Ben-DutkaI knew it would cause a firestorm of comments and controversy when it first hit the Internet and while I try to avoid such situations and confrontations (no real winners ever emerge), one should at least applaud Quantic Dream for sticking to its storyline-driven guns.
I'm relatively certain you've seen the video by now so I won't describe Madison's topless scene. However, having seen just about everything controversial this industry has had to offer over the years, from both the extreme violence and gratuitous nudity/sex camps, one particular aspect of that scene struck me immediately. Then, the instant after it struck, it dawned on me that I probably shouldn't be surprised, given everything we already know about Heavy Rain . This is a game that should redefine the concept of virtual storytelling; a project that I thought might present us with an entirely new "Intellectual Sub-Genre" and one that continues to impress me at every turn. A 2,000-page script is enough to be enticing, but it's the intertwining storylines, plot construction, and general character development that should be most impressive from a game standpoint.
So no, I shouldn't have been surprised when I realized that this nude scene was neither gratuitous nor inappropriate. I'm absolutely certain it fit the needs of the writers and creators, and therefore, it serves a definite purpose. It should be something that would be believable on the part of Madison's character and it shouldn't be what one might call a "throwaway scene." And then, looking back on other games where nudity and/or sex was involved, I realized that it rarely – if ever – has been tasteful and professionally implemented from an artistic standpoint. Maybe this is why the topic has been so controversial before: because it has only been included in games to titillate the teenagers. But now, if critics and gamers alike agree that Heavy Rain 's nudity doesn't detract from the overall experience, and we agree that it's about as close to a movie as we can get these days, perhaps there won't be any controversy. Films that include this content, provided the content is done well , can escape such debate.
And maybe games can as well…now. Maybe this is exactly what we needed. This character is not a fantastical top-heavy, impossibly formed, brainless female from the likes of Team Ninja. She's nicely formed, yes, but hardly impossible, and I will assume she's an intelligent and rational individual. In other words, she does not exist simply for the sake of her looks; that scene doesn't exist only for cosmetic or lurid purposes, and the entire concept of nudity in the game – as a direct result – ceases to become an issue at all. Well, at least in my eyes.
Hakuna Matata
what a wonderful phrase.
Last edited by cLoudou on 9/25/2009 11:56:54 PM
it means no worries ……srry I couldnt help myself
LMAO!
It's not cheap nudity like in GTA, that just shows a bunch of nudity. Even the GTA DLC where they show full frontal nudity, it's completely unnecessary. If I want to watch cheap nudity, there's plenty available in the internet
In the Heavy Rain, I'm sure people pretty much can guess why the girl is naked, and she does it for a reason. It strengthens the story. I will give this a chance, but I want to see the reviews before a purchase. Good quality game.
I'm still waiting for QD to announce a solid release date.
Bingo. Can't go to bat for a game on vapourware…
Heavy Rain has never once qualified for such a term.
omg no, nudity = terrible. it obviously shouldn't be allowed in anything. actually you know what, I think the government should join up and put a stop to anything depicting nudity in any way, and even guys having their shirts off should no longer be allowed. Naked bodies are not supposed to be shown off visually to anyone but yourself and you're spouse. GRR!! Everyone knows we should have games that depict violence instead of nudity! We want are children growing up violent and angry, not perverted!!
/random talk
;D LOL, isn't that america views it tho? XD they show all these violent gore filled things, but as soon as any type of nudity pops up, it's a concern, I think some people have their priorities messed up. tsk tsk
was that sarcasm?
……………obviously? XD
lol good, you made it sound so serious
lol that was the point XD some people get too serious about it, sorry about the ppl thumb downing you =O it wasn't your fault, lol.
Im baffled myself Legendary. Its ok to see someone get dismembered in SAW but it is an unthinkable to see the body parts we're born with?!
Why do people panic so much?
This is clearly a game NOT for anyone under 17/18.
Heck, most under 18 persons have probably seen private parts in R rated movies already
Sooooo if the hammer should come down on anyone, movies should be the first ones to suffer from the hammer.
im buying this game no matter what, just get my brother to buy it for me, i dont want it for this nudity scene, I was and still am anticapating this game before I even knew it had nudity, I want the game for the intuitive storytelling, re-playablity, and the hope this could become a norm in the gaming and entertaining world alike. Heavy Rain is a must buy for anybody old enough to understand problems and situations coming at them from all angles, and I think i can handle this game at the age of 15.i think there should be a test you can take evry 2 years to see wheather or not your mature enough to buy a game, not this age crap, your age doesn't always represent your maturity level. i know it's a long shot, but we need a new rating system, but the ESRB is doing a fine job imo. Nudity or not, I want this game.
Last edited by JMO_INDY on 9/25/2009 11:10:57 PM
10 years ago, when people think of games, they think of kids. It is only normal to raise an uproar on nudity. Now that Wii introduced so many "adults" into the gaming market, it's only natural to have adult contents to follow along.
does any1 know the circumstances for the nudity, ben said it played a part in the story but never elaborated and i really havent heard much about this game
Shes performing a strip tease for a guy to get info. and……WHACK! hits the guy upside the head with a lamp, true story.
it happened to a friend of a friend of mine…
I can't wait for this game! It looks absolutely fantastic, and I agree if it's done properly and not for the sake of just being there for no reason. The story will be amazing and this game will make xbox fanboys bleed with envy! Sony said they are pushing the M rating to the limits with Heavy Rain, and I beg they will not make any changes just to please angry parents or whoever that complains about the game, That is what I fear. Stick to your guns, Sony!!
Last edited by BlackBriar on 9/25/2009 11:43:45 PM
Also this not the only nude scene available in the game,I heard there will be more.
*crosses fingers* please don't be Norman's junk. Nudity is fine, dudity is never tasteful.
I believe that nudity will slowly but surely become more and more acceptable in the realm of video games. But I doubt it will become more tasteful on average (we may see more games using it tastefully, but only because so many games will be employing it that a minority are bound to do it right).
And film is actually a good analogy of what will likely happen to video games. A certain element will become more and more common, yet it will almost surely remain the select few who utilize it properly.
Chronologically, 'Shopgirl' was the last film I viewed to have a tasteful nude scene. And not only did that film release nearly half a decade ago, but I have seen MANY a new film since.
Last edited by Jalex on 9/26/2009 12:51:58 AM
oh great another game ill have to buy off ebay.
this will be banned for sure.
Tit's oh dear lord they showed tits, now all of americas children will walk around with hard ons and with no direciton or understanding of what those things are america as a whole will slowly decline into an evil version of itself where people ride around on suped up cars weilding guns killing each other over the one basic material that drives all life, tits
thank you Quantic Dream
It won't matter whether it's 'tasteful' or not. People will freak. And that's unfortunate.
As for making a value call on whether this is more tasteful than other sexuality that's appeared in games before… personally, I don't buy any of that. Sex is sex. It's either acceptable, or it isn't. Trying to slide by on the idea that it's 'art' doesn't actually face the problem.
I look forward to the day when we look back on all the censorship the same way we look on women not having the right to vote.
Frankly, I have not viewed the scene in Heavy Rain. But, as SkantDragon does, I, too, could care less even if the scenes did depict hopelessly gratuitous and out-of-place sexual themes.
Where I differ with others(as in the previous discussion) was that when people use the deceptive "natural" argument to defend the artificial commercialization of sexuality, or of the red-herring violence argument so as to justify something acceptably corrupt with something else acceptably corrupt, or the "education" argument so as suggest that we are seeking "enlightenment". Let's not kid ourselves.
And for the record Ben, I have lived long enough to understand the futility of arguing over something unchangeable with people who are not willing to listen and not even wanting to understand. But when I write, I am not trying to win a popularity contest, or heroically win a battle in front of an ambivalently neutral audience. I try to put out ideas just as others put out theirs… Not just writing for writing's sake…But, so that even if there are a couple of individuals who will understand, or at least question something that was just previously accepted, or considered obvious, then I feel my efforts have not been futile.
Last edited by Aftab on 9/26/2009 5:13:49 AM
Oops. Ben, btw, I wasn't aiming the rant against you. The second point was based on a reaction from misunderstanding I had until I read a comment of yours somewhere else…ah, just never mind the second point…
I'd like to see a Leisure Suit Larry game with these graphics. The last one was terrible.
thats a really fun game 😛
Tasteful? More like another gimmick to sell a game that otherwise probably wouldn't have sell.
Ridiculous and wrong. You know nothing about the game or the people who would buy it.
I was considering this purchase long before any of this came about. This isn't a deciding factor at all, besides assuring me they are pushing the envelope and that is always a good thing.
…not to mention grammar.
…Thinking about it wayy too much.
Some people are like acting like your seeing her give him a blow job…the scene we saw wasnt bad…like its nothing…tha amount of times i seen girls in videogames wearing basiclly nothing and people moan coz they see a pair of tits lol…funny stuff…& its not " another gimmick to sell a game" you seen what this game is about its emotional…more like a film…its a story about life and that..and in life you see some tits sometimes lol
Last edited by DGo8 on 9/26/2009 5:31:12 AM
Why are people so surprised by this? Fahrenheit had sex and nudity as well. QD said from the start that they were making a mature game with adult themes. We've already seen Heavy Rain footage covering various themes that are never explored in video games. Like drug use and addiction. Depression and suicide. Nudity and sexual abuse. It's serious stuff. Definately aimed at a mature audience.
The average gamer is something like 35 years old. It's about time they started including adult stuff in games.
I'm just saying this: if they butcher this game for American audiences like they did with Indigo Prophecy, this Canadian is just going to import the game from the U.K. However, I don't think there will be any issues, though. It's part of the story and the game is clearly for a mature audience…and the PS3 audience is such.
THe more and more I see video of this game the more and more I want it, well another one to add to my every growing lists of games 🙂
This is not the first time Quantic Dream shows nudity in a game. There was a full blown sex scene in fahrenheit/indigo prophecy, that showed a woman completely nude. At least in the Euro version 😛
seriously ben? no controversy? remember how the media villainized mass effect as being a sex simulator, never mentioning the 20+ hours (guessing, back when i had an xbox it exploded like 2 hours into this game, lol) of shooter in there? yeah, wait til foxnews gets ahold of this one…
Uh…maybe you didn't understand the point of the article.
Ben,
Even if the game development community embraced tastefulness with regard to nudity and sex in games 100% today, it would take years for the gaming media's mentality, and the mentality of a large fraction of gamers, to change accordingly.
The sea-change will have occurred when no web site needs to run a story about Heavy Rain 4 and the 2 minute sex scene because it's done tastefully. When no web site feels that this is controversial because the game is for mature audiences and mature audiences are finally mature enough to handle it – that is when the industry as a whole will have embraced 'tasteful'.
I'm aware of that part. And this is why I'm hoping this Heavy Rain scene is the start of something…
Indeed. I am hopeful that grown up games for grown ups will finally stretch the definition of video games from kids toy, to legitimate grown up past-time. Heavy rain is one of the better examples of games that exist on that plane.
Well, it was obvious to me at the beginning this particular part she will get naked since you can clearly see she's stripping for the man, and you know the reason is because she's kinda going undercover to find out the truth so she has to take some extreme measure. Although I like naked chicks in God of War series, but I don't think those parts are necessary. Very nice but not necessary.
Why does it remind me of True Lies?
I like it