Heavy Rain

[Magnus]

There are actually very few instances throughout the game where the characters can die. Way fewer than you'd think. If they do die, the game plays out the same way but without that character's scenes, and obviously the finale plays out differently depending on which characters make it to the warehouse.

 

Not doing any of the trials means that Ethan can't find the right warehouse. Finishing all of them will give you the exact location, while finishing a certain number of them will give you several locations to choose from. If you don't finish enough trials, you won't get a chance to choose a location at all.

 

I think one of the more annoying things about the plot is how Ethan's amnesia and the origami cranes get dropped halfway through and are never mentioned again. Why did Ethan wake up in the middle of the street with an origami crane? Well, it's because

 

Madison joins Ethan and his son if you decide to romance her, yes. I'm not sure why you think sleeping with her would keep you from getting the best ending?

 

I don't think the game has that much replay value. Other than the finale and the endings, the entire game plays out almost exactly the same way no matter which choices you make. And, of course, some scenes are missing if a character dies. It's a lot of fun the first time, but once you realize just how little your choices actually matter, that kind of ruins it. :p

 

[Retro_Link]

@Magnus

 

Just wondered if that slippery slope you climb as Jayden could kill you if you fall from the top, as if you slip at the base he almost stumbles on to it, and trains do pass through there.

 

I thought sleeping with Madison might not get you the best ending, because you're sexing her, waking up several hours later, when really you should be off finding your son.

 

Yeah I think I had 3 locations to choose from for Ethan maybe, but I listened to the tape recording of the harbour sounds, and that just made it obvious.

 

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Regarding Ethan's blackout's/waking up in the road with an origami figure... yeah it's not explained/is a bit strange, but I just made the guess that Scott's possible drugging him somehow or something... after all he needs to get Ethan out the way to take his Son, and then leave him the origami clue to set him on the scene. Having said that... it happens in the game twice, so why doesn't the son go missing after the first instance?

... perhaps the first instance (and any time it might happen before that) is just to make Ethan doubt himself.

 

(but yeah it could have done with an explanation, when you face off at the warehouse maybe.)

 

[Magnus]

Looking around, the earliest Jayden can die is when he's facing Mad Jack, while the earliest Madison can die is when she visits the doctor. The only way for Ethan to die before the finale is if he gets arrested twice. Scott is invincible until the finale, obviously.

 

Speaking of weird plot things, I thought the scene where Scott went all Max Payne and killed about a dozen bad guys felt really out of place. :p

 

[Retro_Link]

That shoot up did seem out of character, I mean OK you're pissed, but to just shoot everyone!

Made it seem even more strange when I gave the guy his heart attack pills afterwards. :p

 

Another thing was that throughout the story I hadn't been hitting on Lauren... you get a couple of chances to get a bit closer to her, but I always kept it professional. Yet when she gets on the train, the two of them full on kiss, which made me wonder if anything I'd done up to that had made any difference, or if a save had gone wrong somewhere.

 

[Magnus]

I think it's possible the game just assumes that Scott and Lauren develop feelings for each other no matter how you act towards her. You can be attracted to someone without showing it, after all! Plus, no one can resist this face:

 

 

Letting Lauren drown is actually the only way for Scott to get away with everything, so while she ends up being pretty unimportant in the good ending, she does end up affecting how bad the bad ending is.