Heavy Rain Demo Impressions
Murder, mystery, intrigue, rain and asthma...Published 09/02/2010 at 15:00 by Gastos84
Heavy Rain Taxidermist DLC: April 1 [11]
Heavy Rain Fix Incoming [34]
Abridged Too Far – Heavy Rain [39]
It’s probably fair to say that no PlayStation 3 exclusive has had as much pressure piled onto its shoulders like Heavy Rain. With promises of groundbreaking, innovative and original game play and content, a lot is riding on the success of Quantic Dreams’ latest offering. As a result, a lot of eyes will be looking to the demo to offer a glimpse of just what makes Heavy Rain special.
I’m aware that there are a few among you who are trying to keep as much of Heavy Rain a secret as possible so you’ll be pleased to hear that I won’t be revealing anything in the way of story in this article.
The first thing that I noticed about the game was the graphics. The surrounding world and character design is impressive and the atmosphere is perfectly dark, wet and miserable throughout (in a good way). Some of the objects appear to have had less attention given to them graphically but when you’re given a close up of the character’s faces it’s easy to understand why – they are so detailed and realistic that you actually wish they were on screen for a longer period of time.
The controls seemed daunting at first with all sorts of instructions being given to you within a short period of time and I actually thought to myself “this is going to take a while to learn”. Imagine my surprise when not two seconds after that thought I found myself moving and interacting without a single problem or worry. The walking is a little clunky and stiff and, when coupled with fixed-position cameras, you get the feeling that this will be one of the frustrations when playing the full game.
When it comes to interacting with objects the on-screen prompts are large enough to remain clear but small enough to compliment the action rather than dominate the scene. For the most part they are simple but there are occasions when you end up playing a game of Twister with your sixaxis controller. This may sound like a bad thing but I actually found it quite amusing and it certainly added tension to the more action-packed parts; whether it could sustain those feelings through an entire game has yet to be seen.
Part of the demo allowed you to enter a kind of detective mode thanks to some hi-tech equipment. Fans of Batman: Arkham Asylum will be familiar with this detective mode as it’s almost identical to that of the caped crusader’s. It’s not exactly detective work as it points out evidence and your role is just to walk around and collect it but it is offering a different game play style to other characters.
All-in-all the demo has whetted my appetite for this game even more. The story is intriguing and even in the brief demo you get the impression that becoming attached to people is going to happen quite quickly. The voice acting is good and the character’s emotions on screen come across brilliantly. Above all else it is offering something completely new for this generation. Fahrenheit, in my opinion, is probably one of the PlayStation’s most overlooked titles but judging by the demo, there is no way that Heavy Rain will suffer the same fate.
Comments
Please note that all comments are the opinion of the individual author and not TheSixthAxis.
Jacko | 09/02/2010 15:09
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43 TSA Points | Member since: Dec 2009
I’ll play it Thursday. Looks like it’s going to be one of the most overrated games ever. Seriously. I don’t get the hype.
poorwretch | 09/02/2010 15:33
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111 TSA Points | Member since: Aug 2009
You will on Thursday.
DrOf1337 | 09/02/2010 15:10
Tends to spoil major games.
258 TSA Points | Member since: Jan 2010
The one thing in the demo I was disappointed with was when in the second part, I walked in front of some people leaving the scene at the start, deliberately to try and break the demo. The woman got caught on me and just kept walking on the spot. That is such a niggly criticism I know, but I wanted her to pathfind her way around me.
So now I won’t be buying the game.
nofi | 09/02/2010 15:14
Wants a custom tag.
4299 TSA Points | Member since: Forever
Can’t say I blame you.
bajere | 09/02/2010 15:19
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1066 TSA Points | Member since: Aug 2008
?u wont be buying a game because of the woman didn’t walk past you in a demo?? am i missing something? its a demo, and one small thing wrong with it makes you not want to play the game?? AC2 had animation faults all over it, but is still one of the best games i have played. and UC2 had bits that didn’t flow right, but was still a good game… i think you will miss out on lots of fun and good games if you dismiss them so easily.
anyways, as for me, ill have to wait until thursday to give it a try. i think ill buy it anyway as i really want to see more games that are not FPS
DrOf1337 | 09/02/2010 15:38
Tends to spoil major games.
258 TSA Points | Member since: Jan 2010
I appreciate the impassioned response, but I wasn’t serious.
kevatron400 | 09/02/2010 15:44
Don't call him Kevatron400.
1756 TSA Points | Member since: Dec 2008
I actually managed to get my character to sort of float in mid-air in the same spot, needless to say it broke the realism a little. Sort of didn’t want to stop floating though.
ghost5 | 09/02/2010 16:31
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696 TSA Points | Member since: Oct 2008
Floating – you should see me after a few pints
jonny_bolton | 10/02/2010 12:20
Chooses The Impossible
1986 TSA Points | Member since: Oct 2008
Yeah I had the same experience. I walked up to a group of people outside the crime scene and started to float. Odd to say the least.
dirtyhabit | 09/02/2010 15:59
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1443 TSA Points | Member since: Forever
The Demo pretty much showcases what I was expecting from the game TBH.
Little things like that annoy me too, but not enough to not buy it. (If its was glitched to hell I may think twice) *cough Bayonetta*
A mate came round the other day, Watching him play it, I was very surprised as to how differently even the smallest parts of the demo play out. I’m quite looking forward to it but not jumping up and down really.
tonycawley | 09/02/2010 23:58
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296 TSA Points | Member since: Feb 2009
Sorry but how have you played the demo when it’s not on the store until this Thursday?
leokaristar | 10/02/2010 07:25
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27 TSA Points | Member since: Feb 2010
Hunt around online and you can do anything.
Yung Jones | 09/02/2010 15:11
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882 TSA Points | Member since: Mar 2009
I absolutely loved it! They only thing was I thought the whole investigation scene was a bit tedious but it was kind of enjoyable at the same time :S. The first scene was brilliant though and now I can’t wait for Feb 26th!
Yung Jones | 09/02/2010 15:14
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882 TSA Points | Member since: Mar 2009
Another thing – We need a sprint button please!
Squalje | 09/02/2010 15:29
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258 TSA Points | Member since: Jan 2010
I would second that. I was probably being impatient but there were a couple of times where I wished I could walk faster. I dont think it would have ruined the pacing or atmosphere of the scene. Does anyone know if the characters can run in the finished game? Maybe the walk button also becomes sprint depending on the context?
Zuler | 09/02/2010 15:47
Team TSA: Writer
10498 TSA Points | Member since: Apr 2009
Exactly, my only niggle with the demo xD
TSBonyman | 09/02/2010 17:04
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978 TSA Points | Member since: Dec 2009
That was the only bugbear for me, sprint or at least walk a bit faster. But i’t’s kind of in keeping with the game not to have your character running around the pace.
glennpfc | 09/02/2010 15:14
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358 TSA Points | Member since: Forever
I found the voice acting and some of the animation to be jarring. It didn’t seem up to Uncharted 2’s high standards in that department.
Also for all the hype…this is really just Fahrenheit 2 in spirit. Which is fine, I liked that game…but its an evolution not a revolution.
tinytim01 | 09/02/2010 15:16
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231 TSA Points | Member since: Jul 2009
i was taken back just the atmosphere,as i was the 1st time i played resident evil on ps1 back in the days,i be getting this for sure,just the change from,the fps we seem to get in abundance,anyway iliked it and thats what matter’s…..
Daywalker | 09/02/2010 15:19
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524 TSA Points | Member since: Jan 2010
The fight was amazing and ive tried many different outcomes, but the walking around bit in the second part lost my attention. I know you have to play it all to get to the good parts but I still believe they should have picked a better second demo scene.
Also the inbetween loading screens of the faces are stunning! So much detail its amazing!
clank250 | 09/02/2010 22:17
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648 TSA Points | Member since: Oct 2008
I agree. The crime scene wasn’t the funnest section that they could’ve put in the demo. If they had put in the Junkyard scene that was displayed at E3 and Qore for a matter of fact, then it would’ve been a lot more interesting than walking around gathering clues in a bleak environment.
Falling down the hill was funny though, I’ll give them that
Foxhound_Solid | 09/02/2010 15:20
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439 TSA Points | Member since: Dec 2009
As i said before – if its half as good as farenheit it will be brilliant.
I think Heavy Rain will exceed expectation – i really do……
parker | 09/02/2010 15:23
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I really enjoyed the Shelby scene, but found the Norman Jayden scene rather boring. I know that it wasn’t supposed to be a particularly interesting scene, but I just felt it was missing something.
I was thoroughly impressed with everything else though, and will be picking this up day one.
This game is the reason I bought a PS3, back in 2006 I saw the casting trailer, and I just had to get a PS3. Finally, four years later – it’s on the verge of release! Can’t wait.
YOURMUMANDME | 09/02/2010 15:28
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I’ve gotten as far as ‘Perfect Folds’ and I’m stuck , what do I do after I sort out the anagram …..?
SIR-DARK-HAZE | 09/02/2010 16:03
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To get the demo just go to the precinct52.com
wedgehog | 10/02/2010 17:08
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http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2010/02/05/heavy-rain-demo-available-now/
tjgb | 09/02/2010 15:28
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I found a couple of bugs in the second part of the demo. One where the FBI bloke was mysteriously floating a couple of feet of the floor, and another where his glasses started dancing around in mid-air after he’d take them off.
That aside, I definately enjoyed the demo; the first scene a lot more than the second. I’m looking forward to playing the full game to see if any of your actions have real consequences.
AcidCrashX | 09/02/2010 15:37
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597 TSA Points | Member since: Jun 2009
Very much enjoyed the demo and looking forward to getting my teeth in to more of the games fleshy awesomeness. Heard a few twitter friends and friends in RL complain about a freeze that can happen during the FBI agents part but apart from that nothing but praise
kevatron400 | 09/02/2010 15:47
Don't call him Kevatron400.
1756 TSA Points | Member since: Dec 2008
The gameplay and style felt a bit like the old Bladerunner game, if anyone remembers that?
DrOf1337 | 09/02/2010 15:56
Tends to spoil major games.
258 TSA Points | Member since: Jan 2010
“Mama Isabella gonna cook ya somethin’ GOOD!”
jayboy31 | 09/02/2010 16:01
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You’re right, the clue finding section was very similar, wonder if we’ll have to zoom in on photos to find clues?? Remember when zooming in to a photo was a thing of pure fantasy, fantastic.
cheekyMcB | 09/02/2010 16:52
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Really! Cool I loved the Blade Runner game.
zb100 | 09/02/2010 15:55
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I have to say, the demo actually put me off.
As funky as the shades etc were, it just seems soooo slow. I’m well aware it’s IQ-based as opposed to reflex game, but the mechanics are there – for instance “the climb” – it just seems deliberately ponderous.
I do like the transitions and the feel though, there has definitely been a lot of thought given to it but overall it doesn’t quite gel at this stage.
ibu | 09/02/2010 16:17
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49 TSA Points | Member since: Jan 2010
Great article, spot on.
Loved the demo and it has further whetted my appetite for the game, make sure you order the special edition which is an HMV exclusive. Do it online though as its £39.99 online and when I went into the store today was told its £44.99 for the special edition. So I am ordering it from the HMV site.
OT – DarkVoid is a horrendous bomba down to 19.99 in HMV already. Ouch!
rht992 | 09/02/2010 16:17
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man i can’t believe i pre ordered bioshock 2 instead of this! mainly because amazon haven’t delivered yet!
i’d much rather play a game thats trying something completely different, even if its not perfect, heavy rain had my attention ever since that amazing “love” trailer