Gameplay impressions continued...
The storyline is a huge part of its appeal, revealing information drip by drip and giving you just enough to want to find out more. Character building is also magnificent and at times you do feel an emotional bond with your character, something that is very rare in a video game.The QTEs also play an important part in absorbing you totally into the narrative and they aren't as intrusive and annoying as we first thought they might be. When the QTEs are triggered they’re extremely relevant to the plot and very exciting to carry out as you twist and turn the SixAxis controller weaving in and out of busy traffic, or pound your face buttons in a bid to gain the upper-hand against a trio of thugs. Because the rest of the game is so slow-paced, the QTEs arrive unexpectedly and are therefore quite often a breath of fresh air.
Heavy Rain isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, and it's certainly not without its technical flaws, but as an interactive drama it delivers magnificently. Though there are a hundred-and-one interactions that you'll do in the game that’ll have no bearing on the storyline, there are an equal amount of conversations and a fair amount of QTEs that do. If you die in Heavy Rain you’ll die for good and then switch to continue the story from another character’s viewpoint. It’s intriguing to know what would happen if you would have done things differently at certain junctions in Heavy Rain, which is one of the reasons why each decision you make feels so important and has such an emotional attachment to it.
Click for larger imageIf you want to try something a little different this year, try Heavy Rain. Love it or hate it you won't fail to be impressed by its creativity, vision, high production values and clever story-telling. We're already looking forward to Quantic Dream's next game.
Final Score - 8.5/10
