Heavy Rain: Fail with a side of weak sauce

Before I get to the bullet points of fail, I must say that Heavy Rain has its moments. The graphics are beautiful and atmospheric, the story has some good ideas, the mystery does a few clever things, and I appreciate all the different possible endings, several of which are downright satisfying. The good parts only make the failures more disappointing, though, and I come not to praise Heavy Rain but to kick it bitterly.

(N.B., Steven played the game while I watched. I will not offer any comments on the gameplay itself, since I wasn't the one with the controller.)

( Spoilers lurk amongst the bitching )

My final verdict: a fun story hampered by sucktastic writing.