Heavy Rain really is an interactive movie more than a game. A "toy" for your PS3, but don't expect more.
Heavy Rain (HR in short) gave me very mixed feelings. It is not a good "game", but it is a very good interactive movie. There is a great distinction between the two, so if you are looking for a game you'd be in for a disappointment.
However there are parts in the HR that could make for a great game in the future, particularly the CSI-style investigative parts of the game.
GRAPHICS & SOUND
Heavy Rain is a fantastic piece of eye candy, easily one of the best looking games to date. It reminds me of the Final Fantasy Movie way back in 2001, except now you are IN the movie now, and you control the actors/actresses in the movie.
The directing and how each scene (playable or not) is displayed has been very well-planned. In everyway it looks just like a movie. You don't get this kind of artistic presentation in games these days, and this in itself is refreshing.
The settings, colors, tone, and graphics in each in-game location is fantastic. You can interact with a lot of everyday common items and objects such as the water tap, and even bags of potato chips opened and spread on the floor. The bad side... is that this is pretty much what you do for most of the game, and sometimes it gets tedious. I'll get to that later.
Music and sound effects are generally well done. Music does play a great part in creating the moods and atmospheres in a movie, and in HR it showed. When you're panicking the music adds to the suspense and thrill, when you're having a warm family time there is another type of music, and when you just woke up in the morning, suitably there were no music as you walk around. Voice acting is average though, some characters don't really sound very convincing to me but it doesn't really bother me as the game sucks you in so much that you won't notice these minor things.
The superb graphics and interactive environment does build you a very strong sense of attachment to the story. Personally, I find this the strongest asset of the game.
GAMEPLAY, CONTROLS
Gameplay is the biggest argument in this game. The game does say "an interactive movie" on the box, which is very true. There is some elements of gameplay from the CSI-style investigations in some parts of the game, but those are short, and you don't really do much.
The core of the "game" is basically pressing the right buttons or moving your controller according to on-screen prompts. That's it. And they are by no means difficult at all. Changing diapers, washing your hands, cleaning wounds, and fighting pretty much all involves the same gameplay -- press the right buttons at the right time. Its fun at first, but a few hours into the game you'll sit there and think, "that's all there is to the game?" And yes that's all there is. These so-called mini games do kind of put you inside the game because you're put to feel what the in-game characters feel. As you go through these mundane tasks you get more and more immersed into the story.
Controls are simple. You walk, you interact, and you talk. Talking and interacting are nicely done, but the controls for walking around is just dumb and bad.
The story is powerful and you will feel very immersed into the game. It is a rare satisfying experience from a game these days. But as the GS review says, no matter what you do, the story will end up the same. You may see more or less scenes here and there due to your actions, but the story is very, very linear. You can even kill some of the characters in the story and it will have very little effect. So replayability is very limited unless you're trying to get all the PS trophies.
SUMMARY
Don't get me wrong though, HR is a very rewarding experience. You get sucked into a very powerful story and you'll feel right inside it. It is an interactive movie, or perhaps a "toy" for the PS3, but don't expect anything else from it.
I would not buy again if there is a sequel to HR, but hopefully HR can evolve into something more playable. Quantic Dream got many things right in HR, only if they could take these good things and build a more playable game, they'd have an instant hit.
If you are thinking about getting this game, I definitely recommend you to buy a copy... but, get a 2nd hand copy.