Topic: Heavy Rain

[Ymeegod]

What was wrong with Scribblenauts?  Sure it's flawed but it's doing something nobody else is doing? 

Just because this isn't your type of game doesn't mean the developers are doing something wrong.  For example, I dislike games like Animal Crossing and the Sims but others find the games extremly enjoyable. 

This game is giving you an "real" world experience and this time around it does effect the game.  Besides the intro anyhow, you're not required to do alot of those mundane things.  Don't want to play with your kid or feed him?  Great he'll just hate you but the story will continue--it's great IMO.

[NWR_insanolord]

I'd rather see something that's been done before done well than see something that's never been done before done in a flawed way. Ambition isn't a substitute for quality. I'm not saying you can't have both, but based on what I've read of Indigo Prophecy and what I'm hearing of this demo, they're not inspiring confidence.

[broodwars]

What was wrong with Scribblenauts?  Sure it's flawed but it's doing something nobody else is doing?

I don't think anyone's knocking the ambition of the Scribblenauts developers, just that they promised an awful lot of things before the game's release and weren't really able to follow-through on them.  What's worse, in focusing on making that massive word bank of fairly interchangeable words, they tended to ignore basic level and interface design (the stylus just is not a good input device for 2D platformers).

I think that's what Insano there is getting at: that by focusing on all these interactions with all those quick-time events and whatnot, the developers might have made the same mistakes as the Scribblenauts developers and overlooked making sure those interactions are meaningful and entertaining.  It's a fair question, and one we'll just have to play the game to see for sure.

[ShyGuy]

I dislike the hold down three button tasks. Moving the character is stiff and then it feels like there is a pause when it asks you to do a movement. It interrupts the flow and makes you more aware of the controls. If they had a more uniform camera system and the waggle movements were standardized I think it would help.

Zack and Wiki benefited from being a cartoon puzzle game. The level of abstraction helped jumped the uncanny valley of gameplay.

[ThePerm]

anyone ever play D? From the description(i haven't watched a vdieo of this game since like 2005) it sounds like the modern version of that game, which was a fun game at the time, but hasn't aged well. I assume, this game would have little replay value, but because of the different characters and the choices, this might have some replay value.

[broodwars]

anyone ever play D? From the description(i haven't watched a vdieo of this game since like 2005) it sounds like the modern version of that game, which was a fun game at the time, but hasn't aged well. I assume, this game would have little replay value, but because of the different characters and the choices, this might have some replay value.

Supposedly, there are something like 20 different endings, depending on various choices you make throughout the game and whether certain characters are living or dead.  I'd say there's a lot of replay value there, though Quanticdream's odd insistence that players should only play the game once so their choices "matter more" does seem to run counter to that.

I vaguely remember "D" mentioned in an old EGM.  Wasn't it some strange survival horror game set in Alaska or something?

[Halbred]

You're thinking about D2, a Dreamcast game. Your character is wandering the winter wilderness in a land called Can-AH-da. From what I recall, reviewers said it was atmospheric and disturbing but the controls were frustrating and ultimately kind of boring.

[ThePerm]

no im thinking about D, a sega saturn and playstation game, D2 is the sequel..i never played D2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D_%28video_game%29

i rented it for Saturn when it was new, but after a few years of obscurity i could never find the copy. Then one day a PlayStation copy turned up so i bought it up.

D was one of those early horror games everyone told you not to play in the dark. It kinda reminds me of Eternal Darkness, despite it not having aged well Im pretty sure its a big influence on todays games. It was well received back in the day.

[Halbred]

Gotcha. I'm aware of D, but when you said it took place in Alaska, I thought you meant D2.

[broodwars]

Just a notice to people who pre-ordered (in case you've missed this): while you should receive your pre-order code for the Taxidermist DLC with the game at launch, the DLC itself will not be available until sometime next week (March 4th is the current estimate from Quantic Dreams) so hold onto those codes.

[Halbred]

I wonder if this game is actually about aliens who fall to Earth in raindrops to take over the government?

*if anyone gets that reference, they WIN*

[D_Average]

I tried the demo and was very interested. I'm going to rent it first though on Tues. Doesn't come across as a title I'll play over and over.

[iDraTion]

bowfinger?

[NWR_Neal]

I would totally play a Chubby Rain video game.

[broodwars]

My copy of the game just arrived via UPS.  Just so you guys have fair warning, before you can even install the game you have to download a 226 MB patch.  Not a huge deal on my end since I have some (well...all of them, actually.  I only ever watched the pilot DVD) Caprica episodes to catch up on, and I have a nice little Origami figure to fold together once I can actually install the game.  Still, you guys should know what you're in for.

Oh, and I also highly suggest avoiding the internet until you've finished the game.  Apparently, the internet griefers have found their new Harry Potter to spoil, and they're going rampant spoiling the identity of the Origami Killer.

[D_Average]

Thanks for the warning. Looking to rent this tonight but I highly doubt Blockbuster will have it yet. If they don't I'll probably nab Brutal Legend instead. It's only 20 at Best abut this week if your in their Gamer Zone club.

[Halbred]

Brutal Legend: the game I haven't beat (or even gotten that into), yet am constantly on the fence about selling or not.

[broodwars]

This game is awesome.  I'm early in the game (I'm controlling Shelby for the 3rd time in the game) and aside from one really huge, monumentally cheap "shock" section early in the game with Madison (somewhat counterbalanced by the surprising boldness of having full frontal female nudity that doesn't feel as cheap and exploitative as I was expecting by the ESRB content descriptors, as well as some excellent QTE action) I really don't have any major complaints.  Well...there is one really irritating thing, but I expected it after seeing the demo: these characters go beyond living in the Uncanny Valley, and randomly throughout the game seem to be digging a rather large hole in it. 

[Halbred]

My fear is that Heavy Rain is:

1) Just as QTE-heavy as Indigo Prophecy (I mean the action sequence crap); and

2) Is a one-trick pony

I am otherwise intruiged. I may have to nab the demo later. Do you think the demo is a fair representation of the full game?

[broodwars]

I am otherwise intruiged. I may have to nab the demo later. Do you think the demo is a fair representation of the full game?

Yes, it definitely is.  It's quite a good demo for giving you a fair idea what the game's like.

EDIT: In the defense of this game's QTEs, I think they're handled very well.  One of the big complaints I heard about Indigo Prophesy is that the action sequences were one long Simon Says-style button sequence, and because of that you could never really watch a sequence because you always had to keep an eye on the button prompts.  These QTE prompts are pretty well-handled, though, and I don't think they detract from the experience at all...with one caveat: at times, it can be really hard to tell the difference between the types of button prompts.  There really isn't a strong visual difference between "hold this button" and "press this button", or sometimes "press this button" and "mash this button".  It hasn't given me major problems so far, but it can be a little annoying sometimes having to guess in context which type of button prompt it is.

[Shaymin]

My copy of the game just arrived via UPS.  Just so you guys have fair warning, before you can even install the game you have to download a 226 MB patch.

Am I the only person who gets ticked off when they have to patch in stuff day 1?

PC gaming isn't dead, we just have dedicated PCs that get hooked to big TVs now.

[NWR_insanolord]

My copy of the game just arrived via UPS.  Just so you guys have fair warning, before you can even install the game you have to download a 226 MB patch.

Am I the only person who gets ticked off when they have to patch in stuff day 1?

PC gaming isn't dead, we just have dedicated PCs that get hooked to big TVs now.

It's one of the few bright sides of Nintendo being so behind the times when it comes to online gaming.

[broodwars]

My copy of the game just arrived via UPS.  Just so you guys have fair warning, before you can even install the game you have to download a 226 MB patch.

Am I the only person who gets ticked off when they have to patch in stuff day 1?

Unfortunately, it's kind of a necessary evil considering these games are finished a good 1-2 months before we ever see them due to manufacturing and marketing needs.  With Sony and Microsoft making changes to their consoles via firmware much more dramatically than Nintendo does, developers have to make sure their game functions on the latest firmware when the game releases (remember the recent firmware that bricked Uncharted 1 for no apparent reason?).  So while they have a couple months where the game is essentially done, developers use that window to make any last-minute minor bug fixes and compatibility tests.  If the game has something like online multiplayer, they can also use that window for balance testing and server stress tests.

Yes, having to wait an additional 5-15 minutes for online patching the first time you stick the disc in is annoying, but if it means a working game with as many bugs fixed as possible I'll take it.  What's unusual about Heavy Rain's patch, though, is that these patches aren't usually this huge...usually something between 5-50 MB.  This is 226 MB, which makes me think they found some buggy audio files or something and had to switch them out.

Anyway, I'm currently working my way toward Ethan's 5th Trial and am currently in control of Madison at a party.  Man, the action sequences in this game are really well-staged, especially Madison's.  Hopefully, I'll finally actually see the reporter side of Madison and she'll start to prove her worth to the story, because she's been pretty pointless in this game so far.

[Stogi]

Am I the only person who gets ticked off when they have to patch in stuff day 1?

No. Just goes to show that people will do anything to release a game on time.

[D_Average]

Man. Just listened to the Joystiq podcast yesterday and Justin Mcelroy ripped this game apart. Mostly for the story and voice acting. I usually agree with him so his thoughts give me sme pause. Blockbuster didn't have it yesterday so I picked up Brutal Legend which is so many levels of awesome for a lapsed metal head like myself. Still going to give Heavy Rain a shot though. Maybe there will be a deal on Sun.