Heavy Rain
I just bought a PS3.
I'll let that sink in for a second. I just yesterday acquired a "next generation" gaming console that is now three years old. In theory this is acceptable as the expected lifespan of the PS3 is at least three more years. That means my cost to play PlayStation games is about $100 a year before the cost of the games. The games I bought for just this console came to another $100. Approximately, this was the same cost as 25 movies, or 15 movies, if you get popcorn and soda. In short, one movie every month, except the summer months, in which I'd see two. That is a lot of entertainment to compare against. So believe me when I say that I have high expectations for the PS3.
The PS3 itself was easy to set up, though it wasn't clear at first that the wireless controllers don't use replaceable batteries. They charge via USB, so my "wireless" controller spent the entire night plugged in via a three-foot cable. Dumb, but whatever. It'll be fine next time I play. In addition, the game already had a patch issued, so before I could play, I needed to install the game, and that meant downloading a patch. For some reason my network was flaky, so it took a few tries to get the content set up. In the meantime, I folded the creepiest video game insert in the world - an origami creature from the Origami Killer, with which the game is ostensibly concerned.
The game itself? Well, that was hands-down awesome. The graphics are usually amazing, but sometimes are sort of video-gamey, which is jarring when they spend so much time looking so good. The controls are almost perfect with one exception. The mapping of movement and camera controls to a single control stick makes it challenging at times to get exactly the right place that you intend to. However, the rest of the controls are so intuitive and unobtrusive that this is quickly forgiven. The main play mechanic is a cross between a Japanese dating game and Dragon's Lair. Various game elements overlay themselves on the screen representations - for instance, if you're juggling, and need to press the circle button next, a circle button icon will appear on your character's hand. When you need to press the X button to continue juggling, the X button icon will appear on your character's other hand. A fight ends up as a complex, exciting game of Simon Says.
But the big hook is the branching story line. As people interact, different story lines are opened, and others are closed. I'm reminded of the video game Ripper produced over a decade ago. In that game, any of several suspects could actually be the killer at the end of the game. In a similar vein, the characters of Heavy Rain seem to be looking for answers that all end up having their paths cross. I'm not very far into the game (and even if I were, I wouldn't spoil it for anyone), but the dramatic elements are top notch. The voice acting for the main characters is spot on (though I personally thought the voices for the kids and their interactions were a little too scripted.) Interestingly, there are several main characters to Heavy Rain, and one takes on their roles throughout the game. It's difficult, though, not to get personally involved in the first main character as if he were THE main character - a kind of imprinting, I presume.
Perhaps the most profound aspect of the game is that it's not really built to allow saving or loading at any given point in the game. Saving happens automatically as the plot progresses and your choices are recorded automatically. If a character dies, that gets saved as well. In theory, it is possible to replay a scene, which is nice if you had something happen that you really don't want to accept that you think you can do better on. However, I don't plan on doing that - the game is very clearly intended for one to live with the outcomes of their play. There are the usual trophies that get unlocked, as with all PS3 games. You can replay individual scenes and not save the results - unlocking the trophies without changing the state of your game. I'm undecided about that. I think I'll probably just play the game again the next time with different choices and see if that yields different trophies.
All in all, I'm quite pleased with Heavy Rain. Hopefully the other games I've picked up (Batman: Arkham Asylum and Metal Gear Solid 4) are as good.
