Tag Archives: Playstation 3

Heavy Rain (PS3)

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Back in the day, the most universally recognized control input was the jump button. Thanks to the evolution of modern shooter games, the state of games has evolved so that the trigger button is now the most recognized control input around. Imagine a game with no preset control schemes that relies heavily on varied inputs to perform different actions. Heavy Rain is a game that does exactly this. The game doen’t use a traditional control scheme, rather it requires you to make whatever control inputs a situation requires. Just because you pressed a certain button to execute a particular action doesn’t mean pressing the same button will result in the same action as before. Even more interesting is the game’s heavy reliance on its plot. While most games will have you blasting through opposition to get to the answers, the shooting in Heavy Rain is minimal. In one completion you will shoot maybe 5 enemies tops. The game plays more like an interactive story than a traditional video game. So how does this all work out? Read on…

GAMEPLAY (9/10)

To say that developer Quantic Dream is pushing the creative envelope with this game is a bit of an understatement. Heavy Rain takes the traditional control schemes found in most modern games and throws it out the window. What we are left with are on screen instructions that tell you what control inputs to make during a given situation. Need help getting out of that burning vehicle? Hit L1, R2, and rapidly tap X at the same time. This is just one example of control commands in Heavy Rain. While it may seem strange, after the first act, it becomes almost second nature.

The game starts out by introducing you to this control scheme. You assume the role of one of the playable characters and begin doing everyday things like brushing your teeth, getting dressed, and drinking coffee. It may seem a bit tedious at first, but once the action starts, it never really lets up. there is always constant tension fo what is coming next. Even more exciting is how you are going to handle the situation. In otehr games, you already know what inputs to make to ensure your character’s survival.

In Heavy Rain, you won’t know what these commands are until you are already knee deep in trouble. You may get a plist second to react by pushing the square button. These types of inputs, often referred to as Quick Time Events (QTE), have been seen in other games (God of War series comes to mind). However, unlike in other games, Heavy Rain has already established a context which makes these inputs all the more crucial. While other games will simply give you a “Game Over” screen while you wait to reload, the consequences in Heavy Rain are even more critical. If the character you’re playing as happens to die, the story will continue on without them. Get one thing straight about this game- nearly everyone can and probably will die no matter how crucial they are to the plot. No one is safe, which makes executing the correct control inputs all the more vital.

Many people have dismissed this game as nothing more than a type of interactive movie. Despite the unorthodox controls of this game, I found it to be one of the msot immersive games I have ever played. I was obsessed with finding out who the murderer was. I was equally obsessed with not letting any of the main characters die. There are numerous outcomes to the endgame, all of which are effected by the choices you make and who survives to the end of the game.

STORY (9/10)

Heavy Rain has an excellent plot. The city is being terrorized by a serial killer known as the Origami Killer. The Origami Killer kidnaps young boys and kills them after so many days have elapsed. He leaves origami animals at the scenes where he abducts his victims. You assume the roles of 4 different characters all of whom are tied to the origami killer in some way or another. There is Ethan Mars, a loving father who lost his oldest son to a car accident. His youngest boy has recently been kidnapped by the Origami Killer and he must race against time to try and save him. There is FBI Agent Jayden who has been sent to the local precinct to help the cops profile the killer ala Criminal Minds. There is the hardnosed ex cop turned detective Scott Shelby, who has been hired by to look into the Origami Killer case. Then finally there is Madison, an attractive young woman who is investigating the murders for reasons that are not revealed initially. While playing the game, you get the sense that anyone, even the main characters, can wind up being the Origami Killer.

You do not have control over which character you assume control of. In fact, you take turns on who you are controlling as the plot is unfolded through the eyes of these four individuals. While the game has its moments of disbelief, it is impressive when it all comes together at the end. One of the coolest things is how the lives of the other characters are affected by each character’s actions. In my first playthrough, I was unable to save one of the characters and he wound up being killed. Later in the game, another one of the characters was being accused of murder as a result of the character that died not being around to share evidence that would clear his name. Small details like this really enhance the game’s sense of immersion.

SOUND (8/10)

The brooding soundtrack of this game is excellent. It really helps convey the dreariness of the constant rainfall and the urgency to find Ethan Mars’ son. The music does an excellent job of setting the mood throughout the game while avoiding becoming overly cheesy and melodramatic. Occasionally, I experienced glitches where the sound would cut out or just the music would cut out and it really took me out of the game. There were even a few instances where it caused me to miss some key dialogue.

The voice acting in this game is pretty good overall. Some of the characters seem to be voiced by European actors who are badly trying to hide their accents while speaking in an American accent. Sometimes this gets a bit disturbing as their accent fades in and out. In the big scheme of things, it is not that important but it does take away from the game as it happens fairly often.

GRAPHICS (9/10)

Heavy Rain has some incredible graphics. The player models all look very detailed and about as lifelike as you can get in a game. The environments are all well fleshed out to really help contribute to the overall beauty of the game. Likewise, the water and rain effects seen throughout the game are flat out impressive. It is one of the few games I’ve seen in which water moves and flows like it is supposed to.

Despite all of this graphical praise, the game is not without its flaws. Sometimes the transition from gameplay to cutscenes is way too noticeable due to the difference in graphics between the in game characters and how they are depicted in the cutscenes. There are also random glitches where your character may get stuck on a wall or a step. When I first played the game, the opening scene had this wierd rainbow pattern all over my character. It finally went away in the next scene, but it just feels like these types of occurences happen a bit too often for a finished retail version of a game.

REPLAYABILITY (9/10)

For a game with no multiplayer componenet, Heavy Rain has a ton of replay value. Each decision impacts how the stroy will play out, so naturally there are quite a few ways to finish the game depending on your previous in game actions. Die hard fans will want to pay through every possible scenario in order to unlock all of the possible endings. There are just so many choices that can affect the game’s outcome and it should keep most people quite busy trying to figure them all out.

The game also features a chapter select option in which you can choose to replay specific chapters to see the effects of making different choices. There is also some planned DLC cming for this game in the near future. Another major replay bonus is trying to catch all of the clues that you missed the first time through. After I finished the gmae and found out who the killer was, I immediately started another playthrough to see if there were any signs indicating the killer’s identity. It is in the little details like this that willl keep people playing this game trying to unlock all of the possible scenarios.

OVERALL (9/10)

Overall I think this is an excellent game with a very strong plot. I was a bit skeptical at first as to how they would work everything out, but QWuantic Dreams seems to have found a solid formula for this type of game. I can’t wait to see their future offerings on similar type games as I can easily see this type of game becoming its own genre or even revolutionizing the way we play games in general. This game seems like the next step in bridging the gap between quality cinema and quality gaming. Hopefully more developers will help to evolve this style of game as the possibilities are endless.

Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony (Xbox360)

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GTA: The Ballad of Gay Tony is the second of two Xbox exclusive downloadable content episodes for Rockstar Games’ insanely popular Grand Theft Auto IV. TBOGT takes place in the same universe and same city as the previous two storylines. While the other plotlines seemed to hold back a bit in terms of the level of action, TBOGT is like an adrenaline junkie’s paradise. There is the addition of base jumping, devastating new weapons, and most of all- intense over the top action that the series had previously been known for.

GRAPHICS (8/10)

While the series has never been known for its beautiful graphics, it looks like nothing much has changed. The character models look a bit funny at times, and most of the character movements look clunky and forced. The city, however, looks as beautiful and detailed as ever. The game’s main saving grace (graphically) is how great the city and everything in it look.  The city is so detailed that after playing for a while, you will start to recognize how certain neighborhoods look.  The graphics do a solid job of bringing the city to life.

STORY (9/10)

One of the greatest parts of any GTA game is definitely the writing. While the plots may not be super complex, the characters and the situations they find themselves in are some of the most unique, violent, and hilarious in any game.  The story ties in neatly with the last two episodes, resulting in one grand intersecting plotline between the three games. It neatly wraps up all the previous questions and it happens to be a non-stop thrill ride the whole way.

GAMEPLAY (9/10)

Relatively little has changed since GTA IV in terms of gameplay. Perhaps the biggest addition is the inclusion of base jumping/parachuting.  This element has been seen before in past games like GTA: San Andreas, but it just seems more fitting in the big city playground that this game takes place in. Nothing is cooler than parachuting onto a skyscraper, infiltrating and assasinating everyone inside, then making your get away by base jumping onto a moving escape truck.

One major improvement is the addition of checkpoints within missions. Now you don’t have to start all the way from the beginning if you should die. Simply answer the ‘try again’ text on your phone and you will resume the mission from your last checkpoint. This helps keep the game moving along, while also helps prevent it from feeling to repetitive as you would have to repeat sequences over and over otherwise. This is good also since the difficulty is ramped up considerably in this game. You have a bunch of new weapons at your disposal, but make no mistake your enemies also have upgraded firepower. While little has changed in terms of overall gameplay, this is one series that only needed a few tweaks since the system was already rock solid.

SOUND (9/10)

The sound effects are pretty good throughout the game. The gunshots and explosions are nice and loud. perhaps the best part of the sound is the incredible voice acting. The characters and their voices are top notch. Although most of the voice actors are relative unknowns, they do a great job of bringing Liberty City and its inhabitants to life. The radio stations are also top notch. I don’t really care much for driving around in these games, but I kept catching myself taking the long route so I could hear the rest of a song on the radio. 

The background noises on the city streets are also excellent. You could be walking down the street and pass two people having a conversation. You can actually hang around and eavesdrop on what they’re saying. You can even hear people yelling at one another from their cars. It’s little details like this that really make the city feel alive.

OVERALL (9/10)

This game is a true return to form for the GTA series. While many people were a bit taken back by the somewhat slower pace of the last two episodes, GTA:TBOGT takes us right back to the adrenaline fueled missions of GTA: San Andreas. There is also a good variety of things to do in each mission so the game never really feels repetitive. Most importantly, the fun factor that made the series so popular seems to be in full effect with this episode. While the game is definitely driven by its plot points, there is a greater focus on action, destruction, and overal anarchythat seemed to be missing from the previous iterations. Most of all, this game is just flat out fun. While I didn’t spend any time doing any side missions and focused strictly on the story missions, I had a blast the entire time and I honestly can’t think of a boring or lackluster mission throughout the main campaign. GTA fans will definitely want to pick this one up. The price is also a steal, as it is only $20 roughly to download. There is also a disc that includes both The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and Damned for around $40. This is a great option for those who do not have the original GTA:IV disc, as you can play both episodes without it.

What is your 2009 Game of the Year?

  • Call of Duty : Modern Warfare II (50%, 6 Votes)
  • Assassin's Creed II (25%, 3 Votes)
  • Uncharted II (17%, 2 Votes)
  • Left 4 Dead II (8%, 1 Votes)
  • Halo ODST (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 12

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

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Perhaps THE most anticipated gameof the year, COD:MW2 bursts onto the scene with more of the intense and highly refined gameplay that producer Infinity Ward’s series entries are famous for.  For those looking to continue the excellent experience of the first MW game, this one does not dissappoint.  It’s been a long time coming for this game, so lets do this!

GRAPHICS (9/10)

The graphics in this game are beautiful. The character models all look and move as they would in real life. Everything in this world is incredibly detailed. While the graphics are not the best on any console, you can’t help but to admire how seamless it all blends together to create the game’s immersive environments. Most of the time you’ll be caught up in a firefight, but the next time you’re just running around in this game, take a second to stop and admire the beauty of the graphics.

STORY (8/10)

Modern Warfare isn’t known for it’s storyline and this installment is no exception. The campaign is relatively short. I was able to plod through it on Veteran in just under a day’s time. Thankfully, Veteran difficulty has been toned down to “challenging” from “impossible” in previous installments.  As for the plotline, don’t try to figure it out as it will most likely just confuse you.   There are MAJOR plot twist, major characters are killed off along the way, and overall it doesn’t make much sense, even after completing the campaign. It is as if each plot point is just a reason to set up another incredible action set piece. Luckily, the action is just to satisfying and immersive that no one really gives a crap about what is going on with the plot. If anything, that is a testament to the excellent gameplay of this title.

GAMEPLAY (10/10)

I don’t really give 10′s out very often. However, I feel that this game definitely has it nailed in the gameplay department. They took their already excellent gameplay formula from MW and restructured it. Last year’s World at War seemed to mimic the MW formula very closely, providing some minimal tweaks. MW2 take the same formula and completely revamps everything, adding entirely new segments of gameplay and basically taking their already proven formula to the next level.   Big ups to them for taking the time to add more substance and depth to an already incredibly satisfying system. When you play this game, you will truly feel as if you are on a modern battlefield.   MW2 would’ve sold a billion copies even without these improvements, but it shows the level of pride that IW has in this project by how much more content they have put into this game. If only every game developer added this level of polish to their games also.

MULTIPLAYER (10/10)

The multiplayer portion is perhaps the best multiplayer game I have ever played.  When you start playing, it is instant chaos. Harrier Jets, Helicopters, Predator missiles, sentry guns, etc are all running rampant on any map you play. You really get the feeling of how mortal your character is when facing these mammoths of combat technology. the multiplayer is perfected to such an extent that the only cheap deaths are due to lag. Any other time that you die, chances are that you deserved to die.

The weapons and perks choices are just mindblowing. Endless combinations of weapons attachments combined with perk choices lead to endless customization of playing styles. Perhaps the biggest addition to MW2 is the kill streak set up. This game is all about the kill streaks as they can unlock anything from a simple UAV to a game ending NUKE. You can customize your killstreaks to unlock different rewards depending on how high your kill streak goes.  The custom options in this game are endless, and I haven’t even touched on the callsign/emblem options.

OVERALL (9/10)

I could go on and on about everything you can do in this game. The reality is- if you want this game then nothing I say will change your mind. I’m hard pressed to think of something negative to say about the game. The campaign is very short, but the overall game has the highest replay value of damn near any game I’ve played. The multiplayer is truly where this game shines. I picked this game up along with some of the other big holiday titles and I can honestly say that this is the only game that I have played every single day since its release. If you don’t have this yet, RUN out and buy a copy right away.