review
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POSTED 10/3/10


HEAVY RAIN

Sony
PS3

No lie, as we sat down to play Sony’s latest key title the heaven’s exploded outside – flash-flooding rain, humongous hailstones battering our windows – basically Mother Nature cracking the sads big time. Now, we know Sony wield some power out there, but controlling the weather to promote a game? We’re impressed!

As we are – somewhat – with Heavy Rain, a walk on the interactive fiction side that will split audience opinion. Is it actually a game? Well, it has button presses and movements, yet they’re all signposted onscreen, so you essentially just play follow the bouncing X button from the mundane – having a wee – to the, erm, also mundane – such as opening cupboards.

Are there choices? Well, to a degree, yes. Say you’re looking after your son, and snack time comes around. You could give him fruit, but that’d be about as popular as a Starland Vocal Band reunion. Give him chips, however, and he’ll tone down the petulance. Later, the actual narrative does take vastly more sweeping and interesting turns, depending upon your actions to that point.

If you remember the arcade Laserdisc games Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace, you’ll know what’s going on. Limited interactivity, but here coupled with astonishingly good graphics, in fact the most realistic human representations we’ve seen. However, this mostly makes the experience kind of creepy, as the story veers from the everyday as above to the alarming, personal and emotionally-charged.

Ultimately, Heavy Rain is a bold release that will be manna to some, and anathema to others.


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ALL WRITTEN CONTENT COPYRIGHT © AMY FLOWER 2008-2018. GAME IMAGES COURTESY OF RESPECTIVE GAMES COMPANIES.