PS3 has needed a standout next-gen game to showcase its superior processing power in order to stick two fingers up at the naysayers who have damned the console from day one of its release. Heavenly Sword is that game.
And you know what the kicker is? This is just the beginning - a fact that may mean that Ninja Theory's first PS3 game may well be lost in the avalanche of upcoming quality games including GTA IV and Assassin's Creed. Heavenly Sword, however, is something special and deserves its moment in the spotlight, even if it's only for fifteen minutes. You can start counting...
DANCE WITH DEATH Four years in the making at Sony's Cambridge studios, Sword is unashamedly the bi-product of Ninja Theory's obsession/adoration for the chop-socky, swordplay-filled flicks of yesteryear. Part Shaw Brothers flick, part Red Sonja with a peppering of Wushu, the developer even went as far as hiring the same sound masters who provided the battle ker-chinks on Ang Lee's Oscar-nabbing Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to supply the noise of steel clashing with steel in one-to-one brawls and battlefield fisticuffs. Not a single sliver of creativity has been left unexplored here and it shows.
Ninja Theory has done its damndest to craft a benchmark brawler with beauty. But does it extend beyond a vast and stunning playground of destruction plus an arsenal of killer moves? Does it have the pulling power to get tills ringing with PS3 sales before the year is out? Yes and yes.
The story is excellent. Ninja Theory has put a vast amount of time and work into scriptwriting and rendering the stunning cutscenes that play out with the emotional resonance of a big summer blockbuster. You won't want to skip through these thanks to the work of Andy Serkis, he of Gollum and King Kong fame. Serkis worked on the dramatics with the game's stellar cast - including John Rambo's nemesis from Rambo II, Steven Berkoff - at WETA Digital's swanky new motion-capture studio in New Zealand.
Oddly, Serkis became involved in the project through coincidence more than anything else. His mortgage was being brokered by the brother of one of Ninja's Theory's creative directors and about halfway through the process, the broker brother tested the waters with Serkis by way of a demo video. The rest, as they say, is history. And frankly, Serkis is ultimately a massive part of why Heavenly Sword works so well as not only a game, but also as a hugely engaging adventure story about love, honour, family and steel. Kudos to you Mr Mysterious Mortgage Man wherever you are.
Serkis is King Bohan, a ruthless bastard of a leader who believes that he is some sort of messenger sent from the heavens above with one thing on his mind - capture the Heavenly Sword from Nariko and her clan guard.
Opening on Nariko's death (which seems to be a gaming zeitgeist these days) you play through the flame-haired fighter's last days before she's killed by the titular sword in the midst of a gargantuan battle with Bohan's army. You must then hack and slash through gorgeous countryside landscapes, vast castles, snow-covered towns and dusty arenas in a bid to keep the sword from Bohan's possession and protect both your city and people at the same time.
Essentially, Bohan must die, his armies must be destroyed and Nariko, we're led to believe, is dead by the time the closing game credits start to roll. Of course, we've finished it and know what happens, but we're not cold-hearted enough to spoil the game's ending for our readers.
STANCE MOVES Adding extra oomph to this are the support players comprised of Nariko's father, Shen and her kooky sister, Kai - who you take control of throughout the game as well as Bohan's army of warped sidekicks. There's Roach - his slug-like body fat is shielded in a steel shell rather like, erm, a cockroach. Throw in the slithery slut Whiptail, who - although we're quite sure about this - could be Bohan's squeeze (or maybe he'd like to be squeezing her). Then there's Flying Fox (Berkoff) - a wrinkly, speed freak with a whiff of kiddie fiddler about him and very large knives attached to his back. All of which, you end up fighting at one point or another in the game as end-of-level bosses of sorts.
These boss battles usually involve the age-old classic arcade formula of knocking their varying degrees of health bars down from three colours to one (red) before you can truly begin to inflict some serious damage. And when you've done this, you're prompted to slam circle and perform a series of button-tapping manoeuvres that, if done correctly, usually end in you looking extremely cool and your foes extremely broken. Or extremely dead.
KRATOS KILLER Inevitably Heavenly Sword is going to be compared to God Of War, but let's be clear; these are two very different entities. Sure the GOW games propel things forward with an equally great story, but if we're honest, the series is known for its blood-soaked combat.
Sword, albeit a furious fighter, is less about gore and severed body parts, and more about the beauty of combat, mastering Nariko's blades and triple- barrelled style. Puzzles, although a major part of Kratos's exploration, aren't as prominent here. Instead you're required to use the Sixaxis more to complete skill tests like locked gates and defeat shielded guards.
Harbouring three stances, Heavy (hold R1), Range (default stance) and Speed (hold L1), Nariko comes jammed with a wedge of combos varying from the swift to the mighty. But chaining all three styles together will net you mammoth combo numbers - you can reach well above 100 hits - with devastating results.
Oddly, there is no jump button, and despite the strangeness of it at first, aerial control of Nariko through the Sixaxis soon becomes second nature. One thing's for sure: you will absolutely need to master these stances in order to own combo control, as blocking certain enemies require you to use either Power, Speed or Range stances to fend off their attacks. It sounds like a headache on paper, but after a few waves of Bohan's troops, it all moves so fluidly you'll hardly notice your fingers tapping the shoulder buttons.
SUPER STYLIN' As well as chaining combos and pulling off bone-breaking counters you can also use Nariko's Super Stylin' meter to kick ass. An inset of her health bar, this provides three devastating attacks. Firstly Nariko can perform a spine-dancing number on a single enemy. Or she can leap into the air, with the enemy impaled on her blades, slam to the ground and take out all those around her. Finally, she can break into a whirlwind attack wiping out everyone in the vicinity. And like the rest of the combat in Sword, these special moves look absolutely cracking, which is why you'll find yourself methodically attacking enemies, chaining combos, waiting for that exact moment to pull off a nasty counter and filling up that bar for when you need it most.
Again, this kind of action sets it apart from GOW's frantic finger-tapping control system. That's not to say Sony's Greek epic is inferior - it's just that they are two different beasts.
Sixaxis control really comes into play when Sword starts to swing heavily towards the character interchange between Nariko and her sister, Kai - a Catwoman-like kooky lass whose preferred style is unleashing attacks from a distance with a crossbow.
Kai's shot-focussed missions help mix the gameplay up a bit, however, some of these missions do drag on - especially the one when we had to protect her father, Shen as he made his way across a bridge of Bohan's troops. By holding down the r button after you've launched an arrow, you're thrown into 'Aftertouch' mode - a bullet-time of sorts that allows you to control Kai's arrows for pin-point accuracy.
It looks great and the payoff is even more rewarding when you hit someone right between the eyes or in the knees. This method of attack does sometimes slow the pacing down to a crawl when there are hordes of troops, leaving you yearning for a wallop of Nariko's blades. In fact, we'd go as far as to say that Ninja Theory has included a little too many Kai-based missions when it should have been focusing on the real star of Heavenly Sword, Nariko.
And yet that's where the game begins to unravel. Sure, the combat is truly next-gen, the game is as beautiful as you'd have hoped for and Nariko is as awesome as expected, but it feels way too short. We reached the end of the game in less than a day and were left feeling short-changed by the experience. We craved extra brawls with bigger bad guys, a few more puzzles plus extra missions that would have really stretched our skills.
LONGER PLEASE... Ultimately, this is Heavenly Sword's Achilles heel. It's just too damn short. Add to this the lack of online content, and as there's only a handful of production diaries, a Making Of and a double-dose of anime cartoons, people will end up feeling a little deflated by the extras.
Still, quality over quantity is the vibe here and there's no doubt in our mind that Heavenly Sword is a winner and a work of art (eat that Roger Ebert!) that will help shift tons of PS3s come September. When it's good, it's truly magnificent and some of the final stages will have anyone with a 42-inch high-definition TV foaming at the mouth. No battle-scene compares to Nariko's finale. Plus, it's home of the new face of PlayStation, going so far as to shunt Lara Croft from her throne as the ultimate game girl. Roll on Heavenly Sword 2!
People saying this review is biased should check out metacritic, read the reviews they have which include over a dozen to get an overall score then STFU for being so cynical.
out of the above negative comments, i wonder how many have actually played it?
i doubt any of them have.
its got a nice combat system. the counter system is a bit strange.
the story is nice, and the animation is INSANE. the graphics are simply stunning. this is by far the best looking game in terms of facial animation, and emotion from the characters which i have ever seen.
it seriously puts alot of games on anything else to shame. and for me, the characters voices/animation draw you in a hell of alot. yes, it is quite short, but it's not too dragged out, or repetitive, which makes it a joy.
i guess thats why theres so many xbla games for download, cos "microsoft fans" dont care for graphics, right?
so instead of buying gears of war and bioshock you bought marble blast or alien hominid (which in my opinion are better games), right?
and its also why "microsoft fans" dont bother raving on about playing in hd is like "night and day"?
which is why they bought a console which has every game in HD? and why the hdmi port is great, cos composite is just fine for them?
right?
from your comments i conclude you don't like cutscenes, and thus you don't like stories in games, which is a good thing, because i haven't seen very many non-mindless shooters for it.
Just bought this at lunchtime along with Super Paper Mario. Can't wait to get home.
I'm a little concerned though, they say: "...final stages will have anyone with a 42-inch high-definition TV foaming at the mouth." So do you need that small a TV to end up foaming at the mouth? I'm worried my 55" might not do the trick.
Meh. Frame tearing and button mashing served up with about three thousand hi-res cut scenes.
Still it looks nice, and that's what counts right Playstation fans?
And didn't they say this wouldn't fit on a DVD? It's nothing to do with the amount of game there is to play though is it?
Still it looks nice, and that's what counts right Playstation fans?
Right.
Frame tearing? Funny i've not heard anyone say that about the game, maybe you should just invest in a better HD tv, something like a Sony Bravia may do the trick, or do you not like them either?
And some of the best games ever made are also the shortest, gears of war, MGS, Devil May Cry, i could go on but why bother! At least play it first then make an assumption about it!
And some of the best games ever made are also the shortest, gears of war, MGS, Devil May Cry, i could go on but why bother! At least play it first then make an assumption about it!
I never found Devil May Cry to be a short game, took me a few weeks to finish it playing here and there for 3-4 hours at a time on normal difficulty, of course second time round it doesnt take long at all
i guess thats why theres so many xbla games for download, cos "microsoft fans" dont care for graphics, right?
so instead of buying gears of war and bioshock you bought marble blast or alien hominid (which in my opinion are better games), right?
and its also why "microsoft fans" dont bother raving on about playing in hd is like "night and day"?
which is why they bought a console which has every game in HD? and why the hdmi port is great, cos composite is just fine for them?
right?
from your comments i conclude you don't like cutscenes, and thus you don't like stories in games, which is a good thing, because i haven't seen very many non-mindless shooters for it.
Dont you mean component not compos**te. I use component as I do not have a 1080p tv, 1080i or 720p for me. No point in having HDMI if your tv doesn't do 1080p bit of a waste really.
Since the review's from a PS3 mag I'd say pop the score down by one so its 7/10 and you have a pretty fair score.
Should we do that for all 360 games as well?
Yes. In my opinion, any review from a mag dedicated to one console will always make a game out to be better than it actually is.
Frame tearing? Funny i've not heard anyone say that about the game, maybe you should just invest in a better HD tv, something like a Sony Barvia may do the trick, or do you not like them either?
And some of the best games ever made are also the shortest, gears of war, MGS, Devil May Cry, i could go on but why bother! At least play it first then make an assumption about it!
Yes, this game does have screen tearing. Doesn't matter what TV you play it on. Also, please stop making excuses for this game being stupidly short. Gears is about 10+ hours of gameplay with online co-op and multi-player. MGS games are well over 12+ hours plus they always have replayability factors. DMC2 is the only short game in the DMC series but that even makes up for that because its 2 discs with two different story view points.
Simply put, Heavenly Sword looks pretty but the gameplay is extremely shallow, it has various technical problems and its extremely short. It's a game Sony tried to hype up as a big game but has turned out to be a flop and has shown when MS were right to pass on this game...
Since the review's from a PS3 mag I'd say pop the score down by one so its 7/10 and you have a pretty fair score.
Should we do that for all 360 games as well?
Yes. In my opinion, any review from a mag dedicated to one console will always make a game out to be better than it actually is.
Frame tearing? Funny i've not heard anyone say that about the game, maybe you should just invest in a better HD tv, something like a Sony Barvia may do the trick, or do you not like them either?
And some of the best games ever made are also the shortest, gears of war, MGS, Devil May Cry, i could go on but why bother! At least play it first then make an assumption about it!
Yes, this game does have screen tearing. Doesn't matter what TV you play it on. Also, please stop making excuses for this game being stupidly short. Gears is about 10+ hours of gameplay with online co-op and multi-player. MGS games are well over 12+ hours plus they always have replayability factors. DMC2 is the only short game in the DMC series but that even makes up for that because its 2 discs with two different story view points.
Simply put, Heavenly Sword looks pretty but the gameplay is extremely shallow, it has various technical problems and its extremely short. It's a game Sony tried to hype up as a big game but has turned out to be a flop and has shown when MS were right to pass on this game...
Since the review's from a PS3 mag I'd say pop the score down by one so its 7/10 and you have a pretty fair score.
Should we do that for all 360 games as well?
Yes. In my opinion, any review from a mag dedicated to one console will always make a game out to be better than it actually is.
Frame tearing? Funny i've not heard anyone say that about the game, maybe you should just invest in a better HD tv, something like a Sony Barvia may do the trick, or do you not like them either?
And some of the best games ever made are also the shortest, gears of war, MGS, Devil May Cry, i could go on but why bother! At least play it first then make an assumption about it!
Yes, this game does have screen tearing. Doesn't matter what TV you play it on. Also, please stop making excuses for this game being stupidly short. Gears is about 10+ hours of gameplay with online co-op and multi-player. MGS games are well over 12+ hours plus they always have replayability factors. DMC2 is the only short game in the DMC series but that even makes up for that because its 2 discs with two different story view points.
Simply put, Heavenly Sword looks pretty but the gameplay is extremely shallow, it has various technical problems and its extremely short. It's a game Sony tried to hype up as a big game but has turned out to be a flop and has shown when MS were right to pass on this game...
When did you become the voice of gaming?
Have you actually played the full game?
My thoughts exactly, people AT best have only played the demo, come back next week and if people are mentioning screen tearing then i'll take back what I said.
This is the problem with internet forums as people pass out sweeping generalisations without even playing the damn thing themselves. totally pointless.
I wouldn't take that review too seriously as its done by a single forget magazine, which nine times out of ten are staffed by fanboys. Edge's score of 6/10 is more realistic.
Well as long as I enjoy it I could'nt give a hoot. Scores mean nothing. Example being I thought Bioshock was average. If I play the game and it is no good then I will let you know. Until then, what do I, or you, really know?
i guess thats why theres so many xbla games for download, cos "microsoft fans" dont care for graphics, right?
so instead of buying gears of war and bioshock you bought marble blast or alien hominid (which in my opinion are better games), right?
and its also why "microsoft fans" dont bother raving on about playing in hd is like "night and day"?
which is why they bought a console which has every game in HD? and why the hdmi port is great, cos composite is just fine for them?
right?
from your comments i conclude you don't like cutscenes, and thus you don't like stories in games, which is a good thing, because i haven't seen very many non-mindless shooters for it.
Dont you mean component not compos**te. I use component as I do not have a 1080p tv, 1080i or 720p for me. No point in having HDMI if your tv doesn't do 1080p bit of a waste really.
i meant composite.
because 360 owners dont care about graphics, preferring gameplay. i would assume that they use the composite output, instead of hdmi on the elite/new premiums. because if graphics dont matter, why use hdmi?, its pointless right? when its all in the gameplay.
our friend henry the cat believes that gameplay and graphics are mutually exclusive. i believe he is just too used to xbox360!
I wouldn't take that review too seriously as its done by a single forget magazine, which nine times out of ten are staffed by fanboys. Edge's score of 6/10 is more realistic.
yeah, edges scores usually tend to be a good indication of how good/bad a game is. Everyone to themselves is they like it, but ive been reading around and a lot of people sounded disappointed with it. I saw some previews on gamer tv and it looked repetitive( im not knocking it at all as i wouldnt until i played it myself ) which i was disappointed with, i mean DMC is a button masher BUT there are so many moves/styles/weapons and combos that its quite overwhelming and Dante is constantly being upgraded with new stuff along the game. DMC3 is even more varied with its styles
Again maybe some gamers like it( hey i liked Epic on the old amiga and it got 17% lmao ), i dont think i would though and its unfortunate that this high profile title isint the fantastic title that was expected
i guess thats why theres so many xbla games for download, cos "microsoft fans" dont care for graphics, right?
so instead of buying gears of war and bioshock you bought marble blast or alien hominid (which in my opinion are better games), right?
and its also why "microsoft fans" dont bother raving on about playing in hd is like "night and day"?
which is why they bought a console which has every game in HD? and why the hdmi port is great, cos composite is just fine for them?
right?
from your comments i conclude you don't like cutscenes, and thus you don't like stories in games, which is a good thing, because i haven't seen very many non-mindless shooters for it.
Dont you mean component not compos**te. I use component as I do not have a 1080p tv, 1080i or 720p for me. No point in having HDMI if your tv doesn't do 1080p bit of a waste really.
i meant composite.
because 360 owners dont care about graphics, preferring gameplay. i would assume that they use the composite output, instead of hdmi on the elite/new premiums. because if graphics dont matter, why use hdmi?, its pointless right? when its all in the gameplay.
our friend henry the cat believes that gameplay and graphics are mutually exclusive. i believe he is just too used to xbox360!
What? Im giving my opinion. My word is not final... Nope. Played the demo but I've read 4 different reviews of this game and they actually take a non-biased look at the game and pointed out its highs and lows unlike this review, which seems like its trying to make this game out to be better than it actually is.
Well as long as I enjoy it I could'nt give a hoot. Scores mean nothing. Example being I thought Bioshock was average. If I play the game and it is no good then I will let you know. Until then, what do I, or you, really know?
While scores aren't everything, they sure as hell don't "mean nothing". Most reviews are done by people experienced in the industry and help people to decide if they should shell out £44.99 for a particular game. While review scores do vary, you will see on average that they are usually spot on. I know I haved saved alot of money by paying attention to reviews. I might think a game that got a crap review looks cool but chances are I will hate the game and will have wasted my money, which is why I use reviews.
What? Im giving my opinion. My word is not final... Nope. Played the demo but I've read 4 different reviews of this game and they actually take a non-biased look at the game and pointed out its highs and lows unlike this review, which seems like its trying to make this game out to be better than it actually is.
Well as long as I enjoy it I could'nt give a hoot. Scores mean nothing. Example being I thought Bioshock was average. If I play the game and it is no good then I will let you know. Until then, what do I, or you, really know?
While scores aren't everything, they sure as hell don't "mean nothing". Most reviews are done by people experienced in the industry and help people to decide if they should shell out £44.99 for a particular game. While review scores do vary, you will see on average that they are usually spot on. I know I haved saved alot of money by paying attention to reviews. I might think a game that got a crap review looks cool but chances are I will hate the game and will have wasted my money, which is why I use reviews.
Of 24 reviews the average score is 80. Of the ones that I've read in that 24, not one has mentioned screen tearing. How can you call PSW's review unfair when it seems to reiterate most of what is said in other reviews, and matches the average score exactly? You're doing nothing more than being cynical and insulting the integerity of the journalist that wrote the review.
It makes you look like a fool when you bring up glitches in a demo (which was based on an early build), that don't exist in the final product.
Of the ones that I've read in that 24, not one has mentioned screen tearing.
I just googled it and there are loads of references to tearing - http://www.playcdn.static.com/news/813 Apparently vsynch is disabled by default( probably because most of the time the FPS will be limited to 30FPS )
I got this game earlier today and have started chapter two, but then my little brother got back from school and stole it. Now he's past the point where I was at.
Where Heavenly Sword really stands out is in the artstyle. This has replaced Okami as the best looking game ever (for me). I've actually made Nariko stand still at times just so I can admire the scenery. The environments are stunning, if you can't appreciate the beauty in this game then you have no soul!
I got this game earlier today and have started chapter two, but then my little brother got back from school and stole it. Now he's past the point where I was at.
Where Heavenly Sword really stands out is in the artstyle. This has replaced Okami as the best looking game ever (for me). I've actually made Nariko stand still at times just so I can admire the scenery. The environments are stunning, if you can't appreciate the beauty in this game then you have no soul!
Of the ones that I've read in that 24, not one has mentioned screen tearing.
I just googled it and there are loads of references to tearing - http://www.playcdn.static.com/news/813 Apparently vsynch is disabled by default( probably because most of the time the FPS will be limited to 30FPS )
Yeah, since my post I've read a few more reviews (~14 now). Two have mentioned screen tearing.
How many 360 and PS3 games suffer from this now? You'd think they'd have came up with a solution by now. I suppose it isn't too noticeble unless you specifically look for it, but even so...It's annoying.
Of the ones that I've read in that 24, not one has mentioned screen tearing.
I just googled it and there are loads of references to tearing - http://www.playcdn.static.com/news/813 Apparently vsynch is disabled by default( probably because most of the time the FPS will be limited to 30FPS )
Yeah, since my post I've read a few more reviews (~14 now). Two have mentioned screen tearing.
How many 360 and PS3 games suffer from this now? You'd think they'd have came up with a solution by now. I suppose it isn't too noticeble unless you specifically look for it, but even so...It's annoying.
In case you're being sincere, yes, many 360 games have it. It is a common problem for developers, since it is more of a fault of the TV and software than the console. If VSync is disabled, then the console (PS3 or 360) will send the frames, before the last frame is finished rendering (depending on the quality of your TV and the FPS of the game). For example, if the game is running at 30 FPS, but your TV is only capable of handling 15 FPS, the second frame will start updating ontop of the first frame - "screen tearing". However, VSync takes up more memory, which is why it is sometimes disabled by developers.
A small example of 360 games with the issue are DiRT, Madden 2006, GRAW and Saints Row. It's quite a pronounced problem on the 360, and I expect the same will apply to PS3.
The problem is nothing to do with the consoles themselves, but the software (or you could blame the TV, but that is a little unfair ).
Of the ones that I've read in that 24, not one has mentioned screen tearing.
I just googled it and there are loads of references to tearing - http://www.playcdn.static.com/news/813 Apparently vsynch is disabled by default( probably because most of the time the FPS will be limited to 30FPS )
Yeah, since my post I've read a few more reviews (~14 now). Two have mentioned screen tearing.
How many 360 and PS3 games suffer from this now? You'd think they'd have came up with a solution by now. I suppose it isn't too noticeble unless you specifically look for it, but even so...It's annoying.
Is there any 360 games with tearing?
Yes - Saints Row - AWFUL tearing - A lot worse than Heavenly Sword!
Is all a bit $h*t to be honest with you that consoles games are no longer all vsynched and theyre following the PC's tearing. The reason its done is for performance, you get much better frame rates with vsynch off than on, if its on it will always( pal ) go to 15FPS,30FPS or 60FPS, if it can only mak 45FPS then it will actually only be 30FPS with vsynch off
Of the ones that I've read in that 24, not one has mentioned screen tearing.
I just googled it and there are loads of references to tearing - http://www.playcdn.static.com/news/813 Apparently vsynch is disabled by default( probably because most of the time the FPS will be limited to 30FPS )
Yeah, since my post I've read a few more reviews (~14 now). Two have mentioned screen tearing.
How many 360 and PS3 games suffer from this now? You'd think they'd have came up with a solution by now. I suppose it isn't too noticeble unless you specifically look for it, but even so...It's annoying.
Is there any 360 games with tearing?
Yes - Saints Row - AWFUL tearing - A lot worse than Heavenly Sword!
i guess thats why theres so many xbla games for download, cos "microsoft fans" dont care for graphics, right?
so instead of buying gears of war and bioshock you bought marble blast or alien hominid (which in my opinion are better games), right?
and its also why "microsoft fans" dont bother raving on about playing in hd is like "night and day"?
which is why they bought a console which has every game in HD? and why the hdmi port is great, cos composite is just fine for them?
right?
from your comments i conclude you don't like cutscenes, and thus you don't like stories in games, which is a good thing, because i haven't seen very many non-mindless shooters for it.
Not that I feel I should have to defend my - admittedly rather flippant statement - but taking your points one by one:
1) I don't care about graphics. One of my favourite games at the moment is Streets of Rage 2 on XBLA which may not be terrible graphics but it's not exactly state of the art.
2) I actually did buy GOW and Bioshock, and also own quite a few XBLA games. My gamer tag is Locust Storm if you want to check.
3) I have an Elite so I'm playing through HDMI thanks. Also I have a very good Samsung TV which I don't think I've ever felt the need to boast about, but you might as well get the best from your system. Do you run your PS3 through SCART? Didn't think so...
4) I think cut scenes are a lazy way of driving forward plot lines to games with very little substance. I find the ability to suspend disbelief is reduced by being taken out of the in-game engine's appearance and thrown into glorious pre-rendered story telling. There are many moments on Bioshock which would've lost all their impact had the game snapped to a cut scene. If you think I don't like games with stories I suggest you see my posts about the Wii, which I would buy in an instant if there were more story-driven games.
Basically, this is ninety-nine nights on the 360 with some fancy cut scenes. I'm not a M$ fan - how could anyone be a fan of Microsoft?! I simply know what I like and my principle assumption is that this is an okay game wrapped up like it's the most incredible experience ever. I'd be surprised if Halo 3 is any different.
Not impressed, this game is sposed be next-gen then how comes it runs at a paltry 30fps - whereas games likes Ninja Gaiden run a solid 60fps, no exscuses!...
Just wanted to say how this game owns, Tha only other game in its genre ever better than this is tha original DMC.
I'm sorry but thats just crazy talk... The best game of this genre is Ninja Gaiden followed closely by the original DMC. There is no way that you can mention Heavenly Sword in the same breath as those two games and your name doesn't help strengthen your statement.
And I'm really enjoying it? With a game of this type I expect button mashing and to take on hordes of enemies, which it delivers so I'm loving it. Plus it is a truly beautiful looking games probably the best looking game I've seen this year in terms of art, it just beats out Okami. Fun game.
In case you're being sincere, yes, many 360 games have it. It is a common problem for developers, since it is more of a fault of the TV and software than the console. If VSync is disabled, then the console (PS3 or 360) will send the frames, before the last frame is finished rendering (depending on the quality of your TV and the FPS of the game). For example, if the game is running at 30 FPS, but your TV is only capable of handling 15 FPS, the second frame will start updating ontop of the first frame - "screen tearing". However, VSync takes up more memory, which is why it is sometimes disabled by developers.
A small example of 360 games with the issue are DiRT, Madden 2006, GRAW and Saints Row. It's quite a pronounced problem on the 360, and I expect the same will apply to PS3.
The problem is nothing to do with the consoles themselves, but the software (or you could blame the TV, but that is a little unfair ).
It was a tongue in cheek question and thanks for your well informed reply.
So going by what what you have said a 60 HZ tv should display no tearing?
So, a game loses points for shortness. Next time a game lasts 50+ hours, give it 5+ points more, okay? If that's your logic. Anyway, Heavenly Sword is only short if you play it once and discard it. Why not attempt to get the stars on each level? That can add some longevity if you feel bitter over the shortness. No online? Bioshock has no online. Did that hurt the game? Oh well, it just reminds me why I don't usually take any notice of other peoples opinions...
And some of the best games ever made are also the shortest, gears of war, MGS, Devil May Cry, i could go on but why bother! At least play it first then make an assumption about it!
I never found Devil May Cry to be a short game, took me a few weeks to finish it playing here and there for 3-4 hours at a time on normal difficulty, of course second time round it doesnt take long at all
Sorry but DMC was not long enough for you to play it 3-4 hours at a time for a few weeks unless you were terrible at it , that is an 9 hour game max on normal.
i guess thats why theres so many xbla games for download, cos "microsoft fans" dont care for graphics, right?
so instead of buying gears of war and bioshock you bought marble blast or alien hominid (which in my opinion are better games), right?
and its also why "microsoft fans" dont bother raving on about playing in hd is like "night and day"?
which is why they bought a console which has every game in HD? and why the hdmi port is great, cos composite is just fine for them?
right?
from your comments i conclude you don't like cutscenes, and thus you don't like stories in games, which is a good thing, because i haven't seen very many non-mindless shooters for it.
Not that I feel I should have to defend my - admittedly rather flippant statement - but taking your points one by one:
1) I don't care about graphics. One of my favourite games at the moment is Streets of Rage 2 on XBLA which may not be terrible graphics but it's not exactly state of the art.
2) I actually did buy GOW and Bioshock, and also own quite a few XBLA games. My gamer tag is Locust Storm if you want to check.
3) I have an Elite so I'm playing through HDMI thanks. Also I have a very good Samsung TV which I don't think I've ever felt the need to boast about, but you might as well get the best from your system. Do you run your PS3 through SCART? Didn't think so...
4) I think cut scenes are a lazy way of driving forward plot lines to games with very little substance. I find the ability to suspend disbelief is reduced by being taken out of the in-game engine's appearance and thrown into glorious pre-rendered story telling. There are many moments on Bioshock which would've lost all their impact had the game snapped to a cut scene. If you think I don't like games with stories I suggest you see my posts about the Wii, which I would buy in an instant if there were more story-driven games.
Basically, this is ninety-nine nights on the 360 with some fancy cut scenes. I'm not a M$ fan - how could anyone be a fan of Microsoft?! I simply know what I like and my principle assumption is that this is an okay game wrapped up like it's the most incredible experience ever. I'd be surprised if Halo 3 is any different.
Okay, I've reached the final chapter and I think this game is incredible. It may not be as challenging as NG or DMC, but Heavenly Sword is a really fun game to play. The combat just looks awesome, whether you're slicing your way through countless enemies as Nariko or using aftertouch to guide your crossbow bolts into soilders as Kai. The story is great, it's not often that a game makes me laugh this much. The bad guys are hilarious and Kai is awesome (she's my favourite character). Even though I've not quite completed HS, it has already become my favourite PS3 game. Although I have to confess that I am a bit of a sucker for beautiful cutscenes and a good storyline. Which Heavenly Sword sure has!
Totally agree, I have a 360 and a PS3 and this is the best looking game I have seen on either console. I am having a good time playing it. I have not seen any tearing yet either. This is what I bought my PS3 for, this and Motorstorm are in my opinion the best games yet for PS3, Xbox360 out of all the games I have bought cannot touch them graphically, thats not to say playability wise there are a few 360 games that are better.
Anyway roll on Halo 3 later this month, can't wait.
I said on Friday that if I had a problem with screen tearing i'd take back what I said about there not being any.
After a playtest over the weekend and i'm also at the final chapter there is some screen tearing but not enough to make it worthy of a mention, this game graphically is the best i've also seen on any next-gen console without question and i'd love to hear comments of anyone who could think of a better one. The games short however but there is replay value to get all the videos and artwork etc. For me though it finally shows what the PS3 is capable of, most people thought it would deliver but now I know without question that heavenly sword is only the tip of the iceberg and more mind blowing games will follow soon.
For any one who just looks at the reviews and this that they should lower the score or that they feel that some how they are Sony lovers, I can only tell you this: I have played this game nearly all the way through (currently half way through chapter 6) and it can only be described as amazing. The cut scenes and play work together nicely to make it a smooth flowing game and a story line that makes you feel for the characters. The only complaint I have with it is the scenes where you do the dragon lair style controls...luckily its only one or two screens that are bad like that, and it only takes two or three attempts to get through them. The rest of the game is amazing. you are dealing with split screens that show the action from different angles while playing which I have not seen before in a game. But the big draw card that make you go wow is the big battles where you have 2000 - 3000 people moving on screen while you blowing them away with a canon...thats pretty cool. and through all this, the graphics don't give up for a second. I have not experienced jumping of frame rate or glitches. The only other problem is the game is too short, that that usally indicates that you liked the game enough that you wanted to keep playing. So for anyone who says that the game has all these problem, just sit down and play the game first before you go out about all the crap you know nothing about.
At the end of the day, everyone who brought the game...loved it. Now you can't argue with that. 9/10 in my book.
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Stunning visuals
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