Heavy Rain

[spaceboy]

Heavy Rain is a PS3 exclusive and if you have a PS3, you owe it to yourself to play this game at least once.  I think it has the replay value and worthiness of a purchase (I bought and will keep my copy), but at least you need to rent it and experience it.

The basic story is of 4 characters all working towards finding the "Origami Killer" whose been kidnapping and killing young boys by drowning them in rain water - yeah, it's heavy and rated M for a reason. 

The words interactive movie has been used before and this is probably the closest to it, but fear not the game itself gives enough excitement, and button pressing action to please your gaming self while immersing you in a compelling and emotional story. 

The game starts off a bit slow but of course this is to get you used to the controls.  Navigating Ethan to do such mundane tasks as brushing teeth and shaving are really minimal and you can skip them if you like - although again it helps to get used to the controls. As you move one of the four playable characters through the world anything you can interact with will have an icon showing how to interact with it (which button or how to move your analog stick).

The story picks up pretty quickly though once you're family gets home.  Ethan's wife asked me to help get some plates for the party but I blew her off and played with the kids in the yard lol.  But it's when you get to the mall that the story winds up kicking in.

The controls really do start to become second nature.  One thing to note as far as the "QTE" prompts during action sequences is that they are not a typical QTE that makes you start over if you miss one.  That minor detail changes it from a mundane QTE "task" to an interactive engaging "QTE".  If you are in a fight and miss a button, you don't start over, you just get slugged, or knocked down or whatever, hit the button and land a punch yourself.  They last long enough so that even if you miss a couple prompts you can still change the tide of the fight.  It's hard to explain, but it's almost the best "fight" sequence setup because just like in a real fight - you kind of know what to do but don't always execute it.  I tried to punch him but swung to late and he punched me first.

We got the game Tuesday and had 3 straight nights of "Heavy Rain".  My wife was looking forward to getting the kids to bed each night in order to watch the game - THIS IS NOT A NORMAL OCCURANCE!  What an incredible ride.  We completed it but 2 of my characters met an untimely demise.  The replayability is high just due to the different paths the story can take, but also some of the sequences I want to replay again just to do it - not to change the story.

It's hard to describe but the way the characters thoughts and choices are presented, and even the on screen movements when in a particularly stressful scene, really draw you into this game.

I actually dropped/threw my controller accidentally trying to do a quick move  - and I'm scrambling on the floor to pick it up to save my character from imminent danger.

I can't remember my heart pumping so much during a game (even intense battles on MAG or anything like that don't compare).  I really don't want to spoil anything in particular - but several scenes really had me cringing and mad at myself when missing prompts because I dearly wanted to get my character(s) out of trouble.  It's such a subtle but major difference that the story goes on (no automatic reset if you fail a sequence).

Crazy trip this Heavy Rain is.

[Art Blade]

That does sound interesting, both story and game play. I know what you mean "that is not a normal occurrence" -- I don't recall what game it was when I had my girlfriend sit next to me and together talk and decide what to do... it is a nice experience on one hand, but I always felt slightly more freedom and less influenced (as in irritated) when she was not immediately next to me while I was playing, on the other hand. Boys do different things when girls are around, less savage and violent but more distinguished and cultivated -- however, well thought-out moves are not always my cup of tea in games. ;D

[PZ]

That sounds like great game mechanics - one thing I don't really care for in some games is that if you mess up, you the game forces you to start a sequence over.  Because I tend to have problems when I'm rushed, re-doing those sequences becomes really old after a while.

[Art Blade]

your version of Yin&Yang (avatar) is very interesting, PZ  :)

[spaceboy]

that is a sweet avatar PZ!

Art - yes I really don't want my wife sitting with me while I game all the time - no offense to her of course - it's just kind of my time  - but it is a nice change of pace just like when we watch movies together.  Only, this "movie" I was controlling the characters, well, 4 of them.  The game is hard to express what it's like - and it won't be for everybody - but it is definitely a unique experience.

PZ - there is no right or wrong choices, but your choices and/or "misses" on keys may lead to the characters death, but the story will just change and go on without that character.  Obviously, you're missing some game section if that character dies, but that's part of the replay value.

[PZ]

Thanks spaceboy - that avatar is actually one that I found for my wife several years ago.

This sounds like an interesting "game" - more movie than game; perhaps my wife would enjoy either playing or at least watching.  I don't mind my wife watching my gaming, but I have to agree with you guys - it is better to be immersed into the game without any other people being present.

[RedRaven]

Saw a trailer for "Heavy Rain" just the other day and have to say it looks Awesome in terms of graphics, was taken aback by them that much that I totally missed hearing what was being said about it, but certainly looks worth playing.

[spaceboy]

well the story is compelling and we found ourselves riveted for 3 straight nights (about 8 hours or so).  I've gone back in since a bit and while the story is now known, which takes away some of it's magic. The gameplay is still fun.  This is where trophies are a nice thing because it gives you a bit of an incentive (and challenge) to go back in and try to accomplish certain things.  I actually missed a fair amount of content the first playthrough since 2 of my characters died...

You can replay chapters at will and choose to save or not save from that point.  There are also 3 save game slots to utilize.

Purchase or rent?  For me its a purchase because it's so unique I want to keep it in my collection (and have it available).  But, it could easily be a rent as well since you can get through at least one version of the story pretty quick.   There are, however, 4 different endings - and many paths to get to those endings.

[Art Blade]

Oh dear, I had just started an identical topic when I realised we've got this one, already  :D ;D

I want to post my thoughts here.

http://www.youtube.com/user/KnightmarePSN#p/c/0870AB2EE613BE91/4/ckywtNMGws4

Again a game for a platform I don't use myself, but thanks to people who record complete playthroughs and post them on youtube, and thanks to a fast DSL with flat/fixed rate, I was able to and did watch the entire game. 58 vids, HD (720p, also 480p and 360p), usually 10 minutes per "episode" I spent a week watching like 10 hours of gameplay. Heh, better than buying a console and playing the game myself, it was kind of a TV replacement ;)

What made me watch it was A) the fact that I liked how the uploader (calls himself "Knightmare") played another game which I already mentioned here (MetalGearSolid4) and B) his comment on Heavy Rain:

Easily being one of the greatest entertainment experiences I've ever had, Heavy Rain is truly something unique and special that anyone who is even remotely interested in gaming should experience at least once.

It is among some of the most immersive and captivating titles I've ever played on any platform. In-fact, I'd go as far as to say that it's an interactive w@&k of art/film rather than a "game". It is simply a w@&k of pure genius, expertise, and originality. And I'm proud to declare it as my most favorite release so far in 2010.

Well anyways, I think I've babbled on long enough -- I'll just let the game speak for itself. Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present to you all my complete YT playthrough of Heavy Rain in extreme HD. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it!

What I can say about the game's story and structure (obviously nothing about controls and freedom of decisions) is that it indeed is like a movie the player plays different roles in. Like in some books, when you switch from one person's perspective to another one's and another one's etc, the game does the same. So you are not bound to one but to several characters that you play throughout the game. As can be expected, their stories do intertwine eventually. In general, it's kind of a murder/psycho/thriller movie with a huge lot of cut scenes.

Apparently the game is rather linear, although there are some options that may change the game's story (I believe it may only affect the game rather slightly). What I found interesting is how the decision-making was realised: You'd see your controller's key symbols and keywords next to them, floating around your head; they stand for the character's thoughts. So if you'd see a square with "hunger" next to it, you'd then hear yourself thinking something like "it is time for lunch, maybe I should find something to eat" etc. Then there are objects you can interact with, like a drawer or a door, and you can decide whether or not to use them. So you kind of get "into" your character, and indeed it is immersive.

At this point I want to point out that in my opinion the game is nothing for people in a weak condition, nothing if you ever experienced a tragical loss of a child, and especially nothing for children, even if the start of the game is so soft and mellow that it nearly made me puke; it was so cheesy and cliché-laden and soap-opera-like, but I can tell you, that changed :)

Now I might slip in a few spoilers, so don't read on from here if you think you'd like to play it yourself.

You start as a nice, happy and proud dad with a nice wife and two approximately 10-year-old nice sons, a nice house in a nice neighbourhood and so on. As luck would have it, one day you're with your family in a huge shopping mall when one of your sons gets lost in the crowd. You try to find him, looking everywhere, just to find him outside on the other side of the street... of course he crosses the street and you see the car that's about to run him over, so you jump to push him out of harm's way... and fail miserably.

The game jumps two years ahead in time (from there on it won't stop raining) and you notice how you're a shadow of your former self, your wife has left you, and your house is a mess. You learn that you were in a coma for six months. Your remaining son has turned into a sad and silent boy and obviously doesn't really love you any more. Your life apparently is a complete mess. Plus, you notice how you sometimes lose it, like you kind of pass out and wake up in the middle of the night in a street and have got no clue how you got there and what you did while you were "out of your mind."

Somehow, one day you manage to make your son happy, in a park you play with him, he laughs the first time after a long time, and... you lose it again. When you get back to your senses, your son... where is your son? You left him in the park hours ago...

There is a mass murderer somewhere out there, male children around 10 years of age are his victims, they all died (drowned in rainwater) and have an orchid placed on their chest and an origami figure in one hand; so the murderer is called "the origami killer."

I'm not going into more details here, only let you know that you'll play three more different characters like an FBI agent, a private eye, and a female journalist. They are all into the origami case and sometimes you play one of those characters that interacts with a character you have played previously, and that happens a couple of times. Kind of funny to do that, like talking to yourself using someone else.

The game is mostly great, if you can ignore some minor flaws ("the murderer is white" -- how the hell do they know that, there is no witness, nothing, how can you say that? and other stuff you'd probably say "aw, c'mon, no way this would happen" but it does.) It was really nice watching the playthrough, almost like a thriller on TV, and I had a couple of nice evenings watching that game rather than a DVD.

Definitely not a mainstream game and certainly worth mentioning it.  :-X

[PZ]

Very nice read, Art.  The title sounds intriguing, but it is too bad that it is linear, although it is understandable why it is so.  It does seem like some games are playing more like a movie these days.

Thanks for the synopsis.  :-X

[JRD]

It somehow reminds me of Alan Wake...

I like the idea of playing different characters in the game... it has been done before, but if you consider a complex plot with different characters interacting and you being able to switch between them... wow... the possibilities are endless... instead of an open world, an open story game!

That would be awesome!! :-X

[spaceboy]

glad to hear you enjoyed the walkthrough Art - This was in fact one of the more unique, intense, and memorable gaming experiences I've ever had. 

Don't worry about the linearity, because it is a loose linearity, your choices do affect the outcome of all 4 playable characters and the child.  It certainly is not for the faint of heart as you said, or anyone who actually has lived through the loss of a child.

spoiler:
My first playthrough ended in 2 main character's deaths, the father,Ethan in jail, and I did not save the boy.  I went back to play a DLC episode "The taxidermist" which was equally intense albeit short of course.  I will go back to the game more (I've only replayed a bit so far due to other games grabbing my attention).

PZ - you could finish one playthrough in 8 hours or so.  I definitely recommend renting it.  Anyone with a PS3 should at least try it once.

JRD - also yes I think it does sound a lot like Alan wake - unfortunately I won't be able to play that x360 game  :'(   but it's great both consoles have a game like this.

[Art Blade]

Cool, I wouldn't have expected the game to play out differently depending on your actions and reactions. The walkthrough I watched was kind of by the book, like all survived, father Ethan happy with his son and his new girlfriend (the reporter), the origami killer however died (lol, he ended up in a scrap grinder).

[spaceboy]

yeah, mine was def. not by the book lol.  I barely managed to keep another main character alive, Madison.  Did you see the scene where she ends up in the "doctor's" basement?  I/she barely escaped.  The interesting part then is of course if one of the characters dies you will miss out on other scenes they would be in later. 

Certain scenes and especially the "taxidermist" DLC was so intense that my hands were shaking afterwards.

[Art Blade]

The doctor's basement and his drill, yeah... heavy s#!t  ;D Also the dream (nightmare) sequence of Madison in her appartment was heavy.

By the way, the first time she tells you her name is when she's patching up Ethan. She gives him all kinds of medicine and then tells him her name is medicine, err, Madison... made me laugh  ;D

[fragger]

...instead of an open world, an open story game!

That would be awesome!! :-X

:-X Yes, it would indeed! I'd imagine though that an open-story game would be difficult to create, as you'd have to make sure that no matter what course of action the player took, the story would hold together and still come to some sort of sensible conclusion. Heavy Rain definitely sounds like it's on the right track for this type of game concept. Wish I had a PS3...

[JRD]

Maybe in the next generation of games... when artificial inteligence gets really inteligent and able to adapt and change according to your choices!

One can only hope this day comes soon while we're still here to play  ;D ;D

[fragger]

Hear hear - just as long as the AI isn't called "Skynet" :o

[JRD]

By now, the machines in the future already know this brand is jinxed, so they`ll send someone to their past - our present - and change it into another brand like Google or something like this so when it all happens it will be under another trademark of doom... if it makes sense at all to you, mate...   ;D ;D ;D ;D :P

[spaceboy]

By now, the machines in the future already know this brand is jinxed, so they`ll send someone to their past - our present - and change it into another brand like Google or something like this so when it all happens it will be under another trademark of doom... if it makes sense at all to you, mate...   ;D ;D ;D ;D :P

you seem to know alot about this "JRD", IF that is your real name  :o

[JRD]

By now, the machines in the future already know this brand is jinxed, so they`ll send someone to their past - our present - and change it into another brand like Google or something like this so when it all happens it will be under another trademark of doom... if it makes sense at all to you, mate...   ;D ;D ;D ;D :P

you seem to know alot about this "JRD", IF that is your real name  :o

Actually, my name is HAL, and you`ve just been hacked my friend!!  ;D ;D ;D

[Art Blade]

And he ("JRD") is the one who kept calling me names, like "computer" or "AI" and so on... all planned out in advance as a distraction from his true self.  :o

[spaceboy]

lol Art - I generally don't trust any of you 3 letter named guys  ;)

Back on topic sort of, you may be interested to see the following video titled "The Casting" which was an E3 2006 tech demo for Heavy Rain.  You'll recognize the character Lauren from the game, who goes by the actress name Mary Smith in this video.

It's pretty cool and of course in 2006 it was controversial whether the PS3 could render this blah blah blah, but aside from all that it's cool to watch and the "acting" is quite haunting.  The scene has nothing to do with the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCClcsD3GcU

[Art Blade]

That was fun  :-X And really nasty:

Audition room.
judge #1: "Have you shot anything, recently?"
actress Mary Smith: "I've had a few bit parts, little things here and there, nothing really serious for the moment; I'm always too tall, too short, wrong hair.. tee-hee.. There's always something wrong with me, tee-hee."

Then the audition starts, splendid display, really. Then it's finished:

actress Mary Smith: "So? How was it?"
judge #1: "erm, very nice, very nice."
actress Mary Smith: "You think I might stand a chance? tee-hee"
judge #1: "Someone will get in touch with you and let you know."

The actress leaves the set.

judge #2 (under his breath): "She wasn't too bad, huh?"
judge #1: "Doesn't matter. She's too tall for the part... NEXT!"


LOL ;D ;D ;D

[RedRaven]

Been passed a copy of Heavy Rain to play by a friend who has finished it, the loan came with one piece of advice -

Take many, many notes in a notebook

Not had time to start playing it yet but thought it advice worth sharing.