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review :: heavenly sword
Heavenly Sword
Reviewed on: Playstation 3Available on: Playstation 3
Short, pretty and fun for a fling. Just like an Olsen twin.
Players: 1 Player
Genre:
Release: 2007-09-19
Genre:
Release: 2007-09-19
Developer: Ninja Theory
Distributor: Sony Computer Entertainment Australia
Distributor: Sony Computer Entertainment Australia
Nowadays we get hyped for so many games and the consensus on a lot of this is "Don't get your hopes up". And rightfully so. As a gamer you are taking the propaganda-coated word of the publisher, developer and marketing folk to tell you how fab a game is. Bias anyone?
When I first downloaded my 1GB demo of this game, I was initially disappointed with its length but found the combat to be mildly fun. Flash forward to the full version of the game and the same feelings come back to mind. A short game with some mild flavoured action sequences. The kind of game you'd play for its cinematics, graphical presentation and to show your entourage the power of the new age George Foreman grill. Props to the voice acting and facial expressions, it looks like a lot of work went into this and should be well appreciated by owners of this game.
She hits like a Girl!
Does this justify the purchase of a PS3? Not on its own most would argue. I concur. Yuriko (main character) and her posse don't quite cut it in the gameplay department for originality or revelation. Yes we’ve heard it thrown around the interwebs, ‘Goddess of war’ as the best description, which is partially true. The action, quick time events and even the set up of the storyline aren’t dissimilar (Story of a war torn tribe desperate to survive the evil empire, cursed heroine pays the ultimate sacrifice to wield the Heavenly Sword – her life).
We have Kratos to thank for the moves and combos within this game. There are various ways in which you can kill your opponents. The easiest is to strike at them until they temporarily fall to the ground, then stick your sword so far into their bodies you create a brand new blowhole. But this earns you nil skill points, which are used to unlock new combos and DVD-like special features (all of which are downloadable via the Playstation Network as an alternative). The best ways to complete kills are to counteract an attack by pressing "?" at the right time. Muchos grandos les skill points amigo!
A friend once told me, "Its all in the hair... Chicks dig the hair" If this game relied on Yuriko's hair to be successful we'd already be seeing it hit the $10 bin at your local Kmart. At times you'll see Yuriko's hair flow by like a bad Playstation 1 entrail. Watching a few of the behind-the-scenes parts shows how much of the development was done with a bald Yuriko and the hair was added at a later time. Guess it was one of those things that couldn't be tweaked for release. I would imagine the sequel will have better looking hair. Perhaps the designers can give her a designer mullet.
One aspect that I'll sit on the fence about is the aftertouch ability. Aftertouch is the game's unique use of the Playstation 3's Sixaxis controller. There are levels in which you will have either a bow, cannon or object to throw in order to hit specific targets. I am still perplexed as to how you use a Twing Twang and why I don't naturally have one growing as an appendage. Now some of us have low thresholds for frustration, I for one tend to persist for a while without having the need to throw my controller down a 16 storey building. It can take quite a few turns to get to grips with how aftertouch works. Imagine guiding a paper aeroplane using your Sixaxis controller. Now imagine steering that plane to a single target. In some cases its easy, in some its not and in some rare cases its pure luck. Out of the 8 or so games that I've seen use Sixaxis I would still vote this being the most enjoyable. It also doesn't get too annoying, aftertouch moments come & go so that they are well paced against the generic hack and slash.
Lord of the Rings 4
Bosses are introduced to you well in advance. King Bohan, the ruler of the evil empire, has some very vastly different bosses. The way in which you must defeat them can be different and should be approached appropriately. The final boss, however, can aggravate even the most patient of gamers. Some cheap attacks and hard to avoid range hits makes for a battle worth giving up on. Well almost. My best advice is if you've tried 10-20 times, turn off your PS3, walk away, de-stress and come back another day with a new approach. Or you can be uber lame and look up strategies on the internet!
When I first downloaded my 1GB demo of this game, I was initially disappointed with its length but found the combat to be mildly fun. Flash forward to the full version of the game and the same feelings come back to mind. A short game with some mild flavoured action sequences. The kind of game you'd play for its cinematics, graphical presentation and to show your entourage the power of the new age George Foreman grill. Props to the voice acting and facial expressions, it looks like a lot of work went into this and should be well appreciated by owners of this game.
She hits like a Girl!
Does this justify the purchase of a PS3? Not on its own most would argue. I concur. Yuriko (main character) and her posse don't quite cut it in the gameplay department for originality or revelation. Yes we’ve heard it thrown around the interwebs, ‘Goddess of war’ as the best description, which is partially true. The action, quick time events and even the set up of the storyline aren’t dissimilar (Story of a war torn tribe desperate to survive the evil empire, cursed heroine pays the ultimate sacrifice to wield the Heavenly Sword – her life).
We have Kratos to thank for the moves and combos within this game. There are various ways in which you can kill your opponents. The easiest is to strike at them until they temporarily fall to the ground, then stick your sword so far into their bodies you create a brand new blowhole. But this earns you nil skill points, which are used to unlock new combos and DVD-like special features (all of which are downloadable via the Playstation Network as an alternative). The best ways to complete kills are to counteract an attack by pressing "?" at the right time. Muchos grandos les skill points amigo!
A friend once told me, "Its all in the hair... Chicks dig the hair" If this game relied on Yuriko's hair to be successful we'd already be seeing it hit the $10 bin at your local Kmart. At times you'll see Yuriko's hair flow by like a bad Playstation 1 entrail. Watching a few of the behind-the-scenes parts shows how much of the development was done with a bald Yuriko and the hair was added at a later time. Guess it was one of those things that couldn't be tweaked for release. I would imagine the sequel will have better looking hair. Perhaps the designers can give her a designer mullet.
One aspect that I'll sit on the fence about is the aftertouch ability. Aftertouch is the game's unique use of the Playstation 3's Sixaxis controller. There are levels in which you will have either a bow, cannon or object to throw in order to hit specific targets. I am still perplexed as to how you use a Twing Twang and why I don't naturally have one growing as an appendage. Now some of us have low thresholds for frustration, I for one tend to persist for a while without having the need to throw my controller down a 16 storey building. It can take quite a few turns to get to grips with how aftertouch works. Imagine guiding a paper aeroplane using your Sixaxis controller. Now imagine steering that plane to a single target. In some cases its easy, in some its not and in some rare cases its pure luck. Out of the 8 or so games that I've seen use Sixaxis I would still vote this being the most enjoyable. It also doesn't get too annoying, aftertouch moments come & go so that they are well paced against the generic hack and slash.
Lord of the Rings 4
Bosses are introduced to you well in advance. King Bohan, the ruler of the evil empire, has some very vastly different bosses. The way in which you must defeat them can be different and should be approached appropriately. The final boss, however, can aggravate even the most patient of gamers. Some cheap attacks and hard to avoid range hits makes for a battle worth giving up on. Well almost. My best advice is if you've tried 10-20 times, turn off your PS3, walk away, de-stress and come back another day with a new approach. Or you can be uber lame and look up strategies on the internet!
Final Verdict
A pretty game worth completing when it hits the reduced price bin. Earth shattering experience hunters need to look elsewhere.Pros
Beautiful, great facial expressions and top notch acting voices. After touch has been the best use of Sixaxis to date. Twisted little sister playing with her "Twing Twang".
Cons
Short – can be completed in under 5 hours. Aftertouch can test your patience. Final boss is cheap and more frustrating than an elephant with irritable bowel syndrome.