After trying to connect to the Heavy Rain website for hours due to extreme server overload, I finally got my demo code and logged onto the PSN to download it. I've always had pretty high hopes for the game because I'm a fan of things that break away from the mainstream mold and try to do something different, and that's exactly what Heavy Rain does. The demo provides you with two "scenarios" to play through, and neither one of them give you any significant insight into the story, which is a good thing because if the story was spoiled in a game like Heavy Rain, there would be no point in playing it.
Anyway, the demo starts off with your character, Detective Shelby, walking down an alleyway when the game introduces you to it's control scheme. You hold R2 to walk and point the left stick in the direction you want to move, L1 changes the camera angle, while the right stick is used to perform actions. For example, to open a car door you would sweep the right stick over and up, to investigate something on the ground, you would press the right stick down, etc. There are also instances where you must hold down a button multiple buttons that appear on screen to perform actions like climb up a ledge, or shimmy along a wall behind a dumpster. It takes a minute to get used to the walking, but once you figure it out, it's pretty smooth.
You eventually make your way into an apartment building and ask for a woman named Lauren. The man at the desk tells you what room she is in and you make your way upstairs to speak with her. It turns out that Lauren's son had been murdered by the Origami Killer, and Detective Shelby is seeking more information. During the interactions with Lauren, responses float around your character's head with a corresponding button to each response. Some of the responses say "investigate, trick, sympathize," and so on. Depending on which response you choose, your character will continue the conversation according to the choice you made. It's at this point in the game where I truly realized that my choices would affect the story line, because after multiple playthroughs and choosing different responses, the conversation played out differently. I won't say anymore as to not spoil the rest of this section of the demo for anyone.
The second "scenario" puts you in the shoes of an FBI detective investigating a crime scene. The agent is equipped with a special pair of glasses and a special glove which, with a tap of the R1 button, scans the immediate area around your character for evidence. It's actually pretty fun walking around a crime scene collecting evidence with the special glove. I can't really say much more here without giving away what to do, so I'll just leave it at that.
Heavy Rain gives you a little taste of what the gameplay is like without giving too much away. The FBI agent scenario gives me some hope that there is some unconventional gameplay that doesn't include opening doors, asking questions, and mainly everything else that people are bitching about. I just hope that Quantic Dreams have crafted a great story because the idea of my choices affecting the story line or even killing my character is an awesome idea. I'll be waiting anxiously until Heavy Rain releases on February 16th.
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