PS3 Review – Heavy Rain
The pacing of the game is just right, you’ll have just enough time to settle down with some dialogue in between the 5 nail-biting trials the Origami Killer has set before Ethan Mars. One such trial the killer will send you on, is a death-ride, speeding the wrong way down a busy highway, swaying and swerving to avoid oncoming vehicles, putting your life on the line to save the life of your son. As Mars completes each task, he’ll receive clues to where his son is being held. He’ll have to get there fast if he wants to save him, as all previous victims of the killer have died when the rain fall reaches 6 inches, something that is projected to happen in just four days. If Mars cannot make it in time, his son will fall victim to the killer, who will take his life and leave his calling; an orchid laid across the chest of the victim and an origami figure placed in the victim’s hand.
Once you’ve discovered who the killer is and have met your fate, you’ll be anxious to jump right back in for another playthrough, mainly because you will want to explore different choices and thus, different consequences. Each and every scene can be played a number of ways. One scene in particular put Scott Shelby in a convenience store with the goal of disarming a would-be robber. It’s your choice if you want to try your hand at settling the robber’s nerves and talking him out of it, or maybe you don’t feel like confrontation and would rather sneak behind him with a quick strike from a glass bottle to the back of his head, abruptly ending the standoff. Even more dramatic, the game features multiple endings, each offering a completely different look into the future of the lives affected by the killer.
Confront the robber, or sneak up behind him? The choice is yours.
You’ll perform each and every action within the game with context-sensitive controls. Each type of button combination or movement represents real life actions. For example, one scene has you playing the piano so you’ll be firing off quick taps of the face buttons. On the flip side, would be tending to Ethan’s wounds, you’ll have to slowly and smoothly move the analog stick in the direction prompted to avoid causing him any unnecessary pain or discomfort. Most of the actions are a simple, single movement letting you perform everyday tasks like going to the bathroom or turning on a light. However more intense situations, like a heated fist-fight, call for much faster and more precisely timed button tapping. Each action fits the scenes or situation perfectly.
Heavy Rain features the very best graphics seen to date on a console. During loading, you’ll be greeted to an up-close head shot of whatever character you’ll be playing as next, a nice visual touch. Facial animations are eerily realistic, sly smirk or a grimace of pain give you a look into the what the character is feeling. Eyes are particularly life-like. Each and every scene is filled with details, much of it interactive. The subtle details of each scene make every chapter believable. You’ll know your character is hurting by the deep, rattling breaths he’s taking. You’ll know by the look on his face. The team at Quantic Dream took attention to detail very seriously. Dark, orchestral scores make up the majority of the soundtrack and meshes well with the suspense of the game.
Are these the eyes of a cold-blooded killer?
The life-like graphics, the forsaken backdrop, the dark music, the mature themes, all set amidst the pouring rain, come together to bring you something that is so much more than just a game. At times you’ll be so engrossed in the story and the characters that you’ll completely forget you are playing a game. Heavy Rain, after all, is dubbed an interactive drama by the game’s writer and director, David Cage, who has elevated video games as an art form to a whole new level. The finishing touch of revealing camera angles, are straight out of a blockbuster Hollywood feature film and make the experience feel that much more real. The characters themselves are believable and as unbelievable as the situations are, you can’t help but wonder “how far you would go to save the one you love”.
As a father I was deeply compelled to identify with Ethan Mars and his quest to save his son. As someone with over 2 decades of gaming under my belt, I am proud to see video games become a higher form of entertainment. Heavy Rain is truly a work of art that demands to be appreciated. Unfortunately like most art, you have to “get it” to really appreciate it. That being said, the game is not for everybody, and there will be plenty of people that just don’t “get it”. But, if you go into Heavy Rain with an open mind and the understanding that this isn’t your average video game, you will reap the reward of playing one of the most memorable video games of this console generation.
PlayStation LifeStyle’s Final Score
Deeply emotional and psychological thriller. Many different choices, which all have unique consequences. |  |
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45 Responses to “PS3 Review – Heavy Rain”
sweeet, been waiting for this review, Thanks
I can’t wait to play this title.
Excellent review Sev.
did anyone read this review? If you did, can you please tell me if it contain spoilers. If it doesn’t, when I will read it. Been on media blackout for this game.
Sounds good I’m still wondering though what the replay value is going to be like. I’ll most probably get this because of this review. Thanks.
Oh, ok. Thanks Sev. It looks like I will not be reading this review then. This is just one of those games what when I played it, I want to experience what reviewers and people who has gotten the game early has experience. Reading a review describing a scene will ruin that feeling for me.
I have a question. How many different ending have you encounter so far?
[...] PlayStation Lifestyle – 5 [...]
Release dates NA 23 February 2010
EU 24 February 2010
AUS 25 February 2010
UK 26 February 2010
IRE 26 February 2010
JP 18 February 2010
Great review Sev. The reviews on this site always seem to reflect my expectations of a game.
[...] PlayStation Lifestyle – 5/5 [...]
want it!
What a beautiful game. People say that games haven’t been unique in years. I say HEAVY RAIN.
Nice. How were the trophy’s Sev? I know they had some qualms about the game not really being a trophy kind of game… and they spent a lot of time just figuring out how to put them in. Do you remember what percentage you had after your first completion?
Excellent, there’s more good reviews than bad reviews so i guess id be getting this game now. Great job Quantic Dream!
~funkyellowmonkey(ps3 id)~
hello …
this is more than a unique game, it’s pure A.R.T!
makes videogame one of the best entertainment industry in this world.
thank you Quantic Dream, can’t wait to have my pre-ordered special edition in hands…
cheers!
Great review of a great game. I have a question, do you guys here at PSLS get all of Sony’s games a few weeks earlier than release to review?
Awesome review! I’m glad to see this game getting a warm welcome so far…even though it has mostly been from Playstation sources (PSLS, PSOM, etc.) I can’t wait to get my hands on this, I’m even hoping that this will be such a gripping story that I can have my girlfriend sit beside me while playing it and we’ll be able to skip a couple movie rentals.
Great spoiler-free review! I already pre-ordered this game, to be at my door on release date thanks to Amazon.
Good to see the game has lived up to expectations.
I still think of Bowfinger every time I see this game.
“was it normal rain…or was it chubby rain?”
l was planning on renting this game but l played the demo and found out how truly awesome it is. l gotta thank them for releasing a demo because l would have missed out on purchasing this
great review man, solid work
[...] PSLS 5/5 [...]
one thing ive been wondering is if you die do you have the option to try again?
thats one thing that i can see really getting on my nerves if you cant, because what if i want to find out what would happen if i did not die?
theres no way im playing through the whole game again doing everything exactly the same to make sure i get to the same point again.
hopefully they give you the choice to either try again, or continue suffering the consequences.
if not during the first playthrough at least make it a unlockable during the second.
i really want to experience everything in heavy rain, explore all the different paths but there is no way anyone is going to be able to do that because of the sheer amount of time that would take.
there is still many other games that i want to play not to mention ive only been back at tafe for 2 bloody days and the bastards have already given me 3 assignments!
[...] PlayStation Lifestyle – 5/5 [...]
Great review! I didn’t want to respond to this article until I played the demo. The 2 aspects about this game which stand out to me the most are the investigation glove and shades tools and the fighting sequences. I haven’t played the demo in-depth to make a good enough judgment on the decisions-and-consequences aspect of the game but it’s got plenty potential. I’m not too fond of the fight sequence with the button input method right now but I liked how there were numerous alternate fighting moves (I can see I’m not going to do well with a few beers).
After playing the demo and re-reading this review, my anticipation has peeked. I was a little unsure about this game after watching the first nine minutes of the game (the video you posted recently) but I’m now convinced to buy it on day one… although, I’ll most likely be able to find it a few days early at my local independent game store.
5/5
This game TOTALLY deserves a 5/5. The demo was the best I have ever played. Too bad two reviewers gave it scores in the 70′s. They obviously don’t see that Heavy Rain is a masterpiece.
Love the demo but must say pretty uneventful. I know that it they dont want to give away too much so i have very low expectations for the demo. The game’s concept, the art style, the story telling, and the interaction will be like nothing we have seen before to this degree. Incredibly excited great review cant wait to play.
you know what hate…people hear about a great game like this and their first question is “what about the trophies?” Are you kidding me?? Play the damn game and if you happen to get trophies while you do it good for you…It really bothers me even more when people refuse to buy games that don’t have trophies. Did you buy a game console to play games or to get shiny, little, meaningless accomplishments?
Worst game I’ve ever spent money on. I can’t believe it. The only twist in the game is awful. The point of the game is story, and the story sucks. What else is there to like? Cliche action/plot/twist. The major twist is the worst, ever. This game deserves the worst possible scores but it won’t get it because it’s exclusive and “interesting,” because it’s basically like you’re not playing. We shouldn’t stand for bad storylines in games anymore. We shouldn’t make excuses for them because they are games. Furthermore, the controls, even things as simple as walking, are outrageously stupid.
Played the demo to this game and liked it, but i´m not sure if i will buy the game. not really my favorit genre of games. I will most likely borrow it from some friends…
Beat this a few months ago and loved it reminded me alot of Saw as the trials you go through to rescue your son from the Origami killer.
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