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I'm surprised there's not a thread about this game yet. :| it got released today and already it's shaping up to be one of my all time favourites, and I hope there's no stupid ending to ruin it all. please please please let there be an awesome surprising ending!
Anyone who spoils any part of the game will be killed and dragged for 7 blocks.
I haven't bought it (still contemplating whether I want to get it), but from what I gather from reviews and what not you have multiple endings to look forward to depending on how you play the game. So if you don't like the ending you have only yourself to blame. :colbert:
I still don't understand all the hype behind this game. Is it the highly realistic nudity?
I might look into it further after I'm done with God of War III and Final Fantasy XIII. :)
There is a demo on PSN, for anyone who is curious.
I played the demo and it seemed like an outstanding game that unfortunately runs contrary to my tastes in just about every way.
There has been a thread, but technically it was for the demo.
A lot of the 'hype' is because this is a PS3 exclusive game with the strong arm of Sony backing it to get it into people's attention. I doubt you would be hearing this much about the game if Atari was still publishing it.
The main reason for the hype is because the game is 'different'. It's offering an interactive cinematic experience. I got turned off a little early when they were saying things like 'don't think of this as a video game', but it is certainly a different mindset you have to be in when playing this. Its appeal is honestly limited, which is why I've been kind of fascinated to see how much effort is going into presenting this game to a wider audience.
Ethan's bum didn't sell this game to me... :roll2Quote:
Originally Posted by Rad Bromance
For me it's the strong story that does it. story often plays second fiddle to gameplay or even graphics, and it's a shame. there's so few games like this getting made, and I want to see more of them, so I support them!
Guess this is a good time to share this
Reality blurs between Heavy Rain characters and actors
That's pretty awesome. I hope my roommate buys this for his PS3 but I'm doubting it.Quote:
Originally Posted by JKTrix
To be fair, this is probably one of the few games out there tempting me to spend £200 on an older 80gb ps3 console. The other games tempting me are:
Uncharted 2
Metal Gear Solid 4
Killzone 2
White Knight Chronicles
however I just gotta ask myself do 5 games equate to spending £200 on a new console.
6 if you include Uncharted 1, and there are a good bit of really worthwhile downloadable games too.
I should be playing Heavy Rain by this time next week if Gamefly is slow.
I've played and beaten this. I found the story and the gameplay to be gripping, imo. This game has a way of grabbing you as it did with me.
The QTE's I found to be excellent, not once was I annoyed by any them, and I thought they worked very well with the action scenes. This game has some of the best fight scenes I've seen in any game. I haven't really seen great fight scenes since MGS 4, and this game has a few of them, as well as some awesome action and chase scenes.
I found myself getting attached to the characters. I lost two of them during my first playthrough and I had this sinking feeling when they died. One died because of 1 mishap on a QTE.
I would highly recommend this game to anyone who has doubts about it. This is not Indigo Prophecy where in the 2nd half of that game it.....gets weird, and not in a good way, unless you liked it. This is a must try game.
I just finished the game this morning and have been trying to think of the best way to explain my experience without getting into an overly long post or spoiling anything. I'll agree with everything you said about it though, and add that I didn't lose anyone my first time through, but I certainly felt like I was going to if I screwed up in plenty of spots.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gilghamut
And I can't agree more with getting attached to the characters. Without getting overly long winded, I've never played a game that drew me in and made me care about the characters as much as this did. In fact nothing else has ever come close. I genuinely cared about these characters and what happened to them. In fact my actions through the game were often motivated not by the game telling me I had to do something but by genuinely wanting to do something to help someone or save a character. I felt happy when they were, sad when they were sad, and feared for their lives when they were in danger. Some parts made me literally cringe because it was hard to watch the characters go through them whereas if the situation were in a movie I don't think I'd bat an eye. And in one of the more surprising moments in the game I was almost moved to tears simply by being faced with an almost impossible choice.
I've gone on long enough I think but I wanted to get the point across that this isn't just any other game or any other story. If you're open to it, it draws you in like nothing else I've ever seen. There really is no experience in any media that has ever gotten to me in the way Heavy Rain did and I can't recommend at least trying it enough.
Is this a Indigo Prophecy rip off?
Edit: Nevermind, the same people did it. I really wanna play it, but I don't have a PS3 nor do I intend on getting one. This type of game seems like it would work best on PC though where the keys could be more spread out. I know Indigo Prophecy almost gave me carpal tunnel.
Haha snap, in every way. Though I suppose I bought an Xbox to play Halo, so maybe I can justify a PS3? *desperately tries to justify it*Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceglow
I played the demos and couldn't get into the controls. I thought they were kinda awkward.
haven't got it yet but i've seen a few vids on Youtube and it looks like a really good game imo, i might get it this or next weekend it's not one of those games i "MUST HAVE!" but i probably will end up getting at some point.
This game is nothing short of amazing.
The last plot twist about the Origami killer is just superb. I didn't see it coming, though it did in actuality make sense when it happened.
I'm currently on my second play through to try to trigger one of the other endings, since there seems to be 4 in total.
I'm actually waiting until tomorrow to start playing again. I absolutely loved the experience the first time, but I almost felt like I needed a day or two to let the whole thing really sink in before starting again.Quote:
Originally Posted by NeoCracker
From what I've read there's about 22 different endings
There's only 4 actual endings, but there are things that cause details to change a bit.
Im about halfway through and I have to say, wow!!
Will offer more insight tomorrow :)
First off, this is an incredible experience just because I live in Philadelphia. In the train station, you see the large statue of an angel holding a man, that's 30th Street station, and that statue is actually there, which was a big part of my life since I used to go there to go home every weekend from college. I could literally see where our apartment is on the map on Shelby's wall (it has the actual street names). The subway is also realistically depicted, except for the fact that it's nowhere as clean as they show it, the floor definitely doesn't shine, i'll tell you that. To see a game bring my city to life was pretty incredible and I won't forget it.
But the game does many things better than almost any other game before it that I know of. The choices put before you are at times real ethical dilemmas, I've never had to weigh morality like this in a game. Ever. The soundtrack and atmosphere were almost perfect, and this is one of the most graphically impressive games on the PS3. And of course, the characters, I don't think a game has ever made you really care about a cast like this, you're right there with their triumphs and failures, and it can be devastating when one of them dies.
But most surprising is that the action sequences are far more intense than in any "action" game I've ever played. There's one shootout that is far more memorable than any similar scene any FPS studio could ever hope to match. From all angles, "immersive" is really an understatement when it comes to Heavy Rain.
It isn't all without problems, though. There's a glitch that has not been addressed where your game can freeze and you will not be able to load it up afterwards. Since you can't create backup copies of your save file, this is absolutely a game breaker. We were unfortunate enough to have it happen right at the end, after keeping all characters alive. On a second playthrough which we were really just trying to get back to where we were at, we weren't able to experience it how you really are on a single playthrough and it can potentially kill the experience. It's something that should have been addressed before launch and there's really no excuse for it to still be happening.
Other than that, though, I feel like video games have finally grown up. This is a game that shows you can have a great story with solid characters, and you don't need a fantasy setting, or some kind of repetitive gameplay template to keep the player's attention. It's a pretty big turning point in the medium and I'm glad I got to experience it.
I chose this game over Bioshock 2 because I wanted something different than shoot stuff. I'm still playing Bioshock 2 at some point, but at the moment, this is what I wanted. They used the controls in interesting scenarios. Once you are accustomed to them, it's pretty second nature. I started this game early and played it all day until 6:30 in the morning when I beat it. That is a lot of time.
Not to sound like a little bitch (HUGE SPOILER)I guessed the killer pretty early. Just like Persona 4, I thought "Who do the developers not want me to consider." The answer was the overly nice white knight fat guy that was oddly visiting a bunch of fathers and mothers. I'm not saying I'm a genius. In fact, I often do not figure crap out at all and am totally shocked sometimes. But perhaps because games are interactive, I feel more immersed and think about it more. I'm not trying to sound all like LOL I KNOW EVERYTHING. I'm a dumbass. But still... I was let down they went that method.
I let Lauren die for the lol factor.
Dont install the patch guys. It makes it worse /irony
Just finished it. Incredible game, I have so much to say about it however that I just cant be bothered at the moment, heh.
There were some serious logic problems with this game. If someone jumps in front of you to block you from getting hit by a car the person that did that would die instead of you. It keeps you on your toes though. lol at the fridge thing. I knew to do that because I had seen the more recent Indiana Jones and he did that to save himself. Skeptical as to whether that actually works. Might have to test that one on Myth Busters.
WTF things:
-It rains a lot. I thought it was in Seattle because that would be more believable than Philly.
-Everyone in this game has a 1950s style fridge even though it's set in 2011 or 2010.
-A.R.I. um, wut.
-(SPOILER)People thinking the killer was someone too young. After the graveyard scene you should know it couldn't be certain characters. The killer would have to be at least his mid 40s because his twin was born in 1960s I believe it said.
-(SPOILER)People thinking the killer was Ethan. Um yeah, no. He has blackouts because he was unconscious for two years and needs a psych because his son died. From the beginning of the game I knew it couldn't be him. He loves his children and wouldn't need to test it.
-(SPOILER)Obscuring the sex scene. They showed it in Indigo Prophecy and even let you control those animations, but for some reason they're afraid of Jack Thompson now.
-Voice acting was a bit awkward. Some actors were perfect like the one for Shelby and even the British actor doing a New York accent for Jayden was on par though there were times he slipped up. The awkward ones were the French actors they chose to be pretty much all the children. It was just severely out of place.
-Jason is a dumbass. Seriously.
I hate children and he has been added to the disgust list. Even virtual kids fuel me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shiny
I've been really interested in this game, and the reviews seem pretty positive, so now I'm psyched. About 2/3rd's of Indigo Prophecy was pretty great, but this looks to be a whole different can of beans. I'm going to try and steal my brother's PS3 and try this out.
Its a love it or hate it game.
Personally I love it.
And about the accents. Its about time for americans to suck that one up, because we have to deal with bad european accents from americans all the bloody time lol.
BTW, there are prototypes for ARI like glasses with similar experiences, but they are of course in no way as advanced as shown in the game.
loved the game, gonna take my turn doing replays though, dont wanna burn out on it.
For those who've finished it. WARNING SPOILERS
Heavy Rain's BIG plot-holes, Heavy Rain PS3 Features | GamesRadar
Yeah there are some big plotholes, in that they are unexplained. Nothing that creates a dilemma or paradox though, and that article is clearly trying to rip the game apart, like a lot of websites for some reason.
The only two in there I find that legitimate are 2 and 5, and 2 doesn't even really create a problem. 5 could be explained easy enough if they took a bit of time to do so however, it's just sad you never really get an explanation.
Even then, number 2 wouldn't need a lot of explaining because (SPOILER)the only person he talks to who would have thought anything of the evidence Shelby asks for is the box full of Origami figures. The rest of the people he sees either didn't have any evidence or wouldn't think too much of what they did have, such as the woman with the cell phone.Quote:
Originally Posted by NeoCracker
Thats how I see it. They could have explained it easily enough so its not a real sort of plothole that makes no sense. Just a little dissapointing that it didnt get explained though.Quote:
Originally Posted by NeoCracker
Also, some people are really going out of their way to break the game and then bash it. Try listening to the Hotspot podcast, what a joke. Everyone on that thought it was a very good game with some problems but one guy, Brendan Sinclair obviously went out of his way to completely break the game and had no intention to follow the narrative at all, and completely bashes the game for not holding up on that. He got called out a lot at least, which is good.
You can do the same with Mass Effect 2 but obviously he didnt try that...
Its definitely not a perfect game, but great nonetheless.
I thought of some of those, not of others. If I was unaware, then I let it slide. I guess I didn't analyze it that far.
For me, it's usually an entertainment to consumer relationship. If it is entertaining me, I can be more forgiving of faults. If it is awful all around, less is forgiven. That's how I go about it. The Star Wars prequels were flawed in so many ways, but they entertained me anyway, so I just let it go. That may be silly to some, but it works for me.
Just because something is not spelled out to you doesn't make it a plot hole. Plot hole #4 isn't even a plot hole because (SPOILER)finding an origami figure in the pocket of someone you suspect of being the origami killer is a pretty big lead in a case where they have nothing else to go on
I would agree many are not actually plot holes. Quite a few could be explained that he claims couldn't, and that's without fanwanking it. He's just reaching.
I will get this game eventually, but there's FFXIII and Super Street Fighter IV coming up. I'll get it when i have the money and when it's somewhat cheaper.
This game has been added to the list of reasons to buy a PS3. Now just to find someone to believe in my cause and give me the money.
It's really hard for me not to look at all of the spoilers. I really want to know what happens xD
You need to be really careful because there are douchebags going around the internet spoiling the game for everyone. :mad2:Quote:
Originally Posted by Jiro
And this is one game that I will say you should avoid all spoilers for. Knowing anything that happens beyond the basic premise could literally destroy the entire experience the first time through, and this game is an experience unlike any other game ever.Quote:
Originally Posted by CroylesYou need to be really careful because there are douchebags going around the internet spoiling the game for everyone. :mad2:Quote:
Originally Posted by Jiro
I know, Destructoid made a unified effort to really go at it, but I really don't give too much weight to their opinions since they're just trying to have fun and their ideas are all over the place anyway.Quote:
Originally Posted by Croyles
Sure there may be "plot holes" but they really have no gravity for me. A lot of people complained about some of the plot twists as well, and I went through most of the game waiting for the other shoe to drop.
But along that path I realized that even if this game had the utterly worst ending ever conceivable by sentient beings, that would never take away from just how intense, suspenseful, and emotionally riveting the game had been so far.
Heavy Rain is an astounding achievement for that alone, I think this fact is being blatantly mitigated in reviews where relatively smaller problems get over-magnified. In fact, it's a recurring pattern I see in PS3 exclusives that are innovative in one way or another, where they're put under a "mixed bag" template where the undeniable breakthroughs are juxtaposed with arbitrary problems to justify average scores. At the same time, games which play it safe in genre or risk-taking which pull of gameplay or multiplayer very well are given extremely high scores. I guess it's just part of how I try to tune out mainstream game criticism, but I feel the culture as a whole is worse off for it.
Oh god. xDQuote:
Originally Posted by Vivi22And this is one game that I will say you should avoid all spoilers for. Knowing anything that happens beyond the basic premise could literally destroy the entire experience the first time through, and this game is an experience unlike any other game ever.Quote:
Originally Posted by CroylesYou need to be really careful because there are douchebags going around the internet spoiling the game for everyone. :mad2:Quote:
Originally Posted by Jiro
I hope they continue to make games like Indigo Prophecy and Heavy Rain forever. I love cinematic games. Btw, has anyone played Heavy Rain Chronicles yet? It looks really good.
I'm enjoying it a lot so far, two of my friends have completed it already and from what I have heard, they both got completely different endings! so it's exciting to see which one I get to compare with them.
Fahrenheit is also on my to-play list. I've heard some people didn't like it since it used mystical/magical effects. It's rather intriguing to me.
Finished it with a friend about a week ago and I think it's a master piece.
I've read the plot holes site and the only ones I really care for are 1 and 5. Other than that, brilliant game.
Plot Hole 1
(SPOILER)Quote:
If you make sure that Madison survives to the hospital scene near the end, she (but not you) is told the identity of the Origami Killer. Understandably, she is shocked and aghast at the name she hears being associated with such atrocities. Not understandably, she and said killer have never met in the game at this point, and in fact are completely unaware of each other’s existence. She’s reacting to nothing, which becomes even more face-palm-worthy when she scoots immediately round to his house.
ExplanationQuote:
(SPOILER)
She's an investigative journalist. It's not unrealistic to think she may have been aware of a former high ranking police official who makes his work as a PI.
Plot Hole 2
ExplanationQuote:
(SPOILER)While investigating the Origami Killer, private eye Shelby interviews several parents of murdered kids and collects key evidence and messages sent to them by said mysterious child-offer. Question: Why the hell have these parents still got hold of this stuff? Why didn’t give they these clues to the police during the investigations? Did they want their kids to be killed? And if they did hand them in, why haven’t the police still got them in the (still open) case file? Did they give them back as souvenirs when the bodies were found? No wonder they can't catch the killer if they keep giving evidence away.
(SPOILER)Quote:
Or, like Ethan, some of these people may not have turned everything over to the cops immediately. Sure, that's a stupid move, but obviously people make stupid moves. Emily's mother mentioned her father leaving shortly after their son disappeared. The father could have left attempting trials, given up and bailed (or even died trying).
Plot Hole 4
ExplanationQuote:
(SPOILER)Speaking of manhunts, the whole case against Ethan which takes up much of the second half is a farce. The evidence that makes him the definite, absolute, couldn’t-be-anyone-else, number-one suspect in a high-profile murder case? Nothing more than some highly circumstantial hearsay and tittle-tattle about black-outs and bad dreams, from his ex and his psychiatrist (tittle-tattle that in that latter case has to be beaten out of the unwilling source). We know that the cops are looking for a scapegoat, but making public claims of guilt and holding a press conference to celebrate the capture of a notorious serial killer without ever bothering to build any kind of a case against him is the simplistic and lazy thinking of a nine-year old. Even bad movie cops wouldn’t do that.
(SPOILER)Perhaps it's cliche, but I don't think Blake gives a sh*t who he gets. He wants to get someone and say he solved the case. Flimsy evidence or not, he wants a scapegoat. Sure this is a lazy trope trotted out in all types of action movies, but far from a significant plot hole.
Plot Hole 5
Quote:
(SPOILER)
Ethan’s blackouts can be explained as a sympton of the trauma he suffered when hit by the car, but what’s with all the false-lead origami models he keeps waking up with? Was the killer following him 24/7 the whole time with a copy of his medical history, just waiting to pop one in his hand whenever he dropped? Including that time he passed out in his own house?
Does he really have an undiagnosed case of ‘Making-paper-models-in-your-sleep-at-topically-suspicious-times’ syndrome? It’s as sensible an explanation as any.
Explanation
(SPOILER)Shelby made it clear in the ending that he had been paying attention to Ethan. While it might seem far fetched, he seemed to have an extra keen interest in Ethan and very well may have spent sometime placing those figures in Ethan's hand. Far out there, but not that bad.
Tired of typing... maybe more later.
In response to "Plot Hole" 5:
(SPOILER) Shelby witnessed the accident while he was murdering. That's how he knows so much about him. He knows who it is and it's not exactly hard to track the life of a well-known architect.
So my wife and I try to revisit the ending after changing a few things. This brought up some interesting thoughts.
(SPOILER)On my original play through I had all of the characters alive in the final scene. However, a single missed QTE made Madison fail her bike rush into the building. She was cuffed and put in the back of a cop car. Jayden messed up and got smashed with a sledgehammer and sliced up.
Ethan wandered out naively and was shot by that bastard Blake's command.
I got my ending. News reports that maybe that Ethan was shot but doesn't implicate Blake's stupidity. Blake seems haunted by Jayden's ghost. Madison writes a terrible book. Lauren (thinking Shelby killed her son) shoots him in the face.
So I tried again to fix some mistakes I'd made.
(SPOILER)This time Madison saved Ethan and Jayden survived.
However, it felt wrong. The ending wasn't the right ending. It wasn't my ending. My wife and I talked about it at great length and somehow the original story that we told with all of its foibles was the the story we brought away from Heavy Rain. We're certainly going back for different takes on different scenes and all of the trophies in the meantime, but I think now the sad ending I wrought for myself the first time will always be the ending that I feel was the true ending to my Heavy Rain.
I loved this game. It had so many flaws (the worst of which being the voice acting made worse by some awkward writing), but I don't care that much. It was the most gripping experience I remember in recent memory. I felt closer to the characters than I ever could have just watching a movie. The way the QTEs played out I felt really worked for the game. I don't think any game has ever made me feel the way Heavy Rain did with such consistency and earnestness. No movies, even great ones, have managed to keep me where I was emotionally and psychologically for such a sustained amount of time.
There need to be more games like this.
^ exactly, this experience is something else. The writing has flaws, the acting has flaws, even the tone of the setting has flaws at times, but there's some intangible element of this game that makes it an unmatchable experience in video games.
Heavy Rain will make you tense, it will make you nauseous, it might even make you cry, it's absolutely the most emotionally evocative game I've ever played.
Well, it didnt make me cry, but almost. I did get a little watery eyed :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Bolivar
I'm surprised I didn't cry in retrospect. I blubber at everything. However, there were times that it was almost beyond tears with the gut-wrenchingness.
Playing it again certain little things have happened differently that make me feel a little different about stuff.
(SPOILER)Last time I was crappy about getting Shaun to bed on time and buy the time I got his teddy he was asleep. The first time I went to my office and watched a video of Jason playing in the yard with me and sobbed. This time I got back with Shaun's teddy and he told me it wasn't my fault.
Already I felt differently about him after finishing the game and knowing that he really cared for his father, but the first time around he was so despondent and I thought maybe he actually did blame me or didn't feel comfortable with me.