Some weather were havin
As the medium of video games mature we will start to see more finely crafted stories, characters, and control schemes. Heavy Rain takes a big step forward toward seeing that future. Heavy Rain takes just about any control style your familiar with a throws it out the window, that doesn't always help the game but it does provide an unquestionably "fresh" experience.
The way you interface with Heavy Rain is something that can be very polarizing. The game is usually at a fixed camera angle and to walk around the environment you have to hold down the R2 button to move forward then the analog stick to change direction. An interesting choice that I don't see adds anything to game play that would have been taken away by allowing you to move forward and change direction both with the analog stick.
Most of your actions are based around movements of the right analog stick. Opening a drawer has you flicking the stick and turning a bit clockwise. Those turns can change between different actions and most relate well to what action is actually taking place. An action scene could have you using almost every button the the controller. Flicking the stick, alternating face and trigger buttons can really work your fingers into a knot. Some of the more complex actions like climbing a hill could have you holding down a number of buttons all over the pad to the point where I almost thought I had to take off my socks just to hit them all correctly.
Heavy Rain is a adventure game at heart but you wont be spending 30 plus hours in the world exploring every nook and cranny. The pacing of the game has you always moving forward. Although you can do some pretty mundane things like take a shower or brush your teeth, these are all thing you feel like you should be doing and not some distraction as the core story waits in the background. There are a lot of interactions (like brushing your teeth) that are optional. You could do a whole set of actions different from a friend but even if you decide to try one or two they keep you engaged in the story and help with some character development.
The reason this game exists is for the story and unlike most video games its actually very good. Part Se7en, part TV police procedural, Heavy Rain is all about tracking down a killer. You switch between 4 playable characters all connected to the mysterious Origami Killers murders. A divorced dad, a FBI profiler, a insomniac news writer and worn down private detective round out the cast of motion and voice captured digital actors. I felt the story was well done and had me guessing to the end. I never doubted too much the motivations of any of the characters and that made some choices and actions made though out the story more engaging. The script as well written and voice acted very well. The french accents of some of the characters slipped through at times but over all great performances.
If you think Heavy Rain is "art" your probably wearing a tie and don't even work in an office environment. This is not art what this is, is a quality murder mystery taking video games that one step forward in a much needed, much more cinematic direction. As a game this might not be for everyone. But certainly anyone interested in a interesting mystery should give this a try.
MicroGameReviews.com
