I was worried about Heavy Rain mainly because I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. Even after playing the demo I was not that much wiser I knew it looked good I knew it was new and exciting but I also feared I would get very bored of the button pressing and watching cut scenes quite quickly. I was unsure if the QTE would hold my attention over the length of a full game. And to be honest it took a while for me to get into the game. Not unlike fans of the TV show The Wire who will tell you it will take 3 or 4 episodes to get into it this is very similar but once your in you’re addicted. The first hour or so (most of the demo) teaches you how to play the game.

The game opens with such exciting missions like getting out of bed, brushing your teeth and taking a piss! What seems strange and boring slowly starts to makes sense as these meaningless tasks gets your head around the control system. Using R2 to control your walking speed and then using the left stick to solely change the direction takes a bit of getting used to. The right stick instead of controlling the camera angle controls your interactions with items around the environment. Flicking it up or down to open doors for example.

The early tasks are fine but as you know game has built up a reputation for nudity. So I did start getting worried when the guy started taking his pants off. The developers for some reason decided that they would introduce you to controls that will involve shaking the controller up and down at this point. I prayed no one would walk in on me as there is no way to explain why you have a naked man on the screen and you are jerking a controller around the place! At least the scene with the woman would be slightly less embarrassing but not much.   

The control system works though. Different combinations of buttons and six axis movements do different things. Sometimes you have to hold in the buttons or you need to bash the buttons, sometimes a movement of the whole controller is required. Movements will require you to build up a series of button presses that end up like playing twister with your fingers. I never thought I would have a need to use my left thumb to press L1 or the X button in a game.

The Quick time events give you options to advance the story but unlike other games where if you miss the timed button hits you have to start again in this game it doesn’t put a stop to the flow of the game it just changes the direction of the event on screen.  This removes the frustration experienced by other QTE’s in games. I know my first play through was controlled more by mistake as I bashed buttons in a panic when I was supposed to keep them pressed down than by choice but happily that adds to the game rather than taking away from it.

One of the first things that will hit you is this game is simply stunning to look at. Sometimes it looks so life like it’s spooky. The environments they have created are both gritty and beautiful which is hard to do, but even in the dirtiest grimiest locations you will turn up something that will impress you. The supermarket such a simple location but was really impressive the level of details gone into this game is incredible.

The story I just can’t get into without risking ruining it all for you but it follows 4 characters that you can control at different times in the game and centres around the origami killer a serial killer that has plagued the city for the last 8 years abducting young 10 year olds drowning them and leaving them on wastelands.

Heavy Rain is more like a gritty TV cop drama than a game or a movie giving you ample opportunity to shout “you stupid chief!” at the chief of police. The storyline is full of exciting twists and turns as each new scene brings something new to the table.

There is a father, a prostitute, a FBI agent, a PI, a detective and a journalist all playing major roles in the story along with many others to keep you guessing.

Its not just a massive long cut scene with some QTE thrown in either, it also requires some thinking and puzzle solving, and you need to mix your detective and forensic skills with good old cop work.  Throw in some feminine charm and a good old dose of ass kicking to crack the case. But if you are expecting a free role like usual 3^rd person shooter you will be disappointed. While you can and do walk around quite freely most action is controlled to a certain extent.

Over all on my first play through I found it an incredibly addictive experience. It is so well written and acted that you get lost in it just as you do a good film or TV show. I sat down at 5 30pm to play it and didn’t get up until 3 30am (not recommended for H&S reasons) while not always fast paced it is always interesting the more exciting bits will have your heart pumping, the moments that are meant to fill you with panic do as you try to think and act quickly. I’m not sure how much replay value there will be as I now know how the story end but I am going to go back and start again just to see what happens if I make different choices.

This really is a game everyone needs to experience at least once.

SCORE 92%