Note from the editors: The moment you've been waiting for! We're happy to introduce our newest contributer, Alex Kleinsorge, with his review of the PS3 title Heavy Rain.Heavy Rain is difficult to describe. It fits less into game parameters then one would expect from a game. Does It truly fit into its self-proclaimed title of "interactive Drama?" More importantly though, does it even make for a good gaming experience?
Heavy Rain starts out slow, putting you through mundane tasks and character driven interactions, which you still see throughout the game. While this may seem like a bad start to some, it does a great job connecting you with the characters. Playing with your kids or reading a book, it all feeds into your feelings about these characters in a surprisingly deep way.
Heavy Rain's story is interesting to say the least. It revolves around four very distinct characters, all of which feel different, and all have different motives for solving the case of the origami killer and putting a stop to his twisted rampage. This tends to make an good story for the most part, the characters are very deep and detailed, and with the ability to hear their thoughts and feel their fears and anxieties, you can get very connected to the story.
The gameplay is kind of a mixed bag, though good for the most part. Moving you're character around is a real pain. It feels rather clunky, and you'll often bump into objects breaking the mood. The QTE (Quick Time Events) are done wonderfully though. Even the mundane movements feel at least some what interactive, and on some of the action scenes, you'll find you're self really getting into it. A suprising gem in this game though is the use of Six Axis, the PlayStation three's mostly failed motion control device. It's always used just in the right places, from brushing you're teeth to smacking a guy on the head. It's so great it almost make all the other crappy uses of the device worth it.
It tends to feel like a B-movie thriller at times with certain things being overly dramatic, especially with cheesy voice acting on top of it. Speaking of which, the weakest part of this game is the acting. While the main characters are good for the most part, side characters can ham up their lines, and sound rather unconvincing. The worst part though is the fact that this is a french made game set in America. Many of the smaller characters, especially the kids, have horrible American accents. Aside from this though, the story still ends up to be very enthralling.
Heavy Rain is a great game overall, with the great mix of story, and interactive gameplay. You get very into the story and it's characters. It truly is an Interactive Drama, allowing you to see and feel what you can't in other mediums. If you have a PS3 I highly recommend checking this out. It makes for a unique experience no true gamer should miss out on.
This game gets four rain splattered origami figures outta five.
Heavy Rain starts out slow, putting you through mundane tasks and character driven interactions, which you still see throughout the game. While this may seem like a bad start to some, it does a great job connecting you with the characters. Playing with your kids or reading a book, it all feeds into your feelings about these characters in a surprisingly deep way.
Heavy Rain's story is interesting to say the least. It revolves around four very distinct characters, all of which feel different, and all have different motives for solving the case of the origami killer and putting a stop to his twisted rampage. This tends to make an good story for the most part, the characters are very deep and detailed, and with the ability to hear their thoughts and feel their fears and anxieties, you can get very connected to the story.
The gameplay is kind of a mixed bag, though good for the most part. Moving you're character around is a real pain. It feels rather clunky, and you'll often bump into objects breaking the mood. The QTE (Quick Time Events) are done wonderfully though. Even the mundane movements feel at least some what interactive, and on some of the action scenes, you'll find you're self really getting into it. A suprising gem in this game though is the use of Six Axis, the PlayStation three's mostly failed motion control device. It's always used just in the right places, from brushing you're teeth to smacking a guy on the head. It's so great it almost make all the other crappy uses of the device worth it.
It tends to feel like a B-movie thriller at times with certain things being overly dramatic, especially with cheesy voice acting on top of it. Speaking of which, the weakest part of this game is the acting. While the main characters are good for the most part, side characters can ham up their lines, and sound rather unconvincing. The worst part though is the fact that this is a french made game set in America. Many of the smaller characters, especially the kids, have horrible American accents. Aside from this though, the story still ends up to be very enthralling.
Heavy Rain is a great game overall, with the great mix of story, and interactive gameplay. You get very into the story and it's characters. It truly is an Interactive Drama, allowing you to see and feel what you can't in other mediums. If you have a PS3 I highly recommend checking this out. It makes for a unique experience no true gamer should miss out on.
This game gets four rain splattered origami figures outta five.
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