Anyways, the alternative was this excellent PS3 exclusive I-dont-know-which-genre-to-put-it-in-suspense-detective-movie-game called Heavy Rain. I have read reviews and comments on the game from other sites, and most of them have very positive feedbacks. I knew the game was good because it was made by QuanticDream, the same company that made Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit for the PS2, but I never thought it would be THIS good. Sounds a little cliche? (Probably, but it's a hell of a way to start a blog.)
Now, before I go further, I would like to share a funny little thing that happened to me when my wife and I got home after I bought the game. As I popped the disc into my PS3 and blocked my ears from the outside world with my earphones, I suddenly felt droplets of water on the back of my neck. And as the opening cinematic of the game flashed on the screen, the droplets intensified (whoa!). As the sound of thunder pierced through my ears, I felt a rumble that came not from the Dualshock 3 controller but from under my feet up to my shoulders and then I thought…WOW! This is what I call interactive gaming! Then I saw a flash of light from right behind me and THAT'S WHEN I TURNED AROUND AND SAW (gasp!)…that the window was open and the rain was coming in and the back of my neck and shoulders were soaking wet (sigh). Hence the title of this post.
Now wasn't that a "chilling" story? Hehehe… chilling story… hehe… hmmm. On to the game!
STORY
I'll try to be as spoiler-free as I can for those of you who haven't played the game. But I highly recommend that you do. At least a rental 'coz if you haven't played it then you're an ass… just kidding, please don't hurt me.
The story would probably be the main reason why you would want to play this game. It's an awesome story told through different perspectives of the four protagonists who are each trying to find clues to the true identity of the Origami Killer and save his latest victim in the process. It's like watching a detective movie but you're in control of the choices on how the story will progress.
Anyways, There are the 4 major characters in the game:
Ethan Mars - An architect, a father, and a husband who leads a perfect life. Is in his mid-thirties and, in my opinion, looks a lot like David Duchovny (complete with grizzle).
Madison Paige - A very sexy insomniac journalist in her late twenties who likes taking showers and walking half-naked in her apartment. She looks a lot like Keira Knightley but with short black hair (and a bit bigger boobs).
Norman Jayden - A twenty-something up-and-coming FBI profiler who flew in from Washington to find the Origami Killer. Oh and he's also addicted to a drug called Tryptocaine. To me, he looks like a clean-shaven hair-gelled Noah Wyle.
Scott Shelby - A local Private Investigator in his early forties "hired" by the families of the victims of the Origami Killer to solve the case. He looks like a John Goodman but with thinner hair.
The story begins with Ethan Mars who -- before the fateful mishap that turned his life into a living hell -- was a loving father to two sons, a perfect husband, and a successful architect with a beautifully furnished modern house (lucky bastard).
His life soon made a significant turn after a tragedy outside the mall. Ethan then finds his ass in a miserable rundown house on the low side of town, years divorced, and feeding insta-meal to his very energetic and optimistic (put sarcastic remarks here) son, Shaun. If that's not enough bad luck for you, he tries to cheer his son up by letting him ride on a carousel. But Ethan experiences brain blackouts, and suddenly finds out that the Origami Killer just kidnapped Shaun and would probably make him his 9th victim. Now he has to save his son before time runs out (that'll be four days depending on how hard the rain falls). God probably hates this guy.
Madison Paige gets entangled in the race to save Shaun Mars when she meets a badly beaten Ethan on a motel balcony while she was trying to write a story about the Origami Killer (Have I told you she's sexy and likes to walk around her place semi-naked? Oh, I did.).
Norman Jayden's story begins on the crime scene where the 8th victim of the Origami Killer's body was found. He uses a high-tech glove and sunglasses called ARI to highlight clues on the crime scene and then records them for further investigation and geo-analysis. I haven't seen him use it to look through someone else's clothing, though. That'll be cool.
Scott Shelby arrives at a rundown hotel trying to interview a prostitute whose son was murdered by the Origami Killer. He will try to talk to all of the families of the victims to help them get back on their feet and solve the case of the serial killer.
The Origami Killer's MO is disturbing. He kidnaps 10 year old boys. The victim's bodies would then be found 4 days later in some desolate wasteland near railroad tracks, drowned in rain water, face full of mud, with an orchid on the chest and an origami figure on one hand. Hrrrr (shivers).
The games' story is a dramatic thriller modeled after film noir. It's like a darker, grittier version of "Choose Your Own Adventure" but a lot more interactive. In this game, anything could happen. The main characters could actually die. Your choices will affect the progression of the story and will also greatly affect the ending. The sudden twist in the last few chapters of the game will make you scratch your head and say, "Wow! Didn't see that one comin'." Well, I kind of figured it out with the help of some previous cutscenes and evidences gathered by Norman Jayden but it was a thrilling ride. There are 52 chapters in the game and 17 endings all in all (holy smokes!). On top of that, there are also tons of trophies to look for, so this game is high on replayability (is there such a word?). I got most of the trophies but got only 6 of the endings and I ain't gonna stop there.
GRAPHICS
I was expecting great visuals from this game mainly because it was made with the PS3 in mind and it didn't disappoint.To say that the game has stunningly beautiful graphics would be an understatement. The detail of the city, the fabric of the clothes, the imperfections on the skin, and the facial expressions are truly astounding! And the rain. THE RAIN!…It's AWESOME!
When a character walks into the rain, you could actually see them getting wet. When they walk over puddles of water, you could see splashes on the ground and reflections of the characters. You could see the water running down on walls or windows and even the characters' bodies (especially in the shower scene with Madison). The reflection of light on the skin and clothing, and the casting of shadows on objects is simply amazing. The animation is seamless and there are no pop-ups or distorted shadows. The faces of the characters are modeled after their actor counterparts with beautiful precision.
Though there are a few tearings here and there, some weird collision physics and some characters' faces are scary but it doesn't hinder the overall experience of the game. To me, the graphics was made with utmost care. The developers made sure that the graphic quality is done in the best way possible. The hyper-realism is almost perfect that it's simply orgasmic.
GAMEPLAY
If you've played QuanticDreams' past game called Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit then you'd probably have an idea on how the controls work. It's not your normal point and click kind of game like B. Sokal's Syberia. It's not an open world game either like GTA or Crackdown. The lack of open world exploration might turn off other players but the interesting gameplay would probably more than make up for the loss. You start playing right where a scene is taking place.
You actually control the character on a fixed camera 3D environment. You press the R2 button to make the character walk or run, and you use the left analog stick to move him/her to the direction you want. It's kinda tricky to orient the character on where you want him to go. There are times that your character would repeatedly bump himself on the wall. But that problem is only minimal. You use the right analog stick to look around while walking or standing. There's also a hint system. If you don't know where to go next, you can always press the L2 button and see what's in the character's mind at the moment. There isn't a button to put you in first person mode, though, but it's not the end of the world.
The interaction in the gameplay is pretty interesting, as it lets you explore the environment and allows you to find stuff to do. For example, if you are near an object of interest, a button/motion icon or multiple icons would appear, giving you choices on what to do next. The button icon may tell you to press it repeatedly to open a door. An arrow drawn in a circular direction tells you to rotate the right analog stick to either wind up a toy or twist open a door knob. When you're near a person, multiple questions would pop-up, giving you choices from talking to the person to helping her carry something or slapping her butt (I just made the last one up). There are also instances that you have to shake the sixaxis controller up and down or side to side like this one scene where Madison just finished taking a shower (I can't get enough of that shower scene, I don't know why). You have to shake the controller up and down to make Madison dry herself with a towel. There's also a scene where Ethan is brushing his teeth and you have to shake the controller side to side to make him move his hand. It's like playing Nintendo Wii but with both hands on one controller.
If you failed in executing the motion or button press, the icon would turn red and a cutscene would prompt to let you repeat the process or inform you that you've failed the process entirely. There are also instances that you'll have to press multiple buttons at the same time to succeed. It's helluva finger-bender. I even used one of my toes just to press all of them. Succeeding or failing on the motions or button presses depending on the scene would either prompt a new cutscene or affect the game progression and ending.
The whole game is like one big quicktime event. It really puts the "I" in interactive.
MUSIC/VOICE/SOUNDS
The use of sound and music in a scene greatly affects the overall experience of a game or movie. It heightens the emotion that the director wants the audience to feel and in Heavy Rain, the music is outstanding. It's one of the best I've heard so far.
In the opening sequence, I already felt the deep drama and seriousness of the game just by listening to the soundtrack, the sound of the bustling city and the sound of, um, heavy rain. The orchestral music they used during gameplay and cutscenes were really appropriate to what's happening. Like the car chase with Ethan. The music really helped in feeling the anxiety and pressure Ethan was experiencing.
But the best way to heighten the suspense is by employing the sound of silence. And Heavy Rain used it effectively. Watch the scene where Ethan was about to get caught by the police on the motel rooftop and at the last second he jumped off the ledge, and the chapter where Ethan must crawl into a dark tunnel with only a box of matches for light and the only sound you could hear was his breathing and the breaking glass underneath his body. That was friggin' awesome.
The voice acting is top-notch. It's at par with the Legacy of Kain series (one of the best voice acting I've heard in a video game). The voice of Pascal Langdale (Ethan Mars) was incredible. You can actually feel the desperation and the sadness in his voice. Especially when he realized that Shaun was missing. The feeling of terror and desperation was there while he was shouting Shaun's name on the streets.
The other characters, even the lesser, insignificant ones, delivered their dialogues effectively. Madison's voice was seductive but at the same time comforting. Norman's voice was resolute and has an air of confidence. Scott's voice was fatherly. Even Shaun made me believe he was a ten year old boy (creepy).
The script was great. I didn't hear any corny lines in the game as far as I can remember. However, there are moments when they would say a dialogue and the character would just stand there without any hand movements or any movement whatsoever. It doesn't ruin the scene, it just looks a bit awkward.
The sound effects was very appropriate. The typical splash of water, the sound of electric generators, the busy streets on a rainy day, and of course the sound of the rain -- all were delivered in a very believable way. The sounds they used are those you would hear on a typical rainy day on city streets. It's also very important to listen to the sounds in the game because they could actually give clues to certain predicaments. They can also help you find where Shaun is (spoiler).
OVERALL EXPERIENCE
Heavy Rain was a different ride from Indigo Prophecy in terms of story. While Indigo Prophecy delved into the supernatural-chosen one cliche (douche), Heavy Rain was more realistic and believable. Although they almost have the same type of gameplay, QuanticDream upped the ante with sixaxis controls, multiple simultaneous finger-breaking button pressing, a whole game made of quicktime events, and the feeling of watching a movie. What's more, the extras and unlockables like the chapter selection is a Godsend for a game that has multiple endings.
The game is a ride worth taking. If the gameplay doesn't interest you that much then the story probably will.
Heavy Rain will mildly strain your head without splitting it open. It will claw at your heart without tearing it and it will chill your body without giving you a cold. So if you're looking for a game with a different experience and a new level of interactive entertainment then step into Heavy Rain and get drenched.
Now I still have 11 endings and some more trophies to find…
