A game that pushes the boundaries between movies and games so far, it'll make you wonder why more games aren't like it.
Heavy Rain follows the story of four protagonists, the father Ethan Mars, the journalist Madison Page, the private investigator Scott Shelby, and FBI agent Norman Jaiden as they try to stop the Origami Killer, a murderer who kidnaps children and drowns them in rain water. I can't say much without spoiling the story, but I will say it's one of the most interesting, most beautiful stories I've ever seen in a video game.
The story takes about an hour to really kick off, but once it does, the next 9 hours are an absolute thrill ride. Fight scenes and chase scenes keep you on your toes, and performing everyday tasks keeps you immersed in the action. It doesn't let up. The characters are incredibly interesting, and you won't want to drop your controller until you've solved the mystery. Some choices will literally have you pausing the game to decide between two or more equally reprehensible decisions. It's just that good.
One of the very few complaints I have with this game is the voice acting. Some characters sound excellent, while others sound like English is a second language. The spotty voice acting isn't bad enough to take you out of the story, though, and that's what counts in a game where story is the only major component.
Heavy Rain will grab you and won't let go until you're done. Even then, you'll want to go back and replay the individual chapters, trying to see what would've happened had you chosen something else. Some of your choices can even cause your characters to die. But in Heavy Rain, there is no winning or losing, it's all about watching the story unfold based on what you choose. Whether the ending is happy, sad, disappointing, whatever, is all up to you. The level of choice and the number of different endings is unprecedented, even for games like Mass Effect. It's so immersive and so innovative that, once it's over and the credits are rolling, it'll leave you wanting other games to be like it. It's one tremendously long, interactive movie that keeps you guessing and doesn't drag or feel slow once it's started. It's truly one of the most boundary-pushing, emotionally-charged video games I've ever seen.