Heavenly Sword - Official Topic

[Diresu]

lol. that doesnt mean its useless.

Of course its not. I love the fact that bluray is included and not optional. Just trying to clear things up that Jaffe said. He never said its useless or that he hates it. All he said was that he would take it out in order to lower the price.

[chartwel]

Of course its not. I love the fact that bluray is included and not optional. Just trying to clear things up that Jaffe said. He never said its useless or that he hates it. All he said was that he would take it out in order to lower the price.

lol. sorry man, i was actually thinking i was replying to the guy that said it was useless. im so ashamed right now............:(

[Diresu]

LoL ...no worries.

[archy121]

I hope we see rumble coded in to the game so that when the new controller is available we can take full advantage of it as this is surely going to a AAA platinum game that people will be playing years to come when it is in the budget range.

[rpgamer_2k5]

This game looks really interesting. The fact that the field isn't as large as RE will mean the action will be real pretty without the redundant environments like in many action-adventure titles. Personally I'd take a tight battle engine, superior graphics, intensive story over traditional action-adventure titles. :)

[bigwig]

This game looks really interesting. The fact that the field isn't as large as RE will mean the action will be real pretty without the redundant environments like in many action-adventure titles. Personally I'd take a tight battle engine, superior graphics, intensive story over traditional action-adventure titles. :)

hmmm, if your talking about resident evil, the levels in HS look much much much bigger...RE levels werent that big at all

peace

[antuk15]

2005 and 2006

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/5264/hswh3mf6.jpg

2007

http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108390-4-2.jpg

Not the best comprison but you get the idea of how her face has evolved

[rpgamer_2k5]

hmmm, if your talking about resident evil, the levels in HS look much much much bigger...RE levels werent that big at all

peace I'm talking about other action-adventure titles from Ubisoft and friends. ;)

But if this game is much larger than Resident Evil then I don't see the need of complaining at all. Resident Evil's size is sufficient.

[Nameless]

^ I think RE 4 may be a good title to compare with HS from a control perspective... RE 4 did not have a true jump button and contained many scripted events that progressed the storyline. I think we can all agree that RE 4 was the best game in the series from a visual & gameplay perspective.
I can understand why some people would be concerned with the title, because NT is not a well known developer, but I will give them the benefit of the doubt and take the plunge regardless... I really respect the ambitious approach of the project and the visuals released so far.

[Z]

http://www.talexiart.com/

I think this is the website of the concept artist of the game. nice pics, check it out.

[Nameless]

It looks like HS is the biggest project the artist has worked on...
I like the futuristic style, but the images are very dark in tone.
It will be interesting to see if he works on other Sony projects.

[chartwel]

^ I think RE 4 may be a good title to compare with HS from a control perspective... RE 4 did not have a true jump button and contained many scripted events that progressed the storyline. I think we can all agree that RE 4 was the best game in the series from a visual & gameplay perspective.
I can understand why some people would be concerned with the title, because NT is not a well known developer, but I will give them the benefit of the doubt and take the plunge regardless... I really respect the ambitious approach of the project and the visuals released so far.

i wouldnt say that. many people enjoyed the survival horror resident evils more than the 3rd person shooter.

[FantasyGhost]

Roach
http://x013.uploaderx.net/x/1176351133.jpg
http://x013.uploaderx.net/x/1176351133.jpg

[Nodieza]

i wouldnt say that. many people enjoyed the survival horror resident evils more than the 3rd person shooter.

I for one enjoyed the old school survivor horror resident evils more than the new ones, I really liked the new game but it wasn't a Resident evil game at all to me besides the corny voice acting and plot.

[Cless]

yay snow level
http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108729-9-2.jpg

http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108729-10-2.jpg

http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108729-6-2.jpg

http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108729-4-2.jpg

http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108729-5-2.jpg

More artwork
http://www.gamepro.com/screen_gallery.cfm?globalId=110429

[Diresu]

Dunno if this has been posted but an interesting bit on the RAM usage...

"Hi. New stuff to say. Army count now at 2400...could get higher.

All army members have own AI and can get blown up or come and attack you.

The AI for the army is done on one SPU. It uses no main RAM, but only the Ram on board the SPU...that's right...

"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."

They will feel like an army and not a rabble and different sections will be following orders - 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
The lighting in the recent pics was a design choice...all the HDR and DOF is still there...just artists changed it for that area."

From: Vulgotha
Note: "Firewire I hadn't heard of that! Thats simply amazing! Geez what a way to save RAM. And XDR RAM is top notch to boot! .. So I wonder what they're using it for then if such processes don't take up RAM... Wow I knew Cell had 2x the Cache as the 360, and (Rumored) at double the speed,(I know the Cell's cache is clocked 3.2Ghz, but I heard a rumor that Xenons was clocked @ 1.6Ghz..Unverifiable, if you guys could let me knowi 'd apperciate it). but I didn't know that kind of thing was sufficient for completely NOT touching the Main RAM for these kind of processes.

Cell is beast."

Source : http://www.n4g.com/ps3/News-34839.aspx
Thanks to Firewire on PS3Forums

[makeitlookreal]

We really need the HD versions of these screenshots.

[Sypher]

The fact theres no jump is going to hurt this game in most reviews. People are expecting a DMC/GoW system.

[LiquidEagle]

The art design and environments they're creating are incredible. Not quite as good as God of War's IMO, but damn close, and that's saying a lot :-D

[liver_kick]

Dunno if this has been posted but an interesting bit on the RAM usage...




Source : http://www.n4g.com/ps3/News-34839.aspx
Thanks to Firewire on PS3Forums

Um, that looks like someone is regurgitating DeanoC's comments with out sourcing them?

[Kabbage]

The fact theres no jump is going to hurt this game in most reviews. People are expecting a DMC/GoW system. Only the idiot reviewers.

Basing the reviews of an entirely new game based on other games makes you a moron. (Gamespot/IGN/1uP)

[NickSCFC]

Exactly what I was expecting :(

[gibmonster]

Only the idiot reviewers.

Basing the reviews of an entirely new game based on other games makes you a moron. (Gamespot/IGN/1uP)

True. I notice the same thing with movies too. People want to see something new and fresh and when they get it they end up ripping it apart.

[Jay Gee]

The fact theres no jump is going to hurt this game in most reviews. People are expecting a DMC/GoW system.
Thing is, I always hated getting hit out of my jump during GoW. Shit was hella annoying, cuz it forced you back to the ground where you took even MORE punishment. Not even have to worry about something like that is a load off my mind. I'm all for no jump button. It should be an interesting take on an action title.

[gozirah]

Jump buttons are so last gen.

[LiquidEagle]

Don't worry, Solid Snake (or Timesplitters) never lost points due to being jump-less :-p

[Diresu]

Couldn't care less. I want heavenly sword for the godly animations and story. Jump button never made me not buy a game.

[gibmonster]

Couldn't care less. I want heavenly sword for the godly animations and story. Jump button never made me not buy a game.

Good point. I can say the same for RE4 and not being able to move while aiming.

[Applefiend]

Funnily enough the "Not move while aiming thing" has resulted in a perfect control scheme in the new Wii version.

Anyway, me off topic.

[julps31]

I think if the game mechanics work well enough then having no jump shouldn't even be a problem. Like LiquidEagle said...MGS has no jump button and its fine (because of the controll scheme). Its only a problem when the lack of a certain feature hampers the game (ala Killzone and no jump). So I really can't see reviewers penalizing the game if it isn't really needed.

[OmniCloud]

Funnily enough the "Not move while aiming thing" has resulted in a perfect control scheme in the new Wii version.

Anyway, me off topic.Indeed, but I want more Mario Galaxy/SB rather than classic GC games with new controller schemes. Ninty is really jerking me with the Wii man, thinking about trading it in:shifty:

Back on topic-any1 foolish enough to stray away from HS because of no jump can always wait on my user review. Pre-ordered it a few days ago baby!

[section]

Passing the game of this quality for one sole reason is one's own decision which I believe wont last for very long after eventually seeing this somewhere :)

[Epix]

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).
They're up to 2400 on-screen AI controlled enemies simultaneously. Hallelujah!

[BruceWayneIII]

Hi-res shots of four of the latest images:

http://www.playfrance.com/news-images-heavenly-sword-nouvelles-images.html

[Epix]

Hi-res shots of four of the latest images:

http://www.playfrance.com/news-images-heavenly-sword-nouvelles-images.html
Can you post as attachments?

[GTAce]

Here Epix!
I hope it works.

[NeoPlayStation]

Here we go:

[BruceWayneIII]

Can you post as attachments?

Yes, but no need now, I see :hugegrin:

Thank you, guys, for beating me to it.

EDIT: And GTAce, get your duck back!!!

[GTAce]

:lol:

[Epix]

Boy, I love all you guys......:grouphug:

[NeoPlayStation]

The waterfall in the last picture is a little flat. After Lair, I expect more for ingame waterfalls :)

[GTAce]

And GTAce, get your duck back!!!

It will come back soon dude. ;)

[VonGak]

:lol:

Seriously, get it back.:whip:

[VonGak]

The waterfall in the last picture is a little flat. After Lair, I expect more for ingame waterfalls :)

I can't claim any of the HD HS shots to be mindblowing after all the things we have seen from Lair, Ninja Theory better have more up in their sleeves.

[zulfiqar]

I can't claim any of the HD HS shots to be mindblowing after all the things we have seen from Lair, Ninja Theory better have more up in their sleeves.

Agreed, we should not judge from pics only. I hope we get HS explosion soon like LAIR's.

[chartwel]

Agreed, we should not judge from pics only. I hope we get HS explosion soon like LAIR's.

i doubt we get a media explosion like lairs until some time after E3. lair is coming out in july, heavenly sword not until fall.

i just hope they have something incredible at E3. like the newest build perhaps :)

[TEEDA]

(left) Cutscene , right ( In-game)
http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/5110/hsia5.jpg
pretty close though.

[Z]

the pic on the left; I can see the hair to be in game, but that face looks way too detailed with freckles and what not. I can almost smell her face. O_o

[GTShotoKen]

(left) Cutscene , right ( In-game)
http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/5110/hsia5.jpg
pretty close though.

In-game cutscene...http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/clipart/flybynight.gif lol

I'm just so surprised that the characters (especially Nariko) and environments are so incredibly detailed. Heavenly Sword looks better than even the most detailed fighting game I've seen so far and it's a third-person action game with tons of characters onscreen at once.

[Epix]

They're up to 2400 on-screen AI controlled enemies simultaneously. Hallelujah!
Did you guys miss this!?

[VonGak]

Did you guys miss this!?
I already posted that a coulple of pages ago :-p

[Epix]

I already posted that a coulple of pages ago :-p
Ahh, you did. Well done! :tardbang:

[totobeni]

i was 100% sure that i saw Nariko's new face model somewhere before ...

look at this ( nariko's new face )
http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108390-4-2.jpg

now look at this Eiko Koike face ( japanese actress ) repeat the face
http://www.ponycanyon.co.jp/wtne/dvd/image/011017_hot.jpg


damn hot ...Nariko = Koike with tan ...good for me..now i want 2 copy of HS

[cliffbo]

nice pics: http://www.gametab.com/news/878092/

[cliffbo]

have you guys seen the new FF pics!

[totobeni]

nice pics: http://www.gametab.com/news/878092/

concept art !! that new to me....Japanese style woods and gate

[Siraris]

Ew, those screenshots are AWFUL. What the heck happened to this game?

Look at this shot, it looks like a PS2 game:

http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/781/781495/heavenly-sword-20070418095350696.jpg

[LaLiLuLeLo]

can't...contain....hate...

[dnpmakkah]

Wow that's a PS2 shot? Damn the PS2 is turning out better graphics than a lot of next-gen titles. :cheers:

[VG Aficionado]

:duh:

[cliffbo]

can't...contain....hate...

with the greatest respect read your own post in the sticky and think... lol... sometimes things get on top of you fella ;)

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Do not incur my wrath.

[cliffbo]

Do not incur my wrath.

that is a joke right... lol... you are still the poster i used to have a laugh with regularly over the last two years. sometimes i'm a magnet, sometimes i'm a compas but i always come back to who i am, a decent guy who enjoys good conversation

[LaLiLuLeLo]

No cliffbo. this is not a game. This is no joke. I am drunk with power.
:evillaugh :evillaugh :evillaugh :evillaugh
kidding

[cliffbo]

No cliffbo. this is not a game. This is no joke. I am drunk with power.

then you need to sober up... ;)

[LaLiLuLeLo]

"Looks like a PS2 game", when the game doesn't look like a PS2 game, by any stretch of the imagination, is on the list of 'stupid shit that shouldn't be said.'

[cliffbo]

"Looks like a PS2 game", when the game doesn't look like a PS2 game, by any stretch of the imagination, is on the list of 'stupid shit that shouldn't be said.'

now that is a comment i would concede was meant to inflame, but you know, i don't really care because i have my own views and know that HS is going to be excellent

[totobeni]

HS is a PS2 game ? COME ON

that draw distance in HS can kill 100 PS2s

what next ? L.A.I.R is a PSP game or something ..and Uncharted is a Pocketstation game ?

[cliffbo]

just one post and look at the mayhem he's caused:

:clap:

[LaLiLuLeLo]

So yeah.

Man I'm pumped for this game.


HOW STOKED ARE YOUUUU GUYS????

[Siraris]

Wow that's a PS2 shot? Damn the PS2 is turning out better graphics than a lot of next-gen titles. :cheers:

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/article/615/615761/shadow-of-the-colossus-20050517113130962.jpg

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/article/609/609220/shadow-of-the-colossus-20050501100858881.jpg

Here's 2 shots of Shadow of the Colossus for PS2. The only differences in the two shots that I can see is that Heavenly Sword has slightly higher resolution textures, and slightly better lighting.

This game used to be gorgeous, and it's either taken a big hit, or those are really shitty screenshots. If you don't see it, you need to take off your fanboy goggles.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Well I'll bet money that it's the latter of the two and not the former, let alone that nothing is going on in th shots. She's just standing there, and there aren't 1000 enemies on screen or moving anything.
Great screenshot of SoTC, crummy screenshot of HS.

Take it easy with the knee-jerk reactions please.

[Siraris]

Well I'll bet money that it's the latter of the two and not the former, let alone that nothing is going on in th shots. She's just standing there, and there aren't 1000 enemies on screen or moving anything.
Great screenshot of SoTC, crummy screenshot of HS.

Take it easy with the knee-jerk reactions please.

Knee jerk reaction? How is what I said a knee jerk reaction? I have been following this game closely since E3, been heaping praise on how fantastic it looked, spreading the Heroes clip all over the net (including here) and after carefully examining the shots I come to the conclusion that these shots reflect a serious degradation in quality based on what I have viewed before, that's a knee jerk reaction?

I know the people on here are die hard Sony lovers, it's seriously visible in every post that people make. I am a huge Sony fan, or I wouldn't be posting on here and I wouldn't have a 12 in reputation, nor would I stand up for Sony on almost every site out there. There's a big difference, though, in being a fan of Sony's work, and just blithely ignoring the obvious, which is just foolish.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Well, Siraris, I keep going back and looking at those screens, and I'm trying to figure out what's so terrible about them. And I coulda swore those shots had been posted [p]ages ago. Not to slight cliffbo.

[cliffbo]

Knee jerk reaction? How is what I said a knee jerk reaction? I have been following this game closely since E3, been heaping praise on how fantastic it looked, spreading the Heroes clip all over the net (including here) and after carefully examining the shots I come to the conclusion that these shots reflect a serious degradation in quality based on what I have viewed before, that's a knee jerk reaction?

I know the people on here are die hard Sony lovers, it's seriously visible in every post that people make. I am a huge Sony fan, or I wouldn't be posting on here and I wouldn't have a 12 in reputation, nor would I stand up for Sony on almost every site out there. There's a big difference, though, in being a fan of Sony's work, and just blithely ignoring the obvious, which is just foolish.

Well, Siraris, I keep going back and looking at those screens, and I'm trying to figure out what's so terrible about them. And I coulda swore those shots had been posted [p]ages ago. Not to slight cliffbo.

you see the problem is you are both right from your own perspectives. i disagree that they look like PS2 screens though, but again that's only my view and you could have picked other pics too... but you chose that one, i think that's what Lalu has noted.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Thing is, we've seen over and over video footage and high quality screens of this game. We know intuitively that it is going to be an impressive game on all technical fronts. We've read preview after preview about how nice and gorgeous it looks on some HD tv. So shooting a knee jerk "looks like a ps2 game!" response to some boring ass low quality shots isn't exactly the most reasonable reaction. At least I sincerely don't think so.

[dnpmakkah]

If you don't see it, you need to take off your fanboy goggles.What are you talking about? It's not like I called you crazy for calling it a PS2 game. I just said wow for a PS2 game it looks pretty good even better than most other PS2 games. I don't know why that makes me a fanboy.

I'm not overly hyped about any PS2/PS3 game. Graphics, gameplay, and story on an individual basis don't make or break any game for me. If a game interests me, I buy it and play it and judge it's quality off the final product as a whole. So I would hardly call that being a fanboy. I would however conclude that a fanboy makes negative rubbish statements about a game off of screenshots about a system that he/she might not even buy.

[LiquidEagle]

This game looks awesome.

[cliffbo]

Thing is, we've seen over and over video footage and high quality screens of this game. We know intuitively that it is going to be an impressive game on all technical fronts. We've read preview after preview about how nice and gorgeous it looks on some HD tv. So shooting a knee jerk "looks like a ps2 game!" response to some boring ass low quality shots isn't exactly the most reasonable reaction. At least I sincerely don't think so.

i agree with this 100%

If you don't see it, you need to take off your fanboy goggles.

fella, that doesn't help your cause :)

[Pluto]

I remember someone saying..

" If you can still find a flaw in Heavenly Sword now, you weren't hugged enough as a child. " Or something..

The fanboy goggles definitely need to go. :)

[Rip3001]

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/article/576/576301/the-getaway-20050101110623969.jpg

...and GTA IV looks like The Getaway with "slightly higher resolution textures, and slightly better lighting." :clapping:

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Rip, let's be part of the solution buddy. :)

[frosty]

Siraris wouldn't know next gen if it kicked him in the balls. What a bunch of crap. That game looks better than any shot ever released of it before, and he still complains. Looks better than any other platformer out there, and he still complains. ha!

[Pluto]

Looks better than any other platformer out there, and he still complains. ha!

Not a platforming game.

And I semi-agree with Siraris in saying that the game isn't looking its greatest. I wouldn't agree with the comparison to Shadow of the Colossus, but from the last batch of screens released, the environments are looking a little bare.

Since those images have been revealed to be 100% in game, what of this footage of these environments?

[Heavenly Sword - Environments (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4-Plj9lswQ)]

[Rip3001]

Rip, let's be part of the solution buddy. :)

I'm trying...I just have a more round-about way of doing it. :tada:

[Siraris]

Siraris wouldn't know next gen if it kicked him in the balls. What a bunch of crap. That game looks better than any shot ever released of it before, and he still complains. Looks better than any other platformer out there, and he still complains. ha!

First of all, how is this game a platformer?

Second of all, it doesn't look better than any other platformer out there. Ratchet and Clank looks substantially better than these screenshots, leaps and BOUNDS better. Ratchet and Clank is a platformer, this is not.

Those screenshots look awful. Did I say the game looks awful? No, not once did I say that. I said the screenshots look like a huge downgrade based on what we've seen before, and somehow I am in the wrong and I get flamed. You have to be utterly BLIND to not agree with me. Those do not look like any sort of improvement, especially based on what we've seen before.

I don't understand how you are a mod on this site with some of the comments you make. What mod on any other forum would make a post like this, and talk that way? It's like a child's tantrum or something.

I complain because I see legitimate differences in quality between what I've seen in the past and with these latest screens. Somehow I'm in the wrong here.

[Epix]

Siraris, have you seen any of the B3D and GAF posts from the HS devs saying that absolutely NOTHING has been downgraded?

Nothing (code or data wise) has been downgraded.
Lighting is something vibrant and dynamic that can change according what you have on screen and in which direction are you looking at (it's not like the sky lights the scene in the same way from every direction, and also camera exposure is automatically adjusted per frame).
Fog also is not just 'fog', it's applied on every single pixel we render and it's computed in a very complex fashion (mie and rayleigh scattering equations), it's not really something you wanna use to 'cover' stuff as it's more expensive to compute that the stuff you want to cover, lol
So please relax, nothing has been taken away

[OmniCloud]

First of all, how is this game a platformer?

Second of all, it doesn't look better than any other platformer out there. Ratchet and Clank looks substantially better than these screenshots, leaps and BOUNDS better. Ratchet and Clank is a platformer, this is not.

Those screenshots look awful. Did I say the game looks awful? No, not once did I say that. I said the screenshots look like a huge downgrade based on what we've seen before, and somehow I am in the wrong and I get flamed. You have to be utterly BLIND to not agree with me. Those do not look like any sort of improvement, especially based on what we've seen before.

I don't understand how you are a mod on this site with some of the comments you make. What mod on any other forum would make a post like this, and talk that way? It's like a child's tantrum or something.

I complain because I see legitimate differences in quality between what I've seen in the past and with these latest screens. Somehow I'm in the wrong here.Sry to butt in Siraris, but how can you expect NOT to get flamed for making such brazen comments like "it's looks like a PS2 game"? Like seriously, you were asking for some tough disagreement IMO.

Even if you think those shots look worse than what you've seen, you HAVE seen videos and other shots that impressed you no? So there should be no reason to make comments like that, and really there's no reason to get bent outta shape about people's reaction either. Sony fans or not, most people are just impressed with the game, and you should respond to there disagreement more politely man...

Seriously that was uncalled for. The game is months away still and we're arguing about a freakin' screenshot:cry2:

And to be fair, how far are you really expecting PS3 games to surpass PS2 games in the first year of the system:huh:

[Siraris]

Sry to butt in Siraris, but how can you expect NOT to get flamed for making such brazen comments like "it's looks like a PS2 game"? Like seriously, you were asking for some tough disagreement IMO.

Even if you think those shots look worse than what you've seen, you HAVE seen videos and other shots that impressed you no? So there should be no reason to make comments like that, and really there's no reason to get bent outta shape about people's reaction either. Sony fans or not, most people are just impressed with the game, and you should respond to there disagreement more politely man...

Seriously that was uncalled for. The game is months away still and we're arguing about a freakin' screenshot:cry2:

And to be fair, how far are you really expecting PS3 games to surpass PS2 games in the first year of the system:huh:

Uh, did I say that the game looks like it's a PS2 game? No, I said the screenshot looks like it's from a PS2 game. I don't know why people keep saying that I said the game looks like a PS2 game, because I've never said that nor do I feel that way. I was referring ONLY to these screens, which is what the topic of discussion has been about. Perhaps people should read what I actually said without jumping to some sort of conclusion.

And how far do I expect PS3 games to surpass PS2 games in the first year? Well, considering Virtua Fighter 5, Motorstorm, Genji, F1 and even to some extent Resistance all look substantially better than PS2 games, I expect quite a bit at this point.

[Siraris]

Siraris, have you seen any of the B3D and GAF posts from the HS devs saying that absolutely NOTHING has been downgraded?

I am completely aware of all of the things that Nostromo has said, I was just making a comment, that's all. I am someone who ALWAYS brings up how screenshots don't even come close to showing how good a game really looks, and how anything from the angle of the camera to the compression of the image can cause it to look sub-par. I made NO comment on how the game looks, not ONCE, I was referring ONLY to the screenshots. Everyone then came about twisting my words.

[cliffbo]

i still hold the record siraris... just 5 words... its taking you a lot longer *looks at watch*

on a serious note though... mmm... fellas, he's kinda got a point...

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Ew, those screenshots are AWFUL. What the heck happened to this game?

It's easy to take that the "wrong" way. Anyway.



Drop it. Moving on.

[VG Aficionado]

Can Heavenly Sword look good again? Thank you.

[cliffbo]

wait, i just realised, didn't we see some pictures recently that were from the latest build... was it gamepro not sure. are these older pics then? i think they look great but what if they are from a very old build... come on E3.

we wish our lives away
waiting for what we will play
every week and every day
listening to what the media say

all in all i'm satisfied
we can agree the sites they lied
took us on a hellish ride
and forced us all to take a side

next gens here and i'm good to go
watching Sony's console grow
certain of this thing i know
i'm chilling with this next gen flow

[VG Aficionado]

:dur:

[OmniCloud]

Uh, did I say that the game looks like it's a PS2 game? No, I said the screenshot looks like it's from a PS2 game. I don't know why people keep saying that I said the game looks like a PS2 game, because I've never said that nor do I feel that way. I was referring ONLY to these screens, which is what the topic of discussion has been about. Perhaps people should read what I actually said without jumping to some sort of conclusion.

And how far do I expect PS3 games to surpass PS2 games in the first year? Well, considering Virtua Fighter 5, Motorstorm, Genji, F1 and even to some extent Resistance all look substantially better than PS2 games, I expect quite a bit at this point.Well, you said afterward's "what happened to this game?" it's fairly easy to get your point mixed up after that statement. But anyway, it shouldn't be too much longer before we see the final version in trailer form. If NGS is anything to go by, final game should look fantastic....

[GTAce]

we wish our lives away
waiting for what we will play
every week and every day
listening to what the media say

all in all i'm satisfied
we can agree the sites they lied
took us on a hellish ride
and forced us all to take a side

next gens here and i'm good to go
watching Sony's console grow
certain of this thing i know
i'm chilling with this next gen flow

:lol: Thats awesome cliffbo!

[gozirah]

I remember someone saying..

" If you can still find a flaw in Heavenly Sword now, you weren't hugged enough as a child. " Or something..

The fanboy goggles definitely need to go. :)

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


That was me. The earplugs need to go too. :P I stand by my statement.
Look deeeeeeep into your past. As suspected, level of hug action = low. :P

***


Why are we always trying to judge games by screenshots? Do screens = awesome gaming? And do we have all Shadow of colossus and Heavenly sword frames to compare side by side? And do we have the final pressed version of HS? And is fog covering up all the HS screens? Nopers, nope, and yet more nopers. HS is supposed to by about action and cinematic experience. The video demos have already shown that they are well taking advantage of the PS3 to deliver. Some people don't like the raggedy anne hair. That's a matter of taste. But the art direction quality and the fluidity of motion has got be noticeably impressive. Any one else impressed, or is it just me? Saying "bah, screens no better than ps2" may be an honest critique, but I think we need to delve just a wee but deeper.

[Pluto]

That was me. The earplugs need to go too. :P I stand by my statement.
Look deeeeeeep into your past. As suspected, level of hug action = low. :P
.


That's fine. I'm glad you have such fond memories of being hugged. [ By Catholic priests, I'd have to assume.. ]

You can stick to your statement all you'd like, as it'll be the last one I'll ever read of yours. Spla-dow!


:farley:

[LaLiLuLeLo]

HEY.
WHAT THE FUCK.

I left for 3 hours, and the last thing I said was "Drop it" but that's like, too difficult? This thread is about heavenly sword, not Siraris.
Move on. I won't ask again.

[curryking1]

The fact theres no jump is going to hurt this game in most reviews. People are expecting a DMC/GoW system.

I feel the same way. People simply will go in with the expectation of jumping by looking at what the game is, and that's not at all wrong. It'll probably hurt the ratings. Part of fun is doing what you want to do.

I'm certainly not saying it can't be better without jumping, it could be worse or not even make a difference.

I'm really not on either side of the argument lol, just some people might want to jump though lol :queer:

[LaLiLuLeLo]

I think once people say, 'how do you play the game' and come to grips with the biases of the game, they'll get over it. I doubt the game is designed for a jump button. So a lack of one shouldn't piss people off.

[curryking1]

Well of course the game won't be designed with jumping in mind if the game, was well, was made with no jumping in mind.

Some people will complain about it, it's a guarantee. Change always has it's growing pains, some more, some less. Not everything comes out clean, but some really do too.

A prime example....

No running and gunning in RE4.

Is that a legitimate complaint? Well, some people just don't like it. Many games currently let you run and gun.

Yet it has always, always been clear that RE4 was designed for not being able to run and gun. I personally like the game design and I still play the game. I think the total gameplay package was excellent, regardless of what it hadn't that others had, or what it had that other's hadn't.

The package was what I liked, what RE4 offered was something I enjoyed to a great extent. I must admit though, the first 5 minutes were very... awkward lol, because I wasn't expecting a TPS with no strafing. But hey, to me, it worked.

Same thing here. HS could rise to critical acclaim like RE4, and on it's own merits of what it contained.

The whole is always different from the sum of the parts.

P.S. I can be almost 100% sure every review will mention this lacking. And many people will have legitimate opinions about the issue, or simply not like the gameplay thru the sum of it's parts, but there will be others that simply ignore the game because it's too different from what they expected to walk into.

O well, sucks for those people, they probably didn't get to enjoy RE4, because those people might've really liked it if they at least gave 'stupid no strafing' some time.

This is really a debate about what is good and what is not. Is good being similar to other experiences or having what others have and more? Or is good something that cannot be so easily defined?

I personally think it's closer to the latter. Sadly, most people are deranged or incapable of understanding new things or changing and probably lean to the former. I'm under the impression that it will probably end up pissing people off and put people off the game, but it could very well be for their own loss. Time to pull out the mantra of "Try new things, you might like them" lol.

[BruceWayneIII]

Anyone writing a review based on their own expectations, isn't writing a review of the game itself.

- "The game was not what I thought it to be."
- "Of course not, it is the result of other peoples imagination, not yours!"

[NeoPlayStation]

Official site (http://heavenlysword.eu/).

[KRA]

Official site (http://heavenlysword.eu/).

what a great site :) but my country is absent. so i can't get in.

[Sephiroth_VII]

New stuff from the official site:

The fan-pack (http://heavenlysword.eu/fan_pack.zip)
Artwork (http://heavenlysword.eu/character_artwork.zip)

You get those links once you register, and they promise exclusive videos in the near future!

[cliffbo]

http://heavenlysword.eu/age.php?regionId=en_GB

[frosty]

apparently I dug up a screen everyone missed (or at least I haven't seen it posted).

[curryking1]

I think I saw that one, but whatevs lol ;)

Great call Bruce, I'll give you rep, but I have a temp ban (24 hrs) from repping because I repped too much today.... :(

[frosty]

well, not in this thread at least. and it was bundled with the recent batch of screens on sony's press site.

[BruceWayneIII]

...Great call Bruce, I'll give you rep, but I have a temp ban (24 hrs) from repping because I repped too much today.... :(

Thanks a lot - thought no one noticed... :)

[EvilTaru]

Well of course the game won't be designed with jumping in mind if the game, was well, was made with no jumping in mind.

Some people will complain about it, it's a guarantee. Change always has it's growing pains, some more, some less. Not everything comes out clean, but some really do too.

A prime example....

No running and gunning in RE4.

Is that a legitimate complaint? Well, some people just don't like it. Many games currently let you run and gun.

Yet it has always, always been clear that RE4 was designed for not being able to run and gun. I personally like the game design and I still play the game. I think the total gameplay package was excellent, regardless of what it hadn't that others had, or what it had that other's hadn't.

The package was what I liked, what RE4 offered was something I enjoyed to a great extent. I must admit though, the first 5 minutes were very... awkward lol, because I wasn't expecting a TPS with no strafing. But hey, to me, it worked.

Same thing here. HS could rise to critical acclaim like RE4, and on it's own merits of what it contained.

The whole is always different from the sum of the parts.

P.S. I can be almost 100% sure every review will mention this lacking. And many people will have legitimate opinions about the issue, or simply not like the gameplay thru the sum of it's parts, but there will be others that simply ignore the game because it's too different from what they expected to walk into.

O well, sucks for those people, they probably didn't get to enjoy RE4, because those people might've really liked it if they at least gave 'stupid no strafing' some time.

This is really a debate about what is good and what is not. Is good being similar to other experiences or having what others have and more? Or is good something that cannot be so easily defined?

I personally think it's closer to the latter. Sadly, most people are deranged or incapable of understanding new things or changing and probably lean to the former. I'm under the impression that it will probably end up pissing people off and put people off the game, but it could very well be for their own loss. Time to pull out the mantra of "Try new things, you might like them" lol.

While I do agree with you that the overall package is what matters, had RE4 not been a "Resident Evil" game and didn't have the gorgeous graphics it would have tanked in sales and been scrutinized for every one of its faults.

[curryking1]

Graphics and the existing name were part of the whole package ;)

It's too hard to take away elements of the game and say it wouldn't have suceeded without said elements because too many variables are changed.

Either way, it's the best example of a game that goes in quite a different direction to make an experience of it's own, and it's complete quality overcomes the hardship that comes with change.

[totobeni]

just in case...

if heavenly Sword fail cuz of Ninja Theory..SCEWWS can give it to "Santa Monica" or any other SCEWW Studio right ?

since sony own the IP like what Eidos did to T.R and legendary crapy core design , the game look great so far..but i can't trust any team of noobs

[EvilTaru]

just in case...

if heavenly Sword fail cuz of Ninja Theory..SCEWWS can give it to "Santa Monica" or any other SCEWW Studio right ?

since sony own the IP like what Eidos did to T.R and legendary crapy core design , the game look great so far..but i can't trust any team of noobs

It would be kind of stupid to give the IP to teams that are not interested in working with that IP. Santa Monica is already working with its own IP which is very successful. It would be kind of awkward to pull the IP from Ninja Theory when they are in the same building as SCEE Cambridge, talk about embarrassing.

Crystal Dynamics doesn't have any truly viable IP (Amy Hennig and Richard Lemarchand left them for Naughty Dog and Hennig did a lot of the storyline for Soul Reaver) so it really doesn't matter as much that Eidos forced TR on them, but this is obviously different because most Sony studios have at least one viable IP they're working with.

[Epix]

Today PSU brings new details on this AAA PS3 title in an interview with SCEA's Santa Monica Studios producer, Kyle Shubel.

PSU: Many people have related Heavenly Sword to games like God of War or Dynasty Warriors due to the combat and massive armies of men. How does Heavenly Sword set itself apart from such games?

Kyle Shubel: While it is quite an honor to be compared to both God of War and Dynasty Warriors, I think that Heavenly Sword will 'cut its own niche' with our robust combat system, amazing environments, and narrative experience. The 'in game cinematics' were all motion captured and recorded at the cutting edge WETA facilities in New Zealand using technology more advanced, in more detail, with more cameras, than "Lord of the Rings" and "King Kong" which were also filmed at WETA. I think that we are truly entering the "Next Generation".


PSU: How extensive is your arsenal of moves and weapons?

Shubel: Nariko begins our story with just a normal sword, this is before she makes the decision to wield the Heavenly Sword. Once she unsheathes that sword, why would she want to wield anything else? As far as makeshift weapons, the player can use just about anything in the environment as a weapon, picking up chairs, tables, enemy weapons and armor, even fruit, and throwing it at enemies. There are also a few occasions where the player gets access to a bazooka and cannons.

Combat moves is a whole other story. Heavenly Sword employs a stance based system where the player can chose from speed, ranged, and power stance, each of which have a number of moves which the player can pull off.

Coupled with the ability to dynamically change stances mid-combo, the player can string together an impressive list of moves.


PSU: Will there be any type of online mode for Heavenly Sword? If not multiplayer, do you have plans for PlayStation Home? Items, features, ect?

Shubel: Heavenly Sword does not have an online multiplayer mode - this is a single player game. We are in discussions to support HOME with Heavenly Sword content. Hopefully there will be more to announce in the near future....


PSU: What have you found best about working with the PlayStation 3 hardware?

Shubel: The cell processor and RSX have added a level of flexibility that really has freed the creatives, both design and art, to go a little crazy. From environmental vistas to huge armies, AI group combos to motion blended animations, and Nariko's hair, all of this is possible due to the PS3.

PSU: There has been word of a possible Heavenly Sword demo releasing before the retail game. Is this true and if so when can we expect it?

Shubel: There is a Heavenly Sword demo planned, will keep you posted on the availability.

PSU: What is the planned max resolution and framerate for Heavenly Sword?

Shubel: Right now were working at 720P, 30fps....


PSU: What kind of enemies will the players run into? Humans, monsters, ect? Who/what is your favorite?

Shubel: The majority of the enemies will be human, however there are some surprises, again... will keep you posted. As for my favorite, that is a tough one, there is a boss fight later in the game which I do not want to go into too much detail, but there is a gladiator style arena fight that
just rocks.

PSU: What kind of environments should we expect to see? Snowy areas, jungle, castles, ect? And how much freedom will players have to roam about?

Shubel: There are some very fantastical environments where Heavenly Sword really pushes the envelope. You will see snowy hills, riverbeds, barren desert, shrines nestled in the mountains and a castle city amongst waterfalls.


This being a narrative, story based adventure, we try and keep you on track throughout the game, so there isn't much along the lines of roaming about.

PSU: What is the planned length of the game? Will there be unlockables to add to the replay value?

Shubel: That's hard to say... depends on the player. There's a good chance there may be some unlockables, perhaps some bonus features, and more... so there should be some good replay value.

PSU: What is the expected release date for Heavenly Sword?

Shubel: Fall '07


PSU.com would like to thank Kyle for his participation in the interview.

Keep an eye out for more news on Heavenly Sword as fall rolls around here at PlayStation Universe. This is definitely a game where are dying to get our hands on.
http://www.psu.com/node/10332

[Black Dragon37]

SCEA?

Huh? :wtf:

[VG Aficionado]

:hugegrin:

[totobeni]

Today PSU brings new details on this AAA PS3 title in an interview with SCEA's Santa Monica Studios producer, Kyle Shubel.

1up ask Jaffe about Insomniac game in Japan ...now PSU ask Kyle Shubel about Ninja Theory SCEE game..

...Did Santa Monica guys controls Sony Electronic and Sony Picture too ?

[VonGak]

SCEA?

Huh? :wtf:

My exact thought but interestingly he did manage to give some snippets of new info. :)

+rep Epix, if I got any left.

[Siraris]

In almost every case, games from big publishers have producers from the publisher on board. It's not that eye popping of an ordeal.

[dnpmakkah]

Nice to hear there will be a demo out eventually.

[Z]

SCEA?

Huh? :wtf:

Sony is publishing this game. that would be their NA publishing arm. also, this is an interview with the 'producers' of the game. Sony is producing and publishing this title.:king:
this is like asking Rockstar about LA Noire.

[darkwing]

PSU: What is the planned max resolution and framerate for Heavenly Sword?

Shubel: Right now were working at 720P, 30fps....

I'm starting to get ticked at things like this. I bought a 60" SXRD set and a PS3 because I wanted 1080p and I'm hardly getting that with PS3. It's starting to really piss me off. Luckily NGS is coming to give me a real next gen experience.

Hopefully it really is 60fps and not 6 fps like Full Auto 2.

I'll keep my fingers crossed that the HS people can up it at least to 1080p30.

[section]

HS wont be upgraded to 1080P this late, it's just not possible. I have SDTV so it doesnt matter :)

[VG Aficionado]

There's always the hardware-upscaled 1080p mode (960x1080).

[cliffbo]

linear/720p/30fps... hope its good...

[GTAce]

linear/720p/30fps/over 2000 enemys on the screen/awesome details. 8)
Dont forget the rest. ;)

[BruceWayneIII]

I'm starting to get ticked at things like this. I bought a 60" SXRD set and a PS3 because I wanted 1080p and I'm hardly getting that with PS3. It's starting to really piss me off. Luckily NGS is coming to give me a real next gen experience...

Not every game will be in 1080p - naturally - but there are quite a few games this early and upcoming games including Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Lair, Burnout 5, Unreal Tournament (according to the latest article I have), GT5, Wardevil and I know I have forgotten a few more games. Things are really looking good in that department.

[cliffbo]

linear/720p/30fps/over 2000 enemys on the screen/awesome details. 8)
Dont forget the rest. ;)

i listed the targets for 360 owners ;) so lets hope its so good it makes those little criticisms pointless...

[woundingchaney]

I'm starting to get ticked at things like this. I bought a 60" SXRD set and a PS3 because I wanted 1080p and I'm hardly getting that with PS3. It's starting to really piss me off. Luckily NGS is coming to give me a real next gen experience.

Hopefully it really is 60fps and not 6 fps like Full Auto 2.

I'll keep my fingers crossed that the HS people can up it at least to 1080p30.

Welcome, if you havent been already. :)


While I own a 1080p tv as well it is entirely possible that a game focused at 720p can look better than a game running at 1080p. Resolution is only one aspect of visuals (I personally find lighting to be of the utmost importance but that is only opinion), and running a game at 1080p can be a very rescource demanding element often causing other areas to be affected.

[gozirah]

If 1080p were easy now, this would be a very short hardware generation.

[makeitlookreal]

They need to just add monsters.

[SleazyBig slim]

I'm starting to get ticked at things like this. I bought a 60" SXRD set and a PS3 because I wanted 1080p and I'm hardly getting that with PS3. It's starting to really piss me off. Luckily NGS is coming to give me a real next gen experience.

Hopefully it really is 60fps and not 6 fps like Full Auto 2.

I'll keep my fingers crossed that the HS people can up it at least to 1080p30.

Dude I can assure you HS will look better then most 1080P PS3 games, propably even Lair.

[Pluto]

I dislike the fact that they dismissed the question about Heavenly Sword's length.

What are they trying to hide?

[Sephiroth_VII]

It's probably 2 hours long :XD:

[hevymac]

:thumbr: If you want a good 1080p game then Tekken Dark Resuection (it looks soooooo sweat in 1080p) is great!! Unless you have Tekken 5 already.
I don't know what to think about Heavenly Sword..... I don't like the main characters look at all but the game will propbably be good and I'm dying for anything which resembles an adventure game or platformer on ps3!!! Nice lush enviroments.....:aimhappy:

[9thPower]

60 hours FTW!!!! Lol they don't want to scare players that only like 5 hour games... :crazy2: *runz* J/k

[EvilTaru]

For god's sake, JUST SHOW THE ****ING GAME, DEMO IT, and more importantly, SHOW HOW IT PLAYS, like "if you grab this guy and press this button you can do this, you can then press this button and do this and this and this, and end the combo on this", instead of "oh, look at the animations, we're trying to be cinematic" or "we spend 50 hours mo-capping to capture the human essence" or "we're tapping into the power of the PS3", some stupid mother****ing general, glorified verbose crap that tells me ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

It's a GAME, the most important thing is HOW IT PLAYS, so far they've done NOTHING to show HOW IT PLAYS. I sure as hell am NOT questioning the fantastic visuals, I already ****ing know how great it looks, I can see the damn screenshots, NT needs to show the ****ing gameplay, no offense to nAo or DeanoC but right now I'm interested in gameplay and I don't need the tech crap anymore, they can do all their shit in the background, that's great, but somewhere along the line this thing has to evolve from just a tech showcase to being a GAME.

And please, no more of this ****ing 720p versus 1080p bullshit, you don't PLAY 720p or 1080p, it's like people don't actually PLAY games but instead just look at them and if it gets you off then great, everytime the discussion goes to techshit like this it's like the board is getting punched in the ****ing cock. I want this to be a ****ing awesome game, and the thing I want to know the most is the ****ing GAMEPLAY but so far they've refused to show shit.

I +repped the OP but to be honest this kind of interview isn't really informative.http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v500/EvilTaru/Indifferent2.gif

[9thPower]

For god's sake, JUST SHOW THE ****ING GAME, DEMO IT, and more importantly, SHOW HOW IT PLAYS, like "if you grab this guy and press this button you can do this, then you can then press this button and do this and this and this, and end the combo on this", instead of "oh, look at the animations, we're trying to be cinematic" or "we spend 50 hours mo-capping to capture the human essence" or "we're tapping into the power of the PS3", some stupid mother****ing general, glorified verbose crap that tells me ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. It's a GAME, the most important thing is HOW IT PLAYS, so far they've done NOTHING to show HOW IT PLAYS. I sure as hell am NOT questioning the fantastic visuals, I already ****ing know how great it looks, I can see the damn screenshots, NT needs to show the ****ing gameplay, no offense to nAo or DeanoC but right now I'm interested in gameplay and I don't need the tech crap anymore, they can do all their shit in the background, that's great.
(and then he ends it with a RAWR! :mad: ... or not!) :look: Lol ;) we will eventually have that good sir, just have patience. they probably are tweaking the gameplay so that the trolls will just have this to say "... its a... a game with a woman HAA! yeah!... no muscle armored guys... yeah... take that... *in secret* (I want that game so bad!!)" look what it got Lair for releasing unfinished footage(alpha) :whip: after all HS will be the first big game for the PS3 :hugegrin: (according to the devs)

[totobeni]

For god's sake, JUST SHOW THE ****ING GAME, DEMO IT, and more importantly, SHOW HOW IT PLAYS, like "if you grab this guy and press this button you can do this, you can then press this button and do this and this and this, and end the combo on this", instead of "oh, look at the animations, we're trying to be cinematic" or "we spend 50 hours mo-capping to capture the human essence" or "we're tapping into the power of the PS3", some stupid mother****ing general, glorified verbose crap that tells me ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

It's a GAME, the most important thing is HOW IT PLAYS, so far they've done NOTHING to show HOW IT PLAYS. I sure as hell am NOT questioning the fantastic visuals, I already ****ing know how great it looks, I can see the damn screenshots, NT needs to show the ****ing gameplay, no offense to nAo or DeanoC but right now I'm interested in gameplay and I don't need the tech crap anymore, they can do all their shit in the background, that's great, but somewhere along the line this thing has to evolve from just a tech showcase to being a GAME.

And please, no more of this ****ing 720p versus 1080p bullshit, you don't PLAY 720p or 1080p, it's like people don't actually PLAY games but instead just look at them and if it gets you off then great, everytime the discussion goes to techshit like this it's like the board is getting punched in the ****ing cock. I want this to be a ****ing awesome game, and the thing I want to know the most is the ****ing GAMEPLAY but so far they've refused to show shit.

I +repped the OP but to be honest this kind of interview isn't really informative.http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v500/EvilTaru/Indifferent2.gif


QFT

we need DEMO sony ...even if this game uses GOW engine as some rumors suggest we still need to play a level of this game..not just a fight arena..we just want a demo like NG sigma demo ..

[Nameless]

For god's sake, JUST SHOW THE ****ING GAME, DEMO IT, and more importantly, SHOW HOW IT PLAYS, like "if you grab this guy and press this button you can do this, you can then press this button and do this and this and this, and end the combo on this", instead of "oh, look at the animations, we're trying to be cinematic" or "we spend 50 hours mo-capping to capture the human essence" or "we're tapping into the power of the PS3", some stupid mother****ing general, glorified verbose crap that tells me ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

It's a GAME, the most important thing is HOW IT PLAYS, so far they've done NOTHING to show HOW IT PLAYS. I sure as hell am NOT questioning the fantastic visuals, I already ****ing know how great it looks, I can see the damn screenshots, NT needs to show the ****ing gameplay, no offense to nAo or DeanoC but right now I'm interested in gameplay and I don't need the tech crap anymore, they can do all their shit in the background, that's great, but somewhere along the line this thing has to evolve from just a tech showcase to being a GAME.

And please, no more of this ****ing 720p versus 1080p bullshit, you don't PLAY 720p or 1080p, it's like people don't actually PLAY games but instead just look at them and if it gets you off then great, everytime the discussion goes to techshit like this it's like the board is getting punched in the ****ing cock. I want this to be a ****ing awesome game, and the thing I want to know the most is the ****ing GAMEPLAY but so far they've refused to show shit.

I +repped the OP but to be honest this kind of interview isn't really informative.http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v500/EvilTaru/Indifferent2.gif

You sir get the rant of the week award! :rant:
(+rep) I absolutely agree! I got yo back dawg... :guns:

I like talking about the specs, but this game has been discussed far too long with no real examples of gameplay. At this point I'm not sure if the game will still play like the demo displayed last year... I'm hoping we may see an actual demo in July, because the game will launch in the fall.

[mario25]

NT you better get a demo out NOW!!!!!! because right now ninja gaiden is the king of the next gen action genre......

[Applefiend]

To be fair NGS is due out very soon, and Heavenly Sword not until the end of the year.

A Lair demo would be nice though...

[mario25]

mmmmmm......LAIR :drool:

[totobeni]

To be fair NGS is due out very soon, and Heavenly Sword not until the end of the year.

A Lair demo would be nice though...

so is this a rule or something ? ..cuz at XBL there was ""few"" demos released months before the release date like Phantasy Star Universe and Lost Planet .

[VonGak]

But didn't we see Heavenly Sword gameplay a year ago?

There was on stage demo and demo booths at E3 '06.

[VG Aficionado]

They had the same demo at TGS as well, even though it should have been a new one that they couldn't show in the end because it crashed about 30% of the times.

[VonGak]

They had the same demo at TGS as well, even though it should have been a new one that they couldn't show in the end because it crashed about 30% of the times.

I wonder if it's the same as SONY used for product placement in Heroes.

Deano Calver mentioned something about them having adressed the issued in the demo and returned it to SONY for later use.

[BruceWayneIII]

To be fair NGS is due out very soon, and Heavenly Sword not until the end of the year.

A Lair demo would be nice though...

Julian Eggebrecht said that there will be a Lair demo - wish granted :hugegrin:

[hope so...]

[LiquidEagle]

I would have played it if people weren't constantly lining up to play it at E3 and then butting in front of me when I would stop to watch the MGS4 trailer! :(

[VG Aficionado]

I've got the feeling the TGS demo would have been this:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/Wollan/hs.jpg

http://downshizzle.com/gallery/albums/02.07/1Nariko%20Piledriver%20Death%20Owned.gif

Does anyone have the other gifs of this stage? :-p

[VonGak]

I would have played it if people weren't constantly lining up to play it at E3 and then butting in front of me when I would stop to watch the MGS4 trailer! :(

:D Gotta admire the level of dedication to MGS.

I've got the feeling the TGS demo would have been this:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/Wollan/hs.jpg

http://downshizzle.com/gallery/albums/02.07/1Nariko%20Piledriver%20Death%20Owned.gif

Does anyone have the other gifs of this stage? :-p

I find it very unethical that they included this Ball Cracker move in the game. :XD:

Weak minded people (no not an alias for women) might get bad ideas... Where's Jack Thompson when we actually need him?

[msantti]

HS wont be upgraded to 1080P this late, it's just not possible. I have SDTV so it doesnt matter :)

But I have a 1080p set and it does matter. ;)

[darkwing]

Welcome, if you havent been already. :)


While I own a 1080p tv as well it is entirely possible that a game focused at 720p can look better than a game running at 1080p. Resolution is only one aspect of visuals (I personally find lighting to be of the utmost importance but that is only opinion), and running a game at 1080p can be a very rescource demanding element often causing other areas to be affected.

Thanks to you and all who replied. Sony promised us 1080p capability but few games are coming out with that. If the PS3 were as powerful as they say, then it shouldn't be a problem to handle that with all the lighting and everything else. Hopefully they get it all figured out, but HS has been in development for a long time (as has Resistance) and yet it seems they can't do it. NGS looks good as I stated. From what I can tell it looks just as good as HS except it doesn't have all the enemies on the screen.

I'm a huge Sony fan, and a proud PS3 owner.. but I'm starting to think the PS3 isn't much better than the 360 solely because the games coming out are looking like 360 games. If the time comes where the PS3 has mostly 1080p games while the same game on the 360 is a 720p game then I'll be convinced.

EDIT: And yes, EvilTaru had a nice rant. I'm sorry he feels that people who bought a PS3 with certain features promised in mind have no right to be upset when we don't get that feature.

[karibu]

They need to just add monsters.

That's the worst thing they can do!!! Animals are ok but fantasy monsters would kill the game.

[KRA]

That's the worst thing they can do!!! Animals are ok but fantasy monsters would kill the game.

i don't think so.
wasn't it confirmed that there will be some kind of monsters anyway ?
it all depend what monsters it will be and how they make them.

[Red_Eyes]

For god's sake, JUST SHOW THE ****ING GAME, DEMO IT, and more importantly, SHOW HOW IT PLAYS, like "if you grab this guy and press this button you can do this, you can then press this button and do this and this and this, and end the combo on this", instead of "oh, look at the animations, we're trying to be cinematic" or "we spend 50 hours mo-capping to capture the human essence" or "we're tapping into the power of the PS3", some stupid mother****ing general, glorified verbose crap that tells me ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

It's a GAME, the most important thing is HOW IT PLAYS, so far they've done NOTHING to show HOW IT PLAYS. I sure as hell am NOT questioning the fantastic visuals, I already ****ing know how great it looks, I can see the damn screenshots, NT needs to show the ****ing gameplay, no offense to nAo or DeanoC but right now I'm interested in gameplay and I don't need the tech crap anymore, they can do all their shit in the background, that's great, but somewhere along the line this thing has to evolve from just a tech showcase to being a GAME.

And please, no more of this ****ing 720p versus 1080p bullshit, you don't PLAY 720p or 1080p, it's like people don't actually PLAY games but instead just look at them and if it gets you off then great, everytime the discussion goes to techshit like this it's like the board is getting punched in the ****ing cock. I want this to be a ****ing awesome game, and the thing I want to know the most is the ****ing GAMEPLAY but so far they've refused to show shit.

I +repped the OP but to be honest this kind of interview isn't really informative.http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v500/EvilTaru/Indifferent2.gif

They won't show anything because Sony want to wait until E3. That's when everything will blow all over people's faces.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

So...sony's gonna bukkake everyone at E3? Is that what you're saying??

[curryking1]

I think this is the second time I'm saying this.. but you sick bastard Lalilulelo lol!

[VG Aficionado]

=-o

[Red_Eyes]

Coupled with the ability to dynamically change stances mid-combo, the player can string together an impressive list of moves.
Hehehe.
Shubel: The cell processor and RSX have added a level of flexibility that really has freed the creatives, both design and art, to go a little crazy. From environmental vistas to huge armies, AI group combos to motion blended animations, and Nariko's hair, all of this is possible due to the PS3.
Hehehe.
Shubel: There are some very fantastical environments where Heavenly Sword really pushes the envelope. You will see snowy hills, riverbeds, barren desert, shrines nestled in the mountains and a castle city amongst waterfalls.
Hehehe.
So...sony's gonna bukkake everyone at E3? Is that what you're saying??
Hehehe.

Actually, what I was trying to say was, if Sony's going to try to blow everything out of the water, Sony might as well blow all over everyone's faces too. Hahaha.

[karibu]

i don't think so.
wasn't it confirmed that there will be some kind of monsters anyway ?
it all depend what monsters it will be and how they make them.

Every game of same genre has a monster there and a tentacle there.
NGS, DMC4... one without them is more than welcome.
One of the reasons I'm so exited about HS.

[KRA]

Every game of same genre has a monster there and a tentacle there.
NGS, DMC4... one without them is more than welcome.
One of the reasons I'm so exited about HS.

every game of same genre has a human.
one without it is more than welcome.

[Z]

So...sony's gonna bukkake everyone at E3? Is that what you're saying??

no, he is saying we will bukkake all over Sony's booth at E3 and on out monitor screens (no thanks to Home's 'E3 in your bedroom' offering).

[GTShotoKen]

I'm very curious as to how the whole blocking system will pan out. Standing in a neutral position to block is a very interesting way of defending against an opponent. I hope this style of defence doesn't foul up the flow of game play.

Edit: Happy Nova ;). I guess humor can go a little too far sometimes....

[Pluto]

Usually people edit posts to make them better..

Not worse. :shifty: No comment, though..

[gozirah]

Hehehe.

Hehehe.

Hehehe.

Hehehe.



omg. It was all euphemism after euphemism. I was reading that article entirely wrong.

[woundingchaney]

I'm very curious as to how the whole blocking system will pan out. Standing in a neutral position to block is a very interesting way of defending against an opponent. I hope this style of defence doesn't foul up the flow of game play.

Edit: Happy Nova ;). I guess humor can go a little too far sometimes....

I seem to think that I have played a title using this scenario before, in the end I really liked having a button assigned to blocking considerably more.

[Pluto]

Can someone clarify this for me?

Her life goes down constantly, and replenishes as she kills people, right?

If that's the case, being dealt damage by your opponents while your life is constantly being sapped might be a little annoying..

[GTShotoKen]

Can someone clarify this for me?

Her life goes down constantly, and replenishes as she kills people, right?

If that's the case, being dealt damage by your opponents while your life is constantly being sapped might be a little annoying..

Have you played Shinobi...?

VERY ANNOYING :lol:

[Pluto]

Yes, which is why I had used that example.

If what I thought was correct, then maybe this could be the reason behind they implemented auto-guard.

[GTShotoKen]

Yes, which is why I had used that example.

If what I thought was correct, then maybe this could be the reason behind they implemented auto-guard.

I'm pretty sure she auto guards, but I believe the devs said the guard is performed from a neutral position so you have to stand still in order to defend.

I'm personally worried that this guard mechanic will break up the flow of action in the game (I hope I'm wrong though and this mechanic actually keeps the flow of action constant).

When it comes to the life issue, the problem with shinobi was that there were too few enemies at times when the game was extremely tough, so gaining back enough life was incredibly hard.

Heavenly Sword might do better with this by having a much larger number of enemies to fight.

[amuront]

I'm very curious as to how the whole blocking system will pan out. Standing in a neutral position to block is a very interesting way of defending against an opponent. I hope this style of defence doesn't foul up the flow of game play.

I could be very wrong on this, but is it how the blocking system works since E3 2006 Demo? I don't remember any complaint about that. I think the reason behind the system is to make counters more intuitive, but that is just a guess.

[GTShotoKen]

I could be very wrong on this, but is it how the blocking system works since E3 2006 Demo? I don't remember any complaint about that.

I don't know much of anything when it comes to actual hands on time with the game. Most game sites are very misleading about their actual experience with a game until they give out their final verdict anyways (Killzone is still the biggest culprit).

I think the reason behind the system is to make counters more intuitive, but that is just a guess.

Doesn't the countering system involve attacking the enemy right before their attack lands?

That would make the system completely independent whether the guarding mechanics were traditional or like how they are now.

[VG Aficionado]

Stolen quote from NeoGAF (regarding the latest EGM):

There are also new shots of Heavenly Sword. And guess what? The game just got BLOOD!

There is a giant shot of Nariko taking on a squad of baddies with their ivory laden vehicle in the background. One of the soldiers is seen flying in behind Nariko with blood raining from where Nariko dispatched him!

You can also see a cut on Nariko's leg and blood on right side of her dress. There is also a small shot of her fighting in a jungle and one where there are tons of baddies in the background (dead and alive) while she is about to chop one up.

It might be me but it looks like Lair's fire effect got upgraded (tiny shot though)

[Sephiroth_VII]

Her leg got a visible scratch!? This is next-gen!! Really, if this is true, it's something I've been wanting to see for a long time!

[Epix]

Stolen quote from NeoGAF (regarding the latest EGM):
Link to the GAF thread?

[Sephiroth_VII]

You can download the latest EGM (http://forums.e-mpire.com/showpost.php?p=1510929&postcount=92) for free (legally, even)

[Red]

You can download the latest EGM (http://forums.e-mpire.com/showpost.php?p=1510929&postcount=92) for free (legally, even)

I can't realy believe that it's really for free sorry. Noob from germany.

[VG Aficionado]

Whoever downloads it, just upload it elsewhere :-p

[Red]

Got a new pic folks.

[chartwel]

i downloaded it, and it is for free. just have to install a program to read it.

[dnpmakkah]

Got a new pic folks.
I want to see it

[Red]

Check your PM's

[Elios]

i downloaded it, and it is for free. just have to install a program to read it.

How it's possible that you can download magazines for free through that service?
There must be some trick, maybe it's a service to legally download magazines paying for them but the first download is free, or maybe it's not so legal...but it's weird.
Anyway I hope to see these pics soon in some way :book: :ko: :ko:

[dnpmakkah]

Check your PM's:thumbr:

[Sephiroth_VII]

You have to pay to subscribe to magazines, but you get the newest edition of EGM for free when you sign-up. It's no trick, and it's very high quality, definitely not scans!

[OmniCloud]

NO ONE PM'S OMNI?:cry2:

I haven't tasted any fruit in a while...

[GTAce]

I would like the melon too. 8)

[GTShotoKen]

I'm hungry too...:(

[chartwel]

How it's possible that you can download magazines for free through that service?
There must be some trick, maybe it's a service to legally download magazines paying for them but the first download is free, or maybe it's not so legal...but it's weird.
Anyway I hope to see these pics soon in some way :book: :ko: :ko:

yes as said above, its only for the first time you use it, after that, you pay for the service.

[Grovestreet]

I've got a bad cough....

*COUGH* (http://bp3.blogger.com/_qGtGl4NFC8s/Rje1mDIWwTI/AAAAAAAAFRs/mRuo6MwhzHo/s1600-h/1.jpg)

Sorry about that...

[chartwel]

the new screens still seem to be from the TGS06 build that never got shown, as the same areas were shown way back then.................

i cant wait till may or E3 to finally see what the newest build looks like (this very well may be the newest build, who knows)

[Pluto]

...Could it be?!

Did they enhance her hair?!?!

[VideoGame mania]

old pictures from old build, why Sony aint hyping this game, where are new HD pics ?
This is supposed to be a system seller for PS3.

[Pluto]

^I'm sure there's going to be an update at E3, chill out.


Also..that beautiful avatar..

How could she betray me? :(

[mario25]

how'd she betrayed you?

[VideoGame mania]

how'd she betrayed you?
she is mine now :pleased:

[Pluto]

Final Fantasy girls are a dime a dozen. I'll find a new love. :norris:

[chartwel]

i seriously believe we will be blown away when E3 comes and they finally show what its looking like, at least i hope so. this is my most wanted title ever i think, i just want it to live up to the hype.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Women are not to be trusted.

[VG Aficionado]

Heavenly Sword to be rated T rather than M (http://www.ninjatheory.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12134&postcount=4) :unsure:

[chartwel]

Heavenly Sword to be rated T instead of M (http://www.ninjatheory.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12134&postcount=4) :unsure:

yeah, i got a thread going at ps3forums about that. although, the only thing i wanted was a little blood, which seems to be in there. i could care less if its rated teen, although i dont see why they would want to do that. the premise behind the game just begs for a mature rating.

[Z]

http://www.diggingtheweb.com/50207748a.html
this is part(or all?) of the interview in EGM.

[makeitlookreal]

I was hoping that they would not reduce the quality of this game or leave out certain elements just to avoid getting an M rating.

In my opinion, this game SHOULD be M rated and they should include EVERYTHING they would like!

For goodness sakes, a super-powered girl with the strength to jump high in the air and swing around gigantic blades should be cutting off people's limbs and impaling people! Anything else is unrealistic.

What do you think big sharp blades would be used for by an angry super powered girl on a quest for revenge?!!!

I wish Ninja Theory would have just let their game have an M rating instead of bowing down to the censors.

Now the game will be a shell of what it could have been. Because when you remove ANYTHING due to censorship you lose EVERYTHING.

[Nameless]

^ Agreed...
I bet if Sony reviews their PS3 owner demographics they will realize most PS3 owners are about 18 years in age... I don't see the point of worrying about getting an M rating; I can't see it negatively effecting sales. If they are concerned about other regions simply tone down the carnage for those markets. If the move was an artistic decision I can live with that, but if the decision was sales related it makes no sense IMO.

[KRA]

ehh so... no sex masturbating mini games :/

[section]

I'd say at the moment most PS3 owners are lot older than 18. Just because of the price. I know I'm nearly 30, would never had the PS3 money as a 18 year old kiddo :) Uh and neither would my parents back then.

[OmniCloud]

Yeah, either fortunate kids or older gamers are the user base.. (majority) But it may just be the violence and blood isn't as excessive. But if Ninja Gaiden is M, then I'm not sure just how much blood and gore they can get away with in a T rated game...

Off Topic-Kinda, got my PSM today and looks like Lair is still set for a Summer release. There's a print add in the magazine...

Probably not news to some but to me it was a great thing to see. Hopefully we can get in June/July after Sigma...

[BruceWayneIII]

^ Lair will be released in July, according the Julian Eggebrecht.

[woundingchaney]

^ Lair will be released in July, according the Julian Eggebrecht.

I thought it got pushed back to Fall (but hey July sounds great to me)??

I dont think the rating of the title is anything to be concerned about. If anything the title may not include some of the gruesome scenes that are typically associated with mature games. Im fine with a game that doenst have entrails hanging all over the place and body parts being whipped around.

[VG Aficionado]

I thought it got pushed back to Fall (but hey July sounds great to me)?Julian himself has been saying they're aiming for a July release date since the Lair press release a few weeks ago, and even a bit before that.

[Shogun042]

http://www.us.playstation.com/PS3

^ Lair July 31.

newho, damn i want some blood in this game. it's not like sales would be impacted, in fact an M rated game would sell better.

[KRA]

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2007/05/environments6.jpg

Today marks a very special day for us at PS3 Fanboy -- we've stumbled upon 26 fantastic concept art images for the upcoming Heavenly Sword. We're told that some of these are from the anime created to correspond to the game, but clearly some of it is artwork of the highest pedigree.

source (http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2007/05/14/unbelievable-heavenly-sword-concept-art/)

yeah i know that not everything is new but some are new to me.
or i have some memory isues maybe :)
and i ilke the art-style of this anime. can't wait to see that.

[KRA]

i don't know how to delete a post.

[NeoPlayStation]

Tameem Antoniades interview (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=76451
):


There's no multiplayer mode in Heavenly Sword as our focus was always to create an intense personal experience; it would have been too damn complex to deal with that as well," Antoniades told Eurogamer. "We did, however, develop the combat system using multiplayer test levels, as it's a great way of soak testing and balancing it."

"So who knows? Maybe we will decide to go down that route sometime soon. And when we do, it won't just be slapped-on to please marketing tick-boxes. You can be assured that we have our sights on multiplayer."

According to the article, the game will be released on September and it is 90% done.

[VG Aficionado]

Great find! Finally something that resembles a release date :-p

[GTAce]

"So who knows? Maybe we will decide to go down that route sometime soon. And when we do, it won't just be slapped-on to please marketing tick-boxes. You can be assured that we have our sights on multiplayer."
With other words:
So who knows maybe we give you a downloadable multiplayer if it fits in to the game. Awesome! :)

[NeoPlayStation]

Maybe now Sony has something to compete with Halo 3 release.

[VonGak]

NB: Sorry about spelling and typos.
Please tell me if the pics/vids do not work

*Takes a stroll through memory lane and posts some concept images + videos from when Heavenly Sword was targeted for xBox 2.*

First Concept Trailer '03 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN6FlIcZEjE&search=heavenly+sword) [YouTube]

http://media.teamxbox.com/games/ss/1028/1094610399.jpg
http://media.teamxbox.com/games/ss/1028/1094610400.jpg
http://media.teamxbox.com/games/ss/1028/1094610401.jpg

Facial Animations '04 (http://movies.teamxbox.com/xbox/heavenlysword/hs_1
stpass_facetest.wmv) [Team xBox]

"Arena" '04 (http://movies.teamxbox.com/xbox/heavenlysword/hs_prototype_footage.wmv) [Team xBox]

It's beyond me that "journalists" back then believed this would be possible on the original xBox. Though they have added quite a lot in the PS3 game; ex. her hair has gotten longer.

The game has evolved quite a bit but still managed to keep the core gameplay aspects.

First Appearance on PS3 E3 '05 (http://download.gametrailers.com/gt_vault/t_heavenlysword_e35_press.wmv) [GameTrailers]

[totobeni]

^ that just makes you wonders..why MS don't want that game..and who is the stupid at MS who decided that Goddess of War (GOW clone at that time ) is not worth the Xbox ..

that was the Everest of Stupidity...

[Red_Eyes]

Sony is always looking to the future. Sony sees potential. Sony is adventureous. Microsoft doesn't see potential. Microsoft just waits and then after something good comes up, copies it.

[dnpmakkah]

It wasn't a shooter?

[curryking1]

^ that just makes you wonders..why MS don't want that game..and who is the stupid at MS who decided that Goddess of War (GOW clone at that time ) is not worth the Xbox ..

that was the Everest of Stupidity...

My honest opinion?

Microsoft's gaming division simply lacks the experience and expertise for a wide range of games. They don't have that many studios, their studios make usually very few range of titles and the range of genres over those titles isn't that great. Inexperienced, and simply not looking to expand the portfolio (they are, just not in a strong enough way). Their game studios simply doesn't have the size or the skill to compete with the libraries and quality of content that both Nintendo and Sony have. Nintendo isn't as big as Sony, but they are big and whatever they touch seems to turn to gold. Sony has broad skills with experience and the largest first party library and the most offensive minded business practice of the three. Microsoft's gaming division simply doesn't match either Nintendo or Sony in the content or the capacity or the skill or mindset. Do you realise how fast these people dropped Viva Pinata? A show that still airs? They barely advertised that game to kids! Where it matters! Their gaming division lacks vision, experience, strategic thinking, you name it, they have work to do.

Maybe that will change however if MS can take advantage of their strengths now, exploit those strengths in the future, with lower pricing and for once in their life an aggressive marketing campaign and take huge market share this gen. But right now, that's how I see the situation. MS makes damn good stuff, and they have damn good games, just right now what they have in content does not match either Sony's or Nintendo's. The single thing MS has done absolutely right this gen is launch first. And they have only taken little advantage of that. Something with their mindset is far too stationary. They have the ability to produce such amazing stuff and do amazing stuff, yet their capacity, their business logic, strategy, it all limits their progress, that is where I think MS consistently makes mistakes. Not in their games, or their hardware, or their Live service, which are all amazing, simply their aggressiveness and their lacking of a 'move forward' mentality.

Their strategy, which may work very well, who knows, seems locked on being first to the market, and being lower priced, and having more action games. If it works, good for them, but I don't see the carrying capacity in that strategy like I do for the strategy the DS is opting for, or even the PS3 is opting for (I think the PS3 has a reasonably better chance to pick up steam far faster than the 360 with their current strategy vs. MS' current strategy, not much more of a chance, but I feel the Xbox division is really 'resting on their laurels' right now... The PS3 could fully convince me of smashing success with lowering the price soon before the holidays, even as early as Oct).

So all in all, I see MS, right now, as narrowminded. So let me just shortly elaborate on that. They have a strategy they have set out to do, but what is not good about that is that by being so locked onto their current strategy, it makes it hard to go off on tangents and evolve or be dynamic, rather they are being to static in their mindset.

[yoshaw]

It wasn't a shooter?

:laugh:

10 out of 10 by the judges for being to the point.

Curry,
you fail! dude that was too long to read!! j/k you get 9 outta 10 for details.

[totobeni]

My honest opinion?

Microsoft's gaming division simply lacks the experience and expertise for a wide range of games. They don't have that many studios, their studios make usually very few range of titles and the range of genres over those titles isn't that great. Inexperienced, and simply not looking to expand the portfolio (they are, just not in a strong enough way). Their game studios simply doesn't have the size or the skill to compete with the libraries and quality of content that both Nintendo and Sony have. Nintendo isn't as big as Sony, but they are big and whatever they touch seems to turn to gold. Sony has broad skills with experience and the largest first party library and the most offensive minded business practice of the three. Microsoft's gaming division simply doesn't match either Nintendo or Sony in the content or the capacity or the skill or mindset. Do you realise how fast these people dropped Viva Pinata? A show that still airs? They barely advertised that game to kids! Where it matters! Their gaming division lacks vision, experience, strategic thinking, you name it, they have work to do.

Maybe that will change however if MS can take advantage of their strengths now, exploit those strengths in the future, with lower pricing and for once in their life an aggressive marketing campaign and take huge market share this gen. But right now, that's how I see the situation. MS makes damn good stuff, and they have damn good games, just right now what they have in content does not match either Sony's or Nintendo's. The single thing MS has done absolutely right this gen is launch first. And they have only taken little advantage of that. Something with their mindset is far too stationary. They have the ability to produce such amazing stuff and do amazing stuff, yet their capacity, their business logic, strategy, it all limits their progress, that is where I think MS consistently makes mistakes. Not in their games, or their hardware, or their Live service, which are all amazing, simply their aggressiveness and their lacking of a 'move forward' mentality.

Their strategy, which may work very well, who knows, seems locked on being first to the market, and being lower priced, and having more action games. If it works, good for them, but I don't see the carrying capacity in that strategy like I do for the strategy the DS is opting for, or even the PS3 is opting for (I think the PS3 has a reasonably better chance to pick up steam far faster than the 360 with their current strategy vs. MS' current strategy, not much more of a chance, but I feel the Xbox division is really 'resting on their laurels' right now... The PS3 could fully convince me of smashing success with lowering the price soon before the holidays, even as early as Oct).

So all in all, I see MS, right now, as narrowminded. So let me just shortly ela