Okay. This is a big 'un. CVG has just finished a chinwag with Heavy Rain auteur David Cage - and discovered that the French designer is plotting to turn the war genre on its head with a new project.
Cage confirmed to us that Quantic Dream is beavering away on two "very different" projects - and when they're finished, he's going to turn his attention to shaking up the shooter category.
Cage named both Apocalypse Now and Platoon as potential influences on the title, adding that he was striving to represent war in a more cinematic, less joyful way than the video games industry has become accustomed to.
He added: "I would really like the opportunity to work on a different type of game. I would love to see if what we discovered could be applied to a first-person shooter, for example."
When pressed on whether the idea could ever become a reality at Quantic, Cage replied: "First person, I don't know. But a game about war is something I would like to do, just to see if we could get closer to the film side; not gloryfying war, but talking about it from a realistic point of view.
"War is not fun - talking about what the people involved feel, how horrible it can be for them. This is something I think could be very exciting and very new for the games industry. When we talk about war, it's always a very 'cool' thing - you have these big guns and you kill loads of people.
"I would really like to take a different approach; to tell a story about politics [with it] or something a little more serious. I would like to use what we discovered in Heavy Rain in this fantastic medium of interactivity to say something meaningful. This is probably one of the next things I'm going to try."
When CVG pointed out that Cage's idea could change the mass market's expectations of war games - especially sales beast Call Of Duty - Cage commented:
"I think it would be an important way to evangelise [to] people. To say, 'Look - if you get with more emotion and storytelling, it leads you to a more interesting experience. There is room for more than just games which get you with adrenalin."
An emotional war game? Sounds interesting. But just a passing thought at the moment, right? Wrong.
"I'm going to work on it. It's really something I want to do."
Tick. Tick. Boom.
Cage challenged an audience of developers at GDC yesterday to stop making games for teenagers - and treat consumers like adults. Sounds like he's following his own advice.
Comments
36 comments so far...
BenThomasFoster on 3 Mar '11 said:
We do not experience combat in real life we cannot feel real amotions in war games... there hasn't been 1 war film or war game that has effected me. what you have to do is create an amotional connection between you and main character i.e i had emotional connection to gladiator guys so when he died i cryed a manly tear because i know its what he's wanted really since his family where murdered and that he's going to a better place.
MrPirtniw on 3 Mar '11 said:
As long as there's actual gameplay to go alongside a well written story I'll be happy. Leave out any lengthy QTE's to reload/shoot/dress wounds. And don't have a button assigned to yell out JASON in a monotone voice. And don't stick in random boob shots in an attempt to come across as mature. And- (ok, that's enough)
KMakawa on 3 Mar '11 said:
Cage is going to be the Peter Molyneux of Emotional Roleplay genre just as Peter was to God Mode games.
And tbh, its about time we started to see a new genre in this repetitive industry.
theaface on 3 Mar '11 said:
Imagine my surprise when I read the article and discovered it had the most tenuous connection to Call of Duty possible? Hey CVG, let's see what other unrelated articles we can shoe-horn that franchise in to!
Fr33Kye on 3 Mar '11 said:
I was hoping so much that someone would make a game like this. Even though i know nothing about it, its nice to see a different approach to war. I just hope he doesn't get too caught up in replicating films. We are really into making games cinematic in order to tell a story, and i don't think that's necessary.
nottsville on 3 Mar '11 said:
All I can do is echo every one of you above this post.
mogel94 on 3 Mar '11 said:
Whatever his next game is, just please leave out the awkard sex scenes. Sex only adds to a story if its necessary or leads to it. Plus it doesn't help when you end up on that scene just as a family member walks in. So don't do it again Cage!
liveswired on 3 Mar '11 said:
Too Late Nicolas Cage or whoever you are, your full of your own pompous bullcrap. Guerilla games beat you to that one with Killzone 3.
Very_Silver_Ownz on 3 Mar '11 said:
come on Cage i loved Heavy Rain because it was as far as a shooter a game could get. I HATE MILITARY SHOOTERS !!!
Multiplayerking on 3 Mar '11 said:
I loved Heavy Rain because it wasn't a shooter. THey'd have to get this game just right if it will come close to Heavy Rain.
nottsville on 3 Mar '11 said:
Killzone 3 is about as emotional as a gypsy wedding.
liveswired on 3 Mar '11 said:
and THAT IS emotional!
liveswired on 3 Mar '11 said:
He'll probably have a bunch of male soldiers at it with eachother - that would certainly make it different and more emotional.
Imaduck on 3 Mar '11 said:
"Wiggle controller to unjam gun, hit x to aim, now triangle to ... scratch your ass, then o to fire, then x again to see it happen". Imagine like QTE self-surgery, "frantically mash x to remove bullet from your left testicle! TOO LATE HE'S GONE
!" I'm sure that's not what he has in mind, but hey 
FAUNA on 3 Mar '11 said:
I'm not against violence in gaming, BUT I'M ANTI- 'MILITARY / WARFARE / SIMULATION / REALISM' GAMES. We don't need any more CALL OF DUTY, BATTLEFIELD, etc. A different take on the genre that DOESN'T GLORIFY WAR IS A VERY GOOD THING, BUT I STILL WON'T PLAY IT. PLEASE GIFT THE WORLD WITH SOME SCI-FI / FANTASY! PS3/360 'OMIKRON' PLEASE!...
Imaduck on 3 Mar '11 said:
YAR CAPSLOCK - its BROKEN
fps_d0minat0r on 3 Mar '11 said:
make it!!!!
KippDynamite on 3 Mar '11 said:
Props to Cage for treating us like mature adults. Even if what he has in mind doesn't work out, I still applaud him for thinking beyond "how can we make the most money possible?"
djreplay on 4 Mar '11 said:
His control scheme's are some of the strangest I've ever come across.
Imaduck on 4 Mar '11 said:
Indeed, adds to um ... immersion!
chronicwombat on 4 Mar '11 said:
i find this kind of talk really exciting. whether all the stuff he tries works or not, this guy needs commending for his progressive thinking. it can only be good for us gamers if he gets the backing to try out new ideas.
oh and by the way cvg what the f**k does this have to do with call of duty even though it happens to be the first words in the title hmm wonder why
pRM8 on 4 Mar '11 said:
Heavy Duty.
SMokeyJay14 on 4 Mar '11 said:
dude have you ever even seen apocalypse now?? great film the thing with shooters is that the story and graphics can be brilliant but if the controls aint tight then forget it. thats the reason i think th cod franchies has in its favour and for a studio with little or no experience with shooters they should concentrate on the controls aswell as the story. by the way i love heavy rain and i think the guys at black ops may have read this article and thought about making their DLC more emotional check out the OFFICIAL video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmXkBlJzYjA&hd=1
Agent_305 on 4 Mar '11 said:
I loved Heavy Rain and Fahrenheit and have been anticipating QD's next game for a while now. I have complete faith in whatever Cage want's to make.
I enjoyed the micro tasks in Heavy Rain, in particular the prologue with Ethan. Sure they're a bit dull but it made it feel deep, at least that's what I think. Same story with the QTE-based control scheme; it's fiddly but it's different, and difference leads to innovation
Ali_ on 4 Mar '11 said:
Looking forward to this, but he needs to understand that the key will be the control system. Heavy Rain's laboured pace let him get away with all that "turn left stick quarter circle clockwise whilst holding down X, L1 and R2 to drink a can of coke". War is fast paced, chaotic and brutal. He needs to take a very big look outside his current system.
Gregormeister on 4 Mar '11 said:
Beside "Platoon" and "Full Metal Jacket" I would recommend David Cage to take influences from "The Thin Line", too. Beside the (too heroic) ending it's a VERY good anti war movie - my favorite one. Watch it, David!
gmcb007 on 4 Mar '11 said:
Hmm somebody should tell him somebody beat him to it. It's called Homefront!
Triffic on 4 Mar '11 said:
JASON!!
Old ones, best ones, etc...
AJB123644 on 4 Mar '11 said:
I think this is quite interesting as it would make a nice change to see a war game as being gritty, dark and emotional. Long as the immersion is the priority alongside emotion I suspect this will turn out as he hopes.
Paranoimia on 4 Mar '11 said:
It would be nice to be emotionally involved in a war game. Well, perhaps 'nice' is not the right word, but you know what I mean.
Until now, the only time I had any hint of emotion while playing a war game (other than "Yarrrrgh! Die motherf*cker!") was in the original Modern Warfare, when the nuke went off - after the chopper crashes and you try to escape the wreckage, only to die. There was a slight tinge of sadness, but that's about it.
milky_joe on 4 Mar '11 said:
This really doesn't sound appealing to me at all, which is a shame as I really loved Heavy Rain.
Ali_ on 4 Mar '11 said:
It's a shame 6 Days In Fallujah hasn't been released yet as that had the best possibility of showing the effects of modern warfare. Stupid that no publisher had the guts to put it out and let the public decide if it deserved the controversy.
Multiplayerking on 5 Mar '11 said:
Call of Rain: Heavy Ops.
Sammy_bham on 5 Mar '11 said:
Its about time some new grown up games came out.
all i will say is....
bulletstorm...
say no more. its like its designed for kids to play brag about to their mates... terrible stuff
themozabeast on 5 Mar '11 said:
Wheres the Outsider? Sounds good though
AJB123644 on 6 Mar '11 said:
I agree completely, that would have been very interesting indeed! If films can take risks like that then why can games not?
Yes I know games are technically more interactive but that shouldn't make a difference.