Heavy Rain Update

I finished Heavy Rain about two days after I started playing it. Not a very long game at all. From what I've been seeing around the web, it is intended to be played several times since the outcome of the game can vary slightly depending on what choices you make throughout the game and who lives, who dies. There is a huge list of trophies that you can obtain from doing these elaborate sequences of movements accurately. Such as the "Baby Master" trophy (shown in the video below) in which you gain a trophy for changing a diaper, feeding a bottle and burping a baby.

As I wrote in my previous post, the control system was what really drew me to the game. I wouldn't doubt it if we see similar things in the future in other titles. It really brings you into the game making you feel more connected.
I didn't have any other glitches pop up in about the last half of the game. There were some instances where you would pop out of an animated mini-cut scene only to get stuck where you couldn't move or some things wouldn't render completely. Restarting the game would resolve it. Maybe they'll fix some of these things in an update at some point.
The graphics were a stunning. As you work through the game you unlock some videos a few that deal with the making of the game. They spent a lot of time capturing expression and facial detail.



Overall, Heavy Rain was an enjoyable experience. I'm very tempted to go back through it again to try to get more trophies and see what other paths I can follow.....but I've been a little distracted working on a huge complicated project for work with a very short deadline (which also explains the tardiness of this post).
I picked up God of War III. Actually, I pre-ordered it from Amazon so that I wouldn't have to scramble to try to find a copy locally. Plus I could choose a gift wrap option (my present wrapping skills suck) as this was more a gift for Meredith than it was for me.
God of War III is the 3rd installment of a game that Meredith and I have really enjoyed playing. It's a hack 'n slash dungeon crawler with some amazing animation and a variety of weapons, magic and special moves. Some really cool animated final kills that would put Mortal Kombat to shame.
Figured Meredith would wear the buttons out on the controllers so I bought her a new one in her favorite color.

Heavy Rain

I picked up Heavy Rain for the Playstation 3 the other day. It's kind of mix between Memento, Seven, The Cell, Minority Report, Zodiac and Thirteenth Floor. The graphics are phenomenal. The developers took a lot of time tweaking the faces of the characters making them look extremely realistic.
The gameplay is more like following a "choose your own adventure" graphic novel. You follow several different characters as each is trying to solve a bit of the mystery. You switch between characters as the story moves from chapter to chapter.
In some cases, two characters may be in the same scene and you may pick up control of one character as the first leaves the scene. Choices and actions you make throughout the game alter the outcome in subtle ways.

Even more fascinating to me than the graphics was the control system. I'd read an article in Wired magazine discussing this revolutionary new context sensitive control system. So when presented with different choices and actions, images of the button action appears. So in contrast to traditional control systems where each button is assigned to a specific action, there are endless possibilities as that same button may do a completely different thing faced with a different obstacle.
When conversing with other characters you have different topics or ways in which to say things (persistent, sympathy, etc...) illustrated by a button symbol and keyword that floats around your head. This allows you to have an influence on how the scene plays out.
Timing is critical, if you neglect to hit a button fast enough (or slow enough) there is a consequence. Sometimes you are also required to press and hold down a series of buttons, sometimes making for an interesting game of finger twister as you attempt to hold down a number of buttons on the controller. 
It also makes use of the accelerometer in the controller, allowing you to steer vehicles, push and slide objects, all by tilting and moving the controller up, down, left , right.
Things aren't all rosy though. Several times there have been glitches in the game that wouldn't allow the character to move until restarted the game. Realtime rendering glitches, like background characters gliding along the ground instead of walking. Even the very opening intro animation had the character floating 8 inches off the bed frame because the mattress didn't render. 
I've just started working through the game and overall, with the exception of the random glitches, has been very immersive and enjoyable. Later I'll post a follow up to this post with some further thoughts as I get farther into the story.
Here's a clip of actual Heavy Rain gameplay.

My Kindle Experience

Never fails that when I'm about to go on a trip I'm nearing the end of one book and end up having to pack at least one other book in my carry on to make sure I don't get stuck in an airport with nothing to read.
By the end of the trip I'm lugging around some dead weight from the book(s) I've finished.
The Amazon Kindle looked like a great solution to this problem. I've been interested in the Kindle since they first came out a few years ago. The first generation seemed a little pricey and a little clunky to me so I resisted buying one (not to mention they were sold out for quite a while as well).
The 2nd generation came out and it was more refined, thinner and all around just looked nice. I kept looking at them and thinking "should I?" I'm very much in love with the tactile feeling that a real book can give you. The smell of the ink on the page, the texture of the paper and so on. Could I give it up for a thin piece of electronics?
When faced with the potential of going on a business trip for a few days back in August I thought it would be the perfect opportunity. I ordered a 2nd gen Kindle which arrived a few days later. I unpacked it and turned it on to read a personalized welcome letter. How thoughtful. I was struck by how light the little thing was. Next I noticed that my natural resting position for my thumb was just about right over the "next page" button. I thumbed through the user's guide and was amazed at the clarity of the text on the page, even in bright sunlight when I'm sitting on the back patio.
I ordered a couple of Kindle "books" next some I paid for and some that Amazon was more less giving away (can you buy something for $0.00?). I'd have to admit that it took me a day or so to really get used to reading on the Kindle. There is a bit of an automatic impulse to turn a page the old fashion way rather than pressing a button. After a while it became second nature.
Furthermore, I'm not sure they even thought of this, but I even noticed that when lying in bed reading that because of the space taken up by the keyboard at the bottom of the unit that it positions the screen right at a comfortable spot in front of you. One of the things that always bugged me about reading in bed was that you had to hold the book up to read the lower part of the page. Might not seem a big deal...but when you are reading something like Robert Jordan's "The Lord of Chaos" weighing in at over 1000 pages in paperback...it takes it toll on you.
I even noticed that with "next page" buttons on both sides of the device you can read on you side quite comfortably, switching hands whenever on gets tired.
Anyway, I've had my Kindle for several months now. I've read a handful of books on it and I'd have to say I'm quite addicted to it now. I love being able to take one device with me that has enough to keep me occupied if I get stuck in a Denver airport in a snowstorm.

MEAT

Looks like Mark finally got around to uploading his strangely bizarre but all around quirky comedy "MEAT" to YouTube. Which is a film about an interesting life lesson of how it feels to be on the other side of things. And it's a great opportunity to see the great David Blackwell reprise his role as a store clerk.
Meredith and I worked on this short film a few years ago and it was a real blast. Meredith doing makeup and me doing some camera work. Though her work is far better than mine, I'd have to admit.
Mark is one of those guys with a great eye for composition and detail and I always enjoy working with him on projects. Films are a lot more fun when you work with people you really like and respect.
Anyway, here's "MEAT"