Format: PS3
Release: February 24
Publisher: Soncy Computer Entertainment
Developer: Quantic Dream

Heavy Rain is flawed. Sometimes the game will crash. At others, your characters leg may jut out, Stretch Armstrong style, or their face may collapse in on itself, or even project outwards in a horrible mash of textures. To some, used to the high polish of Call of Duty et al, this will be an unforgivable game breaking fault. But if you allow Heavy Rain these quirks, treating them as no more than a mild irritation, or an amusing gaffe the quality starts to shine through.

It’s certainly not a game for everyone – if you are a trigger happy gamer wanting nothing more than leading an assault on the latest threat to mankind, then pass this game over and pick up Bad Company 2 instead. If you’re in the mood for a little more personal story, then Quantic Dream have delivered the experience you’ve been waiting for.

The developers describe Heavy Rain as less a game, and more an interactive drama. What this boils down to is that the main aim of Heavy Rain is to guide you through a story, and not set up a story as an excuse for the action. The story in this case is of a serial killer, and you play as a private detective, an FBI Agent, a journalist and the father of a kidnapped boy, all of whom are embroiled in the search for the missing child.

To get the best out of the game, you have to be prepared to invest in it. The heartstrings Heavy Rain attempts to pull on mostly at the beginning are parental ones, so it’s likely that anyone with kids will find it easier to relate to Ethan, the father of the kidnapped boy. Speaking as someone who isn’t a parent though, the story is still engaging, and the characters make you care about them, especially if you go in with the knowledge that it is possible for them to die, and in Heavy Rain, there are no restarts.

Should one off the protagonists shuffle off this mortal coil, the story will march on regardless, the subsequent events changed by their loss. Even if you manage to keep everyone alive, the choices you make whilst they are alive will affect how the story progresses. Unlike many games there isn’t always a clear cut moral decision to make. It’s often not a matter of right or wrong, more a matter of perspective. This is a little refreshing when you are used to other games giving you the option of saving an orphanage, or burning some kittens.

Sadly though, the ending does bring with it a glaring flaw. Like all good murder mysteries, there is a twist, and in this case, it’s one that makes no sense whatsoever, and flatly contradicts what you saw whilst playing. It’s not possible to talk about it without spoiling the game, but it feels like it was thrown in there to provide a twist, rather than being the culmination of a well thought out plot. It’s not game breaking, but it certainly does grate.

The only other major gripe is the sections where you play as FBI agent Norman Jayden. Despite the near future setting trying to explain away his Minority Report style detective glasses and fictional drug, it still feels out of place in a story that is otherwise very real world. The saving grace is that it works very well, so you accept, albeit with a somewhat sceptical heart.

Ultimately, it stands tall on the strength of its characters, and their ability to hook you into the story. It’s by no means the perfect video game, but Heavy Rain is hopefully the template for a better game to come. Until that game arrives this one comes highly recommended.