Post by j on Jun 22, 2010 13:07:45 GMT -5
Heavy Rain for PlayStation 3 May contain spoilers.
Where to start is a something difficult with this game in particular. Thinking about how to present this review it was decided to start with the actual game play as Heavy Rain’s style is fairly unique and it is difficult to think of a game with similar control and game play style. Heavy Rain combines analogue movement and the six-axis control features of the PS3 controller and in some instances does it very well whilst others it can be a pain. Luckily as you play out a sequence it doesn’t punish you greatly if you miss just one button push, actually I think there are only a couple of sequences within the game that a missed button would result in a character’s death. However that leads to something that was a good thing, if a character dies the story continues without them.
The best way to describe Heavy Rain is that it is like you are playing through a movie sequence and certain decisions you make can affect the outcome of the story. However it is not as detailed as the hype surrounding the game lead users to believe. Ultimately the story remains the same other than a character dying before their side of the story is played out, so if you miss a little thing you shouldn’t worry too much. The plot itself is good, but not unique as it can be likened to the Saw movies. For example the trials are similar to Jigsaw’s tests in the Saw series; the main difference is they give you clues to help the main protagonist towards the end of the game. If you fail a trial then you miss out on the clue, not die, it just makes the end decision more of a guess than anything.
Now to talk about the controls of the game whilst they are unique this is not always a good thing, sometimes walking around does feel cumbersome and whilst walking around does not have drastic consequences it can annoy the player if they miss a door, and it might be something that most players can overcome. Using the six-axis control is a nice feature and it does make some parts of the game more challenging, but sometimes it does say raise the controller up and you go down before up and it registers it on the down movement.
Graphics are one of the most important aspects of games today; Heavy Rain has some beautifully rendered characters and environments. It could well be one of the best games in terms of graphics alone; however it is not without its faults as there are some noticeable parts where things pixelate quite obviously. Other than those few times it does have those glitches it is a visually stunning game.
The soundtrack for the game seemed to fit each mode and it set each scene very well, it is hard to find any fault with the score for Heavy Rain.
Overall impression, this game is worth a rental for sure and if you are into games which are like movies then this game is definitely for you. The story is really the selling point for the game, and the 4 characters at the end tie in with each other very well and there was a very good twist in the plot that many players would not expect. It is one of these games that immediately after completion the reviewer wanted a sequel, so it does leave players wanting more. The game is very well done, but isn’t perfect, when you look past a few issues then you can thoroughly enjoy playing Heavy Rain.
Scores (out of 10)
Game play: 8
Story: 9
Controls: 7
Graphics: 9
Sounds: 10
Overall: 9
To buy or not? Buy.