Heavy Rain Critic Reception

[S.T.A.G.E.]

Akvod said:

S.T.A.G.E. said:

Torillian said:
Akvod's right, the game is most clearly an adventure game from what we've seen regardless of what David Cage says. Developers can be wrong, and unless the full game is far different from what we've seen I would say Heavy Rain fits quite comfortably in the Adventure genre. it's like a point and click mystery game made for consoles and that would definitely be the adventure genre.

 

I like Akvod, but he's still wrong. David Cage spelled it out....he didn't just talk. He explained what makes it different from an adventure game.

Heavy Rain is often referred to as an adventure game. How do you feel about the application of that genre title to the game? In what ways is it appropriate or inappropriate?- Game Informer to David Cage

"Adventure games are a very clearly defined genre based on established mechanics: exploration, inventory management, puzzles and dialogue choices. There is generally a focus on story and characters with a very slow pacing and cut scenes to make the narrative move forward, generally in a quite linear way.

Based on this definition, Heavy Rain is NOT an adventure game. There is no inventory in the game, no object to combine or examine, no puzzle, the game does not rely on everlasting dialogues. The story is told through players' actions and not through cutscenes, and players' actions have significant consequences on the narrative. Last but not least, Heavy Rain offers a diversity of situations and gameplay, as well as some spectacular action sequences."- David Cage

>.< Why can you not fucking listen, stop pointing to David Cage. Like I said over and over, David Cage isn't infallible and isn't the end all be all.

I disagree that inventory is a fundamental part of adventure games. I can imagine an adventure game without an inventory. In fact, like I showed before, Visual Novels, a sub genre of adventure games, doesn't have an inventory (although there are some that do).

To me an adventure game is simply playing an adventure. The exploration doesn't have to encompass a huge world, but could be as simple as a small police department or house. The game has dialogue, and I don't know what an "Ever lasting dialogue" is.

The game has puzzles, just not traditional ones. The puzzle is how to handle a situation, if you personally want to get a certain outcome. The only thing is that the game doesn't give you an goal. But I'm sure that most of us aren't playing to suicide the player, get caught, and just choosing choices randomly. With our internal goals, I think that the game offers a really cool gameplay based on common sense and quick thinking like in Indigo Prophecy.

*sigh*

See, I get what you're saying with visual novels. Your explanation of an adventure game...well...is off. Certain objects are prescribed for you to look at, you press the interactive button and it interacts. Cage said the game gives you choices and once you make the decisions and it affects the story without disrupting characterization. In the battles when you do the hit or miss button match it helps or seals the fate of your person. Theres no real work for you to do in this game. Yes akvod you are right and Cage is wrong. 

 

Right now, Quantic Dream is the only developer making games in this style, focused so intently on story and character. Why do you think more developers haven’t attempted it?

"Our industry is entirely focused since its creation on creating games for kids and teenagers. What this audience wants is simple instant fun with guns, cars and explosions. Some video games managed to make incredible things based on this paradigm and it is today the most secure choice on a financial standpoint for a publisher.

Quantic (and Sony)’s bet on Heavy Rain is to say that there is another emerging market of young adults and adults looking for a different type of interactive experiences based on a different paradigm: they want experiences that are journeys and not series of obstacles, that bear meaning and emotion and not only adrenaline, that explores other themes closer to cinema or literature, but that are fully interactive and visually stunning."