"Fahrenheit" (aka "Indigo Prophecy")

edited November 2009 in General Chat
Hey, everybody!

I was wondering if anyone else has heard of this fantastic game or played it.
I have played it and it's really fantastic. It combines elements from the adventures games (like you have to choose what to say in a very little amount of time or that you can actually modify the story with every little thing that you do) and action games (fights and that kind of stuff) in an epic storyline. It feels like you are living a movie.

I know it seems I'm trying to "sell" this game, but I'm just curious that this awesome game is so little well-known.

Comments

  • RakRak
    edited November 2009
    I've tried it, what annoys me is the ending (The timeline in game at some point goes without any details about what happened in a month or was it 3 ?) which kinda seemed rushed (as far as I read it was rushed so there's my answer). All in all a great game with fantastic story :)
  • edited November 2009
    Oh, Fahrenheit! Surely a classic that's definitely too underrated in the gaming world. I love it, so cinematic and.. well, the atmosphere is pretty much perfect.

    I remember how playing with Lucas ALWAYS made me feel nervous and anxiated, but when the chapter finally switched to the cops I felt so relieved, playing through their normal lives and all (with a few exceptions there, like the jail scene with Carla. Brrh.)

    It's rare when the game pulls you into the character's life and feelings like this.

    I have to agree that the ending was a bit of a letdown though. It just.. didn't fit to otherwise great plot.
  • edited November 2009
    My wife loves this game, though she has yet to beat it. We got it for PC but haven't been able to play it seeing as my gaming PC is now downstairs and inaccessible most of the time (not to mention I think it's dying on me). So I just bought the Xbox Originals version on Xbox Live Arcade for her for Christmas to play upstairs on the TV. Much easier. No headaches.
  • edited November 2009
    Love it. Despite the terrible ending and "VERY inspired by the Matrix" fight scenes, it really is an amazing experience. And while I'm not exactly a fan of Theory of a Deadman, their music fit perfectly with the tone of the game, and made for a couple of surprisingly moving scenes.
  • edited November 2009
    The first 3/4ths are amazing! The last 1/4 is horrible.
  • edited November 2009
    Yeah, like pretty much everyone said, the rushed ending really hits a low point for an otherwise excellent title. I got the downloadable version to protest both the idiotic US censorship and the more idiotic renaming (even if the developer thought Indigo Prophecy was a better title, the reason the name change was forced grates on me). I look forward to Heavy Rain, the next game from Quantic Dream.
  • edited November 2009
    I played the demo and thought it was okay, never tried the full game.
  • edited November 2009
    David Cage has said he pretty much pussied out on the ending, because he thought video games had to escalate to a lot of action, and he regrets ending it how he did. I'm looking forward to Heavy Rain.
  • edited November 2009
    Frogacuda wrote: »
    David Cage has said he pretty much pussied out on the ending, because he thought video games had to escalate to a lot of action, and he regrets ending it how he did. I'm looking forward to Heavy Rain.

    Yup!Can't wait for Heavy Rain, looks like it could be my game 2010.

    I played Fahrenheit last month for the first time, and finished it same day.It really was a great game, but yeah, the ending ruined it.It's not just the too-much fantasy Matrix / Dragenball / Lord of the rings / pedophilles oriented ending that ruined it, but also that there was nothing to do in the last 30% of the game but pressing buttons.But yeah, beginning was awesome.
  • edited November 2009
    I really enjoyed Fahrenheit. I saw a lot of previews before it was released and liked the look of the game - the premise of playing a murder mystery from the perspective of the murderer and the investigating detectives was intriguing. And so I bought the game and played it and it was great... and then it went bat-shit crazy, and before I knew it I was slow-mo kung-fu fighting and watching what can only be described as necrophilia. And yet, it was still great.

    Sure, the ending wasn't great, and some of the mechanics were a bit haphazard, and the conspiracy stuff wasn't brilliantly handled, but it got a lot of things completely right. And personally, I'd rather have a flawed, almost-brilliant experiment than a staid, by-the-numbers blockbuster.
  • edited November 2009
    I loved it right up until the first 'press x not to die' quick-button sequence. I want adventure in my adventure games, not button mashing. If there was a cheat to auto-win the button mashing parts, I'd probably give it another go.
  • edited November 2009
    I have the game right here but my DVD drive will not read the disc.
    *hatestheworld*
  • edited November 2009
    Apart from the story getting terribly ridiculous towards the end it also bothered me that most of the gameplay involves retarded mini-games. In this regard it is similar to Dreamfall: The Longest Journey: terrible action sequences and not much real adventure-type gameplay. (Although Fahrenheit has some original cinematography and effects, whereas Dreamfall just rips off The Ring.)

    So plus points for atmosphere and cinematography. Especially the first few scenes are very memorable. But huge minuses for bad story & gameplay. I don't think this game is a classic: it's a game that promises much but doesn't deliver. If Heavy Rain actually is consistently as good as Fahrenheit is in the first few scenes, then we have a classic.
    Brainiac wrote: »
    I got the downloadable version to protest [..] the idiotic US censorship
    Personally, I found the nude scene unnecessary and the sex scene completely implausible. The game might well be better without them. So don't worry about getting the US version; you aren't missing much.

    (And, pet peeve: if a publisher voluntarily removes content from a game to get a different ESRB rating, that's not censorship.)
  • EmilyEmily Telltale Alumni
    edited November 2009
    I love this game. I replayed it about a year ago and ended up playing all night in one sitting. (Well... stopping at the point that, as others have mentioned, where it goes from Really Really Good to Really Really Bad.)

    My favorite scene is the one where the girlfriend comes over to the protagonist's apartment (I'm blanking on his name) to pick up some boxes she left there. It's just a scene between two people who used to be in love -- no huge action or anything like that -- but it really resonated with me. There's a point where you're playing the guitar for her, and if you play well you get the opportunity to invite her to stay, but if you play poorly she leaves. I got so tense at that point because I knew if I messed up the mini game she'd leave -- I really felt what the character was feeling. It's a nice treat when a game can put you so close to the character's motivations and so able to relate to them.
    Personally, I found the nude scene unnecessary and the sex scene completely implausible. The game might well be better without them. So don't worry about getting the US version; you aren't missing much.

    Agreed. They were totally gratuitous and the interactive sex scene was actually kind of creepy.
    (And, pet peeve: if a publisher voluntarily removes content from a game to get a different ESRB rating, that's not censorship.)

    Also agreed. It bugs me how some people got all pissy about this at the time. Quantic Dream made a (wise) business decision. They weren't censored.

    I might actually get a PS3 for the sole purpose of playing Heavy Rain.
  • edited November 2009
    Soultaker wrote: »
    Personally, I found the nude scene unnecessary and the sex scene completely implausible. The game might well be better without them. So don't worry about getting the US version; you aren't missing much.

    Specifically, I was referring to wearing a swimsuit in the shower. Idiotic. I do agree that most of what was cut was unimportant (unlike the more recent Culpa Innata - the excision of certain portions actually introduced some holes). Frankly though, the reason behind the game's renaming is the thing that grated on me the most.
    Soultaker wrote: »
    (And, pet peeve: if a publisher voluntarily removes content from a game to get a different ESRB rating, that's not censorship.)

    Right, right; sorry. Still, from a certain point of view, if you're pretty much required to cut things back in order not to effectively kill your project at retail simply due to its rating, it's only slightly below flat-out censorship. It's the overall strangeness of what is and is not restricted material along with the inconsistent application of the rules that really frustrates me.
  • EmilyEmily Telltale Alumni
    edited November 2009
    Do you actually see her showering in a bathing suit? I don't remember that. One of the benefits of doing a game in 3D is that it's very easy to change camera angles, and I'd think it would have been a pretty simple fix for them to change the shot so it didn't show her breasts (which is what I thought they did, but I could be mistaken).

    To put this in context, it happened right after the Hot Coffee hubbub and the ESRB was making a big deal about players being able to hack into games to find content that would change the rating. Yes it's ridiculous for someone to shower in a bathing suit, but it also would have been ridiculous for Quantic Dream to make a decision that would keep their game out of most major retail stores, which the AO rating would have. Selling this type of game is an uphill battle to begin with.

    [/gratuitous marketing analysis]

    Apparently Heavy Rain is up against some of these same issues... it'll be interesting to see how they're handled this time around.
    Frankly though, the reason behind the game's renaming is the thing that grated on me the most.

    This bugged me too. Plus the new name makes it sound so generic.
  • edited November 2009
    Emily wrote: »
    Do you actually see her showering in a bathing suit? I don't remember that. One of the benefits of doing a game in 3D is that it's very easy to change camera angles, and I'd think it would have been a pretty simple fix for them to change the shot so it didn't show her breasts (which is what I thought they did, but I could be mistaken).

    To put this in context, it happened right after the Hot Coffee hubbub and the ESRB was making a big deal about players being able to hack into games to find content that would change the rating. Yes it's ridiculous for someone to shower in a bathing suit, but it also would have been ridiculous for Quantic Dream to make a decision that would keep their game out of most major retail stores, which the AO rating would have. Selling this type of game is an uphill battle to begin with.

    [/gratuitous marketing analysis]



    Apparently Heavy Rain is up against some of these same issues... it'll be interesting to see how they're handled this time around.



    This bugged me too. Plus the new name makes it sound so generic.

    I can't wait for heavy rain, but it usually is...the more realistic you try to make a game, the more hub bub you have to face from everybody even the new call of duty is up against, the same..because of the airport scene, I respect the ESRB, but what I don't respect is if you have to cut somthing unless it's pointless.
  • edited November 2009
    Icedhope wrote: »
    I can't wait for heavy rain, but it usually is...the more realistic you try to make a game, the more hub bub you have to face from everybody even the new call of duty is up against, the same..because of the airport scene, I respect the ESRB, but what I don't respect is if you have to cut somthing unless it's pointless.
    What is defined as "pointless"? Obviously I get what you're saying, that content that could be considered objectionable but serves no higher purpose than to just be there can be cut out. But why? Not because it's pointless, but because it's objectionable and because it can be cut. A lot of dialogue, a lot of the graphics and environments that make up a game are "unnecessary" from a purely utilitarian standpoint of gameplay or even narrative. But they stay, because they add detail, flavor, and atmosphere.

    You don't always "need" that explosion, or that cool special effect, or that one joke that exists just to get a cheap laugh. In Tales of Monkey Island Episode 4, we didn't NEED
    that Sixth Sense card effect
    , but it was there and it was cool and it was just there because it was something that elicits a simple, base, positive response.

    I don't think that whether or not something is "necessary" is a main concern here. It should be put there if it fits, if it works, and if it's something that the developer wants to do.
  • edited November 2009
    What is defined as "pointless"? Obviously I get what you're saying, that content that could be considered objectionable but serves no higher purpose than to just be there can be cut out. But why? Not because it's pointless, but because it's objectionable and because it can be cut. A lot of dialogue, a lot of the graphics and environments that make up a game are "unnecessary" from a purely utilitarian standpoint of gameplay or even narrative. But they stay, because they add detail, flavor, and atmosphere.

    You don't always "need" that explosion, or that cool special effect, or that one joke that exists just to get a cheap laugh. In Tales of Monkey Island Episode 4, we didn't NEED
    that Sixth Sense card effect
    , but it was there and it was cool and it was just there because it was something that elicits a simple, base, positive response.

    I don't think that whether or not something is "necessary" is a main concern here. It should be put there if it fits, if it works, and if it's something that the developer wants to do.

    Thats true, if the developer wants to do it, then he should. But if it doesn't fit in to the game, or later they feel it wasn't necessary or really fit into the game then it was pointless.
  • edited November 2009
    Emily wrote: »
    My favorite scene is the one where the girlfriend comes over to the protagonist's apartment (I'm blanking on his name) to pick up some boxes she left there. It's just a scene between two people who used to be in love -- no huge action or anything like that -- but it really resonated with me. There's a point where you're playing the guitar for her, and if you play well you get the opportunity to invite her to stay, but if you play poorly she leaves. I got so tense at that point because I knew if I messed up the mini game she'd leave -- I really felt what the character was feeling. It's a nice treat when a game can put you so close to the character's motivations and so able to relate to them.

    I wish more games had moments like that. I almost hated collecting the boxes, considering the finality that the task always symbolizes. Like you, I was fully immersed into what Lucas was feeling. Only the Silent Hill series can elicit that kind of character empathy in me, and even then it's missing that "everyday people" aspect, thanks to the setting.

    On the subject of the edited version of the game: It's never really bothered me. I don't need to see the characters going at it to understand that they are in a relationship. I mean, I'm no prude, I watch Californication every week, and that show is more explicit than some porn. But having seen both the EU and NA versions of the game, I find the sex scene superfluous. It's tasteful, but pointless.

    The shower scene is another story. People shower in the nude. That's just how it is. The swimsuit automatically pulls you out of the story and reminds you that you're looking at an art asset, not a person. If the scene simply must be without nudity, then move the camera/frost the glass on the shower door. Not a big deal. (of course, a flash of nipple isn't a big deal either, but that's a rant for another day)
  • edited November 2009
    That whole game was filled with stuff to test the interface but that didn't really add anything to the main plot. Like the basketball game and the boxing match. That bothered me a little, but in the end I liked the game. Sure, the story goes haywire and matrixy at the end, but up to that point is fun, exciting and atmospheric.
  • EmilyEmily Telltale Alumni
    edited November 2009
    Funny... I actually liked the boxing match and the basketball game. They didn't advance the story at all, but they again put you with the characters in an everyday moment. I also enjoyed using the yo-yo. :D
  • edited November 2009
    Great to know that more people like this game! But I agree on the ending thing, it was so strange when I first played.

    But anyway, I was wondering if anyone knows any games that are in the style of this one, because I'm sick of the first person shooters... No challenges, no thinking... It has got boring. Anyone? :)
  • edited November 2009
    Trenchfoot wrote: »
    Great to know that more people like this game! But I agree on the ending thing, it was so strange when I first played.

    But anyway, I was wondering if anyone knows any games that are in the style of this one, because I'm sick of the first person shooters... No challenges, no thinking... It has got boring. Anyone? :)
    Other than Quantic Dream's own Omikron and upcoming Heavy Rain, the only thing I can think of that comes even remotely close to this "style" would be Shenmue. And that may be a bit of a stretch.
  • edited November 2009
    Quantic Dream's own Omikron

    How was Omikron, incidentally? I played the first few minutes of it on the Dreamcast when it came out, but the copy I had would crash before I could form any sort of opinion.
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