I've been looking forward to this game since it was first announced. There is something about the style of the game, its atmosphere which drew me in from the beginning. And I was afraid it would disappoint me.

I'm glad to say that Heavy Rain didn't - it is probably one of my favourite games of the last few years.

For starters, this is quite possibly the best looking game I have played since MGS4. I think the graphics are part of what make Heavy Rain so special for me. I really felt like I was looking at actors - from the way they move to the subtle facial animations, Heavy Rain feels real. It also fulfilled my need for a mature game which doesn't shy away from sensitive subjects such as nudity (I can't believe I just typed that), murdering of children, mutilation, and some intense set pieces with very variable outcomes. Since I finished it, I've spoken to 3 people who've played through the game, and they were talking about scenes and interaction between characters, that I hadn't even seen. I think Heavy Rain did an excellent job of providing enough incentive to play through multiple times.

Part of this is because every single action you perform has a consequence, the most dire one being the death of the playable characters. That's right. The first time a character died in my game I couldn't believe it, I was expecting the game to throw a "Restart Scene?" option at me, but it didn't. I messed up, my character died, his story ends. Once you know this, you start approaching the game in a different way. You start thinking your actions through and you'll always have the consequence of the choice at hand in the back of your head. And there are a LOT of choices to make here. From simply deciding to shave in the morning or not, to deciding who you feel should live and who should die.

Although you could describe Heavy Rain as one giant Quick Time Event, it woulddefinitely be selling it short. It'll probably be hit or miss for most people - it's not a straight up action game and I'm sure there are some people who will lose interest in it because of that. This is a game for people who enjoy a strong narrative and emotional attachment to their playable characters. If you're one of those people, I would most definitely suggest trying out Heavy Rain. It's by no means perfect, but if you're willing to overlook a few story inconsistencies and some slight technical issues (and I don't mean all the PS3's in the world breaking down. Looking at you, Sony), there is a lot of time you can spend in the world of Heavy Rain.

(PS. Has anyone noticed that the input used to make Scott and Ethan pee differs? Ethan's is a single press Down on the right analog stick, Scott's is Up, then Half Circle Down. Makes you think about how detailed this game really is.)

(PPS. I know it's weird that I noticed that. And it's weirder to bring it up.)

That is all. Thank you for reading.

I like my games.

There is something that has been bothering me for a while now, and I feel this is an appriorate place to bring up the discussion. Of course, as a video game fanatic, I follow the news preceding game releases on a daily basis, which is . The thing thatI would like to talk aboutis the bad reputation that gamers seem to have amongst non-gamers. It sort of crept up on me, but it's come to the point where I'm getting almost hesitant to mention to strangers that I am a gamer.

But it's a big part of my life, and the games I've played (and trust me, that's a lot) have not ever had a single negative effect on my life. In fact, I'll argue that I've only had benefits - having started playing games at a very early age has helped me improve my English to the point where I actually prefer it over my own language.

That is only one of the reasons it hurts me personally to see video games being unfairly treated or judged by people unfamiliar with it. It almost feels like a personal insult every time I see these clips of lawyers and politicians claiming Mass Effect is a game where players can engage in full graphic sex, or how playing Wolfenstein 3D trains you to be a professional hitman. It's ridiculous.

So, my question to all of you unfortunate enough to stumble upon this;

Have you ever felt hesitant to admit to somebody that you enjoy video games?

Take it easy. (am I doing this blogging thing right?)