I think from your Twitter feed, the general consensus is "it's good".

But of course, you can't say that.

...considered brilliant by the hardcore PS3 crowd, and largely ignored by the general public."

I consider myself one of the PS3 "hardcore" and I certainly don't think anything about Heavy Rain is brilliant from the footage I've seen. At this point it seems to me like the hype has brainwashed everyone, like the one day that every time I saw the color blue someone would contradict me and insist that it was yellow. That was kind of freaky. Wait, what was I talking about? Oh yeah: everyone (everyone being the "hardcore" blog-reading, forum-posting, internet crowd) seems convinced that this game is going to be "ground-breaking" and "amazing" while I, personally, think it looks like rubbish. The graphics are far below of the level of quality showcased by games like Uncharted 2 and Killzone 2 even though the amount of things happening mise-en-scène are much, much less in numbers.

I'm all for a game like Heavy Rain, but honestly, in a game whose status as "GOING TO BE AMAZING" is largely based on graphics, I'm not impressed.

So, anyway--I'm the hardcore PS3 crowd, and Sony's got a lot of convincing to do yet. I'll probably save my money for God of War 3.

I want to buy a PS3 just to play this game. I've always wanted it. I love getting invested in big stories and whatnot.

Dude's about to get his wig split.

I respect the game for doing something Different but i still don't like like that its a game pretty much fully controlled by RE4 style Quick Time events

@sexualchocolate I used to agree with this statement, with strangling and the money hungry publishers and all, but looking at the release schedule, I start to disagree with you. I mean even looking to the right (reviews/previews section) theres mag, 2 sequels (no more heroes even the sequel is still a ridiculous gamble) and mass effect which is only on its second iteration, and from what i've played seems to do things differently enough and having a large enough scope to be something we put forward when we think of games.

I'm starting to think that EA lost so much money because they tried to do things differently...despite that I hope they continue. Also, even Halo did things differently, when the original came out there was nothing like it, and it rightfully so became a flagship franchise for the xbox. Most games that repeat the same old things get called out on it even if they are new IP's (WET)

I just hope that people don't ignore heavy rain because they think its a movie with QTE's...

I might get the game when it hits $40 I never played this type of game before so not sure if I will like it. Who is gonna review white knight chronicles if you are playing heavy rain Jim?

I got my ps3 for the blu Ray but I do have to say the originality of so many of the games that have come out on it truly make me feel greatful I own one. LBP and Flower just off the top of my head are taking games Into a new direction. I haven't really found that kind of experience on xbox except with maybe team fortress.

i will buy it, and i will play it. i like games that are unique and different. which i why i have a ps3.

Their last game sold quite well in the UK and decently in the US and other territories, but that was the first time around. Who knows how many people actually enjoyed the first game? It got good reviews, which could have convinced people to buy it without really knowing what it was. Of course, it could just as well be that people did in fact enjoy the game, like my wife and I did. This game may just exceed your expectations in the sales department, Jim, but it could just as likely fail to catch on.

The difference between this game and the last is that they obviously spent a shitload more cash making this game. It looks expensive. As we all know, large scale financial failures can outright kill developers these days. Here's hoping they make their money back and then some.

BTW Jim, does Sony own the developer? Or do they just have an exclusive arrangement? I know the last game was on multiple platforms, but obviously this one is PS3 only. An answer would be appreciated.

Come on, Jim, screw embargoes--is it brilliant or botched?

It doesn't matter which console I consider my favorite. I hope this succeeds simply because I would never wish for a game developer to fail.

Gawd I want it so hard.

But so much bitching is gonna come of this games release. I feel like I should take a month long vacation from the Internet just because I'm afraid the bitching will be so itense that it will radiate from my monitor and give me deadly migraines.

I'm okay if this game never comes out. I think it's pretentious and taking the cinematic QTE route is full of fail sauce.

Thats just me though. I was never a fan of adventure games like Myst or Night trap, which Heavy Rain seems to a successor of.. IMO.

I just don't think that enough "hardcore" gamers will buy this to make it successful in any way.

D-Toid seems to be split that it rocks cock juice, but the second half like me, thinks it looks boring or has some other issue for not wanting to care about this game.

@Steel Squirrel (lol what?)

I know.. I agree so much..
I mean, at first i was REALLY excited about this game, similar to fahrenheit which was amazing, the emotional aspect etc (REAL emotional content, not Peter Molyneux i-have-never-been-loved content that consists of pressing A to fart to marry some random npc).

But with Mass Effect, 1 and 2, there is so many emotional aspects too. I havent even started ME2 yet, just re-finished ME1, but i am so stuck to "my shepard" unlike how i've cared about any other character in any other game.

If Mass Effect, a friggin sci-fi space nerdgasm game, can be this engaging on such a deep level, i'm finding it harder and harder to care about Heavy Rain.
It doesnt have spaceships, or lazors. Mass Effect has that, AND characters and consequences you care about.

@ Sexualchocolate "True success is not measured by Mass Appeal."

A game that innovates better make a decent return on investment, otherwe, no matter how innovative it is, it will be considered a failure because it did not do what projects are suppose to do. Make money for their creators.

Innovation for its own sake is pointless. Innovation has to connect with the consumer, has to make his or her gaming expierence better. In short it has to have enough mass appeal to support itself.

I don't see Heavy Rain doing this. It will probably end up a nitche game at best.

@ Plathismo "Come on, Jim, screw embargoes--is it brilliant or botched?"

The winds of Jim are blowing. Just hold up your finger and you can guess.

Is this game about fighting oily black dudes in a scrapyard?

Hasn't the PS3 killed enough developers yet?

We need more story driven games like Heavy Rain!
Where you could shave your beard, brush your teeths, take a shower, drink some juice or draw eyelines. That would indeed, have nothing to do with the story or the game itself but it would be really unique in the art of storytelling!

This would rise the bar for everything! Imagine hard choices to make like 'do i eat that apple strudel on the table before i go out and catch the killer?' because that choice could change everything else in the game! Maybe it could affect a dog pissing on a tree!

Such great and Gaming-History writing moments are best done with, mhh let me think, quicketime like events! Everyone loves em and they are innovative!

The story should also be as inovative as possible like 7 and Silence of the Lambs mixed up with a tragedy and some depressed figures. No real fanboy would ever detect any similarities to other games or movies!

On top of this,
i would suggest we completly delete the User Interface with all its anoying butons that simply saying, take this, go there etc because thats totally unrealistic and not unique enough! We have to open our mind and think bigger than this!

Instead we should use ghostly markers that magically apear everytime youre allowed to do somthing. This magic Buttons should also fly around the main chars like flies around a pile of shit because thats innovative, uniqe, it looks better and doesnt bug the gaming xp like a (folding) GUI.

Also it prevents people from thinking by their own! And thats good, right?
Remember such totally boring games like Maniac Manson, Loom, Zack Mc Kracken, Darkseed, Siberia, Gabriel Knight, Sam and Max, Simon the Sorccerer, Indiana Jones, Monkey Island, Kings Quest etc?
Where you have to collect hints by your own and use them on the right spot to solve the puzzles? Thanks god and innovative gameplay thats history!

We dont want to think in adventures we just want emotions and context sensetive flying ghost markers!!!

...man thats def the way in the right direction of uniqe and inovative gaming!!!

To tell the truth, I haven't really been following Heavy Rain. The only reason I plan on getting it is because I LOVED Indigo Prophecy.

Hell, the graphics could look like they're from 2005 and I'd still buy it on day one.