When discussing the evolution of video games as artistic entertainment, commentators and pontificators alike have asked a simple question: "Can a game make you cry?" Let's get this out of the way first: Heavy Rain will most likely not make you cry. It does, however, provide one of the most emotional experiences I've ever had playing a videogame.

If you've been following coverage of Quantic Dream's latest title you know that Heavy Rain focuses on four protagonists as they fight to track down and capture a serial murderer known as the Origami Killer. But what stands out from this simple premise is the unapologetically adult story. I don't mean adult in the sense of gratuitous sex and violence or even in the game's mature rating. Rather, it's adult in the way that it doesn't talk down to its audience. Heavy Rain encourages you to empathize with its characters, and in so doing allows you to experience a more satisfying and genuine role-playing game than what we typically consider an RPG. It also puts you in adult situations that, on paper, seem ridiculous, but you'll find yourself standing in awe at doing something as pedestrian as changing a baby's diaper.