The first scene took place in a convenience store and we had control of a private detective named Scott Shelby. After being greeted by the store owner ‘Hassan’, we proceed to walk around the store (this required us to hold down L2 and use the analog stick) and that moment really impressed us. The way the character walked around the store and the way we could control his head movements with the analog stick, made it look very realistic. We were also able to interact with objects but soon we go up to the counter and start talking to Hassan.
The conversation involved Scott asking questions about the Hassan’s missing son, through the system of different speech options mapped into the face buttons. They were not predetermined but were more like different approaches and attitudes towards the person and situation. These attitudes included being compassionate, persistent etc. Eventually the conversation ended and we decide to head to the back of the store to pick up some medicine. During that time a robber steps in and holds Hassan at gunpoint for cash. We try to sneak up on the robber but fail, this then initiated a context-sensitive event but it was a little different from what we are accustomed to.
Why does this always happen to me?
Keeping our arms raised by holding R1 and L1 together, we were then caught in a serious negotiation with the robber, trying to calm him down and playing mind games like any detective would. When that failed yet another quick time event followed which involved us disarming the robber and knocking him out. The button press and motion instructions were not just large symbols flashing in the corner of the screen but they were instead specific instructions that showed up near the appropriate focal points. For example, when the time came to swing a fist on the robber, the button/motion command showed up next to Scott’s hand.
The next scene we played was essentially what we saw in E3 2009. This scene featured an FBI agent named Norman Jayden at a junkyard during a heavy rain storm. Norman was here to interrogate the junkyard owner, 'Mad Jack’, with questions about a car, that didn’t go anywhere so what followed next was some investigation work. We take out an A.R.I (Added Reality Interface) which allowed us to view footprints, tire tracks and blood stains that were otherwise not visible. This sort of detective work was somewhat common to the first scene and it seems that apart from the usual story and quick-time sequences, investigation (perhaps even puzzle-solving) will be a major component of Heavy Rain.
One thing worth noting about the quick-time events, sure the focal point instructions are one thing that makes it different but what’s more interesting is that failing to meet one instruction on time does not end the event. Sometimes one failure can lead to other possibilities and events. As our first preview mentioned, even when a character dies the show still goes on.
We fail at being sneaky.
The game played nicely overall, it certainly makes good use of the controls and even an action as simple as opening a car door required a unique analog stick motion, as do other actions such as taking something out of a pocket, picking up a weapon and so on. It certainly makes them feel more realistic and believable.
The graphics of the build we played were absolutely breathtaking. The amount of realism in the character models and animations was frightening to say the least. The texture work was amazingly detailed but since this was a demo build, the textures were a bit off in some areas (such as the interior of the car). The second scene with the FBI agent showed off some impressive rain drop effects, which behaved naturally against the skin/clothing of the characters. It became clear in early media that this game was going to have mind blowing facial models and this demo build showed off near flawless facial animations, the expressions looked natural and the lip synching was well done as it really captured the tone and emotion of the speech. The audio was good too as the voice acting and dialogue delivery was spot on.
The game played out like an interactive movie with the main focus being on a strong narrative, and we know that the game will allow us to experience the main plot from different perspectives using different characters. Heavy Rain is in similar vein to Quantic Dream’s own Fahrenheit, as it has a very similar gameplay style and yet the overall experience felt very distinct. Overall, Heavy Rain seems to be at a whole different league and looks to raise the bar for this particular genre.
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