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Oh dear, David Cage. Back so soon? I suppose that I suspected this might happen, in a way. My previous Ranticlimax might be thought of as some kind of scouting operation, perhaps, in preparation for what would be the final assault, today. However, Heavy Rain happily manages to avoid swerving into insanity in the same way that Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy did. In fact, aside from some dubious storytelling choices that could have an article all to themselves, the game largely stays on good terms with reality.
So, what’s the problem this time? After getting to the final scene of Heavy Rain I got the impression that the situation wasn’t nearly as tense as the game wanted me to believe it was but I couldn’t put my finger on why. Thinking about it some more has led me to the conclusion that there is a fundamental difficulty with the game’s approach to interactive narrative.
Heavy Rain, the QTE filled thriller has been banned in the United Arab Emirates. Sony, who confirmed the reports have yet to release any information as to why the title has been banned, but speculation suggests it’s due to the violence, nudity and overall adult content that the game features.
The country’s National Media Council has decided the game is not suitable for sale in UAE, with Kotaku pointing out that the recent Darksiders suffered a similar fate. Sony’s statement says that the title “deals with strong content” but is never “intentionally controversial or sensationalist”, with the adult content on par with “a mainstream Hollywood thriller”.
It’s always a shame to see such impressive titles banned, especially for the people who can’t play them anymore. EA didn’t even bother to release Dante’s Inferno in the UAE due to nature of the game which, along with Heavy Rain, could “contradict with the UAE’s customs and traditions.”
Via: Joystiq
According to Quantic Dream CEO David Cage, PS3 exclusive Heavy Rain was originally intended to support motion controls, but was unable to do so due to motion controls not being feasible at the time. Given that Heavy Rain’s development dates back as far as early 2006 Cage hints in an interview with Dagbladet.no (Norway’s third largest newspaper) that the limitations of Sony’s motion device (later named “Arc”) may have been corrected. “I have a lot of interest in Sony’s motion device and there is a good chance that we announce something about it in the coming weeks [...] And yes, it will help if you buy Heavy Rain. ;-)”
Call me a skeptic but given that Heavy Rain is already finished, I don’t expect to be pouring orange juice and putting on make-up with the motion device in the future. Nor do I feel that I’d want to. Though one thing is sure, if this interview with the Norwegian tabloid is true, David Cage is announcing something with motion controls soon, more than likely coming as DLC for Heavy Rain.
In a rather odd marketing maneuver, Sony recently made the statement that the release of Heavy Rain is a “gamble”. I’m pretty sure this would fall under the category of “doing it wrong”, as Heavy Rain has become the shove-it-in-Microsoft’s-face game now that the Uncharted 2 craze has begun to recede.
Sony should be doing nothing but praising Heavy Rain for all the wonderful innovation it’s bringing to the PS3. There should be advertisements plastered on every site saying “Come buy Heavy Rain (and a PS3) and be freed of those Red Rings of Oppression Microsoft has bound you with!”
I’m always excited to see a new IP get some attention from the gaming press. A man gets tired of shooters featuring generic brawny men in gray and brown armor blowing up things in a gray and brown city. You realize someone originally had the idea of making a game about brawny men and gray and brown cities, and at the time that was a great and novel concept. Then the other developers realized that was a great concept as well, and ran it into the ground.
As well as letting us get our grubby mitts on upcoming titles, Eurogamer Expo ‘09 was packed with developers telling the stories behind their games. Here’s the first in a series of posts about what they had to say.
“How far are you prepared to go in order to save someone you love?” asks David Cage, founder of French games studio Quantic Dream and director of Heavy Rain. In any other game your answer would probably be “to the next level, if I get to fight a cool boss,” but Cage says he plans to make you feel something more.
The emphasis of Heavy Rain is not on shooting, driving, or strange logic puzzles. Instead, Cage wants players to empathise with the four main characters of the game, who have all had their lives affected by the mysterious Origami Killer.
There’s Norman Jayden, the FBI profiler investigating the case, who has secret drug addiction and some high-tech glasses, and Madison Paige, who can only sleep in motels. Also hunting the Origami Killer is private detective Scott Shelby, and Ethan Mars, who’s son has been taken by the killer.
To demonstrate the game, Cage is showing a scene starring Shelby. This is the same part of the game that was on show at PAX; Shelby visits Hassan’s Shop, a small store run by the father of one of the killer’s victims, only to be interrupted by a robbery.
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