In a recent interview with G4TV, Quantic Dream Co-CEO and Heavy Rain Writer/Director David Cage, revealed that the company is working on a playable demo of the game. The hang up for the team at the moment is finding the right scene for the demo.

Because the game is a mix of action and exploration, Cage explains that finding “one scene that can convey what we are trying to achieve with Heavy Rain is something really difficult.”

He goes on to say that the company understands the importance of releasing a demo, in that if you don’t release one “players may think that you have something to hide”, but also stresses the importance of putting your best foot forward.

“We also know many good games that ended up not being massive hits because the demo could not convey the quality of the game behind it …”

“Heavy Rain is a new concept and since many gamers will want to check what it is before buying it, we will be releasing a demo. We just need to find the best scene for it.”

I for one hope they find a portion of the game that embodies what they feel it’s all about and completely understand their hesitation. From the little I have seen of the game, it has tons of potential and I’m looking forward to digging into it.

If you haven’t seen the “Blue Lagoon” extended gameplay video we posted the other day you should definitly check it out. Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

I don’t know about you but I was dancing in my seat the entire time I watched this video. Screw Paco, the virtual club dance floor is where it’s at!

Seriously though, this gameplay video proves three things: persistence pays, sex sells, and the team at Quantic Dreams has created a gorgeous PlayStation 3 exclusive.

David Cage of Quantic Dreams discusses Heavy Rain in front of an eager audience at this years Leipzig Games Convention, just as we predicted. A gameplay trailer, all real-time, is shown at Sony’s conference and as soon as we get our hands on it, we’ll share it with you.

Cage develops the idea that the game will be heavily story driven, where each of your decisions will have a consequence. IGN, who are live blogging Sony’s press conference, states that Heavy Rain “will be mature/serious content. It’s going to be accessible. It’s going to be an emotional experience.” And it certainly impressed the audience:

Everything is real-time 3D, and it’s exclusive on the PS3. I’m extremely excited about this one. The audience applauds happily — seems like we’re all pleased.

Heavy Rain will release in 2009.

[UPDATE] – Our friends over at Gamersyde have uploaded an offscreen recording of the new Heavy Rain trailer here, or you can watch it in the comfort of Ripten.

[UPDATE 2] - IGN have just posted an eyes-on preview of Heavy Rain, which details how the player actually interacts with the game and their impressions of what was shown. You can find it after this link.

[UPDATE 3] – The full press release has been released:

PLAYSTATION 3 exclusive from Quantic Dream unveiled – a dark, emotional thriller where decisions can have dramatic consequences

Heavy Rain is the place where action gaming meets film-noir head-on, in an adventure unlike any other. A game where your mind, emotions and human nature will be put to the test like never before, Heavy Rain takes interactive entertainment down a dark, compelling path rarely ventured in the gaming world.

Founded in 1997 by David Cage, French developer Quantic Dream has achieved international renown for its innovation within the games industry, particularly in the areas of interactive narration and emotional content. The studio’s record speaks for itself: in particular Quantic Dream was responsible for 2005’s award winning Fahrenheit (known as Indigo Prophecy in the US and Canada), a paranormal, interactive blend of film and gaming that was widely praised for re-imagining the adventure game genre.

One of the highlights in David Reeves, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), introductory speech, Heavy Rain was unveiled at Games Convention 2008, taking brave new steps in the games industry in both content – an adult thriller with a complex plot – and gameplay – where you play and shape the storyline rather than be a mere spectator. Step into a world of mystery and suspense, betrayal and redemption, in Heavy Rain™, a PLAYSTATION®3 exclusive from Quantic Dream scheduled for release by SCEE in late 2009.

Heavy Rain is a dark, immersive and emotionally-engaging experience; one that expands upon the innovative ideas of 2005’s acclaimed Fahrenheit to create a noir-thriller where decisions are charged with importance and actions can have drastic and unforseen consequences. Breaking with traditional game conventions where necessary, the gameplay will be based around story, emotional involvement and the player’s decisions and interactions, rather than high-scores, combat and competition. Intuitive gameplay and controls are also fundamental to the experience – ensuring that the game is mature but accessible, and avoiding alienating players with obscure stats and complex interfaces.

In Heavy Rain you don’t watch the story – you play it. The dynamic narrative unfolds through the players actions – not cut scenes – and every action has a consequence. The choices you make and the way you interact with other characters have repercussions throughout the storyline. With unprecedented responsibility over the fates of the game’s characters, players will find Heavy Rain an emotional experience unlike any other. It dares to tackle subject matter and themes rarely touched upon in video games, making it a genuinely mature game for a new world of adult gamers.

Heavy Rain has been unveiled at Games Convention 2008 in Leipzig with a teaser trailer consisting of actual gameplay footage, demonstrating Quantic Dream’s use of stunning animation and motion-capture technology to create an atmospheric and thrilling experience.

Heavy Rain Image Gallery

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Source: IGN

Sony are the only console giant to have an official showing at this years Leipzig Games Convention and with promises of blockbuster announcements and possible new game revelations, what games do we actually know will be on show from the 20th-24th of this month?

The good news first.  Heavy Rain will be on show with no curtains to hide the presentation from public eyes, so we’ll get to see much more than the already revealed screenshots and behind the scenes footage.

It’s looking less likely that Eat Sleep Play will reveal their new PS3 game at the convention, since previous evidence looks to suggest an internal development showing.  However, there should be a healthy list of titles on show, including the following:

- MotorStorm Pacific Rift
- LittleBigPlanet
- Resistance 2
- Free Realms
- The Agency
- DC Universe Online (announced at E3)
- Infamous
- PlayStation Home
- Killzone 2 (single player and multiplayer hands-on)
- Heavy Rain

Not too shabby, but we certainly hope for more new exclusive game announcements.

When it rains it pours, and after we revealed a selection of Heavy Rain screenshots, we were put in touch with a snippet of behind the scenes footage (though we don’t doubt that previous videos were also real-time) of what looks like the same town as was presented in the screenshots.

The following video is a tour of Quantic Dream’s studio, displaying their PlayStation 3 development of Heavy Rain.  I know the dialogue is in French, but what do you expect from a French developer and a French TV show?

Before we translate what’s being said, you’ll be able to spot real-time footage (albeit low-resolution) of a dreary town surrounded by stormy weather, along with impressive facemapping technology.

[UPDATE] The content of the video has been translated (credit Raist from Neogaf) and there’s limited information on Heavy Rain itself. The only scrap we can muster is that the shadows are dynamic, along with the impression of realistic rain and wetness in the street scene. In addition, Quantic Dream’s founder, David Cage, elaborates on their goal to create authentic emotional characters:

Nowadays, video games are a media that reaches maturity. And that is starting to imply emotions, just like movies, literature or theatre. We’re trying to make people cry or laugh when they play a video game. It’s only getting started and is the goal of our industry for the upcoming years.

For more on Heavy Rain, why not take a blast to the past with a Quantic Dream’s interview from 2006, or instead read our very own detailed account. Expect much more in the coming weeks.

Heavy Rain Image Gallery

11 Photos

 

The upcoming PlayStation 3 game Heavy Rain from acclaimed Fahrenheit and Omikron developers Quantic Dream, has been hidden from public eyes since 2006’s concept video. Since then we’ve only had glimpses of impressive facial close ups, but now we can bring you a little bit more…

…A zoomed out view of what looks like a new character in Heavy Rain, and new supposed gameplay shots of a motorbiker.  The visuals are certainly impressive and suggest the French developer might just succeed in their goal to create expressive and emotional videogame characters.

Quantic Dream are aiming to bring PS3 owners something new and exciting, by furthering the story and emotions of the characters during gameplay.  There are few details of what this gameplay will consist off, but consider us intrigued.  Check out the images in our gallery and if they don’t wow you, they certainly will in movement. You can read more about Heavy Rain and the type of game it will be at this link.

Heavy Rain Image Gallery

11 Photos