Heavy Rain Message Board older than one year ago

If only Sony had waited until after the South by Southwest festival to release Heavy Rain, the publisher could have printed several glowing quotes from a known Xbox consorter on the back of the PS3-exclusive's game box. Oh, well -- there's always the "Game of the Year" edition.

During a a one-on-one conversation with writer Frank Rose at SXSW this week, Fabled designer Peter Molyneux heaped praise on Heavy Rain, calling it "absolutely brilliant."

"I recommend anyone who wants to start to see the first glimpses of the future of video games to go out and buy it," Molyneux advocated, before exposing his softer side to the audience. "But, personally, I could not bring myself to play more than 90 minutes, because the world that was there was so dark and so emotionally involving I felt emotionally beaten up." Aww, Mr. Molyneux ...

"But there's no question in my mind that games like Heavy Rain -- games that have a new fidelity in the way that they present their experiences; obviously made with cinematography and motion capture in mind -- can really show the way forward to a new form of entertainment, which is evolving the story and choices and consequences." Molyneux steadfastly declared, having apparently recovered from the painful memories of the game's early moments (perhaps cries of Jason? Jason? Jason! still faintly echoing in his head).

Molyneux also commended developer Quantic Dream's design choices, observing that the QTE interface "really meant that you had to pay attention all the time because you didn't know whether these quick-time events were going to come up"; though he noted that such gameplay mechanics "may be a little bit tired after a while." Still, he said, "I have to take my hat off to [Quantic Dream] ... There's a couple of things they do in that game which were really revolutionary, and what they do with quick-time is fantastic."

"Us designers were just laughing because we thought quick-time was dead, but that really was part of the drama of Heavy Rain."

Shortage "definitely" having an impact, says Sony.

Modern Warfare 2 keeps on rolling.

#ps3 For films like In the Company of Men (NSFW) and Your Friends and Neighbors (ditto), director Neil LaBurute has been labeled everything from a "misogynist" to a "misanthrope". Guess that makes him equal opportunity. More »

The end of winning.

#clips Heavy Rain for the PlayStation 3 is an emotionally engaging psychological thriller. Se7en, starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, is an emotionally engaging psychological thriller. What happens when you combine the two? More »

#ps3 Reader kuroner says that while playing Heavy Rain the other day, he stumbled on a little glitch. One that leaves one of the game's stars, Madison Page, completely naked. More »

#clips With the PS3 having some, ahem, problems today, you may not be able to play Heavy Rain. Ah well! You may as well kill some time by playing it on...YouTube. More »

#hollywood Heavy Rain was announced way, way back at E3 2006, which was the week of May 8. One week after the show, May 15, 2006, the U.S. Copyright Office recorded an option for the film rights to the game. More »

What if Heavy Rain, which is so often heralded by creator David Cage as "interactive fiction," was just a bit less interactive? Is the game's story and cast of vaguely-French-sounding characters strong enough to carry a feature-length film? We might just find out, some day -- internet super-sleuth superannuation recently uncovered copyright documents which reveal that New Line Productions optioned the rights to turn Heavy Rain into a movie on May 15, 2006 -- just a few days after "The Casting" trailer (NSFW) was revealed at E3.

This doesn't ensure the development of a Heavy Rain movie, of course; it only means if any film studio makes the film, it's going to be New Line Cinema. We think the rights are in good hands -- New Line did some great work on the film adaptations of those Lord of the Rings games.

Just scratched the surface in the PS3, says Tretton

#sony Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Jack Tretton seems incredibly pleased with Heavy Rain's reception with PlayStation 3 owners, saying that the newly released game's pre-sales were "off the charts," underscoring that there's no need yet for a PlayStation 4. More »

Expressing their concerns on the PlayStation forums, several owners of the Euro-exclusive Special Edition of Heavy Rain have been unable to solve one of the game's most sinister enigmas: "Where is the soundtrack that was supposed to be included with this thing?"

Heavy Rain product manager for the region Alex Pavey has provided an answer on PlayStation Blog post, saying, "I'm sorry to say that there has been a last-minute technical delay with the Official Soundtrack, meaning that if you redeem your voucher code before 4th March, you will be able to download Chronicle 1 and the Dynamic Theme, but not the Official Soundtrack." Should players redeem the voucher after March 4th, they'll gain access to all three pieces of Special Edition content: a dynamic theme; the first prequel Chronicle; and the game's orchestral soundtrack (though it's still unclear what format it will take).

If the code has already been redeemed (the theme and DLC are already available for download), Pavel asks that players contact their "local customer service teams," which should be listed on the packaging. To pick up the phone or send an email, do a semi-circle with the right analog stick, hold R1 and Triangle and tap Circle.

[Thanks, Josh]

Players across multiple regions are reporting technical issues with their copies of Heavy Rain, with word of out-of-sync audio, full-on freezes, and unloadable auto-saves filling the official forums,...

Quantic Dream's serial-killer-suspense-meets-family-drama adventure title, Heavy Rain, received the official Joystiq Seal of Approval[TM], but how did our peers in the world of gaming journalism feel about the title? Let's see what some other critics had to say about the interactive romp through rainy Frenchadelphia:

• GamePro (5/5): "Put simply, Heavy Rain is a gaming experience that took huge risks in design, narrative, and game mechanics, and executed on its ideas to masterful effect. You will care, in the end, about the decisions you made to shape the fates of your characters, and wonder long after it's over if you made the right choices."
• 1UP (A-): "Though shorter than other epic, multi-disc titles, there's more than enough content in Heavy Rain to warrant a purchase. At the end of my first playthrough I was left utterly satisfied with the conclusion of the story and wanting more titles of this caliber."
• Eurogamer (9/10): "A thrilling mystery, cleverly composed, and unlike anything else you will play this year. It may also be the only game you play this year where pulling the trigger makes you really feel something, and I can think of no greater compliment."
• Giant Bomb (4/5): "Interactive storytelling might not yet be able to evoke the same degree of raw human emotion as more traditional art forms, but this is a big step in the right direction."

Is Quantic Dream's latest the dramatic, must-buy experience you've been waiting for?

After years of development, this thriller is ready for the public's eye.

Over the weekend, French football powerhouse Olympique Lyon gave opponents Sochaux a serve, whupping them 4-0. And they did so with a little help from a certain PlayStation 3 exclusive. The latest...

In case you didn’t know, Heavy Rain is out today!

For those of your who haven’t picked up your copy yet, we definitely recommend rushing to your favorite retailer (or mailbox) to get your hands on one of the most anticipated titles of 2010. If you’re still on the fence, be sure to download one of the hottest demos available on the PlayStation Store and see what everyone’s been talking about. Still not sure? Check out the reviews and you’ll see that it’s well worth it!

If you find yourself playing the game and tapping your toes to the music, you can head over to iTunes today to download your copy of the soundtrack, which will also become available for download from the PlayStation Store on March 18.

And we haven’t forgotten our promise to you, the fans. For those of you who prefer it, just follow the link below to download the European packfront image that you can print out and slide into your game case. I’d recommend printing it on an 11 x 17 and cutting along the lines so it fits just right.

Keep an eye out in the coming weeks as well as we unveil additional content through the PlayStation Store for Heavy Rain fans.

Happy gaming!

Whether it's through its potent pixel combinations or the fact that the game regularly gives you purple nurples (not really ... we hope), Heavy Rain is bound to make you cry. Don't believe us? Well, would you believe the talented and scholarly chaps at Mega64? Yeah, we thought so!

The troupe's latest contribution posits that Heavy Rain is so sad, you won't even crack a smile if you go to Disneyland after playing it. Certainly, one must keep in mind that this is simply one man's experience, but it doesn't necessarily rule out Heavy Rain as a tear-inducing descent into a bottomless well of sadness. Figure out the case of The Crying Amusement Park Attendee for yourself by watching the video past the break.

How far would you go ... to have better box art for Heavy Rain? Thankfully, you won't have to go much farther than a color printer. The "wet t-shirt" Heavy Rain box art shipped to North American retailers today can now be replaced by the much classier -- and far more representative -- European box art. Make sure you use high quality paper and ink. "I'd recommend printing it on an 11 x 17 and cutting along the lines so it fits just right," SCEA's Cristian Cardona advises.

If you haven't picked up Heavy Rain yet, you may want to check out our review. Then, check out a new trailer after the break.

PlayStation Blog has dropped the European advertisement for Heavy Rain. The ad, which you can watch after the break, places a heavy emphasis (geddit?) on the various choices that players make throughout the game. Specifically, it asks players to "start a journey that changes with every single decision." The PS Blog post notes that different versions of the ad will be airing in several countries over the next few weeks, so be sure to keep an eye out for it.

If there's any justice in the universe, the US version will feature Kevin Butler.

Innovative features and Hollywood-style cinematics combine to bring a unique experience where player decisions shape the story.

First chapter needed additional testing and development.

State of Play: The game is the story and the story is the game.

We show you how every action leads to a different reaction.

Though we're pretty eager to explore the back stories of Heavy Rain's quartet of protagonists and even step into the shoes of the Origami Killer, it seems those of us in North America will have to wait an extra week to get started on the prologuing. GameStop, which, among other retailers, is offering a code for the first Heavy Rain Chronicles DLC episode as a pre-order bonus with the game, recently updated the title's listing on its site, stating, "due to a delay by the publisher, this content will not be available for download until Thursday, March 4, 2010."

SCEE confirmed to VG247 that the delay wouldn't affect the DLC's European availability on "day one," so it would appear that the delay is particular to North America. We've contacted Sony America to find out what we can about it -- we just can't wait to find out why Madison is such an exhibitionist.

Quantic Dream suffers the a punishment that programmers dread: user tests.

Does this whodunit bring the industry full circle?

This week's PSN update is highlighted by the sopping wet delight of the Heavy Rain demo. We liked the "interactive drama" in our review, but now's the time to try it out and decide if the gameplay is right for you. There's actually plenty going on in this week's update, but we can't seem to stop focusing on this Ditta Von Teese "premium" theme. See, there was a Dita theme back in November, but this latest one is a "premium" theme for the same price of $2. Is it Teese-ier? On PSP, try out the echoshift demo and check out all those comics. The games may not flow for the PSP Go, but at least there's plenty to read. Check out the full PSN update after the break.

Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list:
(Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)