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ESRB Gives Heavy Rain Mature Rating, Spoils Plot For All

Chad Lakkis — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 23:34:56 +0000

As our own Dan Landis once said, “It’s okay to cut someone in half with your chainsaw bayonet … as long as you don’t show any nipple.” Unfortunately, Heavy rain is light on the chainsaw mounted firepower and heavy on the flesh exposing cocaine usage. Well, I wouldn’t exactly say “heavy”, but the lovely ESRB seemed to think it was enough to warrant a Mature rating.

WARNING: Reading beyond this paragraph will reveal plot information that many will not appreciate having unveiled to them prior to the games release. As a side note, it’s moments like this that make me wish I didn’t write about videogames and therefore wouldn’t have to read spoiler laden ESRB posting in order to report them to you. The sacrifices we make…

Alright, last warning. Any reading beyond this point and the spoilers you lay eyes on are not my responsibility.

I’m serious. Go visit Disney.com or something.

Heavy Rain
Platform: PlayStation 3
Rating: Mature
Content descriptors: Blood, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs

Rating summary:

In this cinema-style action game, players control one of four main characters whose lives are altered by events surrounding the investigation of the Origami Killer, a serial killer who kidnaps children in public places. Gameplay consists of controlling a character in a fully interactive environment; choosing a variety of action-, dialogue-, and decision-paths based on on-screen prompts; and watching as cinematic cutscenes progress the somewhat dark (film noir-style) storyline.

Players may encounter victims at various crime scenes: a woman (fully clothed) in a bathtub tainted with blood; a child under forensic examination (though the scene is largely narrative and clinical, with no depiction of victim’s face or signs of trauma). More direct depictions of violence include the following: a woman squirming and screaming as she catches on fire; a man impaled in the chest with a power drill; a female attacked in her own home by masked male assailants (the scene is prolonged); and a man shot (shown in slow-motion) by police officers. Blood sometimes accompanies the acts of violence-whether triggered or viewed passively.

The most intense instance of violence occurs during a “lizard trial” sequence in which players’ character, Ethan, is forced to cut off a segment of his own finger to save his son’s life: Several instruments (saw, scissors, knife, etc.) can be used to remove the finger; and though the camera pans away from the actual dismemberment-instead the blade, the blood, the scream-the scene’s poring focus on Ethan’s psychological tenor/terror (the dread deliberation before the cut) may be unnerving for some.

The game contains sexual content and nudity. Shower cutscenes may depict a male character’s bare butt; if players control the female character, her breasts and buttocks are also briefly visible. A more prolonged instance of nudity occurs during a female character’s investigation of a seedy club owner: After getting him alone in a room, the player-character is asked to strip; at gunpoint, she dances topless in front of the man. The game also contains a prompt-based love scene (kissing and rubbing) in which players match on-screen cues to angle characters’ mouths, remove shirts and blouses, unhook bras, and lower to the floor; a woman briefly appears topless amidst the dark shadows and heavy breathing-actual sex is never depicted as the camera fades to black.

The camera does not fade on characters addicted to the fictional drug Triptocaine, referred to as “dope” in the game: Players may see a character trembling next to open vials; lines of cut white powder on a table; and a man staggering from the drug’s ill-effects, as the screen turns blurry. Consumers may also wish to know that the game contains strong profanity (e.g., “f**k,” “motherf**ker,” “sh*t,” and “a*shole”). Overall, the game’s highly evolved motion-capture graphics (advanced renderings by 2010 standards) sharpen the sense of realism, increasing the impact of some aspects of pertinent content (the nudity, blood, violence, etc.).

[Source: ESRB via Kotaku]

Heavy Rain Shown at Leipzig [UPDATE] Now With Trailer

Patrick Steen — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:45:37 +0000

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.

[youtube width="480" height="378"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP260in3ph4[/youtube]

[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.

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Source: IGN