Gameplay
☐ Hands couldn't stay away from the mouse & keyboard
☐ Average
☑ Underwhelming (The core gameplay pretty much boils down to timed QTE sections, investigating "clues" and walking through an environment looking for items to interact with.)

Music
☑ Fantastic soundtrack
☐ Impressive
☐ Average
☐ Better to just put on music.

PC Required
☐ A potato will suffice!
☑ Entry Level Gaming PC
☐ Mid to High level Gaming PC

Story
☐ Barely explained / Minimal
☐ Generic and predictable
☐ Better than I expected
☑ Really sucks you in! (DEFINETELY the highlight of the game. The Plot twist and ending is truly epic. Though some sharper players might figure it all out before the big “reveal”, the killer's reveal itself is very cinematic.)

Difficulty
☑ Game Journalist friendly (Some of the timed QTE sections may be a bit quick for some people but honestly its just timed button presses. The only requirement to be any good at this game is purely fast reflexes.)
☐ A fair challenge/ average for the genre
☐ Difficult
☐ Book anger therapy in advance

Replayability
☐ One and done
☑ Justifies a replay for any missing content (The multiple endings may interest keen players but for me personally, ONE playthrough was enough. I am NOT going to play the game's chapters over and over and over again to see all of the ultimately lazy, short cutscenes. Unique as they may be, it's simply far more efficient to just look up all the endings that you DIDN'T get on youtube!
☐ Multiple playthroughs will not burn you out!

Appropriate Pricing
☐ N/A
☐ Worth the full price!
☑ Wait for a sale
☐ Don't waste your hard earned cash!

Bugs
☐ Very polished! (Little to no bugs encountered)
☑ Minor bugs, tolerable (A few movement quirks and I experienced the odd scene where characters dont talk at all. Very minor bug experience overall.)
☐ Bugs hinder immersion and overall enjoyment
☐ Ultimately a broken experience

A stunning story that tests and surprises players, let down by braindead controls and generic side characters. This is an iconic Playstation 3 game, but the only things it has going for it are the plot and the music. Everything else seems to get in the way.
Its worth mentioning also that if you are a switched on player, you can work out who the Origami Killer is many chapters BEFORE the game reveals it. This may be satisfying to solve early, but it really serves to showcase the weaker parts of the story and how the quantity and general pacing of "clues" was a bit generous.
Pro’s:

• Story will suck in anyone who likes a Crime Novel or Thriller Film. The Origami Killer reveal (Game’s Antagonist) near the end of the game was well paced and satisfying, however the only issue is that if you pay attention during key story moments, you can work out who the killer is faar earlier! I will admit that my educated guess being proven right was very satisfying regardless. The culmination of all 4 playable characters coming together at the end was excellent and felt like the action packed ending to a hollywood blockbuster.
  
• Almost every character has a good backstory, motive(s), attitude and arc. The weakest character for me was Madison as you barely find out much about her compared to the other 3 Protagonists.
  
• The 5 Trials that Ethan must complete in order to save his son are very intense and challenge the player with not only tough gameplay, but also deeper moral choices. This game has some very tough choices and really holds you accountable!
  
• Every character can die permanently, if you are an idiot and miss too many QTEs in a certain combat situation, you will die without the chance of revival. Even during the last big mission, 3 of the 4 Protagonists can die! I love how the game holds player’s accountable for their actions and more importantly, their inactions..
  
• The Orchestral Soundtrack by Normand Corbeil is simply breathtaking. The emotional highs and lows add to so many parts of the game. Stressful parts of the game are made three times more intense as the music picks up and rushes you forward. I highly recommend listening to the soundtrack of this game to get an idea of the Tone. The composer did an excellent job here.

Con’s:

• At times, the controls are absolutely ABYSMAL. Some sections of the game were impossible at my current difficulty. I had to turn it down just to complete a combination of button prompts as the game would simply keep rejecting my inputs despite making no errors. Though this didn't happen often, it was extremely frustrating.
  
• The “puzzles” that are in the game are a joke. Almost every single puzzle is just laughably easy and often the character will magically internally monologue about the puzzle, giving you blatant hints like "Hmm, Maybe I should go over there and do X". I liked the fast paced QTE sequences during the game, but the slow puzzle sections were all just too easy and forgiving. The amount of help that the game gives you is just absurd.
  
• So many chapters in this game are too long or just outright unnecessary. I absolutely hated the following 4 chapters as I felt that they didn't advance the plot or add anything of value to the story:
  1) The first chapter with Madison: Sleepless Night
  -Does NOTHING for the story and is a very strange introduction to Madison.
  2) The very first chapter in the game.
  -Incredibly slow paced and just serves as a terrible tutorial to the game itself.
  3) Covered Market Chapter: The Fish market chase scene with Norman and Korda
  - While the QTE chase was intense, plotwise this does not further Norman's role in the story and felt like a generic Cop chase scene that the game wanted to tick off.
  4) The Doc Chapter with Madison
  - A strange chapter that felt badly paced, unnecessary and the action just comes out of nowhere...
  
  
• There are a total of 52 CHAPTERS in the game. To be honest, 52 feels like 10 too many. A lot of fat could have been trimmed from the story chapters. There are so many situations where you are doing nothing important like: Cooking scrambled eggs, putting on makeup, cleaning your face, drinking, eating, playing Piano and generally just pointless filler like house chores.
  
• Carter Blake is a terrible side character that is an ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ to Norman for no apparent reason, does not help to advance the overall plot and even leeches off of Norman’s hard work. I'm really not sure why he is in the game, apart from the obvious extra challenge that his actions provide Norman with.

[h1]Heavy Rain Review[/h1] Gameplay ☐ Hands couldn't stay away from the mouse & keyboard ☐ Average ☑ Underwhelming (The core gameplay pretty much boils down to timed QTE sections, investigating "clues" and walking through an environment looking for items to interact with.) Music ☑ Fantastic soundtrack ☐ Impressive ☐ Average ☐ Better to just put on music. PC Required ☐ A potato will suffice! ☑ Entry Level Gaming PC ☐ Mid to High level Gaming PC Story ☐ Barely explained / Minimal ☐ Generic and predictable ☐ Better than I expected ☑ Really sucks you in! (DEFINETELY the highlight of the game. The Plot twist and ending is truly epic. Though some sharper players might figure it all out before the big “reveal”, the killer's reveal itself is very cinematic.) Difficulty ☑ Game Journalist friendly (Some of the timed QTE sections may be a bit quick for some people but honestly its just timed button presses. The only requirement to be any good at this game is purely fast reflexes.) ☐ A fair challenge/ average for the genre ☐ Difficult ☐ Book anger therapy in advance Replayability ☐ One and done ☑ Justifies a replay for any missing content (The multiple endings may interest keen players but for me personally, ONE playthrough was enough. I am NOT going to play the game's chapters over and over and over again to see all of the ultimately lazy, short cutscenes. Unique as they may be, it's simply far more efficient to just look up all the endings that you DIDN'T get on youtube! ☐ Multiple playthroughs will not burn you out! Appropriate Pricing ☐ N/A ☐ Worth the full price! ☑ Wait for a sale ☐ Don't waste your hard earned cash! Bugs ☐ Very polished! (Little to no bugs encountered) ☑ Minor bugs, tolerable (A few movement quirks and I experienced the odd scene where characters dont talk at all. Very minor bug experience overall.) ☐ Bugs hinder immersion and overall enjoyment ☐ Ultimately a broken experience [h1]Overall Rating: 7/10[/h1] A stunning story that tests and surprises players, let down by braindead controls and generic side characters. This is an iconic Playstation 3 game, but the only things it has going for it are the plot and the music. Everything else seems to get in the way. Its worth mentioning also that if you are a switched on player, you can work out who the Origami Killer is many chapters BEFORE the game reveals it. This may be satisfying to solve early, but it really serves to showcase the weaker parts of the story and how the quantity and general pacing of "clues" was a bit generous. [b]Pro’s:[/b] [list] [*]Story will suck in anyone who likes a Crime Novel or Thriller Film. The Origami Killer reveal (Game’s Antagonist) near the end of the game was well paced and satisfying, however the only issue is that if you pay attention during key story moments, you can work out who the killer is faar earlier! I will admit that my educated guess being proven right was very satisfying regardless. The culmination of all 4 playable characters coming together at the end was excellent and felt like the action packed ending to a hollywood blockbuster. [*]Almost every character has a good backstory, motive(s), attitude and arc. The weakest character for me was Madison as you barely find out much about her compared to the other 3 Protagonists. [*]The 5 Trials that Ethan must complete in order to save his son are very intense and challenge the player with not only tough gameplay, but also deeper moral choices. This game has some very tough choices and really holds you accountable! [*]Every character can die permanently, if you are an idiot and miss too many QTEs in a certain combat situation, you will die without the chance of revival. Even during the last big mission, 3 of the 4 Protagonists can die! I love how the game holds player’s accountable for their actions and more importantly, their inactions.. [*]The Orchestral Soundtrack by Normand Corbeil is simply breathtaking. The emotional highs and lows add to so many parts of the game. Stressful parts of the game are made three times more intense as the music picks up and rushes you forward. I highly recommend listening to the soundtrack of this game to get an idea of the Tone. The composer did an excellent job here. [/list] [b]Con’s:[/b] [list] [*]At times, the controls are absolutely ABYSMAL. Some sections of the game were impossible at my current difficulty. I had to turn it down just to complete a combination of button prompts as the game would simply keep rejecting my inputs despite making no errors. Though this didn't happen often, it was extremely frustrating. [*]The “puzzles” that are in the game are a joke. Almost every single puzzle is just laughably easy and often the character will magically internally monologue about the puzzle, giving you blatant hints like "Hmm, Maybe I should go over there and do X". I liked the fast paced QTE sequences during the game, but the slow puzzle sections were all just too easy and forgiving. The amount of help that the game gives you is just absurd. [*]So many chapters in this game are too long or just outright unnecessary. I absolutely hated the following 4 chapters as I felt that they didn't advance the plot or add anything of value to the story: 1) The first chapter with Madison: Sleepless Night -Does NOTHING for the story and is a very strange introduction to Madison. 2) The very first chapter in the game. -Incredibly slow paced and just serves as a terrible tutorial to the game itself. 3) Covered Market Chapter: The Fish market chase scene with Norman and Korda - While the QTE chase was intense, plotwise this does not further Norman's role in the story and felt like a generic Cop chase scene that the game wanted to tick off. 4) The Doc Chapter with Madison - A strange chapter that felt badly paced, unnecessary and the action just comes out of nowhere... [*]There are a total of 52 CHAPTERS in the game. To be honest, 52 feels like 10 too many. A lot of fat could have been trimmed from the story chapters. There are so many situations where you are doing nothing important like: Cooking scrambled eggs, putting on makeup, cleaning your face, drinking, eating, playing Piano and generally just pointless filler like house chores. [*]Carter Blake is a terrible side character that is an asshole to Norman for no apparent reason, does not help to advance the overall plot and even leeches off of Norman’s hard work. I'm really not sure why he is in the game, apart from the obvious extra challenge that his actions provide Norman with. [/list]