much warranted!

  • LeD #102 4 years ago

    This sounds very very good. At last true branching storylines, where any of your actions could change the script. Nice.

    Can't wait to hear/see more about it.

  • Bitkari #103 4 years ago

    Nice wallpaper.

  • Knot #104 4 years ago

    Damn ! I was thinking about selling my PS3, but now this stuff seems to become entertaining.

  • BillyBrush #105 4 years ago

    yep it's like there's one every week :o)

    this looks pretty interesting, games makers are always going on about game-movie convergence but Cage is one of the ones who sees it movie-game convergence which is nice, the only issue with that is when you compare with movies like Rec. it's going to have to be shit your pants scary to be as compelling as the best films, a very tall task

    i can see it being very compelling...i think the 'gameplay' is likely to wear thin after about 5 scenes but if their storytelling is good enough it could yet be a good un...definately different

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #106 4 years ago

    "Looser LOL "

    FFS, is it possible that you could try to spell that fucking word correctly! You've just made yourself look like a complete idiot by saying you're older than farty (when he's even older than me!) and then go and spell loser wrong.

    I'm not normally a grammar Nazis but the "looser" one really gets me as I honestly see it misspelled more than I see the correct spelling!

  • VMerken #107 4 years ago

    Are we out of the Uncanny Valley yet?

    Nope.

    What the honks will this game turn out to be?

    As long as it doesn't turn out to be another Fahrenheit aka QTE Done Completely Wrogn(tm).

    *begin spoiler* While the story was interesting, the whole "Let's QTE an entire honking APARTMENT, piece of furniture by piece of furniture, at the player! He's going to love that!" thing was just atrocious. Not to mention that those honking things kept you from following what was happening on the screen. *end spoiler*
    Edited by 1 at 22/08/08 @ 20:39

  • #108 4 years ago

    Its the internet, get over yourself.

    Back on topic. This game sounds very interesting and I'm glad another developer is trying something new and tired to push forward game interactivity. I'm sure we've had enough of FPS, racers and platformers that all do the same thing with a fresh lick of paint. If the main story is gripping with plenty of exploring and investigative work, I'm sure this will be a hit.

    Kudos to the devs and LBP for new ideas.

  • Moonprince #109 4 years ago

    "Oh you dont want to play the age card, trust me. I've been gaming since well before colour was introduced to games."

    Yet you continue to behave like a fucking retard? Maybe end it now and stab yourself?

    Doit doit.

  • makeamazing #110 4 years ago

    It is something I will keep an eye on, Im not convinced yet, but you never know they might just pull it off. And to be honest this generation does need something other than the usual suspects in game genres etc. The only thing i find alittle strange is the comment that the preview was not going to be in the main game... did I miss something? Why would they make and show something that would not be in the game, or have i totally missed the point somewhere.

  • ronuds #111 4 years ago

    Can someone help me understand why Quantic is getting so many kudos for "trying something new" when we all agree that QTE's have been around forever? Is it because there are 2 buttons to press instead of one?

    Not trying to take anything away from the game as it looks pretty neat, but I'm not seeing a giant leap in technology here.

  • #112 4 years ago

    Name one of your 360 games that has jumped a generation ronuds? I see by your games list you have every boring genre ever invented yet you seem to buy more of the same. No offense.

    I wish people would lay off expecting the next big thing. All games have followed the same pattern for years and tweaked and adjusted some form of game play to stand out.

    Why do we keep expecting things to be different. Gaming will be the same on every platform for years to come, whether you play with joy pads or waggle a stick nun chuck its all the same bloody thing.

    At least the market isn't saturated with me-to FPS and racers, this leaves this type of game with an opportunity to try something different and so what if it has QTE, if you don't like it don't buy it.

    so much negativity!

  • ronuds #113 4 years ago

    Whoa...calm down there! I'd probably buy more games if I had time for them, but if you've seen my games list then you probably also realize that I don't have all that many games to begin with.

    I'm not knocking Quantic for the game or what they're doing with it. I'm just wondering what about it we haven't seen before that everyone keeps granting the game this "new and never-been-done" branding? Last generation we had a few QTE's. Sure, this one does this or that differently, but overall it's not exactly a concept we've never seen.

    I'm not expecting the next new thing, but it seems many others are and believe they've found it here. I just want good games to play...if they don't do anything new or different, but do everything well, I'm fine with that.
    Edited by 1 at 22/08/08 @ 21:45

  • ronuds #114 4 years ago

    Let me also say that I have no problems with this game. It looks like it could end up being good fun. Sony is pulling one of their usual ridiculous moves in showing it 2 years too early, but that certainly comes as no surprise.

    Anyhow, my issue comes with some of the lofty expectations and high-praise comments for a game that hardly anybody knows much about. It's more of the "Sony-said-so" mentality that's made them and PS3 defenders look foolish for the last few years. I can only imagine the next famous "list" of upcoming "better-than-anything-on-any-other-platform" nonsense we'll be hearing from fanboys down the road about this game, and I'm trying to come to the early conclusion of whether or not the moniker will be valid. At least this "list" will finally have a new entry because if I had to see another one with KZ2, LBP or R2, I'd have no choice but to rip my own eyes out.

  • krudster #115 4 years ago

    Having seen the presentation first hand, I came away very very excited. Game of the show, absolutely hands down.

  • ronuds #116 4 years ago

    Well, I hope it's good because I'd like to play it.

    BTW, is EG the slowest damn site on the face of the earth or what? Holy crap, I hit refresh and a half hour later I'm lucky if my whole PC hasn't locked up.

  • Waldo #117 4 years ago

    I hope there's a QTE mini-game where you're about to have a baby and you have to repeatedly tap the shoulder buttons to keep your breathing at a steady rhythm.

  • BadBoyBonner #118 4 years ago

    Very interested in how this pans out - more so seeing how gamer hatred flows towards most games that incorporate QTE - yet those who have seen it seem to continually bestow great praise upon it.

    However "accessible to a broad audience" will probably have most on here slightly worried - Myst sold very well due in no small part to being accessible to a broad audience, but I'd wager it would not make an entry in to a Eurogamer top 300 games of all time poll.

    Shenmue clearly wasn't a killer app - even with the forklift truck work - and while the eyes in this do look great - it does seem they maybe a little overused - akin to watching an early 3D movie, with needles squirting towards the screen and frogs jumping over your head.

    I hope Remedy get an "eye scanner" for Alan Wake ;-)

  • Widge #119 4 years ago

    If Sony showed nothing, it'd be like "where is the footage of Heavy Rain?!" and if they do show it, its like "this game isn't out for ages? why all the press?". Not really a win win scenario.

  • Stuz359 #120 4 years ago

    Could I ask, why does everyone go on about Alan Wake like it's going to be the second coming or something? No one has heard or seen anything for TWO YEARS! Donlt get me wrong, it might be an amazing game. But nothing concrete has been shown, no actual gameplay trailers, nothing. It could be shit. I hope it's good but people continually point to it as a 360 saviour or something but no one has seen it for two fucking years. Perhaps someone can explain to me why it has achieved this status without anyone actually seeing any gameplay footage or even any real details about the game?

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #121 4 years ago

    @DaemonB

    Prick.

  • #122 4 years ago

    @SpaceMidget75

    Grow up little boy and get a life.

    /added to ignore list.

  • makeamazing #123 4 years ago

    Just read IGN's preview thingy and i have to say it did have more detail and information in it. So after reading that I am leaning on the positive side. Hope its not coming out this year though (unlikely) as I have way to many games to buy :(

  • wobbly_Bob #124 4 years ago

    I'm a little worried about this obsession of Quantic Dreams with games being more like movies. Games aren't movies. They aren't interactive movies and nor should they be forced into being that. It's like if somebody said something along the lines of, "hey, board games are great but I think they should be more like movies. Chess is great, but what if we give it this killer story line? Where is the emotional angle? I mean, wow, you have a King? What's his motavations in the game? Let's have him get his own story line in there." It's silly, and so is the concept of making games into movies. Sure, games are a closer art form to movies than board games, obviously, and there are things movies can teach games, but games are games so leave them as games.

    When gaming was younger there was a quite an obsession with making games more "like movies" with lots of terrible and over used FMV among other silly stuff. Finally it was realised this actually doesn't make for a great game and moved away from it. As another poster said, "this feels like a step backwards." I think that open world games are the way forward with branching interactive stories.

    I'm open minded, so I'm not judging the game before it's even born. I'll wait and see how it pans out. They should be applauded for daring to do something different and moving in another direction to the rest of the gaming world, I'm just wondering if this is wrong direction? Only time will tell.
    Edited by 2 at 23/08/08 @ 11:02

  • Law07 #125 4 years ago

    I went into this article more interested by the 148 comments.

    LOL, looking good anyway.

  • BadBoyBonner #126 4 years ago

    @stuz359

    Everyone does not keep going on about Alan Wake like the second coming.

    I mentioned the eye scanner sarcastically - as I really don't think it would add much to a game at all - might have improved The Spirits Within - but don't think it would have improved any of the Final Fantasy games.

  • Widge #127 4 years ago

    Said IGN preview:

    [link url=http ://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/898/898580p1.html
    ]http://uk .ps3.ign.com/articles/898/89858...[/link]

    interesting though, trying to think back to the last adventure game that surfaced on a console? Adventure games are perfectly suited to being movies... story and character driven as opposed to red orb collection driven.

  • dirigiblebill #128 4 years ago

    I'm a little worried about this obsession of Quantic Dreams with games being more like movies. Games aren't movies. They aren't interactive movies and nor should they be forced into being that.

    Quantic doesn't claim to want to replicate the feeling of watching a film, but that of making a film. "You don't watch the story, you play it, and even generate it. You are not only the actor, but the writer and the director of the experience." Heavy Rain isn't the first game to attempt this kind of fusion - Boom Blox, for instance, lets you implement spectacular action sequences like those of Indiana Jones - but it's one of the few to attempt it knowingly, and in terms of sheer intricacy - taking into account every possible narrative permutation - I'm not sure it has an equal.

    The proof will be in the pudding, of course, but done right, this could be a breakthrough of Citizen Kane-esque proportions.

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #129 4 years ago

    "Grow up little boy and get a life. "

    Haha. I love it when people make statements about people on the internet they no nothing about.

    Anyway, yet again I'm agreeing with Widge (must try to stop), about adventure games. The point and click adventures really were the genre best suited to creating movie style experiences and there's no reason this couldn't follow suit. However I do think that making a good and enjoyable game should be their first priority.

  • funkyd #130 4 years ago

    Definitely getting this on the day of release.

  • Widge #131 4 years ago

    yay I am ftw!

  • BillyBrush #132 4 years ago

    Das ist game of ze show? if it manages to do better with critics than Mirrors Edge i'll eat my trousers

  • Sevens #133 4 years ago

    "Please promise me there is no weird alien deus ex machina to resolve the story line."

    There won't be, says Eurogamer.de.

  • SuperBas #134 4 years ago

    Can't wait to buy a PS3 cheap next year.

  • peak_performance #135 4 years ago

    It sounds (and certainly looks) great on paper, but Cage promised similar things for Fahrenheit which I didn't think it lived up to. Such as the player "making" the story, which in that game meant that some scenes were slightly altered but played out in exactly the same way otherwise.

    Here's for hoping this makes better use of those player mechanics and doesn't feel as if moving between A and B all the time. But this time I'm watching you Cage >:(

  • Apologie #136 4 years ago

    Ps3 is by far the best system in the market today... great console, great games.

  • ronuds #137 4 years ago

    OMG, apolol is back! And as usual, his comment doesn't disappoint!

    lolapol

  • dirklenz #138 4 years ago

    Pong < Heavy Rain < ...

  • Pedrolot #139 3 years ago

    LOL I know nothing of this game..

    Ive got some reading to do.

  • sirtacos #140 2 years ago

    I had never heard of this until today. Can't wait to see how it turns out.