Heavenly Sword showcased in London - Click this-

[Zenien]

It was X in the demo, I'm pretty sure.

Using the roll stick + attack for repositioning yourself over melee distances in combat feels like how the developers intended the combat system to flow. Just playing the demo with that in mind makes the combat system work so much more smoothly then otherwise. Now that I think about it, not using the roll + attack (at the same time) option for control doesn't make much sense, and combat is so much more enjoyable now.

Based on playing the demo.

 

[The Guardian]

HI GUYS, I JUST BEAT HEAVENLY SWORD!!!up: WHAT AN AMAZING GAMING EXPERIENCE, IT HAS BECOME ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITES!!! THE STORY IS GORGEOUS IN ITS SIMPLICITY AND THE CHARACTERS EVOKE EMOTION, I ESPECIALLY FELT FOR KAI AND WAS SHOCKED AT THE EVENT THAT TRANSPIRES BETWEEN HER AND FLYING FOX!!! NARIKO'S PASSION AND DESIRE REALLY COME THROUGH IN THE SPECTACULAR ANIMATIONS, AS DOES BOHAN'S CRUELTY AND THIRST FOR POWER!!! THE GAME IS A WORK OF ART, I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHERE THIS STORY IS HEADED WHEN WE INEVITABLY RECEIVE A SEQUEL!!! IT'S JUST A BEAUTIFUL GAME IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD, SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL!!!

 

[XtromaniaK]

I'd say that compared to other PS3 games, it's quality stands out. In comparison with games across all platforms, it'd probably fall somewhere in the thousands of "pretty good"/rent-worthy games out there. It's a pretty standard fantasy "saga", with a few nice things going for it.

 

[The Guardian]

I'd say that compared to other PS3 games, it's quality stands out. In comparison with games across all platforms, it'd probably fall somewhere in the thousands of "pretty good"/rent-worthy games out there. It's a pretty standard fantasy "saga", with a few nice things going for it.

PERHAPS; I JUST REALLY LOVED THE CHARACTERS, THE RICHNESS TO THEM, AS WELL AS THE WORLD THAT NINJA THEORY CREATED!!! THE BEAUTY OF IT AND ITS SENSE OF STYLE!!! NARIKO, KAI, AND BOHAN BEING STANDOUTS AS FAR AS THE CHARACTERS, IN MY OPINION IT'S A WORK OF ART!!!up:

 

[sandwraith]

I agree, I'm not much on game aesthetics but HS is a feast for the eyes, Yes even though I haven't completed the game yet (I prefer casual gameplay) I can forsee that its going to be short. The cutscenes, Kai's shooting games (which the aftertouch becomes a major problem for me. Yeah you can turn it off and the projectile control becomes your analog joystick), and the sheer quality of the voice acting and CG is astounding. The use of colour is superb and the AI, while sometimes boring, can and will surprise you at times.

Having played the game let me just say: This is NOT GOW. This is NOT NG. This IS Heavenly Sword which has been trying its best to be different from the aforementioned games in a positive way. And guess what? They did it right. DO NOT buy this game for a cheap gore pop like GOW, DO NOT buy this game for ridiculous combos and ninja shurikens. Buy it if you want a pleasantly DIFFERENT combat game experience and a good story. Its ridiculous to try and compare these games to one another especially when GOW has its M rating liberties and Ninja Gaiden and DMC are just flashy. Yeah HS is flashy but at least Nariko keeps her mouth shut and says actual intelligent stuff.

 

[Zenien]

http://www.ugo.com/ugo/html/article/?id=17821

B+ (9/10?)

" I've gone through Heavenly Sword once already and am starting my second run and there wasn't a moment I became frustrated to the point where I needed a break or got bored. The game is pure instant gratification and doesn't insult my intelligence as a gamer by having me constantly do mundane exercises such as moving boxes onto platforms to open doors while fighting annoying monsters. That is where God of War lost me, and thankfully Heavenly Sword doesn't repeat those mistakes."

http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/...cle2452254.ece

8/10

"he characters look great, the swordplay is spectacular and its eastern-flavoured locations are cinematically displayed. The gameplay, however, lacks intensity and sophistication"

http://gamernode.com/Reviews/4208-He...ord/index.html

8.5/10

"Heavenly Sword is a fantastic game, and the best game on the PS3. If you don't mind great games being short, pick it up. If you do mind, rent it. Either way, if you own a PS3 you need to play this game."

 

[Devil May Cry]

The game is selling out all over the freakin place. I'll get the links for Best buy etc.

 

[Spidey17]

Even though I'll buy it, I wonder why they didn't get at least nine hours in. That's how GOW was, and it was just fine. But seven hours is kinda meh. I will play it like four times or so though, especially since it's so short. I played GOW like ten times, and RE4 seven times(probably more), so I can see getting twenty+ hours on this game. It seems to me like most people play the game once and then let it collect dust.

 

[Speedball]

Did anyone else who has played notice a little easter egg in the Armory when you play as Kai?
Kratos' god armor and his Athena blades are hanging near the Heavenly Sword.

 

[hippy fascist]

Completed it in 7hours 3minutes. (jesus christ my right hand aches )

The difficulty curve is ****ing stupid. For most of the game it's a complete joke as you slice through enemies whithout any concept of tactics. Then when you hit the final boss it suddenly becomes insanely hard

The captain america style shield and gong puzzles are appalling since you can't aim. They're the kind of puzzle where you have to do it fifty times and just hope you get it right once. I honestly have no idea why they did this

The camera pissed me off at times (during the final boss fight I actually got into a position where my character was off screen!!! )

However...

The combat system is fantastic, so simple and fluid you can pull any number of combinations and they just kind of flow into each other

Graphics wise it's near faultless. Really we're talking gears levels of pretty, possibly even better.

The story is good but far too short.

Basically it feels like a missed opportunity

This could have been a fantastic game if they'd pushed it a bit further, upped the difficulty throughout the story and to be honest, made it a bit longer.

As it is it's only good
overall I think 7/10 is about right

 

[Devil May Cry]

Completed it in 7hours 3minutes. (jesus christ my right hand aches )

Hahahahahhaa.

My bad.

 

[hippy fascist]

I'm left handed for that

 

[Devil May Cry]

Ah I see.

 

[Zenien]

Completed it in 7hours 3minutes. (jesus christ my right hand aches )

The difficulty curve is ****ing stupid. For most of the game it's a complete joke as you slice through enemies whithout any concept of tactics. Then when you hit the final boss it suddenly becomes insanely hard

The captain america style shield and gong puzzles are appalling since you can't aim. They're the kind of puzzle where you have to do it fifty times and just hope you get it right once. I honestly have no idea why they did this

The camera pissed me off at times (during the final boss fight I actually got into a position where my character was off screen!!! )

However...

The combat system is fantastic, so simple and fluid you can pull any number of combinations and they just kind of flow into each other

Graphics wise it's near faultless. Really we're talking gears levels of pretty, possibly even better.

The story is good but far too short.

Basically it feels like a missed opportunity

This could have been a fantastic game if they'd pushed it a bit further, upped the difficulty throughout the story and to be honest, made it a bit longer.

As it is it's only good
overall I think 7/10 is about right

Apparently hell mode is a ton better. I'll be playing on that first. Might try normal is I feel so inclined.

 

[hippy fascist]

you have to play through single player first to unlock hell mode

 

[Zenien]

What? nAo said it would be available from the start.

 

[sandwraith]

No aiming? Aftertouch man. After awhile you get use to it. Playing as Kai (which is Uber fun) you realise that the key to Aftertouch is in your sitting posture. Just for Kai's parts of the game I'd say this game has way more variety (and character) than GOW 1. I loved the part where you've gotta paralyse all your fellow clansmen in the arena (which is beautifully rendered). When I unlock Hell mode I don't think that would be as much of a cake walk as it seems.

 

[sandwraith]

Notice the Xbox controller in the picture? I guess Erik Everhard there realised that every girl in DOA Xtreme Volleyball had the exact same face but with different hair and eye colour

 

[Speedball]

No aiming? Aftertouch man. After awhile you get use to it. Playing as Kai (which is Uber fun) you realise that the key to Aftertouch is in your sitting posture. Just for Kai's parts of the game I'd say this game has way more variety (and character) than GOW 1. I loved the part where you've gotta paralyse all your fellow clansmen in the arena (which is beautifully rendered). When I unlock Hell mode I don't think that would be as much of a cake walk as it seems.

Yeah, you get used to it after awhile. Playing as Kai can get frustrating though, because she has no close up attacks.

 

[sandwraith]

True but that's what is unique about her gameplay, she can "stun" the enemy in a humorous way plus her vaulting is cool. I find playing as her more enjoyable than Nariko I must say

Spoiler

(Shen's Escape. LoL, killed the poor bastard thrice)

. She also has some funny cutscenes.

A major complaint is the lack of variety of enemies. That's not neccesarily true however the problem is other variations of characters

Spoiler

(Like Roach's "Pets" and Flying Fox's Ninja gals) only show up once or twice. The Ninja gals for example would have been a fun staple baddie if they showed up more often, countering your counters and so on

. The bosses aren't really cheap but are pretty average, the fight sequences against the bosses are a real treat though. Just finish the Roach boss fight. Very cool. I also have to give a thumbs up to the writers for not going out of the way to make Nariko look like an Uber-badass who loves to gut and ***k. She's a helluva jezebelle but she's decent.

 

[Timstuff]

I just beat the game a few minutes ago, it was awesome from start to finish. I hope we see sequels to this fine piece of gaming art!

 

[Zenien]

I think I'll try to track down a save file or something that has the game beaten so I can play it on Hell mode from the begining.

 

[BatMatt]

I'll pick this up as soon as the Wal*Mart near my school gets it, they usually get games a week late

 

[KALEL114]

Gamespy Re-review Heavenly Sword

4 out of 5 stars

2 pages long so here is a synopsis:

After receiving a retail copy of Heavenly Sword, Gamespy re-review the game, stating that many of their criticisms of the review build they received (given to all journalists) no longer stand:

"A few weeks ago, we did an Out of the Box review of Heavenly Sword that was extremely critical of the game's framerate in addition to its reliance on hack and slash gimmickry. However, following further testing of genuine retail code, our stance on this game as a lackluster offering has softened. The slight improvement to performance has made a world of difference to Heavenly Sword and our second playthrough seemed decidedly more enjoyable."

http://www.n4g.com/ClickOut.aspx?ObjID=68746

 

[The Guardian]

Gamespy Re-review Heavenly Sword

4 out of 5 stars

2 pages long so here is a synopsis:

After receiving a retail copy of Heavenly Sword, Gamespy re-review the game, stating that many of their criticisms of the review build they received (given to all journalists) no longer stand:

"A few weeks ago, we did an Out of the Box review of Heavenly Sword that was extremely critical of the game's framerate in addition to its reliance on hack and slash gimmickry. However, following further testing of genuine retail code, our stance on this game as a lackluster offering has softened. The slight improvement to performance has made a world of difference to Heavenly Sword and our second playthrough seemed decidedly more enjoyable."

http://www.n4g.com/ClickOut.aspx?ObjID=68746

NICE, THANKS KAL, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS GAME, I'M GLAD TO SEE OTHERS ARE REALIZING IT'S BEAUTY!!!up: