The end of that embedded vid is very similar to that ragdoll demo from GDC in 2006(?).
Heavenly Sword: Part Deux
- Thread starter "Nerve-Damage"
- Start date
The end of that embedded vid is very similar to that ragdoll demo from GDC in 2006(?).
Yes. It also reminds me of my childhood games with neighhood ant armies
EDIT:
More:
http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/7333/dsc03335dd6.jpg
http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/3127/dsc03351ji1.jpg
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I can't say for sure since I wasn't keeping track and there is no hour timer, but not long at all. It was probably one of, if not the shortest full price single player game I've played. Default difficulty. Finishing the game unlocks "Hell Difficulty". I only had trouble on the last boss otherwise the game was pretty easy.
I'll write up my overall thoughts sometime soon.
I am into Chapter 4 of the game now. Some impressions:
Visuals
====
* Breathtaking. There are noticeable framerate drops in 3-4 cut scenes and 1 in-game (The bridge scene in the Kai mission). The shadow was chunky in a few places, so was the flowy hair. But they should be easily overlooked/forgiven to most. What surprised me was the acting (for the lack of better words). The cast of villians and supporting characters practically stole the show, and added a lot of variety and depth to the game.
Heavenly Sword managed to combine movie and game elements seamlessly (e.g., The monologue game menu between chapters, the PIPs, the mo-capped "expression and body language" acting, the few but very well executed Quick-Time Events, ...). The experience is rather unique and enjoyable.
Audio
====
Excellent ! I only tried the English language track. Nothing much to say here except that the script made me laugh.
*** SPOILER ALERT ***
e.g.,
Soldier, "What's the password ?!"
Kai, "[struggled] Gufflelumpaloopa ?"
Soldier, "..."
Interrogator Kai, "Perhaps I should hit your weak point for MASSIVE damage". [Aiming weapon at strategic location]
etc. etc.
Game Play
======
Given some early feedback about game length, repetition and QTE, I was expecting something lesser. I need to read some of the full game reviews to see what they say about the well-executed part of the game. Average score for this game is probably 80+/100 (I would rate it a 9).
Default Difficulty
--------------------
Just nice for me. It's not difficult per se, but I died 4 times so far. Once against Whiptail and 3 times against the Orang Utans.
Enemies
----------
There are 8 different kind of regular enemies. They fight differently. Not all of them are shown up front (e.g., Ninja, Orang Utans, Heavily armored soldier carrying hammers). So one of the reviews are dead wrong about this. The boss fights are long and very different (I really like them). Because of the back story and the acting, sometimes I feel pity defeating them.
The tougher enemies change attack colors, and has auto-block, so even if you're mashing buttons, you need to worry about changing colors and timing. A strong soldiers can kill you even though they look weak earlier on.
Damn enemies are also smart enough to dodge arrows ... and bazooka.
Mission/Level
----------------
I think they are very well designed. One of the reviews (can't remember which one anymore) complained about having not enough combat -- especially when there is 1 non-combating chapter out of 5. However, I think it's one of the sweetest chapters (Kai's Level). Basically you play as Kai, using her "cross bow", and her ability to jump across obstacles acrobatically to defeat enemies. The review is inaccurate in the sense that even if you're not playing as Nariko, there is ranged combat throughout that level (Think SIXAXIS sniper). And your ranged combat skills will be tested under different scenarios (like when the enemies are beside you ).
The actual combat remains the same (some say repetitive), and yes I didn't bother to learn new combos but can get by for the most part. But if I were to play it hardcore, I don't think I can clear the game (That's why I died 3 times in the Orang Utan level). When the difficulty ramps up, I find that there are tools to assist casuals to clear the level. e.g., I think if you're really good with the advanced combos, you may not need the bazooka conveniently left near the beginning of the level to fight the apes.
Puzzle Solving
-----------------
There are more than just braindead SIXAXIS hat throwing. Some arrow trick and fire are needed too. Even for the hat throwing, there'll be twists and variations.
Game Time
-------------
6-8 hours using normal difficulty. Replayable with higher difficulty and combos.
The checkpoints are very well placed, so I don't have to go back too far when I die.
I am really glad I bought the game. Thanks DeanoC and nAo for your hard work, even I can tell much love has gone into it. My wife sat down behind me voluntarily to watch me play. She smiled and laughed too. The last time she willingly sat down with me in gaming was 5 years ago. These days, I usually get an earful of scolding/nagging when I game during family time . Well, she wanted to try Resistance one time, but you can guess the outcome.
For people who prefers to rent the game, make sure you take the time to look at the scenery.
That's it. I need to get back to work. I saved 1.5 chapters because I don't want the game to end so soon.
Oh and one last thing. DeanoC and nAo, if you want to spice up the combat, I have a suggestion. Not sure if it will work.
HS's color changing formula is similar to Ikaruga but the time element (or rather the urgency) is not as strong. In Ikaruga, the players are put "on a rail" in a maze, so they are kind of forced to change colors to meet the enemies and obstacles. Plus one bullet will destroy the entire ship. In HS, Nariko can take much more hits and can move more freely.
To put the urgency back, I was wondering in HS2 (please Sony, make one !), whether you can have the enemies form killer formation (like typically Wu-sha movies) over time if Nariko can't take down enough of them (or key members) within certain time. Once the formation is complete, they will have special attacks that is harder to beat (or deal more damages). Nariko will then need to think on-the-fly how to dismantle the formation. Just a food for thought.
Visuals
====
* Breathtaking. There are noticeable framerate drops in 3-4 cut scenes and 1 in-game (The bridge scene in the Kai mission). The shadow was chunky in a few places, so was the flowy hair. But they should be easily overlooked/forgiven to most. What surprised me was the acting (for the lack of better words). The cast of villians and supporting characters practically stole the show, and added a lot of variety and depth to the game.
Heavenly Sword managed to combine movie and game elements seamlessly (e.g., The monologue game menu between chapters, the PIPs, the mo-capped "expression and body language" acting, the few but very well executed Quick-Time Events, ...). The experience is rather unique and enjoyable.
Audio
====
Excellent ! I only tried the English language track. Nothing much to say here except that the script made me laugh.
*** SPOILER ALERT ***
e.g.,
Soldier, "What's the password ?!"
Kai, "[struggled] Gufflelumpaloopa ?"
Soldier, "..."
Interrogator Kai, "Perhaps I should hit your weak point for MASSIVE damage". [Aiming weapon at strategic location]
etc. etc.
Game Play
======
Given some early feedback about game length, repetition and QTE, I was expecting something lesser. I need to read some of the full game reviews to see what they say about the well-executed part of the game. Average score for this game is probably 80+/100 (I would rate it a 9).
Default Difficulty
--------------------
Just nice for me. It's not difficult per se, but I died 4 times so far. Once against Whiptail and 3 times against the Orang Utans.
Enemies
----------
There are 8 different kind of regular enemies. They fight differently. Not all of them are shown up front (e.g., Ninja, Orang Utans, Heavily armored soldier carrying hammers). So one of the reviews are dead wrong about this. The boss fights are long and very different (I really like them). Because of the back story and the acting, sometimes I feel pity defeating them.
The tougher enemies change attack colors, and has auto-block, so even if you're mashing buttons, you need to worry about changing colors and timing. A strong soldiers can kill you even though they look weak earlier on.
Damn enemies are also smart enough to dodge arrows ... and bazooka.
Mission/Level
----------------
I think they are very well designed. One of the reviews (can't remember which one anymore) complained about having not enough combat -- especially when there is 1 non-combating chapter out of 5. However, I think it's one of the sweetest chapters (Kai's Level). Basically you play as Kai, using her "cross bow", and her ability to jump across obstacles acrobatically to defeat enemies. The review is inaccurate in the sense that even if you're not playing as Nariko, there is ranged combat throughout that level (Think SIXAXIS sniper). And your ranged combat skills will be tested under different scenarios (like when the enemies are beside you
).The actual combat remains the same (some say repetitive), and yes I didn't bother to learn new combos but can get by for the most part. But if I were to play it hardcore, I don't think I can clear the game (That's why I died 3 times in the Orang Utan level). When the difficulty ramps up, I find that there are tools to assist casuals to clear the level. e.g., I think if you're really good with the advanced combos, you may not need the bazooka conveniently left near the beginning of the level to fight the apes.
Puzzle Solving
-----------------
There are more than just braindead SIXAXIS hat throwing. Some arrow trick and fire are needed too. Even for the hat throwing, there'll be twists and variations.
Game Time
-------------
6-8 hours using normal difficulty. Replayable with higher difficulty and combos.
The checkpoints are very well placed, so I don't have to go back too far when I die.
I am really glad I bought the game. Thanks DeanoC and nAo for your hard work, even I can tell much love has gone into it. My wife sat down behind me voluntarily to watch me play. She smiled and laughed too. The last time she willingly sat down with me in gaming was 5 years ago. These days, I usually get an earful of scolding/nagging when I game during family time
. Well, she wanted to try Resistance one time, but you can guess the outcome.For people who prefers to rent the game, make sure you take the time to look at the scenery.
That's it. I need to get back to work. I saved 1.5 chapters because I don't want the game to end so soon.
Oh and one last thing. DeanoC and nAo, if you want to spice up the combat, I have a suggestion. Not sure if it will work.
HS's color changing formula is similar to Ikaruga but the time element (or rather the urgency) is not as strong. In Ikaruga, the players are put "on a rail" in a maze, so they are kind of forced to change colors to meet the enemies and obstacles. Plus one bullet will destroy the entire ship. In HS, Nariko can take much more hits and can move more freely.
To put the urgency back, I was wondering in HS2 (please Sony, make one !), whether you can have the enemies form killer formation (like typically Wu-sha movies) over time if Nariko can't take down enough of them (or key members) within certain time. Once the formation is complete, they will have special attacks that is harder to beat (or deal more damages). Nariko will then need to think on-the-fly how to dismantle the formation. Just a food for thought.
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To anyone who has completed the game, nAo or DeanoC,
How do you execute the level 3 stylish move "Swirling Passion". I believe this is the technique I accidentally triggered twice. It helped me clear all the enemies around me in 1 instance. Now I need it to clear the huge battle in Chapter 5.
I dropped my bazooka when hit. And then there were so many enemies that I lost my bazooka under pile of corpses soon after. ^_^ In any case, I needed to conserve ammo for what comes next. @_@
The only route seems to be to upgrade my skills. I checked the "controls" dialog but it has this swirling fog before the O button. Now how in the world do I execute the fog ? Does it mean I have to press the O button repeatedly while holding down L1 for the range attack (Didn't work).
My left thumb and index finger are quite painful now after slaughtering 400+ enemies three times, but still died.
How do you execute the level 3 stylish move "Swirling Passion". I believe this is the technique I accidentally triggered twice. It helped me clear all the enemies around me in 1 instance. Now I need it to clear the huge battle in Chapter 5.
I dropped my bazooka when hit. And then there were so many enemies that I lost my bazooka under pile of corpses soon after. ^_^ In any case, I needed to conserve ammo for what comes next. @_@
The only route seems to be to upgrade my skills. I checked the "controls" dialog but it has this swirling fog before the O button. Now how in the world do I execute the fog ? Does it mean I have to press the O button repeatedly while holding down L1 for the range attack (Didn't work).
My left thumb and index finger are quite painful now after slaughtering 400+ enemies three times, but still died.
inefficient
Veteran
Why hasn't Heavenly Sword launched in Japan! I thought it was supposed to be out already! Where the hell is it?
Japanese version is being released slightly later than the other versions, its only just gone gold so not sure what the release date is.
I honestly have no idea what the moves are called or what the combo list icons means, both came fairly late and I never needed to look them up... erm sorry, if I was at work I'd ask someone but I'm still on recovery holiday
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat !? Does that mean I have to wait ? I'm sitting right here refreshing the page every 30 seconds or so because it's day time in Europe now . It's the one where Nariko hook someone and swing him/her 360 degrees around her to knock everyone out.
Ok... I remember there is a Laura someone in Ninja Theory. Perhaps it's high time I give her a call. My wife is asleep now.
http://threespeech.com/blog/?p=459
. It's the one where Nariko hook someone and swing him/her 360 degrees around her to knock everyone out.Ok... I remember there is a Laura someone in Ninja Theory. Perhaps it's high time I give her a call. My wife is asleep now.
http://threespeech.com/blog/?p=459
Sounds like one of the ranged superstyles to me?Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat !? Does that mean I have to wait ? I'm sitting right here refreshing the page every 30 seconds or so because it's day time in Europe now
Superstyles work REALLY well in Warmachines
(disclaimer) i dont really play games in the last 10 years so dont know how it works now but are curious
the only easy arcade game i know is golden axe which i can remember at the time personally completing on 10 or so credits, which was a shock. im not talking about HS per-se but i see this mentioned with a lot of games, ie they're beatable in Xnumber hours, thus unworthwhile
(/disclaimer)
ok this bugs me, how can u complete the game in 6-8 hours? (ok perhaps u can if youve been practicing for months beforehand, but i assume the 6-8 hours talks about someone whos just picked up the game)
is this with cheating enabled? or is it with a save point (whenever the player wants), thus they can keep on replaying it until they do it with enuf health etc.
from my experience completing a game takes ages (+ im usually pretty good) eg quake3 took ages, esp that prick on the surfboard
the only easy arcade game i know is golden axe which i can remember at the time personally completing on 10 or so credits, which was a shock. im not talking about HS per-se but i see this mentioned with a lot of games, ie they're beatable in Xnumber hours, thus unworthwhile
(/disclaimer)
ok this bugs me, how can u complete the game in 6-8 hours? (ok perhaps u can if youve been practicing for months beforehand, but i assume the 6-8 hours talks about someone whos just picked up the game)
is this with cheating enabled? or is it with a save point (whenever the player wants), thus they can keep on replaying it until they do it with enuf health etc.
from my experience completing a game takes ages (+ im usually pretty good) eg quake3 took ages, esp that prick on the surfboard
Thanks for your impressions. To give you an idea, my wife is buying the game for me now. Not because she read your review mind, it's just to indicate the game has a similar draw on her. She also really, really loved the teaser animations, purely in terms of art appreciation.
Your suggestion above is a nice one, but has the wrong effect in somuch that skilled players will kill the guys fast enough and have no problems breaking the formation. So perhaps it is better to turn it around, and present them in formation first. Then award players for how fast they kill the bad-guys. If you can't beat them, then if you stay out of the fight long enough after a while they will break formation to chase you, something like that, and then the game becomes easier. That's just one suggestion, maybe you can come up with something better.
djskribbles
Legend
ill be getting the game next week, can't wait! Warhawk will hold me over until then.
Most games are too easy nowadays (and can be finished in less than 10 hours on first playthrough). Besides, if its an game with optional tasks, alot gamers will just rush to the end and count that - without mentioning or caring for all the details the game may provide should you stray from the shortest path. Bit like complaining you can finish Monkey Island (I hope you know this one) in less than 1 hour if you know what to do and dont have to talk & walk around for clues. We are talking about games here and not plain movies
IMHO its better to have a short & packed game instead of one thats stretched to lenght with boring or repeating sections. HS gameplay is centered around combat, and the only question should be: Is the combat entertaining? If yes, then the story is an addon and you can play the game aslong until you get bored of it. If no, then the 6-8 hours of story are the only motivation and the game ends for me after the first playthrough (if not before).
Also ask yourself how frustrating it would be to have a great story for a game that is too hard to beat? I'd say the best things you can do is add bonusses that you can only unlock if you're really good, and additional difficulty levels. Maybe with some good advice on which difficulty level to take. I liked MGS in that regard.
Game is now in the building, though it won't be until tonight at the earliest before I can play it.
I liked MGS in that regard.Game is now in the building, though it won't be until tonight at the earliest before I can play it.
