Heavy Rain
So I just finished Heavy Rain the night before last and it got me thinking about how video games are changing.
I have to say that game was about as enjoyable experience as I have had in a long time playing a game. The fun thing about it is that it was a different type of game. Yes, I love a good rpg and lord knows I have even played a few them recently. I have finished Fallout 3, Dragon Age Origins, Awakening, and am getting close to the end of FFXIII. Yet, this was a mystery game, which really appeals to me.
The other thing is that the game itself is extremely adult. I mean you can make the characters take showers and it actually shows nudity, which is something that most games are reluctant to do. I don’t care either way about that, since I am not a 15-year-old kid that wants to see anything naked I can. Yet, it doesn’t bother me either, because it shows how mature the game is. That is something that gaming world has missed is intelligent games that are maturely themed. Yeah you can say that Grand Theft Auto is mature, but it is still just people running around stealing and murdering people. That is more just violent, rather than mature.
The other thing about this is game is got me invested in it. I cared about the characters and in a game where if one does, the game just continues one without them…I did not want anyone to die. The psychological issues that went along with this story blew my mind. You had to make choices and you only had a few seconds to do so. Not to mention in the actual “conflict” parts of the games, you had to hit the right button on the controller or your character could get hut, and eventually die. I could feel the almost panic is I was hitting the buttons and trying not to miss one. It was amazing.
Then you have the story. From four different perspectives in trying, to find someone that kidnaps and murders children. You feel invested, because no one likes anything to happen to children. Trying to figure out who the murderer was took me to the edge. I will still wrong and the twist at the end was totally worth it.
Bottom line is this. IF this is the direction games are going, sign me up. Yes, it was not that long of a game, but it has like 18 different endings, depending on your situation…and for the trophy seekers out there, that is a lot of different ways to play.