Preview: Heavy Rain's first full chapter
While Heavy Rain attempts to welcome both serious and more casual players, it's clear that many will find the unique controls and the story's slow burn a bit too jarring, unconventional, and even boring. Sony has already released so much (arguably too much) footage of Quantic Dream's adventure, and chances are that you've already passed judgment on the title. Perhaps more than any other game before it, Heavy Rain hopes that you want to like the experience. Why? It is -- at its core -- a role-playing game.
When people find out I've been playing Heavy Rain, the first question that generally pops up is, "Is it anything but a series of Quick-Time Events?" The problem with that question is that it inherently assumes that a QTE necessitates a lack of player control. While it's true that the majority of player input is done via on-screen indicators, to simply call them quick-time events is a bit derogatory, ignoring the innovations that developer Quantic Dream has made. Not all actions require players to press buttons as quickly as they see them. In fact, most of the commands involve a very deliberate pace: you may need to move the analog stick slowly, or hold down two buttons while transitioning to a third. Some inputs use the PS3's built-in motion controls, while others will use a combination of various inputs. There are many ways of interfacing with the controller, with each QTE trying to simulate its corresponding, real-world action.
However, variety is not Heavy Rain's greatest innovation. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of the game to explain is its integration of inaction. You are often given the opportunity to do nothing -- and counter to your intuition, that can be the most satisfying option to pursue.%Gallery-80291%
Early in the game, you're forced to take care of a rather uncooperative child. (We're skimping on details, simply to avoid spoilers.) You're given the option to do a number of things, but I chose the action that seemed to make the most sense to me: spend time with the kid, sitting down on the couch and watching TV with him. There were no buttons to mash in order to continue watching the TV, nor were there any clear indicators that I was "winning" or "losing." Time continued to pass, and I felt like I had gotten closer to my estranged virtual son.
The idea of doing nothing in a video game might sound terribly unexciting, and I'm not suggesting everyone should follow my example. Instead, this single scene should serve as an example of why you'll want to absorb yourself in the fiction. There were a number of other options to pursue in that scene: play basketball, cook food, or even ignore the child altogether. Should you assume the role of these characters as you would in real life, and perhaps not "in a game," Heavy Rain will be thoroughly captivating.
Even in just the first full chapter of the game, Heavy Rain delivers a number of genuinely memorable moments. "Hassan's Shop," which Joystiq writer Griffin so elegantly laid out, is one of those nerve-wracking scenes. While Griffin experienced a number of different possibilities for that single scene -- sneaking up behind the burglar and knocking him out, getting caught and shot in the shoulder, or engaging in verbal negotiations -- he probably didn't see the most gruesome result of them all. Once again, inaction is a valid choice and, in this instance, ends in the brutal murder of the shop owner. "I should've done something," Detective Shelby says when he sees the stiff body lying on the floor, the puddle of blood expanding. Like Hassan's Shop, many of the other scenes in Heavy Rain will make you stop and think: "Wow, I've never seen this in a game before." It's exhilarating to play something that feels like a next step in the evolution of the medium.
As innovative as Heavy Rain is, there are a number of caveats that even the most accepting will find hard to ignore. The controls will undoubtedly be a point of contention. You have to hold R2 in order to walk around the environment, evoking memories of the classic tank-styled Resident Evil controls. It's actually far more intuitive than Capcom's horror game, though. Unlike in Resident Evil, controls are not relative to the player, but to the camera. You'll move your character as in any other third-person action game. Only difference? You'll have to hold down the R2 button. It's a rather small change, and we're still somewhat surprised Quantic Dream deemed it necessary. Holding R2 without using the analog stick enables an automatic path-finding routine for your character -- but we think most will wish they could simply explore the environment in a more traditional way.
The slow introduction will also undoubtedly frustrate some. While Indigo Prophecy started with a bang, Heavy Rain starts with a ... shower. Yes, the first three scenes serve as the tutorial for the game and set up the events to come. However, the impatient among you will be bored long before the game's first (optional) action sequence, which occurs well over an hour into the story.
Most disappointing of all, though, is the voice acting. For a game that's all about motion capture, realistic graphics, and earnest storytelling, it's surprising to encounter such lackluster performances. Sony raised the bar with Uncharted 2, and Heavy Rain represents a noticeable step down. The main character, Ethan Mars, sadly lacks a dramatic presence and his delivery is oftentimes stiff and unbelievable. How is it possible that the casting found an actor worse than the one used for Indigo Prophecy? (ProTip: Don't like the English voice acting? You can switch to any of the 9 other vocal tracks!)
Despite those issues, we believe that if you're hungry for mature video game storytelling, you'll be very interested in partaking in Quantic Dream's narrative experiment.
