Heavenly Sword - Official Topic

[angelcage]

Definitively there's a huge improvement since the last screens we saw,just look at the hairs and the textures,it's just awesome...

Oh,and.....

Best next gen Ass ever :shocked:

[Shogun042]

O_O holy. shit.

[VG Aficionado]

Gamepro says: Heavenly Sword week! (http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps3/) Is a new trailer coming soon? =-o

[totobeni]

+reppage of the month!!! =-o

If only they were bigger and were accompanied by a new trailer :cry2:
.

..you wish...never...hahaha...

Gamepro says: Heavenly Sword week! Is a new trailer coming soon?

or maybe there is PSN Demo/trailer for us loyal playstationers dudes ? :unsure:

http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108390-13-2.jpg
^ the lighting ...the grass..the shadow..the skulls....the babe...

Made in Heaven + Kratos am cry

[VG Aficionado]

http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps3/games/news/images/108391-2-1.jpg

http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps3/games/news/images/108391-3-1.jpg

Heavenly Sword Week begins -- 10 new screens only on GamePro.com
by GamePro Staff | 04/09/2007 | 3:19:04 PM PST

Heavenly Sword Week has begun, and GamePro.com is the only place to see the latest screens and intel.

In celebration of our May 2007 cover story on Sony's PlayStation 3 game-to-beat Heavenly Sword, GamePro.com will be unveiling exclusive art and information on the game over the next four days.

Monday: 10 new screens released
Tuesday: ???
Wednesday: ???
Thursday: ???
Friday: ???

Check back every day this week for exclusive Heavenly Sword info -- only on GamePro.com.
http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=108391

I think a new trailer isn't out of the question :cloud9:

[Insane Metal]

Gamepro says: Heavenly Sword week! (http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps3/) Is a new trailer coming soon? =-o

http://www.hub-bub.com/blogs/brian/wp-content/uploads/holy_shit1.jpg

[rpgamer_2k5]

I don't what to say...

This is beyond amazing.

"This is living."

[dnpmakkah]

+reppage of the month!!! =-o
That is an understatment. Sorry Angel I can't +rep you but if it means anything you do get rep from me :) :thumpsup:

[Epix]

I hate to sound like a broken record but can someone post the pics as attachments?

[dnpmakkah]

http://www.hub-bub.com/blogs/brian/wp-content/uploads/holy_shit1.jpg:laugh:

[frosty]

Very nice indeed. The Sony hype machine is kicking into high gear it seems. They really need to do all they can to get people hyped right now and through the summer, since it won't be until the end of the summer/fall that we start seeing some of these killer games. This is a great first step. I'd say some playable demos would be a good move from there.

[dnpmakkah]

Do you guys think this is from an older build. One of the pictures looks like it takes place in the same scene as the Hero's episode.

[SleazyBig slim]

Cant view the screens, i'm at work and my job has gamepro.com blocked, dont ask. How do these screens look? haters on GAF are saying their not all that.

[LiquidEagle]

glorious (but kinda small :'( )

[Raitei]

Hmm, looks amazing, but i still don't like the hair

[asfolath]

wow this game should sell some ps3's when it comes out

[LaLiLuLeLo]

looks sweet. this game needs to hurry the hell up.

[animalbr81]

WTH? :unsure:

img237.imageshack.us/img237/9261/downgradecompletedyx4.jpg

[gozirah]

I think anybody saying anything negative about HS right now was not hugged enough as a child.

[Cless]

WOW, impressive!
Thanks for the news :)

[Rockmond]

WTH? :unsure:

img237.imageshack.us/img237/9261/downgradecompletedyx4.jpg

neogaf? :susp:

[animalbr81]

neogaf? :susp:

No, and this comparison was not created by me(obviously created by an 360 fanboy). I just think it does not look like the Heroes video.

[frosty]

yeah. it looks much sharper and more saturated. The only thing you aren't seeing there is the motion blur. That and she appears to be on a big rope in the pic on the left, wheras the one on the right looks like some kind of giant rebar or something.

[overclocked]

Time for a.. :wank:

[Jay Gee]

Damn, they upped the textures in those screenshots. You can actually see designs on the Heavenly Sword now. And some other designs on Nariko's outfit are visible. Good shit. Every time I see this game it looks better and better.

[makeitlookreal]

I'm going to review these screenshots honestly.

The good things:

1) Her model looks very detailed.
2) Her skin looks great.
3) Lots of enemies on the screen at one time.
4) Lots of enemies on the screen at one time even in close quarter combat.
5) Vibrant colors.
6) Great draw distance.
7) Great looking environment.
8) Great textures.

The negative things:

1) The bad guys look very generic. But they have improved.

2) The bad guys don't look very detailed. But they have improved.

3) The game is not focused on realism. Her face is realistic looking but almost everything is stylized.

[NeoPlayStation]

IMHO, Ninja Gaiden Sigma looks better. I don't know. This new screens look like the last october build showed in HEROES.

[frosty]

Honestly I think this is miles better than sigma, but to each his own.

[raVen]

3) The game is not focused on realism. Her face is realistic looking but almost everything is stylized.

Hmmm If going for a stylized look over a realistic look is a negative, Well then I think its time for me to take a break from gaming.

[satriales]

The negative things:

3) The game is not focused on realism. Her face is realistic looking but almost everything is stylized.
How is that a bad thing?

[LaLiLuLeLo]

IMHO, Ninja Gaiden Sigma looks better. I don't know. This new screens look like the last october build showed in HEROES.

:lol:

[Diresu]

This looks pretty damn awesome. I don't think NGS looks better...I dunno what you people are looking at...

[chartwel]

yes this is definately a system seller..

[OmniCloud]

NGS definitely is one of prettiest action games I've seen...But this just ups the ante a bit. It doesn't completely blow it out of the water, but it certainly looks better from a glance. We should have a better comparison with the next trailer they release.

Both are being made for PS3 though so we'll see which is the better games soon enough.

I'm glad her hair looks better now too...

[Diresu]

I think animations are going to be what sets this game apart from the rest.

[CreativeWriter]

These screenshots look fantastic. Great job Deano and crew! I'm not sure how anybody could think these are a downgrade from any previous screenshot. Her hair looks great, the textures are improved, the shoes appear different... This just looks like next-gen AAA material to me.

I just hope they ditch the countdown clock they mentioned. That could be distracting. What if I just want to stand still and look at the beautiful scenery? I don't want to feel pressured to hurry through such a pretty game. I think there's enough narrative pressure generated by the knowledge that she could/will die soon. No need for a physical countdown clock cluttering the HUD...

Fantastic screens. +rep to the world.

[dnpmakkah]

On any other system this game would be the second coming (oh come on you know it's true) but on the PS3 people always expect more. Sony is damned either way. I need to see this game in motion and it's final build before we know how it really looks. For all we know this is an old build and yet it still looks great.

Why does everyone expect PS3 graphics to look like Hollywood films? Does Sony have that much esteem to it's name?

[Diresu]

On any other system this game would be the second coming (oh come on you know it's true) but on the PS3 people always expect more. Sony is damned either way. I need to see this game in motion and it's final build before we know how it really looks. For all we know this is an old build and yet it still looks great.

Why does everyone expect PS3 graphics to look like Hollywood films? Does Sony have that much esteem to it's name?

Because people just want reasons to be unhappy with Sony and anything sony related.

[Pluto]

I'll admit..some of those screens do look really great.

Some of them..not so much. Stuff is still looking a little choppy.

http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108390-17-2.jpg

Everything is looking good in this screen minus the waterfall. Looks a little um..flat?

[dnpmakkah]

What were people's expectations of this game? I just want to know because to me this looks on par with the demo during E306 so I'm satisfied but those people that are a somewhat underwhelmed I just want to know what were you expecting?

Here's a developer that didn't show CGI or a fake target footage. They showed a playable demo and yet people wanted more? I thought many people hated Sony for showing target footage then not being able to match (Motorstorm, Killzone) now we have a game that is pretty much all real and Sony is still screwed.

Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that us PS3 owners have such high expectations which hopefully means Sony will work harder but we should also be realistic.

[Diresu]

I'll admit..some of those screens do look really great.

Some of them..not so much. Stuff is still looking a little choppy.

http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108390-17-2.jpg

Everything is looking good in this screen minus the waterfall. Looks a little um..flat?

I think the waterfall is like that because its a screenshot. Its also far in the background which doesn't help.

[Pluto]

Yeah, that's definitely a possibility.

Can she interact at all with the backgrounds? [ Swim, etc. ]

I would love to get a closer view..[of the waterfall] :)

[Nameless]

I'm very impressed with the new screens!
The close up pic is amazing the skin looks very detailed and real...
I still think it's early to compare this title to NGS, because I believe NGS is closer to completion. I think HS will be released in the fall and we should be playing NGS in about 60 days. I'm convinced the visuals will be impressive I just hope the gameplay and full experience is rock solid. I will own both titles so I'm the true winner!

I just ordered my new 1080P HDMI 1.3 Samsung and I can't wait to play NGS in full 1080P glory and hope NT manages to pull off 1080P with HS. ;)

[Acason79]

The new screens are beautiful, cant wait to see some video!

[Diresu]

All you people with a 1080p sets...I hate you :P

[Carlos]

Three words:

GORGEOUS.

GORGEOUS.

GORGEOUS!

[Pluto]

You're not missing out on anything major, dood. Can't comment on its use for the PS3 since I don't have one, but the TV murders my PS2 games. Maybe I'm missing some cord or something. WHO KNOWS.

[Epix]

I think the waterfall is like that because its a screenshot. Its also far in the background which doesn't help.

I think it looks flat because it's a tree.

[Nameless]

All you people with a 1080p sets...I hate you :P

Don't hate the playa hate the game...

[Diresu]

I think it looks flat because it's a tree.

What, you never saw a waterfall made out of trees? Noob :P

[Pluto]

I think it looks flat because it's a tree.


Me still thinks it's a waterfall.

And yeah, a tree looking flat is so much more justified..

[Shogun042]

On any other system this game would be the second coming (oh come on you know it's true) but on the PS3 people always expect more. Sony is damned either way. I need to see this game in motion and it's final build before we know how it really looks. For all we know this is an old build and yet it still looks great.

Why does everyone expect PS3 graphics to look like Hollywood films? Does Sony have that much esteem to it's name?

Yeah a lot of games coming to PS3 (and Home/LittleBigPlanet) would be hailed as amazing and getting a lot more hype if they were on other systems but for some reason a lot of negative shit always comes out. the games will speak louder than xbots on forums (once they come out that is).

anyways back on topic, yeah that kinda looks like a tree and not a waterfall, and i read on some other forum that GamePro was having Heavenly Sword stuff every day of this week so i'm eager to see what else comes out.

[Pluto]

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/5551/fahf8.jpg


...That's what a tree looks like.

In the original image, the color is completely off..and how do you explain the white looking foam on the bottom below the "tree"?

[Nameless]

^ I guess someone is bored...

[Pluto]

^ I'd have to be if I was posting here...

[Diresu]

...That's what a tree looks like.

In the original image, the color is completely off..and how do you explain the white looking foam on the bottom below the "tree"?

Thats what I was wondering about too. Its green..green...WHITE!

[dnpmakkah]

I want this game to take me forever to finish it. I want it to be an experience I'll never forget. I want gameplay and story...graphics will be an added bonus.

[Pluto]

^
And I'm sure you'll get all of that.

It's pretty ridiculous at how adamantly people refuse to bring up flaws in a game..especially one for a console they support. Credit where credit's due.

These are pretty insignificant issues that will probably be worked out by the time the game is released. There's many possibilities. We've waited nearly a year, and her hair is looking pretty much the same. Who knows. :)

[LiquidEagle]

What's wrong with her hair?? Is it not allowed to be stylized or something? People keep complaining about her hair as if it's supposed to look real... I definitely dig it as-is :)

As for people disliking a good game on PS3 because it's on a Sony platform, it's so funny/sad to see people pick up the Game Informer with Uncharted on the cover and go "ooh, what's this!?" and I tell them about it, and they ask what platform it's on, and I tell them it's on PS3, and it's like they immediately lose interest...

[Pluto]

She does a lot of moving, naturally, her hair is supposed to move with her.

Therein lies the problem - "naturally". It just doesn't look fluid like I'd imagine hair would look/move at that length..and bright red. :shifty:

I'm noticing that in different images she sort of has a different facial features. Like she's getting older. Isn't that supposed to be apart of the game? She's supposed to be slowly dying..?

[EvilTaru]

Gamepro says: Heavenly Sword week! (http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps3/) Is a new trailer coming soon? =-o

Just more info I think. I really need to see this one in action though to at least get a sense of how this is played.

[EvilTaru]

Very nice indeed. The Sony hype machine is kicking into high gear it seems. They really need to do all they can to get people hyped right now and through the summer, since it won't be until the end of the summer/fall that we start seeing some of these killer games. This is a great first step. I'd say some playable demos would be a good move from there.

I'm glad to see them at least release some media of the game FINALLY.http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v500/EvilTaru/Indifferent2.gif

For Sony:

:grouphug:

[wotter]

Awesome screens, finally some more info on this game. One of my most anticipated titles atm!

[Diresu]

Wow you know these screens are amazing when even GAF comments are mostly positive.

[frosty]

according to the ninja theory dev i talked to at it e3, the heavenly sword was not meant to be weilded by humans, so yes, it is slowly killing her.

[TEEDA]

Looks like they' ve improved her facial expression during in game as well
http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/9159/51755370tu6.jpg
Hope we could pause the game and take some nice snapshot of her back lol.

some general infos and tidbits with some news :

"This months gamepro has heavenly sword as its cover story and includes alot of info on gameplay, graphics, and how the game benefits from the cell processor. Unfortunately i didn't go out and buy the magazine, but i'll try to type up the text within the next couple of days for those that haven't seen it.

-The heavenly sword has three forms that can all be switched on the fly during combat (like during combos to create your own)
- The first form are your basic dual blades. They enable quick and fast combinations
- The second form are for ranged attacks. These are chain blades ala god of war. Imagine spinning around and wrapping up an enemy then slices them in half
- The third form is the slowest, but the most powerful. Best used for finishers, the heavenly sword transforms into a giant blade
- You can switch between all of these forms during combat at any given time.
- Nariko starts the game with less then 2 hours to live and needs to fight at a constant rate to remain alive
- Group Ai uses the cell processor by having large groups in the distance function on one SPU. When they get closer the hundreds will split into various other groups
to combat Noriko and will then function on to seperate SPUs. This will enable a great amount of interaction between enemies as a whole.

[agentorange]

She does a lot of moving, naturally, her hair is supposed to move with her.

Therein lies the problem - "naturally". It just doesn't look fluid like I'd imagine hair would look/move at that length..and bright red. :shifty:

I'm noticing that in different images she sort of has a different facial features. Like she's getting older. Isn't that supposed to be apart of the game? She's supposed to be slowly dying..?


I thought that they alotted 1 SPE just for the hair alone then why is it still looks so stiff and unrealistic?

[LiquidEagle]

If this game is on a timer, I'm going to shoot myself over the game they ruined...

[VG Aficionado]

If this game is on a timer, I'm going to shoot myself over the game they ruined...I guess they'll be smart enough to not to ruin the experience by making it too tedious or too short because of the timer. I guess there will be ways to extend your remaining time or even play some sections without the Heavenly Sword (platforming, sneaking or who knows what) so that it doesn't drain life time from her all the time or there will probably be several difficulty levels which will give you different remaining times.

[LiquidEagle]

I don't like the idea of the game being on a timer one bit -- like CreativeWriter (I think) said, you can add that kind of urgency in the narrative, like how MGS4 is doing it -- Snake only has 6 months to live from when he talks to Naomi, but we don't have any kind of timer there, it's just urgency in the story that doesn't make us rush through the gameplay.

I think NT could seriously be screwing up an amazing game if they put this in... that's my opinion :)

[KRA]

I thought that they alotted 1 SPE just for the hair alone then why is it still looks so stiff and unrealistic?

it is not true...
there is no one whole spe dedictated just to hairs..
and by the way
i don't know
if you know it
but she is slowlly dying
and she will lose hairs during the adventure
at the end she will be bold
so you won't have to look at this unnaturally moving hairs...

well yeah i am bad person and will
tell you why she is loosing hairs
actually whole adventure is taking place
only in her mind
why she is in hospital dying from cancer.
well yeah that's it.
personally i think it is a great concept
of two worlds real and not so real
and it makes this game, story much deeper.

[Segitz]

Yeah, I also hated PoP WW because of that...

But, what built is this? Is it still the October built or is it newer? Because, this doesnt look like anything from the NT Forum picture. Still looks good, dont sweat.

[VG Aficionado]

Well, it would seriously suck making it to the final stage of the game and only having half a minute of life remaining. I'm confident Ninja Theory wouldn't allow that to happen and they'd provide the gamer with workarounds to solve such situations. Think of Prey: whenever the gamer got killed, instead of a game over screen or having to reload the level or the last save, you could resurrect by playing a short minigame to regain some health and whatnot and resume the game exactly where you were when it ended.

I wouldn't believe the game will be hopelessly strictly restrained by a timer.

[grymling]

Those waterfalls in the Heroes video clip looked amazing so I am sure this also will in motion.

Good job NT.

[rpgamer_2k5]

I thought that they alotted 1 SPE just for the hair alone then why is it still looks so stiff and unrealistic? I doubt one entire SPE. Its not like hair animation is going to choke the processor and take up many cycles. You can feed the Cell with many small programs called threads which is very similar to a common PC. Just check your task manager and see how many threads it is running simultaneously.

An SPE is a lot more flexible than that! :)

[VonGak]

I thought that they alotted 1 SPE just for the hair alone then why is it still looks so stiff and unrealistic?

Nah it was a quote taken out of context and read like the devil reads the Bible.

And we can't really cliam it to be bad as no other game is even trying to render physics based hair of this lenght which even casts shadows. :D

[Z]

I am
http://xs414.xs.to/xs414/07152/excited.gif

[Red_Eyes]

I thought that they alotted 1 SPE just for the hair alone then why is it still looks so stiff and unrealistic?

No. Actually, it is 1 SPE for hair simulation plus special effects, particle effects, and many other physics simulation.

[NickSCFC]

Shit the bed this game is looking stunning!!!!!!

[OG_Monkey]

wow

[Sephiroth_VII]

I know this is a little late, but WTF, how can it look so good and still have hundreds of enemies on the screen at the same time!?

Also, I like the timer idea. It sounds like we gain additional time by killing our enemies with the sword, which could be a great gameplay element, if executed correctly. However, if they fuck up how much time you gain for killing an enemy, they fuck up the game. :2cents:

[Max@GC]

Because of the big scale of the environments with detailed characters it looks quite decent...reminds me of a mixture of god of war and Onimusha.

Though the shading on the water surface is not that awesome and there seem to be - like in the ff series - two face/character models for the protagonist. Anyway looks fun.

[bigwig]

any heavenly melons yet?

[Max@GC]

any heavenly melons yet?

unfortunately only these small official ones.

[NickSCFC]

I know this is a little late, but WTF, how can it look so good and still have hundreds of enemies on the screen at the same time!?

Because the developers actually give a shit about making next-gen graphics and making something that looks inspiring unlike the other cunts developing PS3 games cough Konami cough.

[NeoPlayStation]

Here we go again... :(
-rep for you, Nick.

[Sephiroth_VII]

I don't know about the -rep, but we definitely don't need that language here, save it for the madhouse. PSINext has always had some standards when it comes to that.

[VideoGame mania]

Because the developers actually give a shit about making next-gen graphics and making something that looks inspiring unlike the other cunts developing PS3 games cough Konami cough.
What?
Silent Hill 3 was the best looking Ps2 game.
http://www.webwombat.com.au/games/images/sh33.jpg
http://img2.kult-mag.com/photos/00/00/29/47/ME0000294732_2.jpg

[Epix]

What?
Silent Hill 3 was the best looking Ps2 game.
I think Sony Santa Monica Studios might argue with you.

[VideoGame mania]

I think Sony Santa Monica Studios might argue with you.
They might, Silent Hill came 4 years before GOW2. I had to give Konami a slack for quick PS2 learning curve.:)

[Red]

Best looking PS2 Game was Ghosthunter.

[chartwel]

What?
Silent Hill 3 was the best looking Ps2 game.
http://www.webwombat.com.au/games/images/sh33.jpg
http://img2.kult-mag.com/photos/00/00/29/47/ME0000294732_2.jpg

except the AA wasnt nearly that good when playing the game, which makes it look much less impressive.............

[VonGak]

^ I though it had a grain/noise filter just like the previous games making aliasing much less noticable just like in KillZone.

[Z]

the jump in quality is impressive. I really want this game, along with Lair, MGS4, Uncharted, R&C, Killzone and Afrika- which will all release in the coming 8 months. ;)

Kratos am cry
lol. to those who say that, well you didn't see Kratos PS3 style yet ;)

[Z]

except the AA wasnt nearly that good when playing the game, which makes it look much less impressive.............
talking about the second, big, picture; SH3 looks just like that in the game. I thought 4 would be even better, but for some reason, 3 is the best looking one. the facial animation and expressions, lip sync and graphics were especially notable. best that I have ever seen in a game- aside for PS3-like efforts.

and Konami also made other games that have amazing graphics: MGS and ZoE.:hitit:


PS. please don't post no " I want ZoE 3 on PS3" comments untill Konami budges. I have a weak heart.

[VideoGame mania]

Never forget Nvidia's PS3 tech demo at E3 05
http://i19.tinypic.com/33axmau.jpg http://i18.tinypic.com/2hn8htl.jpg
Luna may cry.

[makeitlookreal]

Luna has better hair.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

closed tech demo focused entirely on that little environment vs huge scale interactive game.
yeah that's a fair measure. funny thing, nariko's face looks better. And I still don't see what's so hard to understand or accept about it being stylized that way.

[Pluto]

Nariko looks smokin in some of the artworks..and not so much in game.

Her and Whoopi Goldberg must swap hair tips, or something. :err:

[VonGak]

^^^Actually she doesn't :)

[TEEDA]

Hair are really difficult to render in my opinion..I' m not a dev, But I know some people wo work in the industry and always say that it's one of the most difficult part of a character to render and to anime. Look at the hair of the characters in DOA4. I think NT did a great thing about the graphics. They made enough details to make the game alive.

[VG Aficionado]

The DOA and Ninja Gaiden characters are very plain and unrealistic though, but that's intentional.

Anyway, there's a reason to all those bald characters on so many games besides making sense according to the "bald space marine" cliché. And believe it or not, the main reason why Mario wears a cap is because the designers didn't want to make the "hair doesn't move according to his moves because the hardware can't manage it" flaw apparent.

[Diresu]

^So thats why Kratos is bald....

[LiquidEagle]

Still disappointed about the timer.... why don't they just make it one big escort mission while they're at it!? /grumpy

btw, for the record, Okami is the best-looking PS2 game :-D

[VonGak]

^^Yup, didn't Jaffe write this in the extras for the first GoW?

But it is a different story with Mairo who up to several times has lost his cap and also was wearing his cap in the ol' Donkey Kong barrel roll game.

[Z]

about the hair, they explained why they intentionally wanted it that way very early on. I think it was shortly after the very first screens/vids of Nariko came out and someone asked them about the hair style/direction.
they said they wanted something along the lines of wanting it to look unique and more importantly to be motional and add to the cinimatics of the character's movement and fighting.

I love what they did with it and I think it delivers exactly what they intended.

and don't think for a second that they took the easy way out with it. it certainly not simple to do or we would have seen more characters do it.


speaking of which, the concept of the new PoP had a long cape and other clothes flying behind him. it is only a concept, but it would be great if they could translate that into the game.

[NickSCFC]

Never forget Nvidia's PS3 tech demo at E3 05
http://i19.tinypic.com/33axmau.jpg http://i18.tinypic.com/2hn8htl.jpg
Luna may cry.

Nah, Nariko looks far better than luna, well her face does anyway, it shows alot of detailed imperfections like freckles, it makes the thing look so much more advanced!

As for Silent Hill, yeah it was stunning to look at, as were ALL of Koanmi's last-gen games (MGS2, PES5...) so why aren't they wowing us with graphics this-gen?

[Nameless]

The DOA and Ninja Gaiden characters are very plain and unrealistic though, but that's intentional.

Anyway, there's a reason to all those bald characters on so many games besides making sense according to the "bald space marine" cliché. And believe it or not, the main reason why Mario wears a cap is because the designers didn't want to make the "hair doesn't move according to his moves because the hardware can't manage it" flaw apparent.

I would have to disagree with the NG statement, because NGS has done a great job with Rachel's hair... I still need to see the final product, but based on the pics looks like Team Ninja has put the SPUs to good use to improve their hair physics.

http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/751/751774/ninja-gaiden-sigma-20061219064602041.jpg

[user friendly]

Tuesday's stuff is up (http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps3/games/features/108456.shtml), not as impressed with it though, but we still have 3 more days of this.

[LiquidEagle]

As for Silent Hill, yeah it was stunning to look at, as were ALL of Koanmi's last-gen games (MGS2, PES5...) so why aren't they wowing us with graphics this-gen?

MGS4 does "wow" with graphics, and is still the biggest next-gen update of any game series by far. If MGS4 doesn't impress you for some weird reason, then the reason Konami hasn't impressed is because they haven't even shown a next-gen Silent Hill or ZoE :-D

[VG Aficionado]

As for Silent Hill, yeah it was stunning to look at, as were ALL of Koanmi's last-gen games (MGS2, PES5...) so why aren't they wowing us with graphics this-gen?Although I disagree with you, you don't seem to take into account that we've got yet to see a MGS4 beta build.

I would have to disagree with the NG statement, because NGS has done a great job with Rachel's hair... I still need to see the final product, but based on the pics looks like Team Ninja has put the SPUs to good use to improve their hair physics.You got me wrong. I didn't say anything about the hair. I only said that the character design is plain and unrealistic, which is the case with Rachel and with so many others. But because the character design seems so simple, they could focus on the hair (or those... melons... :look:) to make it gorgeus compared to everything else.

[user friendly]

Anybody read my post?????

[VG Aficionado]

Anybody read my post?????I just read the article, thank you :) Nothing that we didn't know already though.

[user friendly]

I just read the article, thank you :) Nothing that we didn't know already though.


yeah kind of a let down eh, but yeah, 3 more days still.

[VG Aficionado]

I wonder what's next: more screenshots? A 3D screenshot? An interview? A storyline preview? Gameplay videos? A trailer? :drool:

[NickSCFC]

Although I disagree with you, you don't seem to take into account that we've got yet to see a MGS4 beta build.

I won't hold my breath, games hardly end up being released looking any better than they did when they were first shown, infact these days they look WORSE!

Prime examples...

Forza 2
Motorstorm
Ghost Recon AW

[VG Aficionado]

I won't hold my breath, games hardly end up being released looking any better than they did when they were first shown, infact these days they look WORSE!

Prime examples...

Forza 2
Motorstorm
Ghost Recon AWOnly compared to CG. The first MotorStorm gameplay screenshots looked much worse than the final version.

[Diresu]

I won't hold my breath, games hardly end up being released looking any better than they did when they were first shown, infact these days they look WORSE!

Prime examples...

Forza 2
Motorstorm
Ghost Recon AW

Wait, what? Motorstorm didn't look worse...neither did RFOM for that matter or Lair. I am talking purely first gameplay shots, not the target renders.

[frosty]

Motorstorm looks 100 times better than when it was first shown, so that's a bunch of crap. (And no, CG trailers don't count for a game's first "showing".)

[VonGak]

I wonder what's next: more screenshots? A 3D screenshot? An interview? A storyline preview? Gameplay videos? A trailer? :drool:

Marco and Deano dressed as the heroin.

[NickSCFC]

The whole E3 2005 argument's been done too many times, but for more experienced gamers like me who remember the 3D explosion in the early and mid-nineties when only the in-game sections were shown at game shows (you never saw the FMV until you actually bought the game), it's really confusing when companies go unveiling games with a CGI demo rather than something real-time.

Thing is this sort of thing can't be banned, nearly every advert you see for a game on TV these days shows the CG/FMV sequences instead of the actual in-game engine, and there's nothing that can be done because it's on the disc and legally classed as in-game.

[BruceWayneIII]

Well, we will get hands-on impressions tomorrow :thumbr:

[NickSCFC]

Yeah, I've spent so long looking at the screens, watching every video and reading single article on this game (I've followed it since 2003 when Ninja Theory had a page in every issue of EDGE for a developers diary).

If they get the controls and the feel right for the fight scenes, if they get enough adventure in there, if they manage to make a 20+ hour game, I'll pay whatever Sony want me to pay for a bloody PS3 just so I can play this ONE game!

Please don't let me down NT!

[CreativeWriter]

... if they manage to make a 20+ hour game...

That's my concern, too, and one reason I don't like the proposed countdown timer, which seems to limit the game's play-time to 12-16 hours (or whatever it was we read before--anybody remember?). I understand the logic that we pay 8 bucks for a movie ticket that's only 2 hours long, so a cinematic game need only be 8 hours long (or so) to justify the $60 pricetag. Still, 16-20 hours just feels short, though things like harder difficulty settings and the extras like GoW's Trial of the Gods help extend the gameplay experience. I'm hoping HS can deliver cinematic gameplay and a sufficient amount of content.

I think Square Enix games have spoiled me since epic RPG developers seem to enjoy throwing more and more content at gamers (hidden dungeon after dungeon). As much as I love action games, it's easier to justify buying a RPG at full price since you know you're getting 100+ hours of entertainment. I'd pay $100+ for a huge FF game or for something like Oblivion (shh, don't tell the publishers or they might actually charge that much), but I sometimes feel shorted by action games, even good ones, that come in under 20 hours but cost $60...

[NickSCFC]

16 hours will do me fine, just as long as the controls have THAt feel, you know THAT feel (Winning Eleven/PES, Virtua Fighter, Soul Calibur, Virtua Tennis), when it just feels so right.

If they get the controls right then the game will have tonnes on replay value, because you can play the fighting over and over as you already know the story.

Looking forward to the hand-on tomorrow.

[Nameless]

^^ I agree and typically play action titles on hard difficulty to stretch the experience... If the game is 20 hours or longer I will be satisfied, anything under 20 should be a rental IMO unless there's online play to increase the replay value...

Honestly, a SP game that can be completed in one weekend gaming binge is not worth a $60 price tag...

[NickSCFC]

Rental? I think this will be the defining PS3 title/series, it'll remain forever on top of my PS3 games pile :cloud9:

[Nameless]

^ Based on hype alone I will buy this title day one!
(If the title falls flat I will never blindly purchase a Ninja Theory game again...)
I'm just saying a typical rule of thumb is $60 single player games less than 20 hours = rental. Period!

[NickSCFC]

I don't get why people have to define games in that way Nameless. It's like people who say they refuse to buy games that aren't exclusive to PS3, I say have fun missing out on Assasin's Creed, Half-Life 3, DMC4... and nearly EVERY sports game out there you tossers.

[LiquidEagle]

I paid $50 for Zone of the Enders 2 and it took me 4 hours, 57 minutes, and like 23 seconds to beat -- roughly 5 hours. I do not regret purchasing that game at full price, nor will I ever, because those 5 hours were some of the best hours of my life :-p

I don't care about length, as long as it's satisfying, but longer is always great if they can sustain the feel and the story for a longer amount of time. God of War only took me 8 hours to beat my first time through, and I didn't feel bad about that purchase either -- rentals are so temporary :laugh:

[VonGak]

I paid $50 for Zone of the Enders 2 and it took me 4 hours, 57 minutes, and like 23 seconds to beat -- roughly 5 hours. I do not regret purchasing that game at full price, nor will I ever, because those 5 hours were some of the best hours of my life :-p

I don't care about length, as long as it's satisfying, but longer is always great if they can sustain the feel and the story for a longer amount of time. God of War only took me 8 hours to beat my first time through, and I didn't feel bad about that purchase either -- rentals are so temporary :laugh:

I'm 100% with you. Games need to be like roller-coaster trips.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Judge a meal by the flavor, not by how long it takes you to eat it.

[OmniCloud]

Example-God of War-beat it in a weekend

Did i feel I didn't get my money's worth? Nope

all 8 hours of it was pure bliss...

[saud264]

Feature: The Tech Behind Heavenly Sword

http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps3/games/features/108457.shtml

[Sephiroth_VII]

GoW 2 definitely took me less than 20 hours, even with all of the extras, but I know that I'll be playing that game over and over again!

[Nameless]

I agree the experience is great, but would that experience be deminished if the game was a rental? I think not... Typically I do not replay games, because I play a large variety of games with a limit amount of time. I typically beat a game and move on unless there's a great multiplayer component. I really enjoyed GOW & GOW 2, but I doubt I will replay the titles once completed. Honestly it depends on the title, I bought GOW 2 and it's nice because I can play at my own pace; I still have not completed the game. I plan to purchase Heavenly Sword, but there are many action titles that really deserve a rental if the game is not lengthy and that's not a bad thing IMO. I plan to rent stranglehold, because I'm sure I could complete the game in a few hours... Perhaps I will be proven wrong...

[dnpmakkah]

Feature: The Tech Behind Heavenly Sword

http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps3/games/features/108457.shtmlThanks Saud...I've been waiting for this.

Why do websites always claim 'exclusive' coverage then they go and discuss things that's already been known. I hardly call that exclusive...yesterday images were exclusive but todays information is nothing new. I wonder if they actually saw the game in motion because Gamepro is raving about it or are they just going off what NT says.

[dnpmakkah]

I wonder what's next: more screenshots? A 3D screenshot? An interview? A storyline preview? Gameplay videos? A trailer? :drool:Wednesday will have this according to Gamepro
WEDNESDAY: Hands on with Heavenly Sword! Get the full rundown on controls, gameplay, and the game's use of the Sixaxis motion sensing. Somehow after today I doubt we will get much new information.

[NickSCFC]

Ha, I completed Sega Rally on the Sega Saturn in 10 minutes as soon as I got it, I mean I finished all the tracks...

that was 10 years ago, I still play it today, so do my mates, trying to beat lap times.

You can't do that with modern racing games because there's too many tracks and no one's bothered, maybe if it was a popular game with an online leader board, but nothing's really inspired me to reach perfection like Sega Rally.

[totobeni]

I wonder about Nariko's Face model ..

did they will use this one
http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/8927/10839032vj5.jpg

or this
http://images.playsyde.com/gallery/public/5094/644_0040.jpg

or this one ( on the right side )
http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/4630/hswh3sq9.jpg


i want her to be like Eiko Koike or Erika sawajiri ..( i mean more real "japanese" face than a random asian one...if you are japanese or east asian you will know that japanese look actually different than chinese and korean... ask to be sure )

[LiquidEagle]

The first of those 3 definitely looks the best, and I think that'll be used for cinemas, and I think as far as the in-gameplay ones go, number 2 looks more realistic but number 3 has a better design in her expression IMO.

[NickSCFC]

The 1st one's a screen capture from the game, the other 2 are screen captures from FMVs/trailers, so the 1st one will have better quality by default.

I don't think there's anything they can do to make her face look any better, it's both perfect and imperfect, such detail!

[dnpmakkah]

The first of those 3 definitely looks the best, and I think that'll be used for cinemas, and I think as far as the in-gameplay ones go, number 2 looks more realistic but number 3 has a better design in her expression IMO.Yep

[LaLiLuLeLo]

I buy games, new games to support the industry. Gamestop/EB corporation is a tyrant.

[totobeni]

I buy games, new games to support the industry. Gamestop/EB corporation is a tyrant.

^ maybe just me...but i think this post is on wrong thread..

[NickSCFC]

No it's not, go everybody, buy this game, support original and British games!

[NickSCFC]

Oh yeah anyone remember the 1st ever trailer from 2003?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN6FlIcZEjE

Wonder if anything from this will make it into the final game? Stuff like having the wind created from your movement making leaves blow up aroud you, that looked beautiful! Or running on water.

[Pistolero]

Ha, I completed Sega Rally on the Sega Saturn in 10 minutes as soon as I got it, I mean I finished all the tracks...

that was 10 years ago, I still play it today, so do my mates, trying to beat lap times.

You can't do that with modern racing games because there's too many tracks and no one's bothered, maybe if it was a popular game with an online leader board, but nothing's really inspired me to reach perfection like Sega Rally.

Great taste ! sega Rally is easily one of the most enjoyable and everlasting games that's ever hit a cartridge, a CD, a DVD or a BR ! It was technically great (back then) and its mecanisms are still unbeatable (what a fun gameplay...unbelivable) !

[dnpmakkah]

Old video but great still. This was real-time gameplay and will be the minimum of what it will look like. If this doesn't satisfy your graphical needs then I don't know what will.

http://media.psu.com/albums/heavenly_sword/E306-PS3-HeavenlySword-Gameplay-720P.wmv

[NickSCFC]

Great taste ! sega Rally is easily one of the most enjoyable and everlasting games that's ever hit a cartridge, a CD, a DVD or a BR ! It was technically great (back then) and its mecanisms are still unbeatable (what a fun gameplay...unbelivable) !
Yup, also the handling and the track design, I think the only racing game that's come close is F-Zero GX on GC!

[cliffbo]

I would have to disagree with the NG statement, because NGS has done a great job with Rachel's hair... I still need to see the final product, but based on the pics looks like Team Ninja has put the SPUs to good use to improve their hair physics.



i think NG looks extremely good, but as far as art, form and style goes HS beats it hands down. to me this picture looks generic compared to the Luna figure and although the bondage wear does give the impression of better detail, it lacks the subtlety shown in those HS pics. again i also have to point out that NG has about 3 to 4 enemies on screen at once, whilst HS has hundreds. to me the backgrounds in HS also look leaps and bounds above those of NG, with increased detail (not resolution. that's a different argument) and full interaction

[chartwel]

i think NG looks extremely good, but as far as art, form and style goes HS beats it hands down. to me this picture looks generic compared to the Luna figure and although the bondage wear does give the impression of better detail, it lacks the subtlety shown in those HS pics. again i also have to point out that NG has about 3 to 4 enemies on screen at once, whilst HS has hundreds. to me the backgrounds in HS also look leaps and bounds above those of NG, with increased detail (not resolution. that's a different argument) and full interaction

i have to agree with you here. although i think NGS looks incredible as well, it doesnt touch what we are seeing with HS. i just wish HS had some platforming and puzzle solving in it. im worried there will not be enough variety to make the game fun throughout. time will tell.

[Sephiroth_VII]

How do we know that HS doesn't have any platform-jumping or puzzles? We've only played a short demo of one setting in the game...

[cliffbo]

i have to agree with you here. although i think NGS looks incredible as well, it doesnt touch what we are seeing with HS. i just wish HS had some platforming and puzzle solving in it. im worried there will not be enough variety to make the game fun throughout. time will tell.

that is one of my main concerns

How do we know that HS doesn't have any platform-jumping or puzzles? We've only played a short demo of one setting in the game...

we don't and hopefully it will have some platforming, although if i recall we've seen a video of Luna surfing down a long rope. is that platforming?

[Media]

Nariko*

[chartwel]

How do we know that HS doesn't have any platform-jumping or puzzles? We've only played a short demo of one setting in the game...

its mentioned in gamepro magazine that there is no platforming. the developers have also stated there will not be any puzzle solving. ill see if i can find that link. maybe thats changed, at least i hope.

[NickSCFC]

As far as I'm concerned, this game will become the defining game for PlayStation 3.

www.heavenlysword.com and www.ninjatheory.com

It's a completely brand-new franchise for Sony developed by third party Cambride (UK) based studio, Ninja Theary, formerly known as "Just Add Monsters" and producers of the Xbox hit Kung Fu Chaos.

Heavenly Sword is a stunningly beautiful martial arts drama designed exclusively as a next-generation console game. The storyline concerns a girl with only a few days left to live who embarks on one final act of redemption against a king and his invading army. Heavenly Sword employs state-of-the-art technology and gameplay to take players through a roller coaster of emotion and action that truly exploits the potential of gaming as the new artistic entertainment medium.

Original Concept Trailer (2003)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN6FlIcZEjE

Tokyo Game Show Trailer (2006)
http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?id=13314&type=mov&pl=game

Cinematic Production Trailer (2007)
http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?id=13314&type=mov&pl=game

Latest screens
http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108390-4-2.jpg
http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108390-9-2.jpg
http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108390-13-2.jpg
http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108390-19-2.jpg

[TEEDA]

I should add the impressive from PlaySyde. demoed bu Tameem the game producer.

7 minutes 49 seconds 'E3: Arena gameplay' (365.82 MB)
960 x 540 25 fps

http://www.playsyde.com/news_3004_en.html

[Sephiroth_VII]

It's just funny, 'cause I've been following this game for a while, and I've never heard anything about that.

[chartwel]

It's just funny, 'cause I've been following this game for a while, and I've never heard anything about that.

i guess now you have? hopefully they have added enough things to make the game stay interesting. ever since i heard that i have been hoping they would change their minds. i think that makes GOW much better and was hoping for the same things with this game.

[NickSCFC]

Don't tell me this is just going to be fighting and cut-scenes!

[NickSCFC]

I think too much of the fighting has been shown, I think it's time NT started to show some of the adventure parts of the game. All we've seen so far is fighting and cut-scenes, we need to see some platforming and puzzle solving in here now.

[chartwel]

Don't tell me this is just going to be fighting and cut-scenes!

its possible, although we really havent seen much of the game to say that for sure. i guess in a couple of months time we will know all the details....

[cliffbo]

Nariko*

ye lol... got confused

[chartwel]

i must say again i dont think there is any platforming or puzzle solving. i really hope that has changed, but the gamepro magazine article says there is no platforming so i doubt it..........

here is a quick summary of the gamepro article.

* The sword feeds on your life. Your challenge is to stay alive long enough to finish your quest.

* No platforming

* Cinematics take place during gameplay, villains taunt you through Picture-in-Picture

* The sword has 3 forms that can be changed at any time by holding L1 and R1:

- Power Style: Broad sword form, slow, short-range, lots of damage

- Speed Style: Two short swords, rapid attack, short-range

- Ranged Style: Blades of Chaos. Grab foes at a distance, slam them around

You can create combos by switching weapon styles mid-attack.

* As you kill more baddies, your attacks become more devastating

* You can throw most objects and do "aftertouch" via sixaxis

* "incredible" numbers of enemies onscreen at once.

* AI becomes more elaborate as enemies get closer.

* Multiplayer is unconfirmed

* 1080p is unconfirmed

i guess once todays gamepro impressions get released we should know even more.

[cliffbo]

Don't tell me this is just going to be fighting and cut-scenes!

well they have called it an interactive movie and i can't see platforming fitting in with that... so, who knows

[Media]

If this game has no platforming, it can end up a beautiful bore.

[Sephiroth_VII]

Then they'd better have a fu*king good story... :hurt:

[cliffbo]

If this game has no platforming, it can end up a beautiful bore.

as much as it pains me to say this... i agree. its not really until now that i've thought of gameplay that much and i would imagine that others have not focused on that either.

[cliffbo]

Then they'd better have a fu*king good story... :hurt:

that's guaranteed!

[NickSCFC]

This screen was posted a few weeks back by a developer over at www.ninjatheory.com on the forum (the forum is visited by developers who you can chat with).

They confirm that this screen is 100% in-game engine!

http://www.ninjatheory.com/images/HS/nariko_desktop_800.jpg

[chartwel]

yeah and if there is no platforming and puzzle solving, how long can the game be? i was hoping for at least 15 hrs. i really hope the game turns out to be everything i imagined.

[chartwel]

This screen was posted today by a developer over at www.ninjatheory.com on the forum (the forum is visited by developers who you can chat with).

They confirm that this screen is 100% in-game engine!

http://www.ninjatheory.com/images/HS/nariko_desktop_800.jpg

there is some post effects added to it as well. they said that was the final quality they are hoping to achieve. lets hope they do.

[VG Aficionado]

Some platforming would be welcomed. Will it be all walking/running and fighting (in style, that is)?

[Segitz]

I couldnt care less about platforming (at least in some ways... like the Hades level in GoW1, where you constantly fall down or whatnot, I HATED that!).

Some simple riddles will still be in there I think. I mean, push button A to open door B...

But I hope the battles are varied enough to keep me entertained. Not just button smashing

[cliffbo]

I couldnt care less about platforming (at least in some ways... like the Hades level in GoW1, where you constantly fall down or whatnot, I HATED that!).


still having the nighmares fella :(

[BruceWayneIII]

According to Nina Kristensen, there will also be some puzzles.

[VonGak]

Some platforming would be welcomed. Will it be all walking/running and fighting (in style, that is)?

From the concept art it looks like the battles will be dynamic puzzles in them self.

And let's face it, the puzzles in DMC games were a waste of time (at least in my opinion).

[cliffbo]

I think too much of the fighting has been shown, I think it's time NT started to show some of the adventure parts of the game. All we've seen so far is fighting and cut-scenes, we need to see some platforming and puzzle solving in here now.

i feel lead by the nose here... first you consider whether there will be any platforming and puzzle solving and now you are subliminally suggesting there is by saying 'its about time we saw it now' and so potentially disappointing many people who expect what you ask for. its never been said to be a platformer and so i expect nothing in that area at this time

[Sephiroth_VII]

still having the nighmares fella :(
I used 4 days on that sequence... FOUR DAYS!!!!! :ohno:
According to Nina Kristensen, there will also be some puzzles.
Thank you! Could you please post a link to that info to clear this mess up? :aimhappy:

[LaLiLuLeLo]

there's no jump button.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/Lalilulelo/orly.gif
It's not a platformer.

[Sephiroth_VII]

Some platforming would be welcomed. Will it be all walking/running and fighting (in style, that is)?
According to Nina Kristensen, there will also be some puzzles.
From the concept art it looks like the battles will be dynamic puzzles in them self.

And let's face it, the puzzles in DMC games were a waste of time (at least in my opinion).

Agreed, but you can't say the same thing about GoW. It all depends on the quality of the puzzles.

EDIT: LaLiLuLeLo +==> Damnit, are you sure!? Maybe it'll be dynamic jumping. So that when Nariko comes close to something jumpable she'll do a jump. Some of the first Harry Potter games did that pretty well, IIRC.

[dnpmakkah]

I know this game is different but RE4 didn't have platforming and I loved it. Who knows maybe HS will bring something so new to the table that we won't even care about platforming....although it would have been AWESOME.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

I remember reading after E3, some hands on previews of they game, the writers were like, 'there's no jump button', the game is all about ass kicking. But it's probably any leaping you see is context sensitive/dynamic/whatever you want to call it. But it's not a platformer, I'm 99% positive. And honestly, I don't friggin want another platformer. This game's all about murderin dudes and lookin' sweet doing it. And platforms in action games, while not difficult, tend to annoy the shit out of me. Puzzles I don't mind but I trust these guys for some reason.

[VG Aficionado]

Well, if you think about the "Heroes" clip where we saw Nariko jumping while the player had to keep pressing buttons at the right time, I would be satisfied with non-fighting action like that.

Even though I guess the fighting system could be deep enough, I hope it doesn't end up feeling like a too simple game in any case.

[VG Aficionado]

I used 4 days on that sequence... FOUR DAYS!!!!! :ohno: That stage definately required skill :unsure:

[BruceWayneIII]

Here's the proof:

- Gjennom hele spillet føres du fra kampscene til kampscene. Det er akrobatisk action som teller, med noen actionorienterte puslespill strødd innimellom, forteller Kristensen.


Rough translation:

- Throughout the entire game you will be led from battlescene to battlescene. It's the acrobat action that counts, with some action oriented puzzle games spread in between, says Kristensen

Here's my thread from March 1st 2007:
http://forums.e-mpire.com/showthread.php?t=69784

[BruceWayneIII]

Here's the proof:

- Gjennom hele spillet føres du fra kampscene til kampscene. Det er akrobatisk action som teller, med noen actionorienterte puslespill strødd innimellom, forteller Kristensen.


Rough translation:

- Throughout the entire game you will be led from battlescene to battlescene. It's the acrobat action that counts, with some action oriented puzzle games spread in between, says Kristensen

Here's my thread from March 1st 2007:
http://forums.e-mpire.com/showthread.php?t=69784

[Sephiroth_VII]

Not only skill, pure luck, too! If you pressed the buttons a millisecond too late or too early, you were dead!

[VG Aficionado]

Not only skill, pure luck, too! If you pressed the buttons a millisecond too late or too early, you were dead!I call that "skill" ;) Pure luck doesn't exist, man! You create your own :)

[TEEDA]

For those who havent's seen yet, here is a video which shows some new finishing moves that could be implemented in the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxmEOGSG1Ok

[dnpmakkah]

^ Its new to me. Thanks. Those animations look very fluid.

[dnpmakkah]

We will be running up walls then leaping off the ledge of it straight up into the air while we kick the enemy. While he is up there we take out our sword thrust it towards him...it attaches then we proceed to twist him around the air till he comes crashing down to the floor. Shortly there after we follow right behind landing on their sacred genitals to brace our fall.

Who needs platforming when you have that?

[NickSCFC]

I'm not sure, I was just expecting the game to have a bit of RPG and playable adventure in it.

[Epix]

What was the Gamepro Day2 info?

[karibu]

Platforming? God no! I hate when I need to jump and you can't be 100% sure it's long enouhg or right direction because of 3D.
Puzzles are welcome.

What I like especially in this game that there is no monsters, or demons and like. It has this epic hongkong movie feel in it. Lost intres in NG and Onimusha after seeing some monsters in those.

Pretty screens, and no monsters makes them awesome.

[NickSCFC]

Looks good, but it depends how much control you really have over those special moves, it seems a bit on rails.

[makeitlookreal]

This game could very well have some monsters.

I actually hope some monsters show up in the game.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Which is why you approach every game with no biases, as not to fool yourself or end up disappointed for the wrong reasons.

[VonGak]

Deano Calver answered a few questions about the latest images from GamePro at Beyond3D.


Got to ask what's next, I am sure there is an idea somewhere over at Ninja Theory.

Don't ask us, were just trying to ship this one ;) Worry about minor problems like getting paid in 6 months time, when we get there ;)


According to DeanoC blog, the game can calculate AI for 2180 enemy soldiers.

Slightly more now, we hit that limit... so I managed to pack the data more (each grunts state is down to 48 bytes from 64) so our current high is ~2400. In theory we could get near 3K if we need to (we should now have the RAM to go that high, just haven't needed to test it yet).


Does that mean technically capable at calculating AI for 2400 soldiers in general or capable at calculating AI for 2400 soldiers while displaying them all, with full graphics during ganeplay? :-p

The game has a built in LOD system using imposters in the distance. So you can see them all at the same time tho most will be so far away that they are rendered very simply as they get closer they will be draw with more detail.

Each is a real entity, tho so can follow orders, attack you, get blown up etc.


Interesting - does that mean the reserved RAM has been lowered (as many were speculating would happen over time)? I know, I know NDA's an' all that...

Also, how old is the build that these pics are from?

I was talking about SPU ram (which has remained constant unlike reserved RAM). Its hasn't changed but as I've shaved off the fat of each grunt its effectively larger for how many grunts you can have... which is what i meant but didn't explain very well.

And it looks fairly recent... that green atmospherics the artists haves been playing with isn't that old afaik.
BTW just to correct a few people, nothing (HDR or DOF or atmospherics for example) has been removed but most are artist controllable, so if you can't see them as obviously as before, its probably cos they choose to make it look like that.


So that would leave about 110 kB for code and some extra data.

Bloody impressive you can have it running on one single SPU with all the data available. You are able to parse through the horde of soldiers over and over again without touching the main RAM. Now that is how to make the Cell sing. :-D

It was one of the fundamental technical decisions I made back when I started. I'm not sure it was nessecarily the best choice but it works quite well, if you don't mind be very frugal with what each grunt stores.
Each grunt is split into two separate bits of state, its AI state (32 bytes) and 16 bytes thats just output render state for the render engine (that's not keep in memory for the AI SPU program).

The first SPU task does a spatial sort and fires off a SPU task for each non empty chunk of the battlefield. These tasks do the AI for all the grunts in there chunk, apart from a few rare atomic ops (for gameplay statistics and grunts issuing 'events' (which are the name of big things like explosion)) the AI runs out of its own RAM from start to finish (all grunts and its local heightfield and battlefield, battalion and unit data is in LS).
Which means you can program it like a normal processor and the AI code doesn't have to worry too much about DMA or synchronisation... Its taking care before and after its bit, which is nice ;)


Sounds great, thank you for the updates Deano.


Just curious, how smooth are the LOD transitions? :-D



Sounds almost like you plan on doing an RTS in the future. :-p

LOD isn't as smooth as i'd like but its on my TODO list to improve before ship. Tho I should point out that i'm very picky and its mainly the imposter to mesh pop I notice... still bugs me tho hehe

Actually a fundemental gameplay design concept we used when doing this, was that it should feel like an army and not a rabble of people. It should move and attack like its a bunch of separate units coordinated by commanders etc. Not just have 1000 people standing around waiting to pick on a girl ;)

[BruceWayneIII]

^ +rep, apart from the very nice and interesting technical info, this part put a smile on my face:

Actually a fundemental gameplay design concept we used when doing this, was that it should feel like an army and not a rabble of people. It should move and attack like its a bunch of separate units coordinated by commanders etc. Not just have 1000 people standing around waiting to pick on a girl ;)

[VG Aficionado]

Deano Calver answered a few questions about the latest images from GamePro at Beyond3D.

Got to ask what's next, I am sure there is an idea somewhere over at Ninja Theory.

Don't ask us, were just trying to ship this one ;) Worry about minor problems like getting paid in 6 months time, when we get there ;)

According to DeanoC blog, the game can calculate AI for 2180 enemy soldiers.

Slightly more now, we hit that limit... so I managed to pack the data more (each grunts state is down to 48 bytes from 64) so our current high is ~2400. In theory we could get near 3K if we need to (we should now have the RAM to go that high, just haven't needed to test it yet).

Does that mean technically capable at calculating AI for 2400 soldiers in general or capable at calculating AI for 2400 soldiers while displaying them all, with full graphics during ganeplay? :-p

The game has a built in LOD system using imposters in the distance. So you can see them all at the same time tho most will be so far away that they are rendered very simply as they get closer they will be draw with more detail.

Each is a real entity, tho so can follow orders, attack you, get blown up etc.

Interesting - does that mean the reserved RAM has been lowered (as many were speculating would happen over time)? I know, I know NDA's an' all that...

Also, how old is the build that these pics are from?

I was talking about SPU ram (which has remained constant unlike reserved RAM). Its hasn't changed but as I've shaved off the fat of each grunt its effectively larger for how many grunts you can have... which is what i meant but didn't explain very well.

And it looks fairly recent... that green atmospherics the artists haves been playing with isn't that old afaik.

BTW just to correct a few people, nothing (HDR or DOF or atmospherics for example) has been removed but most are artist controllable, so if you can't see them as obviously as before, its probably cos they choose to make it look like that.

So that would leave about 110 kB for code and some extra data.

Bloody impressive you can have it running on one single SPU with all the data available. You are able to parse through the horde of soldiers over and over again without touching the main RAM. Now that is how to make the Cell sing. :-D

It was one of the fundamental technical decisions I made back when I started. I'm not sure it was nessecarily the best choice but it works quite well, if you don't mind be very frugal with what each grunt stores.
Each grunt is split into two separate bits of state, its AI state (32 bytes) and 16 bytes thats just output render state for the render engine (that's not keep in memory for the AI SPU program).

The first SPU task does a spatial sort and fires off a SPU task for each non empty chunk of the battlefield. These tasks do the AI for all the grunts in there chunk, apart from a few rare atomic ops (for gameplay statistics and grunts issuing 'events' (which are the name of big things like explosion)) the AI runs out of its own RAM from start to finish (all grunts and its local heightfield and battlefield, battalion and unit data is in LS).

Which means you can program it like a normal processor and the AI code doesn't have to worry too much about DMA or synchronisation... Its taking care before and after its bit, which is nice ;)

Sounds great, thank you for the updates Deano.


Just curious, how smooth are the LOD transitions? :-D



Sounds almost like you plan on doing an RTS in the future. :-p

LOD isn't as smooth as i'd like but its on my TODO list to improve before ship. Tho I should point out that i'm very picky and its mainly the imposter to mesh pop I notice... still bugs me tho hehe

Actually a fundemental gameplay design concept we used when doing this, was that it should feel like an army and not a rabble of people. It should move and attack like its a bunch of separate units coordinated by commanders etc. Not just have 1000 people standing around waiting to pick on a girl ;):thumbl:

[Jay Gee]

Actually a fundemental gameplay design concept we used when doing this, was that it should feel like an army and not a rabble of people. It should move and attack like its a bunch of separate units coordinated by commanders etc. Not just have 1000 people standing around waiting to pick on a girl;)
That's a classic quote for the ages, right there.:DDD

[Jay Gee]

For those who havent's seen yet, here is a video which shows some new finishing moves that could be implemented in the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxmEOGSG1Ok

Is anybody else turned on by a short haired Nariko?!?!?!

[Pluto]

That would solve my issue with her hair, but..

I'm afraid she just looks like a lighter skinned Dennis Rodman with boobs and a sword..and other things, I'm sure. :shifty:

[Red]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxmEOGSG1Ok

[Sephiroth_VII]

2.400 enemies at the same time... Something really bad is going to hapen soon, 'cause this is starting to look like one of those "good news days," and they're always countered somehow within 48 hours. :shifty:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxmEOGSG1Ok

Lol, that was so cool!!

Now, imagine that in 720p, with 3000 men surrounding you on a huge battlefield...

[Sephiroth_VII]

double post, sorry.

[Segitz]

Lol, the "nunchuck juggling" (or call it nunchuckling) of enemys^^

Very cool

[NickSCFC]

Damn, where's the gamepro.com update for today with the hands-on :@

[chartwel]

As you'll remember from our exclusive story yesterday, Heavenly Sword pits Nariko, a ferocious warrior with crimson hair, against the legions of a genocidal invading King. The titular Heavenly Sword was once in the possession of a god-like force, but has since fallen to the mortal world only to be picked up by Nariko. Although the sword is a gift to effect massive change, this blessing comes with a sacrifice: those who carry the sword sign their own death sentence. In fact, Nariko has only hours left to live when the game opens.
Mistress of the Blade

Nariko's Heavenly Sword can change its physical form in mid-attack, allowing you to string together massive custom combos. Here are the three key battle styles you'll use to crush your foes.

* Speed Style: Nariko's default battle stance lets her slash nearby foes with rapid short-sword strikes. It's your best defense for close encounters.

* Ranged Style: Much like Kratos's Blades of Athena from God of War, these chain swords let you pick off distant foes, or hook one and slam him into the ground.

* Power Style: In this broad-sword form, the Heavenly Sword dishes out mammoth damage to nearby enemies. It's slow, but deadly.

Since the sword feeds on your life, your challenge is to stay alive long enough to finish your quest. As attacking enemies temporarily replenishes your health, continuous action is your lifeblood. There are no platforming or extended combat-free zones, as Heavenly Sword intends to deliver relentless battles and unceasing action. Even the cinematics take place during gameplay, with villains exchanging threats with Nariko via a slick picture-in-picture window.

The true power of the sword lies in its ability to transform instantly at the flick of a button. In your normal stance, known as the "speed style," you have two agile short swords. With taps of the attack buttons, you can unleash flurries of quick slashes. Holding down the L1 button, however, switches you to the "ranged style," where the short swords morph into chain blades similar to those in God of War. This style allows for farther reaching attacks, including huge sweeping twirls and whiplash strikes. Holding down the R1 button transforms the weapons into a single massive sword. With this "power style," you can execute deadly wounds on foes, but this style is balanced by its short range and slow wind-up.

So what's the big deal? What makes Heavenly Sword special is that you can transform the sword at any time, on the fly, in the middle of combos. With the convenient hold-and-release method for using the shoulder buttons, it's easy to jump in and invent your own eye-popping combos on the fly. After a few moments of testing out the basic moves, we were able to throw a few quick slashes at an enemy while in speed style, follow up by morphing to the chain blades and swinging the poor sap around, then finally switching to the broad sword for a finishing blow.

As you decimate legions of enemies, you build up your "super style" meter. With each successive level on the meter, your grabs and throws become increasingly spectacular. You can increase the meter faster if you perform impressive and stylish combos, so being creative and looking like a badass has a tangible reward. Of course, you can also combo into a "super style" grab for even more devastating results.

The controls as a whole feel intuitive. For example, Nariko auto-blocks incoming attacks simply by standing still. She can also execute counter attacks if you time a strike to coincide with an opponent's, as well as dodge incoming blows with flicks of the right analog stick. The Sixaxis's motion sensing gets a workout, too, enabling you to re-position the camera by tilting the controller. You can also pick up just about any object and throw it. The camera then swoops in behind the object as it flies in slow motion (with beautiful blur effects). You can influence the projectile's trajectory with the Bullet Time-inspired "after touch" feature, adjusting the flight path by tilting the controller or moving the analog stick. Another neat touch: the camera tilts and leans to follow the flight path of the object.
Heroic Exploits

Aside from the main-course fighting, Nariko sometimes encounter "hero sequences" where you must react to onscreen prompts to survive. We played a sequence where we sprinted along a huge rope that bridged a chasm. Enemies at the other end shook the rope and sent waves down it, eventually slashed it, and we had to leap to another rope, run down it, and fly into a group of enemies to deliver a death-from-above smash attack. There was also a sequence where Nariko mans a cannon on a rampart and fends off an advancing army. When firing a cannon, Nariko can influence the trajectory of the projectile using the Sixaxis. Ninja Theory claims it needs the Cell to handle these complex calculations. With the use of after-touch to steer the cannon balls, siege towers erupted in lovely fountains of dust and debris.

The Sixaxis motion sensing responded respectably, but it wasn't a central part of the action just yet, a fact that may change as the game progresses. Multiplayer also remains a major question mark, with the developers at Ninja Theory unwilling to confirm or deny it for the final version.

theres the hands on. as it confirms, no platforming whatsoever.

http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps3/games/features/108609.shtml

[OmniCloud]

That's what I'm talking about baby! Simple, elegant uses for the Sixaxis! It's not the focus like Wii-it's just a supplement that can add a lot more dept and interactivity. Good job Ninja Theory, looking forward to this title..

[NickSCFC]

"There are no platforming or extended combat-free zones"

"Even the cinematics take place during gameplay, with villains exchanging threats with Nariko via a slick picture-in-picture window."

"Nariko auto-blocks incoming attacks simply by standing still."

OK, that's basically gone and killed any interest I had for this game. Looks like MGS4 is the only exclusive title PS3 has left that I'm bothered about now :(

[OmniCloud]

"There are no platforming or extended combat-free zones"

"Even the cinematics take place during gameplay, with villains exchanging threats with Nariko via a slick picture-in-picture window."

"Nariko auto-blocks incoming attacks simply by standing still."

OK, that's basically gone and killed any interest I had for this game. Looks like MGS4 is the only exclusive title PS3 has left that I'm bothered about now :(LOL...u haven't even seen an up-to-date trailer let alone play the game! Watch the reviews for this one closely I say:thumbr:

[LaLiLuLeLo]

nick you haven't even played it so you have no idea how it's gonna be. that's so childish. 'it wasn't what I was expecting, I'm not interested.' lame dude. lame.

[totobeni]

i wish sony put new costume/outfit for Nariko ( like what they did for Genji 2-for downloading via PS store ) ..i can't play this game when she always semi naked..i just can't ..

[OmniCloud]

I hope I can take the auto-block off....I mean, that's just so lazy....

[OmniCloud]

NG doesn't have any real platforming (at least from what I played) but it's an awesome game....

There's more ways to be considered a great action game rather than try to emulate God of War fellas....I think HS will shine on its own merits.

[VonGak]

^I remembered it as she automatically blocks all attacks from the front but that her back is exposed.

Auto blocking should be mandatory when fighting armies of 2400 enemies.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

i wish sony put new costume/outfit for Nariko ( like what they did for Genji 2-for downloading via PS store ) ..i can't play this game when she always semi naked..i just can't ..

YOU CAN AND YOU WILL.:evillaugh :whip:

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Looks good, but it depends how much control you really have over those special moves, it seems a bit on rails.

this thinking baffles me. every game has walls, rails and constraints attached to it, to a very profound degree. No one seems to understand this. But once the game attempts to guide you any certain way, because that's how the game should be played, 'it's on rails.'

[Cyrus]

LMAO, I knew those comments from Nick were coming when he made the thread and asked them to bring on the platforming. :D

[Nameless]

^ Don't you realize someone is going to complain regardless...
This is a hyped exclusive PS3 title and will be held to ridiculous standards and under extreme scrutiny; it's really becoming comical IMO...

[Pluto]

This is definitely going to be an epic game..

I just hope that there are SOME cinematic sequences that don't involve fighting. Some nice storyline related cutscenes would be much appreciated after bathing in the blood of your enemies. :crazy:

[LaLiLuLeLo]

My beef is people, not just nickscfc, suddenly saying 'they've lost interest' because the game isn't what they are expecting. their mind is made up but they haven't even played the game. So close-minded it's retarded.

[Nameless]

I think the title will have a cinematic style, it's one of the primary goals of the game based on developer comments...

[NickSCFC]

I just think all this epic stuff is wasted on a fighting game, who needs a massive world and gripping story when the only gameplay is going to be fighting, may as well stick to Virtua Fighter 5 and Soul Calibur 2.

I always thought this was going to be an action/adventure type game, not a beat 'em up. Soz guys :blush:

[Nameless]

^ GOW 2 had an epic story and I think HS is pushing for the same scope with even more of a cinematic flare.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

it is an action/adventure game.
just because it's doing some things differently than what you're used to you're quick to write it off?

[Pluto]

^^^You're playing judge and executioner a little early, don't you think?

This was just one hands-on preview of the game, dood.

[NickSCFC]

it is an action/adventure game.
just because it's doing some things differently than what you're used to you're quick to write it off?

It isn't though, seems like you'll get a fight, then a cut-scene, then run forwards, then fight, then cut-scene, (repeat x 100) end credits.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Well if that turns you off then you should just...not play...video games?

I don't know what to tell you. I don't really feel like arguing a case for the game when you don't really have a good reason for suddenly disliking it. I think it's gonna be awesome. I'm puzzled that a lack of jumping platforms is gonna turn you off. That's my least favorite part of action games. 'Why the hell is there a floating patch of dirt here? Why didn't the main villain just get rid of it, thus thwarting my efforts?'

By this reasoning, zone of the enders should have been shit, which is as far from true as it gets.

[Pluto]

It isn't though, seems like you'll get a fight, then a cut-scene, then run forwards, then fight, then cut-scene, (repeat x 100) end credits.

Esentially..isn't that what most games do?

It's the way that it's presented that changes the formula.

[NickSCFC]

It just seems like the WHOLE gameplay is all based on fighting in flat-out arenas, rather than being a full-scale epic on par with MGS, Ninja Gaiden, DMC or Resident Evil, which is what I was expecting this game to be.

[totobeni]

It just seems like the WHOLE gameplay is all based on fighting in flat-out arenas, rather than being a full-scale epic on par with MGS, Ninja Gaiden, DMC or Resident Evil, which is what I was expecting this game to be.

so..in your vision God of War 2 is a less epic-ish than REVIL or MGS ?

[Epix]

No one has any idea what the WHOLE game will play like. Let's relax from trying to stereotype and label a game that's 6 months away and just enjoy it for WHATEVER it ends up being when it ships. Peace.

[Segitz]

Feature: Hands On With Heavenly Sword's 3 Fighting Styles (http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps3/games/features/108609.shtml)

Wednesday Gamepro HS Stuff...

[EvilTaru]

Damn, Gamepro still hasn't really cover how the game plays other than retelling stuff that has already been talked about.

[gozirah]

Ninja Theory has been emphasizing that HS is an action game that does not fit easily into existing genres, and IMO that is a great thing. You could even say that the PS3 platform is enabling new gameplay.

It is hard to compare Heavenly Sword to other games as we do break a few genre conventions. The closest we can come up with is something like Resident Evil 4. It might seem like an odd comparison but Heavenly Sword is an intensely personal story-driven action game. When you play through it, it feels and looks like you are playing through a blockbuster. Even the fights look like they are pulled straight out of a movie. For example there are some scenes where you face hundreds if not thousands of enemies but they are just a part of the overall experience.

It sounds exciting, but we won't really be able to judge until we play it.

[chartwel]

Damn, Gamepro still hasn't really cover how the game plays other than retelling stuff that has already been talked about.

well, this stuff that has been talked about might be all there is too the fighting system..............

[mario25]

2.400 enemies at the same time... Something really bad is going to hapen soon, 'cause this is starting to look like one of those "good news days," and they're always countered somehow within 48 hours. :shifty:



Lol, that was so cool!!

Now, imagine that in 720p, with 3000 men surrounding you on a huge battlefield...

Exactly what I was thinking :eek2:

[chartwel]

i see nickSFC was spreadin his hate over at ninja theory forums as well. lol.

[totobeni]

Exactly what I was thinking :eek2:

Originally Posted by Sephiroth_VII
2.400 enemies at the same time... Something really bad is going to hapen soon, 'cause this is starting to look like one of those "good news days," and they're always countered somehow within 48 hours.

...

bad news after every good news .....it f**king happened already

( 20 GB is dead + jafee's Blu-ray is useless )

yeah..this is a curse


even in march when there was good news after another ( Home + LBP)...the month ends with big disaster and PS3 lose 3 big games ..

[dnpmakkah]

Why don't we all just wait and enjoy this game. Those of us who DON'T have a predetermined mentality before it. My way of thinking with all games so far is wait and see.

Resistance was great, Resistance 2 is going to improve on story/gameplay and graphics.

Motorstrom was great, Motorstorm 2 is going to improve on gamemodes and graphics.

Heavenly Sword could be great, Heavenly Sword 2 is going to improve on story/gameplay/graphics and could add platforming.

It's game 1 of a series...whats to stop them from adding platforming in parts 2,3 etc.

[chartwel]

bad news after every good news .....it f**king happened already

( 20 GB is dead + jafee's Blu-ray is useless )

yeah..this is a curse


even in march when there was good news after another ( Home + LBP)...the month ends with big disaster and PS3 lose 3 big games ..

im sorry but where did jaffe say Blu-ray is useless.

[totobeni]

im sorry but where did jaffe say Blu-ray is useless.

yeah ..he never say useless..but he want to drop/cut it from PS3...is that mean it's the most important thing to you ? ...it mean it's expansive and useless ..

you don't want to cut/drop something if its useful ..it's a logical crap thing

[Diresu]

I have no problem with the direction this game has taken. They always said they wanted to make it feel cinematic in the style of the wushu type films and such. Which is what this does. I am not so quick to judge.

[chartwel]

yeah ..he never say useless..but he want to drop/cut it from PS3...is that mean it's the most important thing to you ? ...it mean it's expansive and useless ..

you don't want to cut/drop something if its useful ..it's a logical crap thing

no, your twistin