I cannot wait to play Heavy Rain

Man, I am chomping at the bit to play “Heavy Rain,” the upcoming game from developer Quantic Dream. I absolutely adored their  “Indigo Prophecy,” one of the most unique gaming experiences I’ve ever had. This one promises to be even more amazing.

There’s a hands-on of an early preview level in USA Today this week, which goes into the basics of Heavy Rain’s unique control scheme. Like Indigo Prophecy, the game has players doing some pretty banal things – brushing teeth, playing in the yard with kids. In the previous game, one lengthy quicktime sequence involved playing the guitar, another involved slow-dancing.

From the USA Today preview:

Movement and action in the game is contextual, so most control inputs will attempt to mimic the action a character wants to perform. For example, when Ethan opens the refrigerator, a players will flick and hold the right thumbstick to grab the door handle, then maneuver the stick with a steady, quarter-circle motion to open the door.

To some, Heavy Rain might look like a repeated series of quick-time events. However, the action and controls feel more sophisticated and seem to relate better to the tasks players carry out.

When I think back on the experience of playing Indigo Prophecy, I don’t really remember much about the story, beyond the opening set-up (I do have a vague recollection that the ending was disappointing), nor any of the particularly “game-like” sequences. I do remember the guitar event, and finding things around the apartment, and switching from one character to another. Most of all, I remember the feeling that it gave me – it played out for me over several evenings, and it felt like taking part in a movie (admittedly, a made-for-TV movie, probably one with Eric Roberts in it). So I can agree with those who have accused it – and by extension, Heavy Rain – with “not really being a game.”

It’s game enough for me. Release is scheduled for February 18, 2010.