What's the word on Heavenly Sword?

[PopcornTreeCt]

Anyone picking this up? I just got a PS3 and I'm itching to play a game. The reviews seem to be pretty positive.

[Chris_D]

6/10 from Edge.

[taffer]

The reviews I have seen (Gamespot, IGN, and Gametrailers) have all been in the 7 to 8 range. Not bad, but it certainly doesn't seem to be the AAA game it was hyped up to be. At least it isn't another Lair fiasco.

[Chris_D]

Yeah, a 6 from Edge is literally above average, they mark harder than EGM, for example.

[RichC2]

Rental.

[Michael Corvin]

I sent my Gamefly rentals back over the weekend hoping this gets shipped to me next. I really enjoyed the demo and am looking forward to the main game.

I believe it was EGMLive mentioned it is only about an 8 hour game with little replay value. So definitely a rental.

[TheMadMonk]

It is averaging 81% at gamerankings. Good, but not great.
Also, it is supposed to be really short; like 6.5 hours to finish.

[cartman]

Going only by what the demo was like, it blows.

[nickdawgy]

The demo was awesome, just really short.

[dizzlle01]

Get Warhawk. Awesome game

[edstein]

Wow, this was one game I thought would push me to get a PS3. But with these reviews and the short game play, I'll pass.

[Michael Corvin]

This is a GREAT game. I'm having a blast. Barring the length of the game, this would have been the PS3 game to have. The production values are outstanding.

Positives:
- The character animations (cut-scenes) are some of the best I've seen. The emotions the characters evoke is nothing short of amazing. The game is worth checking out for this alone.

- The scope of some of the levels is on par with Lair and probably the largest I've seen in a next gen game. The large boards are beautiful.

- Voice work is top-notch as well. The best in a game since Dead Rising.

- Like Lair the soundtrack is excellent.

- Nariko might just be my favorite female character in a game, ever. Definitely since Jade from BG&E. She actually reminds me of Lara Croft(Legend/Anniversary era) crossed with Jade.

- The Kai (Nariko's sister) levels are a blast to play. She uses a crossbow and arrows are controlled by sixaxis motion control.

- Motion control works great in this game and I love it.

- Boss fights are fun and can be challenging. They are a mix of straight battles and quicktime events as finishing moves.

- The game plays out like a movie with a lot of cut scenes which I usually hate but since the production values are high and I actually care about the characters it works in this game.

Negatives:
- length is the only negative at this point. I'm exactly halfway through the game and only invested 3.5 hours thus far. So the 6.5-7 hour reports seem to be on the nose.

This would be a must own title if it werent for that. Like Lair, there is a three medal system on each board, so replay can be gleaned from going back and doing better. The only unlockables seem to be artwork though so there isn't much incentive for going back other than to say you did it.

[Supermallet]

Is there a lock on system of some kind? I played the demo and felt like I was fighting the controls the entire time, especially when it came to actually picking who I was fighting.

[Flay]

Tycho's Take:

Heavenly Sword is, as you will soon discover, the very definition of a rental title. Clocking in at somewhere between five and six hours (depending on your appetite for overwrought cinemas) it's a decent game saddled by impossible expectations. It has silly ideas and grandeur in close proximity to one another.

It tries hard. And it's not bad, by any means. But it's not excellent, and perhaps unfairly it had this onus placed upon it. I've said that Lair is not the Playstation 3, and nor is Heavenly Sword, but taken together one must come to the unmistakable conclusion that the Playstation 3 is a game console and not the supernatural artifact they have presented it as. That however many processors and however many gigs of space are not especially relevant when put in the service of middling entertainment.

It has a decent combat system, and using this combat system you will progress from locked room to cramped, locked room until you come face to face with some jeering asshole. You might kill them either because of the jeering or because you think that death might cull their interminable monologues. There's a mean snake bitch and a pervert and an oaf. Oh! And en evil king. The only thing running through my head during the lavish and no doubt expensive mo-capped cutscenes was that these kings and bitches and so forth should form a band. It never seems to know if it wants to be a hilarious comic circus or a stark medieval saga. Play it, and you'll know what I mean.

There are successes, though: Kai, the mostly deranged sidekick, charms from the outset. Her feral animations and nuanced delivery really make her stand out against this batch of also-rans. Any object that can be thrown can also be thrown and then guided in slow motion, including corpses, which is something you must see to believe. We didn't even have a target; we would just throw bodies so that they flew like Superman head-first into gongs. This is something you can do for a half an hour - or more - without tiring of it. This guided firing is called "Aftertouch," and it's about fifty percent of the game. One wonders what the game's length would actually be if you didn't play half of it in slow-motion.

Some measure of your enjoyment will be bound up in whether or not you "buy" the story that they are telling. I've heard it described as epic, when it's pretty rudimentary fantasy-by-numbers bullshit, so who knows. It's all a matter of perspective: are we judging it against only PS3 games? If so, things are shaping up! If you own more than one console - or a personal computer - your standards for grand storytelling were recently adjusted upward.

[Rob V]

I don't know - I mean, 5-6 hours is considered short... but for me it's perfect. I don't have time to play 20 hour games before something new (that piques my interest) comes out. Halo 3 comes out in just a week or so and Im working on Stranglehold (which is also short from what I've read) - so I personally don't need an epic adventure right now.

I picked up HS from familyvideo.com for $47 shipped and hopefullly I'll get $40 or so for it off Ebay.

[Anubis2005X]

Originally Posted by Rob V

I don't know - I mean, 5-6 hours is considered short... but for me it's perfect. I don't have time to play 20 hour games before something new (that piques my interest) comes out.

Completely agree. I always find I have a hard time finishing the games I already own before a new one comes out that I want to play. I actually like shorter games. Prince of Persia: Sands of Time is pretty short, but I've probably played through it like 3 or 4 times. Long games I hardly ever replay...

[PopcornTreeCt]

Originally Posted by Rob V

I don't know - I mean, 5-6 hours is considered short... but for me it's perfect. I don't have time to play 20 hour games before something new (that piques my interest) comes out. Halo 3 comes out in just a week or so and Im working on Stranglehold (which is also short from what I've read) - so I personally don't need an epic adventure right now.

I picked up HS from familyvideo.com for $47 shipped and hopefullly I'll get $40 or so for it off Ebay.

I ordered Heavenly Sword from familyvideo as well. The shortness does not really deter me from getting games. If I play it all the way through I'll end up trading it or selling it away.

[Supermallet]

For me, I tend not to sell games if I can help it. I need games with replay value (and by that I don't mean a medal system like in HS or Lair), so if it's 6 hours, it had better be some of the best 6 hours I've ever spent.

As for Kai, does anyone else think she's a little too similar to Gollum?

[Michael Corvin]

Originally Posted by Suprmallet

As for Kai, does anyone else think she's a little too similar to Gollum?

Never made that connection. Mentally challenged yes. She's actually a very unique character in the game world. Not something you see all the time.

[Supermallet]

I'll admit, I'm only going off the demo here, but the first thing that struck me was that she was sitting like Gollum, and then when she spoke, she sounded like Gollum. Maybe it's just me. *shrug*

[nemein]

Nice graphics, hate the "Dragon's Lair" parts though Finally seeing it did answer a question though. In season 1 of Heroes one of the characters was playing a PS3 game and I could never figure out what it was until now If you like Dynasty Warriors type games you'll probably enjoy, overall I'd say it's worth a rental at least.

[PopcornTreeCt]

Originally Posted by Suprmallet

I'll admit, I'm only going off the demo here, but the first thing that struck me was that she was sitting like Gollum, and then when she spoke, she sounded like Gollum. Maybe it's just me. *shrug*

The irony is that Andy Serkis voices a major character in the game.

[taffer]

Originally Posted by nemein

In season 1 of Heroes one of the characters was playing a PS3 game and I could never figure out what it was until now

Actually what she was "playing" was the trailer from E3.

[nemein]

Originally Posted by taffer

Actually what she was "playing" was the trailer from E3.

I figured it was something like that but it was more trying to figure out the game

[Michael Corvin]

Originally Posted by Suprmallet

I'll admit, I'm only going off the demo here, but the first thing that struck me was that she was sitting like Gollum, and then when she spoke, she sounded like Gollum. Maybe it's just me. *shrug*

I can see that going off the demo. I don't get that feel in the full game though.

Flying Fox looks and acts like he was molded after Scott Wieland though. Bohan has a Jeremy Irons vibe. I'm assuming he is done by Serkis though.