The game is so god-damn perfect. There's so many branching opportunities, the characters are strong, the gameplay is frantic, the acting isn't as bad as everyone says it is, and so on. I will replay this one again and again, because I am determined to see every way the story plays out. There's so many possibilities of a character dying or you making a certain decision that sends the whole game to a different conclusion. It is fucking AWESOME.
I am proud to say that my years of waiting for this game were not spent in vain. I will take some time to mull it over, but this may be the best game I've ever played, ever.

I just beat it and I'm planning on going through the second time like that. Keep in mind that I was playing nonstop for 8 hours, so it's kind of short, but the crazy amount of variables that go into forming the game make it worth going through again. I kind of played a sort of good guy the first time, and I'm curious about what happens if I'm more of a dick the second time around.

Didn't even know it was out =( Guess I'll need to find a importer so I can buy it next month.

Meh, it's just Dragon's Lair evolved. Maybe I'll make a thought about buying the PS3, 10 years from now :-D
....Or maybe they'll emulate the console asap....

I should have the game tomorrow myself due to pre-ordering from Game in the UK. I'm guessing it'll be shipped out today and they always get here the day after postage.
If anyone's wanting to pass the time waiting for it (though there's not really long now) or aren't sure about the game, Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit is also good and similar. It falls apart towards the end though in terms of story. But the first two thirds are great.
Anyway, looking forward to the game. People should be aware of avoiding forums and youtube etc. like the plague though due to spoilers about who the killer is floating around everywhere.

As long as they don't turn to camera and accuse ME of being the killer, I'll be happy
Oh and that its not some extradimensional magic AI, that'd be a bit lame

What I'm really curious about is if the identity of the killer changes depending on whether a certain character lives or dies. I also recommend avoiding spoilers, because the identity came as a great shock to me.

Do you ever meet the actress from the tech demo? If not, I hope they do a DLC episode with her, maybe actually DOING the audition for the movie based on the "real life" events that happen in the game

*requires ps3* :(

Ok, I have three questions about Heavy Rain. (All of which are purely hypothetical, since I will almost certainly never buy a PS3.)
1. How similar in gameplay terms is it to Fahrenheit / Indigo Prophecy? I.e. does it, unlike Fahrenheit / Indigo Prophecy, actually feel like you are playing a game, or is it just a series of QTE strung together? Or is it more like The Nomad Soul, a bona fide attempt (albeit somewhat of a failed one) to blend different genres of gameplay?
2. Is the ending as batshit insane as the end of Fahrenheit / Indigo Prophecy?
3. Are there any likable characters in this game, like in The Nomad Soul, unlike Fahrenheit / Indigo Prophecy?

It depends how you look at it, I'd describe it as an incredibly high tech choose your own adventure and a refinement of the farenheit style. You have freedom of movement, you choose dialogue (though not as often as I'd like), it has failure consequences, time pressure etc. All the things you get in a game but a lot of people are going to whine about not having 100% control over the character at all times.
Personally I like all the main characters so far. Ethan Mars seems like a nice guy trying his best in the usual everyman hero style. Scott Shelby is pretty damned awesome in a 2 fisted detective way even though I'm sure he'll be the first I get killed because I keep screwing up important button presses. Norman Jayden is a bit screwed up but seems like a clever and interesting guy. Madison Paige I've only had in one sequence so far but it was probably the most intense of the game, you don't really get to know her personality the first time
As for the game itself, if you hated farenheit you're not likely to think this is any better. If you didn't mind farenheit or really liked it then I refer you to the thread title

Still not got it yet but the post is yet to come. I might post impressions later, but not sure. But for those wondering about supernatural elements etc. I don't think you have to worry about that. As far as I'm aware, the story's completely grounded in reality and thus, it can affect you more.
As for what the game plays like, you can find a 'let's play Heavy Rain' on Youtube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAh2wKuYxUg&feature=channel
Essentially, as Aliasalpha said, it's like Fahrenheit. Personally, I'd say if you liked the first two thirds of Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy, you'll enjoy this game. But take that with a grain of salt as I haven't actually played the game yet.

Well looks I definitely have to get the more expensive import version =( While the Japanese version does include English language options, it's apparently been cut. And I would rather play the game as originally intended by the developers than play a cut one (even though it has a reasonable price tag for once).

It's so awesome that the ps3 was finally cracked!! That means I can now play this game!! : D