Heavy Rain on checkpoints, please don't use them
by Jason Dobson 
{ Sep 23rd 2008 at 8:00AM }
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.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
FOXHOUND @ Sep 23rd 2008 8:18AM
LoL I think that's going to be the most amusing part of playing this game... treating it like a "Choose your own Adventure" book and hoping the knight doesn't get burned alive by the dragon.
Or in this case, the killer doesn't cleave the living daylights out of the protagonist. XD
T @ Sep 23rd 2008 8:41AM
My concern in that regard is that the game won't provide that many branches (or will not branch too dramatically save for a few key points in the game)
Not as bad as Fable where it comes down to one decision, but not as epic and open-ended as we're being lead to believe.
heypaul @ Sep 23rd 2008 10:41AM
Did anybody else ever used to keep their finger on the prior page of those Choose Your Own Adventure books, so you wouldn't have to start over if you made the wrong arbitrary choice?
If not, I'm patenting the idea and suing every modern game company for unlawfully using my "check" "point" system.
Jakka(A tribute to whose who fought and failed during the Epic Flamewar of L.A. Noir) @ Sep 23rd 2008 8:25AM
The fact that they're not ripping off The Witcher and it's "Five-hour Delay" system for Story Choices, hints that the game probably ain't gonna last more than 7-8 hours ,but that's just a hunch.And they could still pull it off if they tried.
Either way, for the love of Christ, we're so quick to copy shitty ideas like regenerative health or rubberband AI yet when something innovative comes along it takes fucking years for developers to catch on(Cover System in Kill.switch,"Living world" on STALKER etc.)
Vcize @ Sep 23rd 2008 10:15AM
Regenerative health is awesome.
Almost as awesome as your avatar.
Jakka(A tribute to whose who fought and failed during the Epic Flamewar of L.A. Noir) @ Sep 23rd 2008 10:33AM
It also takes out 70% of the challenge from the game.
Nothing's more fun than running through HL2's Route Canal and Water Hazard with an average of 30HP.
PS: Yes, I was this bad before I caught into the game's slow paced mechanics...
Nutchos @ Sep 23rd 2008 8:50AM
CANNOT WAIT for this game. Absolutely loved Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy (even if the 2nd half seemed a bit rushed) and can't wait to see how they've evolved the mechanics from there.
I have to admit though. I played the perfectionist in Fahrenheit. However this seems a lot more in depth since the hero dying in Fahrenheit meant the end of the game.
They really need to make the controls intuitive to the point where the player isn't regretting the results on screen because of some mechanical error. Hopefully I can let go and just enjoy the story as it goes.
T @ Sep 23rd 2008 9:22AM
Why is the potential death of the hero mid game any kind of unique developement?
CHRONO TRIGGER people!
Haggard (Mr.ESC resurrection force) @ Sep 23rd 2008 10:01AM
My view of Fahrenheit is that the first half of was the best game I've ever played and the second half was the worst.
tmacairjordan87 @ Sep 23rd 2008 10:29AM
Aww son of a bitch I was playing through CT for the first time on my computer >:(
Oh well, guess I'll move on to the ps1 RPGs I never played :(
farfisa @ Sep 23rd 2008 9:01AM
If I wanted to be responsible for my own actions, I'd go outside!
farfisa @ Sep 23rd 2008 9:06AM
But honestly, I loved choose-your-own-adventures when I was a kid. But not cheating?
Still, I hope this game does what it's trying to do as far as telling a story and also manages to be a good gaming experience.
Ebichu @ Sep 23rd 2008 9:07AM
NO REGRETS!
kaneda @ Sep 23rd 2008 9:12AM
that's not a very flattering picture.
WondrousHippo @ Sep 23rd 2008 3:47PM
considering that the whole game takes place in the Uncanny Valley (lowest property tax in the state!), that's not a surprise. Every screen of the game seems to be out to give people the creeps.
ToRo @ Sep 23rd 2008 9:31AM
I think that's some bullshit. I enjoy a challenge but checkpoints are vital to my gaming experience. Saving to be more specific. And when checkpoints are too far apart, it just becomes a hassle to play the game (I'm looking at you metroid). But at least their still giving you the option.
Off topic:
Has anyone seen Bob's Game? It's a DS game some guy made on his own in the span of 5 years. It reminds me of shenmue but with a slap of humor thrown on it. And less boring.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZf2E_wBvng
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrAYDSTkXgQ&feature=related
He's looking for a publisher. I sent it in to joystiq to see if they might post it as a story.
Wiinterfang @ Sep 23rd 2008 10:06AM
MAN-FACE.
WRE @ Sep 23rd 2008 10:42AM
MAN-FACE is right.
heypaul @ Sep 23rd 2008 10:44AM
Her monstrous jawline reminds me of that female wrestler Chyna. She still around these days? It's tough to appreciate great graphics technology when you're protagonist is so unattractive. Couldn't they have used a character model that was easier on the eyes?
Red Leader @ Sep 23rd 2008 4:08PM
While I will agree that everyone likes a little eye candy, I'm actually pleased to see more main characters in video games that aren't entirely perfect.
Maurice M @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:08PM
If I like the character (which is their goal right?) then of course I'm going to use checkpoints to make sure I can continue using that character! Maybe if I didn't care about them I'd take his advice, but then I also wouldn't be playing the game.
Maybe in later play-throughs his statement would make more sense for me.
Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ Sep 23rd 2008 1:07PM
"""Cage told CVG that while Heavy Rain will sport a typical checkpoint system"""
So even this "typical" console gimmick crap of Load/Save is too much for devels to grok?
The thought that the console game devels are all senseless sadists is crossing my mind all the time.
Or probably they never leave basement and their hands are taped fast to console controllers - what over time resulted in irreversible mutation of their brains.
Doug @ Sep 23rd 2008 1:09PM
Did anyone else interpret these comments as "This game is extremely short. Please replay it in its entirety each time to explore a different story branch."?
FOXHOUND @ Sep 23rd 2008 2:31PM
Oh. You mean like WAY OF THE SAMURAI? ;D
bookishboy @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:22PM
Quantic Dream had a similar gameplay mechanic in their game Omikron, which was available on PC and DreamCast. The game definitely had its flaws including loading times, slow-down-then-speed-up framerates, and jarring switches from 3rd-person to 1st-person gameplay. Players who suffered through were rewarded with a fairly deep storyline set in a science-fiction domed city.