Directors, stop writing!

Guys, it's okay to collaborate. Hire a writer, why not? They know what they're doing... sometimes, we hope, it's their job! It's their job! Let them do it! You've got good vision but you're just piling so much onto your own shoulders, jack-of-all-trades, master of none.

It keeps coming back to this. Over and over.

Heavy Rain is an awesome game. However, there were parts that I did not like. I will list them briefly because they are relatively simple points:

- Plot holes! Plot holes so big we could fuck in 'em. All of us, I mean. You, me, and the site's three other readers. I heard some rumors that they might be bandaged up in upcoming DLC (which may no longer even be upcoming), but dammit, the story should be self contained. You wouldn't stand for that shit in a movie, why a game?

- Bullshit! The character I was controlling strolls into a garage, under my control, approaches a mechanic. Press the analogue stick right and swing it around to hand him your receipt for pickup. Why? This is so minute and pointless. And worse yet, I can't skip it. If I want to replay the particularly awesome action sequences, I've got to sit through blah blah blah bullshit.

- Walking isn't this cumbersome in real life. Hold R2 and the directional button to walk. Holding the directional button on its own pulls the camera and the character's focus into a particular direction. I never really used this feature; holding R2 felt superfluous and the characters walk like Sherman tanks. Stop that, Quantic Dream.

Otherwise, Heavy Rain is a phenomenal piece of software. It's innovative in a way that could really impact the way many other games are played. When there are no lives and your characters can die, and the game proceeds, suddenly there are real dramatic stakes. Scenes are tense; I was pulled to the edge of my seat, mashing buttons frantically in the midst of fights and action sequences. I was invested, something I don't think I've ever felt in a game before.

And some of the button sequences were brilliant. A character tries to uncomfortably crawl through an irregular obstacle, so your fingers are forced into awkward positions to make him move. You can relate, in a tangible, analogous sense to the plight you see on screen.

All cut scenes, from Metal Gear to Final Fantasy, should play like this. Your characters aren't standing still and talking endlessly, like in some Bioware snoozer, your choices extend to actual actions that occurring dynamically. You give a shit because you have varying degree of material influence on how the story unfolds, and the choices you're bombarded with are varied in scope and delivery. Some are blink and you miss 'em, some are just a matter of slow, methodical, thoroughness.

And the story... yes, it's pretty weak when you look back, but it was hard not to be enthralled while playing it. I felt like I had so much control, so much of what I learned was up to me, that I never stopped to scrutinize it until the last few scenes. It was refreshing to play through a videogame story that didn't have me pumping aliens or robots or animated skeletons full of lead or steel; it was a relatively grounded narrative with characters who, despite their often cobbled motivations, seemed relatable and likeable in a very human way.

I really hope that developers are taking notes. Not only is this a successful experiment in what sort of subject matter a game can tackle, but a demonstration of innovative control potential. Damn good game.