Heavy Rain: "You're Going to Tell Your Own Story"

John Funk

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Dec 20, 2005
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Heavy Rain: "You're Going to Tell Your Own Story"

Heavy Rain Executive Producer Guillaume de Fondaumiere says that while the game has "more than 20 endings," they're less important than the path the player chooses to get there.

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As the Co-CEO of Quantic Dream as well as the Executive Producer of PS3's quick-time thriller Heavy Rain, de Fondaumiere was in Dublin, Ireland for an exclusive preview for members of the Irish media hosted by Sony Computer Entertainment Ireland. In a video posted on PlayStation Blog EU [http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2009/08/07/heavy-rain-interview-with-guillaume-de-fondaumiere-co-ceo-of-quantic-dream/], he talked at length about the highly-anticipated title, which is slated to launch (alongside everything else) in early 2010.

Throughout the video, de Fondaumiere emphasized the contribution that players' actions would have in real time on the plot of Heavy Rain. "You're always in control of the characters, you're always in real-time 3D. Through those actions, you're going to tell your own story - really something that is totally unique."

"For the first time in a videogame, you will be able to be - at the same time - the director, the actor, and the scriptwriter."

Later on in the interview, de Fondaumiere said that the game had "approximately 60 scenes, and, ah... I couldn't even tell you how many endings we have." Apparently, though, he could tell us, saying that there were "more than 20 different endings" in Heavy Rain - but that they weren't the point. "Most importantly, I would say ... we have very distinct journeys."

That's all well and good, Mr. de Fondaumiere, and I know that my coworker Susan Arendt loved the game at E3 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/conferences/e3_2009/6137-Hands-On-Heavy-Rain], so I'm inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt. I do wonder if perhaps he's overstating matters a bit - in this very video where he talks about gamers taking the roles of scriptwriters, he mentions that the script was already written by fellow Quantic lead David Cage.

Of course, I'm just nitpicking here. Obviously, the script is already written, and there is no way for someone playing Heavy Rain to do something that hasn't already been thought of and implemented by the developers at Quantic. There aren't infinite permutations here, and despite de Fondaumiere's claims, the stories are limited by what was put into the game. Even so, while Heavy Rain won't let everybody completely make up their own story (about super-powered Peruvian hobos), what they're aiming to do is still pretty damn impressive.

And no, I still can't write about Heavy Rain without getting Tay Zonday stuck in my head.

(Via VG247 [http://www.vg247.com/2009/08/07/heavy-rain-video-interview-with-guillaume-de-fondaumiere/])

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scnj

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Nov 10, 2008
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Well, I think there'll be a divide. Some will stay dry and others will feel the pain.
 

Megacherv

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Sep 24, 2008
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I just bought this month's OPM in the UK, they gave a guide to one of the scenarios. There are so many paths, so many ways to die, and so many ways to get to each of those deaths. It's amazing really, and there's only one way to survive in it. But the fact that the story will keep on going is what I really like.
 

Mr Companion

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Jul 27, 2009
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If it really works as well as we are given to understand it could be very fun, but I see it is more likely to be far more imaginable.

For instance, if you kill all the characters it will immediately come up with a "oh dear the case goes unsolved" cinematic. Or "character number three has solved the case!" cinematic.Like many over hyped game aspects I suspect this will be underwhelming.
 

scotth266

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Jan 10, 2009
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I keep getting more excited about this game. I've been yearning for a good story in a game of late, and this could provide me with what I need.
 

Ancientgamer

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Jan 16, 2009
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This single game I've been looking forward to more than anything else in a long time.

If it's as they claim, I would mind finally getting a PS3 just for this.
 

ChromeAlchemist

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Aug 21, 2008
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For christ sakes, I'm torn between 'get here already!' and 'make the game even more awesome, delay it more if you wish'.

I've been saying for god knows how long that I'm not getting a PS3 until this game comes out, so therefore I'm not going to watch trailers or anything other than textual coverage. And I know it'll be amazing.
 

Flying-Emu

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ChromeAlchemist said:
For christ sakes, I'm torn between 'get here already!' and 'make the game even more awesome, delay it more if you wish'.

I've been saying for god knows how long that I'm not getting a PS3 until this game comes out, so therefore I'm not going to watch trailers or anything other than textual coverage. And I know it'll be amazing.
Same here. Heavy Rain looks like the thing that might push me over into buying a PS3... but I'll wait for reviews.
 

ChromeAlchemist

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Flying-Emu said:
ChromeAlchemist said:
For christ sakes, I'm torn between 'get here already!' and 'make the game even more awesome, delay it more if you wish'.

I've been saying for god knows how long that I'm not getting a PS3 until this game comes out, so therefore I'm not going to watch trailers or anything other than textual coverage. And I know it'll be amazing.
Same here. Heavy Rain looks like the thing that might push me over into buying a PS3... but I'll wait for reviews.
I loved Fahrenheit too much to not buy one. However there are also around 10 Wii games I want to buy, which will run me past the cost of a console, and I'm not the richest cat on the block. So yeah I guess I'm not buying one until Q3 2010 onwards. Oh well.
 

PhantomCritic

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scotth266 said:
I keep getting more excited about this game. I've been yearning for a good story in a game of late, and this could provide me with what I need.
Yeah, I know what you mean, theres only so many games' stories that get you hooked, but the problem being with them these days is that they are too damn short.

If Heavy Rain works as well it says it should, it would be the Farenheit that we all expected it to be at first, that said the game was still pretty good to begin with so this one should be awesome.
 

Disgustor

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Jan 2, 2008
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Cor, I can't wait for this. My disposition reading is at "neutral" ? and that's only because it can't go any higher.
 

CrafterMan

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scnj said:
Well, I think there'll be a divide. Some will stay dry and others will feel the pain.
*Cries*

Oh please someone run that kid over... please Mr Natural Selection, we require your infinite wisdom.

-Joe
 

Treblaine

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Jul 25, 2008
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[sarcasm]Hey kids! Who wants a single cohesive and well told story constructed by experienced and talented scriptwriters/storytellers when instead you could have a whole mishmash of different combinations of plot outcomes that come together by pure chance for a completely random ending!??[/sarcasm]

Also, "Origami Killer". You couldn't get more cliché if your tried. I mean not even CSI would be as hammy as that.

The more I learn about this game the more nauseated I feel. Such a waste of time, money and effort that could be put into REAL games like a decent sequel to Resistance Fall of Man (god, R2 sucked).
 

The_Echo

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Mar 18, 2009
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scotth266 said:
I keep getting more excited about this game. I've been yearning for a good story in a game of late, and this could provide me with what I need.
Same here. By the time it's released, I'll be bursting with excitement.
 

Jumplion

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Mar 10, 2008
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Heavy Rain seems to be a game where you have to play it in order to understand it. Right now I'm extremely excited for the game and eagerly anticipating it and hoping that it will do what they're claiming it will do and beyond, but I can't help but feel extremely scared for the game to.

This isn't a traditional game in the sense that it's all action and you level up and stuff. But because it's trying to do something much different than most other games out there, I can forgive most of it's faults like it being mostly QTEs (I'm intruiged by it being heavily focused on QTE anyway).

Either way, the Origami Killer is coming to my house one way or another.
 

Dorian Cornelius Jasper

Space Robot From Outer Space
Apr 8, 2008
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I sincerely hope they don't do any mood-killing Indigo Prophecy-style quick time events. The last thing an adventure game needs is a tacked-on layer of false interactivity.