Preview: Heavy Rain

I really didn’t know what to expect when I first sat down to play Heavy Rain. I knew that it wasn’t going to be some over the top, action-packed thrill ride. Well, not all the time anyway. I got my first taste of two of the game’s characters, Detective Scott Shelby and, FBI Agent, Norman Jayden at the Eurogamer Expo in Leeds.

I was first introduced to Mr. Jayden and his predicament with ‘Mad Jack’. As I said, Jayden is an FBI agent and he’s got a lot of cool tricks up his sleeve. I got a chance to test out ‘ARI’. To be honest, i’ve no real way to explain this other than to say it’s some kind of tech that allows you to see things like fingerprints, spilled blood and stuff like that, y’know the usual.

ARI allowed me to find the things I needed to, but, as I expected, It got me into a little hot water with, the aforementioned, Mad Jack. This is where the action kicked in and I was surprised how well the control method worked during more action-packed sequences. The analog stick-based control method worked really well outside of combat and the HUD was close to unnoticeable.

So, back to the “hot water” I was in with Mr. Jack. The fight controlled like a massive quick time event, but I still felt really involved. Of course, it’s not the same as having fully direct control, but it worked and I think many will be surprised at that.

After my experience with Jayden, I moved on to Detective Scott Shelby. This was a complete change from the section I’d played as Jayden. It starts with you walking into a shop and talking to the guy behind the counter. He’s involved with the case of the Origami killer, his son was one of the people murdered.

After questioning the man and, frankly, getting nowhere. Scott asks if he sells inhalers for his asthma. Sure enough, they do and I walked to the back of the shop. This type of experience is what I think a lot of Heavy Rain will be like and I like it. Scratch that. I love it.

After making my way to the back of the shop, this uneventful sequence is interupted by an armed man, trying to rob Mr. Shopkeeper (I can’t remember his name. Bad writer!). Having watched a number of people play this section, I tried to approach it a little differently. Instead of going to confront the man head on, I tried a more stealthy approach. However, my plan was foiled by some crisps scattered on the floor of the isle. The man heard me and I was forced to confront him. After trying to talk him down, he wasn’t listening and I was forced to punch him (via QTE). This felt really good. Even though I had failed in my attempt, I still felt like I had created what just happened and that i’d had a different experience to other players.

This type of decision making and the different ways of approaching things, I think, is going to be the main attraction of Heavy Rain. Well, that and the graphics. I’m going to come out and say it, this game is one of the best I have ever seen and I can’t wait to get my eyes on the finished product. Just a shame I haven’t got a 50 inch Bravia to play it on (hint, hint).

The controls might be simple and the action minimal, but for the brief time I spent with Heavy Rain I know it’s going to be something special. I felt immersed in the characters and in their moments of peril, I felt it too. I can’t wait to get my hands on the game in full and I think everyone should endeavor to get down to the Eurogamer Expo (in London, Friday the 30th and Saturday the 31st) and experience this game.

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