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Amazon offers buy one, get one half-off on select games
If last week's video game industry festivities filled you with an unquenchable thirst to buy more video games, you should turn your unhealthy impulses towards Amazon. For a limited time, the retailer's offering buy one, get one-half off on a beefy list of 186 titles across various platforms.
Heavy Rain director encourages more 'personal' stories
Speaking to The Guardian about storytelling in games, Heavy Rain director Cage singled out the FPS genre -- its use of WWII and sci-fi settings in general -- as an example where that aspect of the medium is stagnating. His advice for other game writers: " Don't write about being a rookie soldier in WWII, because you don't have a clue what that's like." Heavy Rain has drawn accolades, Cage says, because the inspiration for its story is personal and relatable. "Talk about yourself, your life, your emotions, the people around you, what you like, what you hate," he advised. "This is how the industry will make a huge step forward. I'm fed up with space marines." In his case, inspiration came from something much more down to earth. "It was not about space marines fighting aliens, it was about my relationship with my first son and how he changed my life –- and also about how loving someone without expecting anything in return was something totally new." So, Modern Warfare 3 writers: instead of "how many people can you shoot?," why not try asking players "how many people would you shoot to save someone you love?"
'Fiv5' could be the title of Quantic Dreams' next game
David Cage, director of the soggy serial killer interactive drama Heavy Rain, has already said there won't be a sequel to that game, telling the PlayStation Blog, "We're going to be exploring a different direction, which will still be very dark and still for adults, but completely different to Heavy Rain" for Quantic Dreams' next project. That game's specifics may be a secret, but it may have a title: "Fiv5" ... yes, in the style of David Fincher's film Se7en. Gaming trademark sleuth superannuation has turned up several clues supporting this theory, including a trademark filing with Europe's Office of Harmonization for the International Market. There's also a domain name registration by Quantic Dream, and a new hire at the developer has listed themselves as "Concept Artist: Video Game "FIVE" & "INFRAWORLD" on LinkedIn. Infraworld? Where'd we put our deerstalker hat and magnifying glass?
Mega 64 spoofs Heavy Rain, makes all of us uncomforJAAAASOOON
Yes, Mega64's (second) spoof of Heavy Rain features one of the guys wandering through a mall on a very vocal hunt for Jason -- but that's not all. It also contains some of the most cringe-worthy moments of social discomfort that the troupe has ever, ever managed to elicit.
Uncharted 2 GOTY, God of War 3 and others become latest PS3 'Greatest Hits' for $30
Sony has promoted four of its favorites to PS3 "Greatest Hits," dropping the price of each to $30. The most significant addition to Sony's growing lineup of discounted bestsellers of yesteryear is the "Game of the Year" Edition of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, which includes a plethora of extra content not included in the original release. God of War 3, Heavy Rain and ModNation Racers were the three other first-party titles to be made Hits. Additionally, THQ's UFC Undisputed 2010 was recognized as one of last year's best, representing the first third-party game to become part of the PS3's 2010 hall of fame class.
Heavy Rain film adaptation helmed by Deadwood creator
Heavy Rain is getting the Hollywood treatment and, hopefully, some American accents to go along with it. David Milch, executive producer of "NYPD Blue" and "Deadwood," is working on an adaptation that will simply be called "Rain." According to Variety, Milch will begin writing the script after finishing work on his current project, a new HBO series called "Luck." "David Milch's incredible ability to transform intense and complex storylines into gripping, popular drama makes him the perfect partner for us to have on Heavy Rain," producer Bob Shaye told the outlet. We then fictionally added, "Milch's penchant for adding male nudity into NYPD Blue makes him the ideal candidate for this project."
Telltale looks to Heavy Rain for Jurassic Park gameplay design
Jurassic Park and Telltale Games may seem like an unlikely combination, but the The Escapist's recap of a new Game Informer magazine interview reveals that IP owner Universal Studios wasn't looking for a straightforward action game, making Telltale a good fit. The developer will still look to add a bit more action to its traditional adventure game framework, telling GI that the game will feature both slower-paced character building and the surprise scares that once propelled the franchise to box office success. Telltale likens this gameplay balancing act to Quantic Dreams' suspense thriller, Heavy Rain. Aside from the possibility of dinosaurs with out-of-place accents, this means that the Jurassic Park game will feature some element of choice, though it's noted in the interview that the gameplay mechanics are still in the works. Additionally, some of the game's story has been cursorily detailed, revealing sub-plots such as identifying where Dennis Nedry's can of dino embryos ended up post-Dilophosaurus attack and a tie into the first film through the eyes of an unknown character. Jurassic Park is expected to encompass five episodes, with the first coming to PC and Mac some time this year.
Joystiq Top 10 of 2010: Heavy Rain
The thoroughly democratic process through which our top 10 video games of 2010 were divined and decided left little room for sayers-of-nay once the dust had settled. The list -- as you'll soon see -- represents a cross section of what we believe to be the greatest (and therefore, our favorite, since we're such astute scholars of the ludological sciences) games of the year. All except for the game currently under discussion: David Cage's interactive thriller, Heavy Rain. Of all the games on our list, Heavy Rain was the only one whose appearance -- even at the most humble position on the pedestal -- was called into question. With such apparent spite for the title coursing through our collective veins, you might wonder how it made any showing at all. The answer is indicative of the game's overall reception in the gaming community's collective consciousness: Many writers gave the game no weight in the discussion at all, while few gave it just about as much weight as they could possibly throw.
Quantic Dream renovates mocap studio
A lot of times game journalists complain that December is light on news, with all the big releases for the year behind us. But we've always thought they were just a bunch of Negative Nancys. In an industry as robust and busy as ours, how tough can it be to find something to write about? ... So, umm ... Quantic Dream renovated its motion capture studio. Now it's got like 64 cameras, and some sound-proof curtains and stuff, so that's ... you know, a good number of cameras. So ... We were going to make a Heavy Rain joke in which we suggest it "renovate" its voice capture studio by burning it to the ground. ... You know, because the acting was so bad? But it turns out that this new studio can do voice capture too, so that's not really that funny anymore. So, yeah.
Heavy Rain's deleted scenes exposed, reveal 'supernatural' connection for origami killer
You may have missed this behind-the-scenes video of Heavy Rain on the PlayStation Network last week. This very revealing, spoiler-filled video highlights some of the deleted scenes and concepts for Quantic Dream's adventure game.
Heavy Rain leads an all-PS3 Amazon Gold Box
If you're looking to buy PS3 sadness simulator Heavy Rain just in time for the PlayStation Move patch, Amazon has discounted it to $39.99 as its Deal of the Day. In addition, the retailer has devoted its Gold Box page entirely to PS3 stuff today, with deals launching through 11PM ET. Right now, you can also get Madden NFL 11 for $44.99. Future deals, according to Thrifty Nerd's guesses, may include 3D Dot Game Heroes and Transformers: War for Cybertron. Let the all-day Amazon refreshing marathon commence! [Thanks, MLC]
Heavy Rain patches in Move support September 22
PS3's atmospheric adventure game Heavy Rain will receive a free patch on September 22 to support the Move peripheral. The PlayStation Blog notes the patch will download automatically when users start the game, adding actions that "mimic real-world motions" -- like knocking on doors (pictured). For those interested in experiencing this, you'll have to pick up the Move controller on September 19. The PSN will also add a Heavy Rain Move demo on September 28, featuring two of the early levels in the game. As the update is all about adding Move support, don't expect a pronunciation patch for "ore-A-gammy killer." %Gallery-98998%
PlayStation Move review
The PlayStation Move. It's funny to think just 15 months have passed since Sony first unveiled its motion controller, and now we're mere weeks away from hitting the retail market. To be sure, it's not like the company didn't have waggle on the mind already -- patents dating as far back as 2005 reveal as much, and of course the incredible success of Nintendo's Wii proved there's a market for more physically exerting gameplay. And it's not just PlayStation; Microsoft's got its controller-free Kinect motion camera system coming this November. So, in the year where all major game consoles now ask you to get off the couch and earn arm muscle, how does Move fare? Read on for more!
David Cage on his 'benevolent dictatorship' over Quantic Dream
For most developers, creating a game is a constant struggle between the design-based decisions of the creative team and the marketing-based decisions of the business team. Not at Quantic Dream, where David Cage's role as both CEO and lead designer means that "game design guides everything" at the company. So when Cage says "the game designer decided this, and I fully agree with it," he's actually referring to himself both times, as he pointed out at a talk at GDC Europe this week. Cage said developing a game like Heavy Rain just wouldn't work in a more democratic development environment, where everyone on the team has equal power and the majority rules on major decisions. "When you want a strong vision, you need a vision holder, you need someone who has the final cut," Cage said.
Cage: Heavy Rain sold four times more in US than Sony had anticipated
We already knew Heavy Rain was an immediate success in the UK and a moderate hit in Japan. But with the game's quick disappearance from the NPD's monthly top ten in the U.S., we've been wondering whether the game's sales on this side of the ocean (which NPD pegs at just over 400,000 units so far) have lived up to expectations. Well, "lived up to expectations" might be a bit of an understatement. At a GDC Europe talk this week, Quantic Dream CEO David Cage said Heavy Rain ended up selling "four times as many copies" as publisher Sony expected. "They were shocked. 'Oh my god, what happens?'" Cage said in his charmingly stilted English. These unexpected sales presented a bit of a problem, Cage said, because the marketing spend for the game was based on the lowball expectation, not the surprisingly strong actual sales numbers. Still, Cage said Sony did a great job pushing the game in the States, especially considering the game's unorthodox concept and lack of a big franchise name, which led to some reluctance from distribution channels. Cage said Heavy Rain has already sold 1.5 million copies (up from one million in April) worldwide and the game is on track to sell two million units by the first anniversary of its February release.
Cage: Lack of additional Heavy Rain DLC 'unfortunate' but 'understandable'
With the chances of further downloadable episodes of Heavy Rain's "Chronicles" DLC looking all but nonexistent, we wondered how Quantic Dream CEO and creative head David Cage felt now that his game has been folded up like an origami crane. We caught up with Cage after his talk at GDC Europe today to find out. "I understand why the decision was made," Cage said of the cancellation of the planned DLC. "From a creative point of view it was not my choice. I would have really preferred a thousand times developing the Chronicles. I thought we had a lot to say about these characters, about their background. Things that were just mentioned in the game that had a true explanation in the background, and it's a little bit unfortunate that we won't be able to tell you the full story." But at the same time, Cage said he's looking forward to working on something new. "I didn't want to do everything, I wanted to move on," he said. "I didn't want to spend another two years on Heavy Rain developing Move and Chronicles and stuff. ... So a decision had to be made and it's a decision I respect. Honestly, it's not like I'm upset about it, I would have preferred to do it differently but, you know what, it makes sense." So, to sum up, Cage says he really want to finish the story through DLC, and that it's unfortunate that he didn't get to. But he also says he didn't really want to spend all that extra time on the game, and that he's happy to be moving on. So... that clears that up, yeah?
Sony Style offering free game with 120GB PS3 purchase
If you're in the market for a new PS3, and you don't mind waiting just a bit, Sony Style has an appealing offer. Through August 21, Sony's retail site is offering one of six first-party games for free with the purchase of a 120GB PS3 Slim. You can choose from Uncharted 2, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, MAG, Heavy Rain, ModNation Racers or White Knight Chronicles. Why the wait? The PS3 is currently on backorder at Sony Style, though the offer still seems to be good. So you can order now and actually receive your system later. Think of it as setting your future self up with a wonderful surprise. [Thanks, Pete!]
Heavy Rain Move Edition patch coming 'pre-Xmas,' free if you own the game
SCEE product Manager Ross Alexander took to the EU's PlayStation Blog earlier today and revealed that the PlayStation Move-enabled version of Heavy Rain will be available "pre-Xmas." He also noted that it will be digitally distributed for free via PSN to those who already picked up the disc, though he gave no word on a re-release of the retail edition with Move functionality already baked-in. Apparently, the waggle-ified version of Heavy Rain will be playable both with the Move and a DualShock 3 or a Move and the Navigation Controller -- the latter of which Alexander claims is the only way to get the "full experience." Trailers with the new Move controls are forthcoming, but why wait? We've dropped a handful of screens into a gallery below right now.%Gallery-98998%
Cage 'doubts' new Heavy Rain DLC will be completed
You'd better hope that playing Heavy Rain with PlayStation Move controls feels like a completely new experience, because that's pretty much the only way you're getting new content. Creator David Cage has added a note of finality to the announcement that work on the "Chronicles" DLC was shelved so the team could concentrate on Move support. Cage told Eurogamer that "Chronicles, as we saw them, were ambitious and with high expectations," and thus would have occupied the team's resources. "As explained, they are on hold to allow the team to work on Move and on new projects, and I doubt they will ever be produced." Cage sounds pretty put off by the decision to dedicate time to Move support, but at least a little interested in the result. "I understand Sony's decision, and it gave us the opportunity to explore new possibilities regarding controls," Cage said. "I am really proud of this Move edition and think it will surprise many gamers, and show that Move can be used for things other than family entertainment. Now as a writer and director, would I have preferred to work on the three Chronicles I wrote? Guess."
Visual overload: Sony's E3 PlayStation Move lineup
PlayStation Move is essentially a brand new platform for Sony. While many of the motion-sensing launch games for the new PS3 controller are "Wii HD" titles, there are a few noteworthy additions, including echochrome 2, Heroes on the Move and a Move edition of Heavy Rain. Check out trailers for all of Sony's first-party Move titles after the break.
