Kubrick Homages in HEAVY RAIN

As Legal Arcade has astutely pointed out the video game (rather, "interactive drama") HEAVY RAIN contains some very strong Stanley Kubrick nods, evidenced above. [Relax: keeping this entry SPOILER-FREE.]

To add to the connections, the actor who plays the character of Scott Shelby in HEAVY RAIN, Sam Douglas, played the part of the cab driver in Kubrick's last film "Eyes Wide Shut":

Tonally, the game shares a surreal quality with Kubrick's work, as well.

Upon further inspection, I'm torn with HEAVY RAIN. I reread THIS ARTICLE by Anthony Burch, breaking down why HR proves Roger Ebert's argument against video games being considered "high art". There are some very good points in this article and it's worth reading after finishing the game.

It's no spoiler to point out that HEAVY RAIN involves you making critical decisions for an ensemble of characters. These characters have their own archetypes and histories.

In this really interesting interview with HEAVY RAIN writer/director David Cage, he discusses an earlier game he created to explain his rational for limiting a player's abilities:

Working on Fahrenheit, my guideline was that I allowed the player to do anything that made sense in the context. Some people came to me and said, "I'm in the diner in the opening scene. I would like to kill the cop at the bar, and I can't." Well, you know, Lucas Kane is not a killer. He's not someone who's vicious. He's just a normal guy. So why would a normal guy kill a cop? It doesn't make sense. Some people say, "I want to jump on the tables in the diner. I can't." Why would Lucas Kane do that? It doesn't make sense.

This is where the experience of watching a movie and the experience of playing a game wildly deviates.

When I'm watching a movie or TV series, I want characters to maintain some modicum of consistency. If "Dwight" has been set up to be an uptight, by-the-books company man in "THE OFFICE", it wouldn't make sense for him to ditch work frivolously or play video games on his office computer during work hours. [Oh, that's right, THE OFFICE totally sucks.] Characters can evolve, obviously, but you need to see that evolution in order to appreciate why the character is doing something s/he wouldn't have done as s/he's been established earlier.

When I'm playing a video game, on the other hand, I will do anything to sabotage the consistency of a character, just for the cheap thrill of imposing my will upon him/her. Sometimes it's less about an action making narrative sense and more about, "Let's see what happens if I do THIS...!"

And what if you try your best to remain consistent with the character as it's been established? Back to Burch's article:

"Great—you've maintained the integrity of the story and its characters, but you've also reduced the game to nothing more than a finicky DVD which must be unpaused every few minutes. If Ethan's character is already pretty well set in stone and you're just going through the motions you would expect him to go through, then why are you involved at all? If your personal interaction consists of nothing more than giving up your identity and making a character do something he would normally do anyway, then what differentiates your experience from that of watching a film? Your input no longer matters."

Spot on, IMHO.

I agree with all the criticisms of HEAVY RAIN and I still enjoyed the experience. I respect any game developer who's trying new things. I could go on and on about this, but I know that I'm not speaking to a very large audience. If you've the means and the hardware, try this game.

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.

HEAVY RAIN: Interactive Drama

I've just beaten the interactive drama HEAVY RAIN.

I was writing about it yesterday but having now played it through (to just one of several endings), I'm more impressed with it. Flaws and all.

The key is that it's an interactive drama. More so than what you'd consider a traditional "video game". And as far as drama goes, it's pretty fucking engrossing. The story is kinda riveting and it keeps you on your toes. And while I do believe they cheated a bit with the big final-act twist (which I won't spoil), they did such a great job with building the narrative I'm willing to forgive. Creating compelling characters, escalating the drama and tension, building toward the climax. Much respect given to David Cage, who gets sole credit for writing and directing this film noir.

It's a story that lingers with you. I've just finished it but I already want to head right back in and play through making different choices. Like an interactive version of GROUNDHOG DAY.

HEAVY RAIN incorporates shades of SE7EN, SAW, MINORITY REPORT. Some aspects made me think of William Gibson fiction like Virtual Light, the way technology is woven into the narrative.

It's a story I'll be thinking about for a while. One of the downsides of a "video game" like this is that it is, by nature, a solitary experience. I'd love to talk about it with someone right now but nobody I know has played it yet. (Including the friend I borrowed it from: HI DAVE!) And even if all my PS3-owning friends had a copy, playing through something like this isn't as simple as watching a movie. It requires a greater investment of time. Similar to watching the full season of a television drama. When you think about it in terms of hours of entertainment, the cost is comparable to buying a boxset of tv show.

The hype is real. This was a great show.

Know Your God

Mormons know almost as much about religion as Atheists. IT'S A FACT!

Tuesday in NYC, got caught in torrential rainfall. I've gone without an umbrella for quite some time now because I'm all like, FUCK YOU RAIN. But this was a heavy rain and I was walking from 23rd to 40th, and I didn't want to deal with the packed subterranean trains... and I got soaked to the bones. Like, that miserable level of soaked where you are so wet that getting more wet doesn't even matter anymore because every layer of clothing has been violated by rainwater. Even though I wasn't heading somewhere where I needed to be presentable, the sensation of being that soaked was pure humiliation. Like the skies are taking a long, ropy piss on you.

(I say "the skies" because "God" is an obvious fiction.)

I grew up all Catholic and did the whole song and dance. And I can appreciate the real NEED for religion in society... because of lot of people in the world NEED to believe in a higher power... to give them hope, to incentivize them to be good... and for them, so far as they're not using their religion as justification to harm others, I'm all happy for the existence of religion...

... but come on, now. It's a bunch of shit, isn't it?

A Heavy Rain

The downpour last night was biblical. I still walked home from the theater because I'm a masochist. This city needed a good rain to scrub the streets clean.

I am a cold and unforgiving human being. That would make me sad if I stopped to think about it for too long. What have I been through that's rendered me this way?

It's survival and evolution. You suffer a setback, you figure it out and you move on. You adapt. The skin thickens.

There are things I need and things I don't need in my life. I won't sit here and gaze at my scars.

Got about 5 hours of sleep last night. That's not bad for me. Could have slept longer if I didn't have to go to work. Got home late and had to send out some follow-up emails before I could retire. I'm still tired today, but I'm catching up. I'm going to skip the theater tonight. Go straight home and get some work together.