Still wet: 20-plus minutes of Heavy Rain footage
by Randy Nelson 
{ Nov 3rd 2008 at 6:30PM }
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]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jaclo @ Nov 3rd 2008 6:40PM
Doesn't David Cage keep saying that this isn't actually from what will be in the released game?
This is, from what I understand, a preview of what the game will be like, cause he doesn't want ANY of the story getting out before the game does.
Syn @ Nov 3rd 2008 6:44PM
The story is about a woman on her period.. aka Heavy Rain.
TMGE_rock @ Nov 3rd 2008 6:46PM
yup, he says the characters and story in this demo have nothing to do with the final game.
I like the style of the game, the controls seem to be like in the old Resident Evil games
DiL @ Nov 3rd 2008 7:13PM
@ syn
well played sir
Titanium_Orchid @ Nov 3rd 2008 6:43PM
Does that make you horney baby?
Titanium_Orchid @ Nov 3rd 2008 6:44PM
*austin poweres voice
Titanium_Orchid @ Nov 3rd 2008 6:51PM
shut up Frenchie!
skip to 3:06
DiL @ Nov 3rd 2008 7:32PM
i wish it at least had subs
Titanium_Orchid @ Nov 3rd 2008 8:22PM
subs aren't really needed when game play actually starts. Some kind of explanation for the first three minutes would be nice though
Hyams @ Nov 3rd 2008 9:15PM
Translated by someone else (with cleaned up spelling and grammar):
- This a demo NOT related to the true game.
- You can interact with everything.
- No loading times.
- It was made at the end of 2007.
- At some moments, such as when the bad guy runs after the girl in the house, you are directly controlling the girl using the paddle [? I think the translator meant 'controller'.]; it is not a cutscene according to the speaker, even if it looks like one. Other moments in the fight, it's more like a classical QTE.
theturtle363 @ Nov 3rd 2008 6:56PM
I always preferred micro machines to hot wheels
Markez @ Nov 3rd 2008 6:58PM
And I always use to prefer the old NES Micro Machines to just about everything else.
I be racin' round yo' Cheerios!
Cryoakira @ Nov 3rd 2008 7:06PM
Second time I read an article from Joystiq where the writer seems puzzled by the name Micromania.
So just for the cultural aspect of it, the compagny was created in 1983 and at that time, in France (and several other european countries), "Micro computers" (Amstrad, Commodore, Atari, Amiga) were ruling the market. And later, the PC and Mac were refered as Micro-Informatique market.
See, suddenly, the name makes more sens...
Killjebus @ Nov 3rd 2008 7:32PM
Obviously, the graphics look really good. The lighting, shadows, realistic reflective surfaces. But what stands out specifically for me is the character models and how fleshed out they are. I cannot see that polygonal blockyness that you inevitably see in videogame character models. Of course the textures are top notch and the animation is very good.
I can only imagine how fracking good GOW3 will look if HR is an indicator.
Indeed the PS3 IS as powerful as it seems.
Mr Khan @ Nov 3rd 2008 8:00PM
Indeed, the one thing the game seems incapable of rendering well is the one thing that has defeated the best of 3D graphics artists from the dawn of time:
Trees
Hyams @ Nov 3rd 2008 9:10PM
And you have to remember, the build being shown off here is from the end of 2007, so it's already almost a year old.
By the time the game releases next year, it may well look even better.
Sheppy (of the Fidlious Clan of Wong) @ Nov 4th 2008 12:01AM
Rendering Trees is no big deal, running them in real time... well... that's a whole other matter. If I have 3 billion traingles to work with, my tree will be the shit. If I have 500-2000 triangles? Well, I tried.
gamergutz @ Nov 3rd 2008 7:38PM
Yeah... Im a killer and i'm gonna put a bloody pump in the trash...
Negativecool @ Nov 3rd 2008 8:31PM
Agh French...Like wiping your ass with silk.
Oh yea, Heavy Rain looks interesting too. If this IS Heavy Rain that is.
Hyams @ Nov 3rd 2008 9:06PM
Well, it's not the actual game, but it has the same gameplay. This is more of a side story. It's part of the same canon, but has a different storyline to the actual game.
QD showcased the game like this so that they could show it off without spoiling the game's story. I believe they'll also be releasing this 'side story' as a demo on the PSN shortly before the game's release in 2009.
sk8monroe81 @ Nov 3rd 2008 9:09PM
ive learned that most videos shown before a game is released is usually rendered, mastered video and not actual gameplay or actual cut scenes from the game. they make these preview videos look better than in the actual game.
Hyams @ Nov 3rd 2008 9:11PM
This isn't a preview video. It's someone playing the game.
MikeO. @ Nov 5th 2008 5:45PM
Story? All I saw was 20 minutes of a woman walking around outside of a house, then walking around inside a house, with a few gimmicky GTE's to the tune of the Wii.
Talk about a yawnfest. Graphics are sweet though.
Negativecool @ Nov 3rd 2008 8:34PM
That voice sounds like the voice actress for Meryl from the MGS series.
Bass Masterson @ Nov 3rd 2008 9:24PM
I can't bag on this guy's "games" too much, sure the gameplay is rudimentary and kind of boring but the stories for Indigo Prophecy was fun. So this will probably be fun too.
Dr Scientist @ Nov 4th 2008 12:56AM
I liked the part with the graphics.
ThornedVenom (Harley Quinn Defense Force) @ Nov 4th 2008 3:25AM
For my non-French speaking friends:
- Everything in the game is rendered in real-time, even the main menu. They've used a lot of motion capture for the animation. There are extremely little cutscenes as well. No loading times.
- It isn't actually taken from the game: it is the same game engine, interface, mood and feeling... but it isn't from the game itself because since it's extremely narrative-driven, they didn't want to create any spoilers. This is also old code (from the end of last year) so it doesn't represent the quality level of the final product. This demo is about a young female journalist who is investigating an ex-taxidermist suspected for the disappearances of several young women. So here she's searching his house for clues.
- The left analog stick turns the character's head. To walk somewhere, just like in a racing game, you press the R2 button to forward (apparently it eliminates classic camera problems, like the character suddenly moving in the opposite direction when the camera cuts).
- Sometimes the lower right signal will appear to show the possible actions according to context (like when she chooses to knock or to ring the bell when she's at the door). You can make the animation play back and forth with the right stick. Whenever an effort has to be made, it shows you which button you have to mash or which motion to perform. In the scene where she's in the house, actions are suggested depending on where the character's head is turned to.
- For dialog (the part where she asks if anyone is home), the menu appears on the lower left and you select by tilting the controller: you can walk around and talk at the same time (you're never stuck in a dialog cutscene or menu because the game keeps running). The same kind of menu appears for informative inner thoughts and monologue (different things are said depending on context), but they're currently working on making the interface more distinguishable from the dialog one (in this case she's weighing the pros and cons of breaking an entering).
- You can interact with any object you find, and there will be no blocked doors in the game: they hired an architect for cinema to blueprint the house, so if they wanted to, they could build the actual house in real life (in comparison to it being a level with just a linear shell).
- During the part where she has to escape, the split-screen shows the player what the taxidermist is doing in real-time while the player is still capable of performing actions on the right side. The player has to be careful because the floors crack and doors make noises (the character changes her posture into a sneaking pose).
- You can play any scene as many times as you want, and depending on the choices you've made, you would trigger different events. For example, if you had moved some things in the living room, then the taxidermist would might have noticed it and turned suspicious (in the second part, he hears her opening a door). They also demonstrate hiding mechanics (there are hiding places in every room), which make you hold-press several buttons at a time to suggest the uncomfortableness of the position the character is in.
- When she's escaping from the taxidermist, even though her character is touching and bumping into all of the walls, it isn't a cutscene: it's the player who's controlling the character to make her run away. The button-press event while she's running down the stairs is to prevent her from tripping over: if you miss it, you fall down. While getting out of the garage, instead of the button you could have tried using a screwdriver or a chainsaw which was laying around (and yes, you CAN kill the taxidermist, there are several ways).
- You CAN die as well, but it isn't a game over: even if one of the main characters die, the story still goes on depending on how the player wants it to go.
I hope I've covered all of the main points. ^^ Personally, I'd most probably buy a PS3 just for this game: I find it refreshing.
superaktieboy @ Nov 4th 2008 8:54AM
OMG!!! thanks for the translation :D
Viridium @ Nov 4th 2008 9:41AM
I've loved Quantic Dream's efforts in the past. This game makes me want a PS3.
J @ Nov 4th 2008 5:13PM
I hope this game mechanic works out successfully and becomes the new fps.
Megadanxzero @ Nov 4th 2008 8:59PM
Am I the only person who finds French THE most annoying language to listen to in the entire world?
Gameplay-wise this looks exactly the same as Fahrenheit. That's not a particularly bad thing, since it was a good game, but it's not really a particularly good thing either. Fahrenheit was alright, but not amazing, and the gameplay and controls definitely weren't its strong points. It does look like they've improved the controls a bit, though it seems strange that they've got rid of the analogue QTEs which I thought were one of the best things about Fahrenheit...
Either way it looks interesting. I'll have to keep an eye on it in case I ever decide to bother getting a PS3...
MikeO. @ Nov 5th 2008 5:49PM
Meant to say QTE's and I'll be amazed if this actually replies to my own comment.
And to clarify, I wasn't doggin' on the game... it looks nice and all but I've not heard much about it yet. I just hope it doesn't turn into a tech demo game like Alone in the Dark or The Force Unleashed turned out to be...
You know, more about "you can do this and this and whatever you want" but then it turns out to be boring after the first hour.