Man I'm beat. I'm pretty happy with my review (kept it light on the story details because most people already know it)
Here the link:
http://www.examiner.com/x-13269-Gaming-Lifestyle-Examiner~y2010m2d10-Heavy-Rain-review
Here's the text (click the link above to support my habit):
For the majority of those who end up following a particular story path in Heavy Rain, it will take about 20 chapters before those players understand the repercussions of their earlier actions. Many of these gamers will then be hit with the realization of how certain choices can significantly affect the events and outcomes of the rest of their playthrough. This will then lead some players to overthink their future decisions: "Should I drink this scotch, or will it affect my ability to hold my own in a fist fight?", "What happens if don't cook this dish correctly?", "Should I turn off the TV and send my kid to bed?". It is these types of reactions and anxiety-triggers that make Heavy Rain a joy to experience, even though not every decision has significant consequences.
The game does not deliver complex butterfly effect results that excited gamers might have fantastically assumed, but that does not stop the game's decision-driven gameplay from being engaging and thought-provoking. Many of the much-publicized "multiple paths" often reconverges by the end of the respective chapter.
The conversation-response choices bring to mind a streamlined version of 80's/90's PC adventure games where each response is assigned a specific PS3 controller button. There are times were a single reaction can significantly alter the rest of the story, while other times the game forces the user to cycle through all the reply choices before the story moves along on a very brief set path.
Heavy Rain celebrates beauty in the mundane. Right from the start, the act of engaging in one's morning ablutions sets the tone for what to expect throughout the game. Microwaves can be operated to heat up tea, a magnifying glass can be fetched at the request of an elderly friend, and pants pockets can be searched in order to find money to pay a clown for a balloon. Developer Quantic Dream takes this a step further by having a few of these seemingly minor actions act as the trigger to a significant event, except the player will not know this until after the fact.
These little things that are considered ordinary in real life extend beyond the game's interactivity. There's much to be appreciated in the awe-inspiring degree in motion capture both with bodily and facial movements. Detail-oriented gamers will smile at the sight of a woman's restless legs as she eagerly waits to speak to someone (such a motion would be edited out if it was any other game). Heavy Rain's older, more worn characters steal the show in facial detail. These well-captured puffy and wrinkled visages will most likely inspire other developers to incorporate more middle aged supporting (or even main) characters in their future titles.
While the environments might not have a similar level of detail, but they excel in their variety. Many large locales feature a mix of explorable space and narrow set pieces meant for chases and inducing claustrophobia. There are no fewer than 40 unique areas and range from confining tunnels to a multi-level motel. One particularly poignant setting involves a well-colored and depressing interaction between the emotionally lost Ethan Mars and his son Shawn, a scene that is sure to hit too close to home with a few single parents.
Serial killing as plot device almost seems underused in video games, which is one of the reasons why Heavy Rain will feel fresh as a game and as an unapologetic film noir homage to many people. The game's light bloom-intensive opening chapter (set in a house that ironically could be a premium version of PlayStation Home) provides the perfect contrast to the rest of the game's dark and depressing tone. As with any crime film, active minds will be drawn to solving the murders alongside the characters. These same gamers will find the red herrings effective and most will be impressed with an ending that will compel many to replay Heavy Rain immediately after the end credits roll.
Writer and director David Cage has maintained the implication of comparing Heavy Rain to films before games. It may not pull at all the intended emotional strings that a competent director could accomplish with a movie but Heavy Rain does often shine when good storyboarding, motion capture, acting and music come together. These become gut-wrenching scenes that many players will place alongside their favorite emotional moments in past games.
Composer Normand Corbeil, who had worked with Cage on Fahrenheit returns with a soundtrack that is sure to make many critics shortlists for Best Music at the end of year. The simple, yet somewhat somber piano arrangement at the start of the game will certainly be covered by many musically inclined YouTube users. It acts as one of the game's reoccurring compositions, assisting in the game's pace and cohesiveness. One reason to get David Fincher fans interested Heavy Rain is that a number of the darker scores could have be lifted straight out of Howard Shore's work in Seven and The Game.
What makes Heavy Rain fall short of being an unquestionable masterpiece is that it could have benefited from a couple more months of fine tuning. The game suffers from occasional screen tearing, though it is not detrimental to the overall experience. Even before gamers have a chance to IMDB-check the voice actors during the end credits, it becomes obvious to many players that many of the cast members were not born in the U.S. (this would not be an issue if it was not for the game's American settings). What results are some curious line deliveries that will draw a few chuckles (eg, the inconsistent pronunciation of 'origami', often vocalized as "oree-gammy"). David Cage also plays with a minor storytelling cheat in one particular event, where one perspective of the scene was played out as a visual lie in order to conceal the truth from the player (which is revealed near the end). There are also couple plot holes that could have easily been resolved at the end and many will suspect that Quantic would have fleshed out those scenes had they had more time.
One subtle positive about Heavy Rain is that its cinematic nature makes it one of the best social games ever made. When one considers how movie-going tends to be a group activity, where the appeal of a summer blockbuster is heightened in a crowded setting, many Heavy Rain buyers should seriously consider inviting non-PS3-owning friends for the initial playthrough. In both this review build and the preview build from last year, Heavy Rain became the centerpiece of two different dinner parties for this reviewer, where adapt players and non-gaming friends were involved and the controller was passed to another person at the beginning of each chapter. There's potential for amusement when viewers try to egg the player on to choose one action or another. Like any film, Heavy Rain's tense and dramatic scenes can be met with some very vocal reactions. That's how effective the game is cinematically. If the aforementioned dinner parties were any indication, any PlayStation evangelist should consider this approach if they want to help Sony sell more systems.
Heavy Rain is also an unusual title in that it will compel many casual players to hunt down the game's 57 trophies. A few are given just for progressing and some of these act as pairs--one is earned based on how the user acts in a particular chapter, whereas the other can be unlocked by replaying the chapter and making choices contrary to the previous playthrough. The game wisely withholds any trophy reveals until the next chapter's loading screen, so as not to break up the flow of the game. What also makes trophy collecting attractive is that the majority of them are earned through decision making while only a few require quick reflexes. Better yet, getting a number of trophies simply requires replaying specific chapters without restarting from the beginning of the game.
Beyond the trophies, Heavy Rain's progressively unlockable extras makes for worthwhile additional viewing. While not as in-depth compared to other titles, these bonuses offer some environmental concept art as well as clips from the motion capture and audition sessions. Players can also revisit the 2006 "Mary Smith" demo clip to see how far Quantic Dream has progressed in accurately depicting facial features.
Despite how unfamiliar Heavy Rain might seem, any skilled gamer should find the hardest difficulty setting a very fitting and satisfying challenge as their first playthrough. It delivers the right amount of heart-racing tension while making the player feel they have the potential to survive the game's numerous action sequences. It is definitely possible to get the game's happiest ending the first time around (as this and other reviewers managed to do) provided one's moral compass stays relatively straight.
For the skeptics who assume Heavy Rain is short on interactivity, here's a stat to think about: Not counting the game's 12+ epilogues, the longest time period that the gamer has to sit through a non-playable scene is 2 minutes. Even if the player is not engaged in a heated pursuit or a time-sensitive exploration mission, many will discover a zen-like appreciation for scenes where characters are simply "hanging out" whether it is waiting for someone or listening to another character.
Heavy Rain does its share in filling a void that much of the gaming community did not know existed. In a way it completes a decade-long redemption of the so-called Quick Time Event style of gameplay that was tarnished by FMV games in the 17 years between Dragon's Lair and Shenmue. Now this feature is present in critically acclaimed games like God of War I & II, Resident Evil 4, and Bayonetta. The way it is integrated in Heavy Rain feels incredibly intuitive. Orange juice cartons are shaken by shaking the controller, lock picks feel dexterously-challenging, and even the act of carrying heavy objects makes holding multiple controller buttons seem appropriate.
It is obviously that the gameplay and pacing will not appeal to a good portion of mainstream audiences, but it is still sure to convert a few of those gamers even if their default genres are first person shooters and sports games. If anything, Heavy Rain might very well turn out to be the biggest cult hit of all time, with the same fanatical following the Silent Hill series developed after the second installment (at least the cosplay will be easy for the fans). Equally important is that it is guaranteed to influence younger developers, some of whom are still too young play this M-rated title. Do not be surprised to see a successful developer at GDC citing Heavy Rain as a major influence 5, 10 years from now. In spite of the genre preferences everyone is entitled to, anyone who has an open minded appreciation for the medium should consider Heavy Rain required playing.
(This review was based off two full playthroughs of the game, having beaten it both times on the hardest difficulty setting. Various individual chapters were replayed as well for an approximate grand total of 22 hours. 35 out of 57 trophies were earned [52%]. PlayStation Network ID: oilywater)
Developer: Quantic Dream
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Platform: PlayStation 3
Released: February 23, 2010
