Heavy Rain Is "Not Porn"
- Thread starter Greg Tito
- Start date
Why not? The similarities are obvious on numerous levels. Especially when dealing with the first 3-4 Gor novels which honestly had less of the bondage porn aspects that admittedly began to dominate the later novels.Taranaich said:
I think that for whatever reason people try and distance themselves (and any other sword and sorcery) from Gor, rather unfairly. I think even at it's lowest points (let's have bondage porn from the slaves perspective! which was banal and missed the point that it's supposed to be sword and sorcery not just erotic fantasy) it had a lot of good elements, and like it or not had a massive influance on the genere.
Ah ha, you understand a thing or two about commercial design. The human eye will naturally follow a line, and the words draw a line right across her breasts. Really, it's not even all that clever an attempt at titillation.Eruanno said:
[small]I'm going to Hell for that pun, I just know it.[/small]
We have to be fair here. If we decided to restrict all art that someone was going to masturbate to, human artistry would've been screwed right after sixteen-year-old Ugg decided that the stick-figure drawing of a woman on the wall of his cave looked really f'in hot. We can't judge all art by how the lowest common denominator reacts to it.matrix3509 said:
Oh, it's not porn. But a fiver says every news station in the world will make it out to be.
On the "different design decisions" subject it makes me a little worried. It's either going to jam QTE'S until the end and suck, fail flat on it's arse at retail or do everything it was said it would do and be really freakin good.
I'm leaning towards 2#.
On the "different design decisions" subject it makes me a little worried. It's either going to jam QTE'S until the end and suck, fail flat on it's arse at retail or do everything it was said it would do and be really freakin good.
I'm leaning towards 2#.
That's what I was hoping the game was going for. Otherwise I didn't see the appeal... If you want porn you can just go to... Well, you're all internet dwellers. You know. Hell, google whatever you want and you will find porn. Regardless of safe search. Anyway, it's nice to see a game being this immersive in the story, and exploring the more "mature" ways of conveying emotion. Though I think the best this will be is a stepping stone. Developers will (hopefully) realise they can tell excellent stories, but Heavy Rain seems to sacrifice gameplay almost entirely. So, it seems like a bad game, but it may show people that games can be an even better medium for conveying emotion and a touching story than movies, due to the interactivity.
I am very jealous if the emotion is as going to be as strong as described, however I am still sceptical of this being as good as they hype.
I will keep an eye on this, I hope it is good but a good story is much harder to make then good gameplay, especially the story that's trying to compel such a range of emotions. At least with gameplay the target is quite big and gameplay can be right in some ways even if not everyone agrees with it (for example: Halo)
Also you make decisions, is that it? Sounds like it might end up getting boring, they have to get this story right or the game is going to be completely rubbish
I will keep an eye on this, I hope it is good but a good story is much harder to make then good gameplay, especially the story that's trying to compel such a range of emotions. At least with gameplay the target is quite big and gameplay can be right in some ways even if not everyone agrees with it (for example: Halo)
Also you make decisions, is that it? Sounds like it might end up getting boring, they have to get this story right or the game is going to be completely rubbish
It will probably terrible awkward and tactile.
Circle to caress this breast or Square for the other...
Triange to say something dirty or X for sweet whispers...
...kind of amusing and could be like real life first time awkwardness and fumbling.
I love the way all the controls and icons show on screen, it does not suit every game but this adventure story time seems perfect for it.
Circle to caress this breast or Square for the other...
Triange to say something dirty or X for sweet whispers...
...kind of amusing and could be like real life first time awkwardness and fumbling.
I love the way all the controls and icons show on screen, it does not suit every game but this adventure story time seems perfect for it.
Mmm... no.Canid117 said:
I can (hypothetically) wank to the waves of vibration and undulation from a dog bowl full of water but that does not make dog bowl water porn.
Maybe I'm just using a warped definition of the word, but I thought erotica was distinct from porn in that erotica actually developed the characters in question and explored what sex was between loving couples. Porn , as I understod it, was simply designed to excite the consumer sexually without the characterization, story, etc.lacktheknack said:
My thoughts exactly. But I want to see a game pull off the getting me emotionally attached to the characters like Rain promises to.Therumancer said:
My fear is that the sex will be so wonky and fake/uncomfortable that it will ruin the rest of the experience.
So he's making a visual novel? That's about the only thing I can take out of this. Sorry mate, your idea has been around for quite a while.
Well gee, that sure doesn't leave much...Greg Tito said:
I hope it's not just a choose to take the right-or-left-path or press-this-button-then-type of game.
They definitely nailed the discomfort part.Greg Tito said:
The voice acting was terribly spotty, especially considering that your main character is supposed to be inner-monologuing the whole damn time, they could at least work on putting some emotion THERE.
If they want to get this right and make players feel genuinely invested in the emotional state of the main character, they're going to have to nail every little thing that makes humans human: that is the animation (facial, especially: "uncanny valley be damned"), voice-acting, and the lines in the script being delivered. (i.e., I remember watching a gameplay video where the main chick goes into a bathroom to put on some makeup and blurts out, "Time to get sexy," and the first thing that popped into mind was one of Borat's classic one-liners).
Edit:
And with that one observation, you've singlehandedly sunk this entire group of fops' grand effort.akiata said:
Kudos, someone needed to slap these highminded morons and cut through the innovative crap they've sung praises of and show them what their precious game was really shaping up to.
Going out of my way to not actually read any of the comments on this article, I can probably safely surmise that at least one or two people will read the description and think "Man, this game sounds like it's going to suck." They will probably use argument like "I play a game to be entertained" and "What's fun about a game where you don't defeat enemies or solve puzzles?" And, to be truthful... they would not be wrong to think that way. Allow me to explain why:
Video games have always been just that: games you play through a video projection. They started off as virtual versions of games like table tennis, or slightly more sophisticated representations of board games. Eventually, the goal of these games evolved from "Collect points" to "Save the world from aliens" or "Rescue the princess", but the essence was the same: it was still a game.
For thirty years, the general premise of a video game remained the same; accomplish a goal within certain specific parameters, win the game. From mario and zelda, to Black Isl favs like Baulders Gate and Torment, finally to more fast paced games like Halo or Call of Duty. The parameters might vary, the display might gradually improve, but a game is still a game.
The purpose of said video games have usually been the same, as well: pull the gamers in by attracting one of their stronger positive emotions, like excitement, fear or joy, and then reward their efforts with progress and, eventually, completion, thus giving the player a sense of accomplishment.
Lately, however, some designers have been trying to create games that appeal to more then simple adrenaline and accomplishment. They want to use this fascinating, wholly interactive form of entertainment to tell a story. They want to stir up love, lust, fear, sadness, anger (not frustration, like dying a lot might cause), and any number of varying emotions. They wanted to create immersion.
Many games have succeeded in this respect (many bio-ware games, for example, or arguably Valve). However, there was still one huge obstacle standing in the way; what ever life they might seem to have, these are still games. The story might be great, the immersion nearly flawless, but still the art would be broken into chunks, separated by piles of enemies or puzzles, sometimes very difficult, that the player would have to grind through in order to get back to the story. And while the game is still fun, it is also still a game, where the story is simply a progressive reward for completing the various challenges.
The other day I followed a link in an article right here on The Escapist, leading me to a short, artsy indi "game" called "Every Day the Same Dream." While this game was indeed interactive, it was anything but exciting. It wasn't fast paced, you didn't Kill any enemies, or solve any puzzles (at least, not in the traditional sense). Never once did you think "Wow, this game is awesome!" or even "huh, this game is funnish", because that wasn't the point.
In short, this "Game" wasn't really a game at all. Twas a piece of interactive art; stunning yet haunting, beautiful yet terrifying. The fact that the "player" had to directly interact with the art was one of the most interesting aspects of the piece, because unlike a motion picture, or a written story, or any form of still art, is that "Every Day the Same Dream" literally forced you into the shoes of the protagonist. By playing this "game" you were cast into the monotonous life and repetitive nature of the protagonist, forced to see world not as an impartial observer, but as the very being who would direct the course of events, thus making the art a far more personal experience then any other form of media could achieve.
In short (if it isn't already to late for that) if we study something like Heavy Rain, or Every Day the Same dream, or any of the other impending titles which seem to follow the same principle, as a "Game", then we are bound to be disappointed. That is why I suggest we rename this particular phenomena, not a game (because, in essence, it is NOT a game) but as a piece of interactive art. Hopefully, we will come to respect the individuality of this new form of media, rather then trying to place it in the same comparative category as, say, Halo, or Need for Speed, or even Dragon Age Origins.
Lets all give "Interactive art" a chance.
P.S. I suck at getting my points across in a single post, feel free to raise arguments (which you probably will anyway, as this is the internet and I am voicing an opinion
)
Video games have always been just that: games you play through a video projection. They started off as virtual versions of games like table tennis, or slightly more sophisticated representations of board games. Eventually, the goal of these games evolved from "Collect points" to "Save the world from aliens" or "Rescue the princess", but the essence was the same: it was still a game.
For thirty years, the general premise of a video game remained the same; accomplish a goal within certain specific parameters, win the game. From mario and zelda, to Black Isl favs like Baulders Gate and Torment, finally to more fast paced games like Halo or Call of Duty. The parameters might vary, the display might gradually improve, but a game is still a game.
The purpose of said video games have usually been the same, as well: pull the gamers in by attracting one of their stronger positive emotions, like excitement, fear or joy, and then reward their efforts with progress and, eventually, completion, thus giving the player a sense of accomplishment.
Lately, however, some designers have been trying to create games that appeal to more then simple adrenaline and accomplishment. They want to use this fascinating, wholly interactive form of entertainment to tell a story. They want to stir up love, lust, fear, sadness, anger (not frustration, like dying a lot might cause), and any number of varying emotions. They wanted to create immersion.
Many games have succeeded in this respect (many bio-ware games, for example, or arguably Valve). However, there was still one huge obstacle standing in the way; what ever life they might seem to have, these are still games. The story might be great, the immersion nearly flawless, but still the art would be broken into chunks, separated by piles of enemies or puzzles, sometimes very difficult, that the player would have to grind through in order to get back to the story. And while the game is still fun, it is also still a game, where the story is simply a progressive reward for completing the various challenges.
The other day I followed a link in an article right here on The Escapist, leading me to a short, artsy indi "game" called "Every Day the Same Dream." While this game was indeed interactive, it was anything but exciting. It wasn't fast paced, you didn't Kill any enemies, or solve any puzzles (at least, not in the traditional sense). Never once did you think "Wow, this game is awesome!" or even "huh, this game is funnish", because that wasn't the point.
In short, this "Game" wasn't really a game at all. Twas a piece of interactive art; stunning yet haunting, beautiful yet terrifying. The fact that the "player" had to directly interact with the art was one of the most interesting aspects of the piece, because unlike a motion picture, or a written story, or any form of still art, is that "Every Day the Same Dream" literally forced you into the shoes of the protagonist. By playing this "game" you were cast into the monotonous life and repetitive nature of the protagonist, forced to see world not as an impartial observer, but as the very being who would direct the course of events, thus making the art a far more personal experience then any other form of media could achieve.
In short (if it isn't already to late for that) if we study something like Heavy Rain, or Every Day the Same dream, or any of the other impending titles which seem to follow the same principle, as a "Game", then we are bound to be disappointed. That is why I suggest we rename this particular phenomena, not a game (because, in essence, it is NOT a game) but as a piece of interactive art. Hopefully, we will come to respect the individuality of this new form of media, rather then trying to place it in the same comparative category as, say, Halo, or Need for Speed, or even Dragon Age Origins.
Lets all give "Interactive art" a chance.
P.S. I suck at getting my points across in a single post, feel free to raise arguments (which you probably will anyway, as this is the internet and I am voicing an opinion
)