Was Heavy Rain a step backwards?

Don’t read the headline and rant… read on – this isn't bashing a great title, just questioning whether repetitive strain injury, sore thumbs and dependence on amazing reflexes – otherwise known as Quick Time Events (QTEs) – should have a place in today’s games!

Although Quantic Dream's epic thriller Heavy Rain was heralded as a landmark title and won countless plaudits, was it really a huge step backwards?

[RatFuker]

it was a leap forwards.

[dgroundwater]

It was a defining game no doubt about it. The author shows contempt for the whole idea of a story in a game. Why listen to him?

"I personally hate being forced to sit through lengthy cut scenes; for those of us who just want to dive back into the action, a non-skippable cut scene is like purgatory."

So as soon as the game has something to say, you cry about not being able to kill stuff?

[sikbeta]

It is a Big Step Forward knowing this Game make Indigo/F look literally pathetic, D.C. Redeemed himself with This Game, Totally Great, wasn't a Masterpiece, but sure it's Great...

[mastiffchild]

Well, seemed to me like the author kind of knew it wasn't the kind of thing he's like anyway-so why even bloody play it? Worse still, why then, go on to slag it off for, basically, just not being the kind of thing that appeals to his tastes?

HR is flawed, no doubt about it. however, it's flawed for the right reasons-it TRIED to be special. It TRIED to be something different for a gaming generation full up with twitch shooters(see the abuse KZ2 got for daring to have different styled controls to COD and Halo to see my point), generic characters and "me too" BS.

Fair enough, the guy doesn't like cut scenes and seems not too keen on storytelling at all but having acknowledged that why go to the effort of knocking a game like HR? does he feel a weird entitlement to have EVERY release suit his palette? It's an easy game to pull apart, an easy game TO knock but the bare fact is that cage and QD didn't have a map, a blueprint to follow here. the writers and actors had a WAY, way harder job emoting correctly for every possible in game change than any other game in my memory, no? This kind of thing gets better as people get more to grips with the particular problems inherent in changing games like this one-a step backwards? How?

To be that it would have to be a worse game, a worse thought out game and worse executed game than IP and it certainly wasn't. If he truly meant it was a step backwards for video games that's even odder because it's ONE game with a style all it's own and I fail to see a million copycats heading our way. It's just one man@s vision and if you don't like it that's just fine because there's always going to be plenty of other games that you will like. Christ! I just don't see this kind of argument about ANY game working, let alone about HR which was a lot better and slicker tan I ever thought it could be and is totally NOT typical of what else is on offer these days.

[Spenok]

Yea, dudes an idiot.

[Bojeeva]

@mastiffchild

"Well, seemed to me like the author kind of knew it wasn't the kind of thing he's like anyway-so why even bloody play it? Worse still, why then, go on to slag it off for, basically, just not being the kind of thing that appeals to his tastes?"

The article wasn't slagging it off at all - in fact, it praised Heavy Rain for employing QTE really well.

"I’d suggest that Heavy Rain was not a step backwards at all – it broke new ground in the way that QTE was used – and did it very well indeed. It may not be to everyone’s tastes but even haters can appreciate the results."

I think that its success and sales, however, could inspire some other developers to release less well thought out games - and, as we all know, badly executed QTEs are rubbish to play.

[Downtown boogey]

I think it's a step sideways if a step at all. It was cool and different, but there's not much way to continue.

[iceman06]

there is. Give us the same types of compelling stories. I knew what I was getting with HR because I was a fan of Indigo Prophecy. Both very cool and interesting stories. I am an action junkie as much as the next guy. But, I really love a great story. If it's implemented well with the game play. It is a great game.

[Why o why]

just something....you know.....Different

[bennyace]

But different doesn't always meen better in my opinion. I bought it on the release day, played it for 3 days, finish it and sold it. It was a GOOD game, not something I would replay again because, to me, it doesn't have any replay value. Once you know how the story goes there's no need to play it again. And what I didn't like about the game is that I felt that some of the button pressing was put there because if it wasn't there would've been nothing to do at certain points. I'm not saying that I hold the truth but that's how I see Heavy Rain and my feelings towards it.

[mastiffchild]

No, different doesn't always mean better but without people trying "different" how can anything get better anyway? If we, as a species, scorned the idea of pushing boundaries and trying new things (whether they all work or not is irrelevant)we'd still be sat in caves wearing animal pelts and plaiting our hair with effin mud!

No, HR wasn't perfect and wasn't for everyone but to call any game that tries to break the mold a little a "step backwards" is in itself moribund and backward thinking in the extreme. Would we prefer EVERY game be a Halo/COD clone and be done with it? It'd be all the same sweets in different wrappers-is that what we want? Really? I think any game, and I'm no massive HR fan overall, deserves some credit for trying rather than little minded articles by people who don't understand that it's not possible for every game made to appeal to them.

BTW, bennyace-you did the right thing, imho, by at least trying before judging the game but wouldn't you still rather the odd game tried to do things differently from the norm as it's the only way we ever end up with something new/exciting.

[Why o why]

for people to enjoy something different. People enjoy things sometimes just because they are different. So much mediocrity out here in gaming so when a title that tries to be different comes out thats above the normal dross it deserves some credit. It may not have the replay value of a cod but thats not the point for every game OR gamer ....oh yeah, its different!

[iceman06]

in this industry of clones and sequels can go a LONG way with gamers. I think that is what HR did. It took a HUGE risk and, to an extent, it was a success.

[Al Bundy]

You shooter babies need to open your minds a bit more.

[sikbeta]

Pffft, this is the FP-Shooter Gen for some Narrow Minded Crowd, x360 owners are missing AW just to Play COD: Glitcher Bugfare 2 and they don't regret...

[Gran Touring]

In terms of storytelling, it's walking the same path as other games, but a big leap forward nonetheless.

[Grodd]

A few to many QTE, but nevertheless a great step forward in interactivity and story.

[XactGamer]

I thought it was boring but it looked good, I'm just tired of QTE.

[Ibwib]

Nice article, I really liked it, and I really hate QTEs. Have to say, my definition of a QTE is essentially a cutscene where your timing on simon-says button bashes determines which piece of video plays next: it's interactive only in the sense that you are pushing buttons, but it starts without your input, and cannot be altered once it starts.Something like, say, Batman's grills are started only when you hit a certain button, and will stop if you stop hitting the button. Essentially, you're still in control of your actions as the player, whereas the QTES in say God of War or Star Wars Force Unleashed or b*stard b*stard Resident Evil 5 put you only in control of which piece of video plays next, the successful or unsuccessful one.

[BX81]

It was a great game. It wasn't this leap forward or backwards it was just a different way of telling a story imo.

[Qui-Gon Jim]

Games have been moving forward along the same path for a long time, and will continue along that path. Heavy Rain opened up a new path heading in a new direction that, hopefully, more games will push further on.

[CellularAutomata]

Game was boring, admit it.
And to all those people that think people prefer generic shooters over this crap...
You are being defensive. Some of us prefer RPGs and RTS over this. Fighting, Puzzle, Action, yeah, you always have to single out generic shooters.
They sell more than your favorite game. :)

@ArcFatalix
Again, you are being defensive. Halo sells more than Heavy Rain, True or False. Go play Heavy Rain. No, go read a choose your own adventure book, im sure youll like that.

@Lionhead
I thought it was boring. Deal with it.

[ArcFatalix]

intelligence isnt your strong point, go play halo.

It sold as much as mass effect 2.

[Lionhead]

Why is someone going to conform to your retarded logic just because you thought it was boring.

It was a cinematic experience and people liked it. Deal with it.

This is deffo trolling now. Good day unintelligent individual.

[CellularAutomata]

Im trolling for wondering why people use the "generic shooter" excuse instead of a figther/puzzle/rpg/rts excuse?

Nice logic, I guess.

@Lombax
Its not an alt account if its no longer used. :)

[Lombax]

Actually I used to read those all the time as a kid. Loved 'em! But you have to admit, playing a CYOAB is a lot more fun than reading one.

I just realised that you're another one of TEH CELL's alt accounts...

[iceman06]

RPG, Puzzle, and Action...simply because HR does some of each one in it's own unique way. The RPG elements have more to do with the adventure and progression of the game more so than stats and item collection. Puzzle elements come in when you can complete each scenario in a variety of different ways. Of course, the action comes in when the scenario forces you to fend of various foes or chase one through a crowded market. I respect your opinion, but I can see that you could be seen as being as narrow-minded as the people that you are trying to call out.

[Fishy Fingers]

Whether you liked it or not, you have to admire it for trying something new, breaking the mold of rinse and repeat sequels and shooters, you need the odd free thinking radical.

[vampstreak]

no

[stonecold1]

heavy rain and this game brought new ideas to the table it will go down as a classic in my book and this game would have not being done xbox because the 360 cant handle it andi hope david cage gets some more information on his next ps3 exclusive

[zatrox]

Somewhat. I found it, while interesting the first time, boring after that.
If you bought Heavy Rain you bought a 10 hours long movie.

[OSU_Gamer]

I thought it was original, but it really wasn't a leap forward (it wasn't a leap back either). Zatrox, you hit it on the head. There is absolutely no way I could play that game twice. Because no matter how original the game was, doing all those little mundane tasks over again isn't appealing to me.

Plus I basically had to play through it 1.5 times because half of my saves were erased when the Y2K (or whatever it was) thingy hit the PS3.

[Ares84PS3]

But after two playtroughs I'm done with it.

[BabyTownFrolics]

a step backwards or a leap forwards. I would describe it as a step to the side. I really enjoyed Heavy Rain, and I hope there is a future to stories being told this way. Quicktime events when used thoughtfully can enhance gameplay. I look forward to different genres being explored.

The folks I know who did not like Heavy Rain complained about elements of the story and not how the game played. There is a market for this type of game, I would love to see a haunted house setting or and some other fantastical scenario.

[TheMART]

Yep, Dragons Lair did this in 1983. This is just a current gen version of that gametype. Its funny how everyone says its a new type of game.

It just brings a story very well, thats all. Which isn't a bad thing, if you like this gametype, then good for you. I'd play Uncharted 2, GOWIII or KZ2 over Heavy Rain any day though. Been there, done that and find it not interesting enough.

[ER-AM]

The thing about Heavy Rain is during the "QTE", a term that doesn't truly apply seeing as how the whole control scheme is based around contextual button presses rather than a standard set of controls and that QTEs are gameplay tollbooths that require precise inputs or must be restarted, you don't have to press anything. you can sit back and let the game play on and you will not have to restart. The outcome may not be as good story-wise as if you aced the sequence, but there is no penalty for not participating in the sequences.

[BABY-JEDI]

It's soooo sad that you cannot please everyone. Hence the criticism for the sake of criticising. Ultimately trying to please everyone leads to the obvious which is the most generic (boring/obvious) games out there. Step forward? Step back? Have you ever heard the term proggression through regression. People should learn from the past to develop their future.

[Wh15ky]

"repetitive strain injury, sore thumbs and dependence on amazing reflexes"

That can be said about most types of controller based gameplay, not just QTEs.
I get sore thumbs and repetitive strain injury from playing all types of games like FIFA, Fight Night, God of War 3, Killzone 2, Wipeout HD etc and all those games are also dependent on amazing reflexes.

[BubblesDAVERAGE]

Wouldnt that be revolutionary...

[iliimaster]

first of all theres alot of xbox 360 people in here posting bad about this game because (alan wake)? right? hasnt sold anything worth mentioning 5yrs? to develop and thats all we got? second im tired of twitch gamers who just need their fast shooter online fix and think thats it as far as gaming goes... yeah those are fun at TIMEs for me.. but i prefer games like this with deep story line and not just pushing the same buttons over and over and over killing people and dying everyother second... and just look at the success it has made.. and the recognition its gained... horrible article go play ur shooter button mashing who cares about story line games...

[Omar91]

i enjoyed it up until i beat it twice trying to get the trophies. it got boring and then i started to see it was nothing extraordinary like i had imagined in my first play through. bash me all you want but just because people dont like the game doesnt make them less intelligent... i at least enjoyed it till my second play through

[Biggest]

You know this doesn't make any sense, right? You enjoyed it until you played it a few times. All of a sudden the unpredictable story was easy to predict and it got boring. You didn't find any faults with the game. It was extraordinary for you as well. When you play a single player game that is heavy on story a few times, it loses its original appeal. If you actually thought it was less than it was you should find a better way to explain that.

[Ibwib]

Quoting ER-AM

"you don't have to press anything. you can sit back and let the game play on and you will not have to restart."

Now I'm the type of gamer who favours getting to the end of the game over being challenged to the point of frustration by it, but I have to say, if that quote is true, then I'm really glad I talked myself out of buying a PS3 for Heavy Rain.

[ER-AM]

There are action sequences in the game and there are exploration sequences in the game. The action sequences are the parts that most people call QTEs. The point I was trying to make, which you missed, is that QTEs inhibit gameplay, if you make a mistake you have to start over. Heavy Rain does not work like this as you can make mistakes and even fail parts and you will not have to restart the whole sequence. I used an extreme example to help illustrate this point, not to suggest that you can do nothing and the game will play itself.

[Ibwib]

Fair enough, I wasn't having a pop at you, you understand, just read your piece and thought it sounded like a mighty turn off, but I appreciate that you're trying to make a very specific point rather than sum up the whole.

[Biggest]

Heavy Rain has those moments that you speak of, The Leisure Lab. There are many areas of the game where you must fight off an attacker or run away from a would be trouble spot that require concentration and reflexes on par with some of the most challenging games out there. The end result of a perfect or flawed sequence isn't always obvious. But under no circumstances are you greeted with a "GAME OVER" screen or break in the game play. Although the death of a character might feel like game over. I'm not trying to sell you on the game. It was a great experience for many. The price will probably drop soon if it hasn't already. One of these days it'll be worth it to you to try.

[-EvoAnubis-]

@ The Leisure Lab: No, that statement is not true. Not even close; were ypu to press nothing, then you'd simply be looking at Ethan sitting on his bed for several hours.

[thief]

Well, if you found Heavy Rain boring, what would you prefer Quantic dreams to make?
Another generic shooter like Halo?
Another mediocre JRPG or Oblivion/Fallout/GTA clone?
A racing game like the 20 others out there?
Seriously, if you are braindead sheep and play whatever sells 5 million and involves mindless shooting with no plot or innovation, thats fine. Just dont expect everyone to be like you.

[Ibwib]

There are days when that sounds like my ideal game.

[Jack Klugman]

step backwards in a Dragons Lair sorta way.

good game.

[mrcash]

The story was great, one of the best games i've played this gen. I'm not a fan of the qte, but most of it worked fairly well for the game. The only thing i would have liked was for the movement to be associated with the analog sticks.

[coojo]

heavy rain wasent even a game would rather play me some mw2 any day over this boring shit

[ian72]

A lot of people who haven't played Heavy Rain think its just a game full of QTE's. It isn't though, the game is a lot of exploring the different areas and finding out more to the story, bit like a third person game. The QTE's are only for the action parts.

[Qui-Gon Jim]

Is he a step backward for the human race?

Or is it unfair to judge him based on the standards of something he isn't?

Heavy Rain isn't trying to be an action game. It's not trying to be exciting. It is trying to be an immersing, engrossing experience with tension and drama. I think it succeeds greatly at what it tries to be.

[Fel08]

I just rented this game from Gamefly, and I gotta say. I love this game. It's different from anything I've ever played before, And the story is just amazing. It really keeps u at the edge of ur seat wanting to know what's going to happen next. U feel totally connected with the characters, and u just want to keep playing the game just to see what's going to happen next. So to me this game is a huge step forward.

[GeoramA]

The quote I hear so much when it comes to Heavy Rain:

"We need more games like this"

A step back? Haha, okay Mr. bitter 360 fan.

[xX-PEIN-Xx]

Just the fact that we're talking about it proves that it is one of the most influential games to come out this gen. It was nice to see it do well at retail (1.5 Million)

[tiamat5]

It was an emotional evolution. Never before has a game made me feel so concerned about characters. I cringed at certain scenes and almost cried at othes. It was much better then the kind of stereotypical, inhuman, juvenile junk that people try to pass of as a story these days.'Oh my wife died', ' War is hell','I am depressed', 'My daughter is dead' all portrayed with as much emotion as a brick wall. I for one would love to see either another Heavy Rain type game or this type of emotion in another genre. Like an action game that is really edgy and dramatic and not just people spitting out sentences and one liners or a Sims type game where your actions have greater consequences and rewards as you build your life and loving family. You people just don't get it. You are stuck on a certain type of game and just won't let go.

[blazBlue]

Whoever hasn't played the game should stay out of this article. I've played it and it was a good game and definitely refreshing. I just need to get more endings.

[chrisgay]

(Couple of spoilers in this comment for those who haven't played it) Heavy Rain is often hailed as a masterpiece, because it tries to incorporate a mature storyline, but the fact is, its terribly written, terribly acted and filled to the brim with choppy animations and bugs- not what I'd expect in a cinematic experience. The finest example of the game failing for me was the scene in which you have to cut off your finger- I felt this was totally unnecessary and a cheap effort to cash in on the SAW mentality that has swept storytelling, especially in cinema. Just because the game deals with the loss of a child, it doesn't make it a well presented aspect of the story. They tried to make a mature game, we got the video game equivalent of a crap film and its not at all saved by its gameplay. Of course, this is just my opinion, but I've grown weary of the praise this game gets for trying to be mature- it tries so hard that it becomes far less mature than games such as Bioshock and even ODST, whose storyline is far more well presented and a lot more fun to play as well.

EDIT: I'd like to add MGS4 to my example games- a totally over the top storyline, yes, but written as that. Not attempting to be something that it isn't and then failing.

[tiamat5]

You could have made a better point if you didn't mention Halo ODST.If that is your idea of a mature and engaging storyline then either you didn't play Heavy Rain or you never have read a book in your life. Halo, any Halo at all, the so called 'story' would get a D- at best in any English class. I am very good at writing essays and although Heavy Rain had it's story problems, they were way above these juvenile and brainless stories written by these shooter game idiots who probably can barely write their own name much less tell a coherent story. Heavy Rain now that has established itself can improve on any faults in the next game by Quantic Dreams, just like LBP did

[kira989]

Heavy Rain accomplished exactly what it wanted to accomplish. It was an immersing experience designed to be an interactive movie, and it used QTE's to put you inside the game in a sense. If you need to constantly be doing something in order to keep your attention, this isnt the game for you. Maybe pick up a Gears of War or Killzone 2 if you own a PS3. But Heavy Rain was a very well developed game and deserves all the respect and praise it gets.

[Xfanboy]

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[onanie]

What's up, troll? Don't see the article talking about glitches per se.

[ironmonkey]

why isnt anyone talking about alan wake anymore?

[jalen247]

NOPE...not at all