Heavenly Sword, an upcoming exclusive PS3 game, was my pick for the best playable game at the last E3. Even though only one arena level was shown with somewhat derivative combat for those who've played Devil May Cry, God of War, etc., it still stood out to me as an amazingly tight action game with a ton of potential if developed properly.

RELEASE DATES:
US: September 12, 2007
EU: September 14, 2007

For the record, my past E3 top picks (I've been to all of them) included Diablo, Tomb Raider, Tony Hawk Pro Skater, Burn Out 3, and God of War as games that impressed me before the media hype and rabid fan support came about.

The game will feature crazy 1v1 boss battles with mega-huge creatures (Dragon Lair styled input, real time graphics), 1 vs mob battles where you take out a group of bad guys in some disgustingly vicious ways, and also there will be army battles, where hundreds of characters on screen fight using independent A.I.

There are several battle stances for your red-haired 'Goddess of War', and there are a number of combos and defensive actions you can implement while you fight. It's been promised that the story will be blockbuster-movie quality with some professional actors doing the voices (like Andy Serkis, of LotR Gollum fame).

The locales are said to be plentiful, highly varied, and stunning to fight through, and the animation is particularly smooth for the amount of action going on, HOPEFULLY at 60fps.

***Post July PSN demo update***


Here are videos that take you through the entire second level, beginning to end (over 30 minutes). You'll enjoy the variety of game play mechanics, the professionally produced story elements as well as some boss fight action (these are Game Informer videos and section titles):

*** STORY SPOILERS ***
Storming the gate (http://media.gameinformer.com/downloads/downloads2014/movies/2007/hsword/heaven1.wmv)
The Flying Fox (http://media.gameinformer.com/downloads/downloads2014/movies/2007/hsword/heaven2.wmv)
The Flying Fox continued (http://media.gameinformer.com/downloads/downloads2014/movies/2007/hsword/heaven3.wmv)

Let's go to prison (http://media.gameinformer.com/downloads/downloads2014/movies/2007/hsword/heaven4.wmv)
OK, prison was a bad idea (http://media.gameinformer.com/downloads/downloads2014/movies/2007/hsword/heaven5.wmv)
King Botan's court cutscene (http://media.gameinformer.com/downloads/downloads2014/movies/2007/hsword/heaven6.wmv)
It's prison break time (http://media.gameinformer.com/downloads/downloads2014/movies/2007/hsword/heaven7.wmv)

A rocket launcher? If you say so... (http://media.gameinformer.com/downloads/downloads2014/movies/2007/hsword/heaven8.wmv)
Whiptail's cutscene (http://media.gameinformer.com/downloads/downloads2014/movies/2007/hsword/heaven9.wmv)
Whiptail battle (http://media.gameinformer.com/downloads/downloads2014/movies/2007/hsword/heaven10.wmv)

Kai's sniper mission (http://media.gameinformer.com/downloads/downloads2014/movies/2007/hsword/heaven11.wmv)
Sniper mission continued (http://media.gameinformer.com/downloads/downloads2014/movies/2007/hsword/heaven12.wmv)
Fight ends, final cutscene of chapter (http://media.gameinformer.com/downloads/downloads2014/movies/2007/hsword/heaven13.wmv)
________________________________

An early, very limited demo has been released on the PSN... the developers say it is from an early build and that technical problems have been since resolved. Here are some pictures of the lead character, some in-game visuals, trailer videos, and a links to their latest interviews:

Newest pics from June '07 located here! (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10915396&&#post10915396)

Here's the last preview from ign. First, click here for an awesome new video:

http://streamingmovies.ign.com/ps3/article/789/789118/heavenlysword_trailer_051607_wmvlowwide.wmv

Link to HD Movie trailer. (http://download.gametrailers.com/gt_vault/t_heavenlysword_tgs06_h264.wmv)

Link to an interview with Ninja Theory, the developers. (http://forums.e-mpire.com/showthread.php?p=1319497&posted=1#post1319497)

Here's an interview of some of the tech features in the game (http://psinext.e-mpire.com/index.php?categoryid=3&m_articles_articleid=599) they are trying to implement.

This translated interview (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9937644&&#post9937644) reveals some game play and animation techniques.

http://www.gamestar.de/imgserver/bdb/1126600/1126613/708x_A060FCD5DB6F8D6CF2C03DEA9A6D4D16.jpg

March '07 edit.... this new in-game shot (http://www.ninjatheory.com/forums/showthread.php?t=840) from the developers is supposedly real time with added post-edit blur effect added to the edges of the shot:

It's due in the summer, so snag a PS3 before then if you haven't already done so!

April edits:

Here are some hands-on impressions from Gamepro. (http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps3/games/features/108609.shtml)

http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108390-3-2.jpg
http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108390-2-2.jpg
http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108390-6-2.jpg
http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108390-8-2.jpg
http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108390-10-2.jpg
http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108390-16-2.jpg
http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108390-20-2.jpg

May Edits:

Check out the new trailer! (http://streamingmovies.ign.com/ps3/article/789/789118/heavenlysword_trailer_051607_wmvlowwide.wmv)

Also, a new Sony Gamer's Day impressions write up from ign is here. (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/788/788739p1.html)


JULY edit:

According to this interview, (http://www.n4g.com/ps3/News-49200.aspx) a playable demo is coming to the PSN very soon! Likely before the end of the month.

The demo is done!

According to this article, (http://gamers-creed.com/Consoles/PS3/31.html) the Heavenly Sword playable demo can be released at any time Sony is ready. We may get it next Thursday!


AUGUST '07 EDIT

An epic soundtrack treat for us gamers (first posted by DubBucket):

10GB of sound FX, approximately three and a half hours of music, 4,500 lines of dialogue
Check out the full writeup (http://www.developmag.com/tutorials/28/Heard-About-Heavenly-Sword) on the audio!

Are you sure this is not another Genji?

I also work in the video game industry, and I can assure you, this is no Genji! The only possible worry is Sony wanting the game out quickly, and the game being rushed. But from my playthroughs, this was incredibly entertaining, on a God of War scale.

SY

hella cool!:)

is it like an arena fighting game?

I also work in the video game industry, and I can assure you, this is no Genji! The only possible worry is Sony wanting the game out quickly, and the game being rushed. But from my playthroughs, this was incredibly entertaining, on a God of War scale.

SY

Anything that comes close to God of War is gold.

Let's hope you guys are right.

I hope so too. This is one of the games I preordered at GameStop. This game looks amazing.

I will get this game for sure, if it plays like God of War then i will be in heaven with gameplay.

Even if it is like Devil may cry i'd be very very happy about that. lol

Lets hope this game delivers true next gen type of gameplay, and graphics, unlike the launch games... Resistance is boring.

I know I must be getting old, because I don't get the title of this thread (is the hype?). Or maybe this slang simply skipped my community.

Screenshots look incredible though (we can still use the word incredible right?). :cool:

Are you sure this is not another Genji?

Think of it has Goddes of War, except the combat is much deeper and the action is more intense.

The game looks great. Great graphics, physics, art, and the animaiton looks amazing,.

I know I must be getting old, because I don't get the title of this thread (is the hype?). Or maybe this slang simply skipped my community.

Screenshots look incredible though (we can still use the word incredible right?). :cool:


Think hyperbole and then read the title as a contradiction.

I have been excited for this game ever since I heard about it. Looks freaking awesome.

I see jaggies.

Quick responses:

- No, the game isn't purely arena based... it is a full action adventure title not unlike God of War. The arena scene is the only one I've played though.

- Jaggies are definitely not apparent when the actual game is running in person. It looks very smooth.

- By naming this thread 'HS is the hype', I'm using an urban term as a way of saying that the game will be most excellent :D. Any of you see the movie, 'Do the Right Thing'? Mookie is talking with Radio Raheem when he notices the cool knuckle jewelry he has on. Mookie then exclaims:

"Let me check it out? That's the hype!"

- By naming this thread 'HS is the hype', I'm using an urban term as a way of saying that the game will be most excellent :D. Any of you see the movie, 'Do the Right Thing'? Mookie is talking with Radio Raheem when he notices the cool knuckle jewelry he has on. Mookie then exclaims:

"Let me check it out? That's the hype!"
Thanks Joe!

Do the Right Thing (1989?)? I'm starting to think you are much older than I am (I'm only 32). :D

Regardless...the game looks like it will be most excellent. :p

I'm 36!

Goddness of War 3...

Consider Gog of War I & II on ps2 :p

This game is delayed till fall 07.

Quick responses:

- No, the game isn't purely arena based... it is a full action adventure title not unlike God of War. The arena scene is the only one I've played though.

- Jaggies are definitely not apparent when the actual game is running in person. It looks very smooth.

- By naming this thread 'HS is the hype', I'm using an urban term as a way of saying that the game will be most excellent :D. Any of you see the movie, 'Do the Right Thing'? Mookie is talking with Radio Raheem when he notices the cool knuckle jewelry he has on. Mookie then exclaims:

"Let me check it out? That's the hype!"

lol wow. the hype and urban term? just so you know, ive never heard anyone who grew up in any type of city use the word "the hype." **** i dont even think people in the burbs say that. im from nyc, and if i ever used that word i'd get laughed off of my block

you guys are olddddddddddddd

Are you sure this is not another Genji?
Oh hell no. Another God of war maybe.

GoW was awesome. If the game play is as good as GoW, I will be very excited. I was a little disappointed that GoW2 is for the PS2, but I understand that Sony still believes in supporting the PS2 base who have not dropped the $$$ for a PS3. This will keep us GoW fans happy who own a PS3 and want next gen graphics with GoW game play.:)

I don't recall, Genji being tauted as the next GoW.

New info available...

http://www.the-magicbox.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20832

This game will be incredible.

I will get this game for sure, if it plays like God of War then i will be in heaven with gameplay.

Even if it is like Devil may cry i'd be very very happy about that. lol

Lets hope this game delivers true next gen type of gameplay, and graphics, unlike the launch games... Resistance is boring.

Hopefully this lives up to the hype.

I love Resistance, even more than Gears of War (which I just finished on Insane last night second time through) best launch game yet besides Zelda.

One of the few next gen. titles that has amazing animation, which is 60fps. One SPE from CELL alone is rendering the female's hair.

You guys should see the video for this game. Some of the aerial moves in this game is amazing.

Wow, that article is pretty exciting. Looks like this game has real AAA potential and hopefully not much more than the next 6 mo before it hits. Probably will be delayed though. I doubt they will release it holiday 07 with MGS4 for fear of cannibalizing sales.

It's still listed as spring, but with lack of info and media lately, it may have been delayed. I hope not. :(

Just remember; it's all hype till it ships ;)

Though hearing some of the guys who are working on it talk over at b3d and I have to say I'm hopeful for a great game.

well, I am from NYC and definitely have heard the term, "The hype"...
but that was way back in the 90's.

:)

I'll believe it when I see it.

I'm sure you guys believed the 2005 render of Motostorm was going to be the final product version as well.

I'll believe it when I see it.

I'm sure you guys believed the 2005 render of Motostorm was going to be the final product version as well.

This is a bit different. The game looks good but it is nothing out of this world for it's time. When the Motorstorm target render was shown, that was out of this world. It was pretty much the best looking thing out there.

i've wanting to play this game since November 17, when the PS3 came out, because the reviews looked nice.

This is a bit different. The game looks good but it is nothing out of this world for it's time. When the Motorstorm target render was shown, that was out of this world. It was pretty much the best looking thing out there.

Dont sweat Johnsteph10. He appears to be just another HD DVD troll, just look at his post history. Pissing on anything blu-ray. An embarassment to my HD-A1.

This game looked fantastic according to people who were at E3. It was playable and ran great. I really hope it lives up to the hype as the PS3 really needs a killer game that looks good.

This game looked fantastic according to people who were at E3. It was playable and ran great. I really hope it lives up to the hype as the PS3 really needs a killer game that looks good.

Hey dude, did you buy a PS3, yet?

This game looked fantastic according to people who were at E3. It was playable and ran great. I really hope it lives up to the hype as the PS3 really needs a killer game that looks good.

Yes, this game was the standout playable game on PS3 at E3. Silky smooth animation, beautiful colors and style along with very fun combat feel to the action. Everyone wanted to try this one out and hang on the demo a bit too long. ;) One to look for on PS3.

Hey dude, did you buy a PS3, yet?

I've had my PS3 for a few weeks now. Loving Resistance. Haven't really dabbled much in anything else.

"Don't believe the hype" - Public Enemy

Screenshots look cool though.

I'll believe it when I see it.

I'm sure you guys believed the 2005 render of Motostorm was going to be the final product version as well.


Uh, you do realize that this game SURPASSES the E32K5 footage, right? Same with Resistence.

Dont sweat Johnsteph10. He appears to be just another HD DVD troll, just look at his post history. Pissing on anything blu-ray. An embarassment to my HD-A1.

Thanks, G-Force.

Man... that game looks as good as all get out... I may have to score it.

Jerz

now, those are the awards Heavenly Sword had before it even released:

Next-Gen's Top 20 Playable Games of E3 - Number 1
GamePro's Top 20 games - Number 1
Gamespot's People's Choice Awards
IGN E3 Award for Technological Excellence - Winner
IGN E3 Best Artistic Design - Winner
Meristation E3 Best PS3 Game - Winner
GameDaily E3 Nod Award
GameZone - BEST OF SHOW (Overall)
Game Critics Awards - Best Fighting Game
IGN E3 Best Action Game - Runner up
IGN E3 Best Graphics - Runner up
IGN E3 Game of the Show - Runner up
GameSpy Best of E3 2006 - Top 10 Console Game

it is developed by Ninja Theory and published by SONY. check out their site: http://www.ninjatheory.com/

this game should be in stores by march. I hope they don't delay it again ! well, if you know Sony, you know that they love delays ;-)

Looking more and more like it's going to be delayed. On the official PS site the game isn't listed under "upcoming games" anymore, and the page for the game just lists the release date as "2007" instead of "March 2007"

Dont sweat Johnsteph10. He appears to be just another HD DVD troll, just look at his post history. Pissing on anything blu-ray. An embarassment to my HD-A1.

Post reported. Read the U/A.

I own both - I am no troll. I am hard on products that don't live up to their potential. I own HD and BD (PS3 and Pioneer).

I am sick of all the hype surrounding Sony products - I was very skeptical of the PS2 launch and all of the crap that surrounded it...and I see the same things happening with the PS3.

Uh, you do realize that this game SURPASSES the E32K5 footage, right? Same with Resistence.



Thanks, G-Force.

Thanks for what?

IF it lives up to the hype, I will buy it. If not, I'll just chalk it up to fanboys dreaming. Deal with it and get over it.

Johnsteph10, let's keep things under control here.
G-Force, same thing goes for you.

Everyone just remember one thing, if you're here to bash the PS3, you won't be here for long.

[QUOTE=JackBau3r]Uh, you do realize that this game SURPASSES the E32K5 footage, right? Same with Resistence.


You think the Motorstorm rendered video doesn't look as good as the actual Motorstorm game????

Looks very good, I just hope this isn't another 99 Nights...

The army AI in HS is entirely SPU based, its hierarchical with 'battalion' logic (groups of say 200 soldiers) each battalion is running a custom VM programmed in a crude visual programming langauge in our editor. Then a spatial hierarchy breaks up the battlefield into chunks with a number of soldiers in, each chunk is farmed off to an SPU where each soldier runs collision, avoidance and personal AI.
Then afterwards another SPU program, does some work to help sort and farm out work to the renderer... Some of this is done on the PPU more because some of our internal API are PPU based on moving that little bit over to SPU was too much work at the mo.

The effect is that there is high level designer control, but each solider seems fairly intelligent, avoiding things, attacking the player etc.
Its not based on any normal flocking stuff (which i find very uncontrollable) but instead has this two level logic, where my battalion order would have me going/currently at and where my local intelligence has told me to be.

Came from one of the developers. It's good that the SPU's are being put to good use. :D

Check this out people... Ninja Theory (Heavenly Sword's developer) has written up what may be the best designer diary in the history of the universe:

http://www.ninjatheory.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24&Itemid=52

An awesome read about how they were able to even get this game made.

joeblow, thanks for keeping this thread current, this game is showing a lot of promise.

That diary is a good read about the inner workings of the biz. I'd just like to hear more about the technical aspects of the game since they moved to PS3 development.

unfortunately, HS is delayed until Q3 2007 =[.

i too am really excited about this game.

Dang it , yet another delay of a highly anticipated PS3 title ... :( .

--- Jason

I havent seen hype like this around a game since Bouncer...

That diary is a good read about the inner workings of the biz. I'd just like to hear more about the technical aspects of the game since they moved to PS3 development.
Reading what that team has to say about the PS3 over at B3D forums is really quite interesting as well in term of making a game for the PS3.
I havent seen hype like this around a game since Bouncer...
lol or FF, Halo, MGS, etc.

I havent seen hype like this around a game since Halo 2...


Fixed.

Here's a tech interview about the game with the developers from last summer. If you haven't seen it, then consider it a new interview to you! You can look forward to HDR, 4x AA (minimum), dynamic shadowing and 8x trilinear filtering. A link has been added to first post of this thread as well:


PSINext: After speaking with your Ninja colleagues Dean and Mike on the floor of E3, I've been told that Ninja Theory is presently using SPEs for tasks such as sound, physics, animation, and more. Since you're working on the engine, going forward what sort of performance headroom do you feel is present on Cell?

Marco: I can't give any numbers that would make much sense, but I'm certain at this time most developers are barely using Cell's power.

We all have to learn how this machine works and how to get the best out of it. It will take time, but gamers are going to experience some truly amazing stuff.

http://psinext.e-mpire.com/index.php?categoryid=3&m_articles_articleid=599

Dang it , yet another delay of a highly anticipated PS3 title ... :( .

--- Jason


it's painful in the short term, but much better in the long term. better for them to take their time and put out the best possible game...

This game will the the best action game ever untill god of war 3 hits.

it's painful in the short term, but much better in the long term. better for them to take their time and put out the best possible game...

dont worry this will still come out before Metroid/Mario/Smash brothers/ Mario kart for the Wii. haha

Here's a tech interview about the game with the developers from last summer. If you haven't seen it, then consider it a new interview to you! You can look forward to HDR, 4x AA (minimum), dynamic shadowing and 8x trilinear filtering. A link has been added to first post of this thread as well:
Wow those guys are really pushing the PS3 and cell. It's great to read what they have to say on other forums, they seem really excited to be working on the project and making this game.

this bothers me:

Quote:

PSINext: After speaking with your Ninja colleagues Dean and Mike on the floor of E3, I've been told that Ninja Theory is presently using SPEs for tasks such as sound, physics, animation, and more. Since you're working on the engine, going forward what sort of performance headroom do you feel is present on Cell?

Marco: I can't give any numbers that would make much sense, but I'm certain at this time most developers are barely using Cell's power.

We all have to learn how this machine works and how to get the best out of it. It will take time, but gamers are going to experience some truly amazing stuff.

http://psinext.e-mpire.com/index.ph...s_articleid=599

why would someone make something and NOT share how it works? im i missing something here, shouldnt the persons responsible for inventing the machine explain how to use it best :rolleyes:
so what did they do' "just say here now figure IT out on your own"?

Epic, are you saying that Sony doesn't support there developers?

Epic, are you saying that Sony doesn't support there developers?

no..im saying that i hear that comment made alot, whether its sony or M$ or PC's why is that?

dont worry this will still come out before Metroid/Mario/Smash brothers/ Mario kart for the Wii. haha


Yeah the Wii is having a hard time releasing some good games...

Heavenly Sword I can wait for...let them get it perfect...just like they did with Motorstorm...

I am still amazed on what they did with Resistance...that game is so fun and addictive expecially the online..it is way more fun than Gears of War or Halo II online. The Resistance game engine is better in my opinion..I remember the developers saying if they had more time there were going to do 1080p at 30 FPS in resistance...but they went and did 720p at 30fps locked...

Ninja Theory are 2nd party developers for Sony. They aren't owned by them but have an exclusive contract of some kind that at minmum allows Sony to publish this title (maybe more in the future).

Since they really aren't technically Sony employees in the strictest sense, they have no obligation to "share their secrets". To do so would eventually diminish the specialness of any games they produce, and in the end the business is all about maximizing sales for your titles. I don't see any 2nd or 3rd party company giving away the goods (Epic sells their U3E), so why should NT? Besides, they are still figuring it all out themselves apparently.

No doubt Sony is offering internal help to other studios when possible. But from what I've read, a more developers are getting up to speed than you think. Games like PS3 WipEout, which is said to run on the Motorstorm engine, will benefit from that engine's use of the SPU optimized Havok 4.5 for the physics (it's a public physics engine for $$$). The White Engine from Square-Enix is already amazing if those FFXIII videos are anywhere close to the real time final product. Team Ninja is said to be doing an incredible job with Ninja Gaiden Sigma, since they are making it specifically for the PS3 from the ground up.

So don't worry; these game makers are smart people. They'll be fine. :)

Originally posted by epicbloodline
no..im saying that i hear that comment made alot, whether its sony or M$ or PC's why is that?
I guess I missed your point then...

Here's a great new interview from Ninja Theory on their upcoming game. The link is in Norwegian, so here's a translation:




tilt functionality...

will the game use a lot of tilt functionality of the six axis ? could you give us examples please ?
Innsendt av: Fouad Interactifs
Hi Fouad

We do make use of the sixaxis in Heavenly Sword. For example if you are firing a bazooka you have the ability to go into AfterTouch where you follow the projectile and guide it - tilting the sixaxis directs it. I think feels quite natural and satisfying.

cheers
nina


When?

You're probably going to get a lot of these questions today, but still..
Heavenly Sword is THE most anticipated for me. I see some sites have set the 6th of March as release date for the US version (dont know if this is true, I'll let you decide ), which makes me wonder - when can we see the Heavenly Sword title on european PS3-machines?
Innsendt av: Sindre

Yes, I've been sent quite a few questions about the release date this morning, all I'm allowed to say right now is that it will be out before Christmas.


What drives you?

Hi!

First I just want to say how awesome this game looks, and the realism of it, its just gripping!

And here's kind of my question:
What is the ultimate motivation for creating such a game that takes so much time, effort and skills? is it the final result, the experience or is it just the fun of it?
Innsendt av: Esben Newfarm

Thank Esben! It's a bit of everything actually - we want to make something that will excite and engage as many people as possible; there's nothing that will make you grin wider than overhearing someone talking excitedly about the very thing you've put your heart and soul into! It is a huge undertaking but we've got an amazing team at Ninja Theory who is passionate and dedicated. It's hard work but it's also a lot fun!


Linearity of Heavenly Sword?

How are you designing the progress between levels in HS? I'm hoping we'll get many hours of fun out of this game, so i'm keeping my fingers crossed for a system where you can backtrack to old areas to search for optional collectible stuff to unlock easter eggs and so on, like they did for the R&C games for instance.

Also, are any of the animations in HS generated dynamically, or is it just hundreds and hundreds of hand animated movements? I hope more games use dynamic animation soon, because it has real potential. Did you ever play that PC Game "Trespasser" ?
Innsendt av: Sverre

Hi Sverre, once you've unlocked a level in Heavenly Sword you can return to it at any time and you can bring your new abilities with you which may allow you to play the areas better and find hidden things.

There are thousands and thousands of hand animations in the game. In order to get really smooth movement we are always blending numerous animations together. I personally love hand animation as it gives you the opportunity to do outlandish things and still suspend disbelief. For example, no person in real life can fling themselves a dozen metres up in the air, pause for moment and rush crushingly to the earth annihilating the poor stunned sod waiting below - but with really good hand animation you can make that believable and as a player you feel awesomely powerful!

Sword fighting

Can you explain a bit more how the sword fighting is performed?
Innsendt av: Sindre

Hi Sindre, in Heavenly Sword, you can use just about anything as a weapon but the most important one is of course the Heavenly Sword itself. The Sword has three configurations or "sword stances" (Speed, Power and Range) each with distinct attack strategies. You need to choose the best stance or combination of stances to destroy the enemies. Each stance includes extensive combos, counters, evades etc and you can switch stances mid combo. So for example, you could begin a ranged combo in order knock enemies back and switch to power, for a big finisher to wipe them out.
cheers
nina


how many?

how many people is she able to kill at once???
Innsendt av: mark

Loads!! With some of the really big moves, if you time it well, you could take out at least 30 guys. Mind you, a good shot with the bazooka can do a LOT of damage!


Language

Hi,

Even though the game is translated to Norwegian, is it possible to play the game with English text and speech?

I guess translating the stuff Serkis does in English (does he talk?) is spoiling something good ...
Innsendt av: Nimbus

Hi Nimbus, although we are localising the game into Norwegian (and many other European languages) the game will default to English so you will be able to watch and hear Andy and all the actors in all their glory Andy's got plenty to say as he plays King Bohan!

Do you think Narkio would match Kratos well?
Innsendt av: Bent
Hehee, that would be an awesome fight. I'd have to put money on Nariko of course!

I need to sign off now, many thanks for all the questions and kind notes, sorry I couldn't answer them all. All the best!
nina

PS - For all those who asked, I'm Australian of Scandi descent

http://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/2007/03/01/493695.html

Im looking foward to it, but those characters look rather repetative.

^^yea, im looking forward to Heavenly Sword too...

2 second HD clip of Heavenly Sword gameplay on Heroes tonight! :D

youtube handheld vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X33wC4W0KBI

Is that the demo from E3 or something new? would be nice if its that playable now.

This is a def buy and i hope it's good enough to have sequels...

lol, at least we saw new areas, and it further shows that Heavenly Sword is one of those games that's technically superior than most upcoming games.


http://www.catanzareti.com/images/Kevin/hs.gif

The video looks more impressive than the screenshots. This is one to watch. I hope that this is not one of those games where the fighting is limited to "arena" situations. I hope that the fighting is part of a story and actually advances the plot. That is what makes games like Half Life or Gears of War good games. The fighting has some purpose.

oops just posted a separate thread with the link to this clip of the Heroe's show but better quality.

The video looks more impressive than the screenshots. This is one to watch. I hope that this is not one of those games where the fighting is limited to "arena" situations. I hope that the fighting is part of a story and actually advances the plot. That is what makes games like Half Life or Gears of War good games. The fighting has some purpose.


Play God of War, and God of War 2 when it comes out - its the closest it will ever be to what this game has to offer. The two mentioned above are good games.

http://generationdreamteam.free.fr/afrika/heavenlysword/hs3.gif


Game is running on 4xAA and 8xAF. It's good to have talented developers push the PS3's true capabilities. :)

I hope that the fighting is part of a story and actually advances the plot. That is what makes games like Half Life or Gears of War good games. The fighting has some purpose.


Half-Life I understand (very derivative story, but well done), but Gears of War? Did that game even have a plot? I played it and finished it on the hardest difficulty, which means all-told I went through the entire game about 4 times (which really illustrated how short it is) and I can barely remember anything other than "aliens bad" and "humans fight." I've heard about this mysterious plot to Gears of War before ... was there a tie-in novel or something? Like when the people who defended the Star Wars prequels brought in the dvd cartoon shorts and side stories to help make sense of the movies themselves?

Because all I can remember is the main character wakes up in prison, we never learn anything about why he was there or why he seemed angry with the commanding officer, and we never really learn anything about the aliens other than hearing some female voice a couple times, then we see some winged thing at the end. All Heavenly Sword has to do to top Gears of War story-wise is give the lead character a name and maybe explain why she likes large bladed weapons.

Half-Life I understand (very derivative story, but well done), but Gears of War? Did that game even have a plot? I played it and finished it on the hardest difficulty, which means all-told I went through the entire game about 4 times (which really illustrated how short it is) and I can barely remember anything other than "aliens bad" and "humans fight." I've heard about this mysterious plot to Gears of War before ... was there a tie-in novel or something? Like when the people who defended the Star Wars prequels brought in the dvd cartoon shorts and side stories to help make sense of the movies themselves?

Because all I can remember is the main character wakes up in prison, we never learn anything about why he was there or why he seemed angry with the commanding officer, and we never really learn anything about the aliens other than hearing some female voice a couple times, then we see some winged thing at the end. All Heavenly Sword has to do to top Gears of War story-wise is give the lead character a name and maybe explain why she likes large bladed weapons.

See, the game doesn't even get the point across that the Locust aren't aliens. The Wiki for Gears has a ton of side-story (which obviously isn't in the game), which I assume came from bonus features on the Collector's Edition of the game.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gears_of_war#Story

http://generationdreamteam.free.fr/afrika/heavenlysword/hs3.gif


Game is running on 4xAA and 8xAF. It's good to have talented developers push the PS3's true capabilities. :)

And it's simulating SSS (subsurface scattering) on the main character's skin. w00t!!

See, the game doesn't even get the point across that the Locust aren't aliens. The Wiki for Gears has a ton of side-story (which obviously isn't in the game), which I assume came from bonus features on the Collector's Edition of the game.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gears_of_war#Story


Ha ... that's pretty much what I thought. Tons of (unnecessarily complex) backstory for a game that has no real plot inside it. I love that it's someone's job to come up with:

"... Eventually they knew the hush of peace that blanketed the land. That was until the discovery of Imulsion, a phosphorescing, low-viscosity fluid. Discovered by an oil-exploration drill, it was unusable until a woman named Dr. Helen Cooper created the Lightmass Process, which enabled production of cheap energy. The world economy soon collapsed due to its extremely low price and the elimination for the need of hydrocarbon and nuclear fuel sources. The few countries that had an overabundance of Imulsion under their feet soon found themselves at war with nations who were not as lucky, and so began the Pendulum Wars. During the seventy-nine year war, the Coalition of Ordered Governments ..."

That's pretty much the textbook reason why game programmers shouldn't write (or edit, or oversee, or direct, or suggest) story copy.

If Gears had managed to tell a story during gameplay instead of merely referencing an external story, it would have been even more immersive. The opening levels of Resistance touring the "factory" go a long way to explain the story interactively, much like Half-Life, without a lot of dialogue or outside reading. With more time I'm sure Naughty Dog would have made the story even more organic. The cut-scenes were out of place but at least they told the story in-game.

The more I see from Heavenly Sword the more I'm excited for it. A compelling story would be a nice addition, but it's hardly necessary. It wasn't for Gears, Pong or Pac-Man.

Ha ... that's pretty much what I thought. Tons of (unnecessarily complex) backstory for a game that has no real plot inside it. I love that it's someone's job to come up with:

"... Eventually they knew the hush of peace that blanketed the land. That was until the discovery of Imulsion, a phosphorescing, low-viscosity fluid. Discovered by an oil-exploration drill, it was unusable until a woman named Dr. Helen Cooper created the Lightmass Process, which enabled production of cheap energy. The world economy soon collapsed due to its extremely low price and the elimination for the need of hydrocarbon and nuclear fuel sources. The few countries that had an overabundance of Imulsion under their feet soon found themselves at war with nations who were not as lucky, and so began the Pendulum Wars. During the seventy-nine year war, the Coalition of Ordered Governments ..."

That's pretty much the textbook reason why game programmers shouldn't write (or edit, or oversee, or direct, or suggest) story copy.

If Gears had managed to tell a story during gameplay instead of merely referencing an external story, it would have been even more immersive. The opening levels of Resistance touring the "factory" go a long way to explain the story interactively, much like Half-Life, without a lot of dialogue or outside reading. With more time I'm sure Naughty Dog would have made the story even more organic. The cut-scenes were out of place but at least they told the story in-game.

The more I see from Heavenly Sword the more I'm excited for it. A compelling story would be a nice addition, but it's hardly necessary. It wasn't for Gears, Pong or Pac-Man.


I think the story will be a cutscene of 'her' standing outside of a burning village, then she picks up a giant sword as the screen fades to black...

Story/No story, depends on the game, I like a good story but hate extraneous cut scenes.

I think the story will be a cutscene of 'her' standing outside of a burning village, then she picks up a giant sword as the screen fades to black...

Story/No story, depends on the game, I like a good story but hate extraneous cut scenes.


I'd settle for an opening cutscene of the girl stubbing her toe, then cursing the heavens and picking up a giant sword and swearing "I will kill them all."

You guys ruined my day.

If there was a story in Gears, I completely missed it. It was extremely linear, go there, fetch this, go there, fetch this.

Obviously, Tetris doesn't need a story, it's an interactive puzzle.

Now, when a game calls you to impersonate some character, involved in a world, where actions and reactions are supposed to drive progress, a story is necessary. Otherwise, you feel like a hamster, pushing the wheel developers set you out to push.

You guys ruined my day.

If there was a story in Gears, I completely missed it. It was extremely linear, go there, fetch this, go there, fetch this.

Obviously, Tetris doesn't need a story, it's an interactive puzzle.

Now, when a game calls you to impersonate some character, involved in a world, where actions and reactions are supposed to drive progress, a story is necessary. Otherwise, you feel like a hamster, pushing the wheel developers set you out to push.

I am with your...about the only thing i like about Gears of War is the death scenes...The way you can cut up somebody with the chainsaw!!! yes.....

But the online play is better with Resistance Fall of Man...believe me...I play both...but I can play resistance fall of man like an hour or two everyday! I never gets old...I like to play with more than 4 to 8 players like Gears of War....For people who do not have Resistance...you can play 40 player deathmatches!!! With no lag! GEARS OF WAR is 8 player team deathmatch!

I am with your...about the only thing i like about Gears of War is the death scenes...The way you can cut up somebody with the chainsaw!!! yes.....

But the online play is better with Resistance Fall of Man...believe me...I play both...but I can play resistance fall of man like an hour or two everyday! I never gets old...I like to play with more than 4 to 8 players like Gears of War....For people who do not have Resistance...you can play 40 player deathmatches!!! With no lag! GEARS OF WAR is 8 player team deathmatch!

I think the story was told in the horrible rap song at the end once you beat it.

Wow, the player models are horrible. Hope its gets a lil more polish

ok just saw the video, nevermind ha ha

they just showed Heavenly Sword on Heroes, pretty sweet. :)

they just showed Heavenly Sword on Heroes, pretty sweet. :)
I see this is the first check in for you on the forums today =P

i know i'm going to get crucified by the ps3 nazis here, but did anyone else think that clip on heroes didn't look as good as the earlier trailers for the game? i hope it was an earlier build. early on, the leap from god of war 2 to heavenly sword was readily apparent...from tonight's clip, not so much. i think i see why the game has been delayed...

it still looks great, and i realize there's a lot of "stuff" going on (aa, af, etc), but it lost that silky shine and polish from the other clips they showed...

take a look at the "GC 2006 Trailer" and you'll see what i mean

http://media.ps3.ign.com/media/700/700186/vids_1.html

I see this is the first check in for you on the forums today =P

I have been on the forums all day, just not posting ;)

Looks about the same to me as in that trailer. The clip on Heroes did show a ginormous environment as well as really fluid animations (most noticeably when the enemies jump back after she kicks that one off the ledge). Also you have to consider that Heroes was filmed months ago on a build of the game that is probably a year from the final retail version.

I guess that I misspoke when I talked about the "plot" of Gears of War.

What I meant to say was that the action (ie, what you do or accomplish) advances the ultimate resolution of the game.

Half Life 2 does this best. There are no real cutscenes in Half Life 2. Cutscenes, no matter how well done are always bad and take the player (at least me) out of the game.

Gears of War had cutscences. They were generally bad, but they were short and seamlessly flowed into the action. What Gears of war did well was to tell a story through the action. We may never have gotten all the detail that long badly acted cutscences give, but it told the story, such as it was.

I hope that Heavenly Sword is not full of long cutscences followed by gigantic melees that have little to do with the plot and everything to do with getting you to the next cutscence.

I don't know if I have made myself clear: I don't like cutscences.

And it's simulating SSS (subsurface scattering) on the main character's skin. w00t!!

It isn't real SSS, though.


EDIT-NEW VIDEO!

http://www.ps3.eu/flash/mediapool/ps3stories_cinematic_production/ps3stories_cinematic_production_en.mov


http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/8260/godsta4.jpg
http://photos.digitalrave.net/images/7770hs4.jpg
http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/1048/godsir8.jpg
http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/1492/godsvx9.jpg
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/8277/godseg7.jpg
http://photos.digitalrave.net/images/1849hs2.jpg

This is probably the same video you just posted, I couldn't get your link to play. There's a Youtube version here:

http://www.threespeech.com/

It shows a little of the motion capture process and some gameplay.

i know i'm going to get crucified by the ps3 nazis here, but did anyone else think that clip on heroes didn't look as good as the earlier trailers for the game? i hope it was an earlier build. early on, the leap from god of war 2 to heavenly sword was readily apparent...from tonight's clip, not so much. i think i see why the game has been delayed...
I thought the game looked very "meh" in the graphics department during Heroes (which I was watching in high definition, of course). Definitely not as good as the better-looking Xbox 360 titles, and my wife commented on this as well. Yes, it looks better than the Playstation 2, but Sony's going to need more than cloth and hair effects to really compete.

Of course, what am I saying; the original Xbox had many better looking games than the Playstation 2 and that didn't seem to make a difference.

LOL @ the post above this one....

i know i'm going to get crucified by the ps3 nazis here, but did anyone else think that clip on heroes didn't look as good as the earlier trailers for the game? i hope it was an earlier build. early on, the leap from god of war 2 to heavenly sword was readily apparent...from tonight's clip, not so much. i think i see why the game has been delayed...

it still looks great, and i realize there's a lot of "stuff" going on (aa, af, etc), but it lost that silky shine and polish from the other clips they showed...

take a look at the "GC 2006 Trailer" and you'll see what i mean

http://media.ps3.ign.com/media/700/700186/vids_1.html

No nazis here Taliban. No you are entitled to your own opinion. After all it's free country.
My position is wait and see...I have GOW 2 to keep myself busy...

looks like another game i'll be getting....
...the gameplay reminds me a little like "Dragon's Lair" with fighting in between scenes

No nazis here Taliban. No you are entitled to your own opinion. After all it's free country.


...eh, you haven't been following the avs playstation forum for very long i take it :o

and its talbain (as in jon talbain, the classic character from capcom's darkstalkers franchise), not taliban (as in the deposed ruling organization of afghanistan)...

this one:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talbain

not this one:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliban

^Same here, I welcome all opinions, thats what forums are for....

Check out this development video. Cool stuff!

Link (http://media.ps3.ign.com/media/700/700186/vids_1.html)

http://photos.digitalrave.net/images/2660heavenly.gif
http://www.snapdrive.net/public/19018/Nariko-Piledriver-Death_fix.gif


I seriously question most next gen. developers on developing technically impressive games. Developers like Ubisoft (Assassin's Creed), Naughty Dog (Uncharted), and Ninja Theory (Heavenly Sword) knows how to code, but think about it. What doe all of these games I listed have in common? The developers built their own engines. I'm not stirring up any kind of trouble here, but when it comes to technically impressive games, like animation and physics, PS3 leads the 360. Sure, there are games out there like Mass Effect and Bioshock that look better (graphically) than anything I've seen on PS3, but there's more to graphics. I'd rather sacrifce graphics to improve animation, and I haven't seen anything on 360 yet, but there is the rumor on Splinter Cell 5's animation system. If it comes true, then holy cow will that game be amazing.


EDIT-Actually, the latest Bioshock video does have nice animation. :)

[QUOTE=JackBau3r]http://photos.digitalrave.net/images/2660heavenly.gif
http://www.snapdrive.net/public/19018/Nariko-Piledriver-Death_fix.gif


I tend to agree with you. Overall the 360 is a great gaming rig, and mine sits proudly under my TV...awaiting halo 3! But I feel the PS3 has more potential to create the better games from a technical standpoint. (physics, animations, etc.). That's not to take a thing away from my 360....This is not a zero sum game!

I am not saying one is better than the other....I don't even think in those terms. They are both fun gaming rigs with their repesective strengths and weaknesses...IMO. I do not feel a need to crown one rig the champ over another. But we can still have a civilized coversation about different aspects of the PS3...which invariably we compare to the other next gen system sitting right beside it in our entertainment center.

From seeing RFOM, VF5, the Motorstorm demo, and various game trailers of as of yet unreleased games (Heavenly Sword, MSG4, DMC4, etc.) I personally notice a certain smoothed fluid quality to the visuals. I feel that even when I look at the PS3 cross bar and the like. It's almost like these games have nice AA and frame rate. It's a smooth quality to the visuals that is hard to quantify, but I see it.

Maybe I am nuts.

Best part: all this is from an early build (november 2006), the game is probably even better now!

LOL @ the post above this one....
i'd have to agree. i don't see how you could think this game looks "meh". personally, i think it looks absolutely amazing.

to each his own i guess.

i'd have to agree. i don't see how you could think this game looks "meh". personally, i think it looks absolutely amazing.

to each his own i guess.


depends on what's shown. i think the clip shown on heroes yesterday was "meh"...

the other clips shown here and in other places look fantastic...

...
The game will feature crazy 1v1 boss battles with mega-huge creatures (Dragon Lair styled input, real time graphics), 1 vs mob battles where you take out a group of bad guys in some disgustingly vicious ways, and also there will be army battles, where hundreds of characters on screen fight using independent A.I.
...

I was surprised nobody posted this little video in here... Maybe I missed it?

This is from last year's GDC and is a demonstration of the individual physics on these large armies... Pretty cool stuff!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phZQWtTAP5Q

I was surprised nobody posted this little video in here... Maybe I missed it?

This is from last year's GDC and is a demonstration of the individual physics on these large armies... Pretty cool stuff!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phZQWtTAP5Q

This is GDC 2006.

We are in 2007. I think.

I thought that the clip on Heroes looked very impressive. Huge environments and very fluid looking impressively rendered graphics.

The thing that moist impressed me was, although a game like Gears of War looks great, it never moves as fast as what we saw in that clip. I expect that doing something like that jumping scene requires a lot of resources to pull off properly.

depends on what's shown. i think the clip shown on heroes yesterday was "meh"....


Ya because watching a TV show where they are playing a video game(read: wathcing a 10second clip) on a small TV really gives you a sense of the game. :rolleyes:

Ya because watching a TV show where they are playing a video game(read: wathcing a 10second clip) on a small TV really gives you a sense of the game. :rolleyes:

The clip of Heavenly Sword was fullscreen and in HD. I'd say it would give a pretty good indication of what the real game will look like when playing if it was real gameplay, which it appeared to be.

This is a REAL TIME screenshot:

http://i16.tinypic.com/2rcwyz6.jpg

http://www.ninjatheory.com/forums/showthread.php?t=840

Had a chat with Tameem, and we've managed to get approval from Sony to release a screenshot to say a big 'Thank You' for your participation on the forums. So, without further a-do, here's an in-game screen grab of Nariko from one of our cutscenes (resized a little and with some blurring around the edges so it's perfect as a desktop wallpaper).


i’m assuming most of you have seen the “Cinematic Production” teaser. The facial model and texturing you see is based on the actress and the expression is comprised of a series of blend-shapes driven by the mocap data. Each expression is tweaked by us so that we remain true to the original performance.

Lighting and depth of field is then applied to the scene and the results, I hope you’ll agree, look pretty nice. This particular example doesn’t have the floor in place and we’ve made it into a 1280x1024 size image so that it can be used as a desktop wallpaper.


I holy shitted in my pants.

A "REAL TIME screenshot"

There is a new concept. Is it self-updating too?

To me, it's either a pre-rendered still or a frame of a CGI sequence.

No system is going to be able to render that level of detail with a good frame rate until 2020.

I know, I have seen the future. ;)

You think it's prerendered or CGI? Eh, I'll shut up. Don't want this thread to get ruined like the Ratchet and Clank. Point is, it's confirmed to be realtime. It's touched up a bit, but not the actual model itself. The only touch up work done on the screen was a quick redo of the specular highlighting on the eyes, and the blurring on the background. An example:

http://photos.digitalrave.net/images/1849hs2.jpg


Here's what a developer said about the pic:

It's taken from a realtime cutscene and slightly touched up, it should represents how she will look when we ship the game (artists are tweaking everything..)


Art also plays an important role. Nariko definately looks different, but not by a wide margin.

I thought the game looked great in the GDC footage. This is taken from a cutscene. If you read the thread they say it won't look that good but they are going to try to get as close as possible.

Either way this is a must buy for me.

We all know Heavenly Sword is not comming out till christmas 2007......They have plenty of time to optimize the graphics and get this game to Halo 3\GOD of War 2 killer status.

This will be the game that sells PS3 systems by the millions...

We all know Heavenly Sword is not comming out till christmas 2007......They have plenty of time to optimize the graphics and get this game to Halo 3\GOD of War 2 killer status.

This will be the game that sells PS3 systems by the millions...
i wouldn't say that. the guys at NT said that all they could say is it will be out "before christmas". i'm guessing it will come out in fall.

like GOW but with a chick and taking advantage of PS3....

drool!

You think it's prerendered or CGI? Eh, I'll shut up. Don't want this thread to get ruined like the Ratchet and Clank. Point is, it's confirmed to be realtime. It's touched up a bit, but not the actual model itself. The only touch up work done on the screen was a quick redo of the specular highlighting on the eyes, and the blurring on the background. An example:

http://photos.digitalrave.net/images/1849hs2.jpg


Here's what a developer said about the pic:




Art also plays an important role. Nariko definately looks different, but not by a wide margin.

You just confirmed my point, it's a touched frame from a cutscene.

I find it hard to believe that cutscene was not pre-rendered.

But I would love to be amazed.

Here's a new real-time, in-game cut scene shot with a post-edit blur effect added around the edges for this pic (also posted to first page of this thread):

http://www.imagehosting.com/out.php/i316215_narikodesktop800.jpg
http://www.ninjatheory.com/forums/showthread.php?t=840

It was made in the last two days. Apparently all other new shots we've seen are from pics released to Sony last fall. Here's what one of the developers say about this shot compared to the graphics while playing:

Hi Red 5,

The DOF in-game is good but not THAT good. Better specular on the eyes is something we are working on and other techy bits to help improve the lighting response on the blend-shapes.

If these come together, then the layman should not be able to distinguish that screenshot from the final result. Fingers crossed!!!

Tameem

Let them beleive whatever they want, once the game shipps they will shut up just like always...

Holy smokes. So that new pic is actually IN GAME realtime. Also:

The extra development time is making a world of difference. Some of you saw Heavenly Sword at E3 and it looked pretty good... that is, it looked like your typical 360 game. The team has been hard at work piling on layers and layers of detail and as of right now, it looks like ****ing Advent Children (you thought Metal Gear looked good? You gotta see this). It's also being given a God of War type violence upgrade, since they found out the graphical realism and brutality of the combat (bloodless though it was) was getting it a Mature anyway. Seriously, it will blow your mother****ing mind (although it’s sad that having really awesome graphics influences the ESRB ratings these days). The current release target is March.


BOWS TO NINJA THEORY.

I replaced some of the old pics on the first page with spanking brand new shots just released. They're not hi-rez but look good! Here's one:

http://generationdreamteam.free.fr/afrika/heavenlysword/hsgdc7.jpg

http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2007/03/11/heavenly-sword-screenshot-girlfriend/

Been repeated so many times already.

Post reported. Read the U/A.

I own both - I am no troll. I am hard on products that don't live up to their potential. I own HD and BD (PS3 and Pioneer).

I am sick of all the hype surrounding Sony products - I was very skeptical of the PS2 launch and all of the crap that surrounded it...and I see the same things happening with the PS3.

"Skeptical of the PS2 launch and all the crap that surrounded it..."

Yea, ok. The PS2 was a total failure. LOL. Put down the pipe and peanut butter cups and pay attention.

Heavenly Sword looks great. Any game that opens up with "kill 400 enemies within 60secs" or so is alright by me. ;)

They finally improved her aesthetics. She looked like a man for awhile....I'll actually consider purchasing this game now. Shallow? Guilty.

We'll see; the official publicity / press release shots for a game always look better than the game itself. As we know, the released images almost always receive some sort of touch-up after the fact (through one or more filters), and in some cases get generated with levels of anti-aliasing which aren't available when the game's actually running.

edit... wrong thread.

Some terrific new pics for you guys to enjoy:

http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps3/games/news/images/108391-3-1.jpg
http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108390-3-2.jpg
http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108390-2-2.jpg
http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108390-6-2.jpg
http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108390-8-2.jpg
http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108390-10-2.jpg
http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108390-16-2.jpg
http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108390-20-2.jpg

^ saw most of those shots at beyond3d. best shots so far... amazing. i want this game so bad. :(

If the gameplay matches the graphics, this game will be OS HOT :D

I replaced some of the old pics on the first page with spanking brand new shots just released. They're not hi-rez but look good! Here's one:

http://generationdreamteam.free.fr/afrika/heavenlysword/hsgdc7.jpg
Does anyone else think this shot looks like crap? Mabye its better in motion but Cmon guys, theres not even any textures on the guys armor.

What guy?

Does anyone else think this shot looks like crap? Mabye its better in motion but Cmon guys, theres not even any textures on the guys armor.

you realize that was from Sept/Nov right? look at the new screens posted to see what the game looks like these days.

http://www.gamepro.com/screens/110429/108390-10-2.jpg

SO hard not to point out the video game ass, I need therapy. :(

The REAL Nariko. It's really cool how close her avatar is to her likeness.

Dreamaster

New screens (http://www.gamepro.com/screen_gallery.cfm?globalId=110429)

The game is looking AWESOME!

This is going to be one awesome game!

Ok, now that i look at it again, it is a big gun/bazooka. Still theres no textures. Ill have to check out the new screens when i get home on an unfiltered computer

So whats the actual release date on this so that I can reserve it.

Impressive draw distance and geometry, also great artistic direction. The animations are supposed to be sick, and that may be one of the strongest points of this game.

But the textures are nowhere to be found. Could be an early build, an artistic choice, or a limitation in their current ability to code for the PS3.

See we need demo's for games like this!

New hands on impressions!

As you'll remember from our exclusive story yesterday, Heavenly Sword pits Nariko, a ferocious warrior with crimson hair, against the legions of a genocidal invading King. The titular Heavenly Sword was once in the possession of a god-like force, but has since fallen to the mortal world only to be picked up by Nariko. Although the sword is a gift to effect massive change, this blessing comes with a sacrifice: those who carry the sword sign their own death sentence. In fact, Nariko has only hours left to live when the game opens.
Mistress of the Blade

Nariko's Heavenly Sword can change its physical form in mid-attack, allowing you to string together massive custom combos. Here are the three key battle styles you'll use to crush your foes.

* Speed Style: Nariko's default battle stance lets her slash nearby foes with rapid short-sword strikes. It's your best defense for close encounters.

* Ranged Style: Much like Kratos's Blades of Athena from God of War, these chain swords let you pick off distant foes, or hook one and slam him into the ground.

* Power Style: In this broad-sword form, the Heavenly Sword dishes out mammoth damage to nearby enemies. It's slow, but deadly.

Since the sword feeds on your life, your challenge is to stay alive long enough to finish your quest. As attacking enemies temporarily replenishes your health, continuous action is your lifeblood. There are no platforming or extended combat-free zones, as Heavenly Sword intends to deliver relentless battles and unceasing action. Even the cinematics take place during gameplay, with villains exchanging threats with Nariko via a slick picture-in-picture window.

The true power of the sword lies in its ability to transform instantly at the flick of a button. In your normal stance, known as the "speed style," you have two agile short swords. With taps of the attack buttons, you can unleash flurries of quick slashes. Holding down the L1 button, however, switches you to the "ranged style," where the short swords morph into chain blades similar to those in God of War. This style allows for farther reaching attacks, including huge sweeping twirls and whiplash strikes. Holding down the R1 button transforms the weapons into a single massive sword. With this "power style," you can execute deadly wounds on foes, but this style is balanced by its short range and slow wind-up.

So what's the big deal? What makes Heavenly Sword special is that you can transform the sword at any time, on the fly, in the middle of combos. With the convenient hold-and-release method for using the shoulder buttons, it's easy to jump in and invent your own eye-popping combos on the fly. After a few moments of testing out the basic moves, we were able to throw a few quick slashes at an enemy while in speed style, follow up by morphing to the chain blades and swinging the poor sap around, then finally switching to the broad sword for a finishing blow.

As you decimate legions of enemies, you build up your "super style" meter. With each successive level on the meter, your grabs and throws become increasingly spectacular. You can increase the meter faster if you perform impressive and stylish combos, so being creative and looking like a badass has a tangible reward. Of course, you can also combo into a "super style" grab for even more devastating results.

The controls as a whole feel intuitive. For example, Nariko auto-blocks incoming attacks simply by standing still. She can also execute counter attacks if you time a strike to coincide with an opponent's, as well as dodge incoming blows with flicks of the right analog stick. The Sixaxis's motion sensing gets a workout, too, enabling you to re-position the camera by tilting the controller. You can also pick up just about any object and throw it. The camera then swoops in behind the object as it flies in slow motion (with beautiful blur effects). You can influence the projectile's trajectory with the Bullet Time-inspired "after touch" feature, adjusting the flight path by tilting the controller or moving the analog stick. Another neat touch: the camera tilts and leans to follow the flight path of the object.
Heroic Exploits

Aside from the main-course fighting, Nariko sometimes encounter "hero sequences" where you must react to onscreen prompts to survive. We played a sequence where we sprinted along a huge rope that bridged a chasm. Enemies at the other end shook the rope and sent waves down it, eventually slashed it, and we had to leap to another rope, run down it, and fly into a group of enemies to deliver a death-from-above smash attack. There was also a sequence where Nariko mans a cannon on a rampart and fends off an advancing army. When firing a cannon, Nariko can influence the trajectory of the projectile using the Sixaxis. Ninja Theory claims it needs the Cell to handle these complex calculations. With the use of after-touch to steer the cannon balls, siege towers erupted in lovely fountains of dust and debris.

The Sixaxis motion sensing responded respectably, but it wasn't a central part of the action just yet, a fact that may change as the game progresses. Multiplayer also remains a major question mark, with the developers at Ninja Theory unwilling to confirm or deny it for the final version.

http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps3/games/features/108609.shtml

New hands on impressions!
Sounds great.

New screens (http://www.gamepro.com/screen_gallery.cfm?globalId=110429)

The game is looking AWESOME!

It looks like Oblivion...ON HGH :)

Level 1. Kill 400 enemies in 2 minutes. Nuff said.

Sounds like a Samurai/Dynasty Warriors game but better...

hope it comes out in Dec. By then I'd need a break from other games.

i hope im wrong but i have a wierd feeling this game is gonna suck

i hope im wrong but i have a wierd feeling this game is gonna suck

uhh ohh, somebody has a bad feeling. thats not good. lol.

i hope im wrong but i have a wierd feeling this game is gonna suck

I remember people telling me back in 2001 that the movie Spider-Man was going to suck,and we all know how that turned out.

I remember people telling me back in 2001 that the movie Spider-Man was going to suck,and we all know how that turned out.

ok.......

wasn't Heavenly Sword suppose to come out in March?...

Here are ten facts about HS:

Think you know everything about PlayStation 3 heavyweight Heavenly Sword? Think again. This article is the perfect primer for those interested in wielding the all-mighty Heavenly Sword this fall.

1. Nariko is dying.

The Heavenly Sword is a godly weapon that recently fell into the mortal realm. Because only gods can wield the Heavenly Sword without ill effects, Nariko is succumbing to its poisonous effects and has only hours to live when the game opens. In gameplay, your life meter is constantly depleting and can only be sustained through constant combat. This helps keep the focus on swordplay and not frustrating puzzles or platform-jumping exercises.

2. The head baddy is named King Botham.

Unfortunately, we don't know much about him aside from the fact that Lord of the Rings actor Andy Serkis (Gollum) is supplying motion-captured acting and facial expressions. His character is described as an invading, genocidal tyrant, but little else is known about his role or personality.

3. Nariko has three fighting stances.

With a press of a button, Nariko can swap between three core fighting styles. Ranged style allows Nariko to assault foes from a distance, though it lacks stopping power; Speed gives Nariko two short-swords for close-quarters combat but won't defeat the toughest enemies; and Power style creates one massive sword than inflicts monumental damage, though it suffers from a slow swing time. Knowing when to swap between Nariko's styles will be a key element in the final game.

4. The Cell processor pulls of some fancy tricks.

Heavenly Sword may just be the game to show what Sony's high-end Cell CPU is made of. According to our talks with the developers at Ninja Theory, the Cell's supposedly prodigious processing power enables some high-end effects, such as swirling cloth and hair, dazzling particle effects, and gorgeous waterfalls.

5. You'll fight many, many, many enemies at once.

To keep up with the hundreds of on-screen enemies, the Cell CPU has to pull off some sophisticated artificial intelligence. The trick is that Cell treats entire regiments as a single unit of artificial intelligence at a distance; as they draw closer, Cell gradually divides the army into smaller and smaller groups, and finally individual troops with unique fighting styles.

6. The Sixaxis motion sensor guide projectiles in mid-flight.

Nariko can pick up and throw nearly anything, or use a cannon to blast away at enemies. After firing a projectile, the camera changes to first-person to follow the projectile, at which point you can influence its trajectory by tilting the Sixaxis - this feature is called "aftertouch." Analog sticks also work.

7. You don't fight monstrous creatures...at least, not yet.

Judging by our hands-on experience with Heavenly Sword, the core enemies will be human swordsmen. This doesn't mean that the final game won't have supernatural foes, but so far, the focus is on Kill Bill-style swordplay.

8. Multiplayer is still a question mark.

Ninja Theory won't confirm or deny a multiplayer mode for Heavenly Sword. Is it under consideration? We have no clue.

9. Heavenly Sword has certain similarities to God of War.

Beyond the core hack-and-slash action, Heavenly Sword bears some key similarities to Sony's other action series, God of War. Nariko can switch to a chain-based weapon style that bears more than a passing resemblance to Kratos's infamous Blades of Athena. And there are "hero sequences" in which the player must react to onscreen prompts to survive -- much like Krato's bloody finishing moves.

10. Ninja Theory was previously called Just Add Monsters.

The developers of Heavenly Sword, Ninja Theory, were previously known as Just Add Monsters. This was the same team who released the so-so Kung Fu Chaos for the original Xbox. We know that the newly named Ninja Theory has been working on Heavenly Sword for several years - hopefully the final game will be a steep improvement over their past work.

http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps3/games/features/108829.shtml

i hope im wrong but i have a wierd feeling this game is gonna suck


OMG. A 360/HDDVD fanboy troll has a wierd feeling about a PS3 exclusive he won't be able to play. Imagine that.

QQ more.

joeblow just gave more info of Heavenly Sword that makes want to buy it more.

The official website (http://heavenlysword.eu/) is up. Go to the UK link it has for different pages to access since the US version isn't really ready yet.

The official website (http://heavenlysword.eu/) is up. Go to the UK link it has for different pages to access since the US version isn't really ready yet.Is that working for anyone? I've been trying that link for the past couple of days and get nothing.

This game is going to give GOW a run for its money in the graphics department.

Is that working for anyone? I've been trying that link for the past couple of days and get nothing.

The link works, but click the United Kingdom link to get some working pages.

This game is going to give GOW a run for its money in the graphics department.
I'm not so sure about that. Well, I guess it all depend what you mean, but GoW had damn nice textures, but some devs will say that's about it. While this games doesn't appear to have great textures, but hopefully will make up for with the enviroments and scale.

It just looks on par to me.

OMG. A 360/HDDVD fanboy troll has a wierd feeling about a PS3 exclusive he won't be able to play. Imagine that.

QQ more.

360/hd-dvd fanboy? i have a ps1, ps2, and ps3. i have over 80+ ps2 games. because i think 1 game might not be good im a fanboy? damn you guys are so quick to label someone. i never said anything bad about the console. just because someone disagrees with your opinion doesn't mean you have to get your panties all moist about it.

like i said i hope im wrong, but i think the game will suck. take it as you will. it seems too much like a god of war clone, and clones never do good. games like white knight story, ff13, mgs4, socom 4 will make me go back to my sony roots, but until the ps3 gives me a reason to play it, itll be a dust magnet

my 360 gets infinitely more play than the ps3 does because aint **** out for it. its a better console with better games, point blank. and this comin from someone who hated the original xbox.

I have bad feeling this will be simular to N3: Ninety-Nine Nights. Although if this is anything like God of War with some minor puzzle solving. Consider me sold on this game

i believe Heavenly Sword is gonna be a game to get...

Disregard what I posted this game actually looks fun. The setup looks simular to Ninety Nine Nights ,but f Ninja Theory can do it better, more power to them.
http://la.gg/upl/hs.gif

360/hd-dvd fanboy? i have a ps1, ps2, and ps3. i have over 80+ ps2 games. because i think 1 game might not be good im a fanboy? damn you guys are so quick to label someone. i never said anything bad about the console. just because someone disagrees with your opinion doesn't mean you have to get your panties all moist about it.

like i said i hope im wrong, but i think the game will suck. take it as you will. it seems too much like a god of war clone, and clones never do good. games like white knight story, ff13, mgs4, socom 4 will make me go back to my sony roots, but until the ps3 gives me a reason to play it, itll be a dust magnet

my 360 gets infinitely more play than the ps3 does because aint **** out for it. its a better console with better games, point blank. and this comin from someone who hated the original xbox.
I can agree to an extent. It's currently the better gaming platform, but I'm not sure if it will still that way. Much better than the first xbox which I only use as a media center.

I also think this title will be a good game, clone or not. Will it live up to the hype......probably not and most things don't. The creator of God of War has called himeself a hack because he hasn't done anything original in his series and he's ok with it, so it's same with Heavenly Sword.
It just looks on par to me.
While not the best looking game ever, it looks to have some great gameplay and some unique effects. GoW has good textures and made great use of the Unreal 3 engine, but that's about it. Plenty of devs have said this as well, you can call it jealousy, but I tend to agree.

i hope im wrong but i have a wierd feeling this game is gonna suck

ok.......

Don't worry too much about what he said. A post of his (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=10262651&&#post10262651) somewhere else complains that for all systems, Pokemon is the only game he's looking forward to... that lowers the value of his opinion of Heavenly Sword and other upcoming great titles considerably IMHO. So let's all just leave him to his preferences rather than feed him attention.

pokemon is the only game im looking forward to right now, im guessing reading comprehension isnt one of your strong suits. aint really nothin coming out til then for the ps3. almost every decent ps3 game got pushed back to q4 2007. so you can wait for heavenly sword all you want (which was supposed to come out in march) while i play pokemon on my ds.

Ok... more pokemon powers to you. Heavenly Sword might not be for you then.

pokemon is the only game im looking forward to right now, im guessing reading comprehension isnt one of your strong suits. aint really nothin coming out til then for the ps3. almost every decent ps3 game got pushed back to q4 2007. so you can wait for heavenly sword all you want (which was supposed to come out in march) while i play pokemon on my ds.

You wrote about your Pokemon-exclusive gaming excitements in the XBox forum, not the PS3 forum. Strike two.

Pokemon? WTF!

Pokemon? WTF!
lol I try not to judge.

yep, pokemon ftw. been playin it all day. hopefully heavenly sword doesnt suck but from the looks of it its ninety nine nights and a wanna god of war clone. so far the ps3 is a disappointment. stay in denial all you want, but like the european ad said, it really is a blu-ray player that can play games too.

Funny--I have been very happy with my PS3. Certainly not a disappointment to me.

I think it's amusing that you can already tell that heavenly Sword is just a "99nights and God of War"clone based on the few screen shots and short videos that have been released.

Of course, as a fan of such legendary gameplay as Pokemon, maybe your powers of inference are better than mine. Or, maybe you're just defensive. One of those two, i think.

no not defensive. i say it looks like a clone because it looks like a clone. im not the 1st person to say it looks extremely similar to god of war. even the cinematics from the heroes tv spot had a god of war feel to it. i was extremely interested in the game until i started reading about hands on impressions about 1 of the cells spu being able to handle the ai of hundreds of characters at a time. reminded me 2 much of the demo i played for 99 nights. tons of characters on screen, no real substance.

pokemon actually does have good gameplay. dl one of the old versions and grab an emulator and try it out. im a fan of games thats fun, thats why i bought a 360 and a ds, and it was the reason why i wanted a ps3 so bad. but so far they have a mediocore fps and a dirt-bike game as their killer apps. i'm still giving them the benefit of the doubt because the supposedly have some 1st/2nd party japanese IP's coming out but so far the ps3's been a disappointment.

my 360 gets infinitely more play than the ps3 does because aint **** out for it. its a better console with better games, point blank.

But the xbox games are all Doom clones!

Im sorry but Pokemon is gay. Now HS isnt out but it cant be as bad as Pokemon.

The troll is purposely turning this thread into an anti PS3 debate. Let's leave him alone now with his hand-held passion and keep the discussion on topic. We can point and laugh on or own without responding anymore to him here.

Your right Joe and I knew there was a good reason I called in today. :D :D :D

The troll is purposely turning this thread into an anti PS3 debate. Let's leave him alone now with his hand-held passion and keep the discussion on topic. We can point and laugh on or own without responding anymore to him here.

thats the problem with these forums. anyone disagree ever so slightly people take it as a personal attack. ive had every sony console and proud of it, but so far the ps3 is lack luster as a gaming machine. you can deny it all you want, but the games to me is all that matters. i can give a damn about bluray, sacd, or any of the non gaming features that the ps3 or 360 has. im still hoping sony wins this round because out of the 3 companies, sony is by far the lesser of 3 evils. but you cannot deny that the ps3 is a dissapointment for gaming so far.

i see no reason to stick by sony just because theyre sony. ima 360 fan because it offers a better gameplay experience to me. and if in a year nintendo is on top, ill say screw ms and sony and go back to lovin nintendo like i did during my snes days.

Yes the PS3 is a dissapointment so far in the game world, its gonna take some patients im affraid. I was greatley dissapointed with the 360 even after a year into it and it finally took off after that. Honestly though, I dont think the PS3 is for you, because if your not into BR and all the other stuff then its just a waste of your money. The PS3 is really Blu-Ray player that can play games.

thats the problem with these forums. anyone disagree ever so slightly people take it as a personal attack. ive had every sony console and proud of it, but so far the ps3 is lack luster as a gaming machine. you can deny it all you want, but the games to me is all that matters. i can give a damn about bluray, sacd, or any of the non gaming features that the ps3 or 360 has. im still hoping sony wins this round because out of the 3 companies, sony is by far the lesser of 3 evils. but you cannot deny that the ps3 is a dissapointment for gaming so far.

i see no reason to stick by sony just because theyre sony. ima 360 fan because it offers a better gameplay experience to me. and if in a year nintendo is on top, ill say screw ms and sony and go back to lovin nintendo like i did during my snes days.

Fine, your disappointed so far in the PS3, but how is that related to this topic? This topic is about a specific game that a lot of people are excited about. If you are not excited about the game, fine, say why, but don't turn it into a discussion about the merits of the PS3 as a gaming machine. Trust me, you can find a forum on the internet for that.

Also, in response to this game looking like a god of war clone, well good. God of war is freakin awesome and if this game has half the good gameplay and story of god of war then its going to be a ton of fun to play. As an example, a lot of people had a good time w/ Saints Row on the 360, even though it was a clear rip off game.

With sequels only coming out once every couple years or more, there is more than enough room in these genres for similar, or even copy cat games.

New screen shots and impressions:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/210/480654804_9343348c63.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/180/480654798_18fe78d6da.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/214/480654800_cd24361f81.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/190/480654802_a8c8efe483.jpg


In the article, Sony CEA Producer Kyle Shubel shares how truly fluid the combat system feels when fighting as Nariko.

“We’ve got a level of grace and fluidity in our combat. You move in like a dance-like state where you’re doing a lot of complex maneuvers, and the more crazy stuff you execute, the more style points you accumulate.”

He goes on to describe some of the gruesome moves Nariko can perform once her style points get to a certain level. Let’s just say they’re very “Goddess of War”-ish. And in case you were wondering, yes there will be SixAxis integration.

“If you pick up a shield, you can throw it, and if you hold down the button, you’ll go into this flying camra with the shield and maneuver it while it’s in midair. Same goes with shooting the crossbow.”

Coooooooooooool.

http://www.1pstart.com/heavenly-sword-egm-article-hits-the-net/

Yes the PS3 is a dissapointment so far in the game world, its gonna take some patients im affraid. I was greatley dissapointed with the 360 even after a year into it and it finally took off after that. Honestly though, I dont think the PS3 is for you, because if your not into BR and all the other stuff then its just a waste of your money. The PS3 is really Blu-Ray player that can play games.

thats a shame tho, i understand sony's need to dominate the next-gen dvd field, but the ps3 shouldnt have turned into that. im hoping that by 2008 the ps3 will be worth it more. I doubt MGS and FF13 is gonna be out by this year, but white knight story, and the 3 cellius games (brave arms (http://ninephoenixes.com/images/famitsu1.jpg), chain limit (http://ninephoenixes.com/images/famitsu2.jpg), and 2nd season (http://ninephoenixes.com/images/famitsu3.jpg)) hopefully will put sony back on top.

Fine, your disappointed so far in the PS3, but how is that related to this topic? This topic is about a specific game that a lot of people are excited about. If you are not excited about the game, fine, say why, but don't turn it into a discussion about the merits of the PS3 as a gaming machine. Trust me, you can find a forum on the internet for that.

it didnt start with saying anything negative about the ps3. if you read my posts i said i hope im wrong but i think this game will suck. thats when i got labeled into a 360/hd-dvd fanboy who wants sony to be destroyed. i did go into why i think the game will suck. from what i read about it, it seems to be turning into a dynasty warriors/gow clone. granted gow is a great game, but if becomes a 400 person against 1 hack n slash, im out. when i 1st saw the video about it at e3, i was impressed. the youtube video i saw sucked, but it looked interesting. it seems if anyone says anything bad about any ps3 games, the real fanboys on here take offense.

For some reason when I got my PS3 I never really looked into Heavenly Sword. It wasn't until the last few months that I really started to read up on it, watch videos, etc.
I think this game is going to kill, I sure hope it does.

Starting this summer I think Sony can finally shut up some of those M$ loyalists that have done nothing but bitch about the PS3's gaming library.

And yeah that chick is hot :)

thats a shame tho, i understand sony's need to dominate the next-gen dvd field, but the ps3 shouldnt have turned into that. im hoping that by 2008 the ps3 will be worth it more. I doubt MGS and FF13 is gonna be out by this year, but white knight story, and the 3 cellius games (brave arms (http://ninephoenixes.com/images/famitsu1.jpg), chain limit (http://ninephoenixes.com/images/famitsu2.jpg), and 2nd season (http://ninephoenixes.com/images/famitsu3.jpg)) hopefully will put sony back on top.Last I heard those weren't actually games. They were just three game concepts made up for some kind of focus test.

thats a shame tho, i understand sony's need to dominate the next-gen dvd field, but the ps3 shouldnt have turned into that.
I think we are going to see the need for increased capacity for future titles. Was it a Trojan Horse? Sure, but it has its benefits.
Rockstar creative VP Dan Houser was asked, "On PS3 you've got a guarantee that every machine is going to have a hard-drive and, with Blu-ray, you've got plenty of storage, whereas on Xbox 360 there's no guarantee of a hard-drive and you're working with the DVD format. Does that create limitations?" His answer? "Yep."
Just so nobody starts bitching; the article/interview goes on to say both consoles have limitations.

Here's something I have posted before, from the blog of Insomniac's CCO:
3. 50 GB games
If you ever hear someone say "Blu-Ray isn't needed for this generation," rest assured they don't make games for a living. At Insomniac, we were filling up DVDs on the PS2, as were most of the developers in the industry. We compressed the level data, we compressed the mpeg movies, we compressed the audio, and it was still a struggle to get it to fit in 6 gigs. Now we've got 16 times as much system RAM, so the level data is 16 times bigger. And the average disc space of games only gets bigger over a console's lifespan. As games get bigger, more advanced and more complex, they necessarily take up more space. If developers were filling up DVDs last generation, there are clearly going to be some sacrifices made to fit current generation games in the same amount of space.

Granted, some really great Xbox 360 games have squeezed onto a DVD9. Gears of War is a beautiful game and shows off the highest resolution textures of anything yet released, partly because of the Unreal Engine's ability to stream textures. This means that you can have much higher resolution textures than you could normally fit in your 512 MB of RAM. It also means that you're going to chew up more disc space for each level. With streamed textures, streamed geometry and streamed audio, even with compression, you can quickly approach 1 GB of data per level. That inherently limits you to a maximum of about 7 levels, and that's without multiplayer levels or mpeg cutscenes.

Sometimes people ask us, "If Resistance takes 14 gigabytes, why doesn't it look better than Gears?" Well, for one, Resistance didn't support texture streaming, so we had to make choices about where we spent our high-res textures. Resistance also had 30 single-player chapters, six multiplayer maps, uncompressed audio streaming, and high-definition mpegs. That all added up to a lot of space on the disc. Starting with Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction we are supporting texture streaming, which will make the worlds look even better, and will also consume even more space on disc.

There's no question that you can always cut more levels, compress the audio more, compress the textures more, down-res the mpeg movies, and eventually get any game to fit on a DVD. But you paid for a high-def experience, right? You want the highest resolution, best audio, most cinematic experience a developer can offer, right? That's why Blu-Ray is important for games, and why it will become more important each year of this hardware cycle.

Last I heard those weren't actually games. They were just three game concepts made up for some kind of focus test.

really? everywhere ive read has been saying there the 2nd party games sony/bandia's been working on. they reminded of those old sega arcade games that used to eat up all of my quarters back in the day. i hope your wrong tho cuz i love that type of art style in games

I think we are going to see the need for increased capacity for future titles. Was it a Trojan Horse? Sure, but it has its benefits.

im pretty sure br is needed for games. people said the ps1 didnt need cds cause cartridges were enough, people said dvd's were a waste because whod need more than a cd. and i know in a yr or 2 the extra space is gonna really hurt ms. what i was referring to is if the ps3 is being focused on more as a br player than game.

off topic: anyone dl the super rub a dub demo from psn? it looks really good. the 6axis takes a little getting used to but its fun

off topic: anyone dl the super rub a dub demo from psn? it looks really good. the 6axis takes a little getting used to but its fun
Not yet, looking forward to it though.
ETA
Downloaded it and really enjoyed it, reviewers tore it a part. I think for $7 it's worth it.

thats a shame tho, i understand sony's need to dominate the next-gen dvd field, but the ps3 shouldnt have turned into that. im hoping that by 2008 the ps3 will be worth it more. I doubt MGS and FF13 is gonna be out by this year, but white knight story, and the 3 cellius games (brave arms (http://ninephoenixes.com/images/famitsu1.jpg), chain limit (http://ninephoenixes.com/images/famitsu2.jpg), and 2nd season (http://ninephoenixes.com/images/famitsu3.jpg)) hopefully will put sony back on top.



it didnt start with saying anything negative about the ps3. if you read my posts i said i hope im wrong but i think this game will suck. thats when i got labeled into a 360/hd-dvd fanboy who wants sony to be destroyed. i did go into why i think the game will suck. from what i read about it, it seems to be turning into a dynasty warriors/gow clone. granted gow is a great game, but if becomes a 400 person against 1 hack n slash, im out. when i 1st saw the video about it at e3, i was impressed. the youtube video i saw sucked, but it looked interesting. it seems if anyone says anything bad about any ps3 games, the real fanboys on here take offense.
Man the game is not out yet and this guy is already rating it. You'll make a lot of money playing with that crystal ball of yours you know...from $ms of course.

ima 360 fan because it offers a better gameplay experience to me. and if in a year nintendo is on top, ill say screw ms and sony and go back to lovin nintendo like i did during my snes days.[/QUOTE]
??? then what are you doing on a ps3 forum?

I see jaggies.
only way you're not going to have jaggies is if the game supports an incredibly high AA or resolution (well past the 1600 x 1200 barrier), both of which are taxing on consoles and pcs. Actually, upping the AA and/or resolution are the 2 most taxing things on a gpu.........

Ha ... that's pretty much what I thought. Tons of (unnecessarily complex) backstory for a game that has no real plot inside it. I love that it's someone's job to come up with:

"... Eventually they knew the hush of peace that blanketed the land. That was until the discovery of Imulsion, a phosphorescing, low-viscosity fluid. Discovered by an oil-exploration drill, it was unusable until a woman named Dr. Helen Cooper created the Lightmass Process, which enabled production of cheap energy. The world economy soon collapsed due to its extremely low price and the elimination for the need of hydrocarbon and nuclear fuel sources. The few countries that had an overabundance of Imulsion under their feet soon found themselves at war with nations who were not as lucky, and so began the Pendulum Wars. During the seventy-nine year war, the Coalition of Ordered Governments ..."

That's pretty much the textbook reason why game programmers shouldn't write (or edit, or oversee, or direct, or suggest) story copy.

If Gears had managed to tell a story during gameplay instead of merely referencing an external story, it would have been even more immersive. The opening levels of Resistance touring the "factory" go a long way to explain the story interactively, much like Half-Life, without a lot of dialogue or outside reading. With more time I'm sure Naughty Dog would have made the story even more organic. The cut-scenes were out of place but at least they told the story in-game.

The more I see from Heavenly Sword the more I'm excited for it. A compelling story would be a nice addition, but it's hardly necessary. It wasn't for Gears, Pong or Pac-Man.
One of the main complaints of Gears was that is had little story at all, so i don't really think you could say the lack of story in Gears DIDN'T hurt the game. I guess the repetitive game play, tard squad AI (on numerous occasions my squad mates would run into the dark and die from Kryll) lack of interactive environment despite the fact the 360 has 3 friggin cores. IT couldn't even compare to FEAR's particle effects or the environmental damage (such as when you shot the wall). Also, it seemed as if all the colors blended into 1 big mess, very little color variation. To me, it seems as if Gears was just a glorified shooter with little subsistence. Where were missions with flying vehicles?? Where were the varying landscapes??? They give you smoke grenades in multi player, but not single player???

Damnit...When is the 360 going to come out with hot chick games? I'm getting a little tired being a Cyborg, and looking at some COG's ass the whole game.

Bulletwitch

Damnit...When is the 360 going to come out with hot chick games? I'm getting a little tired being a Cyborg, and looking at some COG's ass the whole game.



YEAAAAHHHH some things you just have to word carefully or better yet just keep to yourself. :D

Sorry, I meant a good AAA system selling title with a hot chick.

YEAAAAHHHH some things you just have to word carefully or better yet just keep to yourself. :D

I'm a firm believer that ALL tihrid person games should be a female character for this very reason. Just one more reason to dislike Gears Of War :eek:

Well lets be honest, Heavenly Sword isn't a awesome system selling AAA title either, it has the POSSIBILITY of being one, but so did Motorstorm before it was released. Lets hold up on giving HS accolades it hasn't earned yet.

I'd like to see more gameplay before hyping this game up like crazy (too late, lol)..

Motorstorm was hyped based on gameplay and it more than delivered. Unfortunately it lacks in some basic options like exhibition mode and better management for playing online. Core gameplay though is top notch AAA.

True, Motor Storms gameplay is top notch, there just isn't enough meat to it for us solo gamers.

True, Motor Storms gameplay is top notch, there just isn't enough meat to it for us solo gamers.

True for a lot of games I play this gen unfortunately on my systems. I haven't even finished the SP of Motorstorm as I spend most my time online. SP is hard! I've got some 360 games where I haven't even touched SP yet aside from training, like GRAW2 (favorite 360 game).

Well lets be honest, Heavenly Sword isn't a awesome system selling AAA title either, it has the POSSIBILITY of being one, but so did Motorstorm before it was released. Lets hold up on giving HS accolades it hasn't earned yet.

Maybe AAA was an exageration, but Bullet Witch...Come on HS looks to be hands down a better game. I saw the Heros ep. before I knew anything about HS and based on the 10 sec clip I right away said wow, what next gen game is that.

I'd like to see more gameplay before hyping this game up like crazy (too late, lol)..

Motorstorm was hyped based on gameplay and it more than delivered. Unfortunately it lacks in some basic options like exhibition mode and better management for playing online. Core gameplay though is top notch AAA.
yeah, if motorstorm had more modes and tracks, it would have been a "AAA" title. those were the 2 things that prevented motorstorm from getting 9+'s from most reviewers, and these 2 things will most likely be added in an update.

i think HS has the potential to be a AAA title too, but only time will tell.

Haha, I have no doubt HS will be better than Bullet Witch, though I will confess I like the game.

Bullett Witch looks pretty cool to me in the gameplay videos. I don't want to drop MSRP for it but $20 and I'm down.

Man the game is not out yet and this guy is already rating it. You'll make a lot of money playing with that crystal ball of yours you know...from $ms of course.

please, almost everyone in this thread is rating the game. some says it looks good, some says it doesn't. i rate a lot of games before playing them, it's called making an educated guess. it's done all the time in video gaming mags and sites...i think they call them previews. if your gonna single somene out, at least try to be logical in your approach

??? then what are you doing on a ps3 forum?

because i have a ps3...seems to make sense to me. since i have reservations about 1 ps3 game means i shouldnt have a ps3? you guys are way too sensitive over this **** man

Great new concept art pics for you guys today... enjoy!

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2007/05/environments4.jpg
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2007/05/environments3.jpg
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2007/05/environments1.jpg
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2007/05/character_artwork_01.jpg
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2007/05/character_artwork14.jpg
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2007/05/character_artwork9.jpg
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2007/05/character_artwork2.jpg
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2007/05/character_artwork1.jpg
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2007/05/character_artwork_10.jpg
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2007/05/character_artwork_05.jpg

Great new concept art pics for you guys today... enjoy!

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2007/05/character_artwork_01.jpg
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2007/05/character_artwork_10.jpg
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2007/05/character_artwork_05.jpg
I'd love to see a game done with this art style.

A mix of kill bill and samurai jack.

I just read that in an interview that is supposed to be out tomorrow with Eurogamer that Tameem Antonidas of Ninja Theory confirmed that the game is 90% complete and they are considering multiplayer. I did not anticipate this game until Nov. It could be here sooner than we think but I am not holding my breath.

I just read that in an interview that is supposed to be out tomorrow with Eurogamer that Tameem Antonidas of Ninja Theory confirmed that the game is 90% complete and they are considering multiplayer. I did not anticipate this game until Nov. It could be here sooner than we think but I am not holding my breath.

Neither am I. And if they stick to the September release date I really don't expect to see 1080p or 60fps either.

Here's the article:



Ninja Theory co-founder Tameem Antoniades has told Eurogamer that a multiplayer mode for Heavenly Sword could pop up sooner than we thought.

It won't feature at launch, he clarified, but his team has its sights firmly set on it.
Advertisement

"There's no multiplayer mode in Heavenly Sword as our focus was always to create an intense personal experience; it would have been too damn complex to deal with that as well," Antoniades told Eurogamer. "We did, however, develop the combat system using multiplayer test levels, as it's a great way of soak testing and balancing it."

"So who knows? Maybe we will decide to go down that route sometime soon. And when we do, it won't just be slapped-on to please marketing tick-boxes. You can be assured that we have our sights on multiplayer."

Heavenly Sword is around 90 per cent complete at the moment, reckons Antoniades, with mainly testing and bug finding to do before its September launch. And he's confident that Ninja Theory has used the extended development time to really wrestle an impressive performance from Sony's new console.

"We are pushing it bloody hard - that's for sure!" he promised. "But this is our first-generation engine for PS3, so there's certainly a lot more in the machine to give. And, more importantly, there's more in us to give it."

We'll be bringing you our full interview with Tameem Antoniades tomorrow morning.

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=76451

...and a few leaked in-game pics from the Sony Gamer's Day event:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/202/501409202_8e769bf3ac.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/189/501408944_ba0f5a9135.jpg

Here's the article:



...and a few leaked in-game pics from the Sony Gamer's Day event:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/202/501409202_8e769bf3ac.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/189/501408944_ba0f5a9135.jpg

that looks totally awesome

Pictures are neat I guess, but I like video. Crappy video, but video nevertheless.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOF8-Z7yQ_U

hmm the media blackout was supposed to be until friday, or so I thought, and Joystiq is taking credit for the vid.

Looked like a bit of slowdown when the tower came crashing down, but can't be sure it isn't from the video. Even still the game isn't complete so they still have some tweaking to do.

Pictures are neat I guess, but I like video. Crappy video, but video nevertheless.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOF8-Z7yQ_U

hmm the media blackout was supposed to be until friday, or so I thought, and Joystiq is taking credit for the vid.

Looked like a bit of slowdown when the tower came crashing down, but can't be sure it isn't from the video. Even still the game isn't complete so they still have some tweaking to do.I think the blackout ends at midnight tonight. Maybe news will start coming after 12:00 pacific.

HS is looking good.

Thanks for the vid. Looks fantastic.

Goddess of War........and I love it!

Here's the last preview from ign. First, click here for an awesome new video:

http://streamingmovies.ign.com/ps3/article/789/789118/heavenlysword_trailer_051607_wmvlowwide.wmv

May 17, 2007 - It's been a year since Ninja Theory first revealed a playable version of its artistic slasher, Heavenly Sword, and the 12-month pass has meant very good things for it -- particularly in regards to the visuals. In fact, of all the first-party games on display at Sony's Spring Gamer's Day, Heavenly Sword had the best lighting and shadowing effects of the bunch. Animations, character models, special effects and the overall aesthetics weren't too bad either. Yes, even in its unfinished state, it's quite a beautiful game.

Sony is well aware of the project's potential too. One of four major titles highlighted on the event's main stage during the first day's presentation (Uncharted, Ratchet and Clank, and SOCOM Confrontation were the others), Heavenly Sword is being positioned as THE "must have" PS3 action title of the fall by the PlayStation's PR machine

Whether or not it will be is the big question. Certainly, it has quite the prospectus -- in addition to its lovely looks and kick-ass main character, the combat is easy to get into and deeper than your average fishing pond. For a game like this, one that's already being compared to the likes of Ninja Gaiden and God of War, a strong battle engine is incredibly important and it seems to have that... as well it should; the team spent the entire last year fine-tuning it.

Another good point to build on is that the newly-updated AI is noticeably better than the weak but aggressive examples we previously faced at E3 and TGS. Your opponents will now learn player tactics and patterns and even coordinate their attacks to best handle a precarious situation. And precarious it is: lead character Nariko brings some serious heat and boasts three different stances (speed by default, power via R1 and ranged via L1) that have their own assortment of uses and combos. Special moves and ground kills (think mini-tornados and gut-stabs) are in there too, and Ninja Theory co-founder Nina Kristensen confirmed that any object in the environment can be used for offense as well (including corpses of the fallen). Would-be warriors can even earn style points that allow them to pull off "Superstar Moves" which are essentially specialized kill moments.

Traditional combat isn't the only sort of gameplay that fans can expect either. Much like Tomb Raider or the aforementioned God of War, Heavenly Sword also has several contextual cinematics that require tapping the appropriate button to further the scene along. In the stage we sampled, for example, Nariko begins her journey with a full-on sprint down the length of two highly-extensive ropes that are only possible because of quick rhythmic presses of the X button. An occasional tap to the left on the analog stick and another few key inputs finishes the scene with our heroine arriving at the lair of her enemy by pushing a structure on top of them. Cool, cool stuff.

Scheduled for release this fall, Heavenly Sword looks more and more promising every time we see it. Unfortunately, we've only been exposed to it in small bursts so it's still hard to tell if the combat, enemy scenarios and eventual boss fights will hold up to prolonged play. Even so, with the high-end production values (Gollum ] himself, Andy Sirkus, is directing the cutscenes, while the same audio crew from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon does the sound), great art style, and everyone-friendly "pick up and play" design, it's looking pretty hot.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/788/788739p1.html

http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/789/789114/heavenly-sword-20070516075657864.jpg
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/789/789114/heavenly-sword-20070516075650755.jpg
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/789/789114/heavenly-sword-20070516075652161.jpg
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/789/789114/heavenly-sword-20070516075700802.jpg
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/789/789114/heavenly-sword-20070516075649380.jpg
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/789/789114/heavenly-sword-20070516075655005.jpg

Pictures are neat I guess, but I like video. Crappy video, but video nevertheless.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOF8-Z7yQ_U

hmm the media blackout was supposed to be until friday, or so I thought, and Joystiq is taking credit for the vid.

Looked like a bit of slowdown when the tower came crashing down, but can't be sure it isn't from the video. Even still the game isn't complete so they still have some tweaking to do.

If this isn't a god of war ripoff I don't know what is. And you know what? I freakin love it. I love god of war and I can't wait to play this game.

Get in my bellly!

Nice,
He's showing her his O-face.

The facial expression on number 4 looks a bit odd.

But the oh-face of picture 5 is a classic.

Get in my bellly!

lol i was thinking the same thing

If this isn't a god of war ripoff I don't know what is. And you know what? I freakin love it. I love god of war and I can't wait to play this game.

you obviously dont know this game has been in development since before GOW even came out.................

now you do.

Ummm, holy ****. I used to think the textures were lacking, now I don't. The lighting looks incredible in those picks! This game looks sweet!

Large gameplay video. AWESOME.

http://gamevideos.com/download?videoId=11518&url=http%3a%2f%2fdownload.gamevideos.com%2f11518%2fgv.com.He avenlySwordHackNSlashGameplay_640x360.wmv

you obviously dont know this game has been in development since before GOW even came out.................

now you do.

Two GoW games have come out before this game. Looking at the gameplay video, its very obvious that this game is based in large part on the action of those games. You obviously dont know that just because you start something first doesnt mean you still cant learn from things that were started later.

Now you do.

Large gameplay video. AWESOME.

http://gamevideos.com/download?videoId=11518&url=http%3a%2f%2fdownload.gamevideos.com%2f11518%2fgv.com.He avenlySwordHackNSlashGameplay_640x360.wmv
that does look pretty great. though i'm not a big fan of fighting games like this, i do like the interactive cut-scenes (like in RE4 and GoW) - makes for a very movie-like experience.

i also like that the interactive objects in the environment are shadowed, as are their fragments when you break them - that's the kind of detail that makes my immersion in a game more complete.

This game has recently vaulted to #1 on my list of games I'm excited about this fall.

A nice general overview of the game is up, along with a couple of new pics (well, new to me!):

Emotionally charged, stunningly beautiful, and delivering unprecedented dramatic character performance, Heavenly Sword™ showcases the power of PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system. A dramatic tale of revenge 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…

Andy Serkis, the world’s leading CG actor, famous for his roles as Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings” and Kong in “King Kong,” was heavily involved in the creative process. As well as starring in Heavenly Sword as the villain, King Botan, Andy was a major contributor to the character development, writing, casting, directing and performance capture for the PS3 title.

Heavenly Sword features a deep, diverse combat experience made possible only on PS3.

KEY FEATURES

• The Heavenly Sword – The Heavenly Sword itself can transform into three distinct weapons, each with its own accompanying fighting stance used by Nariko to vary combat styles.
• The Combat Engine – The combat engine can scale up from sophisticated one-on-one encounters to one-on-many, where enemies employ intelligent squad-based dynamics, right up to combat against battalions pushing real-time gameplay and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to unprecedented new levels.
• Physics-Based Combat – The physics-based combat allows players to sweep debris against opponents, kick tables to halt an oncoming surge of fighters, smash the enemy into the scenery, or throw bodies into other enemies using “aftertouch” controls.
• Wide range of Objects & Weaponry – Heavenly Sword provides a wide range of objects & weaponry including rapid fire crossbows and massively damaging bazookas.
• Creative in-game Cinematography – Coupled with real-time story evolvement and amazing set-pieces, Heavenly Sword feels like a blockbuster action movie that takes combat gameplay to new heights.
• Playstaion 3 – Greater processing power on the PS3 enables more immersive visuals and sound effects in Heavenly Sword, heightening the character performance and combat within the stunningly beautiful environments

http://www.gameswank.com/content/view/36/1/

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/1299/6440009mg6.jpg
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/310/6440007te1.jpg
http://www.gameswank.com/images/stories/games/ps3/Heaven052007/188937597720070520142036.jpg
http://www.gameswank.com/images/stories/games/ps3/Heaven052007/153527951920070520142036.jpg

Are the cutscenes supposed to be CGI or in-game? Or a mixture of both? I don't believe I read anywhere what was going to be done in regards to that.

Are the cutscenes supposed to be CGI or in-game? Or a mixture of both? I don't believe I read anywhere what was going to be done in regards to that.

All the cutscenes they've shown so far have been using the in-game engine, but there still could be CGI ones also.

I hear there is no CGI.

Looks Sweet
Great pics

If this game plays anything like God of War, we are all in for a real treat.

Heavenly Sword Developer says the Cell has been underestimated!

Here is the link:

http://www.philipaustin.co.uk/?p=54

Lots of new in-game pics to share!

http://image.jeuxvideo.com/images/p3/h/e/heswp3058.jpg
http://image.jeuxvideo.com/images/p3/h/e/heswp3074.jpg
http://image.jeuxvideo.com/images/p3/h/e/heswp3062.jpg
http://image.jeuxvideo.com/images/p3/h/e/heswp3068.jpg
http://image.jeuxvideo.com/images/p3/h/e/heswp3066.jpg
http://image.jeuxvideo.com/images/p3/h/e/heswp3069.jpg
http://image.jeuxvideo.com/images/p3/h/e/heswp3070.jpg
http://image.jeuxvideo.com/images/p3/h/e/heswp3063.jpg
http://image.jeuxvideo.com/images/p3/h/e/heswp3095.jpg
http://image.jeuxvideo.com/images/p3/h/e/heswp3093.jpg

very cool, thanks for the pics!

man, those last two are pretty sweet...i wasn't too keen on this game before, but the screens are too good for me not to keep an eye on this one.

oh, if only this summer would be good to BOTH the playstion 3 AND my wallet...

This game is going to be off the chain. So many people skeptical of the impact of all the facial capture that they did when it's actually in game, but that 4th to last pic sells it all to me. Something about her eyes. You can see every ounce in that grab and it tugs at you. I can't flippin' wait.

Great news! According to this interview, (http://www.n4g.com/ps3/News-49200.aspx) a playable demo is coming to the PSN very soon!

NinjaMatt has been answering questions on the new Official Heavenly Sword Blog (IGN). Here is a summary of the questions and answers.

Q: Is there blood, and how's the framerate?
NM: As for the frame-rate, every day it gets better...numerous people are working on optimisations and you can visibly see it get smoother with each one.

Someone asked about the blood? Well, if you take a close look at some of the more recent screen grabs...there's definitely some claret in there! We took a conscious decision to deliver a fairly elegant blood effect rather splashing it all over the walls as this is far more in keeping with the look and feel of the game.

Q. Is there going to be a special edition of Heavenly Sword?
NM: We have talked with Sony about a special edition of Heavenly Sword. After lots of ideas and discussions we decided that there will be no special edition as such...instead we would cram the retail release with as many extras as we could fit onto a BR! The retail disk will feature a series of behind the scenes features as well as the first 2 episodes of a special 'animated series' exploring the history of the Heavenly Sword prior to the start of the game

Q: How long will it take to finish the game from start to finish, for the avarage player?
NM: Heh, this is a good question…we were a little concerned with game length around E3 last year and have worked very hard to make sure this isn’t an issue. It’s hard to estimate exactly how long it’ll take someone to run through it the first time but we believe that you can expect somewhere between 12-15 hours of play.

Q: Have you managed to push it to 1080p 60frames yet?
NM: Heavenly Sword will be delivered in 720p HD

Q: When are we getting a demo?
NM: I can confirm that we are, of course, going to be releasing a demo for Heavenly Sword…and soon! This will be downloadable via the Playstation Network…so keep an eye out for this in the very near future…and i mean very near future!"

No 1080p but will still be a must buy for me :)

the first 2 episodes of a special 'animated series' exploring the history of the Heavenly Sword prior to the start of the game Cool. Maybe we'll get more episodes monthly on the PSN or something.

A demo is expected to be within the E3 time-frame. The 1UP guys have already received a pretty complete build of the game.