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Where games and movies meet
A new videogame blurs the lines between game and film
Recently Sony Computer Entertainment rolled out the red carpet for the European premiere of an upcoming Playstation 3 game, Heavy Rain. An innovative new video game, Heavy Rain fuses film noir and intelligent gaming; cinematography is blended with immersive action allowing characters and plot to respond in real time to decisions that players make.
Heavy Rain is described by its creators as a game that focuses on drama and emotional response rather than violence and repetition, on making difficult decisions in the heat of the moment and living with the consequences. The choices players make in Heavy Rain have a tangible impact on the fates of the characters and the way the narrative unfolds.
To take an extreme example, if one of the characters dies it is not necessarily ‘Game Over', the plot continues using other characters and that character's death becomes part of the story influencing the attitudes and choices of other characters.
Like the game, Heavy Rain's debut in Paris set out to be a premiere event with a difference. The evening kicked off with a screening of footage showcasing the game's gripping narrative and emotionally-involving story set in a rain-drenched American town with a killer on the loose.
Guests were then treated to an exploration of human nature in the form of a short film from acclaimed director Neil LaBute (In the Company of Men, Nurse Betty, the upcoming Death at a Funeral remake). Director of Heavy Rain, David Cage, then joined LaBute onstage for a debate concerning emotional expression and action.
Blurring the lines between different mediums, Heavy Rain signals an interesting new direction in videogaming. "Heavy Rain makes players react emotionally to what they experience, it engages them and makes them care at a visceral level about their character and we hope to have conveyed this powerful sensation at this evening's premiere," Cage said.
Heavy Rain is set to hit stores February 25 and more information can be found by heading to www.heavyrain.com.
Image caption: David Cage and Heavy Rain actress Aurelie Bancilhon