Re: Heavy Rain (PS3)
Gamersyde Review
Gamersyde Review
If Fahrenheit had kept you interested despite its preposterous story, not to say, poorly inspired, you should find in Heavy Rain the rare pearl you hoped for. The scenario is classic, with most of the scenes that we expect to see in a polar, without neglecting some surprises, hopefully never of the third encounter kind. And then you can take a deep breath, no extravaganza à la Matrix in Heavy Rain, the story stays anchored in the darkest possible reality from the beginning to the end. And if, as I said, the scenario does not shine with its originality, at least it remains consistent until the end, with an unexpected conclusion and a breathless finale.
Already present in Fahrenheit, the QTE were strongly criticized because of their extreme length and, especially, the difficulty for the player to follow what was happening on the screen if they wanted to enter correctly the combination of keys that were displayed on the screen. Fortunately, this is no more of a problem in Heavy Rain, thanks to an intelligent integration of the commands within the actions. The QTE can be exasperating when prolonged, but never frustrating nor annoying. They appear at the right time and the player does not lose any of the action, they become very addictive and is reminiscent of Shenmue, the inventor of the genre.
Be aware that Heavy rain does not come automatically with a happy ending, and everything is up to you.
On a technical standpoint, the review build shows some major improvements in terms of framerate and tearing issues - vertical synchronization is not always top notch but it's ok most of the time. Although some might disagree, I find most of the environments look good, especially when it rains and they get gloomier and more depressing. The interiors are very rich and detailed and the lighting effects give them a very unique atmosphere. Character models on their part are often disturbingly realistic, which does not come as a surprise given that some of them have been modeled after the actors who did the voice over work. That being said, the faces and expressions are not always lively enough and it reminds the player that it is, after all, just a video game. Also disappointing are certain close-shots on the characters' hands where you can see that they are really poorly textured and modeled. Considering how impressive the skin textures are on the faces, it is a shame that they haven't put as much effort on the hands. Aside from that, the game does look photo-realistic and it adds a lot to the immersion. I won't be so kind with the way the animations have been handled: motion capture can look OK at times, but, more than often, it feels more like watching a very awkward robot. Controls are, for that matter, not that easy to pick up and turning around can get terribly complicated, especially when the camera angles get in the way. Again, it shows that motion capture has its limits and that even the player's skills cannot always compensate for them.
VERDICT:
You should expect 8 to 10 hours to complete the game, which, to me, seems pretty reasonable for the genre. Add to that the replay value of the game with the possibility to replay all the 50 chapters of the game - either to unlock new content and trophies or to simply try to discover new scenes by playing differently - and you will get an idea of how much time you will spend in the world of Heavy Rain. As far as I'm concerned, I definitely enjoyed my time playing the game, but then again, I had my fun with Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy. It may not be the revolutionary game some expected, it may also be very different from all the others, but it still is a good experience overall. It obviously has flaws, like the fact that some choices could have been made even tougher and more punishing for the player, or the fact that too much time is usually given to react. It is also a shame that some answers are left unsaid at the end - should we expect them in the upcoming downloadable contents? - but, in spite of some awkward moments, the game will keep you interested until the ending credits show up. Some will probably argue that the gameplay has been too simplified to be worth a try, but after more than 8 hours, I can say I feel lucky not to have stopped at such prejudices.
VERDICT:
You should expect 8 to 10 hours to complete the game, which, to me, seems pretty reasonable for the genre. Add to that the replay value of the game with the possibility to replay all the 50 chapters of the game - either to unlock new content and trophies or to simply try to discover new scenes by playing differently - and you will get an idea of how much time you will spend in the world of Heavy Rain. As far as I'm concerned, I definitely enjoyed my time playing the game, but then again, I had my fun with Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy. It may not be the revolutionary game some expected, it may also be very different from all the others, but it still is a good experience overall. It obviously has flaws, like the fact that some choices could have been made even tougher and more punishing for the player, or the fact that too much time is usually given to react. It is also a shame that some answers are left unsaid at the end - should we expect them in the upcoming downloadable contents? - but, in spite of some awkward moments, the game will keep you interested until the ending credits show up. Some will probably argue that the gameplay has been too simplified to be worth a try, but after more than 8 hours, I can say I feel lucky not to have stopped at such prejudices.
and realism to it. May just be the next great ps3 exclusive title...
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