Ostriig on 2/9/2009 at 14:03
I don't really see crossplatform multiplayer as an attraction. Going in the opposite direction, I may be wrong, but I'm going with the impression that there are more titles that are exclusive for the PS3 from the PC, than there are for the 360 from the PC. As in, if you already have a PC, the PS3 might help you cover more ground than the 360 would. But yeah, as far as the BluRay player goes, it's not a selling point for me either.
EvaUnit02 on 2/9/2009 at 14:07
Quote Posted by mothra
But I'm sure they will take over once the xbox shows its age (compared to the ps3, not the pc of couse, lol)
Nah, the ship has long since sailed for Sony to gain second place in the current gen war. 360 will always have the larger install-base simply because it launched earlier and it will remain the base platform for all multi-platform releases.
No, the PS3 isn't the more powerful machine, they're both more or less equal, their strengths and weaknesses cancel each other out. Platform exclusives will highly likely remain the only titles that get the most out of the Cell.
Sulphur on 3/9/2009 at 16:22
Getting back to Heavy Rain and Cage's comments on its development for a moment... I think it's interesting that he wants the game to evoke a broader palette of emotions in a player.
He's even mentioned that he doesn't want to focus on making a game that's just 'fun' - maybe not in so many words, but when he says that he wants you to feel uncomfortable, you know he means it (like the scene where Madison strips for the club owner) and has already proven capable of doing so (re: necrophiliac sex scene, Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy).
Er. Hrm. Okay, so I'm relatively certain there won't be any bizarro pasty corpse sex in Heavy Rain, at least.
Relatively.
But anyway, I feel this is territory that games need to explore, and not just indie titles like The Path, but commercial games too. They need to go beyond the needle swinging from one end of the dial to the other, beyond being just 'fun' or 'frustrating', to meaningful, relatable experiences capable of evoking emotion and thought in the player by virtue of his own input. I'm definitely more interested in what Cage intends to do and how far he's planning to go with Heavy Rain now.
Ostriig on 3/9/2009 at 19:38
Agreed, for the most part, that's kind of what I was alluding to when I mentioned the possibility of it starting a "new trend", if it turns out to be all Cage is pitching it to be. But that's a big "if".
I should also point out that Heavy Rain seems to be embracing another element to possibly set it on the trend-setting path - ease of access. As far as I can tell from the videos, the gameplay seems to have a pretty short learning curve and lend itself easily to people who may not be experienced gamers. Move your character around, "interact" with your surroundings, and QTEs. Pretty easy stuff to pick up on. No worrying about the condition of your weapons, or putting together the optimal combination of radioactive Artifacts, or taking the correct feat at level 5 so you can get Epic Divine Might later on, bla bla. It looks almost as if Quantic Dream may be making a genuine attempt to reach out with a "serious" game (as in not Bejeweled or whatever) to a wider audience than the traditional "gamer" crowd. And if they succeed, others would be quick to follow. I seem to remember Bioware throwing a slight hint at considering this sort of game in some interview, though I no longer have a link. But here's the punchline - in the long run, though I think the success of this game model would be a financial boon for the industry, I don't know how good it might be for our kind, and for the sort of games we're usually interested in. It's well known that minimal risks and copying effective solutions ad literam is something our industry loves to bits. And I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd be interested in playing Heavy Rain for the narrative potential, not for its gameplay.
gunsmoke on 4/9/2009 at 02:32
Quote Posted by EvaUnit02
Have you actually even owned one? They've improved the internal designs significantly since release..
No. Shit like this (
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6216691.html?tag=latestheadlines;title;4) here prevents me from doing just that. I'm sorry, but that is just an unacceptable number for ANY product, regardless if they fix it for free or not. That, the former price of the PS3, and the bullshit catalog of mostly shovelware games on the Wii has prevented me from throwing one thin dime towards this console gen. Until now, that is. $299 is the perfect price point for me to throw my hat into the ring and get a PS3.
gunsmoke on 10/12/2009 at 17:33
This game is falling further and further off of my radar. :(
Ostriig on 15/12/2009 at 01:52
Kotaku have posted up an (
http://kotaku.com/5425776/heavy-rain-impressions-an-ambitious-sorrow) early hands-on preview. Beware of some minor spoilers.
After reading this I can say I'm sticking to my previous stance - I'm still immensely interested in it, but also still dread the potential consequences of a fulminating success. Particularly that, if it comes to pass, publishers and many devs may get it in their heads that this is the recipe for "mature games" and start churning out innumerable formulaic copies to take a serious bite of the "Mature" market segment, and likely more to the disfavour of our DXs and STALKERs, rather than GoWs and CoDs.
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. Just to be clear, though, this line of thinking is completely suspended and it is
not banal when we're talking about something like helping Madison (obligatory FUCK YEAH) take a shower. Back to the banal shaving, though, it is worth noting that Totilo seems to suggest that Heavy Rain uses even such interaction elements as atmosphere builders, not traditional play mechanics, and does so to great effect. So yeah, a wait and see kind of situation, and in the meantime, here are his condensed impressions on that particular point:
Quote:
Heavy Rain is bound to perplex some gamers. Its description will agitate a certain kind of macho gamer who is already angry about the alleged watering down of gaming by so-called casual and party game experiences.
But Heavy Rain may even test the tolerance of those who want to believe in development studio Quantic Dream's zeal to develop genuinely mature games. This, Heavy Rain, is a slow trickle of interactivity within a deluge of dark tones. This game is sad and slowly paced. It is melancholy and as sunless as the weather pattern from which it gets its name. Those who will enjoy it will be those who can stave off impatience.
Also, a quick run through some of the other points of interest in the article - he notes that there are, supposedly, some different 20 endings, that the voice acting is currently a bit shoddy, and that what he's played so far has been very successful in getting him emotionally involved with the characters and their intertwined stories. Also, the author uses the term "interactive drama" to describe the game type, a denomination he takes from the
starting Trophy of the game: "Thank you for supporting interactive drama."
Sulphur on 15/12/2009 at 17:03
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.
For instance, there's this one bit where Lucas is alone, moping in his apartment, and he can sidle over to his amp and play a couple of tunes on the guitar. It's a simple but affecting moment. If Heavy Rain has more of these - which aren't necessarily banal - then it'd be all the richer for it.
Eurogamer has a slightly (
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/heavy-rain-dec-hands-on) more upbeat preview, but notes the seeming abundance of gloom and despair as well. I'm pleasantly surprised and intrigued, either way.
242 on 15/12/2009 at 18:32
"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.
