Heavy Rain: New Screenshots and development footage*

Eh... no. v_v



[size=-2]My virginity belongs to Madison in the full game[/size]

Yemeth, I have already pre-ordered the game. So the demo is a non-issue for me. I need all the time I can get to level up in MAG.

 

Ahh, a deliberate choice. Totally understandable. It's only because you'd said you hadn't played it yet.

FWIW I didn't feel there was too much content in the demo and being uber-sensitive to spoilers myself I don't regret playing the demo.

Cheers.

 

Played the demo today...

Positives
* A very engaging story...atmosphere is very moody and gripping.
* Nicely detailed environments and characters.
* The FBI crime scene glasses is quite amusing... lol
* Awesome sound system.

Neutral
* Controls are an acquired taste and sometimes unforgiving.
* Voice and mouth sync isn't perfect.
* Some very low textures and polygons with certain items and surfaces.
* Anti Aliasing issues - but nothing unbearable and distracting.

Negatives
* There is some screen tearing...especially when turning too fast and the camera is up close.
* The screen door effect or shader shimmering on certain surfaces and walls is f-ing annoying at times.

Demo 8/10

Will I buy? Yes! The story and atmosphere had me hooked from the start.

 

Yeah... it's more due to multiple factors (want to preserve the new game experience, and *time*). I have downloaded the demo but decided to wait.

Besides MAG, wife and kid are hogging the PS3 for some NetFlix and BR chick flicks.

 

Heh heh ! I'll say if you have held on for so long, u better hold on tilll you get the game now. Playing the demo is not spoilerish but it does tell you where the story will head to. So, when you start the game you'll always know that you are going to reach this place n all.
Wait for the game to come. Its a very good demo, but since u already know that , just wait for the game to be great !

 

you can play just the tutorial, you won't spoil anything at all.But avoid the 2 scenes and the video,obviuously.And the default gamma is wrong 90% of the times ,so don't hesitate to put it up.

 

It would be a great idea to implement Arc with Heavy Rain in the future. but there's a littl problem I can see with it. If I remember correctly in some circunstances the players has to push more than five buttons to succeed some actions. I can't see just how you can reach all the buttons with the actual Motion Controller configuration and button layout.
http://www.oosgame.weebeetroc.com/w...sony_motion_controller_oosgame_weebeetroc.JPG
Unless they made some changes and tweak the controls.

 

max is 3 at a time. WHen new butons appear on screen, old ones fade away, you can take ur fingers off them. Like when you are climbing that slippery slope in the Crime scene,

 

^ IIRC Max buttons that you require to press is 2....correct me if wrong.

 

Well, the new controller has pressure sensitive button, and supports gesture. If they deem appropriate, the button combo can be replaced by new (and perhaps more intuitive) schemes.

 

I had 3 in the demo, although they are managed as two face buttons max with shoulder buttons. It's workable, but a bit taxing while you learn when you can release a button while still holding down your other fingers. It actually requires a fairly complex finger autonomy. I hope they did enough user tests to ensure this multipress wouldn't exclude players.

Edit: Actually that ws in "gamer" difficulty. Easier modes probably serve different abilities.

Incidentally, did anyone amange to open the fridge in the motel room of the demo? I held down as per the icon, and then the arrow wobbled. No matter what I tried I could get the door to respond.

 

Adam Sessler seems to love it:
http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/702601/Sesslers-Soapbox-Heavy-Rain-is-Ground-Breaking.html
(Video inside)

I am really curious what other developers think about the game. e.g., What can be learned from Heavy Rain ?

HR seems to be a mind/thought game. Would be cool to line it up with the new controllers. Because of the tricks the game use to invoke emotion in the players, Nintendo's Vitality Sensor + Wiimote may work well. I see some people complain about the walking control. May be they can allow me to point to where I want the character to go. Arc/Wiimote + that brain-wave controller from Uncle Milton may be interesting too.

Really hope this become one of the major Arc titles at its launch.

 

Our editor in chief rewards Heavy Rain with an astonishing 94%

http://www.4players.de/4players.php/dispbericht/PlayStation3/Test/8231/67223/0/Heavy_Rain.html

I actually had the chance to borrow a promo copy today, but I decided to wait for my limited edition to arrive instead. I haven't been this stoked for a game since Shadow of the Colossus.

 

It seems like it's the evolution of the old point and click adventure games like Monkey Island, Syberia, etc, where it's more about evaluating your environment, talking to people, and really getting absorbed in the story. I like those types of games so I mostly liked the Heavy Rain demo although it crashed on me so I didn't complete the demo The controls seem like they could alienate casual players though. Sometimes moving around and interacting is a bit tricky, other times during the qte's I'm not sure if I should be holding a given button down, or pressing it repeatedly, or just press it once.

One interesting thing is while I was playing it my wife was next to me on the couch surfing the web on her laptop. She usually ignores my gaming, but when I walked out of that lady's apartment and that other no good dude went in there, my wife suddenly said "are you gonna help her?". She had actually started paying attention to the game which I thought was kinda cool. I'll buy the game, but I'm kinda skeptical if it can be a money maker. The point and click games haven't evolved a whole lot primarily due to cost reasons, their market is only so large so you can only spend so much making them. They are definitely rolling the dice with Heavy Rain but I guess we'll see how it does, hopefully it does well.

 

The fridge is locked Shifty, clearly she doesn`t want you going near her Yoghurts!

 

If Pong and Flash games can make money, then a point and click game can make money if it can find an audience and the right business model. FPS like MW2 is essentially point and shoot, Guitar Hero is a QTE-fest, and WoW is hack and slash. ^_^

Branding games into 3 word mechanics doesn't remove or add any economical value. It's also not an adequate way to capture the "fun factor" of a game.

For what it's worth, I don't think HR is a point and click game. At least not until they integrate the game with Arc. Even though I have not played the game yet, I suspect the special sauce is in how the game toys with your expectation and emotion as you perform seemingly simple finger/agility exercises (e.g., can it be a typing/keyboard game without changing its essence ?).

If they can fit the gameplay into Arc, then yes, it may ease the learning curve for non-gamers.

 

Probably want to wait and see how Sony handles and how the market responds to it I guess. Fahrenheit did well, but years later they're the only guys who invested time/money trying to evolve the concept.

 

True enough, but there are interesting things that may not be related to sales. Sometimes, good and new IPs do not perform well in the market (e.g., Bayonetta ?). It may take time and iterations to get to the final goal.

 

My friend who lives in Dubai got the game 2 days ago & he finished it today...lucky ass.
Why is it that games get leaked so early in the Middle East ?

 

Remember we got Killzone 2 one week earlier because it got released in Middle East ! Sometimes it has good side effects too !