We have many good games today, but they're all the same old song and dance. Good shooters feel like COD, good RPG's feel like Final Fantasy and good action games feel like GOW. Besides gameplay, games always have us be some warrior, mercenary, or ordinary person in a medieval, futuristic, or modern world trying to save the princess, your comrades, or the world from an evil ruler, warlord, or some demon. No matter how hard we try to escape from it, they're all the same. Heavy Rain gives us something that we've wanted in gaming for so long: something different and something innovative. It gives us gameplay that feels unique as well as a setting and a story that is rarely done in gaming.

The story is about the four protagonists: Ethan Mars, a father haunted by the death of his eldest son; Norman Jayden, an FBI agent whose constantly fighting drug abuse; Madison Page, a reporter who finds herself deeper into the story than she could have wanted; and Scott Shelby, a private detective investigating for the families of past victims. None of them are noble heroes trying to save the universe from a tyrant, but they're normal people trying to stop a killer on the loose. As you progress throughout the game, the story comes together slowly, but surely, until the last titanic moment. You may think that you know who the Origami Killer is, but when you witness the shocking moment (depending on how you play) where the Origami Killer is revealed to you, its not only the biggest shocker in the game, but its one of the biggest plot twists in gaming. You're jaw will literally drop and you'll be telling yourself, "this can't be. This can't be the Origami Killer!" Besides the story, the setting goes very well with the game, offering a dark and rainy city filled with ordinary people either going about their business or becoming involved with the dark events that transpire throughout. The voice acting is top-notch, stereo-type or not and the graphics are incredible, making the characters and places even more believable.

The gameplay is quite original in the sense that you're not just moving through an environment fighting repetitive enemies over and over. In this game, you simply go through the area, interacting with objects. As boring as it may sound, it works rather well. As for the action sequences, it actually borrows GOW's button-presses and uses them in a way that even GOW couldn't use them. Guessing the button that appears on screen in order to avoid life or death keeps you on your feet and is more intense then just shooting everyone coming at you (with one awesome exception). Besides just guessing buttons, its all about making choices. The choices you make can affect the story in a variety of ways. Do you take an aggressive approach for answers, or do you try to convince them in a more noble way? Do you fire your gun or try to let everyone leave alive? Do you run from your fears or do you confront them? All these choices affect the outcome, and its all up to you how they all play out. Even after you beat the game, you'll want to play it again and again to see what the other outcomes could be. Some might even catch you off-guard.

To end this on a strong note, Heavy Rain is a truly innovative game. It places us in a dark and rainy world, gives us gameplay that allows us to change every outcome and gives us a dark and mysterious tale that will leave you wanting more as you keep playing. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then Heavy Rain is worth a thousand playthroughs.