Gamer's Perspective

Bring an Umbrella

This review is 100% spoiler free. 

Heavy Rain is the next step in point and click adventure titles.  The game really drags the player into the scenes and it does a good job of creating smooth transitions from the various actions.  Of course the main things about these games are the stories told.  If the story and presentation are lacking, the game will suffer as a result.  So the question is:  Does Heavy Rain's story and presentation do a good job of capturing players?  In this reviewer's opinion:  yes.

Unlike the studio's previous game, Indigo Prophecy, Heavy Rain's story is based in a more realistic setting.  There aren't super powers or any such things in Heavy Rain.  The story follows different characters until everything concludes; which there are a few different outcomes depending on your decisions.  Heavy Rain does do something different however; should you ever die, you won't be greeted by a "Game Over" screen.  Like a Broadway play, the show must go on, in a manner of speaking. 

On the presentation side of things, I had no plot holes in my story and everything worked out in a natural progressive way given the choices I made.  I have heard some storylines have a few plot-holes, but my storyline was solid.  The voice actors did a good job here and nothing felt too out of place or immersion breaking.  Just when you think you have things figured out; the game manages to reveal something new to keep you on your toes. 

Heavy Rain does have a few minor annoyances however, mainly the controls.  Walking feels clunky and sometimes the quick time events aren't as responsive as they should be, but again, these are minor complaints. 

TECHNICAL TIDBITS
Graphically the game is consistent and the character models really received a lot of attention in their facial detail.  The animation during the game flows smoothly with little breaks to be found.  The voice actors and background music all hit their scenes and do a good job of conveying the feeling of what's being seen on-screen.  Lip-synching is off in a few spots, but not by much.  Controls can feel a bit clunky at times, but nothing gamebreaking.

THE RUNDOWN
Heavy Rain is a breath of fresh air from the norm and it's an experience that every PS3 owner should try out at least once.  While not being a long game, the different story paths offer a new experience each time you play through it.  The beginning starts off slow, but even in the early going it still reels you in.


Worth it?  Yes

Graphics  9.5
SFX  9.0
Gameplay  8.5
Presentation  9.5
FF/RV  8.0



My final score is 8.9  

Manimal Forever Gamer's Perspective