Epic's CliffyB: "Heavy Rain Has Birthed A New Genre"
See Full ImageIt seems that just about everyone has fallen in love with Heavy Rain, even those who normally don't work with the PlayStation 3.
First, designer and Fable creator Peter Molyneux, who has been a definite supporter of Microsoft and their Xbox platform, said that Quantic Dream's masterpiece was "absolutely brilliant," and now, Epic's Cliff Bleszinski - also known as "CliffyB" to most Xboxers - has praised Heavy Rain's uniqueness and innovation. Over at his Twitter page, he said:
"By combining elements we’ve seen before in an excellent manner it appears as if Heavy Rain has birthed a new genre, the 'Interactive Drama.'"
A reader responded by clarifying that past titles like Sega's Shenmue and Quantic's own Indigo Prophecy introduced such gameplay styles first, but Cliffy responded by simply saying that the reason Heavy Rain is unique is "because this game does it better than anyone else." See, it's one thing to introduce the concept; it's quite another to flesh it out and bring it to a completely revolutionary level. Even when I was playing IP - and loving it, by the way - I was saying to myself, "man, think of what else could be done with this..." Like I said before, love it or hate it, everyone seems to recognize what Heavy Rain has done for the industry.
Related Game(s): Heavy Rain
3/20/2010 10:43:49 AM Ben Dutka
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Comments (43 posts)
MyWorstNightmar
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 11:26:23 AM
Brighat, Cliff was being complimentary to Heavy Rain, then you have to go diss him?
3 up, 0 down
Deleted User
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 11:44:37 AM
Sorry, I still don't trust the likes of Peter Molyneux, Cliff Bieszinski and Aaron Greenberg just yet when they praise games from their competition. I want to see them create a game on the PS3. I know Molyneux's company is owned by Microsoft, though.
Last edited by n/a on 3/20/2010 11:47:49 AM
4 up, 8 down
MyWorstNightmar
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 11:54:34 AM
In this article, Cliff states that Heavy Rain is the birth of a new genre, and that they do it better than anyone else. Sounds like praise to me. Then you proceed to state that he only thinks shooters matter.
That is what I was responding to. I was not making a comment about Gears or Unreal T. which by the way were generally praised by critics since you bring it up. Now if your next comment would be that critics don't matter, then I guess critics praising Heavy Rain, GOWIII, and Uncharted 2 don't matter either.
As far as them praising the game, I think it is great that they praise it. I would hope that deep down, they are gamers, and they probably all have a PS3's at home. they probably just send their wives to the store to pick up Heavy Rain and God of War III for them.
Last edited by MyWorstNightmar on 3/20/2010 11:57:30 AM
9 up, 0 down
Mornelithe
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 12:23:19 PM
1 up, 0 down
Deleted User
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 2:41:57 PM
3 up, 1 down
Mornelithe
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 2:57:41 PM
But yeah, and I wasn't trying to smash you or anything, but some of what he's done has truly been great.
0 up, 0 down
vgWacky
Tuesday, March 23, 2010 @ 4:11:39 AM
0 up, 0 down
Mornelithe
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 11:27:07 AM
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Good to see that Quantic Dream is getting some serious props for this accomplishment. No, it's not the best game ever made, but it's certainly a new (or revived) genre, that's been sorely missing this gen. And done very well.
1 up, 0 down
sazzrah
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 11:41:17 AM
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Perhaps if they did a port of 1 & 2 and brought them to the PSN/XBL or released them as a set beforehand with optimised for HD graphics alá the God of War Collection?
I always thought it was a shame Shenmue never got the ending it deserved.
2 up, 0 down
Lotusflow3r
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 12:09:04 PM
2 up, 0 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 12:57:19 PM
0 up, 1 down
Hitch
Sunday, March 21, 2010 @ 12:14:01 AM
Edit: Oops sorry didn't see the bottom comments.
Last edited by Hitch on 3/21/2010 12:24:55 AM
0 up, 0 down
Lotusflow3r
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 12:01:43 PM
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Now before people cry, thats not me saying Shen is a better game because of that or what not, Shen remains one of the most innovative games ever. It birthed so many things in multiple genres, not just one thing.
Im in no way taking anything away from Heavy Rain but Shen deserved what Heavy Rain got. Shen should never be ignored, it was doing much of Heavy Rains activity, 10 years ago....i guess the world wasn't ready.
Anyway, about, interactive drama...
*THIS IS ENTIRELY PERSONAL PREFERENCE*
I want them to expand on how the opening chapters were done in Heavy Rain. The delicate, subtle scenes like playing with your kids, wife bonding, work or for a better example, the entire father and son scene.
I want a whole game done like those scenes. I felt so much emotion in those opening chapters and i slowly began to disconnect as the game went on due to its tonal shifting into more action.
To me, it ended up becoming an almost remake of the film "Seven" with flaws here and there, mostly in the writing.
This doesn't mean i disliked it, i thoroughly enjoyed it and fully support it....im just being picky :P
Anyway, as said, in this "new genre" i would like to see them more delicate scenes expanded on.
Last edited by Lotusflow3r on 3/20/2010 12:04:58 PM
2 up, 3 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 12:59:49 PM
2 up, 3 down
Lotusflow3r
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 1:21:04 PM
Exactly, which is why i stated it's personal preference.
Heavy Rain would have a hard time being Heavy Rain if it continued the whole way how it began.
Those scenes simply got you connected to your characters so that you feel the horror later on.
But, my personal preference doesn't entirely like mystery thrillers in the vein of Seven. I enjoyed the actual interactive drama at the beginning.
It just felt so much better to me. Later on, i became a bit mind numb doing quick times in the heavy amount of action/tense scenes that followed.
There were a few more scenes that catered to my preference later on like Shelby taking care of that baby...very well done and you don't realise why your asked to do that in such detail until later dramatic scenes in which that baby scene becomes a haunting realisation.
So, there are moments of more "heavy" scenes and story telling but, it wasn't enough for me.
You stated you hated going to work on Shen, i saw it as not only fantastic innovation but, more character development....you felt more like you are him and his world.
Character development is something that is forgotten in both movie and game industries.
1 up, 1 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 2:01:24 PM
0 up, 1 down
Lotusflow3r
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 2:36:35 PM
Shen 2 was more uptempo then the 1st. You will probably enjoy it more.
0 up, 1 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 5:38:55 PM
0 up, 1 down
Lotusflow3r
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 5:46:11 PM
The Xbox version has the most outrageous dubbing known to man! Dreamcast is all in chinese (subtitled) and gives it an authentic feel....and as always, its convincing
0 up, 0 down
FullmetalX10
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 1:58:11 PM
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0 up, 0 down
rogers71
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 3:19:13 PM
Instead of Heavy Rain, the game would be called 'Light Drizzle' and would be 3 dvd's as dlte said.
You know what they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
1 up, 0 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 4:45:34 PM
0 up, 1 down
The Stig
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 7:07:56 PM
2 up, 0 down
eLLeJuss
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 7:17:50 PM
0 up, 0 down
badradio
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 2:02:36 PM
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I played the demo and the writing and scenes are very, very well done. I have a friend will be getting a ps3 because off it and I should it myself. Good job QD!
0 up, 1 down
Robochic
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 2:35:58 PM
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2 up, 0 down
johnld
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 3:58:19 PM
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Its pretty funny though, i never had a backlog problem before when i was in school. I stayed in school from 8am to 12 midnight alot but i still got my games done. now that i have a lot of time after graduation and no available job, i started to have a lot of games i havent played yet. damn all these games coming out right after the other.
0 up, 1 down
Naztycuts
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 5:42:08 PM
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0 up, 0 down
hehateme
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 7:40:23 PM
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0 up, 1 down
BikerSaint
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 9:26:06 PM
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True that, but that reader also forgot to mention "Deus Ex"(or else he's never played it)
Deus Ex came out on the PC in 2000, only 1 year after "Shenmue".
Then DE showed up for the PS2 in 2002, and that was a full 3 years EVEN before Fahrenheit, which came out 2005(quoting my toned-down North American version-ed "Indigo Prophecy" copy of it).
And even the Xbox got their DE sequel in 2003, a full two years before Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy was released too.
0 up, 0 down
rogers71
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 10:25:28 PM
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Now, if Cliffy B. could 'birth' a ps3 game, people might start taking him a little more serious.
2 up, 0 down
Hitch
Sunday, March 21, 2010 @ 12:18:20 AM
0 up, 2 down
rogers71
Sunday, March 21, 2010 @ 5:32:14 PM
I for one don't take Cliffy B. seriously so as far as I am concerned, my facts are straight.
Anytime I hear about Cliffy B., all I can think about are his interviews when the PS3 first came onto the market. He spent all his time putting Sony and the PS3 down to make MS and the 360 look better. Therefore, I don't take him seriously.
I am glad he gave QD some recognition but until I hear him say something positive about Sony and the PS3, he will be just another developer too scared to embark on a journey with the superior PS3. Is that good enough for you?
2 up, 0 down
Hitch
Monday, March 22, 2010 @ 12:57:22 AM
0 up, 0 down
BikerSaint
Sunday, March 21, 2010 @ 1:16:41 AM
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American Medical Association Journal,
and the Ripley's Believe-It-Or-Not Museum!
1 up, 1 down
___________
Sunday, March 21, 2010 @ 2:06:18 AM
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desus ex and quantics previous titles for example, heavy rain certainly gave the genre the kick it needed to become more popular but it certainly did not create it.
i really hope developers have the balls to take what quantic gave us and build on it, because its by far the most fun ive had playing a game ever!
DICE and mirrors edge, now thats giving birth to a new genre.
in fact there really the only ones who have given us a new genre this gen.
who said first person platformers cant work?
o, yea thats right my teacher, another nail in the coffin to prove hes a idiot.
nice guy, but is more of a follow the sheep person than a step out from the crowd.
thats why his games will always be confined to XBLA and never hit the big time!
to survive in this industry you need to do at least 1 of these things.
1 create a new genre.
2 take something some one has made and bring it to the next level.
3 take something some one has made and do it yourself.
the more the better, if you just copy and paste 10 year old ideas your going to sink like a lead balloon!
0 up, 2 down
Deleted User
Sunday, March 21, 2010 @ 2:45:04 AM
4 up, 1 down
Deleted User []
Reply
Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 11:15:56 AM
Last edited by n/a on 3/20/2010 11:17:20 AM