Heavy Rain- An American Shenmue as Performed by the French

During my senior year of high school as special little/large game called Shenmue came out and justified my love of the Dreamcast. It was an awkward and and occasionally perplexing adventure game where the action took a backseat to getting to know a young man as he investigates a murder. This game sadly wasn't enough to save the Dreamcast, in fact it probably was on of the things that did the system in.

12 years later we get a shockingly similar game with the same successes and largely the same failures. Seeing that I have been waiting paitently for a Shenmue follow up (no Shenmue 2 doesn't count) I was eager to play the "game."

"Game" is in quotes because Heavy Rain is an interactive movie. Anything that made Shenmue a game like experience like the fighting system or open world environments has been removed and replaced with brutally efficient storytelling. Maybe efficient is a stretch for Heavy Rain. Heavy Rain tells the story of four different characters who are looking into the a serial murderer known as the "Origami Killer."

The story basics have been done to death but the 4 person shifting format makes it interesting. I got annoyed at the perspective shifting every time something interesting was going to happen but it kept the "game" moving. The only possibly experience crippling problem with Heavy Rain is that the game was written and performed by French people. I don't really have too much against the French, but when only 1 out of 4 of the main characters can pronounce the villan's name (it's "origami" not "oRAYgAYME") then maybe the casting director should have bought American.

I can ignore the voice acting though, I can actually ignore a lot of stuff in media because it gives me a chance to use my imagination. The wrote in a mental back story for characters so the mispronunciation was due to something that happened off camera such as a stroke or learning to read phonically.

The action in the game is only quicktime events, which I think video games are trending away from but I really don't mind them. As a game Heavy Rain is a decent experience, it didn't bring me into the world like Shenmue did, mainly because there is no world to be brought into. There is a solid story in place and scenes to help the virtual-terrible actors act out.

I think this game is on to something, but I just wish they could crank games out like this faster and cheaper. Like do it like TellTale Games does with their adventure games, but instead of dumb 90's area puzzles just have a decision based/choose your own adventure style gameplay. I am happier with the $20 dollars that I spent on this 5 hour game than the $20 dollars I would have spent on a movie or something.