Indigo Prophecy
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'Heavy Rain' creator's early cinematic game gets remastered
If you missed out on the cult classic Indigo Prophecy (("Fahrenheit" in Europe), the first stab at a pseudo-cinematic game from Heavy Rain developer Quantic Dream, you've now got a good reason to give it a spin. A revamped version of the title has just landed on iOS and Steam (with support for Windows, Mac, and Linux) for $10, sporting better graphics and no censoring (nudity and sex scenes were cut from the original US import). While it's not the first game to combine a detective story with supernatural elements, Indigo Prophecy won plenty of praise for its mixture of interactive elements and movie-like style. That's something its director David Cage would later refine with Heavy Rain on the PlayStation 3 -- though the less said about his most recent title, Beyond: Two Souls, the better. An Android version of this shiny new version of Indigo Prophecy is in the works, but Aspyr Media, the developer handling the port, doesn't have a release date in mind yet.
Indigo Prophecy is coming to deliver nightmares to your iOS device
When Indigo Prophecy -- also known as Fahrenheit outside of North America -- was released in 2005, it slowly started to build a rabid cult following with its cinematic brand of horror adventure gaming. Wedged uncomfortably somewhere between the X-Files and Silence of the Lambs, Indigo Prophecy is less about action than discovery. Thankfully, there are plenty of horrific things to discover. This release marks the first time the game has been released uncut in North America, having been edited for sexual content when it was originally released for PS2. We don't know how they were able to get this sexual content past Apple's censors, but who's complaining? You can find the game right now in the iTunes store for US$9.99. Continue reading for a look at what new features have been added in the update, then get ready for some bad dreams. Originally released in 2005, Fahrenheit (known as Indigo Prophecy in North America) was a breakthrough in interactive narrative, teetering between the worlds of cinema and gaming while also embracing them, carving its own unique genre in the entertainment landscape. This newly remastered edition features updated graphics and full controller support for all platforms, and is based on the uncut and uncensored international version of the game. With a rich multilayered narrative, innovative presentation, and a chilling musical score by famed Hollywood composer Angelo Badalementi, Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered serves as the definitive version of the supernatural murder mystery and (re)introduces the groundbreaking title to old and new fans alike. Key Features Interactive Drama - An intuitive control scheme and spectacular split-screen presentation complement the game's mysterious noir narrative. Extensive Replayability - With branching dialog and multiple endings, each playthrough of the game yields a different outcome. Multiple Characters - Take control of the narrative through four different playable characters, each illuminating a different perspective of the story. Fully Voiced Script - Every line from the extensive script is voiced by professional actors in English, French, German, and Spanish. Voice files may require free in-game download. Cinematic Score - Fahrenheit features a fully orchestrated score composed by Angelo Badalamenti, famous for his extensive work with director David Lynch. Uncut version of the game - Unlike the original North American release, Remastered contains all of the game's original scenes, uncensored and uncut. Key Upgrades High-definition Graphics - All of the in-game textures have been meticulously recreated in HD for mobile and desktop. Widescreen Support – A true widescreen (not cropped) view strengthens the game's cinematic qualities while also providing players with a better sense of their surroundings. Elegant Touch Controls - An intuitive control scheme has been implemented that works on both phone and tablets, and brings the player closer to the narrative. Full Controller Support -Support for MFi hardware controllers on iOS, as well as various popular controllers for desktop. See system requirements for full list of supported controllers. Live Graphics Comparison - Players can switch between the updated visuals and the original art assets with the touch of a button.
Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy remastered for Steam, iOS
The "definitive version" of Quantic Dream's Indigo Prophecy is now available on PC, Mac and Linux via Steam as well as iOS. Crafted by porting specialist Aspyr Media, the updated version of the "supernatural murder mystery game" goes by the name Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered as a nod to the 2005 adventure's European name. Players can download it for $9.99 (€8.99 / £6.99). Aspyr noted in its FAQ that there is "absolutely no cut or censored content in this version" of the game. Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered features updated graphics that can be toggled on and off on the fly and controller support across all platforms. While the Heavy Rain developer's original game was capped at a resolution of 1024 × 768, Aspyr said the remastered version supports native resolutions up to 2880 × 1800. Aspyr claimed it "gave every texture in the game a facelift," giving some elements four times the detail as the original game, but the 2 GB size limit on iOS forced remastered textures to only double in size in the mobile version. While it won't provide a release date just yet, the developer did add that an Android version of Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy is in the works. [Image: Aspyr Media]
Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy) now on GOG
Before Quantic Dream drenched us in Heavy Rain, it gave us the ambitious, story-driven Fahrenheit, now available on GOG.com for $6. Fahrenheit, known as Indigo Prophecy in North America, experimented with many of the techniques (and story elements) that ended up being refined in Quantic Dream's interactive novella on the PS3. Fahrenheit on GOG is the "uncut and uncensored version" of the game, not originally released in the States, which includes some interactive sex scenes. The real reason to play this game, however, is to watch an interesting, compelling premise go off the rails like a child star after an 18th birthday. A must-experience moment (of disappointment) for any future game writers.
Kinect Hacks: Quick-time gestures with Indigo Prophecy
Kinect modder extraordinaire Jack Schofield's latest gesture-based infusion of a gaming classic is so obvious, we're a little upset we didn't think of it first: David Cage's original QTE-filled piece of interactive drama, Indigo Prophecy. Check out a lengthy video demonstration below.
Heavy Rain's David Cage done with his thriller 'trilogy'
Quantic Dream's Heavy Rain is hitting store shelves next week, and it may be the last game of its kind from director David Cage. Speaking with Eurogamer, Cage revealed "that Heavy Rain is the end of my personal trilogy trying to tell the same type of stories with serial killers and stuff, in the thriller genre." It does appear that Cage has had a certain fixation with the morbid, with his previous works -- Omikron: The Nomad Soul and Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy) -- all centering around serial killers. So what's next for Cage and crew beyond Heavy Rain? Multiplayer seems to be one consideration, with Cage calling it "the next challenge." "I have an idea of what it's going to take to make a multiplayer [game]," Cage admitted, adding it would be "very exciting." Whatever Quantic Dream decides to pursue, it's likely to involve motion controls in some way. Considering Heavy Rain had motion controls in mind initially, it comes as no surprise that Cage continues to express his interest in PlayStation's upcoming peripheral. "We have a lot of interest in this motion controller, we start to play with it, and yeah, we definitely want to do something with it."
Heavy Rain's David Cage to deliver keynote at GDC Europe
Administrators of the European version of the Game Developers Conference just revealed yet another keynote speaker for the event -- not at all shockingly, the speaker is Quantic Dream CEO and founder David Cage, whose company has released titles such as Omikron: The Nomad Soul and Fahrenheit (or Indigo Prophecy, as it was known in the States), and is currently hard at work on Heavy Rain. Considering said studio is based out of Paris, we suppose Cage is European enough to keynote the conference.Cage's address sounds pretty interesting -- it's titled "Writing Interactive Narrative For A Mature Audience." Considering what we've seen of Heavy Rain, he's probably the right person to deliver such a speech. However, considering what we remember of Indigo Prophecy, the first half of the speech will likely be gripping and insightful, and the second half will be nigh-incomprehensible. We fully expect to hear Illuminati conspiracy theories spoken in Esperanto. Backwards. [Image] [Via Edge Online]
Indigo Prophecy sequel ain't gonna happen
"After Indigo, I wanted to work on something different because I thought [a sequel] would be a commercial disaster," said David Cage, co-founder of Quantic Dream, on moving forward towards work on Heavy Rain and away from a sequel to his 2005 hit, Indigo Prophecy. "I quickly realized I had nothing more to say on this story and these characters," he said in an interview with 1UP, smashing the hopes of fans for an IP2.Though there was plenty of publisher interest in pushing out a second Indigo Prophecy, Cage said he "had moved on," wanting to write something "more personal, deeper, more adult with no world to save and no supernatural powers." To us, it seems our loss of IP2 is one big gain in Heavy Rain.
Heavy Rain will use SIXAXIS to 'push, hit, or kick'
Quantic Dream's David Cage sat down with 1UP to talk about their upcoming PS3 exclusive Heavy Rain. From our impressions, you already know the game will utilize SIXAXIS controls, mainly to interact with the environment or selecting an option during a conversation. Cage expands upon this, stating that SIXAXIS will be used "for violent actions requiring you to push, hit, or kick in general." However, the face buttons will only be used during PAR (what Cage calls QTE sequences), but not outside of them.As many have deduced, the plot-heavy and emotionally engaging Heavy Rain will primarily be an offline, single-player title. Cage confirms this, but again mentions some form of DLC could be in the works: "The game will support the Trophy system and may offer some kind of extra content online, but Heavy Rain is a single-player experience."The director also gave a number of insights into the upcoming genre-defying title, such as how he incorporated user feedback from his previous game, Indigo Prophecy. Read the full interview here.
Philosony: Yea, though I walk through the uncanny valley...
I wrote a few weeks back about the uncanny valley and Hideo Kojima's possibly telling observation that war machines of the future may exploit the creepiness of robotic simulations to instill fear in their prey. I want to turn my attention now to a discussion of the valley as it applies more directly to us as gamers - overcoming the creepiness of computer generated people. Quantic Dream has already boasted of successfully traversing the valley with its upcoming (and secretly acclaimed) PS3 exclusive Heavy Rain. While realistic graphics are one thing (and it's up to interpretation whether they succeeded in the tech demo almost two years ago), is there more to escaping the valley than mere realistic modeling?
GC 2008: Pour over this in-game Heavy Rain footage
take a look at these screenshots Well, consider us intrigued. From the creators of Indigo Prophecy (aka Fahrenheit) comes Heavy Rain, an atmospheric new adventure exclusively for the PlayStation 3. This in-game footage, first unveiled at Leipzig's Games Convention, depicts our finely rendered female protagonist investigating a distinctly unsettling house. Be sure to keep watching until the stunning scene at the end, where she bursts out the door and screams to the heavens, "Gotcha, suckas!" We're sure to learn much, much more as we draw closer to Heavy Rain's forecast 2009 release. %Gallery-30067%
Would emotional value improve the leveling experience in MMOGs?
Grats on your ding, wait, why are you crying? Not again. That last level really hurt your feelings didn't it. Well, some game developers like Indigo Prophecy creator, David Cage believe there is a missing component in the MMOG leveling experience. Cage's own feeling on the matter is that the interconnection is lacking when it comes to invoking a broader reaction from the player. "What's the real narrative or emotional value? Sometimes it's really interesting when you're in the guild in a massively multiplayer game and you attack the fortress or whatever. Some great things can be told, but it's not guaranteed. The value is not always there."Wow, that's deep but in all seriousness there is a certain truth to his sentiment. Leveling can be a painfully dull experience and usually MMOG use the same formula and mimic the same rags-to-riches journey. While there is nothing wrong with that, it can become tiresome and insipid if you no longer care for the redundant leveling experience. So maybe developers do need to instill a sense of danger, a sense of importance and meaning to the leveling experience. Fun is most important, and MMOGs should be enjoyed and not an emotional rollercoaster into dystopia.
Fall Xbox 360 dashboard update revealed: download Halo December 2
Official Xbox Magazine has the scoop on the Fall Xbox 360 dashboard update, and you better believe it's a doozy. UK-based CVG reports that the December 2 update will allow 360 owners to download and play Microsoft-published Xbox 1 games on their 360s. Let's say that one more time: come December 2, you will be able to download full, original Xbox games to the Xbox 360. The initial list of available games includes Fable, Indigo Prophecy, Crimson Skies: High Road To Revenge, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath Of Cortex, Burnout 3, and, of course, Halo: Combat Evolved. Games will cost approximately 1200 Microsoft Points, or $15 USD. Microsoft plans on re-releasing as many Xbox 1 titles as possible through Marketplace. Look out, Virtual Console. Update: The CVG source has been removed, but Eurogamer has posted a similar report, dating the update for December 4th.
Sony partners with Quantic Dream on exclusive PS3 title
Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios today announced a collaboration with Paris-based developer Quantic Dream, one which promises to "redefine cinematic real-time entertainment" with a new PlayStation-exclusive title. Judging by Quantic Dream's past efforts in David Bowie dystopia sim, Omikron: The Nomad Soul, or the multi-angle murder mystery Fahrenheit (dubbed Indigo Prophecy in America), cinematic presentation and integral narratives seem du jour on the developer's list of goals. Quantic Dream President and CEO, David Cage commented on the choice of console and the sheer pleasantness of the folks at Sony. "We always believed that "next generation" meant more meaningful content based on players' emotional involvement. To us, PS3 is the only platform that can truly deliver on this promise, and SCE WWS is a group that is both inspiring and pleasant to work with." Though the name of the upcoming PS3 game isn't specified and could very well be an entirely new game, Quantic Dream's website currently lists Heavy Rain as a "confidential next generation console game." The film-like poster above, which bears the subtitle "The Origami Killer," certainly seems to highlight the title's cinematic aspirations, if not the question of why anybody would want to murder folded pieces of paper. What did they ever do to you?Venture into the Uncanny Valley after the break to see Heavy Rain's impressive and quietly disturbing E3 2006 Virtual Actor demonstration. If the announced collaboration turns out to be a different game entirely, we fully encourage the parties involved to step into the rain and scream, "Gotcha, suckas!"[Via Sony press release]
Heavy Rain in the "Uncanny Valley" [update 1]
Clive Thompson over at collision detection has spotted a very bad example of the "Uncanny Valley" rearing its ugly head (literally) in the trailer for the upcoming PS3 game, Heavy Rain, the sequel to Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy. The theory of the "Uncanny Valley", realized by Japanese robotics engineer Masahiro Mori, states that people's attitudes towards robots (or in-game characters) will become negative at the point at which the model is regarded as "almost human". Characters that lie within the valley are technically realistic, but their subtle differences compared to real humans freak us out.This trailer well and truly scrapes the bottom of the valley: the poor lip animation, the glazed eyes and the lifeless skin combine to make the model look like a mash-up of Sofia Coppola and a deformed porcelain doll (ouch!). Now that console hardware is capable of near-CGI quality graphics, game developers and artists better watch their backs if they don't want to unintentionally scare their customers. As for designers of horror games, they can quite happily add another tool to their belt.[Via collision detection]Update: added an extra word that restored sense to the sentence (and to life, the universe and everything).
Atari slashes current gen prices
Beginning next month, Atari will cut prices for all of their current gen console and Game Boy Advance titles. The new $19.99 retail price will also apply to many of the publisher's PC releases. Now you can pick up Indigo Prophecy, Driver: Parallel Lines, and Marc Ecko's Getting Up for twenty bucks each, although games such as Demon Stone have been available at this price point for a while.
