Poll: Will Heavy Rain sell well?

[Darkmaster2000]

To put it simple, no...this game will not sell well and will not push console sales in the slightest. Think about it. I'm excited for this game I will be buying as a fan of Indigo Prophecy.

This game will be reviewed near flawlessly but will tank in sales reason being. How do you market a game like this in this day in age where the Halos and the Call of Duty's rule the market. "It's like controlling the outcome of a movie, that has no real combat to speak of, everything is done with quick time events, and 95% of the game is talking." Honestly how the hell do you sell a game like this??? This game is going sell in 1st week it comes out, and after that its not gonna sell worth shit. The fans will get it week 1 no one else will even look at it.

Now my opinion makes me sound like I look down on these games...far from it, these are the kinds of games I dream about, you just need to think realistically your A-typical gamer is not going to buy this game, let alone give it a chance.

I'm curious what everyone's opinion on HR and this genera of game in general is. I was also wondering if you have a friend who has a PS3 and only plays games like COD, MAG, Infamous...nothing against these games HOW in gods name do you convince them to try a game like this?

 

[I_B_Ready]

Heavy Rain will sell a few copies on curiosity alone, but even when you know what to expect, it's a hard sell when the first thing you do in a game is shower and brush your teeth.

 

[Elburzito]

Yes, I think it will sell well but receive negative reviews from most critics. Just a hunch.

 

[Arkhangelsk]

It will sell well on it's uniqueness. Other than that, we'll see.

 

[ZeroDotZero]

My pre-order says 'yes'!

I love saying that.

 

[pluizig]

I certainly hope so. Maybe then Quantic Dream will develop it for PC, so I can play it.

 

[Hallow'sEve]

I don't think it'll bomb, but I don't expect it to be a seller. I think it'll be somewhere near Indigo Prophecy's sales. I mean, now people know who they are and have awareness, but it's a PS3 exclusive, so that cuts a large majority of customers out (at least me, I can't afford to buy a PS3 and Heavy Rain), not to mention the unique kind of game it is would turn most off from it.

As innovative and revolutionary as it is, I don't expect games like Heavy Rain to continue, mainly because they don't bring good money. And after all, the dollar is king.

 

[IamQ]

I'll be happy if it reaches 1 milion units sold in at least, say...3 months.

 

[xavierxenon]

Yes, I think it will sell well but receive negative reviews from most critics. Just a hunch.

Its actually got quite a lot of good reviews according to metacritic, which is nice as the demo was brilliant.

Even if it doesn't sell well, its definately a game i'll be buying.

 

[Yossarian1507]

I know I'm buying it, so I don't care about the sells, unless it will end with a giant cliffhanger and the sequel will be produced only if sales will be good enough.

 

[XT inc]

I think it's going to be a game people want to play and not own. Story driven games are epic in quality, but can be done in a weeks rental for 10 bucks to get all the enjoyment rather than 80$ CND to own it forever.

 

[Pingieking]

Yes, I think it will sell well but receive negative reviews from most critics. Just a hunch.

You're predictions have already been shown to be at least half wrong. At a metacritic score of 89 Heavy Rain is tied at 10th best all time for PS3, and is scored higher than FF13.

As for the sales, I think it'll be so-so at best. It might break the 1 million mark, because Quantic Dream has a nice following of fans. It won't resonate at all with the average gamer, because it's not similar to MW2. Basically, it'll sell a decent amount because it's not similar to other games out, and it won't be hugely successful because it's not similar to other games out.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

I voted yes. Keep in mind that Heavy Rain is trying to sell on other premises than games like Call of Duty, Halo or Uncharted. While those games (and most others) appeal to our wish for action, epic adventure and awesome kickassitude, Heavy Rain tries to appeal to the players wish for meaningful choices, strong characterization, a strong and emotional plot and the wish to explore moral themes.

If you wish, you could almost say that so far, Heavy Rain is being marketed as one of the first drama games ever whereas almost every game ever released so far has been action in one way or the other. It is a gamble by Quantic Dreams and it could backfire. Or it could work out. Either way, I think word of mouth will play a big role in Heavy Rains success.

 

[ChromeAlchemist]

Nah, it's a niche game. With the right ad campaign it could sell a lot more than it will, but I doubt it.

I've been anticipating this game for so long but I almost know for a fact it won't sell well.

 

[Erja_Perttu]

Weeeell, Looking at the amount of preorders my shop has gotten for heavy rain (5), I don't think its going to sell.

No one, around here at least, really knows anything about it or the PS2 game made by the same developers (Indigo prophecy or Farenheit, I think it differed by region) It hasn't received enough press, and most of all, it looks original and quirky, which is usually the death knell in gamer terms (see Psychonauts)

Sadly, interesting thouh it will be, I think this game has just the right amount of interesting character play, unique set pieces and great looking story to impress everyone and be sold to no one.

 

[NickCaligo42]

I've heard a ton of people saying they're dying to play it. Personally I think it looks like garbage. It's like those FMV adventure games from the Sega CD/Windows 3.1 era, but now in HD and with CG characters. That is just... meh. But I think it'll sell like hotcakes just because it's different, the graphics budget is through the roof, it's INCREDIBLY highly publicized, and people will get curious.

 

[bladeofdarkness]

i damn well hope it flops
i hope it sells rather poorly on the PS3 market and remind the developers that making exclusive games aimed at the PS3 crowed without also having a PC port is a waste of potential market share
but thats how i feel about ALL exclusive console titles that don't also port for the PC
developers in general seem to forget that regardless to which console a specific gamer owns, the chances of him having a PC in addition to it are very high
making a game that by default would only be accessible to only a third of potential gamers is just a stupid way to work

 

[ribonuge]

i damn well hope it flops
i hope it sells rather poorly on the PS3 market and remind the developers that making exclusive games aimed at the PS3 crowed without also having a PC port is a waste of potential market share
but thats how i feel about ALL exclusive console titles that don't also port for the PC
developers in general seem to forget that regardless to which console a specific gamer owns, the chances of him having a PC in addition to it are very high
making a game that by default would only be accessible to only a third of potential gamers is just a stupid way to work

I agree with you to an extent, but only in regards the Xbox 360 because they are owned my Microsoft. And Microsoft made Windows. So why the hell can't they port Xbox exclusives to PC? They only really do it after years with titles like Halo and Gears of War but leave other games. It's kind of annoying. Then again there are still some PC exclusives, so you can't complain on that front. But debunking a video game because it is exclusive to PS3 is ridiculous and makes you sound bitter with repressed video game rage.

OT: I can't predict the future but I reckon it will sell well for the first two weeks or so. Then it will fade into obscurity like Fahrenheit did.

 

[bladeofdarkness]

i damn well hope it flops
i hope it sells rather poorly on the PS3 market and remind the developers that making exclusive games aimed at the PS3 crowed without also having a PC port is a waste of potential market share
but thats how i feel about ALL exclusive console titles that don't also port for the PC
developers in general seem to forget that regardless to which console a specific gamer owns, the chances of him having a PC in addition to it are very high
making a game that by default would only be accessible to only a third of potential gamers is just a stupid way to work

I agree with you to an extent, but only in regards the Xbox 360 because they are owned my Microsoft. And Microsoft made Windows. So why the hell can't they port Xbox exclusives to PC? They only really do it after years with titles like Halo and Gears of War but leave other games. It's kind of annoying. Then again there are still some PC exclusives, so you can't complain on that front. But debunking a video game because it is exclusive to PS3 is ridiculous and makes you sound bitter with repressed video game rage.

OT: I can't predict the future but I reckon it will sell well for the first two weeks or so. Then it will fade into obscurity like Fahrenheit did.

i didn't say the game would be BAD
it looks like it might be good
i was expressing HOPE that the game would have poor sales in order to convince the developers not to waste all their time making GOOD games, and then only allowing 30% of gamers to play them
its a silly move for them, and a frustrating one for 70% of gamers who cant play their games

i dont SOUND bitter with repressed video game rage.
i AM bitter with repressed video game rage.
because the game looks really nice, and i wont be able to play it

 

[GonzoGamer]

I wasn't very optimistic about this to begin with but I was curious. After trying the demo the other day, this title dropped to the bottom of my rental list. I appears to be the pretentious collection of QTEs I feared it would be. The Batman AA style investigation part seems interesting but you still have to drive the character around like a car. It seems like what would happen if you forced a bunch of people who never actually played a video game to make a video game.

Certain parts (like the loading screens) look great while at other parts the characters look like they were designed by Bethesda: they have that Epcot auomatron look.


So my feelings: it will bomb. However, I also thought No More Heroes would bomb. Games aren't always highly rated based on their merits; appeal goes a long way.