Originally posted on 7/3/10
Heavy Rain - PS3 Game Review
For each generation of gaming consoles, there are games that define them, just as there are games that define genres. This is nothing new. What happens very rarely is the game that comes along that both defines a generation and creates a genre of its own. As such, Heavy Rain is a game so innovative that it could be a gaming yardstick by the time the PlayStation 5 is being released.
For a game where the sole method of control is quicktime events, the level of immersion present in Heavy Rain is something I have never come across in my years of gaming. Aside from the fact that I hard to start the game from scratch as it refused to go into the Blue Lagoon for me, the story present is one that, while never the same twice as it's affected by your actions, captivates you and takes your breath away.
Basic premise is that you alternate between 4 characters, all trying to find the mysterious "Origami Killer," a rather warped individual who drowns children in rainwater. When you think about it, that name is garbage, as the kids aren't killed by origami, merely left with a small piece of paper art when their body's dumped on a wasteland. But either way, the media needs a name, so you end up with that. Your characters are Ethan Mars, whose son has been taken by the killer, Scott Shelby, a private investigator looking into the case, Madison Paige, a journalist who's a nosey cow and Nahman Jayden, a drug addict FBI agent. While some characters are more likeable than others, there's no questioning the levels of depth present in each of them. When you're controlling the characters you can hear their thoughts about certain issues, which allows you to guage how you're going to act with them. Just about everything can be interacted with, and as I said, everything makes a difference. Do you want to send your kid to bed at 7 with no dinner? Or do you play by the schedule his bitch mother made you write up in the kitchen? Either way, the story carries on regardless, and it's this that keeps you captivated. Hell even having everyone die keeps the game going, although I imagine that it'd be over pretty quick when you do. Whatever path you choose, you will continue to be drawn in, finding yourself caring about the characters so much you take every blow with them. The acting is top notch, surprising considering it's not actually people in it but pixels.
Graphically, this is to humans what Gran Turismo is to cars. While most games can have things that look like people at a glance, Heavy Rain requires you to stare at them for a bit before you realise it's not real. As the name implies, there's a lot of water present, be it falling from the sky trying to drown Shaun or dripping off Madison's supple bosom, and again, it's impeccable. The level of detail is outstanding, and while it's caused some problems that led to me downloading a patch before playing the game despite getting it before the release date, on the whole, there were no real glitches. The rest of the craft in building the game is equally impeccable, so much so I honestly believe more games like this being made could lead to there being an Oscar category for games, as well as them being a more advanced medium for telling stories. While in this case it'd be a bit difficult seeing as the story is different depending on how you play, some sort of recognition is deserved, as the story present eclipses even that of BioShock, the best story i'd ever come across in a game.
In terms of criticism you can throw at it, there's not much. Using quicktime events for everything isn't as boring as you'd think, you even get your reaction time right up to scratch as you desperately try to keep folk alive as well. Re-play value is going to be a bit thin as well, seeing as whatever you do will be different from the way you know the story to go. Either way, if you go into Heavy Rain with no hang-ups and just want to enjoy it, it will draw you in, and will provide you with an experience unlike just about any other you've ever had.
No comments:
Post a Comment