Hi everyone! I’m Jefferson Dong, the SCEA Marketing Manager for Heavy Rain, and I have some great news for those of you anxiously awaiting the release of Heavy Rain. Get ready to place your pre-orders for this PS3 exclusive title because we’ve got something special for you. When you pre-order your copy of Heavy Rain at participating retailers, you will receive the first episode of The Heavy Rain Chronicles (valued at $4.99 each episode) titled, “Heavy Rain: Chronicle One – The Taxidermist,” which will be available (only to those who pre-order) when Heavy Rain hits store shelves. The Heavy Rain pre-order program begins TODAY!
What exactly are The Heavy Rain Chronicles? Each Chronicle will offer unique, stand-alone, playable short stories featuring one of Heavy Rain’s main characters, and a storyline taking place either before or after Heavy Rain’s original narrative. Similar to Heavy Rain, each episode will offer a unique journey and different outcomes based on the players’ decisions and actions.
Heavy Rain: Chronicle One – The Taxidermist will feature investigative journalist Madison Paige in one of her first cases tracking down a serial killer. Most of you are familiar with this episode as it is an expansion and update to the original “Taxidermist” demo that received such positive response when shown last year.
US and Canadian residents can place your pre-orders today at these retailers participating in the special pre-order offer:
US Locations:
Amazon
GameCrazy
GameStop (online and in-store)
Canada Locations:
Amazon.ca
BestBuy.ca
EB Games
FutureShop.ca
For those who don’t pre-order Heavy Rain, the first two episodes of Heavy Rain Chronicles will be available for purchase and download through the PlayStation Store after the release of Heavy Rain – the exact dates will be announced at a later date.
wow at these comments.. this i not really dlc its like a lil chapter they made after th game kinda like gta4… Sme time they make other chapter a game is like book,, a author cant put all the chapter in one bok he ave sum to keep te fan base growing and wat not, dont be upset with them because its good for the base.. If they did it the 3-4 disc route you wont see dlc content, game wont stay fresh..
@Einhander138 they aren’t with-holding anything. If you preorder, you’re getting something extra at no charge that would have been premium DLC otherwise. But oh well, if you don’t want the game that’s your decision. I know I’ll be enjoying it when it comes out.
Epic fail in my books. Still buying the game (of course — idk why people would miss out because of it) but I hope you know, this is a TERRIBLE practice! Please stop ASAP! I lost a bit of respect for you now! Gj..
@152
this will not stop any time soon. atleast they are doing something worth while and not passing off golden weapons or an extra jacket the free DLC offering.
@151 They are withholding content from the game and making people pay extra for it. That’s wrong.
@152 If you have no respect for them – DON’T BUY THE GAME.
Make sure you vote with your wallet that this practice is *unacceptable*.
@153 There is *no* worthwhile DLC. Period.
@154 first of all, this dlc is something which was a technical demo. it wasn’t a part of game. but as it became immensely popular, QD decided to let this demo be experienced by all if they want to. if you don’t want it then don’t buy it. you will get the full game nevertheless.
i cant wait for this game to come out. Looks great and hope a demo comes real soon before the new year. I will go pre order my copy once I play the demo. Thumbs up to SCEA on this one.
Hold up guys! Go back and re-read post 129. P-A asks a great question about the length of this DLC. The Taxidermist was a demo made for Heavy Rain and shown to journalists over 2 years ago. They said it had nothing to do with the story of Heavy Rain and was designed to give journos a taste without spoiling the real game like all the freaking play-thrus have been doing. Now they are selling the demo as a prequel. I’d always assumed it would be released free to promote the launch. Sony releases too few demos as it is. Is this a vote of “No Confidence” being made by Sony on it’s long awaited title? Say it aint so.
So the real question is… Is this the same demo or a fleshed out version? Has it been updated with the new UI look of the finished game? $4.99 seems a bit pricey for a demo. Will the other chapters be longer?
Can’t wait for this game, argggggggggggg.
@157, if you had read the original post they say it is an expanded and updated version of the demo.
Cant wait for this game! Thats nice i was planning on preorder it anyway so its a nice bonus
Jefferson, What about the UK… do we not get this?
Game is still not listed in Amazon.ca….
@159, You are correct. I read about it on Evil Avatar and they left that part out of the quote. When I came here I missed that line. My bad.
I’d still like to know how long episode experiences are.
If you ever read the Double Fine blog (creator of Brutal Legend), you would have saw the post about how crucial pre-orders are to game publishing.
MORE PREORDERS = MORE MONEY FOR ADVERTISING. SONY WANTS THIS.
They will give you content that would usually cost money for helping out their marketing team. Preorders look good for shareholders. This is why there’s pre-order bonuses for every game! I’ll be pre-ordering for sure.
When u pre order the demo is free.. your buying the game nt the demo.. thats money goes toward the game not the demo.. shesh// I dont see why people crying and moan like they got arse cancer… this lil chapter is not from the game and wont be re released.. so if u get it ur getting a treat.. This game is like a book not all chapters can be putin to one book.. shesh
I think all this talk about passing up a game for the sheer fact of DLC is ridiculous. DLC is here to stay, so not buying the game for that reason is only going to hurt Quantic Dream and do nothing for the withdrawal of DLC in the future. Quantic Dream are doing us gamers a favor by trying to do something completely new, and not exactly appealing to the ‘first person shooter geared’ general public. If you are interested and wish to support their ideas and promote future games like this one you’ll do them a favor by pre-ordering this game. My point is simple, Stop acting so high and mighty, rebellion of DLC wont change a thing.
FORGET STUPID PREORDER BONUSES.
Ugg, give us the Collector’s Edition instead. Makes me wish I was in Europe because they constantly get CE while for some reason SCEA feels the need to have the lame pre-order bonuses.
@Einhander138 – have fun not playing this epic game..your loss, if you are going to whine and cry about something that was just an expanded e3 demo than you got problems.. seriously. The game will be great, these are just perks, and I can’t wait for this game!
To all the complainers, and there are a lot of you, think of it this way:
Episode 1 isn’t DLC for the game, but a separate game; a mini-sequel if you will. The two are separate, and can be played separately. What this deal does is let you get episode 1 for free, even though Heavy Rain is a separate product.
It’s like Half Life 2, and HL2: Episode 1.
Wow, just heard the DLC news about this from a friend and I’ve just pre-ordered my copy. Really looking forward to this game! We need more games like this and Indigo Prophecy!!
would love to try a demo and i’m all about the free stuff so consider my copy pre-ordered! trophies too, coz i’m a trophy-ho! happy holidays fanboys and fangirls!
@154 “There is *no* worthwhile DLC. Period”
I have to disagree. The map packs for KZ2 were nice additions. The MGS LPB content was cool. I know there’s been a heft amount of DLC out there that’s not justifies(just look at EA sports games) but there is some DLC worth a few extra bucks. If you don’t feel like expanding your gaming experience for free by preorderig this game, so be it. But don’t chastize the rest of the community because they feel like it’s a good deal especially since they were planning in preordering it in the 1st place. So please get off your high horse
Hey! Why there’s no SKU on amazon.ca?! I can’t find the game!
lol@”no worthwhile DLC. Period.” Seriously? Not even free DLC? Hmmm…
Too bad you can’t edit your post.
I’m glad that the Taxidermist demo is being expanded upon and released as DLC. I definately will be preordering from Amazon since it will be free, and I look forward to future DLC for Heavy Rain.
Is the North American version of Heavy Rain going to be censored, compared to the European version?
Stop feeding the trolls. Looks like its gonna be a great game. Pre-ordering it!
Can you confirm also if the amercian edition will include spanish dub and subs?
Thanks
Come on SCEA, make the pre-order a bit more worth while and give the first two episodes for free to those who pre-order. It is kind of lame to offer only one of the two episodes as a pre-order item.
I am confused, can someone help me understand the article. In the first paragraph it says this:“Heavy Rain: Chronicle One – The Taxidermist,” which will be available (only to those who pre-order) when Heavy Rain hits store shelves.”
Then in the last paragraph it says this:”For those who don’t pre-order Heavy Rain, the first two episodes of Heavy Rain Chronicles will be available for purchase and download through the PlayStation Store after the release of Heavy Rain – the exact dates will be announced at a later date”
Are they saying that initially the first two episodes will only be aval. at launch to those who pre order and any one else who wants the first two episodes will have to wait?
If this is a correct interpretation then this is completely lame. Who releases downloadable content on a tiered scale. The only reason for doing such a thing would be to make those who pre-ordered the game feel more special. In the case of Heavy Rain I would prefer getting the second chapter for free also then being able to buy the second chapter before everyone else.
Not being whinny just stating what everyone else is prob thinking.
I don’t understand why everyone is clamoring for the collector’s edition they are getting in Europe. I just saw the content (chapter 1, soundtrack, and dynamic theme) and none of that sounds like it would be worth an extra 20 dollars. Sure I would like to be able to download the soundtrack and get the theme but as I just said there is no way that is all worth 20 extra dollars.
Things like sound tracks and themes should just come with games if you are going to release that kind of stuff. I mean there is a whole music section of the PSN that has free game music (street fighter, liar, etc).
Side note: if there was a soundtrack to get it would be the one from WET
No one is prob going to be able to answer this until the game is released but “updated” and “expanded”, what are talking about here? Does this mean 30 mins worth of extra game and story or something meaningful like two to three extra hours of game and story?
Awesome! I cant wait for this game…will be pre-ordering tommorrow.
And to all u little whiners complaining about extra dlc…Quit crying about something so meaningless. You’re already getting a full game. Consider the dlc an EXTRA. Besides… if 5 bucks is making or breaking your every purchase…perhaps you should consider a different hobby. Gaming never has been, nor ever will be…a particularily cheap pastime. ie: it costs money :O So get over it.
Failtrolls are fail. 1st day buy for me. kthksbai
If you people are worried about money, you should have lots of sympathy for European gamers. I haven’t seen the prices of the different editions of the Heavy Rain game, but prices for the PS3 video games are generally between 70 and 100 US dollars. 60 is a great deal compared to what they pay. Stop being so greedy, suck it up, and be thankful you are getting something for a much better comparable price.
@173
No, you’re wrong.
NO DLC is worthwhile, it gouges consumers, as the DLC with this game is doing.
I hope this game bombs – it deserves to for attempting to gouge customers like this.
I think the timing or the way announce this DLC is wrong.
This could be “I played the game, love it! would like to know more about the story/character! And you got it? OH no, I will pay for it!!” instead of “I have yet played the game and you tell me there is extra story that are not included in my hard earn $50 bucks copy? What a Rip off!!!!”
@187 They’re not withholding it, they’re giving it to us earlier. We’ll get it when the game launches, and others will get it later.
Also, I can’t believe you think that NO DLC is worthwhile. True, the thousands of DLC that EA has for it’s games aren’t worthwhile, but the LBP DLC is. You get more items to create levels and more ways to make them look cooler, and sometimes you even get new levels. Same goes for B:AA. You get a new challenge character and 4 new challenge maps, plus it’s free!
Sadly for you, this game will not bomb, because it’s too good for people to pass up. Just because you don’t like DLC is not a reason to not buy a game, it’s just stupid.
ATTN Canadians.
Amazon.ca is selling Heavy Rain for 59.99. EB Games, FUtureshop and Bestbuy have it at 69.99.
I preordered from Amazon.ca… so how do I get my free DLC?
Well I for one always wanted to play The Taxidermist demo. Was a bit saddened when they said it wasn’t part of the game. So it’s nice to hear that we’ll get a chance to play this expanded & updated. But as much as I would like to pre-order Heavy Rain, to get Chronical One for free. I need to know if the US version will be censored, cause if so then I’ll have to import the game instead. Hopefully someone on here clears that up for me. Cause I plan to purchase Heavy Rain nonetheless. Now it’s just a matter of whether I get Chronical One for free or I pay $4.99.
I’d like to preorder it, however the game is showing a December 31, 2011 release date. Give us a legitimate release date and I’ll give you a preorder.
Is Gamestop supposed to have these codes right now? The way this blog post is written and the Gamestop website say I should get my copy in-store when I place the pre-order instead of when the game comes out, but my local Gamestop keeps saying they never received codes.
Thanks in advance of an offical Sony response or visual evidence that the codes are in stores now or not.
I support 192 with what he said…no release date no preorders from our side… this is just not right to expect people preordering without knowing when will they receive it
Can someone inform me if if this pre-order offer will be available outside the US and Canada as well?
I live in The Netherlands and would like to make use of the pre-order offer too.
w00t, where can i pre order heavy rain in PAKISTAN?
ok is it only for US and canada? what bout me? if i order from play-asia? the us version? will that make me eligible for this offer or not? pls reply cuz if it doesnt i wont pre order this. i’ll pre order god of war 3 then..