Heavy Rain (PS3)

[Scutch]

This looks bloody good. Didn't realise it's release was so close, either :

World Exclusive Heavy Rain review awards 9/10 | The Lost Gamer

It was with joy that I saw my subscription copy of Official Playstation Magazine UK arrive in the post this morning. This was not only due to the fact that I was hoping to find more information on the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII from Square Enix, but more for the fact that I knew that the latest issue would offer the World Exclusive review for Quantic Dreams’ Playstation 3 exclusive, Heavy Rain.

Reviewed by Editor-in-chief, Tim Clark, it was his opening sentence that easily confirmed to me that this was another overtly ambitious title that wasn’t going to fall anywhere short of the high expectation surrounding it; “Having played and replayed Heavy Rain, I’m convinced it’s one of the freshest, most exciting, and even important games on PS3 so far,” before going on to state that “[he is]also convinced that a lot of people are going to hate it. Or simply be baffled by the fact that you spend quite a bit of time sitting around being sad.”

There is also plenty of praise for the control scheme, in which “Every action you perform in the game requires a corresponding button press, stick movement, or Sixaxis shake, from a simple tap of up [on the control stick] to swig juice from the fridge, to a sudden jerk down on the pad to kick a door in, or carefully rotating the right stick to apply a bandage.”

Such use continus to diversify as the controls actively represent the difficulty of what the character is trying to achieve; “If it’s something phyiscally demanding – say, trying to clamber up a muddy hillside – you might have to hold serveral buttons at once, effectively playing finger Twister.” Alongside this, other sections will task you with performing actions as you race against the clock to get out of a situation. The developer’s interactive design ideas are to be commended, with Clark concluding “What shouldn’t be understated is how inventive Quantic Dream has been with the controls.”

The story’s pacing is also key and is perfectly designed to create an “exhausting, exhilarating, and, curcially, involving” experience. Player’s will also encounter “innovative twists on its core forumula right until the credits roll,” and the review continues to describe various elements and encounters within the title.

In conclusion, Clark writes “Certainly there’s nothing quite like it on PS3, or indeed any other system. Put gaming conventions aside, go in with no expectations other than this is something new and massively good-looking, and you’ll be rewarded with a unique experience that lurches between genius and madness, manages to be genuinely emotional, and that you’ll be bursting to talk about with your friends.”

The title is awarded a coveted Gold Star, and an incredibly respectable 9/10. For those in the UK, remember that you can pre-order the HMV Exclusive Heavy Rain Collector’s Edition for £39.99.

The February 2010 issue of the Official Playstation Magazine UK, issue 41, will go on sale tomorrow. Within its glossy pages you can catch their full reviews on Heavy Rain, Final Fantasy XIII and Army of Two: 40th Day amongst others, as well as features on Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Final Fantasy XIII and the titles set to make 2010 a successful year for Playstation 3 owners.

Why Heavy Rain is a 9/10 game

Official PlayStation Magazine UK editor Tim Clark tells us what makes Heavy Rain so unique

Words: GamesRadar UK

This month Official PlayStation magazine has the exclusive review of Sony's first exclusive of 2010: Heavy Rain. Subscribers copies are now in the wild so we can reveal the magazine has scored the game a stellar 9/10 and given it a coveted gold award.

With this in mind, we wandered over to OPM UK's office for a quick chat with the author of the review, Tim Clark (Editor-in-chief) to find out what led to his verdict on the game, in advance of our own review next month.

So, Tim, tell us about your review, why does Heavy Rain deserve a 9/10?

"Well, primarily I scored it high because I think it's really good. More specifically it's a tremendously exciting experience and exactly the kind of thing people who moan about there being too many shooters and sequels have been crying out for.

"It's also an amazing piece of technical craft. Visually it's right up there with Uncharted 2, and the stuff they do with the control system is incredibly bold. Far from being just a series of linked QTEs, it constantly toys with what you expect from it, regularly introducing new twists on the core mechanic, and is just incredibly exciting to play through. Can you tell I liked it?"

In the review you made a point of saying it would turn off as many people as it will turn on others - what is it about Heavy Rain that will divide gamers?

"Well, I think the people who may not get it are the ones who aren't willing to put aside the conventions they've built up from years spent playing traditional genres. As I said in the review, Heavy Rain isn't about grinding XP or hoovering up collectibles. It's about getting sucked into this genuinely intriguing noirish story, and the thrill of knowing your actions and decisions are making that story jag in different directions. That said, there are times when it's slow - deliberately so, for atmosphere and pacing's sake - which may annoy the kind of gamer who's perpetually in a rush."

This is very much a 'Sony game' isn't it...

"I think it is, yes. Sony has a track record for backing riskier, innovative projects from Ico through to LittleBigPlanet. We speak to people like Michael Denny and Shuhei Yoshida who run Worldwide Studios and they have a very clear sense of wanting to create a portfolio of exclusives on PS3 that runs from big blockbusters like God Of War III and Gran Turismo 5 through to more artsy stuff like Heavy Rain. Which isn't to say it doesn't matter if Heavy Rain makes money - everyone concerned wants it to be a hit, and I think it will be.

"The fact it doesn't use any assumptions from other games (in the sense of its control system, particularly - all you need to know is up there on the screen) I think makes it quite casual-friendly, particularly as the modern, real-world crime setting will feel very familiar to everyone. I'd love to see it really breakout and reach people who like watching thriller movies."

How much replayability are we going to get out of it?

"Well as soon as I finished my first playthrough I wanted to jump back and try doing things differently, so there's absolutely replay value there, although clearly once you've seen the big story twists, the 'what happens next?' motivation will be gone. And some scenes (you can pick and choose once you've completed it once) clearly have more replayability than others in terms of being able to affect their outcome.

"I didn't much want to replay the scene in which you cook scrambled eggs for a bereaved mother, but the big action beats - car chases, fights, a shootout - are really fun to experiment with to see what else can happen."

What about the sex and nudity - how did that work?

"Well for me it opens the whole debate up again, in a good way. Whatever Quantic Dream might say, the sex/nudity is absolutely designed to titillate - and I have no problem with that. When Halle Berry takes her top off in Swordfish, that's designed to titillate too.

"I think that it's about time the games industry worked out how it's going to portray sex. Why shouldn't it be a part of story-driven games aimed at an adult audience? The actual sex scene in Heavy Rain, which dips to black before it gets too sweaty, was a rare moment of the animation looking a bit clumsy.

"More interesting is the first Madison scene, where her vulnerability and your voyeurism as the player is underlined when things get a bit nasty. I expect it to be discussed a fair bit when the game comes out.

"Fundamentally though, Heavy Rain is a game of ideas that will excite players and get them talking about what they want from the medium. That's got to be a good thing. And in case that all sounds a bit wanky, I'll just repeat that it was tremendous fun to play from start to finish. "

To read the review in full be sure to get your copy of Official PlayStation Magazine UK when it hits news stands on 19 January 2010.

Look out for a GamesRadar Heavy Rain Super Review next month.

[YOUTUBE]BJ_A2Tpz2UM[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]GO7XbJHdd94[/YOUTUBE]

 

[.Ben.]

Interactive movie? Not for me cheers...

Saw the first 9 minutes the other day and it involved you interacting with a toilet and a razor.

Pffft - my time's worth more to me than to make a virtual character go to the loo.

 

[Seedy172]

Don't fancy it tbh.

 

[FiXX]

reminds me of the old sega cd games. Night trap etc, with better visuals of course.

 

[GarethM]

looks good, been looking forward to this for a while

 

[seb]

been reading about this for sometime. I am a bit worried by it... but hopefully it will be awesome. if not it will bomb LOL

 

[Rasclart]

Same as Seb. It looks like it could be awesome or flop! I hope it is the first of the two!

 

[BIFCAIDS]

im looking forward to it too

 

[Lee]

Demo on it's way down now: http://kotaku.com/5464839/

 

[sneeks]

I'm attempting to gain access to the site but it's all very sloooooooow

 

[Scutch]

Oh cool stuff.

 

[Gally]

Shenmue scutch?

 

[Scutch]

Never played that, Gally. Shame, as I've heard it was very detailed and exploratory.

 

[Lee]

Shenmue scutch?

Awesome, one of my all time faves. Shame the story will never be completed.

Just had a quick look at Heavy Rain, through the massive crowd of people stood round it in reception! So far all I've seen is quick time events. I loved the characters and story in Fahrenheit so hopefully they'll have pulled that off again.

I'll jump on later if I get a spare 5.

 

[Scutch]

Lee, Gamesmaster magazine have given this game a 91% overall, but more interestingly, they've claimed they are some of the best motion capture graphics they've ever seen. Are they really good from your short glimpse or will you need to see it for yourself close up?

 

[richy22]

How do you get the demo?? website is shite!

 

[Scutch]

Their closing comment :

For the most part, though, it's a staggering achievement. Heavy Rain is a brilliant burst of originality and dark, compelling storytelling. It won't be for everybody - it's 18 rated for a good reason - but there's no denying that it's of the highest quality.

 

[Lee]

Lee, Gamesmaster magazine have given this game a 91% overall, but more interestingly, they've claimed they are some of the best motion capture graphics they've ever seen. Are they really good from your short glimpse or will you need to see it for yourself close up?

I'd rather not comment until I get to see it without looking over a dozen blokes shoulders. If I don't go to the pub at lunch I'll check it out. From what I could see the character models and animation looked superb.

 

[Lee]

I've just played 20 minutes of the demo. FFS, it's not even as interesting as games which used to class themselves as interactive movies. The controls are odd for starters, with R2 being the button used to walk!

It really is nothing more than quick time events. Shaking the controller up and down to shake an inhaler is not what I consider fun gameplay.

Visually it's pretty spanky, although the character animation isn't as good as I was expecting. Characters walk a little strangely, the heads not following the body how you would expect. During load periods you are treated to a stunning hi res face model, which is scarily realistic.

I won't be ordering this, but will borrow it from work to see if I can get in to it. I don't want to miss out until I've seen if the story and characters really do draw me in, as the gameplay (or lack of) certainly hasn't so far.

 

[richy22]

Still cant download it

 

[EngineerD]

Left my PS3 at uni FFS! Have to wait until Sunday now to play this.

Loved Fahrenheit, so will love this!

 

[nobblebonce]

although the demo is only 2 side stories, i like it cant wait for the full game

 

[Scutch]

So many different outcomes from the demo's one scene. Crazy.

Also, LOL @ this :

 

[Gally]

Why did his pants fall down! :S

 

[Scutch]

Why did his pants fall down! :S

PMSL. The game gives you moving options on screen for your next command, which you have to choose using one of the PS3 buttons. Some have time restrictions, so you have to move quickly to choose an outcome. Check out the trailer in the first post to understand what I mean (as it's quite confusing).

That's what the white boxes are in the image above.

 

[Gally]

Ah I see, just so you know real time movement was first used mainstream in Shenmue 1.

 

[Scutch]

I haven't played that

 

[H.Maxim]

So many different outcomes from the demo's one scene. Crazy.

Also, LOL @ this :

PMSL.

Played it yesterday and after getting to grips with the controls really like it, can't wait for it to come out now.

 

[BIFCAIDS]

i played the demo lastnight WOW is all i can say, cant wait for the 26th now

 

[Scutch]

Yeah I'm hoping it will continue to be as good come full game release.

It's got some cracking reviews, and some not so good :

http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps3/heavyrain

 

[Brazo]

Well from those reviews the only sites worthy of repeating are IGN, eurogamer and 1up, with Gamespot yet to review. AAAE nonetheless!

 

[lasbazrre]

Played the demo and all i can say is they missed a trick with this game , even the walking is not with the left stick , it's with the R2 button , it doesn't feel natural or fluid , it feels like some point and click game.........don't get me started on the white boxes , no need at all.

 

[seb]

********possible spoilers to demo************























OMG just playing this at the moment.

just done the opening scene with shelby and made the decision to go back... what a scene!!! really pulled me into it... just makes you think if you didn't go back or you didn't get all alpha what would have happened.

this looks like a sweet ass game imo.

 

[Scutch]

********possible spoilers to demo************























OMG just playing this at the moment.

just done the opening scene with shelby and made the decision to go back... what a scene!!! really pulled me into it... just makes you think if you didn't go back or you didn't get all alpha what would have happened.

this looks like a sweet ass game imo.

I got a bit confused by the rotating choices and the strange controls, but I'm sure it will become second nature. I too went back to the room and had to deal with the bald thug. Great interplay between the two characters, too. Graphically it all seems really fluid, too.

Switched it off during the second act with the FBI officer, as I had stuff to do. Will certainly give it another play though.

 

[BIFCAIDS]

the demo's auto set on hard aint it, (*spoiler alert*) FBI bits ace, i kept f**king up going up the muddy hill pressing the right button but letting go of the wrong one lol anybody find the dead cat lol

 

[Scutch]

the demo's auto set on hard aint it, (*spoiler alert*) FBI bits ace, i kept f**king up going up the muddy hill pressing the right button but letting go of the wrong one lol anybody find the dead cat lol

It is yeah, first thing I did was went to the Options and changed it to Medium. F*ck going straight into that on hard mode.

 

[BIFCAIDS]

pussy, i didnt know what difficulty it was till after completing the demo. Tw@ed that fella in the room tho first time

 

[seb]

my demo crashed half way through the fbi agent one. LOL

i found the dead cat but never found the trail left by the killer... what did i miss? i couldn't be assed to play through it again as the mbp arrived.

 

[lasbazrre]

Hmmm maybe ive been a little hasty not getting into the controls and missing out on a decent demo/game?

 

[BIFCAIDS]

my demo crashed half way through the fbi agent one. LOL

i found the dead cat but never found the trail left by the killer... what did i miss? i couldn't be assed to play through it again as the mbp arrived.

(**Spoiler**)

At the back theres a rainway line (obviously you found the cat) if you walk to your right down the line you'll walk alongside a fence near the over head bridge theres a gap in the fence press R1 find some evidence, also theres a slippery slope up the enbankment go up there and you'll find what your looking for.