Customer Reviews
Absolutely Fantastic...! - By: Gail Parnell, 23 Jul 2010 
This is one of the first titles I brought on the PS3, since ditching the Xbox 360 after the infamous three rings of death.
My oh my, I wasn't disappointed!
Heavy Rain follows four different characters as they pursue the notorious Origami Killer, who has been kidnapping & killing boys, usually around the age of ten. Victims are found with a small origami figurinein their hand, & an orchid on their chest. All the victims were killed by drowning.
Heavy rain starts off with Ethan Mars waking up to a bright new day, & preparing to celebrate his eldest son's birthday. Here, you can take the time to get used to the game's unique controls which not only involve using the controller for day to day tasks, but using the buttons to choose a response to dialogue.
What strikes me is the outstanding visuals the game has to offer. Characters are amongst the most beautifully drawn i've ever seen, & although there is the odd glitch, or some objects low on detail, the overal look & feel of the game is outstanding.
After the prologue style tutorial, two years have passed, & Ethan lives with his son Shaun, sharing custody of his surviving son with his estranged wife. Before long, Shaun goes missing, & Ethan faces a battle against time to save his son's life - & will constantly be faced with one question-
How far will he go to save his son's life?
This becomes central to the game's theme, & as you progress through the game, from time to time, you will take charge of the other charactersin the game - A journalist by the name of Madeline, FBI Profiler Norman & Private Investigator, Scott. Along the way, there will be various challanges to overcome & some truly tense situations as the game progresses towards a conculsion.
The real innovation with Heavy Rain is that how you react to situations - what you say - what you do - whether you catch the bad guys, miss evidence - fail/pass tasks, all has consequences later on. This is where the game's diversity really pays off - & you'll find yourself returning for more to see how a different choice here & there affect the outcome of the game.
The controls aren't as difficult to master as it seems, but the more nervous your character is, the harder it can be to hit the combinations, but fear not - there is no "game over" as such, what you find is that loosing a character at specific pointsin the game means their input into the story is lost, thus resultingin a different ending.
The story is engaging, the characters great & once Heavy Rain gets going, you won't want to put it down.
Quite simply, a true masterpiecein gaming - & the best game I've playedin a long time.
Visuals 8/10 - Beautiful animated, drawn characters - some graphics low res.
Gameplay 10/10 - Incredibly addicitve, you won't be able to put it down.
Playability 9/10 Innovative control system is surprisingly easy to use.
Overall - 9/10 - Buy it!
Outstanding Graphics & Storyline - By: Michelle Elliott, 21 Jul 2010 When I heard of this game I wasn't actually all that sure what to expect as I hadn't read any reviews at all. But I have to say that it is a fully immersing game, with excellent graphics & a very well thought out storyline. Some of the controls are a little fiddly even on an easy setting, which makes me think it would have been better off on the wii, but despite this it hard to stop playing it.
This really is a highly recommended game for those that enjoy point & click adventures.
The most artistic game ever created until now - By: kotkingr, 18 Jul 2010 You can compare this game with other creations like movies, paintings or novels. David Cage the writer & director of the game had really alternative ideas about how the videogames for the matures should be, & his masterpiece "Heavy Rain" is the result of his vision. It is absolutely stunning & immersing with high class aesthetics & a deep dark story. Really you should play it because it is not a game! It is an experience!
Awful, awful, is this even a game? - By: Mr. N. J. Houchin, 18 Jul 2010 
I really tried to get into this 'game' but to be honest after spending hours trying to work out what all the hype was about I just wish I'd done something else with my time, this is not a game it is an interactive movie. And the interaction is minimal, it consists mostly of completing certain actions (often really mundane ones) to allow the story to progress, like changing a babies nappy or whatever. There are sequences that are 'exciting' like fighting or chasing down suspects but these scenes are really just about doing the prompted quicktime events really quickly.
I had hoped this game would incorporate some kind of puzzle element, i.e. you might actually have to use your brain to track down the killer, but no. Zero brain power requiredin the one, just keep doing the quick time events until it allows you to move on to the next scene. To make matters worse sometimes when interacting with an NPC the options you have are so vague that you can easily elicit the wrong response from your character. Really could it be more dull!!
The story was not especially interesting, immersive or original - admittedly much better than most real games, but really if my experience comes down to basically watching a movie then I would like to have something much more compelling than this. I can't see how anyone could sit through it for a second play thorough, I think I'd rather pull my own toe nails! I'm just glad I got this as a rental & didn't buy it.
Having said all that I wish there were more games, (actual games I mean not this rubbish) that had a more mature/gritty theme like this one has. It had potential if they had just made it more interactive & allowed a bit of detective work or puzzle solving it could have been an excellent game.
Heavy Rain review - By: MissLea83, 12 Jul 2010 
When I saw the adverts for this game I immediately wanted to play. I was drawn to the decision making process throughout the game, the graphics & the storyline. The intro to the game when you start playing is easy to follow & gives you an idea how the game flows. You also get a feel for the characters involved & how your decisions influence the actions the character takes. I got quite hooked quite quick & enjoyed playing it, only one complaint though - it wasn't long enough but the game is designed to be played over & over as when you play it again different decisions can be made & the storyline changes. Overall though very good game, one I am glad I bought rather than rented as I know I'll play it every now & again.
