Heavy Rain Review
[Today's Heavy Rain review comes from John Humphrey Johanas, Esquire, through the teletape from Japan. He freelances for popular gaming blog Backhand of Justice, and also runs a webcam website www.deviantjohanas.com]
This game came with a lot of hype that I chose not to get involved in. All I knew before getting in was that this is supposed to be a ball-busting emotional thriller with more of an emphasis on story and choices than gameplay. The great Luke Stillman even controversially debated with himself over whether or not this is a “game” despite having not played the final retail version! All in all, this looks to be something that is destined to get fucked up.
I’ll give you the bottom line right away: I’d recommend it. Overall, the game kept me entertained to the point where I got all the endings and the story intrigued me enough to even go that far (Let’s forget that trophies are involved). HOWEVER, I’m going to go there and say that this is nowhere near as revolutionary as it was hyped up to be. It does have lots of polish to cover that up, though.
The good
The main draw of Heavy Rain is the plot. In a nutshell, it’s The Bone Collector meets Saw. Nothing incredibly new. We have four characters searching for the elusive Origami Killer (or are they?). There are adult themes (or are they?) and this is supposed to be pretty realistic (I’ll leave that up to you to decide). The whole thing starts solidly and builds from there. I have some gripes about the ending, but the four characters are well developed and the situations can sometimes be very complicated and harsh. The option to have players die and still let the story continue adds another interesting aspect to the gameplay.
Despite this being a good point, I’ll say that the whole thing isn’t as deep as it is being made out to be. I personally never got too attached to the characters and supposedly tear-jerking scenes fell flat to me. I guess I’m the one to blame though, for not being married with children.
Yep ... there's the rain, as advertised. 10/10
The alright
Graphics: Now, it’s hard to argue that the environments are not amazingly detailed. However, it is very plausible to argue that the character models are creepy as hell. While excellently modeled, they sometimes feel like wax figures. And, I think there is something wrong with their eyes. They all look blind or something, based on the way they move. I was surprised that with all the emphasis on the effort made to the faces and expressions, that they could miss the mark so significantly. Final Fantasy XIII accomplished this so much better, even in the case of lip-synching. It’s impressive, no doubt, but downright strange at times.
Voices: Sure they grow on you, but just like the faces there is something a little off about all of them sometimes. Try other languages for more fun!
Choices: The game has a solid mix of excellent, serious choices where one’s moral conscience gets riled up. Those are the good ones. Some of the others are not so interesting. I know that something is better than nothing, and it’s impossible to have EVERY option available to you, but sometimes I felt I was pigeonholed.
Music: It’s great, but a little over the top. When it starts getting epic in a nice fight scene or a critical story moment, it’s fine, but when a hypnotic piano melody breaks out every time I sit in a chair or open a door, it gets kind of ridiculous.
What's that? Why is my face so shiny? I'll tell you, but I have to press square, triangle and waggle the analog stick first
What were they thinking?
The controls: I have no idea who thought the R2 trigger walk mode was a good idea. Not only that, but why can’t any character run? If Ethan were so desperate to save his son, you’d think he would pick up the pace a little. As far as the QTE, what can I say? Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. The scene in the demo when Shelby has to push a three button combination to slide past a dumpster will remain in my mind as one of the silliest moment in gaming.
I would say this is as close as you come to the game/not game line, although sitting somewhere towards the former. It basically is a gimmick game, if you don’t mind me calling it that. Gameplay wise, this isn’t much of a step up from Parappa the Rappa, but not many people will notice that anyway.
Like I said before, I’d recommend this. I enjoyed it, I just can’t help thinking how I enjoyed it so much more 10 years ago when it was called Shenmue.
I have the strange feeling though that this game will not stand the test of time. A plot completely relying on the twist will no doubt diminish in value once everyone knows it. I would strongly suggest getting out there and playing it immediately if you even consider yourself interested. I was thick enough not to see the twist coming my first play through so maybe you won’t either.
And on the subject of the ideal but implausible remakes: Silent Hill 2 on this engine would be unbelievable.
