Replay value is one of the most desirable traits of any videogame, as developers try to convince cynical gamers that a new piece of software will be worth the $60 entrance fee. Of course, Quantic Dream doesn't like to do things the way other developers do them, and has instead stated that Heavy Rain will have no real replay value. Playing the game through multiple times, even with the prospect of different endings, is a bad idea according to David Cage.
"I would like people to play it once … because that’s life. Life you can only play once … I would like people to have this experience that way," explains Cage. "I’m fine with [people reloading saves to avoid bad endings], but the right way to enjoy Heavy Rain is really to make one thing because it’s going to be your story. It’s going to be unique to you. It’s really the story you decided to write … I think playing it several times is also a way to kill the magic of it."
Those dastardly mavericks at Quantic Dream just won't play by the rulebook! Damn those marvelous bastards.
Still, it's a very risky move, telling customers that playing the game through more than once will ruin it. We'll have to see if the unorthodox thinking will pay off for the company when Heavy Rain finally comes to the PS3 next year. I really hope it does, since I rate this studio very highly indeed.
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
11:30 PM on 08.31.2009
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The idea is to kinda keep your mouth shut about that issue.
Still, the concept is nice. I really like it in theory. I just question it in practice. You'd have to be really damn dedicated to make this work.
I can't say I disagree entirely. That's exactly how I feel about Mass Effect. I have gone through ME twice each time doing everything exactly the same because that's how my story is unfolding and I want it to stay that way. I don't want to get sidetracked or lose that feeling that I'm doing it "right." I guess it's a value for the story sort of thing.
That said I don't feel that way about Heavy Rain. It seems like a storytelling playground like Indigo Prophecy should've been but really wasn't. You'd be a fool not to hit that.
Agreed. The concept is a wonderful philosophy on the freewill of choice.
IE: Is it still your choice when you know all/both outcomes?
However as you said it's just not workable since we'll all be owning the same game the idea could only possibly work if each copy of the game was unique.
I'll be waiting at Blockbuster for this to come out then.
In other news, EA asks that you only play a single full season of Madden and stop playing, as teams in real life only get one shot at the Super Bowl per season.
<sarcasm>yeah, I really want that game.</sarcasm>
I'm still playin this thing though. Psyched for it.
I revisit movies don't I? I revisit books? What is so holy about Heavy Rain that I should leave it the way I happened to play it. Fuck you David Cage.
I'll probably still buy it.
In games like these, I just youtube the other damn endings.
Like, one of my favorite games, Kingdom Hearts, was AMAZING the first time I played it. Then... every play through after that was just alright. And, I don't mean in the sense that I was just doing the same thing (which I was) but the first play through had some sort of magical quality to it...
Everything just seems to lose that after the first play through.
Which, in my opinion, is hopelessly optimistic in a game that appears, on the face of it, to have a whole lot of replay value. Sure, it'll never be quite the same as the first time, but there's a reason I watch films again even when I know the twist, too.
This is the most PR bullshit explanation for anything I've ever seen.
"So the game has no replay value. Why?"
"YOU CAN'T REPLAY LIFE AND THIS GAME IS LIKE LIFE"
Unless of course he's being completely honest and the game really isn't worth playing more than once.
His whole point is that the choices and moments of the game should have consequences and impact your gameplay experience. Anyone who has played a good RPG should know that choice and the conquences of those choices can be an amazing experience in a game. One example would be in Morrowind where a certain fighter's guild mission had you assassinate the leader of the thieve's guild... you had to choose where your loyalty was, then deal with the fallout. That stuff is awesome in games.
He even states in the story you CAN load and do things different if you want, it's not like the option is restricted, he just hope's you don't, as the gameplay is more exciting, real and impacting that way.
Realistically this is a pretty stupid thing to suggest...pretty much any classic movie worth it's salt you can watch again and again picking up on the subtleties and revealing in the artistry of it's construction. To say that what you've produced won't hold up to the scrutiny of a second impression is...well it sounds rather dumb.
Not discounting the fact that if the game really is a semi-non linear storyline masterpiece of choice...offering all this choice and then demanding the player never explore the alternative what ifs only serves to limit the appreciation players will have for the complexity of the game. But I guess we should expect this sort of thing from a man that allowed the absolute cock up of a conclusion go ahead in Fahrenheit...when your storyline would have been better served with "A wizard did it" you really need to consider a re-write.
So how the hell is that going to translate into the trophy system, Cage? Bet you never thought of that, did you?
David Jaffe looks like freakin' Albert Einstein after this quote.
This guy just officially killed a lot of hype for his game. *GOLF CLAP*. You know the marketing team at Sony is chugging Malox without the spoon because of this.
The guy who locked himself in a room because Nintendo would not give the green light to his project? Smarter than David Cage.
Actually I heard on the Gametrailers developer interview that they don't even want trophies in the game, and are annoyed they have to use them.
so after we finish this game, are we expected to trade it in or something? i hope cage never jumps on the "pre-owned games are evil" bandwagon, or he'll look like the biggest tit in the industry.
It's like he's insulting people as fanboys who are going to play their game multiple times just because they like it a lot.
And,how about the trophy awards?That means trophies wouldn't be in it?I think 1 play through won't help you unlock all the awards , rite?
pick it up and watch in awe as I use the Heather Beam and such.