Wed, Mar 17, 2010 | 04:07 GMT
Molyneux: Heavy Rain will “show the way forward to a new form of entertainment”
Oh that Peter Molyneux. As it turns out, when he’s not talking his trademark talk about his own games, he’s lavishing other people’s games with similarly heaping gobs of affection.
Speaking with Joystiq during this week’s SXSW event, Molyneux gave his seal of approval to Sony’s story-based thriller.
“I recommend anyone who wants to start to see the first glimpses of the future of video games to go out and buy it,” Molyneux said.
“But there’s no question in my mind that games like Heavy Rain — games that have a new fidelity in the way that they present their experiences; obviously made with cinematography and motion capture in mind — can really show the way forward to a new form of entertainment, which is evolving the story and choices and consequences,” he added.
For those who are afraid that Molyneux’s got humorless crime dramas on the brain now, though, don’t fret too much.
“But, personally, I could not bring myself to play more than 90 minutes, because the world that was there was so dark and so emotionally involving I felt emotionally beaten up,” Molyneux explained.
Picture this, though: Fable 4. You’re faced with a moral dilemma for the ages. Suddenly, the QTE choice ring from Heavy Rain appears. Words swirl around your head so fast that they nearly blend together into a thick gibberish soup. But you can make out four phrases: “murder,” “sacrifice,” “get help,” and “fart.”
Yeah. You already know which one you’ll be choosing.
12 comments
#1
Edward Cullen
17/03/10, 4:38 am
lol! man you never fail to crack me up!hahaha.
#2
ybfelix
17/03/10, 5:34 am
Now where’s the Microsoft PR Sniper Death Squad?
#3
Michael O’Connor
17/03/10, 5:52 am
(Oh my god, I said something that supports and compliments Sony twice in one day! THE WORLD IS ENDING!)
More baseless Molyneux basing I see.
The guy makes an educated observation on the intellectual and emotional merits of gaming as an artistic artform… and gets *insulted* for it?!
Heavy Rain is one of the most emotional involving video games I have ever played, and I believe myself that this game is, in and of itself, the birth of a new genre. The sales of the game will hopefully prove that there is a place on the market for more games like this.
There are many lessons in Heavy Rain that could teach some smart design ideas going forward, and I hope that technology like Move and Natal are part of that. We are getting scarily close to the kind of immersive entertainment that a short time ago were solely the fantasy of ridiculous sci-fi movies.
“Now where’s the Microsoft PR Sniper Death Squad?”
You do realise that Rare makes DS games, right? Microsoft is not going to have an issue with Molyneux discussing the merits of the competition’s video games.
#4
Gekidami
17/03/10, 6:34 am
Why do i sense he’s just building THIS up?
#5
Edward Cullen
17/03/10, 6:41 am
Oh easy there O’Connor who’s *insulting* who?
#6
Michael O’Connor
17/03/10, 6:41 am
Same basic idea.
I think Milo could be very interesting indeed, if done successfully.
#7
Dannybuoy
17/03/10, 7:24 am
Well done Moly! The man’s right you know. Top game. Play for
ore than 90 minutes. Go on. I dare you
#8
NiceFellow
17/03/10, 7:33 am
While I felt the controls still don’t quite cut it, overall I was impressed with Heavy Rain, and it definitely raises the bar (which was admittedly set very low in the first place) for using the medium to convey some pretty adult, emotionally tough situations.
As a result, I’m with ‘ole Pete on this one. He does get overexcited about possible vs delivered, but there’s no denying he’s passionate about the videogame medium, which is hardly the worst thing in the world.
#9
revolting
17/03/10, 7:57 am
I haven’t gotten very far into heavy rain yet, but I’m far enough to know that I really, really want an ARI kit.
#10
ianbenoir
17/03/10, 12:31 pm
“fart!”
#11
Wakkum
17/03/10, 12:34 pm
@ 3: I totally agree. Although there are a lot of things in HR that could be improved, it shows that there is room for something more in games than the mindless elements we have gotten used to. It shows that games can be a ‘make your own adventure’, something that hasn’t been accomplished until now, not even in RPG’s because you just weren’t as emotionally involved.
#12
ybfelix
17/03/10, 1:27 pm
Easy Michael, Moly made that sniper quip himself a while ago.