Heavy Rain with Jon Dore

Disclaimer: this blog entry may only be of interest to people who

1) have played the PS3 video game Heavy Rain
2) are familiar with TV's Jon Dore.

In other words, virtually nobody! But if no one's going to write about these things on the internet, then I have to. [NO SPOILERS in this, BTW.]

If you're still stubbornly with me, Jon Dore is a Canadian comedic performer who had a show called "The Jon Dore Television Show" which aired in Canada and has been re-aired on The Independent Film Channel. I've watched it on IFC. I enjoy it. That's, naturally, neither here nor there.

Borrowed my friend's copy of HEAVY RAIN and started playing it... and noticed that one of the characters in the game—"Ethan Mars"—bears an uncanny resemblance to Jon Dore.

I realize that—despite getting some stellar reviews—a relatively small percentage of the population will ever actually play HEAVY RAIN on the PS3. And of that small percentage, an even smaller percentage will probably be familiar with Jon Dore. (Illustrated in the Venn Diagram above.) So I guess the fact that no one's talking about the uncanny Jon Dore avatar in HEAVY RAIN is to be expected. But the internet is designed to cater to the niche markets.

For even more of a head trip, check out how closely the voice actors resemble their avatars in HEAVY RAIN.

While I'm here, what do I think of the actual (critically-acclaimed) game so far?

Well, aside from proving Roger Ebert's theory that video games can't be high art, I'm kind of digging it.

Here's the thing: as a game, it is essentially a much-evolved version of the arcade classic Dragon's Lair. More sophisticated in a lot of ways, but in terms of play mechanics they share the same mother: "Timed Events". Press this button at the right time and you move forward. That's extremely reductive and there are more complicated variations on this basic gameplay... but it's ultimately the same concept.

The game is fascinating, though. It's essentially an interactive movie but it seems there are many different branches through the narrative, depending on your choices along the way. I love how it's trying to do something totally unique with the medium.

You play multiple characters along the way. In the game, I've changed a baby's diaper, interrogated suspects and attempted to bond with my young son in a playground. In a video game! This is a long way from Pac Man.

Still, the game mechanics can be awkward. Even the parts of the narrative that could've been handled with more traditional video game mechanics (driving cars, fight sequences) employ the same "timed events" gameplay. Simply walking around a room can be EXTREMELY awkward, the way they've set it up...

Despite all that, it's got me hooked. I've gotta see it through.