[Hendo]

I watched a mate play the beginning of this on the PS2 when it came out (4 years ago!) and I've been meaning to pick it up for either that or the Xbox since, but never did. I'm sure I could've found it for a lot cheaper, but I downloaded it from Live for a tenner and it was a tenner well spent.
Took best part of Saturday, but I went through from start to finish with a mate and his lass watching, it was like the Saturday film for them, albeit watching some scenes many, many times ("Move and I'll shoot!"........"Move and I'll shoot!"........"Move and I'll shoot!").

I'd heard a lot about the last part of the game letting it down and it does, but not as bad as I'd been led to believe. Story-wise it doesn't need the extra villain being introduced and I'd have preferred maybe a more straight up crime thriller than something out of the X-Files, but I guess we'll have to wait for Heavy Rain for that.

What does let it down is some awful camera and control problems. They only occasionally rear their head but when they do, they can affect your ability to finish the scene properly.

The main guy behind it, David Cage, reckons that it's not a game that can be pigeon-holed easily, which is bollocks. It's an adventure game, like Shenmue but taking the manual combat out, giving more choice in the dialogue and less choice in where you can wander.

On the whole it's a great experience and I'm glad I bought it, very atmospheric and it still looks pretty good, bar some scary mo-capped polygon people (the black cop's girlfriend has but one facial expression). And a couple of stealth sections that Ben would just cream over.

http://en.wikipedia....it_(video_game)

[mr lakitu]

I remember having the demo disc for this on the xbox and playing it over and over for the different was to approach stuff.
It's presentation is lovely. It was meant to be part of a trilogy I think? Or am I making that up?
The soundtrack is especially lovely and features David Lynch's fave, Angelo Badalamenti.

Hendo, I might be reading into this a bit too much but what is the meaning behind the "I" not lighting like the other letters do at the end of the trailer?

[spatular]

yeah this is a great game, the qte's (of which there are shed loads) aren't annoying either. i played through Ben's ps2 copy ages ago, and bought it myself on xbox, never played my copy.

[Hendo]

wiivo, on May 3 2009, 04:00 PM, said:

Hendo, I might be reading into this a bit too much but what is the meaning behind the "I" not lighting like the other letters do at the end of the trailer?

I don't think there's any relevance, no.

[Ben]

Loved this game, the atmosphere completely makes it. When you first visit that old womans house with all the birds, it set me on edge better than most horror games.
I remember there being a couple of fights where i was knackered after them just from the sheer effort of concentration

[Craymen Edge]

The first few hours of Fahrenheit are some of the finest in any game ever, but then it really starts to go downhill. I gave up on it on the xbox when I failed a several minute QTE (the rooftop battle and escape) because I couldn't hammer the triggers hard enough.

I have it on the PS2 in case I feel like giving it a second chance with a controller that's more suited to trigger bashing.

[Hendo]

Craymen Edge, on May 3 2009, 10:16 PM, said:

I gave up on it on the xbox when I failed a several minute QTE (the rooftop battle and escape) because I couldn't hammer the triggers hard enough.

I had the exact same experience, and once those lives are up you have to go all the way through the fight with the Oracle all over again. The rooftop escape was weird because one time I still let go of the girl even though I'd maxed out the L-R bashing bit. Did it again after that just trying to keep it in the dark blue section and it was fine. Very odd.

Funnily enough, you gave up right at the end of the game, there's barely anything left after that.

[dante76]

One of the rare PS2 games that my girlfriend has actually played and finished. Really quiet fun, I can cope with dodgy plots after reading and playing (please kill me now) The Da Vinci Code.

Memorable moments: Guitar playing seduction, death by pills and alcohol, lots of other stuff.

Oh and Martina Topley Bird on soundtrack... always a good thing

[DifferentClass]

I'm finally playing this, got it off Steam during the sales and I only played it for 30 mins to see if it worked.

It is fantastic so far but thats because I've just done them first few hours. I'm not sure where I stand on the QTEs, there are more than I thought there would be but I did a section where I was chased around my work by imaginary bugs, the QTEs did seem to add to the urgency of the scene but they do distract from whats happening, I suppose you see enough to know whats going on.

I'm liking it more than I thought I would, I have Heavy Rain on order and I'm actually looking forward to it now, I'm hoping to finish this before I get my hands on it.

Thats if I can get past this damn stealth section..

[Hendo]

Funnily enough I started this up again the other day, just to see the opening bit again. I think that's one of the best opening sections of any game. Really makes a good first impression.

[TopGunKnacker]

got to admit i thought this game was dogshit. im going to give heavy rain a chance, but as it seems the gameplay hasnt really changed, im hoping the story is better. thats what this kind of game (interactive movie?) seems to hinge on

[DifferentClass]

I just finished it. I both love it and hate it, while I didn't mind the QTEs so much at first I started to dread them at about the halfway point, some sequences are really long and when you fail them, which I often did, it was right back at the start, it doesn't help that most are seemingly random then finish off with one action that represents what you are going to do on screen. The basket ball match? pure, lengthy shite.

Parts like the intro are dotted about and I wish more of it was like that. I really liked the story, I even didn't mind the mad plot twist but that could be because I was half expecting it, I knew it had some sci-fi nonsense in it but thats all I knew, not exactly what. The relationship between Carla and Lucas is stupid, it came out of no-where, it was unbelievable.

I'm hoping Heavy Rain will not have as many issues, going from the demo I can only assume that the action parts are done much better and hopefully some better character development is in there, not to say its bad here, just that one sub-plot, the rest was pretty solid.. in an intentionally vague sort of way.

I guess it has a bit in common with Dreamfall: The Longest Journey. Great stories but with some crappy gameplay. Though I would say Dreamfall is better, that is enjoyable just not well made, where as the way QTEs are used here its just a pain.

[Hendo]

That's a pretty fair assessment.
I hope Quantic Dream have learned some lessons from this but I still expect Heavy Rain to be a flawed gem.