Heavenly Sword - Official Topic

[Raitei]

well, nobody here has played this game all the way through, infact reading the reviews is going to be the closest thing to it for a few weeks.
If they're saying there are some key things wrong with it, or that the battle system gets boring soon, then they probably do feel that way.

Im not saying take it as gospel, but i am saying that these are people who have played the games and found things in the game that just dont work, maybe they're right.

And so, it'll be a rental if this game is only 7 or so hours long apparently

[Fats]

Perhaps because there hasn't been any Burnout 5 news for a while? You're a twat mate. If you don't like this place, take yourself of elsewhere.

[Kabbage]

well, nobody here has played this game all the way through, infact reading the reviews is going to be the closest thing to it for a few weeks.
If they're saying there are some key things wrong with it, or that the battle system gets boring soon, then they probably do feel that way.

Im not saying take it as gospel, but i am saying that these are people who have played the games and found things in the game that just dont work, maybe they're right.

And so, it'll be a rental if this game is only 7 or so hours long apparently

Doesnt work :spit:

I will believe that when I play it myself. Thats right, I reserved this bitch based on cinematic direction and videos. The "UK" IGN wont change that LOL

[NickSCFC]

Never, not til great games rule the world again ;)

[rob the slob]

Jebus Christ @ IGN UK.
HS > NGS.


:lol:

NGS is a masterpiece. Im on my third playthrough right now.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

NGS is a masterpiece?
Riiiiiiight.
stop smoking the drugs dude.

if I had to review it right now:
Graphics-6 (c'mon, it's just the xbox version in hd and the self shadowing isn't even noticeable, the art direction (and I will not let this go) and overall themes and visual aesthetic are so scatter brained and all over the place that it's just distracting. Like they just threw in as many 'cool' things as possible for you to fight, without regard for making any kind of sense)
Controls-9
Presentation-7 (I mean...it's functional)
Gameplay- 8 (It's plenty hard (the good kind of hard difficulty), but the camera is a pile of steaming dooky and the Rachel missions are the antithesis of fun.
Overall score....meh, an 8.

[rob the slob]

Stop stalking me. Im gonna have to call the cops on you. :nono:

The HS demo was a pile of shit. I tried it like 5 times to see if I liked it. The fact is HS comes nowhere near great action titles like God of War, NGS, DMC3.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Don't flatter yourself. It just so happens that I'm a moderator and....well, have to read threads.

[NickSCFC]

Does anyone care about gameplay anymore?

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Yeah, I do. If you read my post, the camera is a pile of dung (thank god it's controllable) and Rachel missions are just damn stupid. Playing as Ryu is a blast and I can use him quite competently, if not proficiently. But even getting a good grasp on Rachel isn't enough because she isn't balanced against the game's enemies!

[GTAce]

Yes and Heavenly Sword was great for me in the demo and i normally dont like hack n slay or action games like this one. :thumbl:
Btw i agree with LaLi.
The camera of NGS is the main reason why i never will buy this game.

[NickSCFC]

If anyone buys Heavenly Sword and hasn't bought EVERY game that scored higher than it, then they are killing the industry ;)

[GTAce]

Lets kill da fookin industry!!!11
IM READY FOR IT!

[Pluto]

http://www.ekasbury.com/word/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/CavemanGeico.jpg

[LaLiLuLeLo]

It's time for another game of Nick, Act Stupid!

[OmniCloud]

One mediocre review and everyone is throwing HS in the piece of shit pile...
If you played the demo and liked the gameplay the only concern could be game length. Once again I take all reviews with a grain of salt, but if many trusted media outlets share the same thought good or bad it's usually valid.
If the reviews are across the board there could be other factors affecting the reviews and reduce validity IMO. *This is really common sense.*

I really enjoyed the HS demo so I planned to purchase the game on day one and I know going in the experience could be brief. I don't want to start the conspiracy theories, but the poor reviews of the high profile PS3 titles do not surprise me. It will be interesting to see public opinion of these titles once they are released.

Also, another thing I find interesting is that most titles do not receive reviews until the game is released or a few days before. It seems like some of the big PS3 titles have reviews hitting weeks prior to release and they only seem to be negative; I'm starting to find this a little fishy... :susp:
QFT!!!!

U guys are being complete douche bags!!! Not every game is gonna be 9.5 on the score boards...Is every game gonna be a Bioshock? A Halflife? A God of War?:huh:

Some of these comments make it seem like AnYTHING can sway half of the goddamn forum:huh:

The freakin cut-scenes are hands down the best acting/motion capturing to Date--PERIOD...

so Heavenly Sword is worth the purchase IMO just for that. So the gameplay is a little flawed and it's easy--I like to know who could do a better job here?

Damn man, I will so be enjoying all these games that so many posters are labeling crap:moon:

[Raitei]

QFT!!!!

U guys are being complete douche bags!!! Not every game is gonna be 9.5 on the score boards...Is every game gonna be a Bioshock? A Halflife? A God of War?:huh:

Some of these comments make it seem like AnYTHING can sway half of the goddamn forum:huh:

The freakin cut-scenes are hands down the best acting/motion capturing to Date--PERIOD...

so Heavenly Sword is worth the purchase IMO just for that. So the gameplay is a little flawed and it's easy--I like to know who could do a better job here?

Damn man, I will so be enjoying all these games that so many posters are labeling crap:moon:

so.. if they added cutscenes with amazing mocap to pong, it would totally be worth it right (jk) :P

[VG Aficionado]

*reads thread*

...

:doh:

[Nameless]

^^ I see what you are trying to do there...

I completely agree with Omni regarding the cutscenes and the ambitious production value that went into this title. If you played the demo and like the fighting system and gameplay it would be absolutely insane to pass up on this title, because you know the storyline and production value will be 2nd to none...

I personally think the IGN review was a bit harsh based on the comments; it seems like the game should have received an 8, but that's my opinion... :2cents:

[Coded-Dude]

http://stayfree.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/_083006_0905a.jpg

[GTAce]

:lol:

[VG Aficionado]

Does this thread require sandwiches?

[LaLiLuLeLo]

I'd hate to bring the Heavenly Sword thread down to such a level reserved for dickery and bullshit, but if my hand is forced, don't think I won't.

Let's get this thread back on track lest I banish it to the netherworld forthwith.

[yoshaw]

*reads thread*

...

:doh:

Couldn't have expressed it better :laugh:

:thumbl:

[Jasonps3]

GC: Ninja Theory hoping for Heavenly Sword 2
Thursday 23-Aug-2007 7:34 PM We want to do the sequel, Heavenly Sword dev reveals to CVG - but it looks like the final word's up to Sony
Development on the beautiful PS3 bruiser Heavenly Sword has finally wrapped up after four long years. It's definitely left developer Ninja Theory in a good mood as well, because they're already thinking up ideas for a sequel - but it looks like the final word is up to Sony.

"We'd certainly like to do the sequel with Sony but nothing's been set in stone," chief development ninja Nina Kristensen told CVG this afternoon. "We're looking to expand and do new things but certainly we want to continue the Heavenly Sword franchise."

Reviews for the Sony-published actioner are just starting to trickle in from Magazine land and it looks like good news. CVG's paper friend PSW gave it and 8/10, and similarly high scores are trickling in from the US.

Has Ninja Theory already got sequel ideas on the table then? "Yes and we can't talk about them." Damn.

Heavenly Sword is out in September.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=170779

[yoshaw]

Has Ninja Theory already got sequel ideas on the table then? "Yes and we can't talk about them." Damn.


:lol: Hi-larious stuff!! Today is a nice day for laughs. I'm luvin it!

[gibmonster]

I'm still getting this game on day one. Don't know why everyone is getting all their panties in a twist.

And that Nick guy...can't seem to get the idea that fun is SUBJECTIVE.

Ninja Theory has plans for a sequel...hell yeah.

EDIT: heres a second opinion...for any poor soul on the fence http://www.nextgenireland.com/hsword.html

[OmniCloud]

^Don't even try to convince people man...because number reviews are the absolute...

Even tho one group of people is saying this is a classic--9.5 outta 10!!

IGN says production values and story are through the roof but gameplay is mediocre...

Well, that must mean the game sucks I guess:shrug:

LMAO:lol:

[gibmonster]

^Damn. I always call people sheep every now and then, but this shit is severe. lol

[Pluto]

Where did this newly-found distrust of the video-game media originate from?

I read through the entire IGN UK review and read nothing that seemed absurd or would be an obvious indicator of some sort of bias.

[CreativeWriter]

Where did this newly-found distrust of the video-game media originate from?

I read through the entire IGN UK review and read nothing that seemed absurd or would be an obvious indicator of some sort of bias.

Well, the article is upsetting, not because of some bias on IGN's part, but because it's negative at all. It's been a bad couple days for PS3 fans. The NDP is scary (360 still outsells PS3 in price drop month), Lair review scores have been subpar, and now HS is characterized as repetitive, short, and as having little re-play value. The IGN UK folks savaged the game's script, its pacing, and some of its game mechanics. For a game so many of us are looking forward to, these are tough complaints.

Things were looking up for a while in PS3 fandom-land. There was the good E3 showing, the price drop, the promise of AAA on the way. It seems doom and gloom (and permanent 3rd place in the console wars) has reared its head again. This particular article felt like a kick in the gut because expectations are so high for one or two of these PS3 second-party games to compete with the Gears/Bioshock 360 momentum.

I'm still planning on getting the game day 1, and HS has looked the most sure-fire hit in the PS3 library to date. It's just that more bad news right now is upsetting. It's far easier to blame the messenger (gaming media) than to deal with disappointment.

[Nameless]

^ He speaks the truth... :(

[Kabbage]

We have to realize that even with the price drop it is still $200 More than the cheapest 360 unit.

What we should look at is the fact that the sales jumped from an average of 80k a month to almost 160k, as well as the fact that we should form out own opinion and stop taking every single review (both positive and negative) from some random reviewer as the gospel.

[OmniCloud]

Where did this newly-found distrust of the video-game media originate from?

I read through the entire IGN UK review and read nothing that seemed absurd or would be an obvious indicator of some sort of bias.I didn't really get that from the last few pages of the thread?

My complaint is simply how many users are just SOOOO disappointed that HS isn't reviewed higher:huh:

IGN is not even dogging the game...

Basically they're saying "Hmm, with all this hype the game should have been everything God of War was and then some, but the combat system is pretty flawed...awesome story/acting tho"

What's so bad about that? Why should that change your view of the game if you played and liked the demo? And why is IGN the final straw when it comes down to how good a game is?

It's just idiotic IMO to not try stuff for yourself, this will be a great addition to my PS3 lineup so...meh, whatever i guess...

Warhawk, Bioshock and Heavenly Sword all around the same time frame:pleased:

[masteratt]

What's so bad about that? Why should that change your view of the game if you played and liked the demo? And why is IGN the final straw when it comes down to how good a game is?
Read CretiveWriter's post.

He nailed the situation.

[OmniCloud]

Well, the article is upsetting, not because of some bias on IGN's part, but because it's negative at all. It's been a bad couple days for PS3 fans. The NDP is scary (360 still outsells PS3 in price drop month), Lair review scores have been subpar, and now HS is characterized as repetitive, short, and as having little re-play value. The IGN UK folks savaged the game's script, its pacing, and some of its game mechanics. For a game so many of us are looking forward to, these are tough complaints.

Things were looking up for a while in PS3 fandom-land. There was the good E3 showing, the price drop, the promise of AAA on the way. It seems doom and gloom (and permanent 3rd place in the console wars) has reared its head again. This particular article felt like a kick in the gut because expectations are so high for one or two of these PS3 second-party games to compete with the Gears/Bioshock 360 momentum.

I'm still planning on getting the game day 1, and HS has looked the most sure-fire hit in the PS3 library to date. It's just that more bad news right now is upsetting. It's far easier to blame the messenger (gaming media) than to deal with disappointment.Yup...

[Media]

IGN rated Kingdom Hearts II a 7.6.

[LiquidEagle]

This particular article felt like a kick in the gut because expectations are so high for one or two of these PS3 second-party games to compete with the Gears/Bioshock 360 momentum.

Well to that I say, "wait for MGS4 and FFXIII," because those are the really big dogs, but the brilliant thing about Playstation platforms is that Sony is developing all over the place and they're publishing all over the place. While Heavenly Sword might not make us shed tears of unbridled joy upon playing the full version (we'll just have to see for ourselves), it's still at least a solid game. We've all played the demo, we all know that. The mechanics are there, the visuals are there, the presentation is there, the story/characters are there, the music's there, there's so much all of us love about the game that's only going to be better when we play the full version. Even so, Sony's either publishing or developing a bunch of solid titles all over the place at almost any given time (except for the first 9 months of the PS3's life-span :laugh:), and that's one other thing that differentiates them from MS -- they don't rely on one heavy hitter so hard, and they'll never risk being identified by a single game (Halo). PS3 owners are going to have solid titles across a bunch of genres this fall, and that's something neither the 360 nor the Wii can boast, and I think that's why a lot of us come to Sony/Playstation platforms for our gaming: the variety is unbeatable and so is the quality. Is Heavenly Sword disappointing? Maybe, maybe not. I think IGN is exaggerating their disappointment probably, and Nameless' semi-theory sadly doesn't sound too far-fetched to me. I have a much easier time believing Lair is a disappointment than Heavenly Sword, namely because we've all played & loved Heavenly Sword, but Factor 5's record is a factor (no pun intended) there too IMO.

Anyhoo, I'm not worried at all. The games are coming, and we're all going to love them, maybe not all of them that we were expecting to, but that's how things are. Maybe they won't sell quite as well because of the review, but I have a feeling they will sell just as well, especially Warhawk despite PSM's bullshit 6.5 score. We've got more than 1 first/second party game to look forward to this fall, so even if it isn't a perfect 10 according to IGN UK it's not a total loss, eh? ;)

[masteratt]

Anyhoo, I'm not worried at all. The games are coming, and we're all going to love them
Woah, deja-vu back to 2005.

lol ;)

[OmniCloud]

Woah, deja-vu back to 2005.

lol ;)2005 was awesome!!! That's when Motorstorm and Killzone actually looked next-gen!!!!

Well actually Killzone does look next gen now..I mean the real thing...

Motorstorm just looks awesome, but here's hoping to part 2!!

[LiquidEagle]

2005 was awesome!!! That's when Motorstorm and Killzone actually looked next-gen!!!!

Well actually Killzone does look next gen now..I mean the real thing...

Motorstorm just looks awesome, but here's hoping to part 2!!

And Resistance looked all weird back then... I-8 :laugh:

[dork]

you know 7 is still a good score.

anyways, it's only one freakin' review...

[OmniCloud]

And Resistance looked all weird back then... I-8 :laugh:hahhahhahahhaha...it was like the ONLY real game..

Everyone was like, yeah that looks cool, but its kinda the least impressive of the show:laugh:

damn...good ol days of stupidity eh?

[OmniCloud]

you know 7 is still a good score.

anyways, it's only one freakin' review...R u being funny dude...u posted the exact same comment in another thread?

I think...

let me check...

[dork]

oh my God man chill out. i meant what i said. 7 is decent. what's the problem?

[OmniCloud]

oh my God man chill out. i meant what i said. 7 is decent. what's the problem?It just looks funny....

Ur post kinda comes outta nowhere..

7 is still a good score--We've been trying to say that for like 2 pages!!!:rant:

j/k:pinky:

[LiquidEagle]

I've never really cared for review scores, but I do know the kind of stigma they can give a game, so a 7 is kind of a bummer in that respect but whatever, we'll just see when the final game comes out.

Why are these games being reviewed so early though???

[NickSCFC]

Another review score in...

EDGE

6/10

[the poe collector]

oh no you didn't!

[masteratt]

Let's remember guys that EDGE is very strict on rating games and that....

*runs away*

[Smokey]

damn im never comin back into thread lol

[OmniCloud]

Lmao:lol:

[BruceWayneIII]

Has anyone read the EDGE review?

[Fazares]

but 6 is still good...

[Red_Eyes]

NEW SCORE!
PLAY MAGAZINE: 10!!!

[Fats]

Oh Sony, Please Deliver soon. I don't think I can bare much more of this.

Remind me never to early adopt again.

[karibu]

Oh Sony, Please Deliver soon. I don't think I can bare much more of this.

Remind me never to early adopt again.

Sony delivered but auntie claimed it a bastard.

[Cyrus]

Anyone who actually reads the IGN UK review can't say "I knew the game was going to be bad based on the demo" and then uses the review score itself to say "haha, I told you so" because the demo doesnt show the parts that the reviewer thinks makes HS not AAA. The reviewer blames pacing, shortness and states there's too little of the combat.

So basically, the core gameplay and the presentation, which have been the only things we've been able to judge so far, seem to be very good according to the review. Now, I agree with the review, even though the Kai parts might be entertaining, they shouldn't have taken as big a role in the game as they seem to have taken. It should be 90% of the amazing combat and 10% of the Kai stuff/ Bazooka + some fun puzzles.

I think the shortness and the fact that the first and the third chapter are "crippled" are valid points to decrease the score. However, at the same time I believe I will love the game because the reviews clearly state what I've known since I got my hands on the demo. The combat is very entertaining and the presentation is unrivaled. Maybe for the sequel (which will hopefully come out on PS3) NT will come up with the perfect mix of some nice environmental puzzles/a little bit more exploration (just a bit)/ enough lenght to the game and better balancing between the actual core gameplay (that is the fighting with the sword) and the other stuff like huge bazooka stuff and Kai stuff.

Anyhow, the game still is day one for me and I still believe it will become one of my favourite games.

[chartwel]

still a day one for me but is a little disappointing to see so many aspects i was hoping would pan out not come through. i still hope the game performs decent as i think NT deserve to get a good seller. at least enough so that we will get a sequel that can fix the inherent problems.

[pari]

I have it pre-ordered and not canceling it. I definitely liked what I saw so far and definitely supporting NT, so that the next iteration blows away everything.

[curryking1]

hahhahhahahhaha...it was like the ONLY real game..

Everyone was like, yeah that looks cool, but its kinda the least impressive of the show:laugh:

damn...good ol days of stupidity eh?

Hahah, honestly. I thot technically it was fancier and looked better at E3 by at least a little bit too, and I still considered it to be the worst looking title by far :P

[dnpmakkah]

I'll have to wait to play it myself (yep still buying it)...who knows it might suck but then again it might not. I still think 7 seems kinda low but he actually got to play it and I haven't.

[dysury]

Reviews are really only for discerning consumers who want to be informed before spending their money. Are you going to give these elitist snobs the satisfaction of becoming the kind of person that takes into account other people's opinions or the content of a game before buying it? Are you really going to let them win in that way? This is a fight for the basic human right of freedom of choice and anyone that decides not to buy a game because it doesn't look interesting to them or it gets bad reviews or the disc may spontaneously burst into flames is depriving themselves of that very freedom and should just give up on living right now because that's what they're doing anyway.

Gaming is about having fun. Not stupid scores. Or genres or looking at the screen. That is why I go into a store and buy the first game I see with the shiniest graphics on the front cover. My judgment isn't clouded by other people telling me how good the game is or what the game is about or even if it's for the right system. I just get it and can enjoy it with all the purity of any real gamer out there and I hope that anyone here will read this and remember that having fun is just about putting any disc into the system and playing and enjoying that game no matter if it's impossible to turn around or you can't tell which character you are on screen, if you let things like that take away from your enjoyment of a game, then you're not a real gamer and shouldn't be allowed the awesome glory unlimited of the Playstation 3.

Don't let the elitist snobbery win out. You have minds of your own.

[curryking1]

I'm not allowed to voluntarily read someone else's opinion and take it into account to whatever degree I want to?

I think you're going a bit extreme. I think we should read as many reviews as we can, but always keep in mind our own first hand experience is what is most important.

[LiquidEagle]

I think bleeder's got a point though -- I hate reading movie reviews before I go watch the movie, and I don't even like to get my friend/family's opinion on it because I don't want it to change my attitude going into it. I think I get more enjoyment from a movie when I'm not watching it and concerned about the pacing that USA Today said was a little weak, and I think I get more enjoyment from games when I don't think about the reviews at all as well.

[Jay Gee]

Transformers is the best example of movie reviews gone wrong this year. Take that and apply it to video games, and now you have no reason to be ashamed to purchase either LAIR or Heavenly Sword.

[Cyrus]

I think bleeder's got a point though -- I hate reading movie reviews before I go watch the movie, and I don't even like to get my friend/family's opinion on it because I don't want it to change my attitude going into it. I think I get more enjoyment from a movie when I'm not watching it and concerned about the pacing that USA Today said was a little weak, and I think I get more enjoyment from games when I don't think about the reviews at all as well.

Same here. :D I actually dont ever read film reviews before watching. Then AFTER I've watched I read reviews and laugh at the stupid critics and praise the wise critics who experienced the movie the same way I did.. :D

I try to do that with games as well but not as strictly as with movies.

[OmniCloud]

Reviews are really only for discerning consumers who want to be informed before spending their money. Are you going to give these elitist snobs the satisfaction of becoming the kind of person that takes into account other people's opinions or the content of a game before buying it? Are you really going to let them win in that way? This is a fight for the basic human right of freedom of choice and anyone that decides not to buy a game because it doesn't look interesting to them or it gets bad reviews or the disc may spontaneously burst into flames is depriving themselves of that very freedom and should just give up on living right now because that's what they're doing anyway.

Gaming is about having fun. Not stupid scores. Or genres or looking at the screen. That is why I go into a store and buy the first game I see with the shiniest graphics on the front cover. My judgment isn't clouded by other people telling me how good the game is or what the game is about or even if it's for the right system. I just get it and can enjoy it with all the purity of any real gamer out there and I hope that anyone here will read this and remember that having fun is just about putting any disc into the system and playing and enjoying that game no matter if it's impossible to turn around or you can't tell which character you are on screen, if you let things like that take away from your enjoyment of a game, then you're not a real gamer and shouldn't be allowed the awesome glory unlimited of the Playstation 3.

Don't let the elitist snobbery win out. You have minds of your own.
U should post more in this section...

[yoshaw]

Reviews are really only for discerning consumers who want to be informed before spending their money. Are you going to give these elitist snobs the satisfaction of becoming the kind of person that takes into account other people's opinions or the content of a game before buying it? Are you really going to let them win in that way? This is a fight for the basic human right of freedom of choice and anyone that decides not to buy a game because it doesn't look interesting to them or it gets bad reviews or the disc may spontaneously burst into flames is depriving themselves of that very freedom and should just give up on living right now because that's what they're doing anyway.

Gaming is about having fun. Not stupid scores. Or genres or looking at the screen. That is why I go into a store and buy the first game I see with the shiniest graphics on the front cover. My judgment isn't clouded by other people telling me how good the game is or what the game is about or even if it's for the right system. I just get it and can enjoy it with all the purity of any real gamer out there and I hope that anyone here will read this and remember that having fun is just about putting any disc into the system and playing and enjoying that game no matter if it's impossible to turn around or you can't tell which character you are on screen, if you let things like that take away from your enjoyment of a game, then you're not a real gamer and shouldn't be allowed the awesome glory unlimited of the Playstation 3.

Don't let the elitist snobbery win out. You have minds of your own.

Hadn't seen you before =-o but maaaaaaaaaayen you can make a point or what!! Do this on a regular basis :cheers:

[Syncere Styles]

Gamepro rates it 4.5 outta 5

http://gamepro.com/sony/ps3/games/reviews/130968.shtml

[Jasonps3]

Reviews are really only for discerning consumers who want to be informed before spending their money. Are you going to give these elitist snobs the satisfaction of becoming the kind of person that takes into account other people's opinions or the content of a game before buying it? Are you really going to let them win in that way? This is a fight for the basic human right of freedom of choice and anyone that decides not to buy a game because it doesn't look interesting to them or it gets bad reviews or the disc may spontaneously burst into flames is depriving themselves of that very freedom and should just give up on living right now because that's what they're doing anyway.

Gaming is about having fun. Not stupid scores. Or genres or looking at the screen. That is why I go into a store and buy the first game I see with the shiniest graphics on the front cover. My judgment isn't clouded by other people telling me how good the game is or what the game is about or even if it's for the right system. I just get it and can enjoy it with all the purity of any real gamer out there and I hope that anyone here will read this and remember that having fun is just about putting any disc into the system and playing and enjoying that game no matter if it's impossible to turn around or you can't tell which character you are on screen, if you let things like that take away from your enjoyment of a game, then you're not a real gamer and shouldn't be allowed the awesome glory unlimited of the Playstation 3.

Don't let the elitist snobbery win out. You have minds of your own.

Example: Metal Gear Solid. Gamespot gave it a 8.5 but became one of the greatest games ever created on a console.

[curryking1]

Gamespot just clearly did not know what hit them... :P

[Cyrus]

Gamepro rates it 4.5 outta 5

http://gamepro.com/sony/ps3/games/reviews/130968.shtml

My god, I honestly still don't get the God of War comparisons. People just dont really know what they are talking about LOL. "Hey look, it's got QTE's and you kill people with swords, it's a GoW ripoff." :D Completely different games though, GoW is an entertaining and easy to get into experience, Heavenly Sword's combat system is a lot deeper and more satisfying and will get me to play the game through multiple times compared to the two times (easier and then God-mode) I played through GoW (havent bought GoW2 yet, ashamed to admit). Both games do have higher focus on story/music etc. than usually games (like DMC/NG) in the genre though, so that's a similarity between the two I guess, besides the QTE stuff.

[Syncere Styles]

My god, I honestly still don't get the God of War comparisons. People just dont really know what they are talking about LOL. "Hey look, it's got QTE's and you kill people with swords, it's a GoW ripoff." :D Completely different games though, GoW is an entertaining and easy to get into experience, Heavenly Sword's combat system is a lot deeper and more satisfying and will get me to play the game through multiple times compared to the two times (easier and then God-mode) I played through GoW (havent bought GoW2 yet, ashamed to admit). Both games do have higher focus on story/music etc. than usually games (like DMC/NG) in the genre though, so that's a similarity between the two I guess, besides the QTE stuff.

What are you mad for? GOW comparison is a praise, not a diss. And the rated the game very high.

[Cyrus]

Yeah I know it's kinda a praise but I honestly dont understand why everyone compares it to GoW when they play so differently. It's like saying Burnout is clearly ripping off GT or something.. :D I'm not mad, I just think it's funny.

And yeah, I'm glad they rated it high, because I want people to buy the game. I really dont care about the review scores (meaning they dont affect my decision if I'm going to purchase something or not), people rate it how they seem fit. I know I'll love the game anyway..

[NeoPlayStation]

IGN Review (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/815/815721p1.html)

9.0 Presentation
The cutscene work is fantastic, as are the extras (even though you can get most of them freely online).
9.0 Graphics
Beautiful in every respect. Character models are great, and the vistas are a-plenty.
9.0 Sound
Sound effects are fantastic as is the music and voice work.
7.0 Gameplay
The combat system is mostly very good, though the battles get repetitive very quickly and some of the extra stuff (like the button matching mini-games) needed more polish.
5.0 Lasting Appeal
The experience is over fairly quickly. There are a number of really good unlockables to go back and earn, though you can already get them online right now.
7.0
Decent OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

[Nameless]

Still a day one purchase for me period...

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Seriously. Some douche at another forum was trying to say the combat system was busted, man he musta been on some serious drugs.

[LiquidEagle]

Sounds great. Considering IGN gave ZOE1 a 7.5, I can deal with them giving this game a 7.0 and not let it really hurt my experience at all.

Still not sure which 1st/2nd party games I'll be purchasing though, since I'm a member of Sony's Retail Loyalty Site, and the more games I can get for free from there, the less tight money will be on me this fall, especially since I'm hoping to get an HDTV soon.

[Cyrus]

Comments like this (from the IGN review): "The combo system is quite good, though it has a few holes (like no specific block button)" just show you how they dont know what they are talking about.

Again, took some sales off the title with the 7 but oh well..

[dnpmakkah]

After watching the IGN review I can see why it was rated a 7. The game does seem to revolve a lot around arena battles, there doesn't seem to be a variety of enemies (most look the same) and no multiplayer (personally I don't care but nowadays this is huge). So although I'd like it to score higher...maybe 7 is the correct score and hopefully it pushed NT to make a more robust Heavenly Sword 2.

However with all that said after watching the IGN video preview I am now more than ever diffenetly going to purchase this game. The presentation alone is something I do not want to miss out on. The music in this game gives me chills its just so moving. Anyways once I play it I'll judge for myself how good it is.

[OmniCloud]

Good post...

[saud264]

from neogaf

EGM score
heavenly sword 8, 8, 9

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Ha!

[dysury]

EGM is so biased those scores should all be 10. I haven't played the game but EGM has always been biased about scores, giving games they don't like lower scores than games they do like. I don't see how anyone can trust a magazine that does that.

[VG Aficionado]

Seems really high for EGM.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

I'll be getting it in them mail soon, I'll read all about it. Not like I wasn't gonna get the game regardless.

[masteratt]

I'm only getting the game in the hopes that the main character's dress gets sliced off in one scene and judging form the scores, it does!

[Epix]

16 Days Left

[masteratt]

*sits and wait*

Should I get some food?

[Raitei]

EGM is so biased those scores should all be 10. I haven't played the game but EGM has always been biased about scores, giving games they don't like lower scores than games they do like. I don't see how anyone can trust a magazine that does that.

well ofcourse you're going to give a game you dont like a lower score than a game you do like. Theres generally a reason you don't like a game or a reason you do like another.

[Jay Gee]

This is ridiculous. What is up with these rollercoaster reviews? It's like these PS3 games are stuck in a grading limbo, neither shitty nor good. WTH

[chrismt]

Reviews are really only for discerning consumers who want to be informed before spending their money. Are you going to give these elitist snobs the satisfaction of becoming the kind of person that takes into account other people's opinions or the content of a game before buying it? Are you really going to let them win in that way? This is a fight for the basic human right of freedom of choice and anyone that decides not to buy a game because it doesn't look interesting to them or it gets bad reviews or the disc may spontaneously burst into flames is depriving themselves of that very freedom and should just give up on living right now because that's what they're doing anyway.

Gaming is about having fun. Not stupid scores. Or genres or looking at the screen. That is why I go into a store and buy the first game I see with the shiniest graphics on the front cover. My judgment isn't clouded by other people telling me how good the game is or what the game is about or even if it's for the right system. I just get it and can enjoy it with all the purity of any real gamer out there and I hope that anyone here will read this and remember that having fun is just about putting any disc into the system and playing and enjoying that game no matter if it's impossible to turn around or you can't tell which character you are on screen, if you let things like that take away from your enjoyment of a game, then you're not a real gamer and shouldn't be allowed the awesome glory unlimited of the Playstation 3.

Don't let the elitist snobbery win out. You have minds of your own.

Can't anyone else tell this is sarcasm? Good sarcasm. Thanks for saying that, because reviews are a great way to save you money.

[Cyrus]

Another review, another "who cares" from me, no matter what the score is. These amateurs dont know shit. :p

The IGN review however, I do care about because it's such a fucking stupid review.. Calling the game repetitive even though every fuckin game in the genre is repetitive. Yeah, it might have less different enemy types than say GoW but it makes up for it with a LOT more variety in the combat system and the different sized groups (from one enemy to tens to hundreds) you have to face. Also critisizing it for the fact that you actually a lot of the time have to beat the enemies before you can advance in the stages and claiming this is something the developers did to make the game last longer is funny and retarded. It's the same fucking thing in every game in this genre, they have a lot of these situations in locked rooms and confined spaces. And besides, even though you could advance in for example Ninja Gaiden, I dont think you'd want to do that because at least I thought the game was made to fight these enemies, not advance before you've killed them. I thought the fighting part was the actual content of these games and if the fighting part has been executed well (which like the reviewer says, HAS been executed well in HS), you'd actually want to fight these fights. But nah, I guess not..

[Fazares]

hmm...the only game where i avoided fighting for the most part...was re2...eheh..

[Jay Gee]

"All you do is fight enemies, aside from the bosses."
That's the line of the show, right here.<Lion-O>

[dysury]

well ofcourse you're going to give a game you dont like a lower score than a game you do like. Theres generally a reason you don't like a game or a reason you do like another.You're just biased against my opinion because you're part of the whole "EGM giving games good or bad reviews" conspiracy. I swear there's one in every forum just trying to antagonize people into saying that a game isn't good just because nobody likes it or a game is good because everyone does, well you know what, that proves nothing. A game is only good if you personally buy it and play it. Anyone who wants to try to tell you that reviews matter or that their opinion can help you decide whether or not you would enjoy the game or that you should "rent it first" is a EGM fanboy. GOSH! I swear, I expected more out of you guys than this blatant review bias. Even looking at a review before you buy a game is tantamount to admitting that there are other people that are smarter than you and that just isn't true. Stop being tricked by the review bias nazis that seem to live in this place and think for yourself.

[PS3LikeNoOther]

This has been a big pet peave of mine about reviews and a lot of Hardcore gamers now days. They complain about lenier gameplay, lack of differant enemies, and shortness of games. I for one like linier gameplay. Sure I don't think it should be in everygame and expanding the medium is always goood, but in some games lenier is the way to go. In GTA it is about living a time in the persons life, and doing what you would do as that person, in a game like HS it is about being told a story and being able to live it as the charictor. When it comes to enemies I don't care if their is a huge variaty. If I go over and fight in Iraq I am not going to be going were are the germans, japanese, and indians. This is the most boring fight ever, their is no variaty in this enemie design. Lastly I don't see why every game has to be 30 hours long. I think that it is part of the reason I have lost a little of my love for gameing. I still go and play through DK, Star Wars, and Mario on super nintendo every now and then, and thouse game only take like 2 to 6 hours to beat, yet they are great experiances. As I have said earlyer I no longer listen to reviews. I will be getting this game day one and it is going to be one hell of a ride. I am glad to see everyone here is also going with thier gut on this one.

[woundingchaney]

You're just biased against my opinion because you're part of the whole "EGM giving games good or bad reviews" conspiracy. I swear there's one in every forum just trying to antagonize people into saying that a game isn't good just because nobody likes it or a game is good because everyone does, well you know what, that proves nothing. A game is only good if you personally buy it and play it. Anyone who wants to try to tell you that reviews matter or that their opinion can help you decide whether or not you would enjoy the game or that you should "rent it first" is a EGM fanboy. GOSH! I swear, I expected more out of you guys than this blatant review bias. Even looking at a review before you buy a game is tantamount to admitting that there are other people that are smarter than you and that just isn't true. Stop being tricked by the review bias nazis that seem to live in this place and think for yourself.

I use reviews quite often to gauge the value of a title, not because "they are smarter than me" and I do respect the opinions of the reviewers. I dont necessarily agree with them, but people make it out to be something it isnt. The reviewers do this for a living, they play games and make decisions based on their experience playing the game and playing hundreds of others, I honestly dont see why someone wouldnt use the input to direct their purchase (to a given extent). I get sick of the "Oh my god they gave HS a 7, or Bioshock doesnt deserve a 10" and other such nonsense particularly on message boards these days. They play the games before we do, they have played hundreds - thousands of games, they have every right to have an opinion and people have every right to maybe consider their opinion outside of being an "EGM fanboy" or a moron. I personally strongly suggest renting many games prior to purchasing if only for them to gauge the game for themselves, particularly for those of us who arent free spenders or cant be. Thousands of potential consumers read and follow these magazines and their sites; trust me these reviews matter in sales to one extent or another (probably more so for new titles that dont have the luxury of playing off past blockbusters).

People primarily respect whatever magazine or site gives the "good" review to their console game of choice if only to use it in some nonsensical console war or simply because it is what they want to hear.

[masteratt]

Great point there wounding :thumpsup:

That's why you are a mod! :p
:beer:

[venomv]

I just wish they would stop scoring the games....then most people got stuck on the score and not look at what caused the score to be that way. Some people don't like certain things, and that will effect scores but if you read the reviews you may see that the reason they didn't like the game may be the same reason you may like it....

Not that this is nessisarily the case here, just in general. I haven't read any of the reviews for this game though, I played the demo, that was enough to make my mind, even if it was only a 2 minutes long...

[VG Aficionado]

New screenshots!

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2007/238/reviews/928391_20070827_screen026.jpg
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2007/238/reviews/928391_20070827_screen032.jpg
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2007/238/reviews/928391_20070827_screen004.jpg
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2007/238/reviews/928391_20070827_screen010.jpg
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2007/238/reviews/928391_20070827_screen016.jpg
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2007/238/reviews/928391_20070827_screen020.jpg

[yoshaw]

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2007/238/reviews/928391_20070827_screen010.jpg

:lol: hi-larious!!

[BruceWayneIII]

Enjoy fighting 1000 enemies:

http://n4g.com/ps3/News-63152.aspx

[user friendly]

Enjoy fighting 1000 enemies:

http://n4g.com/ps3/News-63152.aspx

I came here to post this video. Truly amazing.

[Sephiroth_VII]

Wow, that's amazing! And none of them are standing still, they're all moving fairly realistically!

[section]

About the reviews, can't still help but feel certain publications would rate the title a solid 9 if it was released on some other platform than PS3.

Such is the power of love. Money.

But almost day one purchase.

[dnpmakkah]

About the reviews, can't still help but feel certain publications would rate the title a solid 9 if it was released on some other platform than PS3.

Such is the power of love. Money.

But almost day one purchase.I've always believed this to a slight extent. I don't think it has anything to do with money but moreso expectations. I believe everyone expects PS3 games to floor you like never before and when they don't people get dissapointed. I believe if Heavenly Sword was on another platform it would get rave reviews but on the PS3 it gets averageish scores. I haven't played Metroid Prime 3 but the score it will get will probably be better than Resistance got yet I think Resistance is probably better than Metroid Prime 3 (don't know for sure though). Another game that comes to mind is Dead Rising. Talk about a game with issues up the wazoo...yet it averaged 8's?????

[Jay Gee]

IGN gave it a 9.5. (Metroid Prime 3)

[Epix]

DeanoC responds to questions about the length of HS:
DeanoC (http://forum.beyond3d.com/showpost.php?p=1053927&postcount=981)
I did a play though on the day (and before) we sent the version which became the US master to format.

It took me 9.5 hours on normal only
getting about half the glyphs
and I can (almost) literally do the army portions of the game with my eyes shut (and have been working on it for 3.5 years so might have picked up a few hints to the rest of the game as well )

So if your my level of expertise (i'd admit to not be being the best gamer) I'd be surprised if you can do it under 10 hours.

Hell mode would take considerable longer, I'm not sure I could do it.

[Jay Gee]

*rubs hands together*
Hell mode.
These next couple of months are gonna be hell on my bank account.

[yoshaw]

Episode 4 of Heavenly Sword Animated Feature

Episode 4 - The Divine Birth
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermovies/99801.html?playlist=featured

[Rockmond]

GameInformer Heavenly Sword Review

8.75 & 9

http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/E26F6086-624A-402A-9D74-4CB9EAB903F6.htm?CS_pid=270011

[gibmonster]

GameInformer Heavenly Sword Review

8.75 & 9

http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/E26F6086-624A-402A-9D74-4CB9EAB903F6.htm?CS_pid=270011

Nice. I've only known o gameinformer for a short while but I really like them because they do exactly what they call themselves. INFORM people about GAMES. Respect.

[section]

Man, this title really seems to be of "love it or hate it" type...

But to my knowledge the developers didn't have to sacrifice their vision of what they wanted to accomplish with this game for the sake of publisher wanting them to do it so hats off to that.

Even if it means lower scores.

And I don't buy the "repetitive gameplay" clause, afaik it's only repetitive if you manage to survive with button mashing :)

[the boney king of nowhere.]

8/10 from gamesradar.



you'll love:

* Combat system is graceful & awesome
* Artwork and design is stunning
* Andy Serkis is the man


you'll hate:

* Too damn short
* Too much time spent on Kai
* No online content?



http://www.gamesradar.com/gb/ps3/game/reviews/article.jsp?articleId=20070828101433450065&sectionId=1000&pageId=20070828101620951080

[Fats]

The fact that this title it too short is what has me really worried and I'm going to have to find it mighty cheap in order to purchase it. I reckon I'll find it for £30 on Ebay.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Yeah yeah, people said MGS on PSone was too short. They can eat a dick.

[Passive]

^ rully?

wtf? lol

[Cyrus]

Yeah yeah, people said MGS on PSone was too short. They can eat a dick.

And don't forget ICO with 4 hours of gameplay :D

And usually the people complaining are also usually saying that once you've completed HS once there's really nothing to go back to to play it again which is of course very much wrong. All games in this genre give very much replayability by giving you more challenge and HS unlocks the Hell mode which should definitely give it replayability. Here's what gamesradar says:

We craved extra brawls with bigger bad guys, a few more puzzles plus extra missions that would have really stretched our skills."

So they wanted stuff to stretch their skills? Hell mode, come on reviewers, just think a little! Other than that I think the gamesradar review is great. They also raise the issue that Kai plays a little too big a part in the overall game and I believe this will be the biggest issue I'm going to have with HS.

Still, quality over quantity is the vibe here and there’s no doubt in our mind that Heavenly Sword is a winner and a work of art (eat that Roger Ebert!) that will help shift tons of PS3s come September. When it’s good, it’s truly magnificent and some of the final stages will have anyone with a 42-inch high-definition TV foaming at the mouth. No battle-scene compares to Nariko’s finale. Plus, Nariko’s home of the new face of PlayStation, going so far as to shunt Lara Croft from her throne as the ultimate game girl. Bring on Heavenly Sword 2.

Yep, I REALLY hope we get to see HS2 on PS3.

Btw. another "AAA"-title in this genre, DMC3 only has an average of 84 in Metacritic and Gamerankings.. So I guess the genre just does divide opinions more..

A new blog post about the combat system from the lead combat designer:

http://blogs.ign.com/Heavenly_Sword/2007/08/29/64788/

[dnpmakkah]

If everyone rents this game or buys it used then forget about HS2.

[Nameless]

I said it before and I will say it again; day one purchase...
This type of game is the reason I purchased the PS3; HS makes me think of the Kojima theater analogy...

[Segitz]

And don't forget ICO with 4 hours of gameplay :D

And usually the people complaining are also usually saying that once you've completed HS once there's really nothing to go back to to play it again which is of course very much wrong. All games in this genre give very much replayability by giving you more challenge and HS unlocks the Hell mode which should definitely give it replayability.


See, this is where we differ. I play most games for their story and not much else. That's why I love games like MGS and FF. They are rather long and the story is VERY compelling. In HS the story seems "off shelf" (not very original from what I've seen yet, but this is subject to change) and very short.

When I play thru a game, I don't have much interest in doing so again for getting "some special moves" or whatever, especially since I don't have the time to do so. In GoW, the gameplay and "finishing moves" were enough to convince me to get it nontheless. I played GoW 1 thru twice (on easy and normal, more than a year apart) and GoW 2 once... All in all, I spent about 20-25hrs for both play thrus in GoW. (In my third run thru FFX, I am already at 24hrs, and I am only in Zanarkand now).

What I want to say is, there are different tastes in what a game should be. HS is nothing more than a rental or a bargain buy for me, since it falls flat in some areas which are essential for me!

[Cyrus]

Well, if you spent 20-25 hours on GoW, I'm sure you'll spend about 15 on HS. ;) GoW wasnt exactly a long game either, it took about 10 hours to play through once. I played it twice, on hard first and then God mode so I was happy with the overall time it gave me. However I think NG and DMC were better in giving more room to get better at the game. By the time I finished GoW there was basically nothing new to learn so the two times were enough but I'm now playing through NG the fourth time and completed DMC3 5 times and I still have a lot I cant do in these games, especially DMC.. I think HS is going to be the same because the gameplay is a lot more like these two with a lot more possibilities and variety than GoW.

[Sephiroth_VII]

And don't forget ICO with 4 hours of gameplay :D

And usually the people complaining are also usually saying that once you've completed HS once there's really nothing to go back to to play it again which is of course very much wrong. All games in this genre give very much replayability by giving you more challenge and HS unlocks the Hell mode which should definitely give it replayability. Here's what gamesradar says:



So they wanted stuff to stretch their skills? Hell mode, come on reviewers, just think a little! Other than that I think the gamesradar review is great. They also raise the issue that Kai plays a little too big a part in the overall game and I believe this will be the biggest issue I'm going to have with HS.



Yep, I REALLY hope we get to see HS2 on PS3.

Btw. another "AAA"-title in this genre, DMC3 only has an average of 84 in Metacritic and Gamerankings.. So I guess the genre just does divide opinions more..

A new blog post about the combat system from the lead combat designer:

http://blogs.ign.com/Heavenly_Sword/2007/08/29/64788/

Hell Mode is unlocked from the start. You don't have to complete the game.

[Cyrus]

Hell Mode is unlocked from the start. You don't have to complete the game.

Yeah I've seen the devs say that too but at least on one Finnish gaming forum a guy who has some sort of review code in his hands said that he completed the game and only after that he unlocked the Hell mode.

[Sephiroth_VII]

Deeeaaaanoooo!!!

[NickSCFC]

Funniest fuckin video evaaar!!!

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermovies/95669.html

[LaLiLuLeLo]

You're late. That was posted like...5 pages ago.

[NickSCFC]

Official PlayStation Magazine UK scores:

Heavenly Sword: 7/10 (Andy Serkis am cry)
Lair: 6/10
Stranglehold: 8/10
Singstar: 9/10
Warhawk: 9/10
Nascar 08: 4/10
Stuntman Ignition: 7/10
Colin McRae DiRT: 8/10
All Pro Football 2K8: 7/10
NCAA Football 08: 8/10

[Fats]

Dear Nick,

No one cares about review scores since they're ranging from 7 up to 10.

Your best friend,

Fats.

[yoshaw]

Yo Fats, what you talking abt man?

Here's the dealeo! I let other peeps decide what to do with the decision making in my life. I mean its my 60 bucks but I'd let some words in a magazine lead my decisions over my own.

Exactly how I go n do everything they say on TV. Or Like what the president tells us, I accept it. I still believe they got WMDs in Iraq maaaayen. You know similar stuff.

[/Madeup Nick impersonation, no offense]

[GTAce]

The funny thing is he never had posted this if it was a better score lol.
Nvm nice to see a 9 for Warhawk btw.

[VG Aficionado]

I didn't even know there was a Nascar PS3 game. I mean, we haven't seen any screenshots and there haven't been any news or anything. As a matter of fact, nothing was said on it before an unidentified Nascar developer talked crap about PS3 a few days ago.

I guess that when you're unable to develop a decent game, you have to blame the hardware manufacturer and their support, even when other developers are able to exploit the hardware properly.

[GTAce]

mean, we haven't seen any screenshots and there haven't been any news or anything
Hmm i saw some videos of it and thought it looks not bad.
The German "Play" mag gave it 74% or something like that.

[makeitlookreal]

I read someone beat this game in six hours. What are other people saying about the length of this game?

[Segitz]

Eurogamer gave HS 7/10 (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=82447)

[VG Aficionado]

Eurogamer gave Gears of War 8/10, by the way.

[saud264]

1up

8/10

[VG Aficionado]

Now that's a surprise.

[GTAce]

Cool.
I expectet a 5 or 6. lol

[section]

Actually 1up seems to be less harsh on these latest PS3 exclusives than almost anybody else, which is definitely lol.

[Cyrus]

Eurogamer had the best review yet IMO. They were also the first ones to touch the difficulty levels. There was one thing that caught my eye though:

While there's no denying that the combat can be brutally thrilling to watch, at no time during the game did we ever feel fully in control of our actions. Wild, random slashing would often be just as effective a technique as studying the combos and attempting to follow them to the letter - so, inevitably as new moves get unlocked, you tend to stop paying that much attention to the progression system and play on furious, rhythmic instinct. So long as you're making progress, it hardly seems to matter if you're button mashing or not - sad to say."

To a degree there's a incentive to go back and replay levels you didn't do so well on to earn new combos, but only if you're capable of working out these new moves afterwards. For the vast majority of players, that's no real incentive - not when good old fashioned button mashing does the job just fine (on Normal difficulty, I might add - the unlockable Hell mode's a different story, in as much as it'll kick your arse if you don't know exactly what you're doing).

They said the combat falls short because in the end the combar is about button mashing because the game doesnt force you to think your combos and moves through. That was their biggest complaint in the entire review. Hell mode however seems to fix this problem so yeah.. Anyways, I recommend reading the review, it's well written..

[chartwel]

hell mode all the way for me. thats bound to extend the playing time of the game. cannot wait to see some of the moves they havent let us see yet.

[Cyrus]

hell mode all the way for me. thats bound to extend the playing time of the game. cannot wait to see some of the moves they havent let us see yet.

Yeah, can't wait! Couple of weeks anymore! First through with normal because they locked the damn hell mode. Well, I'll enjoy the scenery and get used to the combat as much as I can the first time through and then play it through on Hell if I manage!

One thing I think NT might have made a mistake on is they should've maybe added more difficulty levels than just normal (which seems to be too easy for many normal level players) and hell (which might be too difficult for many players). All games in this genre have like 4 or 5 levels of difficulty to give the perfect experience for differently skilled players so I think that might be the biggest single flaw in the game. The second one of course being the length I guess, especially the time you get to keep your hands on the sword in the game..

I so so so hope the game sells well..

[Nameless]

^ Agreed!
A hard setting would have been perfect...

I just want a challenging game, but nothing insane like Hell mode.
In most instances hell modes tend to be cheap and just throw an insane number of enemies at the player.

[Fats]

Earlier today rumors spread that a new 60GB PS3 Starter Pack with Heavenly Sword and F1 Championship would make its way to Europe. Well it turns out the rumor is partially true. Beginning on September 19th, coinciding with the release of Heavenly Sword, France will be getting a new 60GB package.

SCEE provided the following details about the new 60GB Starter Packs:
- There will be an extra controller
- All SCEE regions will start getting a new 60GB starter pack
- Two bonus titles will be included in the package
- Depending on the region, freedom to change the titles is up to the individual markets based on their unique conditions.

http://www.psu.com/SCEE-confirms-Heavenly-Sword-Starter-Pack-News--a0001213-p0.php

[the boney king of nowhere.]

it should be warhawk instead of F1 in there.

[Fats]

I don't think the Formula 1 game is confirmed, just Heavenly Sword, so who knows.

[the boney king of nowhere.]

well there's two controllers, so a splitscreen multiplayer game would make more sense...

[VG Aficionado]

I guess all the new bundles will be used to get rid of the existing 60 GB stock. It makes more sense than a price cut at this point, since PS3 was released in Europe quite recently. An 80 GB SKU for 499 € might not be out of the question at the end of the year though.

[BruceWayneIII]

it should be warhawk instead of F1 in there.

I don't think an online only game fits very well with a classic marketing bundle that's supposed to drive price aware consumers into the fold. On top of that, the retail version of Warhawk includes a headset and if eliminated from a bundle, it would effectively create a third game SKU.

Anyway, the games included will be up to the individual SCEE regions.

[Segitz]

According to Eurogamer, the HS/F1 pack is for France only now...

They also said, it is up to the local Sony distris to put together the packs. So we will see all sorts of packs in the near future for all of the European countries.

But since we have a region free console (ok, no different region for EU :P) and all games are all languages, you can just import the pack you desire.

They should release just a console for less money (like 500€ or 450€) w/o games or they should put in tickets so you can choose which games you want...

[section]

There is a value pack sold in Finland which contains additional controller, Motorstorm and Resistance. Don't know about the other countries, it sells for 679€.

[Sephiroth_VII]

Same in Denmark, at about the same price.

[Segitz]

There is a value pack sold in Finland which contains additional controller, Motorstorm and Resistance. Don't know about the other countries, it sells for 679€.

Also available in Germany and (I think) the rest of Europe for 599€ (and some other prices for sure).

The price is ok, but I already have a PS3, so I couldn't care less :P

[Carlos]

I saw this in the theaters during Invasion, and I can't wait to see it out now.

So, I checked the release date for the game. I'M BUYING!

You wanna know why? I played it at E3 2006, awesome game.

Its kinda like god of war 1 & 2, except with HD graphics, a lot of things going on in the background...the only similarity it has is the input sequence during a very important part of the game. Kinda like the hydra boss battle, or the collossus battle.

[Passive]

Gametrailers Heavenly Sword Review (http://www.gametrailers.com/player/24683.html)

[LaLiLuLeLo]

COOL.
Good review.

[section]

Now that was more like a fair review, they taunt the game for the flaws but praise it for the parts worth praising.

Good stuff.

[Passive]

indeed, GT always give good reviews in my opinion.

[curryking1]

I haven't seen many PS3 ads on TV, which is also in part because I don't watch TV much.

But here is this which is cool, an HS ad on TV airing now apparently. Cool advert. I hope SCE is starting to turn on the marketing machine.

Thanks to LN1 on TXB.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermovies/104176.html

[VG Aficionado]

That's awesome =-o

[Nameless]

I saw this commercial for the first time while watching football this afternoon.
I'm looking forward to seeing the HD version of the commercial.

[Shogun042]

daaaaaamn i like that ad. it's on during football games?

i'll have to see if i can find that then

[frosty]

some gameplay would have been nice though, I hate all CG game commercials.

[curryking1]

My favourite part of the ad is the when they slow mo and cut to the face, that part is just full of hotness and style. Totally makes the whole ad.

*still praying this is the beginning of maadddddd advertising with the the many releases coming up in the next many months.

[VG Aficionado]

I also prefer ads that show gameplay, mostly if it does look good. I hate those adverts that just want to get your attention and then show a couple of seconds of game footage at the very end when they could show a lot more than that. Wii and DS adverts excel at that.

[Rockmond]

I haven't seen many PS3 ads on TV, which is also in part because I don't watch TV much.

But here is this which is cool, an HS ad on TV airing now apparently. Cool advert. I hope SCE is starting to turn on the marketing machine.

Thanks to LN1 on TXB.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermovies/104176.html

Narikos so pretty...:-)

[Raitei]

pretty slick...

but.. gameplay plz thx oki?

[TEEDA]

LoL that was a awesome CG , maybe we could hope to have a sequel as good as this sequence lol, just look at those hair....

[Shogun042]

yeah holy crap if her hair looked like that in the game that'd be amazing

[Nameless]

daaaaaamn i like that ad. it's on during football games?

i'll have to see if i can find that then

Yeah...
I was surprised too. *Watching football on Fox*

I hope the commercial is shown on TNT HD, HDNet or ESPN, because they tend to air more HD commercials.

[Shogun042]

yeap and i wasn't surprised that the Chargers won. even though i like the bears i have the Chargers D for my fantasy team..

[Nameless]

yeap and i wasn't surprised that the Chargers won. even though i like the bears i have the Chargers D for my fantasy team..

:cheers:

I have the defense in one of my fantasy leagues too...

[JKL]

GameInformer - 8.7/10 and 9/10 :)
n4g.com

[VG Aficionado]

Welcome JKL :) Nice scores!

[Passive]

AD in HD :) shes purty (http://www.gametrailers.com/player/24727.html)

[Fats]

Can't wait to get this on Friday. :)

[curryking1]

That advert is awesome! Nice find :)

[OmniCloud]

seeing her hair like that makes me wish it was actual gameplay...

Hope for the sequel...

[LaLiLuLeLo]

;_;

I was so ready for this game.

;_;
:cry2:

[curryking1]

I think I've watched the HD ad like 40 times now, everything about the emotion and the turning of the face gets me every time. A lot cooler the first time, but still really, really cool somehow.

^That sucks soooo much man... I feel for you guy.....

[Nameless]

I'm ready for this game... :wank:

[Sephiroth_VII]

Poor lali...

[BruceWayneIII]

^ Oh, yeah, poor guy.

[Cyrus]

Gamespot gave it an 8. Now I think every major reviewer has reviewed it and IGN gave it the lowest score of them all (Edge doesnt count with their random shit :p), pretty funny actually when they normally give the highest scores..


Add it all up and Heavenly Sword is a fantastic game from start to finish. It's just a shame that it's not longer. The developer made the wise decision to keep the action tight by not including any fetch quests or backtracking, but skilled players will probably finish the game in a little more than six hours, and it probably won't take longer than eight hours for anyone else. There are some DVD-style extras to unlock and you can play it again on "hell mode" once you've beaten it; just don't expect to get much more than a great weekend for your $60. If you're OK with that, you won't be disappointed in Heavenly Sword.

http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/heavenlysword/review.html?sid=6178490

[Passive]

imo high 8s is good :D looking forward to this. not long for us now fellas.

[Cyrus]

Yeah, not long anymore. Damn ever since they first showed it at E3 2k5 I've been waiting and waiting and now the wait is almost finally over! Although I still have a week before I get to play it, being European. :(

[Passive]

Dont worry Cyrus, well worth the wait imo. :D

[Raitei]

when i rent this... im gonna download someone elses save, just so i can play through on hell first time through. I really dont like double playing story games, so, hopefully hell mode would add some time to the game

[PSXBatou]

Can you use other peoples saves with the PS3? I thought the Save Files where tagged to the account that made them? I know a couple of my games i cannot even copy the save game, the only way i got them back when i swapped out my HDD was taking a full backup and restoring.

I was thinking the game is out tomorrow, but it looks like it ships tomorrow and will be in the stores on Thursday.

[Nameless]

I will have to pick it up Friday, because I will be traveling on business for the next couple of days... :(

I plan to give this game most of my attention over the weekend.

[Cyrus]

Dont worry Cyrus, well worth the wait imo. :D

Oh yes. :)

[woundingchaney]

Can you use other peoples saves with the PS3? I thought the Save Files where tagged to the account that made them? I know a couple of my games i cannot even copy the save game, the only way i got them back when i swapped out my HDD was taking a full backup and restoring.

I was thinking the game is out tomorrow, but it looks like it ships tomorrow and will be in the stores on Thursday.

When I switched hdds and got another PS3 my save files were noticed and worked with my the new PS3. All I did was simply save them to a flash drive.

[drakkar]

Just like Annie said "tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you tomorrow".

[Segitz]

They aren't tagged, but they are account specific. But can however copy saves from one account to another too.

[VideoGame mania]

I'm ready for this game... :wank:
I'm ready for Nariko, you can have the game.
Seriously I have no interest in the game, but I'll get it just to see Nariko in action. Anyone has her recent CG video wallpapers ?

[yoshaw]

I don't understand why a chick game cant be without a panty shot or two. Jeez! Aren't chick games already stereotyped enough into 13 years olds twisted hobby or something. Atleast save the AAA games from this agony.

*Yoshaw reminds self that it is only an advert. Time for medicine.*

[curryking1]

Just to say though, since we were on the topic lol, I was glad there was no breast enlargement or mad cleavage focus.

I only actually paid attention to or really even noticed to actually conciously realise I was seeing the 'panty' shots after I think the 3rd or 4th watch after the hair stopped being as spectacular since I watched it a few times.

She is pretty scantily clad the whole game, so it's hard to choose to criticize the advert, the whole game, or justify it as art style, so I choose no battle on that front lol, too hard for me to say.

[karibu]

I don't understand why a chick game cant be without a panty shot or two. Jeez! Aren't chick games already stereotyped enough into 13 years olds twisted hobby or something. Atleast save the AAA games from this agony.

*Yoshaw reminds self that it is only an advert. Time for medicine.*

Quit those hentai games and you will realise there's nowhere near enough panty shots in regular games!!!

[VG Aficionado]

Funny that I didn't look at the obvious part when I first saw the advert. I just focused on the hair.

No, not THAT hair :look:

[Rockmond]

Funny that I didn't look at the obvious part when I first saw the advert. I just focused on the hair.

No, not THAT hair :look:

http://i6.tinypic.com/4vhgkn4.jpg

HA HA!!...........pubes.

[yoshaw]

Quit those hentai games and you will realise there's nowhere near enough panty shots in regular games!!!

Jesus! Talk about growing up and getting a real life girlfriend NOT being the IN thing!!

lol

[BruceWayneIII]

She's great, isn't she?

[section]

More Nariko skin shown with the secret code entered!

See the alternative cutscenes where Nariko shaves her naughty bits during a break with the sword!!

See the steamy bits of Nariko playing it naughty with Kai!!!

[Sephiroth_VII]

Learn the true meaning of "twing-twang"!!!

[Passive]

Nice picture Bruce, reps :)


and can we not get all perverted? its pretty pathetic :P

[yoshaw]

^Haha, I hear ya Passive.

Man, if only the in-game movements of Nariko gets refined as them Capcom chaps working on Dante/Nero stances and movements. You know cool-awesome-combined-in-one!

That poster kinda made me think of Heavenly Sword merged into Devil May Cry. It's that cool looking an image!

[section]

Learn the true meaning of "twing-twang"!!!In the scissor sisters way!!

[Sephiroth_VII]

Exactly!! :onbake:

[Brad]

So has anyone bought this game yet? I know it has been released in the states, but us Canadians have to wait until the 14th of Sep. ;(

Any comments on game play, and whatnot?

[liahos1]

I will be buying this game later today (as soon as I can sneak out of work) and will post impressions later tonight if anyone is interested.

[PSXBatou]

It ships today, its in stores tomorrow. Gamestop sent out messages to pick up today but they wont have the game until tomorrow :(

[woundingchaney]

It ships today, its in stores tomorrow. Gamestop sent out messages to pick up today but they wont have the game until tomorrow :(

Thats the same situation I got, kind of a mood killer. Although its not as if a one day delay is absolutely horrible. I wish that there was another half ass decent retailer other than Gamestop in my area.

[Colin™]

http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2007/20070912.jpg

They say its not a bad game, overall, though.

[masteratt]

Man, PA is really picking on PS3 games lately.

Oh well, as long as they are doing a good job :p

[chartwel]

already read a few impressions from people who have already beaten the game (yes, already beaten it) over at neogaf, and so far, they seem to be pleased. looks like the Kai missions are were most of the framerate/v-sync issues hit the most.

[venomv]

I don't know what everyone is complaining about when they say it is to short, I don't remember the last time I played a long hack 'n' slash, but if I have it probably sucked, cause if these kinda games are long they get boring....

[VonGak]

http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2007/20070912.jpg

They say its not a bad game, overall, though.

Oh well, to my memory the original plan was to not have puzzles in HS but then people complained and NT tagged on the puzzles as an affterthought.

Perhaps my memory is playing games with me.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Devil May Cry puzzles: "The door is locked, but a rusty key might open it."
*finds rusty key*
*unlocks door*

[VonGak]

Devil May Cry puzzles: "The door is locked, but a rusty key might open it."
*finds rusty key*
*unlocks door*

And when they finally make a genuine puzzle (yet very cheesy and generic) like mirrors casting a light beam they'll make sure to repeat it endlessly.

[Cyrus]

Devil May Cry puzzles: "The door is locked, but a rusty key might open it."
*finds rusty key*
*unlocks door*

Hey come on, DMC isnt a PS3 exclusive.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

what does that have to do with anything?

[VG Aficionado]

I like chicken. I hope there are chickens in Heavenly Sword, or else I'm going to be terribly disappointed. The developers should apologize in that case. I'm not going to spend mah moneyz in a game without chickens.

[Cyrus]

what does that have to do with anything?

Dunno, just sayin. :p

Anywayys.. anyone still managed to get the game? I'm dying waiting for it. Been playing the demo again like 15 times at least..

[Cyrus]

Anyone who was upset by the framerate of the demo and decided not to buy the game because of that should download the demo from the Japanese store! The framerate has been improved very much compared to the Euro/US demo, made the experience a lot better than before even.

[liahos1]

As good as this game looks in screenshots it has to be played on a big ass TV to be believed. The cutscene faces are ridiculously detailed...i can't tell if its real-time assets or not...or maybe realtime assets made to look better regardless its pretty crazy......i find controlling kai's arrows to be annoying but the combat its pretty fun so far...violence is not as over the top as god of God of War but very fun...early in the game you get control of the cannon and have to take out some catapults then you get to decimate the army of bohan chasing after your dad and what's left of your tribe....watching all those enemies on the screen at the same time is crazy!!!

[liahos1]

It ships today, its in stores tomorrow. Gamestop sent out messages to pick up today but they wont have the game until tomorrow :(

As with my Warhawk and Lair purchases if you look around enough depending on where you are you can probably find games that are shipped for sale the same day. I got HS after work today but the store i bought it at received it at like 3:00PM.

For anyone who lives in New York you can get the game (or any game for that matter) at "VIDEOGAMESNEWYORK" on 6th and 3rd...The gamestop by my apartment is full of idiots who are complete xbox fanboys and I can't stand their sorry asses. I went to Gamestop today after getting a call last night that the game was in the stores today and the guy said "We are getting it tomorrow afternoon..." and then under his breath "I dont see what the big deal is...the game isnt even that good" I get this same attitude when I try purchasing warhawk and lair...

[Passive]

woo!! just pre-ordered this game at my local EB :D not long for me now!! :D

[Bsack]

I'll be renting this game from gamefly when it's available.

[LiquidEagle]

I'll be checking out a used copy from the store when somebody trades it in... money's tight!

[makeitlookreal]

Everyone brags about the cut scene graphics. They don't matter at all to me. All I care about are game play graphics. What is everyone's opinion about the game play graphics?

[JKL]

new trailer in PlaySation.Blog!!!

[venomv]

Everyone brags about the cut scene graphics. They don't matter at all to me. All I care about are game play graphics. What is everyone's opinion about the game play graphics?

You have played the demo, right?

[makeitlookreal]

Yes, I played the demo. But I played it on a SDTV. I was shocked. The graphics were not NEARLY what I thought they would be. I am guessing they are better on a HDTV.

[Kartoffelkind]

huh?
i also played on a SDTV, but nevertheless its amazing..cant understand ur problem with the grafix...i cant imagine what you had expected^^

[chartwel]

the graphics are definitely some of the best out there. its a shame about the framerate and tearing issues. they should have delayed it again to fix those. they are unacceptable.

[venomv]

Yes, I played the demo. But I played it on a SDTV. I was shocked. The graphics were not NEARLY what I thought they would be. I am guessing they are better on a HDTV.

I played it on an SDTV and I though it looked great.

[Fats]

I wish people would stop quoting, or even talking to MILR. He's making my visits to these forums extremely painful. :S

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Try being the one guy he actively hates. lol

[VG Aficionado]

cant understand ur problem with the grafix...i cant imagine what you had expected^^Don't even bother, man. It's hopeless.

I wish people would stop quoting, or even talking to MILR. He's making my visits to these forums extremely painful. :SI just wish the ignore function worked with quotes as well :-/

[Fazares]

haha...its painful what....^^^

[woundingchaney]

Well just got it today and really enjoying it with about 2 hours of playtime. Cutscenes are very well done and the graphics are as well, there is some framerate and tearing issues but its not something Im going to let ruin the experience.

I do agree with some of the reviews that the enemies do kind of get repetitive.

I like the simple and refined combat system there is enough there to keep the action flowing and enough incentive to master it (although I feel the "ranged" stance is a bit too limited).

It really seems to me that if this is a title people want to overly critique then there are some issues with it , although Im more focused on enjoying it as I have been waiting on it for a while now. I think score of 8.0-8.5 are fair.

Really cant comment on the length although Im waiting to try out "Hell" mode.

Extremely hard to express how well done the presentational value is for this title, possilby the best display of emotion for a game yet (in character visual references).

For some reason I simply dislike Kai (part child part schizophrenic) I like her mission but I dont feel as if her character fits the story.

[user friendly]

Bohan is tuff, ffs.

[Shadow Voa]

MILR did not deserve a free PS3.

[yoshaw]

^Oye oye, take it easy mate. I don't think that was an appropriate remark. And I'm sure you didn't mean it.

Let us bring this back on topic,

Well just got it today and really enjoying it with about 2 hours of playtime. Cutscenes are very well done and the graphics are as well, there is some framerate and tearing issues but its not something Im going to let ruin the experience.

I do agree with some of the reviews that the enemies do kind of get repetitive.

I like the simple and refined combat system there is enough there to keep the action flowing and enough incentive to master it (although I feel the "ranged" stance is a bit too limited).

It really seems to me that if this is a title people want to overly critique then there are some issues with it , although Im more focused on enjoying it as I have been waiting on it for a while now. I think score of 8.0-8.5 are fair.

Really cant comment on the length although Im waiting to try out "Hell" mode.

Extremely hard to express how well done the presentational value is for this title, possilby the best display of emotion for a game yet (in character visual references).

For some reason I simply dislike Kai (part child part schizophrenic) I like her mission but I dont feel as if her character fits the story.

+rep wounding, great summary so far. Let us know more once you progress further!

[LaLiLuLeLo]

MILR did not deserve a free PS3.

[TrueVCU]

Hey come on, DMC isnt a PS3 exclusive.

You will speak when spoken to

[LiquidEagle]

I lol'ed @ Cyrus' comment :-p