10 Well-Reviewed Video Games We TURNED ON After Launch
6. Heavy Rain
When Quantic Dream's interactive thriller Heavy Rain was first released, it was hailed by critics as an unprecedented landmark for the medium of video games - a gorgeous, jaw-dropping slice of cinematic storytelling unlike anything that had been made before.
And while initial player reception absolutely reflected the game's 87 Metascore, in the years that followed Heavy Rain's reception turned like a carton of milk left out in the scorching summer sun.
What was once held up as an incredible serious-minded narrative achievement for video games turned into something of a laughing stock by the mid-2010s, as its clunkier elements - namely, dodgy voice acting and awkward sex scenes - demonstrated the limitations of video games aspiring to be movies.
Heavy Rain's morphed player reception is certainly a result of cinematic video games maturing considerably over the last decade, such that Heavy Rain's portentous narrative and unintentional comedy pales sorely by comparison.
And that's without even getting into the game's dishonest approach to its central mystery, which uses blatant manipulation to prevent the player from guessing the identity of the Origami Killer.
While largely hand-waved upon release, this was criticised far more vocally in subsequent years.