Tue, May 19, 2009 | 19:19 BST

David Cage talks Heavy Rain’s setting, why France didn’t make the cut

heavyrain

David Cage has said in an interview that his reason for choosing the US instead of his native France as a backdrop for Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain, was the sense of “danger and disparity” in one of the larger cities gave him the perfect background for writing a thriller.

“We spent time in an east coast city for three weeks with cameras, and it was a real shock to see the poverty, the ghettos, the abandoned factories, and the sense of danger that the social disparity creates,” Cage told 1UP. “When you live in Europe, the US is most of the time depicted as the country of success, power, money, heroes saving the world, and sexy girls. Discovering the social side of America that you rarely see in movies was something absolutely scary.

“I came [across a particular city coincidentally], not really knowing what I was looking for, but I found the exact background I needed to tell my story, and I must say it really fed the writing of Heavy Rain.”

When asked why he didn’t set the game in France, Cage gave a number of reasons for the choice.

“France is a fantastic country for food, history, nature, culture and art, but I guess it is easier to write about another culture you feel familiar with but that is not yours,” he said. “I don’t have any specific desire to write a game set in France.

“I don’t have enough distance with my country to be able to tell something interesting about it…for the moment.”

You can read the rest of the interview through the link.

12 comments

#1

Razor
19/05/09, 4:59 pm

Bloody French.

#2

Syrok
19/05/09, 5:02 pm

I’m sure the suburbs of Paris can be quite scary, too. ^.^

#3

2Three
19/05/09, 5:03 pm

Qu’est-ce que c’est?

#4

tenthousandgothsonacid
19/05/09, 5:10 pm

Naive Frenchman in first trip abroad shocker…

Has he got all his septic experience from watching Dallas or something ?

#5

tenthousandgothsonacid
19/05/09, 5:16 pm

@Syrok Wise words.

Has he not watched this excellent film for instance ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Haine

#6

Goliath
19/05/09, 5:20 pm

For some reason, I’m just not interested in this game. I’ve been following the media released of the game but I’m not at all interested. It may be great interactive media but it’s not what I want out of a gaming experience. Call me jaded for wishing the game was your more standard 3rd person action adventure.

#7

dirigiblebill
19/05/09, 5:24 pm

Headline could easily have been: “Cage picks US for seedy thriller because it is dirty and he likes it.”

#8

anasui
19/05/09, 5:24 pm

notice how he didnt mention a single thing about French people, like “and the people there are great”. Lol

#9

mortiferus
19/05/09, 7:36 pm

That’s funny, I though France had Ghetto’s… and with snail eatin’ snooty douche bags to boot!

I suggest Cage rents Eddie Murphy’s Coming to America and the Charles Bronson Death Wish movies to get the real americana!

The more he talks the more I know Heavy Rain will be Heavy SHITE! I’m calling this one already, it will be a flop along the lines of Factor Five’s Lair.

#10

polygem
19/05/09, 8:26 pm

wtf is he talking about? i am a social worker from germany and i´ve been to the suburbs of paris several times…things are pretty fucked up there too. i would have loved france as a setting for this game….ahem if they would have made it for 360 though…

#11

deanimate
19/05/09, 9:13 pm

pretty sure this game will be rubbish.

#12

Syrok
19/05/09, 10:36 pm

Why is that, deanimate?

Leave a Reply