I love video games, but sometimes game makers have their heads up their arse. These games aren't necessarily bad but they exemplify self indulged ego, where progress and innovation or just fundamentally interesting game play be damned.
Heavy Rain sets out to tell an emotionally mature narrative of intertwined characters that could work as a movie but would be laughed out of the theater with it's at once both obvious and evasive twist ending that requires the player to throw any semblance of internal logic away and a love subplot that feels stilled, out of place and awkward. Combine that with some of the most abecedarian attempt at voice acting and it is an abject failure for what it attempted to achieve.
The Battle scenario animation and effects are some of the most elaborate and flashy looking of any video but they're also completely unplayable with the player mostly sitting at the sidelines occasionally hitting a button to direct the AI what to do next, it's a passive experience. Square Enix seem to love wallowing in cliche, with every base JRPG story beat struck with perfection. The things that make an RPG, from any region, good Final Fantasy XII thoroughly ignores.
Quest log obfuscated to the point of uselessness? Check.
Map system stripped out? Check.
Item system tucked away behind load screen? Check.
Interaction mechanic neutered? Check.
All round consternation of any form of a menu? Check.
In six years Polyphony Digital managed to model 200 or so cars and the rest were just up converts from a four year old game.
In six years Polyphony Digital created a physics system that sometimes looks like it is simulating Moon gravity.
In six years Polyphony Digital made an online mode that looks like it was borrowed from The Dreamcast.
In six years Polyphony Digital failed to essentially keep up the progress in the racing genre as a whole with regards to; damage, menu usability, user friendliness and basic gains in video game presentation.
WHO THE FUCK DOES POPCAP THINK THEY ARE!?
