Got the PS3 version yesterday - and i call it a friggin Christmas miracle to find it in a small videogames store down in Athens alongside Bayonetta, just sitting on the shelf and staring at me. I couldnt believe my good luck. Anyway some impressions:
Graphics are colorful, shiny and with a smooth framerate, cutscenes looks spectacular and full of life BUT -there seems to be a lot of aliasing in the gameplay sections. I dunno if its just the PS3 version and if the 360 version will have anti-aliasing or not, but its obvious and it kinda ruins the visual presentation. I have the 360 version pre-ordered so when it comes, ill have a comparion side by side. I can confirm though that the PS3 version has zero tearing. Voice acting is solid and Mark Hamill is awesome sounding as The Watcher (your sidekick kinda). And the story looks interesting too.
Gameplay is solid - although i dont have any important special powers or weapons yet, just a horn that blows back enemies with a shockwave and opens doors. But still, War looks, feels and plays in a pretty badass way. You have a couple of basic sword combos to begin with and there is ALWAYS a finishing move to be done with the circle button every time that will either slice your enemy in half, ride the sword down his spine or separate his head from his body. You can also grab smaller enemies and just squeeze the life out of them in your (huge) fists. There are much larger enemies though that are (currently) more difficult bring down and they can actually become a challenge. And this is where this feature comes in: L2 locks on your enemy, the view perspective goes a bit sideways and there you can maneuvere yourself without ever being in a blind spot. It is actually VERY similar to the Z lock targeting found in Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time and it works beautifully. I found battles with harder-to-kill enemies to be more enjoyable (as they are difficult) thanks to this feature. Note, that War is pretty vulnerable as he begins his quest but judging from the different equipment menus and what i read in the manual, War has a TON of weapons, relics and equipment to find all of them with different powers - not to mention that there are equally tons of new abilities to be purchased from a vendor that you find in the beginning of the game (and stays there throughout from what it seems). There is definetely a lot to explore in this game as there are secret chests to be found and pathways that unlock after you get new powers.
Note, that the game feels free-roaming like GTA or Infamous - just a bit more restricted. Again it feels like a Zelda setting and even the platforming looks to be kinda simillar. But thats a good thing as it plays as good as a Zelda game too ^^
And thats about it. I havent played much more, because im waiting to see how the 360 version will look as well. I say it again, there is a lot of aliasing in its gameplay sections that kinda ruin the mood for me - but strangely the cutscene sections look crisp and solid. And when you go to a transition from the one to the other, it gives you a weird after taste. The gameplay is there however, its solid, enjoyable and with TONS (geez i repeat that word a lot today) of unlockables and possibilities. Make it your day one purchase for the New Year.
