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Full Modern Warfare 2 site launches Sunday, sneak peek on GTTV tonight
Infinity Ward community maestro fourzerotwo (also known by his civilian name, Robert Bowling) has announced via his Twitter that the Modern Warfare 2 website is set to launch this Sunday with the first gameplay trailer. What's that? You want to know the URL? Sure! It's modernwarfare2.com. Easy.If you can't be bothered to wait until Sunday, Mr. Geoff Keighley has announced via his Twitter that GameTrailers TV will premier a new Modern Warfare 2 gameplay teaser tonight on Spike. GTTV also will be premiering Heavy Rain, building up tonight's episode to be a good one. And, if you can't be bothered to stay up late, you can rest assured that we'll share it all right here on Joystiq just as soon as it's released from the GameTrailers vault.Source - @fourzerotwoSource - @geoffkeighley
Calendar clarification: God of War 3, MAG before March 2010
Had your hopes up that God of War III and Zipper Interactive's "massive action game," MAG, would be all up in your PS3 before January 1, Ought-10 rolled around? Better let them down ... gently. Following two disparate announcements -- one saying both games (among others) would hit within calendar 2009; the other citing fiscal 2009 -- Sony has confirmed to Joystiq that the release window is, in fact, the latter: before March 1, 2010. Two other games listed in the original press release are pretty much locked for release within the year, though. Heavy Rain, Quantic Dreams' dreamy-looking adventure game, was confirmed for calendar '09 release last August. The Sucker Punch developed action-platformer, inFamous, is coming "this spring," according to a packaging insert going out with tomorrow's major release, Killzone 2.
Sony: God of War III, MAG coming within the year
A triumphant Sony press release which heralded next week's arrival of Killzone 2 and, effectively, the kick-off for its 2009 line-up, contained a tentative list of the games that will likely cause PS3 owners to foam at the mouth with anticipation over the coming months. The list contained two mammoths in particular -- according to Sony, both God of War III and Zipper Interactive's MAG: Massive Action Game will be among the "blockbuster exclusives" which will land on the console "throughout the year." The imminent launch window for the two titles (which were mentioned alongside inFamous, Heavy Rain, MLB 09: The Show and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves) is just a bit surprising -- though we suppose Sony's selective wording ("throughout the year") could mean that the listed titles will be dropping by this time in 2010. Still, barring any delays, 2009's shaping up to be a heck of a year for the enthusiastic supporters of Sony's monolithic home console.
Heavy Rain concept art leaks onto the web
Morgan Yon worked on concept art for the upcoming PS3 thriller, Heavy Rain. His personal website showcased some of his work on the game, but has since been taken down. Thankfully, Kotaku managed to grab the images. The art showcased is incredibly moody, heavily rooted with noir influences. The images won't reveal too much about the game, but we're always glad to get our hands on any more Heavy Rain media.[Via 1UP]
Qore episode 8 brings a Heavy Rain of F.E.A.R into the Killzone
Ready for another episode of Qore? This one is not to be missed as it will have footage and info from two of 2009's biggest PS3 exclusives, Killzone 2 and Heavy Rain. Veronica does some globetrotting as she visits the developers from these games (situated in Amsterdam and Paris, respectively). There's also some info on FEAR 2 and a look at what Street Fighter fans do to each other behind closed doors. If you enjoyed your free Christmas episode last month you can pick up the latest episode on Thursday when it releases on the American PSN Store. It will cost you $2.99 for a single episode or $24.99 for an annual subscription (13 episodes). Check out the trailer for episode 8 above for some more footage of Veronica Belmont in a motion capture suit.
Heavy Rain previewed by the numbers
A handful of new Heavy Rain previews hit the interwebs today (Eurogamer, 1UP) and are definitely worth a gander for those curious about this enigmatic adventurer. However, we're especially fond of Eurogamers' supplementary vital statistics piece, chock-full of numbers our blogging-robot hybrid brains can more easily digest. Some of our favorite stats: The script used for the game was about 2,000 pages long and features about 60 scenes, each lasting 15 to 20 minutes apiece (given the nonlinear nature of the game, you won't be seeing all of those during any play-through). All motion capture was done on-location at Quantic Dreams' Paris studio over a span of 9 months. Over 70 actors and stuntmen were involved and had their faces scanned in for use in the game. What neither preview mentions is anything related to the story, which Quantic Dreams is keeping very quiet. Heavy Rain is expected to hit retail sometime late 2009.* %Gallery-30067% *Aren't you proud of us? We went a whole post on Heavy Rain without making any water puns!
Sony hopes Heavy Rain will appeal to casual audiences, too
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, the senior vice president of Sony's Worldwide Studios Europe Michael Denny disclosed his desire to see Heavy Rain "appeal to the core [audience] and then the consequence-based gameplay can appeal to a newer audience, a more casual audience as well." The exec then goes on to explain how Quantic Dream's PS3 exclusive will do just that. "It's trying to do something very new, whether you call that the adventure genre, action adventure, we're calling it interactive drama ... It's really not played on the control pad, as much as in your head. It's about making choices and consequences, it's not about twitch gaming and how good you are." Is Denny correct? Do you think a plot-heavy, mature title like Heavy Rain can appeal to the same audience who plays Buzz! and Singstar? Fire away in the comments below.
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.
Still wet: 20-plus minutes of Heavy Rain footage
Heavy rain on a Monday can be a double downer. But new footage of Heavy Rain on a Monday makes the start of the week much more bearable. Gamekyo has posted up a hearty 20-plus minutes of gameplay video from the Sony / Quantic Dream action-adventure headed exclusively to PS3. The footage comes from the recent Micromania Games Show in Paris – which, we were surprised to discover, is not an expo devoted to video games based on Micro Machines – and sees Quantic Dream founder David Cage navigating one of the game's locations, pointing out the lack of load screens and use of Sixaxis controls, along with other gameplay and tech tidbits. Check it out after the break, and have a nice, dry Monday. [Via PS3 Fanboy]
Watch over 20 minutes of Heavy Rain
Gamekyo recently got a second helping of Heavy Rain at the Micromania Games Show 2008 in Paris. At the show, David Cage showed off the same level seen in the debut Leipzig trailer earlier this year. This time, Cage took the MGS crowd through the level, showing them Heavy Rain's Sixaxis controls, fully interactive environments, multiple story paths and no load screens. Gamekyo recorded over 20 minutes of the demonstration, which you can watch right after the break. While Cage may be explaining everything in French in the video, it's not too difficult to figure out what's going on. Besides, the in-game dialogue is in English. [Thanks Andy and SolidOtacon!]
Heavy Rain on checkpoints, please don't use them
Before reading further, you might want to take advantage of that save point over there. You know, just in case it doesn't turn out the way you like. Or don't, if you're of the same mind as David Cage, founder of Heavy Rain developer Quantic Dreams, who believes that when it comes to his company's story-heavy offspring it's best just to play along and not look back on what might have been. Cage told CVG that while Heavy Rain will sport a typical checkpoint system, the devs would rather players "continue to play with one story bearing with the consequences of their actions." Explained the exec, "Why would you want to do everything perfect and change what you've done." It's certainly a novel concept, if naive, though we're more than a little curious if the apparent ability to continue on even after the hero croaks will be enough to fight our natural urge to reload.
David Cage doesn't want you to use checkpoints in Heavy Rain
Earlier in the month David Cage told us it is possible to continue playing Heavy Rain even after the main character dies. Now he's speaking again, this time with CVG, about checkpoints in the game. Apparently, they will be present in Heavy Rain, but the Quantic Dream founder doesn't want us to use them. "Yes, there will be the opportunity for players to reply [sic] as much as they want from where they want, but we would really like to encourage them not to do so -- to continue to play with one story bearing with the consequences of their actions."Cage further explains that by avoiding the use of checkpoints, this will result a "pretty unique" story. To us, Heavy Rain is sounding more and more like a modern-day Choose Your Own Adventure book -- what do our dear readers think about this? Does this sound like it will result in a more dynamic narrative and increase replay value or will it be more like a gimmick that will get old too quickly?
Heavy Rain can continue after the main character dies
David Cage, director of Heavy Rain, disclosed an interesting tidbit of info back at LGC: the main character of the game, as seen above, can be killed and the player will still be able to continue the game. "I can't really tell you too much about what the story's about or how it's going to work with the characters, all I can tell you that your character -- the main character -- can die, and the story will continue," Cage told VG247. "You can continue to play, without this character, of course." He was asked to elaborate on whether the player will continue on in a side-story instead. "No, no. It's one big story." We knew Heavy Rain was going to be innovative, but this is something we've yet to see in a big-budget title. We can't wait to see how this exotic mechanic will be utilized when the game comes out next year.
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?
Check out Joystiq's Heavy Rain eyes-on impressions
What happens when you get an opportunity to go eye-to-eye with Heavy Rain? Wet, mostly. But you also get spooked, shaken, and shocked (thought not necessarily in that order). Joystiq experienced it all at the Leipzig Games Convention, when they were given a demonstration of the game by developers Quantic Dream. If you've seen the teaser trailer from Sony's Press Conference, then you were probably as intrigued as we were. From what Joystiq is saying, we ain't seen nothing yet.If Quantic Dream want to build hype for this game, they should release a walkthrough video of this creepy bonus level, pronto. We knew there was a reason Playboy named it their E3 Game Of The Show. Check out the full eyes-on piece over at Joystiq.%Gallery-12818%
Joystiq eyes-on: Heavy Rain
click on the image for larger, heavier rain Warning: This preview includes spoilers for one of the game's bonus levels. Those of you fearing spoilers for the game's main story are welcome to read on. var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/playstation/Heavy_Rain_demo_walkthrough'; While Heavy Rain's teaser video is awesome enough, we were lucky enough to be given a demonstration of the game by Quantic Dream's David Cage. Before showing us any gameplay, Cage reiterated the thought processes behind developing a game like Heavy Rain. It's an adult thriller with a mature, emotionally driven story. "You're not fighting a war. There are no gangsters, knights, princesses or zombies. You're not going to save the world in this game." We're hoping this grounding in reality saves it from the bizarre tangent Indigo Prophecy (Fahrenheit for those outside the US) took towards the end of the game. %Gallery-30067%
Quantic Dream president talks about Heavy Rain demo and DLC
Quantic Dream president David Cage has confirmed there will be playable demo of Heavy Rain. He indicated that he "wouldn't want to spoil the story" as it will surprise people due to its unusual-for-a-video-game nature. Eurogamer speculates that the demo will therefore most likely focus on the game's mechanics.Apparently, the video that was released yesterday is a separate episode that is unrelated to the main plot, which prompted the question of whether there will be DLC episodes in the future. Cage agrees its a possibility, but concedes that it is simply too early to talk about. The interface of Heavy Rain is "entirely contextual" and therefore open to the possibility of other stories.Our very own Jem Alexander just got some hands-on time with Heavy Rain at LGC, so stay tuned for more details about this PS3 exclusive!
GC 2008: Heavy Rain will have demo; DLC teased
take a look at these screenshots Sure, we've been gushing about Heavy Rain lately, but Quantic Dreams President David Cage has assured Eurogamer that we will be able to experience it all first-hand with a demo. "Yes, of course, there will be a demo," he said, adding that it will likely not contain any elements of the main storyline. "We've spent a lot of time working on the story this time ... And I think it's a very unusual story for a videogame, so I think people will be quite surprised." Cage also noted that what we've seen so far is a separate episode and not related to the main storyline. Cage also hinted that Heavy Rain DLC could be trickling out in the near future. "This is something it's really too early to talk about, but it's definitely a possibility," he said, adding, "You can tell any story with this interface, because it's entirely contextual." The clouds will burst with Heavy Rain (seriously, we're going to work on our pun addiction) in 2009. %Gallery-30067%
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%
Heavy Rain confirmed for late 2009
Download to PSP At the end of the new Heavy Rain trailer, a vague (but nonetheless reassuring) release date was mentioned: 2009. Slowly, but surely, Sony's 2009 killer apps are being revealed. With MAG, Killzone 2, inFAMOUS and now Heavy Rain, gamers will have a lot to look forward to in 2009.Heavy Rain is a "dark, immersive and emotionally-engaging experience" expanding upon the ideas of Quantic Dream's previous adventure game, Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy). Once again, the promise is that "every action has a consequence" with a constantly evolving story based on the way you interact with others and the choices you make. SCEE is promising it will talk about topics unheard of in gaming, "making it a genuinely mature game for a new world of adult gamers."%Gallery-12818%
