More 'Heavy Rain' info

sNeaksieGarrett on 15/12/2009 at 19:10

@Ostriig: Well, The Sims suggests you're wrong. Lots of people like mundane task gaming. There's just something about realism. On the other hand, I agree that games shouldn't try to be so realistic that they compromise creative license and whatnot. I mean, the thief series has a touch of realism (being that you're not a "tank", just a thief) in that you can die easily. But it also has a lot of fictional things like elemental arrows and magical stuff. I think there's room for all kinds of games, and I think Quantic Dream is on to something here, but yeah, I agree it is one of those "well lets see how well it turns out when it's released." I won't argue that QTEs are revolutionary or that they lead to better gameplay (because actually a lot of people think otherwise) but it looks like in this context they can be pulled off and pulled off well. If you've ever played Resident Evil 4, you can see how well QTEs are set up (though I admit there were times when it was frustrating.) Also, despite what many people seem to think, this isn't a QTE madhouse... You still apparently have control, and the pick option a or b thing seems really cool to me - it opens up multiple possibilities and can allow for replayability. At least, that is how I see it. I guess we'll see. Maybe I'm overestimating their game and it turns out to be rather weak. Who knows?

Ostriig on 15/12/2009 at 19:57

Quote Posted by Sulphur

Y'know, they had these slice of life bits in Fahrenheit too. Opening the cupboard, pouring yourself a stiff one, turning on the stereo. This stuff actually helped flesh out the character you were playing and let you relate to them.

Haven't played it, but that's good to hear. Like I said, I haven't made a decision one way or the other, I'm waiting to see the game, I just hope these sequences don't turn out to be pointless button fodder.

Quote Posted by sNeaksieGarrett

@Ostriig: Well, The Sims suggests you're wrong. Lots of people like mundane task gaming.

I don't see how that suggests I'm wrong. I'm commenting on an issue of game quality on TTLG, I'm not addressing an assembly of EA stockholders, so commercial success doesn't really feed into it. And I have little interest in or respect for The Sims as anything else but a great commercial success. Coming back to Heavy Rain, like Totilo suggested in the Kotaku article and Sulphur pointed out above, those seemingly mundane actions may end up being used to great atmospheric effect, but I wouldn't regard that as borrowing a page from The Sims, quite the contrary.

sNeaksieGarrett on 15/12/2009 at 20:11

I was making a comparison. I was trying to make the point that doing seemingly meaningless tasks are fun for some, even though you don't enjoy them.

Quote Posted by Ostriig

The fact is that I'm interested in this game despite the impression I'm forming of its gameplay mechanics. Of course, I may be wrong and I'll certainly wait to see it in the flesh, but what's been described to me so far seems to suggest we'll be dealing with a lot of contextual actions and QTEs often taking a trip down banal lane. I'm not all shooty shoot, never have been, but I'm not sure shaving in the morning would strike me as a meaningful means of progressing through the story - I'm one of those people who've always stated that games should never aim for realism, per se, as I sure as hell wouldn't want to have to stop to take an in-character piss after every encounter with a playful Bloodsucker.

After re-reading this though, I realize I made a mistake, so I'm sorry. I took it that you were taking the stance that no one wants to play games like that, but I see now you were only talking about yourself more or less.

Sulphur on 15/12/2009 at 20:43

Quote Posted by 242

"But" makes it seem like abundance of gloom and despair is a bad thing. It was clear from the very start the game was going to be a gloomy thriller/drama, and not a happy action platformer.

Maybe you're reading a little too much into what I typed. I don't want Heavy Rain to be a glowing sunshine-drenched romantic comedy; darkness and despair in fiction don't turn me off, but there is such a thing as overdoing it.

This is what the Eurogamer preview means when a word like 'cloying' is used, but by their yardstick there doesn't seem to be too much of this. A tale like this requires some amount of subtlety, and as long as I can expect to get it, that's fantastic.

Quote Posted by Ostriig

I hear you. This was avoided well enough in Fahrenheit, so I don't think it's going to be too much of an issue this time around. This seems to be the logical progression of what QD were trying to do back then.

Fahrenheit managed to not veer off into the inane and banal (unless you hated its QTE/Simon Says approach to action in the first place) but the story screeched to a halt near the end. If there's more polish and attention paid to the narrative, as well as around the actions you can do to affect it, the approach would work pretty damn well.

Ostriig on 15/12/2009 at 21:26

All the better then! Hm... I'm almost tempted to allow myself to get my hopes up for this thing.

Question, though - what was the voice acting like in Fahrenheit? One thing I noticed both the Kotaku and Eurogamer reviews point a finger at is the voice acting in this early preview apparently not keeping up with the rest of the package, quality-wise.

Quote Posted by sNeaksieGarrett

No worries, dude, it happens. Glad it's cleared up, I was getting really confused with your last reply.

Sulphur on 15/12/2009 at 21:29

Fahrenheit had some pretty damn good voice-acting, actually. Some bits were hokey, but it mostly never came off as awkward.

(Again, that's until the ending. Oooh that ending. The voice-acting doesn't get hit as such, but the story pretty much collapses in on itself. Scots would likely be able to talk your ear off about the entire final third of the game, I'm sure. :D)

Ostriig on 15/12/2009 at 21:41

Thanks! Hopefully, then, HR's voices will also get a nice spitshine before release.

242 on 15/12/2009 at 23:21

Quote Posted by Ostriig

Question, though - what was the voice acting like in Fahrenheit?

You should play it and see for yourself, it's still the best game thriller (or thriller game :) ) currently available along with SH2.

june gloom on 15/12/2009 at 23:28

Just uninstall after the bit at the fairgrounds and it'll stay that way.

Ostriig on 15/12/2009 at 23:44

I'll keep Fahrenheit in mind for my catch up list. Thing is, though, with the amount of games I have on that Heavy Rain will be out before.