Heavy Rain (PS3)

Rated by Mr. T. Pooley, London on 27th February 2010

"Heavy Rain" is by far the most innovative game I have played for quite some time. No other title has immersed me so deeply and made me feel so much a part of a story. Although it does have a couple of minor faults, this is likely to be a contender for Game of the Year (and we're only in February!). In a city on the East coast of America, a murderer known as "The Origami Killer" is on the loose and taking the lives of innocent children. You, the player, are drawn into this terrifying tale by playing four different characters in an attempt to bring the killer to justice. What makes "Heavy Rain" so great is the fact that it is utterly unique. Every action you take, every word you say, has a consequence. The way in which you react to any given situation has an effect on how events unfold later in the game. Sure, there have been games before in which a player's actions determine which variant of a path they travel down (RPGs such as "Fallout 3" come to mind, for example), but not on the scale that "Heavy Rain" does. If a character dies, there is no returning to a previously saved game - the story progresses without them and the way it pans-out is affected by such events. The developers claim that there is an exceptionally large number of ways in which this game can conclude, and this means that everyone who plays it will have a different experience. In short, "Heavy Rain" delivers a level of interactivity heretofore unseen in video games. The story is immersive, gripping, and full of suspense. The characters have a lot of depth to them, and offer enough variety between one another to keep things interesting. One of this game's strongest points is also its soundtrack - the music constantly shifts to reflect the tone of each scene, and at times the orchestral score is utterly chilling. It really does add to the atmosphere tremendously. Gameplay-wise, some people have criticised "Heavy Rain" for merely consisting of a series of "quicktime" events. However, it is so much more. Although it is scripted and you do follow one main storyline, the outcome of your actions cannot be broken-down to a mere "pass/fail" format - they instead trigger different events in which you can complete a scene. These actions vary from life or death situations to the simple activity of brushing a character's teeth - either way, you can't help but feel as if you are a part of this game. However, "Heavy Rain" is not without some minor flaws. At times, the voice acting isn't quite up to scratch. Lip-syncing seems a bit off and character's facial expressions appear slightly wooden. Furthermore, the graphics aren't exactly groundbreaking. Don't get me wrong, this game looks fantastic, but there are a couple of moments when the visuals are questionable. At one point, my character was having a conversation in a busy police station and all of the CPU "background" characters were passing through him as if they were ghosts - this is fine in a game such as Warcraft, where constantly bumping into other people is a hindrance. But in the case of "Heavy Rain" it serves to undermine the realism that the story has so delicately created. In addition, the controls could perhaps have been improved upon - they often feel a little bit clunky and unresponsive. One such instance occurred when I had to guide my character through a series of small, dark tunnels - the constantly changing camera angle appeared to confuse the system as to which direction I wanted to go in and as such I was left constantly going back and forth. But these small problems really are infrequent gripes with what is quite simply, a spectacular game. "Heavy Rain" won't be everyone's cup of tea. If you're after a gung-ho, mindless action game then this is not it. If however, you are looking for something unique, something that requires you to weigh-up every consequence of an action and something that will immerse you into a story like nothing else, then you must play this game. It is utterly unique and completely engrossing.

Rated by M. Robinson, Brighton, UK on 27th August 2010

I loved this game to bits, it makes you feel so emphatic towards each of the four characters you play and I found it to be an emotional experience throughout. It's a nice change to have a video game which actually has an amazing storyline with it, it's very rare these days. As for the gameplay aspects of it, given the style game is I don't think it could have been any better personally. If the controls were overhauled the game would need to be overhauled, and some amazing things about the game would need to be sacrificed. This is a very brief review because I don't want to give anything away from the storyline, but I will say that this game just simply magnificent, you will want to play over and over and you won't forget the experience afterwards.

Rated by Mr. N. Wildman, Beds, UK on 9th August 2010

One of my fellow reviewers has hit the nail on the head with his description, it is a "marmite game", you either love it or you hate it. Personally, I love it although I recognise that it won't be to everyone's taste! I was fortunate enough to stumble across this game's spiritual predecessor, a great game called Farenheit. The stories are in no way linked but the "interactive film" approach used in Heavy Rain was first tried in Farenheit and later nearly perfected for the second game. I say nearly because it's not perfect but more on that in a minute. The playing style won't be to everyone's taste as some may find it too slow and mundane. The game follows the same basic outline as Farenheit in that there are multiple playable characters all working to find the Origami killer but all with different motives. This can sometimes cause the characters to conflict which adds a nice touch considering each one's goal is the same. For ease of reading, I'll split the remainder of this review into pros and cons: Pros 1. The story is brilliant, it is a lot darker than your usual game, dealing with very adult themes like loss, betrayal, mental instability and desperation. 2. The individual characters are by no means carbon copies of eachother, each one has a different personality and skill set which really affects what they do and how they do it. 3. You control literally every movement of the character, ranging from brushing your teeth to escaping a submerged car or fighting off a lunatic with an electric saw. This realism is fantastic, getting you really involved in the game. 4. The graphics are really stunning, easily the most "real" character rendering I've seen in a game. 5. The story is not set to one path, many of what seem to be minor decisions during the point in the game can have major effects on the plot, sometimes even resulting in the death of a mahjor character. 6. If one of the characters does die, it's not game over and you can't go back to undo a missed prompt, the story continues and the plot changes accordingly. 7. The intuitive controls really connect you with the character, you feel the excitement when you have to pound a button as quickly as possible to fight off a maniac or the tension when you have to carefully press buttons with the right speed and force to avoid electrified wires Cons 1. The controls can sometimes be a bit fiddly, mainly when you have to line up a character quite precisely in order to flip a switch. Each character's turning circle is very big so just trying to reposition can be a bit frustrating. 2. Choosing dialogue is not as easy as it could be. You usually have four options corresponding with the face buttons but these options circle your head. While visually this is good as it makes it look like thoughts rather than just options. However as they circle, the text can be hard to see so if you have to make a quick decision, this can be a hinderance. 3. The quicktime events can sometimes be a little too difficult, requiring very quick reflexes in order not to miss them. That being said, the harder sections are usually when you're fighting for your life so this adds to the tension. Overall, a fantastic game if you like the more real kind of experience. If you just want outright action with lots of guns, this won't be the game for you. For those of you who like the deeper game that explores much more adult themes, give this a go. I would also heavily recommend Farenheit especially because you can probably get it very cheap these days!

Rated by A. Griffiths, London on 4th August 2010

I have very high praise for this game. "Heavy Rain" totally drew me in, the level of realism was so great that I really cared what happened to the people I was watching on screen in a way that quite surprised me. I can't say much about the plot other than the obvious (4 people become embroiled in the search for a serial killer), because everyone who plans to play this needs to know as little as possible about the plot to get the most out of it. You need to know about the style of play though. Apart from making the character move about, which is done with the directional stick, every other action on the screen is co-ordinated by following on-screen button prompts. Some of this simple, for example, if you stand facing a cupboard, you might see an arrow pointing to the left flash up - and pushing the analogue stick to the left makes the character open the cupboard and see what's inside. And some of the action is more complex. Anything like fighting, escaping or carrying out difficult tasks means that you have to watch the screen closely and press the right button quickly as it appears, or hold three down at once, or mash one as fast as you can...get the idea? Sounds like it would get boring fast but I have to say it didn't - although I got sore hands after a few of the very diffcult combinations when I ran out of fingers! The success story of "Heavy Rain" though, is the sense of real drama. The story and the characters are fantastic. All four leads are amazingly lifelike, and they speak, move and emote with real depth, and this makes you become hugely involved with the plot...well, I certainly was, When my characters encountered hurdles or were subject to attack, I was with them all the way. Sometimes I even surprised myself by shouting at the screen when I was able to dish out much needed retribution to some of the very unsavoury characters who were after me. And unsavoury is putting it mildly. I agree with some of the other reveiwers about the classification of this game. I think an 18 certificate would have been easily justified. I knew the game was about a serial killer but I didn't expect things to be quite so violent. The killer taunts one character by forcing him to undertake sadistic "trials", and a couple of these made me flinch with genuine revulsion as I did them. This is undoubtedly due to the hyper realism of the game - you really feel like you are totally immersed in the action, and that these could be real people. And nobody has a nice time in this story: "Heavy Rain" is one very dark game. I only have a few niggles - some events in the game are massive red herrings that are never explained. The plot is very clever (it has to work from four different perspectives), but some of the finer points passed me by and at times I got lost. The overall weakest part of the game is character movement - the swivel-and-walk-in-different-directions control scheme is hellish...sometimes I was twirling my character all over the place before getting them aligned correctly to open a door or press a switch.The flow of the game is great though, the saving is spot on - theres no easy way to backtrack if you think you've made a bad choice - unless you reboot in the middle of the action before the autosave kicks in - although I later found out you can choose a chapter and replay and save it, but I couldn't tell if this meant playing forward again from that point or simply saving that standalone chapter with a different set of actions in it (?) In general, this game is a class production all the way, high quality and mature in all respects. The "quick-press" way of controlling the action will not be to everyone's taste - especially if you know exactly what you want to do but the button combinations are too difficult or too quick to press correctly. I think everyone should play this game, but again, be warned that it can be quite hard hitting due to the impact of some very realistic scenes of violence.

Rated by Gail Parnell, UK, Wiltshire on 23rd July 2010

This is one of the first titles I brought on the PS3, since ditching the Xbox 360 after the infamous three rings of death. My oh my, I wasn't disappointed! Heavy Rain follows four different characters as they pursue the notorious Origami Killer, who has been kidnapping and killing boys, usually around the age of ten. Victims are found with a small origami figurine in their hand, and an orchid on their chest. All the victims were killed by drowning. Heavy rain starts off with Ethan Mars waking up to a bright new day, and preparing to celebrate his eldest son's birthday. Here, you can take the time to get used to the game's unique controls which not only involve using the controller for day to day tasks, but using the buttons to choose a response to dialogue. What strikes me is the outstanding visuals the game has to offer. Characters are amongst the most beautifully drawn i've ever seen, and although there is the odd glitch, or some objects low on detail, the overal look and feel of the game is outstanding. After the prologue style tutorial, two years have passed, and Ethan lives with his son Shaun, sharing custody of his surviving son with his estranged wife. Before long, Shaun goes missing, and Ethan faces a battle against time to save his son's life - and will constantly be faced with one question- How far will he go to save his son's life? This becomes central to the game's theme, and as you progress through the game, from time to time, you will take charge of the other characters in the game - A journalist by the name of Madeline, FBI Profiler Norman and Private Investigator, Scott. Along the way, there will be various challanges to overcome and some truly tense situations as the game progresses towards a conculsion. The real innovation with Heavy Rain is that how you react to situations - what you say - what you do - whether you catch the bad guys, miss evidence - fail/pass tasks, all has consequences later on. This is where the game's diversity really pays off - and you'll find yourself returning for more to see how a different choice here and there affect the outcome of the game. The controls aren't as difficult to master as it seems, but the more nervous your character is, the harder it can be to hit the combinations, but fear not - there is no "game over" as such, what you find is that loosing a character at specific points in the game means their input into the story is lost, thus resulting in a different ending. The story is engaging, the characters great and once Heavy Rain gets going, you won't want to put it down. Quite simply, a true masterpiece in gaming - and the best game I've played in a long time. Visuals 8/10 - Beautiful animated, drawn characters - some graphics low res. Gameplay 10/10 - Incredibly addicitve, you won't be able to put it down. Playability 9/10 Innovative control system is surprisingly easy to use. Overall - 9/10 - Buy it!

Rated by kotkingr, Athens on 18th July 2010

You can compare this game with other creations like movies, paintings or novels. David Cage the writer and director of the game had really alternative ideas about how the videogames for the matures should be, and his masterpiece "Heavy Rain" is the result of his vision. It is absolutely stunning and immersing with high class aesthetics and a deep dark story. Really you should play it because it is not a game! It is an experience!

Rated by Sam (Leeds, England) on 16th June 2010

I've just finished this game and have experienced something genuinely unique. Possibly the best way to describe it is as an interactive animated psychological thriller. This game is a spiritual successor to Fahrenheit which attempted something similar for the previous generation of consoles. The tone and atmosphere of the game is very much akin to movies like Seven and Silence Of The Lambs. This is especially the case with the audio - the tension building soundtrack of the game appears to have at least been inspired by if not totally ripped off from significant sections of Seven. Still that is no bad thing since that film is one of the best examples of its kind. The interaction takes place through various key presses and combinations. These are in the same vein as the good old quick time events, however the placing of the key indicators on screen and variety of key press types are excellent and in context with the character action that follows it. It's clear to see that a lot of thought went into these, and rightly so - the result is that you follow the 'movie' action on screen as you interact with the game - it all blends together very well. The fight and chase scenes are very well done. Graphically the game is very good, the most impressive part though is actually just the main title screen which shows heavy rain (what else?) over a dimly lit alley. As has been mentioned by other reviewers already, some of the background graphics aren't up to much and the lip syncing isn't always perfect, but it gets the job done. The biggest draw for this title is its interactivity and the claim that every action has consequences. There are at least 20+ different endings to the game, and knowing that you as the gamer have had some hand in the outcome heightens the emotions. Having played the game through once and received a 'bad' ending, I was genuinely disappointed and sad for the characters, but I also felt a bit guilty and was thinking that I would want to play through again and achieve a 'good' ending. Quite a few games have tried this 'moral' choice but this is the first time I really feel I want to go back and change things. Anyway, there are some minor blemishes, mainly graphically - but it's originality more than makes up for it, and it is actually a really really top notch story as well, I'd recommend anyone interested to give this one a go.

Rated by Mr. J. Drakes, Rotherham on 15th April 2010

This game is like nothing else before. In fact it is more than a game, it is an experiance. After completing Heavy Rain i took a big sigh of relief, not because i was glad it was over, but because you became so immersed and involved in the game that you almost become a part of it, a part of it's world. This game is no idiotic everyday action game, this is not something you simply pick up and play for five minutes or so, and neither is it a game to relax to. I spent most of the game at the edge of my seat with sweaty palms shouting at the tv with suspense. The game is a cocktail of button sequences,clue-solving,investigative work and of course decision making. Which is where the genius of the game is. Every choice you make,every action you take has a consequence. And that consequence changes the game's story or character involvement. The storyline is chilling,gritty and smart. It keeps you guessing right until the end, but of course how will it end ? That is up to you. The ending is one of the game's highlights, because there are so many.It all depends on how you've played the game. I got one ending, and my friend got a completely differant ending, as did his friend ! It's completely brilliant ! This game is amazing. From the storyline, to the player involvement, to the tense action scenes, to the charaters, to the cinematics, everything about this game is truly stunning. I recommend this game if you are looking for something fresh,exciting and completely mind-blowing.

Rated by Ms. L. R. Hill on 13th April 2010

It's really fun to play, as everything you do in the game changes the outcome in the overall story. Graphics are great, and i would recommend it to everyone.

Rated by Obsessed Mikey, Manchester, England on 4th April 2010

If there ever was one reason to buy a PlayStation 3, Heavy Rain is that reason. I myself didn't have a PS3 until very recently as I knew this game was on the horizon, the same incredible talent that brought us the amazing, yet unfortunately flawed, Fahrenheit from the last generation. Heavy Rain builds on this with incredible strength, but branches to give it the might of being an incredible experience throughout, without the plot crazies that appeared in their former title. It's an action-adventure at heart and manages to truly grip you like no other game. Gone are the days of not caring about the characters in the game, in Heavy Rain you genuinely feel for each character and you're on the edge of your seat in every action scene as you know the possibility that your character can die and the game will continue is always a chance. The game is actually not really a game, rather a true piece of story-driven interactive entertainment. It's a movie that you can interact with, and for the most part this is perfect. The game does suffer from minor camera problems when you're walking due to the third-person camera perspective view, but this certainly doesn't detract you from the content within. I will not waste your time informing you of who you play or the story as there really is not much point, but just know that this is an essential title for any serious gamer and I could not stress enough how much I recommend it.