KnackChap Posted August 7, 2007 Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 Heavenly Sword Developer:Ninja theory Publisher:Sony Genre:Action Adventure Players:1 Platform:PS3 Release:Sep 07 Emotionally charged, stunningly beautiful, and delivering unprecedented dramatic character performance, Heavenly Sword is a dramatic tale of revenge that sees Nariko, a fiery red-haired heroine, embark on a quest for vengeance against an invading King and his army. The story builds around the ancient Heavenly Sword, which once belonged to a powerful deity. It can never be wielded by a mortal without it slowly but inevitably draining their life-force. When the invading King (played by Andy Serkis) destroys the warrior clan that guards the Heavenly Sword, the clan leader’s daughter, Nariko, takes up the sword in a desperate fight for survival. Nariko must now pay the ultimate price as she embarks on one last mission of vengeance against the King and his army before her life is finally and irreparably overtaken by the omnipotent Heavenly Sword... Official website IGN preview The opening of chapter two was quite familiar to us, since it's the same material to be found in the PlayStation Store demo. Although, there is one additional cutscene that takes place prior to all the action. It features Kai in a pitch black environment, crouching on the ground. We're not entirely sure if this is meant to be a mental projection or some metaphorical representation, but regardless, Kai listens to Nariko's worried questioning and responds in surreal, whimsical speech. The quality of this cutscene is astronomical. The directing and voice work is simply top-notch, and I personally have never seen in-game graphics present such startlingly convincing facial animation. So, after fighting the first two battles that you're probably familiar with by now, if you've played the demo, Nariko makes her way through the gate and must fight through several more waves of enemies. One particularly fantastic segment of the level features Nariko on a bridge, where she has to use her range stance combos to deflect oncoming arrows as she makes her way across (very reminiscent of Jet Li in Hero). There were also, surprisingly, puzzle-like segments to speak off, which involved throwing the enemies' circular shields at targets (though there were actually gongs) in order to open doors and gates. This dramatic shift away from combat was refreshing for me, and encouragingly suggests that the game won't be purely combat oriented. After all, breaking up the action in an action game is critical to a good experience, and Ninja Theory seems to have taken that into account................................... .........................Although I am well aware that solid gameplay is absolutely critical for making this a good game, I would buy it just for the cutscenes. Serkis clearly poured some artistic energy into the directorial elements of Heavenly Sword, and the story of Nariko and her dying clan could become one of the better-told stories in recent videogame history. Check back for our full review as the release date draws near. Screens trailers and videos http://www.gametrailers.com/game/1679.html Reviews IGN-Gamespot- 1UP- CVG- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarketTantrik Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 Heavenly Sword has its own animated series. You can catch one of them here which explains the origins of the Heavenly Sword http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2007/08/07/heaven...mythic-origins/ Was this Heavenly Sword cartoon originally conceived as a glorified commercial for the game? Sure it was. But so was the Star Wars: Clone Wars animated series on the Cartoon Network, and those things ended up being better than the movies. In this first part of the animated series we learn the origins of the sword. Although eventually wielded by the Nariko, the sword actually belonged to ... well, watch the clip to find out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnackChap Posted August 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2007 Rumor:play mag has given heavenly sword a perfect 10/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarbonCore Posted August 10, 2007 Report Share Posted August 10, 2007 lol its Play again. They are some serious fanboys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnackChap Posted August 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2007 Threespeech reviews heavenly sword As one of the games showcased pre-launch, Heavenly Sword, developed by Brit outfit Ninja Theory, has always been hotly anticipated. However, we’ll admit to being slightly worried about it – it always looked great, but would its sword-fighting gameplay cut the mustard? At last, we’ve got hold of pretty complete preview code and from the moment we popped it into our debug, our worries melted away. There’s no doubt it will be held up as an example of the sort of killer games the PS3 so badly needs when it arrives in the shops in September. Following various early demos, it seems we obtained an erroneous impression of Heavenly Sword – it looked like an arena-fighting game, in the grand manner of Japanese beat-em-ups, but we saw no evidence of a coherent storyline. In reality, it proves to have a most excellent storyline, with some of the best voice acting, facial animation and motion-capture we’ve ever seen (both Andy Serkis, famed for playing Gollum in the Lord of the Rings and theatrical genius Steven Berkoff have been involved in that). And, more importantly, it boasts pleasingly varied and often innovative gameplay with a beautifully judged learning curve. For the most part, you play Nariko – a quite astonishingly beautiful and seriously feisty redhead surely destined to generate a sizeable fan-club – daughter of local chieftain Shen and older sister of Kai, a young, child-like creature given to wearing a cat-eared hat and performing cartwheels. Nariko’s sword-skills and gymnastic abilities are the equal of any man’s, while Kai (who you also control at times) 0would give Robin Hood a run for his money at archery. The game starts with Shen, Nariko and Kai’s home fort under siege by the evil hordes commanded by King Bohan, a nasty piece of work surrounded by a bunch of mutant sycophants including his huge, dopey son Roach, the reptilian Whiptail and the metal-winged, shaven-headed Flying Fox. Actually, it starts with Nariko dying before flashing back to the siege, but we don’t want to spoil things for you. The siege provides a good means of introducing you to the basics of the control system – combinations of square and triangle produce different attacks. After fighting off the initial wave, Bohan’s full army descends, complete with giant catapults, which introduces another key gameplay mechanic: the ability to launch projectiles and by keeping square pressed and moving the Sixaxis around, to steer them all the way to their target. In the first instance, you’ll be firing cannonballs at the catapults, but the same principle applies to Kai’s arrows, shields and swords that you can pick up and so forth. Before long, Shen has been captured and Nariko has acquired the Hevenly Sword, an enormous, cursed sword that Nariko can apply in three different ways from three stances. The default being speed, which generates low-strength attacks, but in which Nariko will automatically block incoming attacks (except for unblockable ones, which the game signals by highlighting their perpetrators with a red blur). In her Range stance, Nariko sends blades on chains whirling around her – later, you learn how to use this attack to create mini-whirlwinds. And there’s a Power stance, which is slow, but inflicts serious damage. Health is topped up by smashing special urns; Nariko can pick up pretty much anything and chuck it. Before long, you’re chaining attacks together, working out the best way to take down different types of enemies (Nariko is a serious fighting machine and can take on loads at a time) and discovering cute touches, such as a great counter-attack, also using the Sixaxis’ motion-sensing capabilities, which lets Nariko embed a chain on a blade into an enemy and kick them off balance. Nariko can evade attacks if you flick the right stick. And when you get on a roll involving landing loads of hits without sustaining any yourself, you’re awarded Superstyle attacks, triggered using the circle button, which are seriously brutal and deeply satisfying. As well as the fighting, there are levels in which you play as Kai, who has no melee abilities but an unlimited supply of arrows – and you can, for example, fire arrows through flames, then guide them into gunpowder barrels which take out several enemies at a time. There’s plenty of puzzle-solving, too, often involving opening gates (by repeatedly pressing the Action button, X) or chucking objects at gongs. A few also involve hitting prescribed buttons with alacrity. And, of course, there are some seriously epic, multi-stage boss-battles – the bosses start with their health highlighted in green, which changes orange when you run it down (usually triggering a cut-scene). Then it will change from orange to red, and when you finally remove the last red health, you will have prevailed. Every boss requires a radically different strategic approach. Heavenly Sword is amazing to behold, seriously addictive, pleasingly original, in that it manages not to feel like any other game you’ve played, demonstrates incredible attention to detail and, in general, is everything we hoped we’d find in a PS3 game. You could say that it’s about time, too – but once you get hold of a copy, you’ll agree that it was worth the wait. By Steve Boxer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarbonCore Posted August 14, 2007 Report Share Posted August 14, 2007 http://www.developmag.com/tutorials/28/Hea...-Heavenly-Sword With 10GB of sound FX, three and a half hours of music, 4,500 lines of dialogue, and an hour and a half of cut scenes localised for 11 different languages, Heavenly Sword is clearly an immense game in terms audio. So much for games not needing 25GB of space. How more stupid can PR guys get !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SchizoidFreud Posted August 15, 2007 Report Share Posted August 15, 2007 Andy Serkis is best known for playing Gollum and Smeagol in Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings trilogy, but he's also motion-captured the giant ape in King Kong, played Moors murderer Ian Brady and sung on stage with Tenacious D. Now he's playing despot King Bohan in Heavenly Sword. PSM3 caught up with him in London. You've played Gollum who was quite evil, King Kong - who was sort of nice - and now the king, who seems totally evil again. Which is the most fun? Andy Serkis: They're all interesting, it just depends how they're written. You can have badly written bad guys. What was appealing about this project was acting in a new medium and bringing truthfully-captured characters into a videogame environment. Also, I came on board mainly as the dramatic director, so I got involved in the early stages of the character development, casting and rehearsal. The other actresses were saying this was their first motion-capture experience. What kind of advice did you give them? AS: The main thing is that there's really no difference between acting and motion-capturing. The research, the trying to embody a character is the same. But the main thing about motion-capture is that you're sort of puppeteering a version of yourself. You can calibrate that by manipulating certain things about your personality. We've read that you spent a while studying monkeys in preparation for Kong. Did you do anything at all like that for Heavenly Sword? AS: Well, Bohan was this dictator that created his own moral universe where he was right. Rather than just playing an evil guy, you have to sort of believe in what you're doing - most dictators do. So I've been reading about dictators. Also, I'm pretty hopeless at games, but I've been getting familiar with them. I love playing Shadow Of The Colossus, just riding round on my horse looking for colossi. I haven't actually found any yet, though. Part of the beauty of motion-capturing is that you can play any character. Bearing that in mind, if you were designing a character for yourself, what would it be like? We'd definitely be a ninja robot... AS: Well, I don't think there's much point motion-capturing a human character. So even these characters, what they are, they're slightly heightened and exaggerated. I always like to play that sort of character, but I can't think of anything specific right now. Are we right in thinking this is the first time when more than one character's been motion-captured at once? Does that make it easier? AS: Well yes, because it's like shooting a film. It's much easier when you've got other people to work with... Can you see a time when people get academy awards for their performance in a videogame? AS: Well, I'm slightly ambivalent about the difference between playing a character and being motion-captured. It's no different from being in costume, except that instead of having synthetic materials on your face you've been captured in a game. Simple as that. SOURCE : CVG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnackChap Posted August 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 Review in PSX Extreme (it's multiplatform, though), Polish mag - 9+/10 (graphics - 10/10, sound - 10/10, gameplay - 9/10) + -Nariko -beautiful and spectacular -fighting system - -lack of secrets -little number of bosses/opponents diversity -it could be longer They had review build from the beggining of August. Another Polish console mag, Neo Plus, also reviewed HS, but this one must wait for next issue release. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnackChap Posted August 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2007 posted the review earlier but here are the details Scans: http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z...skanuj0002.jpg http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z...skanuj0003.jpg http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z...skanuj0004.jpg http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z...skanuj0005.jpg http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z...skanuj0006.jpg Pros: - Nariko - beautiful and spectacular game - combat system Cons: - No collectables - needs more bosses/enemy diversity - could've been longer Other things of interest: - almost no framerate drops/ occasional tearing - superb acting and great story - compelling characters - for the hardcore: Hell difficulty - very good enemy A.I. - the reviewer finished the game in under 10 hours (I'd say that would make for a 12-15 hour experience for casuals) What the reviewer is trying to say: Heavenly Sword is a killer-app for the PS3. Forgot about this: HS also includes: - an artwork gallery - a series of production movies - The first two animated shorts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rad2689 Posted August 18, 2007 Report Share Posted August 18, 2007 new screens: http://gameplanets.blogspot.com/2007/08/he...ew-screens.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarbonCore Posted August 19, 2007 Report Share Posted August 19, 2007 Heavenly Sword almost runs out of space on Single Layer Blu-Ray disc !! http://gamers-creed.com/?p=377 A developer from Ninja theory responds to the recent news about the developers using over 10GB of space for only Heavenly Sword audio. The developers came very close to using a dual layer blu-ray disc because even with the size of the single layer blu-ray disc, they were having problems fitting all all of the game’s audio data onto a single layer blu- ray disc. According to the developer : “We use a mixture of compressed and uncompressed, but lots were compressed for the reasons people have stated. Make no doubt, fitting all the audio in and not stuttering and being the the highest quality we could get wasn’t easy, it was quite a problem even with the size of blu-ray. At one point we seriously considered dual layer Blu-ray cos of disk space issues.” He further states that, as a result, the possibility of us seeing double layer blu-ray games should be really soon as , their first game for the PS3 almost occupied the whole space offered by a single layer blu-ray disc. Ninja theory dev: “Dual Layer BD is very real, as I said we very nearly became the first PS3 title to use it and this wasn’t just a random thought, it was seriously considered (including our publisher doing costing and manufacturing calculations).” I guess Killzone 2 and MGS4 will surely come on dual layer blu-rays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnackChap Posted August 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2007 Heavenly Sword Review- 9.7 "Near Perfect" What a month of games this has turned out to be. The Xbox 360 receiving Bioshock, Nintendo Wii has Metroid Prime 3 and the Playstation 3 gets Warhawk and Heavenly Sword. Has there ever been a better time to be a gamer? Heavenly Sword, developed by British development team Ninja Theory, is without a doubt the most anticipated Playstation 3 release to date. Ironically for a game developed in Britain is the remarkable Japanese feel to it. Never has a game had so much hype behind it and a lot of eyes will be watching to see just how good this title is. While it won’t make or break Sony and their Playstation 3 efforts, if this game doesn’t do well, there may be trouble ahead. Thankfully Heavenly Sword manages the almost impossible task of surpassing any hype surrounding it. Heavenly Sword is not your typical game by any means. Looking more like an RPG than an all out action title, you may be caught off guard. By now we are sure you have all watched the videos, demos to an endless degree and are eager to get your hands on it. We had our reservations about just how deep Heavenly Sword could be, but our worries where laid to rest about 20 minutes into the title. Boasting some of the greatest level designs in gaming history, Heavenly Sword is possibly the most beautiful action game we have ever played. The majority of Heavenly Sword will be played with the stunningly beautiful Nariko, a fiery redhead destined to become a bigger cult hit than Lara Croft. Nariko is the daughter of a local Chieftain named Shen. She is also the sister of another playable character named Kai. Nariko moves swiftly and unbelievably fast with some of the most unbelievable array of moves. Everything just flows remarkable well from character animation to the basic feel of Nariko. The game will launch you into Nariko’s family home under siege by evil forces commanded by King Bohan which by the way is the nastiest villain you will ever come across. He is also accompanied by his inept son Roach. There is a huge plot twist in the opening cinematic which we will not spoil for anyone, but he helps determine how the game will be played through to the end. Just be prepared to totally abandon your life, friends and work, because Heavenly Sword will have you enthralled and totally hooked from beginning to end. The game itself is absolutely huge and completing it is no mean fete. Graphically Heavenly Sword is stunning as already touched upon earlier but the audio presentation is something to behold. Apparently Sony managed to cram more than 10 gigabites for audio material in Heavenly Sword and we can easily see that’s the truth. From character speech right through to dramatic scores, this is what audio is all about. Battle music will leave you breathless and the voice acting alone is simply the best we have come across in years. Capcom take note. No more dodgy Resident Evil acting please. As well as the playing with Nariko, there numerous levels in which you play as Kai, who lacks any melee abilities but is supplied with and endless amount of arrows – and you can, for example fire arrows through objects in your path. For example, if you see a burning bush up ahead, fire your arrows through the flames, aim them towards some explosive barrels and watch the fireworks. But for all the non stop action, there will be a lot of puzzle solving to do also, so make sure to get your thinking caps on because these aren’t simple brain teasers, you will be tested to the max of your logical ability. One thing we feel we should mention before we end this review is the epic boss battles throughout Heavenly Sword. We always imagined God of War always holding pole position in boss battles but Heavenly Sword took our breath away. Again, we wont spoil anything here but prepare yourself for total shock and awe battles. Heavenly Sword really is a title which must be played to be believed. Videos have been popping up all over the web but trust us; they cannot do this game justice. The game will have you hooked from beginning to end and that’s a hell of a long time trust us. It took us 5 days straight of 12 hour sessions to finally complete this title, and that’s without all the secrets unlocked. We will definitely be revisiting this title to see what other surprises it has in store. If you own a Playstation 3 then it should be made law you must purchase this title. It simply is the most amazing videogame experience your likely to have for years to come. Graphics 9.9 Audio 10.0 Gameplay 9.7 Replayabilty 9.5 TOTAL 9.7 http://www.nextgenireland.com/hsword.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reaper Posted August 21, 2007 Report Share Posted August 21, 2007 heard that the game is god of war in female avtaar...... but thenm also herd that this one of the best games to come on ps3...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightySkate Posted August 23, 2007 Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 anyone knows if Milestone will release this game on time? because i just read on techtree that the games Milestone demoed (including Heavenly Sword) were going to release towards the end of this year : Here is the link to techtree : http://www.techtree.com/India/Reviews/PS3_...-82907-698.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarbonCore Posted August 23, 2007 Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 I think it is delayed again to 30th September. Not sure where I read that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnackChap Posted August 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 no its coming on time ,infact lair is coming early 30th august Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightySkate Posted August 23, 2007 Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 Thanks Oceans...you made my day @ Oceans : I'm just wondering have you asked the reps at Milestone if they have managed to get Ubisoft to release their games here or is Ubi hell bent on not releasing any of their games at all on either platform? because GRAW 2 is coming soon on the ps3 and with the six axis control is looks cool.. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarbonCore Posted August 23, 2007 Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 no its coming on time ,infact lair is coming early 30th august Oh nice, that's good news. I think they gave up tweaking the controls after seeing the reviews Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnackChap Posted August 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 NOW I BELIEVE IN TRUE LOVE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarbonCore Posted August 23, 2007 Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 Good lord, and people say games with female lead belong to only adventure/platformer genre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.thumb.jpeg.0cdff05eb48d7a556a500c7e008f7499.jpeg)
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.