Source: http://connectedconsoles.com/ps3-Why-Heavy-Rain-Will-Rock.cfm
Firstly let me just apologise on behalf of Chris’ view of the game. You see for a lot of people change is scary, whether it be as simple as John Terry being replaced by Rio Ferdinand as England captain or a game like Heavy Rain throwing away the manual (and then some) on how games should operate, change scares people and it’s just because they can’t really grasp it.
Ever since purchasing my PlayStation 3 two years ago there was one game which was always on my mind. Granted the likes of Metal Gear Solid 4 and Uncharted are prominent choices but it was the beautifully looking Heavy Rain that caught my attention. While some would argue the game was “just an excuse to flash some next-gen tit” it was the fact that Heavy Rain was directed by Fahrenheit creator David Cage a game which I adored on the PC. Fahrenheit had the Marmite affect when it launched, either you hated it or you loved it, and for me it was the latter. Heavy Rain seems to have taken everything which made Fahrenheit unique and taken it to the next level. Quick time events, a total disregard of the general control system and a deep plot.
See this is why people are sceptical about Heavy Rain, the fact that the action is predetermined and to progress you do have to live your life as if you would. Taking showers with a fully naked Madison is a dedication (or pervertedness you decide) to what you have to do throughout the game. Gamers are going to love these mundane activities because they make you an active part of the characters life and it is Quantic Dream’s way of immersing you into the story. I would rather have to go help the characters child and develop an understanding of how your character operates and thinks than just skipping from one location to the other and killing whatever alien, Nazi or ‘gangster’ in your way. While OPM say the story is paper thin, you have to wonder exactly how far they have got through the game already. I mean if so many people get so engrossed in gaming series like The Sims, which has no story at all and no definitive end, then what’s stopping them from enjoying the grittier and more actively involved Heavy Rain?
Granted the graphics are stunning and it may be an easy thing to distract you from the overall mechanics of the game but from what I’ve seen of the game it looks like a solid story driven game. The fact you don’t have to let all four of the main characters survive is going to give gamers numerous ways to finish the game. Also depending on how you handle the dialogue with your characters results in how NPC’s react towards you and in turn how much information they are willing to give to you and in theory rewards the player with a wealth of re-playability.
Unfortunately for some people, like Chris for example, who believes Heavy Rain will just be a series of quick time events they are going to be missing out on one of the best games in 2010. These “mini-games” are the soul component on whether your character will survive until the end and gamers who turn a blind eye to Heavy Rain are just afraid that the game is something different to what they are used to.
I’m not going to try and defend or hype the game anymore. When the title launches later this month I’m adamant the gameplay and story will do the talking. Change doesn’t always have to be frowned upon, and the way Quantic Dream is altering the way games are played, I’m sure you too will see this isn’t just a piece of art.
