Well, it's bad from the "there's absolutely no way to lose no matter how stupid you are" viewpoint. Something a lot of modern Adventure games suffer from. So not exactly something to ding the game with. Although it does make the combat pretty pointless.
No matter what you do, it'll still the same. But that fits perfectly with interactive novel rather than game... So nothing wrong with it, but probably not something I'd like, just like I absolutely hated the last PoP which had the same thought process.
I'm more interested at this point to see how the adventure game portion plays out. Will the puzzles be sufficiently thought provoking or will it basically hold your hand through the whole thing and make sure it's obvious what a person should do at any given moment.
Regards,
SB
But if you don't do anything at all, shouldn't you lose? If there's no negative, there no incentive to try to win, and you lose the emotional engagement. I guess first-time players won't be aware of this and will want to fight assuming it's necessary, but it does seem stupid (assuming said previewer is actually right about how it works!).But it's not a "you can't lose no matter what". It's a "we won't make you lose until you have so many missteps that you deserve it". One mistake won't kill you, but many mistakes will.
Why?
according to a previewer, he didn't die when he missed all the cues. He tried a few combos, but the story didn't make much differences at the end of the demo.
Playing Heavy Rain, you would (in theory) be able to play the same set piece multiple times and experience a different scene multiple times within that same set piece. I don't see how this is "bad".
But if you don't do anything at all, shouldn't you lose? If there's no negative, there no incentive to try to win, and you lose the emotional engagement. I guess first-time players won't be aware of this and will want to fight assuming it's necessary, but it does seem stupid (assuming said previewer is actually right about how it works!).
I agree QTE's shouldn'y be all-or-nothing events, but there also has to be consequences. It should be a branchinf experience, where the more you get right, the better the outcome for you, and vice versa. Doing nothing should result in failure of a sorts.
So, it looks like what we want as an *ideal* gameplay mechanics is different from what previewer said. If that's true of course.
They will need to release a demo with couple of scenes, not just one, where different QTE choices or if you miss them all, would have a consequence to the other scene(s) - "if (x) then ".
Aftear all, it is the most talked-about "feature" of the game, that there are consequences to what you do in the game. IF there are not, then what the hell they've been doing with the game for so long.
Edit: Shifty posted.
Fans of Heavy Rain can get their hands on this highly emotional thriller beginning Tuesday, February 23rd at participating retail stores.
The experiences and outcomes need to be non-obvious -- It's not a sequence of simple "If I do this, he/she will do that" actions
I've heard that the shop keeper can get killed, too.All different, all based on my actions, and all different dialogue. However, in a way they all ended the same - with me talking to the shop keeper about the oragami killer.
I've heard that the shop keeper can get killed, too.
Judging from Cornsnake's comments about their earlier game, I think the same dev already know how to use these in-game decision/event mechanism effectively. Some choices may require exploration to uncover. I could see how the actions may be time sensitive in more ways (e.g., only appear at night, or when no one's around).
It's a matter of whether the moments will grab you. And whether you like the story and character. I think the previewers also said it takes time to get used to the controls. IMHO, this is the most likely source of complain. That and uncanny valley.
EDIT: The most difficult problem is probably to help core gamers understand the gameplay, and convince them that it's not a QTE game. Hopefully, the demo will work.
Walkthrough, but lots of spoilers:
http://www.gamersyde.com/stream_heavy_rain_walkthrough-14041_en.html
From what I can gather, Cage was contact via his Twitter account (http://twitter.com/davidcage) to do that interview. The only problem is that is not really him behind the Twitter account. But the guy who was creating the fake tweets still answered the interviewer's questions. Hence, it is a fake.
For what it's worth, here's an interview with a fake David Cage
I’m pleased to confirm that the official Heavy Rain website is now live. You can head over there right now to check out screenshots, character info and videos. But that’s not all – you can also find out about ‘Four Days’ – the Heavy Rain Online Experience…
...
Four Days’ is a live online mystery which plays out in real time across three weeks, beginning on January 26th. You’ll be able to get involved in the hunt for a killer – interacting with characters, identifying clues, making decisions. Between Tuesday and Friday of each week there will be daily tasks for you to complete, or puzzles to solve. Along the way, you may well discover some cool exclusive content – but just as importantly, you won’t find any spoilers that will ruin your experience of playing Heavy Rain itself!