The New Benchmark for Storytelling in a Videogame
Graphics- Simply put, the game is gorgeous. The environments are incredible, some of them look like a photograph come to life. It may just be me, but the stages of the game after the prologue look much better. Perhaps the darker atmosphere just makes it seem that much more real, perhaps they really do look better. In the end, it doesn't matter, it's a gorgeous looking game throughout. The best part of the graphics is the character models, especially the faces of the four main characters. Ethan, Madison, Norman Jayden, and Scott Shelby all have such detailed faces that my mom walked in and thought I was watching a movie! Some of the character faces, like Lauren Winter, aren't as detailed, but the amount of polish that was put into the main characters and really all of the characters reaches a level of detail that, in my opinion, is at the very least equal to any game available today. I will say that some of the objects within the game look a little too low res, but I found that these objects were few and far between. Also, the animations in the game are incredible as well, with perhaps a couple of inconsistencies. In spite of this, the graphics still get a 10/10.
Story- Best plot in a game ever, end of story. That may be a bold claim to some, especially with the presence of games like Bioshock, KOTOR, and MGS4 to compete against. I don't want to spoil the story for you considering that the plot is something that you should enjoy for yourself, but I can give you a brief outline of it. The story focuses on the mystery of the Origami Killer, an enigmatic murderer who has kidnapped and killed several children over the past few years. The children are always found on a stretch of wasteland, drowned in rainwater, with an origami figure in the hand, and an orchid on the chest. Each of the four main characters are great, each character has some serious flaw to them that makes them that much more interesting. Ethan is depressed and develops serious psychological problems, Madison has chronic Insomnia and can only find sleep in cheap motels, Norman Jayden is addicted to a drug called Triptocane (he has a few withdrawals in the game), and Scott Shelby has a serious case of asthma. The story is a great mystery with twists and turns all leading up to a grand twist which I never saw coming. The story is so emotionally engaging that you'll swear you personally know the 4 characters. The one flaw I could find with the story is the voice acting. It's not bad, really, just a bit iffy at times. This is understandable though; Quantic Dream is a European studio, which means that it has European voice actors. Since the European voice actors are supposed to be portraying Americans, there's bound to be some iffiness with the voice acting, like an American trying to do a British accent. Ultimately, it's not a problem, the voice acting gets better as the game progresses and some of the voice acting is superb. Overall, 10/10 in the story department.
Gameplay- This has attracted some controversy. I will say that the gameplay is great, I think that the choices have significant impact on the story and that's always great to see. Also, the "quicktime" events that alot of people, including my friends, have talked crap about are very fun. It's not like God of War where you continually press one or two buttons. Instead, it utilizes Sixaxis, the right stick, and button presses in time with events as they occur. For example, if you were supposed to jump out of the way of something, you might press up on the right stick or make an up motion on the controller with the use of Sixaxis. Overall, the quicktime events are very fun and engaging, they really help build up a sense of tension during those big action scenes that, at times, actually left me short of breath and with shaky hands. The walking is a little weird though, it takes some time to get used to and you may still have problems with it (though I didn't). Also, the controls can be a bit iffy sometimes. Nothing serious, however, the game gets a 9/10 in the gameplay department.
Not everyone will like this game, and I can understand why. But if you can't play Heavy Rain because there isn't enough shooting and it isn't moving at a blistering pace like COD multiplayer, then of course the game isn't for you. The game was intended for the emotionally, mentally, and intellecutally mature. It was meant for people who want something deeper out of a game, who want to take a break from the endless killing and gunfire and instead take part of a truly engaging and interactive experience. Not to say that COD4 is bad, I think it's great, but if you can't slow down with a game and take it seriously, then that just indicates that you aren't mature enough to be playing M rated games anyway. Heavy Rain goes for something deeper, something more serious, something more mature, something that a mental adult, not necessarily a physical one, can play. I hope that we see more games like this in the future, more games that can be considered true achievments in storytelling and entertainment, more games that can be considered art, more games like Heavy Rain.