The opening menu of Fahrenheit prompts the user to start a "new movie", rather than a new game. While this may strike someone as a prelude to the hackneyed techniques of Full Motion Video games, this notion should be resisted. By the time one has finished the introductory training sequence, he may feel differently.
Once in the training sequence, the "director" comes out and shows you to what you'll be doing. The interface concept is twofold. (1) The user walks around opening doors, picking stuff up, and talking to people, just like a normal adventure-type game (I'll come back to this). (2) Where the on-screen situations preclude direct control of the action, the player is subjected to the closest thing the controller can do. For instance, if the character is exerting himself, the player exerts himself in a different way, in this case by quickly alternately hitting two buttons on the gamepad. Indeed, this does get tiring during the longer sequences. The other main way in which this is realized is that when the character is concentrating, the player concentrates, in this case on a double version of Simon, where reflexes substitute for memory. 2 Simon boards show up on screen, and as the various pieces light up the player has to move his analog sticks in the correct direction (this game is mostly only playable with a two-analog-stick controller).
The button mashing analogy is an interesting one, and it partially works. I'm with them on the exertion thing, but the Simon boards? Sequences involving Simon are often fight scenes or ones in which the character is dodging objects, running around, etc. These sequences are wonderfully rendered with motion-capture techniques involving an acrobating martial artist. The Simon interface only serves to distract you from the on-screen artistry (there are over 50 of these Simon sequences).
As for part (1), the game is well-executed. When conversing with another character one has a limited amount of time to select what he wants to discuss, and not all dialog trees can be completed. This is more like real life, and gives the impression to the player that he is really participating (although, in reality, the outcomes of most conversations don't significantly affect the game). The player controls all 3 of the main characters, and in a couple instances you are controlling both sides of the conversation. Though not immersive, this is truly a unique experience, having to instantly switch back and forth between one character's motivations and another's. I loved it.
The premise is simple and somewhat familiar, and very little plotting actually goes on. Lucas Kane wakes up just after having brutally murdered a man in a men's restroom. He was possessed during the killing, and has no idea why he did it. So, you play his side of it, trying to avoid the cops and find out what the hell is going on. But, you also handle the police investigation as Carla and Tyler, two NYPD detectives. The game spends about as much time probing the personal lives of these characters, fleshing them out, as it does in progressing the story itself.
Spending time on the private lives of characters in a video games is perilous. Fortunately, the voice acting is great, and the in game engine uses both an advanced skeletal movement system and allows for sophisticated and subtle facial expressions and lip synching. The writing is often good and sometimes great.
Well, enough talking. Even if you don't love this game, it will definitely stay on your mind.
(Note: this game has been released in censored form in the US under the name "Indigo Prophecy". If you do buy it, I recommend that you pirate the European version that is uncensored. This is entirely ethical.)