2.6482in

By: Chase C | February 24th, 2010

I waged a war with myself yesterday, and I lost. After work, I walked into my local Wal-Mart – one of three here – and bought Heavy Rain. I could feel the weight of anticipation and high expectations pressing on the gas pedal as the little sack taunted me. I had fleeting thoughts of the game being nothing more than a choose-your-own-adventure book where I pressed a button every so often so I didn’t fall asleep.

I slid the game into the system with the same careful insecurity I deployed when I asked out my first girlfriend. Unlike that first encounter, the PS3 accepted my offer.

I’m several hours in and the game has lived up to every expectation I’ve thrown its way. For those of you looking to play a traditional video game, don’t bother. Heavy Rain is something completely different that blurs the line between film and interactivity, and does so willingly. The voice acting (as an aggregate) is great, the action beats are thrilling, and the characters are believable. Yet, something happened that I wasn’t expecting.

I was moved.

David Cage and his team have written scenes that transcend conventional killing and maiming, and they are fucking fantastic. In an effort to protect those that haven’t played the game, I won’t go into detail. But, before you write the game off for being a QTE-fest, take some time to play more than the demo. There is more going on besides buttons and joysticks, and you won’t be disappointed.