Heavenly Sword (PS3 EXC)

[Fiach]

Well, I finally got to play my PS3 .... GO ME!!!!

A word on the PS3 before I start, if I may, as I think I'm the only 360'er here.

The controller feels like a Fisher Price toy compared to the 360 controller, its light and flimsy and the seams are actually jagged and the machine runs so hot, I actually moved my guitar cases away LOL!
Downloading demos seem to take longer than the 360 also.
The R2 and L2 buttons are also teh suxz0rz :)

This game, when loaded has to be installed ..... like wth? this is a console game, not a PC game, that irked me a little. Also I may as well point out the only bad thing about this game and get it out of the way. It was one of the launch games I think and was used to highlight the many fun ways you can use the six axis feature on the controller.

What the heck is that I hear you ask .... well I'm glad you asked me that, its a way that the PS3 controller apes the movement sensors on the WII console, except it sucks monkey nuts. Basically, you use it to guide eg. projectiles to their targets by moving the controller up/down/left/right, it is the most sucky thing that ever sucked at being sucky.

If you have ever played a game called Dark Sector (quite a good game), you shoot guns, but you also have a disc attached to your hand, which you can throw (like Xenas Chakram) as a weapon, if you set it on fire or hit something electrical, it will retain those properties until it hits its target. You can also guide the chakram around multiple targets very efficantly, its quite awesome and funlike....... but definately unlike the six axis effort. because of this I totally fluffed a couple of early missions. But while flicking through menus, I saw you could turn it off, unsure of what would happen control-wise, I gave it a shot and yes..... you can use it like the chakram in Dark Sector now.

I reckon Sony figured that such extreme suckage needed to be sorted and bless their little cotton socks they did it!

So......yup, thats the only bad thing in this game.

OK, Heavenly Sword, I have wanted to play this game since it was released, but have only got around to it now, its quite different to what I expected, but in a neutral way, I thought it would be more like Oblivion, but its not really, If you ever recall the Onimusha games or Otachi, then you will have a fair idea of the mechanics of this game...... maybe like a more player friendly Ninja Gaiden, but only in progression, not in combat.

Basically its a hack and slash, but it has combos and different "stances" (ranged, Light, Heavy attacks), that are easily and smoothly accessible, you start the game with a common Longsword, but after about a half hour, you get the legendary Heavenly Sword, which really adds some spice to the proceedings. There are some very basic puzzles to solve as you progress, but the main meat of the game is slaughter hordes of enemies in amusing and varied ways, with pretty cool boss battles interspersed through out the game.

You also play as two characters (more on them in a bit), one uses melee and the other uses archery. Now as Archery is about 33% of the game, its a good job they allowed the chakram control style, or this game would be unplayable for the average gamer, but as it stands, with the six axis turnd off, this has some excellent archery missions.

The two characters are incredibly agile and can nip around at a fair old clip, the archer cannot melee, but when she needs to haul a$$, she can, she can dodge, run away a bit, turn and fire, either blind fire, if you can funnel the enemies, or with guided arrows for head shots, or eg. fire through a flame, then guide the flaming arrow to a box of explosives.

You are awarded points for combat style, but its just an added incentive to unlock concept art and new moves.

The graphics are quite astounding, sure alot of the areas are small and pre-rendered, but they are stunning to look at, really giving you a sense of place. also the cutscenes are just so far ahead of anything else I have seen, with expressions that are so lifelike, its scary and the amount of detail on faces as people converse is nearly photo-realistic.

Take Kai, the archer girl, she is about 16, she appears to be slightly bonkers, she has this far away look in her eyes while she talks nonsense about something or other, then turns and focuses on the camera (you) or some character and you can see the craziness in her eyes, she seems cat like and feral, which are conditions alluded to in the story, When she was found by the other girl, apparently she was alone and eating cockroaches, but the way its told is very immersive, but now they are like sisters as they fight their way through the game.

While this game is very good in its own right, I would play it just to look at it LOL and the characters really draw you into the story.

I got it for a tenner second hand, so even if it sucked, it would be good value, but I would actually pay full price for this game, its that good.

Fiach : Playing games, so you don't have to.

[Art Blade]

cheers mate, you seem to really like you xbox, in comparison ;D

found a youtube PS3 gameplay which gave me an idea of what you were telling us, like drive an arrow through fire and all. Nice mass fights at around 6.45 of this vid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xhTGPk4HnM

[Fiach]

Chhers mate, its a pity the picture isnt great quality :(

Also who ever is playing in that bit isnt all that great tbh, which is surprising as the game isnt difficult.

[Art Blade]

I didn't dig too deeply in youtube, but to get an idea it seemed suitable :)

[spaceboy]

Thanks for such an in-depth review Fiach.  I've never picked it up but was curious because the graphics and gameplay are supposed to be so good.  I'll have to fit it in now at least to rent. 

It's funny to hear your thoughts on the Sony controller - since I've always used it it feels right to me.  The couple times I've used my friends x360 controller I didn't like it either - too fat and I didn't like the analog sticks not being in the same place.   I suppose it's what your used to.  I liken it to inverted aiming.  I absolutely can't play without inverting my Y axis, while others like it normal.

I do agree the downloading on the PS3 should be faster though.  I have no idea why it's so slow.

Hey, now that your booted up definitely download the Uncharted 2 demo.   I played a bit of co-op last night and it was great!

[PZ]

I've the same experience as space, so it is probably correct that you become accustomed to what you started with.  However, I use a Saitek controller (which is shaped much like Xbox) on the PC and am now quite comfortable with it.  In fact, I can now use the PS3 and Saitek controllers with equal ease.

[Fiach]

Well, firstly, regarding the game, its actually got better as I progressed, The archery stuff (that I despised initially, due to the six axis control) has become more prevelant and its charactr, Kai, is just so cool, one of the best video characers ever! She is just so bonkers, she is like a really innocent confused child the way she views stuff, eg. killing people she calls it a game called Twing Twang, but she has some great missions, she's like a cross between Catwoman and Leglas :)

Apparently alot of the "unlockable" content can be downloaded for free off the PS3 online place (dunno the name, but the thing like XBOX LIVE), so it would give you an idea of the quality of the cutscenes.

Controllers, yeah I know its what you are used to :), But, I prefer the offset sticks as opposed to the side by side ones on the PS3 controller, My problem is with the build quality, if I squeeze it hard, I feel as if it will come apart and my fingers find the R2 and L2 buttons very sloppy and slippy, compared to the 360 controllers Triggers, also the seams, where the top and bottom meet are not smooth, they are rough (its a six axis Dualshock 3 controller if thats relevant).

How about this for an experiment, Throw your mates controller at the wall, then your one, after you pick up the pieces of the PS3 controller, maybe he will let you have a go at Halo with his one :)

[spaceboy]

you made me smile with that last line  :)   I don't think either of us want our controllers chucked at the wall.  You are right they are light and probably less durable the Dualshock 3 is definitely lighter than the Logitech PS2 compatible ones I used to use - those were great!   Sometimes the rumble effect with big explosions make me wonder if the controller will last as long as those Logitechs so I agree with that for sure.

[Art Blade]

I got a good chuckle out of that line as well, love the idea of tossing controllers at the wall  ;D

[PZ]

...How about this for an experiment, Throw your mates controller at the wall, then your one, after you pick up the pieces of the PS3 controller, maybe he will let you have a go at Halo with his one :)

lol, Good one!  :-X

[Fiach]

Interestiing bit of trivia.

The voice acting is really very good in HS, its so good, I actually checked who did the voices, never heard of any of them except one.....
SPOILER (not really :P)
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.Andy Serkis, he did Smeagol/Gollum in LotR.

[Art Blade]

that's a precious bit of information there :)


PRESHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHIOUS!  ;D

[Fiach]

Hahahahaha :)

Well, my love affair with HS ended rather sharply today :(

Somthing quite horrible happened in the game, which, when I consider how affecting it was, I does highlight how much you invest in characters personality.

This event preceded a boss fight, with a very cheap boss, which I very nearly defeated on the first go, but was so long and drawn out, I just couldnt be bothered replaying it.

Now, its not just impatience on my part, most standard battles in The Last Remnant for example, would last as long as this battle, but the cheap a$$ tactics really ruin it.

There is a game called Conan, which has pretty cheap bosses, but there is a sense of spectacle as you fight them, moving through different stages in a very cinematic way.

Here you are confined to a cage and if the guy doesnt want to fight you, he climbs on the bars and uses ranged attacks, as you have no ranged attacks, you can only counter these as best you can with different melee defenses, but they happen so frequently and take so long, they get really boring, then as you eventually get his heath down, he spawns a lot of clones and he buggers off up on the bars again, so you have to kill the clones, then go through all his BS cheap attacks again.

Now, as I said, he is not difficult, but these tactics, in conjunction with with the thing that happened before the fight as lowered my desire to continue with the game, I was quite near the end too, but, I just cant be bothered with it any more.

BIG SPOILER!
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;Kai, the little archer girl gets killed in a rather shocking and brutal way, which may not seem so bad reading it like this, but during the game, you realise how terrified she is of this guy, its such a jarring effect, its amazing how she gets inside you with her little crazy mannerisms, that you are disgusted when she pops her clogs.