Mac h i n es: C O M P O N EN T S
H e av y R a i n (Sony, PS3)
ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?
With perhaps some of the darkest, headiest material of any title in recent memory, including rape, suicide, and murder most foul, Heavy Rain isn’t so much a game as it is an interactive mindfuck. Following four very distinct characters, from an FBI agent to an architect, Heavy Rain operates on the notion that we all see the same thing in very different ways and that when normal people are placed in extraordinary circumstances, perception and morality can go right out the window. With no real wrong way to play and thus, no way to really fail, Heavy Rain ultimately relies on the choices you make throughout to tell the character’s stories, all of which revolve around a murderer known as the Origami Killer. Uniquely, no matter what you do in Heavy Rain, the world will persist. If one of your characters somehow dies, for instance, you then move onto the next story with the choices you made previously affecting that person’s experience. With perhaps the most interesting approach to mature themes to date, Heavy Rain is a landmark title that will certainly leave its mark on all who experience it. RR
Analog Experience Series MSRP: $349 (The Factory); arturia.com
For those of you still dedicated to the sounds of classic analog synths, but might be happier with something a little more up-to-date, Arturia's new line of hardware synthesizers could be exactly what you want. The Analog Experience Series comes in three different options, The Player, The Factory, and The Laboratory, all with different features. While The Laboratory stands as every musicians wet dream, complete with 49 keys, 3,500 sounds, and every controllable nuance available, The Player (25 keys) and The Factory (32 keys) are certainly the most practical. Regardless of the size you prefer, all three come with Arturia's Classic Synths presets (featuring the Moog Modular V, CS-80V, Proophet VS, and more) and the built-in Analog Factory virtual instrument software. PF
Woah, Big Daddy
The sequel to one of 2007’s most innovative shooters, Bioshock 2 (2K; Xbox 360, PS3) places you in the moist, heavy boots of the original’s intimidating nemesis, the Big Daddy, as you awaken in the undersea utopia called Rapture, 10 years later, in search of your diminutive, energy-sucking muse, the Little Sister. Unfortunately, time has not been kind to Rapture as, at the behest of the city’s new cult-like leader, the number of bloodthirsty mutants who roam the art-deco halls has increased, in addition to an even more diabolically threatening presence than yourself, the nimble and deadly Big Sister. With online multiplayer and even more weapons and bio-engineered powers like drills, tornadoes, and invisibility available to your meaty paws, Bioshock 2 raises the intensity of the original in almost every way. RR