Posted May 15, 2009 at 09:06PM by Mabie A. Listed in: News, Games, Heavy Rain Tags: Quantic Dream, David Cage
Ó

Heavy Rain - Image 1There are games that can be shared, but there are some that are meant for only one console, that one which no exclusivity deal can coerce to cross to the other side. One such game is Quantic Dream's Heavy Rain. David Cage said so as much: "I think the game can only be done on PlayStation 3."

It's not hard to imagine what he's saying. After all, did you see the flawless execution of graphics in-game, from the real-time teardrops to the intricate attention to details of the surroundings? If not, then I suggest you head to our archive of Heavy Rain posts and check out one or two of them.

Furthermore, "I think to do the visuals and all the stuff we're doing would be too difficult [on the 360]. There are amazing physics there, and stuff with crowds that you just couldn't really get."

Heavy Rain is expected later this year on the PS3, and we're expecting some big guns from it.



Related Heavy Rain Articles:


[Via Now Gamer] Permalink  |   Email this  |   Linking Blogs   |   Digg It!

Bookmark / Find this article on:


40 Comments


Sort by:
   by Advertising -
   by Digitus - 2009-05-15
 » Well

I honestly don't get what all the hype is about with Heavy Rain. There isn't really much info on what kind of game it is. Just that its about a killer. Story is important yes, but so is game play to me. I don't really care how good a game looks, if it plays like crap then it kinda neutralizes everything else.

That said, it does look gorgeous and I do agree that it probably couldn't be done on the 360 due in part to, the size of everything they're packing into the disc along with processing power and all of that. Killzone 2 already gave us an idea of what to expect and this game is planning on pushing the limits. I'm going to buy it just to see how pretty it is. I just don't think it deserves this much hype with so few game details.


   Re: jrsmaster411 - 2009-05-15
 » excuse me

I think most people already know what it's gonna play like, pick up Indigo Prophecy and you'll get a very good idea of what the game will most likely be like.

   Re: papajag - 2009-05-16
 » ...

This game has an acquired taste to it(at least Indigo Prophecy did). People might not like the game because of it. But I love games like this. It's something new from your FPS and crappy RPGs this gen.
   by NarooN - 2009-05-15
 » Digitus.

Details were scare at one point, but anyone who subscribed or just bought a few episodes of Qore, and who subscribed to the Official PS mag could get some extra info on what type of game it is. The game is very ambitious, and I doubt it'll do poorly.

My only worry is that this is a new IP, so if Sony and Quantum don't market this well enough, it'd get a lot of 9/10s and 10/10s and still sell poorly.

As for any technical explanations for why it supposedly can't be done on 360, I think it probably can't as well. Sony doesn't own Quantum. Quantum didn't just sit at a table and say "Oh, we're a bunch of fanboys, so let's just do it on the PS3. 360 is too weak."

The 360 is a powerful console, yeah, but it was rushed out the door and definitely isn't as powerful as the PS3. Next-gen games won't show you this blatantly, but we already have a handful of titles that show what happens when a developer develops with the PS3 in mind.

His explanation for why it can't be done on 360 was rather vague and he didn't give out too much technical info, but he's an actual dev so I'd take his word for it. I'd also assume that with the scale of the game (the game world, not it's length) it'd be difficult or impossible to fit on one standard 360 DVD.


   Re: Matt-N - 2009-05-16
 » !

Amen to that.

   Re: hush404 - 2009-05-16
 » Actually

In regards to the article's "Vagueness" I think he points directly to processor power with nods to physics and crowd stuff.

   Re: anhero - 2009-05-16
 » obviously

its obviously due to physics and in-game calculations. stepping fanboyism aside, the 360 has better capabilities for graphics (yet fails to the Ps3 and many other things). I really don't know much about this game but it seems that it would be pretty good, and I hope it does turn out well.
   by astaroth001 - 2009-05-15
 » ...

at least someone is being honest on what can the MS console do and what it cant...maybe they mean it cant handle it ine one dvd vs 1 Blue Ray...doesnt take a scientits to notice (forgive possible spell errors)


   Re: yoshi314 - 2009-05-16
 » well,

that would be only possible if the SDK for both xbox360 and ps3 was free for anyone to use, along with in-depth technical info.

i think ps3 has better gaming potential, since it is an original architecture, not based on anything.

xbox360 most likely repeats the mistakes of original xbox, being a modified pc. and pc design has several design bottlenecks, which might have crept into xbox360 as well.

but, unless we see the real specs, this might just be a speculation.
   by Binary - 2009-05-15
 » Bull***** detector went off.

I think they dont wanna spend money on making copies for 360 or sony must be playing them to say that.




   Re: martin447 - 2009-05-16
 » ??

i doubt it, as SONY never pays for exclusives, and i doubt they manipulate people like microsoft did at one point... i believe he is speaking his own mind :)

   Re: rollypoly - 2009-05-16
 » @martin...

hahaha are you serious?

both companies are just as guilty of paying for exclusives, or "manipulating" people as you put it. (not announcing poor BC until the day before launch for example, while most fans are standing in line anyway)

sony may do it less often then M$ now, but then M$ is trying to become what Sony was... so taking the same route isn't surprising in the least...

   Re: papajag - 2009-05-16
 » ^...

True that. Companies loves cash. It's just that MS has more going to their third party games and Sony to 1st party so it makes it look like MS is doing something bad. I mean come on money talks in this community. If I was offered 50 Mil to make a DLC for a system I'd say you wanna do me in the ass too.

   Re: Shady0808 - 2009-05-16
 » No

Sony aren't like Microsoft

   Re: papajag - 2009-05-16
 » You know...

When Sony publishes a game technically they're paying for exclusives. Just because you see a Sony brand in the cover of each game doesn't mean that Sony didn't pay them to make that game. Quantic Dream wasn't an exclusive dev team and because Sony is publishing their game it mean money was involved.

Although it's not as obvious as MS, Sony is doing it and just putting their name on that cover. Although you can think of Sony as producers who provides money to make games and MS as a consumer who buys a game for itself.

   Re: jac_the_ripper - 2009-05-16
 » @rollypoly

martin447 is actually correct because sony already stated that they don't pay money like MS to keep third party games as 360 exclusives, and they also claimed that they are proud by not doing so

   Re: anhero - 2009-05-16
 » anhero

jack you're so naive. all companies lie to you everytime and the reason is because every company has an obligation to its shareholders which is maximize profits no matter what. when they see covenient to buy exclusives they do it. sometimes the word gets out and they have to either admit or not disclose any info depending on the situation.

if you beleive sony, microsoft, or any other companie in the world cares for its customers or lives of people as a matter of fact you're wrong. you should know that in 2003 sony along other companies (125 according to UN report) actually paid rebel groups in Democratic Republic of Congo to get them control of mines for Coltan. It has been the deadliest war since WW2, with over 5.4 million dead, and 45k dieying each month.

Unfortunately, it is because of the sacrificing and exploiting of so many millions of life in under developed countries that we people living in developed countries have such a good lifestyle.
   by DXcellence - 2009-05-16
 » wow

Lol this article is just more food for ps3 fanboys :/
(whixh im sure they'll flock all over this article soon)


   Re: jrsmaster411 - 2009-05-16
 » ok

strangely enough the only fanboys who have posted here have been 360 fanboys
   by PS34ME - 2009-05-16
 » here we go again

a console exclusive dev says "the competition can't handle what we're doing on this console", and people just lap it up. i'm not here to argue on whether it's true or not, or to what extent it's correct, but to say that on ALL consoles, the word of exclusive devs should always be taken with a pitch of salt, since there always an element of bias and the need to please their "masters", in this case sony.

   by Alistar - 2009-05-16
 » Hmm...

Yoshi314

"i think ps3 has better gaming potential, since it is an original architecture, not based on anything."

"The Cell is a PowerPC Vector processor, this isn't new technology, it were used back in the 1970's, the Cell is just an old super computer technology revived for modern times, it's not like the technology is not in use today."

As quoted...



   Re: yoshi314 - 2009-05-16
 » hmm...

i didn't just talk about the cpu. each playstation is a unique architecture that is designed from scratch. this allowed sony to avoid various design flaws that plague pc's (one of them is the cpu-gpu bandwidth bottleneck).

as far as cell is concerned - if cell was not new technology, why would it cost so much to develop it? keep in mind that cell in ps3 is actually composed of different cores - they are a bit different from each other.

the quote (source?) you provided seems to conflict with this info : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_(microprocessor)

   Re: PS34ME - 2009-05-16
 » hmm...

"each playstation is a unique architecture that is designed from scratch. this allowed sony to avoid various design flaws that plague pc's (one of them is the cpu-gpu bandwidth bottleneck)."

the same applies to the 360. in hardware terms, it's no more a pc than the ps3. so the bottlenecks you mentioned before regarding the pc don't apply to the 360 any more than they do the ps3.

where the 360 is like a pc is in software terms for game development, which from what i've read from devs, is excellent.

   Re: Alistar - 2009-05-16
 » Hmm...

You said the architecture was built from scratch. CPU's have an architecture which affects the capabilities each have.

The Cell inside the PS3 only has one core but with 8 SPEs. One is disabled just in case all other 7 die.

It would conflict because it is Wikipedia. It's user edited information. For the irony, I'll also link to a Wikipedia page that has such information :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supercomputer
   by Teivin - 2009-05-16
 » ..Heh

Sony claiming to not buy exclusives? Thats how they dominated in the PSX era. By the time PS2 came out they'd managed to run everyone else into the ground. Now in their third era they believe themselves to be invincible and claim they 'no longer do it' (Though as someone pointed out, now they just act as 'producers' which is the same thing.)

I'd rather MS's style of simply doing it up front. It's business. Pure and simple. There is nothing wrong with it. Sony did it to win their foothold, and now they are losing it because they arent defending it, thinking its somehow a non-issue.

Its been pointed out time and again. PS3 has been one of the most ill conceived consoles of this generation. Sony did everything but stab people who bought it in an attempt to kill it.

Back on topic. I want to see the actual game specs. I'm sure the PS3 can do things the 360 cannot. On the other hand, I'm curious how hard they tried. Thats what it comes down to. Even the PS2 had some amazing games I didn't think possible. Devs just have to put in the effort. (Course with 80% of dev cycles and money going into simply working on graphics models these days, who has time to work hard? GOTTA WORK ON THEM TEXTURES.)

   by nuffsaid - 2009-05-16
 » im pretty sure...

u will never read, ps3 cant handle new xbox game.

exclusives ps3 games are about quality unlike x360 who just care about quantity.


   Re: PS34ME - 2009-05-17
 » oh please

that's the same bs nintendo fanboys used to say against the playstation, where they constantly went on and on about "quality over quantity", and therefore came across as nothing more than gaming snobs.

regarding never reading "ps3 cant handle new xbox game", that's because its a culture that exists within sony. they hype their hardware so much that they HAVE to seek to prove its superiority. they did exactly the same with the ps2 despite it being weaker than the xbox, where ps2 exclusive devs would make claims that the xbox couldn't handle what they're doing on the ps2.

and just like in the ps2 days, it's only sony exclusive devs who make such claims. you never read multi-format devs claiming the ps3 is so much more powerful than the 360 that it can do things the 360 can't, instead they talk about the strengths and weaknesses in both.

yes overall the ps3 is a little more powerful than the 360, but that's the point, it's only a little difference, far less than the difference between ps2 and xbox, or even gc and xbox, and so i don't but the claims made by _exclusive_ devs about only the ps3 being able to handle their game.

and before others jump in, going back to nintendo fanboys, it was again more bs from them when they claimed the ps2 couldn't handle re4. they even laughed when capcom announced a ps2 version, and made fun at how bad the port would be. but in the end, despite not having the graphical power of the gc, and so not being quite as good graphically, the ps2 version of re4 was still a dam fine port.

so yes, the 360 could handle heavy rain, sure there may be areas where it wouldn't quite match the ps3 version (like the ps2 version of re4), and the game would need to be split across multiple discs, but it is still possible.

   Re: nuffsaid - 2009-05-17
 » disc swapping a thing of the past, unless u got a xbox!!

any exclusive xbox game can work on the ps3. same cant be said the other way around.

ps3s cell can have smarter ai and better physics.

bluray equals massive games on one disc.

and psn can handle 256 players online (currently 60 players with no lag).

if lbp was on the xbox it would be play story mode insert disc 1, play online insert disc 2, tutorial disc 3 etc. basically it would be lame.

   Re: PS34ME - 2009-05-17
 » keep fooling yourself

ANY game on ps3 can be done on 360 and vice versa. that's a fact. you can list all the reasons fanboys love to give on why it can't happen, but all you're giving is a list of uninformed nonsense.

as i said, it's exactly the same thing nintendo fanboys did when saying why re4 couldn't work on ps2, and then when capcom announced a ps2 port, then had a list of reasons why it will be rubbish.

so quit the fanboy nonsense. as if said already, it may be that compromises will be needed, just like re4 on the ps2, but that doesn't make it impossible, and it certainly didn't make it a worse game for those compromises.

oh and in case you're wondering, i own a ps3 and _only_ a ps3. i bought it because sony has some of the best exclusive devs in the business who know how to push hardware and sony consoles has always satisfied me in the past. however, i would be happy with the 360 if there was no ps3. so excuse me if, unlike some gamers here, i don't get a boner over the the power of the ps3 compared to the 360, i just want to play great games on the console, not fantasize over it's power. :-P

   Re: nuffsaid - 2009-05-17
 » thats where we r different

i bought my ps3 coz i want triple A first party games and the best version of 3rd party games.

yeah games like heavy rain could be done on the xbox but not as good, games like MAG can be done on the xbox but with less players... heck why not bring it out those games on the ds im sure the games will be the same!!

i dont understand why you got a ps3. by what ur writing above why didnt you get a xbox?

   Re: PS34ME - 2009-05-17
 » yes we differ

"i bought my ps3 coz i want triple A first party games and the best version of 3rd party games."

same here, i agree about 1st party games, but from all the reviews and comparisons over the years, it's turned out to be the 360 which tends to have the slightly better version of 3rd party multi-format games (and no, i don't buy the devs are lazy argument), something which made me realize the 360 is far better than many first thought.

"yeah games like heavy rain could be done on the xbox but not as good"

maybe as good, maybe not, but so what. my point is that even if it's not as good, it's not make or break for the game. again like re4 on the ps2, it's not as good as the gc version, but it was still a very good game and in the end didn't matter if some areas didn't match the gc version.

"i dont understand why you got a ps3. by what ur writing above why didnt you get a xbox?"

i've already given my reasons for buying a ps3 over a 360 , i'd made up my mind before the console was even launched (hence my alias), but just because i chose the ps3 it doesn't mean i have to be a sony fanboy.

   Re: nuffsaid - 2009-05-17
 » im not a fanboy 2...

as i have a ps3 and x360. the following 3rd party games i have played on both machines. starting with my favourite games.

burnout, better textures on ps3 version

cod, better colours on ps3, some better textures and less dropping out online on the ps3 (when it came out)

gta, better contrast on ps3, blacks looks like dark grey on x360 and less pop ups on ps3.

and res evil 5, better colour palette on the ps3 version.

games i thought looked better on the xbox are games like r6 vegas, fight night and half life orange box. basically the older games.

the polygon count in the games will be the same on both machines as there is no point for a 3rd party company 2 spend the extra time and money on producing this, that is where exclusive games come in.

put it this way, if there was 2 tvs 1 with a upscaled dvd and the other with blu-ray, my head would turn 2 the blu-ray version with the richer colours and the 7.1 surround sound.

bottom line - i want the best version of any game. i think my favourite games look better on the ps3

   Re: PS34ME - 2009-05-18
 » hmmm

i disagree with you on the contrast, colour and brightness issues, because my experience is that it can easily be solved by simply adjusting your tv's contrast, colour and brightness settings. hence it's a bit annoying when i've seen ps3 vs 360 comparisons (gamespot) where they criticise the ps3 version for contrast when a simple adjustment would fix it.

other than that, the vast majority of comparisons i've seen has the 360 version being slightly better than the ps3 version, except when the ps3 is the lead format, like burnout.

http://uk.gamespot.com/features/6201700/
http://uk.gamespot.com/features/6191251
http://uk.gamespot.com/features/6171831
http://uk.gamespot.com/features/6162742

And here's 19 'face-off' comparisons between 360 and ps3 at eurogamer, so be sure to look through this comparison and the previous eighteen comparisons and more (links on that page),

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/xbox-360-vs-ps3-face-off-round-19-article

this is echoed throughout the internet, therefore i think it's clear that overall, the 360 tends to have the edge for multi-format games (not by much though, so i don't mind).

"the polygon count in the games will be the same on both machines as there is no point for a 3rd party company 2 spend the extra time and money on producing this"

and yet they can always have higher polygon counts and better textures in the pc version if available, which shows it's not about time and money, its about memory and power.

360 and ps3 has the same amount of ram and similar power in the gpus, therefore the graphics ends up being very similar. if either console had say 1GB of ram, then that console would have the better textures, or if either console had a gpu twice as powerful, then that console would have higher polygon counts and more effects in the graphics.

you are right that devs can get more out of the console from exclusives, but that depends on the talents and resources of the devs, which is one of my reasons for chosing ps3 over 360. but i have no doubt that devs like naughty dog and guerilla would get equally great results out of the 360 if they were exclusive to that console instead.

and that's where i leave it. i think we have more in common than it first seemed over the ps3, but i think my view of the 360 is much more positive than your own, hence our differences in opinion i feel. :)
   by narutosaiyan - 2009-05-16
 » games

i think videogames are art. u have the developers that put some ***** together and throw it on the market to make a quick buck, and u have the artists who have a vision of what they want. now... like kojima most true arists want to see their vision come to life, and although ps3 isnt all powerful, its still more powerful than the 360. so what the real artist do is they develop on ps3 because it allows them to dream bigger. and then there r games like gears of war where the developers put some ***** together, hyped it up, and bam! u got picasso and the "wtf am i looking at" reaction. i mean look at the games on ps3...uncharted, kz2, gow3, gt5, mag, infamous, lbp, rain, final fantasy...those are all truly beautiful pieces of art

   by silwon - 2009-05-16
 » Xbox 360 will probably be emulated eventually on the PS3

Wouldn't that squash all the controversy? Wouldn't that be funny? unlikely - but who knows!


   Re: PS34ME - 2009-05-17
 » impossible

but nice dream ;-)

   Re: silwon - 2009-05-17
 » Why impossible?

the PsOne was emulated on the xbox...

   Re: nuffsaid - 2009-05-17
 » ..

yeah ps1 was emulated not ps2
   by rakizta77 - 2009-05-22
 » WTF?!?

just accept that fact that the game cannot be ported to the xbox360. the fact that people are discussing about the the differences of the 2 consoles is because most here are fanboys who cannot accept the fact. just shut the hell up fanboys.

there's something about the ps3 that the 360 doesn't so just accept that fact and do not be such a freakin whiz kid talking technical stuffs acting like you're such a genius. cmon. you're not the one who made those 2 consoles, hell you cant even crack(hack) the ps3.

the whole point. Heavy Rain = not for 360. Heavy Rain = PS3 only. now lets see who's gonna be the first fanboy to quote me. LOL.


   Re: Jez - 2009-05-23
 » WTF2?!?

Just because a console exclusive dev makes a comment about the opposition, it doesn't mean you should accept everything they say. Being exclusive to one console means they are always going to be biased, no matter how much they may pretend otherwise.

I agree most gamers talking about the technical stuff don't know what they're talking about, but at the same time, this is a forum and so they have every right to do so, right or wrong.

Finally, Heavy Rain looks interesting as a game, but the most recent movie I've seen of the game looks less impressive than before, and has left me a little disappointed. IMO, it really is nothing that can't be done on 360 technically.

Sorry, but there are a number of PS3/360 games released and to be released, which impresses me more than this;

http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2009/05/22/heavy-rain-gameplay-video-shows-off-interactive-movie-gameplay.htm


Add QJ.NET
Add to My Yahoo!
Google Reader Subscribe with Bloglines
Add  to your Kinja digest Subscribe in NewsGator Online
Subscribe with Pluck RSS reader Add 'www.qj.net' to Newsburst from CNET News.com
Subscribe with SearchFox RSS del.icio.us www.qj.net
Add to Technorati Favorite! Add to My AOL
furl! it Stumble for Treehugger!