Heavenly Sword - Official Topic

[VG Aficionado]

Do you people realise this is the E3 week we've been waiting for? PS3 is already released everywhere, the games run on final hardware and they're not pre-pre-prealpha builds, PS3 is starting to get cheaper, the online download service works... it's not a "wait until next year" thing anymore.

Well, at least not entirely :-p

[GTAce]

Great post number 2000 for this thread VG :thumbl:

[julps31]

:-p

Do you people realise this is the E3 week we've been waiting for? PS3 is already released everywhere, the games run on final hardware and they're not pre-pre-prealpha builds, PS3 is starting to get cheaper, the online download service works... it's not a "wait until next year" thing anymore.

Well, not entirely :-p*a window into my excitment*:Carrot: :pepper: :banana: :shocked: :rockon: :rave: :djparty: :piss:

P.S. the last one was thrown if for comic relief lol...100 pages btw. I got a good feeling about this E3. Theres so much happening already and E3 isn't even here yet. I can't wait!!!

[OmniCloud]

Great post number 2000 for this thread VG :thumbl:2001 but yeah, I agree. PS3 is finally here in full force...

I'm still most excited for Little BIg Planet so far though...

[Epix]

New post by DeanoC on his blog. (PSI gets a shoutout!)

http://blog.deanoc.com/?p=98


EDIT: Update on the demo:
This week, we've been putting the demo through the QA mill - our test teams have been hammering this small slice of gaming goodness. Once we’re completely happy with a build of the game, we send it to Sony for final testing. This is known as Format Testing and can take quite some time for a full game. During this process, they really pound the game relentlessly with multiple teams on varying shifts to ensure round the clock testing. This really squeezes the last few bugs out so as to ensure you guys have as great a gameplay experience as possible.

So, the demo is practically ready for Format Testing. As soon as I have a date that I can release then I’ll let you know. It won’t be long!

http://blogs.ign.com/Heavenly_Sword/2007/07/09/59609/

[Z]

Do you people realise this is the E3 week we've been waiting for? PS3 is already released everywhere, the games run on final hardware and they're not pre-pre-prealpha builds, PS3 is starting to get cheaper, the online download service works... it's not a "wait until next year" thing anymore.

Well, at least not entirely :-p

you know what is funny? the comments saying " there is noway online gaming would be free. wait for a few months and they'll charge you for it!" lol

[Applefiend]

Todays silly thought:

The second female character is called Kai. (At least that's what it sounds like , dunno how it's spelt). The game's graphics are being made in New Zealand. Kai is maori for food.

Maybe she's a slave kept for food!

[yoshaw]

New post by DeanoC on his blog. (PSI gets a shoutout!)

http://blog.deanoc.com/?p=98



Deano, if you're reading this.

Cheers :beer:

[DeanoC]

Todays silly thought:

The second female character is called Kai. (At least that's what it sounds like , dunno how it's spelt). The game's graphics are being made in New Zealand. Kai is maori for food.

Maybe she's a slave kept for food!

Nothing that smart i'm afraid,
Kai was called Kit and before that just Archer
I can only remember Nariko and her original name which was BobTheHero (no really, we wanted a place holder name before we had thought about it and Bob is a perfectly good name for a girl (Will be lost on non UK people I'd imagine))

[Applefiend]

Blackadder! :)

[DeanoC]

Blackadder! :)
Yay :D

[yoshaw]

Uhm, I recall a tv series with Rowan Atkinson in it called Blackadder! Disregard if I'm far from it.

[cliffbo]

Deano was she called Twing Twang besause she fires a bow. sorry if i'm behind on this

[Sephiroth_VII]

Todays silly thought:

The second female character is called Kai. (At least that's what it sounds like , dunno how it's spelt). The game's graphics are being made in New Zealand. Kai is maori for food.

Maybe she's a slave kept for food!
Apple, have you ever watched Excel Saga?(anime)
Blackadder! :)

Blackadder 2, actually :heybaby:

I love Atkinson, he's a genius!

[DeanoC]

Deano was she called Twing Twang besause she fires a bow. sorry if i'm behind on this

Its the name of the game Kai and Nariko plays, involving pointy sticks fired by a crossbow.
Ah such innocent childlike games ;-)

[cliffbo]

Its the name of the game Kai and Nariko plays, involving pointy sticks fired by a crossbow.
Ah such innocent childlike games ;-)

lol. cheers fella. i love the way you move the battlement with the cannon by the way, it adds a subtle visual element

[dnpmakkah]

The presentation in this game is just as I imagined it many many moons ago. Great job to the development team.

[dockthepod]

Awesome, demo within the month I'd guess! Though Format QA can be a pain in the ass... Best of luck with those crafty sony testers.

[VG Aficionado]

I guess it'll be the same demo available at E3. I hope :-p If we get it this month or next month, we'll be very happy.

[OmniCloud]

This may end up being game of the year....

I watched the trailers with the same intensity as a movie!

I gotta see more, but damn, very impressive cutscenes and scope.

[Z]

Todays silly thought:

The second female character is called Kai. (At least that's what it sounds like , dunno how it's spelt). The game's graphics are being made in New Zealand. Kai is maori for food.

Maybe she's a slave kept for food!
no. she was named that because she was delicious enough to eat. shut up, don't ruin my fantasies like that other thread. I'm all out of paper to write hate and suicide letters.

[Nameless]

^ :huh:

[9thPower]

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/804/804704p1.html

preview from IGN

Thank the maker, there's more to Heavenly Sword than just arena battles! As most of you probably remember, our biggest concern for the game was that it was made up of segmented fighting sequences and nothing else. Luckily Ninja Theory put that fear to rest at E3, when it unveiled a number of new details and sections that nobody had seen before.

The first new sequence on display was a cool little "defend the castle" mission that puts Nariko in control of giant fire cannons. Her mandate is simple: destroy the approaching enemy force before they pound her stronghold's walls down. The enemies here are made up of three main types -- kamikaze dumb-asses inserted into flaming rolling barrels, massive tank-like structures with multiple layers of armor, and a horde of foot soldiers whose sole purpose seems to be getting blown up.


Another fun little scenario was a small side-scrolling challenge that played out on the surface of a bridge connecting two castles. Nariko's only goal here was to knock off as many fools as possible. Sure it was a little simplistic, but the backgrounds looked great and at least it proved that Ninja Theory was trying to mix things up a bit. Oh, and as an added bonus, we also learned that the difficulty level has been increased quite a bit (to best exploit your three different fighting styles).

Next up was a boss battle with King Bohan's enormous fatty son. Playing through this segment shows off what some of the more epic confrontations are like. Beating the big ******* takes a bit of "the old God of War contextual reflexes;" Covered by an immense turtle shell and armed with two chopping swords, Bohan's brood has to be systematically defeated through the use of clever timing and the desire to climb a sweaty pile of blubber.

The biggest surprise, of course, was the introduction of a brand new character, Kai. Nariko's younger adopted sister, Kai is completely devoid of melee combat skills. Instead, she employs a crossbow that has a Resident Evil 4 viewpoint in which the arrows are controlled with the Sixaxis tilt (much like Nariko's thrown objects). Ninja Theory describes the new heroine as a "crossbow savant," and in addition to her mad missile skills, she can also run and jump over any surface with crazy monkey-like agility.


Some other tidbits worth mentioning -- switching to "range style" allows Nariko to deflect arrow attacks; *players can go back to already-unlocked stages if they want to play them again; and performing more stylish moves unlocks secret goodies like additional moves, behind-the-scenes videos, and a two-part anime based on Nariko's adventures. Oh, and the game's facial animations are fantastic. Andy Serkis deserves a medal.

In closing, we left Heavenly Sword with more optimism than we had before. It doesn't look anywhere near as repetitive as we thought it might be and it has some very nice texture work and cool lighting. We do have to give the Sixaxis tilt support a bit (it's a little too touchy it seems), but with a PSN demo coming soon, we have plenty of time to get used to it.

*yeah I notice that on the stage demo at Gamespot, so cool :hugegrin:

[KRA]

haven't developers said that kai isn't really nariko sister ?!
and i want that demo... like now...

[gozirah]

ninja theory: We wanted to make an immersive, cinematic game, with a complex combat system.
IGN: Oh, we thought it was going to be repetitive, boring, and hack and slash.

[Pluto]

Any word on what a twing-twang is? :shifty:

[KRA]

Any word on what a twing-twang is? :shifty:

isn't it kai's crossbow ?!

[Segitz]

Any word on what a twing-twang is? :shifty:

I wont show you me twing twang, ever!

[Cyrus]

DeanoC there's one question I haven't seen talked about anywhere and I would've liked to know the answer to it but didnt realize I could've asked it here from you ages ago. :D The question is, does the game have multiple difficulties? And if yes, how do you unlock them or are they all unlocked straight away? I'm certainly hoping it does have multiple difficulties but havent seen the matter discussed anywhere so.. just thought I'd ask.

[Nameless]

^ I can answer that question...
Yes it has multiple difficulties; I have never seen an action title with only one difficulty setting...

DeanoC keep me honest... ;)

[Cyrus]

^ I can answer that question...
Yes it has multiple difficulties; I have never seen an action title with only one difficulty setting...

DeanoC keep me honest... ;)

Yeah but if they are going more "mainstream" they might just make it one difficulty only. Like you know "this is an action adventure for everyone".. For example IMO Uncharted should have multiple difficulties but somehow I think ND is going to make it "balanced" for everyone aka way too easy like Jak III after Jak II received so much critizism for being too difficult.

[Nameless]

^ That's the point of a default difficulty for the mainstream and options for others; that would be easy for casual gamers and hard for the hardcore fans. I would like the game to have a higher level of difficulty with great enemy AI considering the depth of the fighting engine, but I doubt they will go in the direction of Ninja Gaiden regarding difficulty...

[Segitz]

Yeah but if they are going more "mainstream" they might just make it one difficulty only. Like you know "this is an action adventure for everyone".. For example IMO Uncharted should have multiple difficulties but somehow I think ND is going to make it "balanced" for everyone aka way too easy like Jak III after Jak II received so much critizism for being too difficult.

Wha??

I though Jak 3 was VERY hard. Some of the "racing" stuff was only possible by remembering the route, nothing by chance. Like the "horse" riding stuff at the beginning, as well as the rocket ride with Daxter...

But as this game was very well and the story nice, I still played it^^ (I am a bad gamer, sort of^^ Only at thinking and reaction games I rock)

[LiquidEagle]

This game is friggin' sweet. I played it and immediately felt secure in the fact that I'm much better at this game than the jackasses who have been playing it for the gameplay videos we've been watching. Changing stances & all is great for rocking enemies, though I gotta say I think the L1 stance (where the blades fly around you like a tornado or something) is kinda weak and too unfocused to really do some damage. The auto-block takes some getting used to, but other than that you have lots of freedom to rock your opponents. And it looks gorgeous :-D

[Pluto]

This game is friggin' sweet. I played it and immediately felt secure in the fact that I'm much better at this game than the jackasses who have been playing it for the gameplay videos we've been watching. Changing stances & all is great for rocking enemies, though I gotta say I think the L1 stance (where the blades fly around you like a tornado or something) is kinda weak and too unfocused to really do some damage. The auto-block takes some getting used to, but other than that you have lots of freedom to rock your opponents. And it looks gorgeous :-D

Yeah, and I bet you didn't feel hindered by the inability to jump, right?

I recall that a member of this forum expressed concerns about that matter.

So what's the verdict?

[Passive]

i have to admit i was a littl worried that this game would be a hack and slashed with enimeis that stand around while you attck another, then when you have stopped they take in turns hitting again. but after seeing the 2nd half of this (http://www.gametrailers.com/player/22175.html) i was happy. not only does our lovely lady kick ass, but at times she gets hit and knocked down. even though it looks like the player is ontop of the group, they still look like they have the potential to really get their ass kicked. so that vid really made me feel better about the gamplay of this title. oh and the first have of the vid goes off :P a continuous string of 29 hits? NICE :P

oh and visually :P this game is right up there for me. im meaning with Killzone and MGS4 :) but its hard for most people to see and agree with me on this seeming as most people cant get around the "different art style" concept :P


I really cannot wait to play this game, im hoping the demo will arrive soon (as are we all :)) and i cant wait to unlock all the content :D

[OmniCloud]

i have to admit i was a littl worried that this game would be a hack and slashed with enimeis that stand around while you attck another, then when you have stopped they take in turns hitting again. but after seeing the 2nd half of this (http://www.gametrailers.com/player/22175.html) i was happy. not only does our lovely lady kick ass, but at times she gets hit and knocked down. even though it looks like the player is ontop of the group, they still look like they have the potential to really get their ass kicked. so that vid really made me feel better about the gamplay of this title. oh and the first have of the vid goes off :P a continuous string of 29 hits? NICE :P

oh and visually :P this game is right up there for me. im meaning with Killzone and MGS4 :) but its hard for most people to see and agree with me on this seeming as most people cant get around the "different art style" concept :P


I really cannot wait to play this game, im hoping the demo will arrive soon (as are we all :)) and i cant wait to unlock all the content :DI have it pegged for runner-up to game of the year man...I think Mario Galaxy will take the cake though-looks like awesome fun...

[Applefiend]

Jak II was just a little boring in parts. Back and forward on that frigging hover board around that city to get to the next mission.

None of that in Jak III, just fun, fun, fun...

God knows what'll game of the year... But it'll probably run on a Playstation 3. :)

[section]

Don't know if this has been revealed earlier but this is AFAIK genuine cover (http://www.cinemablend.com/games/E3-2007-Heavenly-Sword-Screenshots-And-Box-Art-5212.html)

http://xs217.xs.to/xs217/07291/hs_box.jpg

liking it a llot :)

[VG Aficionado]

That's both genuine and old :-p Unless Deano says it's not the final one.

[DeanoC]

DeanoC there's one question I haven't seen talked about anywhere and I would've liked to know the answer to it but didnt realize I could've asked it here from you ages ago. :D The question is, does the game have multiple difficulties? And if yes, how do you unlock them or are they all unlocked straight away? I'm certainly hoping it does have multiple difficulties but havent seen the matter discussed anywhere so.. just thought I'd ask.

Two levels of difficulty, Normal and Hell.

[GTAce]

Hey Deano!
Could you tell me if there is a possibility to change the buttonlayout on the controller if i dont like it (you never know ;)) ?

[9thPower]

From Ninja Mikey at the official Forums:

Quote:
People at home really want to get hands on too. Well, let me just tell you all that the dev team has finished work on the demo.. that's it... it's in the bag... so now it's a case of Sony deciding when they feel is the best time to release it to PlayStation Network.

http://www.ninjatheory.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1324

SWEET!! for everyone else... but meeeeeeeeee :cry2: (no PS3 yet.... can someone tell me if Maya works with linux on the PS3, if its works then it's a safe bet I can get one instead of a new PC for collage)

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Played the game at E3, DeanoC. Tell everyone at NT Kevin Roberts said great job!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/Lalilulelo/DSCN4019.jpg




Oh, and 9thPower, just get your PS3 before they liquidate all the 500 dollar ones. Ask yourself, can you really afford not to?

[9thPower]

great Pic!
Lol stealth editing for.... double post :)

[GTAce]

From Ninja Mikey at the official Forums:

Quote:


http://www.ninjatheory.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1324

SWEET!! for everyone else... but meeeeeeeeee :cry2: (no PS3 yet.... can someone tell me if Maya works with linux on the PS3, if its works then it's a safe bet I can get one instead of a new PC for collage)
:pinky:
Played the game at E3, DeanoC. Tell everyone at NT Kevin Roberts said great job!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/Lalilulelo/DSCN4019.jpg

:thumbl:

[BluBoi]

DeanoC, I was wondering about the camera angles in the game. If you compare the camera from E3 06 in the arena to the camera in the same arena (I think) in the second half of the E3 07 video, it seems that it is now more of a bird's eye view versus before when it was almost floor level.

To be honest, I like the old camera more because it allows you to see the pretty character models better and it seems more "next-gen" because not many other games put the player that close to the action.

I was simply wondering why you decided to go with the more zoomed out camera? Either way, this is a must buy and I think you're doing a great job! You make me proud (and surely many others) to own a PS3!:thumbl:

E3 06: http://www.gametrailers.com/player/22175.html

vs.

E3 07: http://www.gametrailers.com/player/10869.html

[chartwel]

^^^im with you above. the closer camera angles were much better. i wish it was more like that.

[gozirah]

I don't know how I missed this interview with Nina Christensen from gametrailers. (http://www.gametrailers.com/player/19687.html)

Sorry if this is old hat.

She talks about being rewarded with superstar moves when you play well, reactive music, and a says something about online and multiplayer in future installments.

[Passive]

Its new to me :) thanks Gozirah, and the hint of multiplayer was nice but i think it will be more for a HS2 than a downloadable for HS1.

But just imagine it! :) HS multiplayer arena fights, with clans and such :O omg im hyping myself with my own ideas XD

[Cyrus]

Thanks for the answer Deano!

[LiquidEagle]

Deano, while you're at it, tell 'em Matthew Wright said good job!

Then add on,

"...but don't get lazy!" :-p

[Epix]

EU Demo on 7/26!

http://ps3.blogg.se/

[GTAce]

Wooopeeeee i hope its in the german store too... or i have to make an AUT account lol.

[VG Aficionado]

Hmmm, that's a rumor I read a while ago. Not that I don't find it likely though.

[NeoPlayStation]

New video (http://media.ps3.ign.com/media/700/700186/vid_2060371.html) (?).

[Nameless]

^ It was released around E3, but a great trailer...

[Z]

Played the game at E3, DeanoC. Tell everyone at NT Kevin Roberts said great job!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/Lalilulelo/DSCN4019.jpg


that;s how we'll all look when we finally get to play the game. http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa188/shmookins/emos/beautiful.gif



Oh, and 9thPower, just get your PS3 before they liquidate all the 500 dollar ones. Ask yourself, can you really afford not to?
not at all. wait and they'll sell the 80G model for $500. trust me. ;)

[dnpmakkah]

DeanoC, I was wondering about the camera angles in the game. If you compare the camera from E3 06 in the arena to the camera in the same arena (I think) in the second half of the E3 07 video, it seems that it is now more of a bird's eye view versus before when it was almost floor level.

To be honest, I like the old camera more because it allows you to see the pretty character models better and it seems more "next-gen" because not many other games put the player that close to the action.

I was simply wondering why you decided to go with the more zoomed out camera? Either way, this is a must buy and I think you're doing a great job! You make me proud (and surely many others) to own a PS3!:thumbl:

E3 06: http://www.gametrailers.com/player/22175.html

vs.

E3 07: http://www.gametrailers.com/player/10869.htmlI asked this same question from him a while back and his answer was that they have implemented different camera angles for different scenes. They still have the up-close E306 camera angle in the game but some of the more recent videos have been showing the scenes that require an up-top view.

Personally I hope their 'up-close' view is really up close and not kinda up-close. :)

[gozirah]

I say NT should make a couple of possible camera angles and let users choose. The wide angle probably is easier to use since you can better tell Nariko's relationship to the environment and enemies. But I imagine once you become more skilled, you can use the close up just fine.

If you've seen the Bourne Identity, then you might agree that close up fighting can be much more dramatic, though more visually confusing.

[9thPower]

Played the game at E3, DeanoC. Tell everyone at NT Kevin Roberts said great job!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/Lalilulelo/DSCN4019.jpg




Oh, and 9thPower, just get your PS3 before they liquidate all the 500 dollar ones. Ask yourself, can you really afford not to?
jee, man so harsh :laugh: don't worry once I have enough money I will buy one (and stop being poor) :XD:

[Pumpkin Head]

Heavenly Sword will be getting online multiplayer in November 2007. It will be a downloadable add-on via the PlayStation Store. It will be free of charge. There will be several modes available in online play. You will create your own custom warrior to fight online, with a varitey of customization options. You can also download accessories and many other items for your warrior on the PlayStation Store. Currently the modes available are:

Deathmatch (Maximum of 8 players per game)
PVP (1 vs. 1)
Capture the Flag (16 players)
Control (Capture all the Zones on the map to win, 16 players)
2 modes that have yet to be revealed

The download will also bring splitscreen offline and splitscreen online (similar to Warhawk) to the game. Online seems to be a must this generation and Ninja Theory will be bringing it to Heavenly Sword.
http://www.n4g.com/ClickOut.aspx?ObjID=52936

[acousticvan]

http://www.n4g.com/ClickOut.aspx?ObjID=52936

That's not real. I'm dreaming?

[BluBoi]

http://www.n4g.com/ClickOut.aspx?ObjID=52936

That's crazy! There's no way I won't by this game! +rep:thumbl:

Edit: I asked this same question from him a while back and his answer was that they have implemented different camera angles for different scenes. They still have the up-close E306 camera angle in the game but some of the more recent videos have been showing the scenes that require an up-top view.

Personally I hope their 'up-close' view is really up close and not kinda up-close. :)

Well I was comparing what looks to be the same arena scene (E306 vs E307), and in the new vid it has the up-top view. Oh well, it's not a big deal.

[Passive]

holy shit! :D thats fkn awesome!!!

[gozirah]

Totally unexpected. Can't see how it fits into the story yet.

edit: Well, I guess online is a must this generation, but I hope it isn't tacked on.

Well, I trust in Ninja Theory.

[chartwel]

the online thing was debunked guys. im an ign insider and tameem flatout said there is no multiplayer in the E3 interview.

[gozirah]

yeah, and Nina said they were thinking about it.. for the future. So a downloadable in November isn't all that crazy. But okay, it smells of fish.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

I knew something was up when they said CTF. I mean...um...wtf.

[Z]

I am depressed...

[VG Aficionado]

Wow. That sounds so... blatantly made-up!

[Passive]

didnt i tell you not to ruin things for me!! or was that Viper? :s lol i cant remember anymore.

[yoshaw]

Err, multiplayer Heavenly Sword. You guys must be joking. It's a god of war-esque like game. How could you possibly ruin such a game with multiplayer is beyond me. Such games are complemented more by their single player than they could ever be with multiplayer support.

Jeez, some of you guys really need to be less demandin ya know. Seriously, WTF?? demanding multiplayer from HS? .........:whip:

PS: Edit: I didn't think of co-op there. So if any1 was thinkin co-op you're exempt from this post's harshness :P lol

[KRA]

Err, multiplayer Heavenly Sword. You guys must be joking. It's a god of war-esque like game. How could you possibly ruin such a game with multiplayer is beyond me. Such games are complemented more by their single player than they could ever be with multiplayer support.

Jeez, some of you guys really need to be less demandin ya know. Seriously, WTF?? demanding multiplayer from HS? .........:whip:

PS: Edit: I didn't think of co-op there. So if any1 was thinkin co-op you're exempt from this post's harshness :P lol

well i can see multiplayer in hs could work quite well.
well gow has to shallow combat gameplay.
but hs should be better in that so it could work in multiplayer.
i can see this as a nice add-on.
i don't understand how you can see this as ruining the game ?
it's not like someona would make you to play it multiplayer.
and some arena fights should be fun.
you don't get it you bash it ?! i don't understand.

[yoshaw]

well i can see multiplayer in hs could work quite well.
well gow has to shallow combat gameplay.
but hs should be better in that so it could work in multiplayer.
i can see this as a nice add-on.
i don't understand how you can see this as ruining the game ?
it's not like someona would make you to play it multiplayer.
and some arena fights should be fun.
you don't get it you bash it ?! i don't understand.


Err, why do I have the feeling that if you write like that anymore then you might hurt yourself :P

j/k

dun pay attention to my post up there. It was a joke amongst friends, no more no less. Peace.

[GTShotoKen]

Here's a new combat video that shows off some of Nariko's skills a little better:

http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/13316

It's from the same demo level previously shown before, but I believe the combat is new.

Edit: This video right here is cool as hell too:

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/22177.html

[gozirah]

Looks good, except.... there was a bug! It happened at least twice when an enemy was clearly lying down, Nariko goes in for a death blow, and suddenly the soldier is magically standing upright before falling over again.

DeanOC should be :doh:.

[chartwel]

Looks good, except.... there was a bug! It happened at least twice when an enemy was clearly lying down, Nariko goes in for a death blow, and suddenly the soldier is magically standing upright before falling over again.

DeanOC should be :doh:.

^^^work in progress. nothing more to be said. final game will not have glitches like that.

[NickSCFC]

DEMO IS READY FOR PSN!!!

www.spong.com

[Kabbage]

OMG the AI is terrible!

**According to gametrailer user comments on the videos**

[karibu]

Hum, DeanoC, pleeease get rid of that blue light that enemies have when they attack. Or atleast make it optional. It just doesn't fit there.
Same goes for the yellow/orange light nariko has. Those stand out too much.
I want to keep eye on movements, not lights they make.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

This isn't a request thread dude...

[karibu]

This isn't a request thread dude...

Feed back not apriciated anymore?

[Passive]

It wasnt so much feedback as it was a request/order :P

[NeoPlayStation]

Eurogamer preview (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=80117).

[evillion]

the elegant yet fierce visual style, the stunning life like character motion and the epic feel of the narrative really intrigues me. a must buy for sure. quality games like this makes me a very proud PS3 owner.

[NickSCFC]

OMG the AI is terrible!

**According to gametrailer user comments on the videos**

I heard alot from E3 saying the controls were shit, will probs still buy it for the story, and it still looks beautiful!

[BruceWayneIII]

Eurogamer sure sound impressed... and that includes the controls.

[NickSCFC]

Just watched it, omg this is fucking awful!

The enemies walk into walls, and carry on walking. The guy lying down who shoots up when getting stabbed, what a load of shit, no wonder no one was impressed when playing it. It's just a movie with interaction.

Revolutionary my arse, Andy Serkis knows fuck all about games.

Think I'll be waiting til 2008 to get my PS3, that's when the real fucking games come out!

[Passive]

wtf nick? get a grip man lol

andy serkis has nothing to do with the gameplay dumbshit :P he's the dramaticaly director, do you know what that means? he takes care of the cut scenes.

geez. u expect to much man lol and the game isnt on the shelves yet, so you have no idea what the finished AI will be like. stfu and get out of this thread if all ur gonna do is winge.

[Z]

Feed back not apriciated anymore?
don't mind Lali, it's that time of the month.

It wasnt so much feedback as it was a request/order :P
well, him saying:

pleeease

sounded like a very polite fan wish.

wtf nick? get a grip man lol
don't mind Nick. he doesn't really like anything. not even puppies. his like a MILR in an alternate dimension.

[Passive]

:lol:

[BluBoi]

Hum, DeanoC, pleeease get rid of that blue light that enemies have when they attack. Or atleast make it optional. It just doesn't fit there.
Same goes for the yellow/orange light nariko has. Those stand out too much.
I want to keep eye on movements, not lights they make.

I actually like how that looks, and it seems that it helps you tell if the enemy is using the speed or power stance on you so that can block it. It would be tough to guess which stance they were using just by appearance.

[saud264]

Nariko’s Moustache

So, it's been a little more than a week since my last post and I apologise for that: I’ve not had nearly as much time as I would have liked to post replies to the various questions that have come up in the comments during the last two blog posts.

The reason for my time being a bit short is that we’re in the final push on the European SKU of Heavenly Sword and are working flat out to get all the bugs we can resolved before our deadline. Things in this regard are progressing really well - our bug fix rate is well above the bug find rate and the type and severity of the new bugs is becoming increasingly benign. The stability of the game is rock-solid and the performance is steadily increasing.

I guess you all want to hear some more about the demo too? Well that’s been in Format Testing for over a week now and the signs are pretty good. As soon as it gets green-lit, it's simply up to our lovely Sony Marketing people to work out the best time to get it onto Playstation Network and, from the demand, I’d imagine they’d want to get it out to you guys as soon as possible!

As for this week’s eye candy, here's something that one of our senior environment artists, Dan Atwell, put together using a stiching technique; he takes multiple screen grabs of a panorama, stiches them together to make one super widescreen view of our enviroments and then hand corrects the seams and joins to fix any perspective anomalies.

What you end up with is something like this:

http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/806/806797/heavenly-sword-20070720072241999-000.jpg (http://uk.media.ps3.ign.com/media/700/700186/img_4728263.html)

This is a shot of the Chapter 3 environment in which you get to play as Kai, Nariko’s adopted sister. The cool thing about this shot is that what you see here is all playable! Pretty sweet huh?

This week I’ve got an insight from Mike Ball, our chief technical ninja, as to the PS3 hardware and how we use it to power one of Nariko’s more obvious features; her long flowing red hair.

And with that, I’ll hand over to Mike and say “See y’all next week!”



Mike Ball, chief technical ninja & co-founder, Ninja Theory

Over a teraflop of processing power. Gulp, that’s quite a responsibility to handle. How do we make sure that we’re using all of those cycles? Engineers have slaved over creating this hardware for many years and, as developers we have a responsibility to use them wisely, surely? And so we do but, let’s face it, however many processing cycles you give to a developer we’ll always find some ways of using it. Monty Python sang that every sperm is sacred and, to a game coder, the same is true of CPU cycles - we can’t just waste them.

In our case, we wanted to make the heroine look truly beautiful and you wouldn’t believe how many of our processing cycles we spend on doing just that. Stylistically we always knew that adding long hair to the heroine would be important and we believed that procedurally animating it using a custom physics solution was the way to make the hair a trademark of the character.

Luckily this sort of thing is just perfect for the PlayStation 3 with its all conquering CELL processor. The SPU's vector processing capabilities are just perfect for procedural tasks and there are seven of them in the PlayStation 3.

This is just one of the game features that the CELL’s SPUs have enabled. They’re a really interesting architecture. As a developer, you can get code running on them easily and immediately receive good performance due to the fact that you now have the task running in parallel with the other cores. And yet the architecture offers so many optimisation strategies that, if you're that way inclined, you can really hone your code until the virtual cows come home. It’s with this in mind that I’m really looking forward to seeing how games develop over this generation because hardcore developers are really going to be able to push it hard. It’s gonna be a really interesting ride!

So today we calculate how each segment of each strand of hair behaves according to physics and how each segment performs collision checks against the other strands of hair and against the body of the heroine. It’s actually a lot of work for such a seemingly simple item! When the simulation is complete and ready to render, we use a custom shader to create multiple highlights along its length to simulate the way that light transports through each hair.

It’s not perfect though - some things just have to slip. If you look closely you’ll see that the heroine’s hair is not affected by the blades. That’s not because we couldn’t do it, it’s just that the blades move so fast in her combat strikes that if the hair were imparted with the energy from the strike it would fire off all over the place. This is just one of those situations where games and reality have to diverge. Let’s face it: if it were truly real physics, she would just accidentally cut her hair off!

And so it is that we have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the hair. On some days I sit back and look at it and I’m marvelled at the graceful way in which it twines around the heroine as she attacks a multitude of characters. It really is something that comes close to my high expectations. But then there are the other days when you loathe it with a passion. Imagine that you’re trying to set up a really cool looking screenshot for something like, oh, a developer diary. The pressure is on to hit the deadline and the scene is perfect. Yet one strand of hair is hanging from the heroine’s lip like a big fat moustache that wouldn’t look out of place in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

Yet, isn’t this what we should expect? Isn’t this what it’s all about? The CELL gives us the power to breathe life into so many elements on the screen that we aren’t in control any more. It’s a living breathing world that we get to shape and take part in. Enjoy the hacking and slashing but take the time to look around at all the small detail that’s going on too.

- Mike Ball
http://blogs.ign.com/Heavenly_Sword/2007/07/20/60869/

[warmachine]

Official Homepage (http://www.jp.playstation.com/scej/title/hs/main.html)

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Feed back not apriciated anymore?

Well it was more like, "I don't want mayonnaise on my hamburger" than feedback about the game (that you haven't played). And besides the game is probably about to go gold considering it comes out in about 6 weeks. I really doubt DeanoC, who is one of many artists, is just gonna roll up into the office, fire up the debug and delete a bunch of effects that some dude off the internet said he didn't like (no offense to you, I doubt he'd just up and listen to any of us just cuz we 'have an opinion' however much it is our right to have one).

[Epix]

Eurogamer chimes in: (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=80117)

Heavenly Sword is one of those annoying games that everyone has heard everything about, but nobody actually knows anything about. Of course you've heard of it; how could you not? It's one of Sony's great white hopes, one of the much-vaunted PS3 exclusives which have the unhappy fortune of being pivotal to the next salvo in the Great Console War of 2007.

But know about it? Well, we've known marginal details; we've known that it's a third-person action game starring a red-headed lady with a fine line in swinging around very large swords. We've known that it's being developed by British studio Ninja Theory, and that renowned actor Andy Serkis (you know, Gollum!) is involved with it...

...And, despite this being one of Sony's headliners, that's actually all we've really known about Heavenly Sword, with the primary source of info being an incredibly short, restricted demo which is now around 15 months old. Since then, next to nothing. Until now.

Now we've played an up-to-date version of Ninja Theory's opus. Pull up a pew, and we'll tell you all about it.

In the Beginning

The question, really, is where to start. When Ninja Theory showed off Heavenly Sword to us in London recently, they started with the cut-scenes - something they're understandably proud of. After all, they had New Zealand's Weta Workshop (you know, Lord of the Rings!) break new ground in the motion capture technology used for them, and Andy Serkis (you know, Gol... Hang on, we've done this one already) as dramatic director for the whole thing.

(We like the idea of a "dramatic director"; we imagine it to be something like Stephen Spielberg, but with vastly exaggerated hand gestures, a mysterious personal gust of wind which blows his hair around at opportune moments, and regular tearful flounces back to his trailer to post on LiveJournal. But we digress).

Cut-scenes play well to a wider press audience, we suppose, and Heavenly Sword's cut-scenes more than most. They've certainly lifted the bar in this area, so much so that they look almost like a movie, and they've got that chap who played Gollum and King Kong so that's probably good for a photo piece in a newspaper or maybe in the back of Heat magazine.

Okay, stop twitching. We know. It's Eurogamer, not Eurocut-scene-watcher, no matter how much we like Metal Gear Solid. So, with all apologies to the lovely Mr Serkis (who played Gollum, you know), we were somewhat concerned when half an hour of presentation about the cut-scenes ended with five minutes of brief talk about the game. Thankfully, the game was in residence to speak for itself. Let's talk about the game. [Yes, let's. - Stern Ed]


Heavenly Sword is, by Ninja Theory's own admission, a resolute attempt at creating a new videogame icon (and, by extension, a new videogame franchise) in the form of Nariko, the heroine of the piece. Blessed with flowing, flame-coloured locks, exotic features on one of the most detailed and expressive faces we've ever seen in a game, a penchant for fairly revealing clothing and a pair of bloody great swords, Nariko certainly fits the bill.

Most of what you need to know about the structure of the game is right there in the sub-heading; this is Goddess of War. The game sees you progressing through the storyline by beating the stuffing out of countless enemies in an increasingly brutal manner, interspersed with occasional interactive scenes where you need to tap out on-screen button combinations.

Those interactive scenes seemed pretty regular from the sections which we played, and often play a role in combat with bosses or powerful enemies (much like God of War). More lengthy interactive scenes see you pressing buttons to navigate through astonishingly cinematic feats - in the first demo level we saw, Nariko slides down massive anchor cables to a suspended platform, flipping from cable to cable as her enemies cut them off in an attempt to dislodge her. It's epic stuff. We strongly suspect it may be one of the first levels.

The Lady's Not For Turning

Once you're on the platform, it's time to go crazy. Nariko wields a remarkable blade which has three different modes, or stances. The default stance is "fast", in which you slice and dice at relatively close range with a pair of blades. Hold down L1 and you switch to ranged stance, swinging around your blades on the end of chains. Hold R1 and you're in heavy stance, which inflicts massive damage with a single, slow blade.

There are only two standard attack buttons - triangle and circle - so most of the game mechanics are built around this stance system. You can flick between stances instantly, which allows for combos to be built up using moves from multiple stances, a technique that in turn allows you to build up some fairly unique and powerful move-sets.

The block system is also based off your stance. Each enemy attack has a certain glow; blue means you'll block it in Fast stance, yellow means you'll block it in Heavy stance. Red means you can't block it at all, and getting the hell out of the way would be a fine plan. Finally, tap the triangle button at exactly the right time (a little flash on screen indicates this) and you'll execute a counter move.

The objective, according to Ninja Theory's developers, has been to create a fighting system which has enough depth to work like a beat-'em-up in one-on-one fights, but which is also fun in large brawls and even on massive battlefields. The game's battles do range from taking on single enemies to running around a battle with 2500 participants, taking in just about everything in between along the way. Overall though it's a tricky proposition, and certainly ambitious.

Based on our play time with the game, Heavenly Sword takes a damn good stab at such a tough challenge. The controls feel fluid and dynamic, with incredibly well choreographed moves blending together to form great-looking combos even during our earliest fumbling experiments. Little tactics like doing a spinning Ranged attack to knock back a scrum of approaching enemies came naturally, while chaining attacks from different stances together seemed to be the key to hitting the weak points of armoured or shielded foes.

No game of this sort would be complete without some satisfyingly brutal finishing moves, and Nariko brings plenty of those to the table. As you play, you charge up "orbs" for special attacks, which can then be executed using the circle button - one special for each stance. These specials can be eye-wateringly brutal (we're really not fond of the Heavy stance special attack which sees the sword slammed into the crotch of a retreating enemy), but also sport some tactical depth. The ranged special, for example, clears a breathing space around Nariko by swinging around a single impaled enemy on a pair of chains - ideal in a tight corner.

Unfortunately, we don't feel like we've played enough of the game to say whether the combat is as good as God of War's, but what we can say is that there's absolutely no reason why what we've seen of Heavenly Sword couldn't blossom into a combat system as deep and satisfying as God of War's over the course of the full game. It's all very promising.

Very Special Moves

The game has some tricks of its own to bring to the table, too. Almost every object in the environment can be destroyed, and as you fight the various levels will pile up with corpses and the debris of shattered furniture and fittings - all of which is subject to physics, and makes a glorious mess.

You can also pick up the bulk of the objects in the game and hurl them at enemies. This even demonstrates an actually rather sensible use of the Sixaxis functionality of the PS3 - there's a little bit of aftertouch on everything you throw, which means you can steer objects in flight by tilting the pad.

Later in the game, there are also points where you play as Nariko's companion, Kai - a younger girl who seems half-feral, and is armed with a very big crossbow. Her stages are specifically laid out as shoot-'em-up stages, from what we saw, and have a unique set of puzzles - we especially liked one which required that you set arrows on fire by shooting them through torches. Oh, and the crossbow bolts, too, have Sixaxis aftertouch on them.

Of course, Heavenly Sword wouldn't be much of a showcase for the PS3 without having stunning graphics - and that's one area where the game isn't likely to attract much criticism. It's one of the best-looking titles we've ever seen, with incredibly detailed scenery stretching hundreds of metres into the distance - complemented by life-like and superbly animated foes, even in scenes where there are dozens on screen at once.

Indeed, the whole affair comes across as being simply beautiful - with some points in the game having an almost (dare we say it?) ICO-esque feel thanks to the large-scale puzzles and vast, ancient architecture which reaches off into the distance.

And then you have the characters. Yes, it's cut-scene stuff, but Weta and Ninja Theory absolutely deserve praise in this department. According to Serkis, this is the first time that multiple actors have been motion-captured acting out scenes together, with both their body movements and their facial expression being captured. Frankly, the benefits of the technique shine through clearly.

The characters are given an astonishing level of depth and emotion by their actors, who imbue the tale - focused on Serkis' wonderfully insane and malevolent King Bohan - with a truly Shakespearean feel. Nariko, her compatriots and her foes don't just have a set of facial expressions to suit all circumstances; they genuinely emote, and react, and provide exactly the sort of powerful character performances that you don't expect to find in a videogame.

Ninja Theory's claims for the game may be somewhat optimistic - there was talk of combining the drama of Kurosawa with the visual flair of Hero, of videogames entering a Golden Era not unlike that of film, all of which may be somewhat premature. However, what we've seen of Heavenly Sword so far suggests a game strong enough to stand up in the face of its own hype.

It's got killer looks, fluid, fun gameplay, a genuinely superb heroine - and, lest we forget, the best cut-scenes you've ever seen in a videogame. Comparisons with God of War are easy, and not remotely unfair, but if there's a sin in producing a visually stunning, professionally executed title in the God of War mould for a next-gen system, then it's not one our faith condemns. Besides, it's got that bloke who played Gollum in it - what more could you want?

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Just watched it, omg this is fucking awful!

The enemies walk into walls, and carry on walking. The guy lying down who shoots up when getting stabbed, what a load of shit, no wonder no one was impressed when playing it. It's just a movie with interaction.

Revolutionary my arse, Andy Serkis knows fuck all about games.

Think I'll be waiting til 2008 to get my PS3, that's when the real fucking games come out!

slap that sand out of your vagina, I played the game and it's awesome. And I'm further confused by the people playing it who suck so bad, the controls were pretty standard action fair.

[NeoPlayStation]

Eurogamer chimes in: (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=80117)

See above (http://www.e-mpire.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1614459&postcount=2085)

[gozirah]

slap that sand out of your vagina, I played the game and it's awesome. And I'm further confused by the people playing it who suck so bad, the controls were pretty standard action fair.

Nick's sandiness seems a bit premature. I really doubt they are going to release HS with any glaring bugs, with all the high expectations. They would rather delay it until they get it just right.

[dnpmakkah]

New video from Jeuxvideo. It's basically the same video we have been seeing but more of it with some new scenes (at least they are to me), 12 minutes worth. Oh and it looks like there will be exploration and puzzle elements in this game. Looks great.

Heavenly Sword: 12 minute video gameplay (http://www.jeuxvideo.tv/heavenly-sword-video-40611.htmlDorg.mozilla:en-US:eek:fficial%26hs%3DgLE)

[Applefiend]

Is it me or is the cannon ball sequence the best graphics anyone has ever seen on a PS3 including KZ2?

[dnpmakkah]

The animation in the cannon ball part is impressive. It's not just you.

[woundingchaney]

Is it me or is the cannon ball sequence the best graphics anyone has ever seen on a PS3 including KZ2?

Not the best I have seen but it is definitely up there.

[karibu]

Well it was more like, "I don't want mayonnaise on my hamburger" than feedback about the game (that you haven't played). And besides the game is probably about to go gold considering it comes out in about 6 weeks. I really doubt DeanoC, who is one of many artists, is just gonna roll up into the office, fire up the debug and delete a bunch of effects that some dude off the internet said he didn't like (no offense to you, I doubt he'd just up and listen to any of us just cuz we 'have an opinion' however much it is our right to have one).

Like I really believe they'd change anything for what I wrote :P
It's the only thing I don't like in HS.

[gozirah]

Yeah, I don't have any false expectations of having any kind of influence on game development. If they went back to change something every time somebody online hiccupped, games would only be as good as "Snakes on a Plane". Artists need to be a little insulated so they can be creative rather than just cater to consumer demands.

My opinion was also that enemies don't deserve blue blur effects. After all, it's Nariko who is wielding something otherworldly. But while that was my reaction, I will keep an open mind to how it all fits together.

[9thPower]

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
To deanoc and the guys at Ninja theory! That video of Jeux, was amazing!! the puzzle part, the one you trow the chinese "hat" at the statues to bounce of the object to hit the other hid behind the tree is simple, but great, I was laughing at that "so cool and funny at the same time!" great job you guys! And Kai, oh man, when she says "HEEEEllllllooooooooooo......" it was fan-tastic, she so cute :) she reminds me of River, from Serenity, specially that part when she moves her head and says "No, only a bit" was so river(great actress Summer Glau), the freakishness, god damn NT, great job!

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

:thumbl:

[Nameless]

^ Agreed the game looks great and I plan to play it on the hardest difficulty to extend the experience as long as possible...

[Coded-Dude]

do those guys stop talking soon?
(or do they go on through the entire film)

[Nameless]

^ They talk the whole time, but I ignored it since I have no clue what they are saying...
*Just mute the it man, because the sound is poor anyway.*

[Coded-Dude]

yeah....I was hoping to hear some the dialogue in the game.

[TEEDA]

LoL they are describing the game. They are saying that it's just a preview build of the game and that there are few laggs but it's just on the build they received.
They are also saying that the language is indeed in French , audio and subtitles.
The gameplay is very responsive, the ennemies are clever and attack in groups, they are here to kill you so they just don't stand right in front of you. It's more tactical than it seems. Judging by the color of the ennemy's flame you have to choose the right stance to block as we already know.
There are lots and lots of killing moves and combos to be unlocked. And the game is just so beautiful to watch and to play with.
But the game looks defenitely gorgeous , the Score too and that it's a very very very most wanted title.

[yoshaw]

Judging by the color of the ennemy's flame you have to choose the right stance to block

That mechanic, ladies & gentlemen, should explain why the sword action color flair is needed for enemies in this videogame. Very impressive DeanoC. Sounds like a great tactical mechanic. I'm IN!

[Passive]

is there anyway at all to save vids from Jeuxvideo?

[TEEDA]

is there anyway at all to save vids from Jeuxvideo?

yes you can my friend.
Just click on " enregistrer la video " on the right side of the video which means " downlod the video.
Then follow the new link and choose one of the server then click right and " save as ". and you' re done :-)
http://www.enregistrersous.com/images/133453544020070721053504.jpg

[Passive]

hey thanks teeda :) always wondered how to save vids from that site ^^

[Passive]

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
To deanoc and the guys at Ninja theory! That video of Jeux, was amazing!! the puzzle part, the one you trow the chinese "hat" at the statues to bounce of the object to hit the other hid behind the tree is simple, but great, I was laughing at that "so cool and funny at the same time!" great job you guys! And Kai, oh man, when she says "HEEEEllllllooooooooooo......" it was fan-tastic, she so cute :) she reminds me of River, from Serenity, specially that part when she moves her head and says "No, only a bit" was so river(great actress Summer Glau), the freakishness, god damn NT, great job!

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

:thumbl:


you're very correct, she does have a very River Tam-ness about her doesnt she? :P and that in my book is a very good thing *is one of those ppl who thinks firefly should never have been canceled*

[gozirah]

Nice video! Loved the picture-in-picture in the beginning of the arena fight.

[GTShotoKen]

What's still odd to me about this title is that I can't tell exactly from videos how the player will know the enemy is truly dead until they stay on the ground for thirty seconds.

Hey LaLiLuLeLo, was it easy for you to tell when you defeated your enemies after battling them?

[LaLiLuLeLo]

What's still odd to me about this title is that I can't tell exactly from videos how the player will know the enemy is truly dead until they stay on the ground for thirty seconds.

Hey LaLiLuLeLo, was it easy for you to tell when you defeated your enemies after battling them?

Yeah of course, they fell over dead lol.:matrix: I didn't know about the color coded blocking because I just jumped into the game :P but it was still awesome.

[Junox50]

Looks good to me. Hopefully, by its release, I'll have the money to put down for a PS3. This would be the first game I would get.

[wotter]

Demo coming this Thursday:



A Heavenly Sword demo will be available to download from the PlayStation Network this Thursday, Sony has confirmed to Eurogamer this morning.

It will give PS3 owners a chance to try out the hugely anticipated action game from Ninja Theory ahead of it's projected September release date.
Advertisement

Heavenly Sword is pitched one of Sony's biggest games of the year, and features talent like Andy "Gollum" Serkis and WETA Studios - the visual flare behind Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings.

We recently had the chance to get to grips with the title and see how it was shaping up. Head over to our first impressions of Heavenly Sword to find out what the fuss is about.


Link: http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=80202

[VG Aficionado]

Firmware 1.90 and HS demo confirmed for this week :cloud9:

[Fats]

Waaaa Waaaa Wiiii Waaaa!

:):):)

[Fazares]

ahahaha

[VG Aficionado]

According to Sony, the demo is the same as that shown during Sony's Gamer Day earlier this year. So, expect to guide Nariko across some dangerously high ropes in a QTE-style manner before diving into a series of vicious scraps atop a crumbling precipice and elsewhere. The demo should give you a taste of Heavenly Sword's genuinely stunning visuals, as well as some hands-on time with the game's impressive combat system.http://ps3.ign.com/articles/807/807245p1.html

[Z]

official European box cover (among others):
http://www.ps3only.nl/nieuwsitem.php?nid=5653

[BruceWayneIII]

^ from the same site:

he Eye of Judgement zal op 26 oktober verschijnen, Folklore in oktober, Heavenly Sword op 12 september, Lair op 10 oktober en Warhawk op 29 september.

Hmm... are these release dates confirmed? Anyone?

[Z]

well, they're all scheduled to release before year's end. so it is about time they give out release dates and demos.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

official European box cover (among others):
http://www.ps3only.nl/nieuwsitem.php?nid=5653

Folklore is BALLLIIIIIN.

[Epix]

Ninja Theory's Demo Kit:

799279937994

[OmniCloud]

Firmware 1.90 and HS demo confirmed for this week :cloud9:Yes...very yummy:pleased:

I hope this continues...maybe Lair demo and more PS titles next week? then Warhawk should reveal it's ugly head sooner or later after that...

Good week regardless...I'll probably be messing around with PS3 the whole weekend after the HS demo--got like 500 wallpapers to choose from!!

[dnpmakkah]

Edited: I think I got the link to work...but accidentally made a new post. Anyways check below for new(?) video.

[GTShotoKen]

the link doesn't work for me. I guess I'll search using the main site. :)

[dnpmakkah]

This video shows gameplay and cutscenes that are new to me and hopefully you as well. It actually has footage of Nariko fighting that big fat guy who has some sort of shield on his back. Anyways I hope you enjoy. Oh and it looks like some new moves are shown as well.

Watch It Here (http://www.jeux-france.com/news21030_e3-2007-heavenly-sword-en-video.html)

[GTShotoKen]

great vid dnpmakkah

[dnpmakkah]

It seems the A.I. is getting harder too and everytime I see footage of this game I'm just in awe of the presentation of it.

[dnpmakkah]

Prison Puzzle Gameplay - Watch It Here (http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/13539)

Prison Cut Scene - Watch It Here (http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/13538)

[Passive]

^ ^ Nice finds, and glad to see this thread again lol i was thinking the demo thread was taking over.

[Fazares]

wow at that cutscene...it blows away the demo cutscenes...i wish i could stare at this instead of the demo..on my own hd lcd....

[Passive]

Does anyone know what Res the final game will be in? 1080P or 720P? i know the demo was 720P but i noticed at the start of the cut scene the upscaling to my 1080P set wasnt to good, it looked fine but it was a bit blocky in colour like a badly encoded video or something. anyone else see this? its right at the start of the cutscene when we see narkio standing and Kai kneeling. i know its not my tv because its a good 1080P set. so be honest if you noticed this too and dont say it looked fine because you love the game :P

[Nameless]

^ The final res will be 720P.
There were some frame rate & shadow issues with the demo build, but those issues should be resolved in the final build of the game.


Now that the excitement of playing the demo wore off I can now see there's a few rough corners that should be ironed out, but the overall title is amazing.
I just hope people don't nitpick the visuals too much, because I really like the fighting system and the cinematic feel of the title.

[VG Aficionado]

Meristation (http://www.meristation.com/v3/des_avances.php?pic=PS3&id=cw46ace7c24bd16&idj=cw428ba7fc92b39&idp=&tipo=art&c=1&pos=0) has a number of new details on Heavenly Sword. I'll compile them:


- There will be 6 animation clips on PSN which will tell the story of the Heavenly Sword.

- The gameplay is comprised of combat, exploration, puzzle solving and third person shooting.

- The gameplay features which depend on motion sensing have a faster response time now.

- 6 acts, 48 missions.

- Spanish release date: September 19.

[OmniCloud]

Meristation (http://www.meristation.com/v3/des_avances.php?pic=PS3&id=cw46ace7c24bd16&idj=cw428ba7fc92b39&idp=&tipo=art&c=1&pos=0) has a number of new details on Heavenly Sword. I'll compile them:


- There will be 6 animation clips on PSN which will tell the story of the Heavenly Sword.

- The gameplay is comprised of combat, exploration, puzzle solving and third person shooting.

- The gameplay features which depend on motion sensing have a faster response time now.

- 6 acts, 48 missions.

- Spanish release date: September 19.So is that like the cut-scenes all wrapped up together available for download on PSN?!! Would be kinda cool i think...

[VG Aficionado]

http://xs318.xs.to/xs318/07315/psm3sept07.jpg

[TrueVCU]

$5 says Nariko gets a spread in Maxim next month

[VG Aficionado]

Heavenly Sword Date Set (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/810/810523p1.html)
Nariko slicing her way to the PS3 very soon.
by Chris Roper

August 3, 2007 - Get your blades sharpened as Sony Computer Entertainment has announced that Heavenly Sword will hit shelves on September 12th. Developed by Ninja Theory and published by Sony Computer Entertainment exclusively for the PlayStation 3, the game is Sony's attempt at creating the equivalent of a summer blockbuster with extremely detailed cutscenes and action sequences that borrow style from martial arts films.

A short demo for the game is now available on the PlayStation Network.

[Rockmond]

http://xs318.xs.to/xs318/07315/psm3sept07.jpg

Nice.

[Fats]

Why are all these great games getting released when I go back to Uni?!

[chartwel]

thats a sweet cover. wish the US still had that mag.

[yoshaw]

Sweet Nariko! 0_0
I'd like a poster of that with double the cheese. Thank you

[TEEDA]

I love her hair, she must be using " loreal elseve "...She could make a beautiful " virtual " model for any advertisement lol. all along side by side with Adriana Lima <3 and

Alessandrz ambrosio <3
http://www.celebopedia.com/alessandra-ambrosio/images/alessandra-ambrosio.jpg

[gozirah]

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/df/af/2838228348a0fa56f3824110.L.jpg

Serpent Lady Boss Battle HD
http://www.gametrailers.com/moses/moviesthumbs/23166-t_HeavenlySword_PS3_GP03_gt.jpg
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/23165.html?type=

Whirling Blades of Death Gameplay HD
http://www.gametrailers.com/moses/moviesthumbs/23161-t_heavenlysword_deathblades_gp_gt_h264.jpg
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/23161.html

Fire Rocket Frenzy Gameplay HD
http://www.gametrailers.com/moses/moviesthumbs/23159-t_heavenlysword_firerocket_gp_gt_h264.jpg
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/23159.html

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Jeez save some of the game for surprises... I want there to be something I haven't seen when I get it next month.

[TrueVCU]

Seriously, could we be made to drool any harder?

It's like when a trailer drops every awesome moment in the movie it's supposed to tease for, only in this case it would be our fault.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

I mean, Alright alright! I want the game, stop slapping me around about it!

[saud264]

very speed moves in the last clip

[PS3LikeNoOther]

Well looks like a got a pre order to do tommorow this game is going to be awsome. I hope Sony can do the right marketing to really get people looking at this game. If they are smart they will get Andy to really help them PR this game, because he is very well respected, and would be a good face for their marketing (not saying Nariko is not a very marketable face).

[hybridofsteel]

:laugh:@ Nariko's PSM3 gangster pose.

[OmniCloud]

http://xs318.xs.to/xs318/07315/psm3sept07.jpg
Nariko:"What u say nucca?"

[LaLiLuLeLo]

You best step correct foo'! hahaha.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/Lalilulelo/cause-of-death.gif

[curryking1]

Yo don't say that ***t! She'll rough you up!

[Xerxes]

Meristation (http://www.meristation.com/v3/des_avances.php?pic=PS3&id=cw46ace7c24bd16&idj=cw428ba7fc92b39&idp=&tipo=art&c=1&pos=0) has a number of new details on Heavenly Sword. I'll compile them:


- There will be 6 animation clips on PSN which will tell the story of the Heavenly Sword.

- The gameplay is comprised of combat, exploration, puzzle solving and third person shooting.

- The gameplay features which depend on motion sensing have a faster response time now.

- 6 acts, 48 missions.

- Spanish release date: September 19.

Does this mean shooting arrows with Nariko's sister?

[LaLiLuLeLo]

she's not her sister!
DeanoC said so.

[Xerxes]

she's not her sister!
DeanoC said so.

Oh thanks for telling me I didn't know that. I want to watch the new trailers with the boss fight but I'm restraining myself. I don't want anymore detail as it would ruin the game haha.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

a lot of the media keep referring to her as her sister cuz they don't know any better but DeanoC told us the wiser.

[Segitz]

Maybe not her biological sister, but maybe adopted or whatnot.

IIRC in the demo cutscene, Nariko refers to "father", not "my father". If Kai wasn't involved in her family, she wouldn't talk like that, would she?

[Rockmond]

she's not her sister!


They seem awfully close.

zomg Nariko am lesbian. :pinky::drool::queer::err::ghey::pepper:

[TrueVCU]

They seem awfully close.

zomg Nariko am lesbian. :pinky::drool::queer::err::ghey::pepper:

The state frowns on incest.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Fool. Lesbians are never that hot. They're usually dumpy or pudgy or have really short hair and strong (ugly) faces.

[TrueVCU]

Must... obey... Rules....

Cannot... Post... Hot... Lesbians... :eek2:

[VG Aficionado]

You don't have what it takes to post lesbian pr0n :norris:

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Even if he did, he won't for long if he tries it. Hahahaha.

And besides they aren't lesbians, they're just acting like they are. Same way they aren't actually MILFs.

I mean, I don't know anything about what you're talking about. What's this...pr0n?

[TrueVCU]

You don't have what it takes to post lesbian pr0n :norris:

Why must you remind me of my disabilities? :cry2:

[Sephiroth_VII]

Maybe not her biological sister, but maybe adopted or whatnot.

IIRC in the demo cutscene, Nariko refers to "father", not "my father". If Kai wasn't involved in her family, she wouldn't talk like that, would she?

Yes, she's adopted. DeanoC told us so, as others have said.

[Segitz]

Yes, she's adopted. DeanoC told us so, as others have said.

Ha, so I was right^^ Didn't read Deans post about this :D (or merely forgot it)

[TrueVCU]

Sister or not, she's still loony on the scale of River Tam.

[Passive]

^ i'd say River was a little more looney. In the ways of looniness anway. Kai still seems like she knows where she is, what she's doing. i mean all we saw of her was her talking to nothing on her hand, an imaginary friend perhaps? young children have those all the time. River? :P not so much.

[LiquidEagle]

Fool. Lesbians are never that hot. They're usually dumpy or pudgy or have really short hair and strong (ugly) faces.

http://www.donandmikewebsite.com/phpBB2/userpix/608_portia_de_rossi_02_1.jpg

Portia De Rossi (Ellen Degeneres' girlfriend) disagrees with you :laugh:

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Yeah yeah, I mean the ones in real life.

[VG Aficionado]

Yeah yeah, I mean the ones in real life.Well, I happened to see two girls kissing in the car that was behind mine when I stopped at a traffic light, and I'd swear at least one of them was hot. Or maybe the other girl was just an effeminate guy.

Er... where is this topic heading? :doh:

[LaLiLuLeLo]

All the girls I see that are hot and kissing each other aren't gay they're just showing off. Anyway. Heavenly Sword is gonna be so awesome.

[VG Aficionado]

Yeah, Heavenly Sword will be heterosexually awesome :look:

[TrueVCU]

It'll be so heterosexually awesome it'll turn gay men straight.

yes

[Segitz]

Oh man... something's really wrong with mankind, REALLY wrong!

[OmniCloud]

back on topic plz..

this is just...disturbing:shifty:

[Rockmond]

::laugh: @ How I derailed this thread.

:thumbl:

[VG Aficionado]

So it was YOU! :realmad

Here, have a nice HD background (http://www.ninjatheory.com/images/wallpapers/001.jpg), you lesbian lover :pinky:

[Rockmond]

So it was YOU! :realmad

Here, have a nice HD background (http://www.ninjatheory.com/images/wallpapers/001.jpg)

Thanks! :thumbl:

*Goes to the MSG4 thread*

*Mentions lesbians*

*Sits back and watches*

:evillaugh

[VG Aficionado]

Oh, please do! It's either that or yet another shitty MGS4 360 rumor :ohno:

[TrueVCU]

Oh, please do! It's either that or yet another shitty MGS4 360 rumor :ohno:

Why will the children never learn?

[VG Aficionado]

New blog post (http://blogs.ign.com/Heavenly_Sword/2007/08/06/62441/)

[Passive]

Freakin awesome (http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/810/810759/heavenly-sword-20070806063125380.jpg)

[Jay Gee]

Shoryuken?

[karibu]

BTW, those colourful glowing attacks, why doesn't just heir weapons glow?
It's really an eye sore when only thing you can see is pile of blue lights and no idea where Nariko can be in the middle.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Have you played the demo...or been keeping up with this thread at all? The attacks have different colors so you know which stance to be in to counter them. Blue trails mean use your speed stance to defend, orange means use your power stance to defend, and red means you can't block it, so evade. And you never lose track of Nariko, just look for the blazing red hair blowing in the wind.

Trust me, in the middle of a dozen enemies, and potentially a hundred or more, the color coding is a necessary visual cue.

[VG Aficionado]

^What he said.

[LiquidEagle]

Freakin awesome (http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/810/810759/heavenly-sword-20070806063125380.jpg)

Wow. Those are some of the best effects I've ever seen. They look so... beautiful! Thanks for that picture :-D

[Raitei]

oh... that just looks freakin cool

[LaLiLuLeLo]

A-very niiiice.

[solidsnakejej]

G.A.P members are getting early access to the weekly releases of the Heavenly Sword animation series and "Making Of" videos. Thankfully I'm a G.A.P member. Wonder when it will officially release.

[Coded-Dude]

The video is awesome....can't wait for the others.

[Sephiroth_VII]

Megaupload?

[Shogun042]

it's a flash video, dunno if it can be megauploaded or downloaded for that matter.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Sweet. That's really well done.

[curryking1]

I think if you zip it you can upload it to megaupload if flvs don't work.

[Sephiroth_VII]

Yeah, it can be uploaded. There's a firefox plug-in called "DownThemAll," you can used that to rip it.

[PS3LikeNoOther]

Well its offical I will be getting this game launch day. Just got back from Gamstop. I am done wtaching any videos about this game and Lair until I have beat them.

[Coded-Dude]

^The video is a short animated clip(1 of 5) about the origins of our hero/weapon
(the first is about the sword)
btw - these are things you may not find out in the video game

[chartwel]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pGY-CBajgIY

there is the youtube version.

[karibu]

Have you played the demo...or been keeping up with this thread at all? The attacks have different colors so you know which stance to be in to counter them. Blue trails mean use your speed stance to defend, orange means use your power stance to defend, and red means you can't block it, so evade. And you never lose track of Nariko, just look for the blazing red hair blowing in the wind.

Trust me, in the middle of a dozen enemies, and potentially a hundred or more, the color coding is a necessary visual cue.

Yes I have read this thread and played the demo, and kno w the counters and colour coding. That's where the conclusion came from. That what I don't get is, why they did it in so ugly way.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

um, agree to disagree.

[OmniCloud]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pGY-CBajgIY

there is the youtube version.Tks man...that was pretty cool, too freakin short--I WANT MORe!!!

These are coming to PSN right?

[chartwel]

Tks man...that was pretty cool, too freakin short--I WANT MORe!!!

These are coming to PSN right?

yeah, they are. hopefully we will get the first one this week. although i doubt it, as they said the first 2 will be part of the extras on the blu-ray disc, but you never know.

[yoshaw]

Can't wait to get these videos in HD format. The Indian music at the beginning to set the mood was cool!

[Junox50]

Can't wait to get these videos in HD format. The Indian music at the beginning to set the mood was cool!

Ditto, mate. :)

[Nameless]

Instead of releasing more boss battle trailers and potential game spoilers they need to release content like this to hype the game. I have stopped looking at any additional gameplay footage, because I have seen enough to justify my purchase, but more info like this on the story background is interesting to see and increases my excitement level.

I hope we get this stuff in 1080P on the BD as bonus content with the final release of the game. It would be cool if content like this was released on the PSN...

[curryking1]

Can't wait to get these videos in HD format. The Indian music at the beginning to set the mood was cool!

Lol! I watched the video just because you said that.

Cool video tho! The style wasn't so original or anything but it had some pretty good execution, reminded me of that show Samurai Jack (only drawing wise), that show was hilarious :P

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Instead of releasing more boss battle trailers and potential game spoilers they need to release content like this to hype the game. I have stopped looking at any additional gameplay footage, because I have seen enough to justify my purchase, but more info like this on the story background is interesting to see and increases my excitement level.

I hope we get this stuff in 1080P on the BD as bonus content with the final release of the game. It would be cool if content like this was released on the PSN...

Yeah I've done the same. After watching the flying fox video I was like, okay that's enough, thanks. But that animated short was tops.

[TrueVCU]

^now if only we could devise a way to make youtube not stutter on the PS3 browser...

[warmachine]

^Try Gamevideos:

Clicky! (http://kotaku.com/gaming/clips/heavenly-sword-the-animated-series-287083.php)

[Cyrus]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pGY-CBajgIY

there is the youtube version.

Damn very nice.

And agree with nameless, more stuff like this and no more spoilery boss battles because I know I cant resist watching them.

[karibu]

HS animation...
Damn, where's games with style like that =/
More artsy games game industry, please.

[Passive]

we wont be seeing a cut scene like this while playing the game :P sorry to spoil that for you. i read there will be two episodes of this 'toon' and it can be unlocked by playing HS. afaik.

[OmniCloud]

^now if only we could devise a way to make youtube not stutter on the PS3 browser...Youtube has that little bar where you see how much of you download is already streamed--It's actually one of the most reliable sites I have for streaming on my PS3--only one I need to have bookmarked?

I dunno maybe different connections I guess:shrug:

[user friendly]

Youtube on my ps3 is great. Showed my GF David Elsewhere last night. Guy fuckin owns.

cW86syO78fQ

[OmniCloud]

:lol: Awesome

[yoshaw]

That was dorkdom gone insaaaaaaane!!

[curryking1]

Man, I haven't seen that in a while, that was fricking sick lol.

[user friendly]

He did the dancing for that one Heineken commercial (http://youtube.com/watch?v=YRuaUNXZDGk) too. I always thought that it was done with effects. It was in a way, but only because they used his body with the other peoples heads.



Didn't mean for this to go off topic so..... will you guys be playing hell mode right from the start?

[ShawtyRocc]

whoa that was freakin awesome!!!! boy has skills...

[Fazares]

the vid is no longer avaliable...

[Passive]

Didn't mean for this to go off topic so..... will you guys be playing hell mode right from the start?

I think i'll be playing in Hell Mode right off the bat. the demo was just to easy for me. i mean of course the game will get hard as it goes along but i want my HS to last, so yeah Hell for me.

[Epix]

In the demo can you only counter in the speed stance?

[LaLiLuLeLo]

No....you can counter with power stance as well, granted you're attacked by an enemy using a power strike (one that flashes orange).

[user friendly]

Preview video (http://www.gametrailers.com/player/23361.html)

Is it me or is the guy calling Bohan "Botan"?

[yoshaw]

PSN just got the - Heavenly Sword - Legend of the Sword Video this week. Can someone confirm it's in HD? If yes, please upload it for us. Thanks!

EDIT: nevermind, found it

HD 720p - Legend of the Sword Part1
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/23366.html

[mokmok]

New preview at Gamespot - DeanoC do you know how old this build is and if it is the same build that IGN previewed a couple of weeks ago?

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/23361.html

[Passive]

Preview video (http://www.gametrailers.com/player/23361.html)

Is it me or is the guy calling Bohan "Botan"?

yeah he did :P twice. what a tool, he doesnt relly know much about the game he's previewing

[saud264]

http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/5008/producejh3.gif

[masteratt]

Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

[VG Aficionado]

New blog post (http://blogs.ign.com/Heavenly_Sword/2007/08/10/62869/)

[Nameless]

^ Nice music during the demo footage.
I just want this game to be released already; it's starting to feel like media overload considering the game is about a month away...

[BluBoi]

Apparently Heavenly Sword got it's first review from PLAY magazine: http://www.psxextreme.com/ps3-news/1678.html

A 10!

"The perfect action game in every way and quite possibly the most cinematic game ever created."

"Some might call it short...I would disagree."

"If you posses mad fighting skills prepare to be spoiled like Paris Hilton at her sweet sixteen."



Keep in mind that this is from a forum post, and came from a mag that I've heard is generous with their review scores. Personally, I think HS deserves 9.5s and up! I absolutely love the demo and that's coming off of playing GOW2 and NGS this summer.

[VG Aficionado]

A 10 is generous indeed, but HS might definately be a 9 in the end.

[BluBoi]

There's another blog post on IGN, this time about the environments. It also has videos, CLICKY (http://blogs.ign.com/Heavenly_Sword/2007/08/10/62869/)!

I'm still reading/watching now..

[Nameless]

^^^ Seems early for final build reviews...

[BluBoi]

Yea, but the same thing happened with Lair. EGM and Gamepro did their official reviews off of preview code that still had framerate issues.

[OG_Monkey]

hey can comeone answer this for me. I know the sword takes the girls life, so to the people who played the demo, is it like the game Shinobi?

In that game that sword was constantly taking the dudes life(forgot name) and you had to kill enemies to regain health or else you'd die and game over. It became insainly annoying, i hope this isnt like that.

[Sephiroth_VII]

No, I think it was like that once, with a "life clock," but the fans complained and it was removed. DeanoC should be able to explain it better than me though, I can have misunderstood something.