Support NeoGAF

[~Devil Trigger~]

Im going at it again on Hell Mode

its not too Hard so cuz I pretty much mastered the Combat System, and The game is So much better now

getting more metals too

 

[SaitoH]

yes, it was a Circle every time, she would flip them over and stab them on the ground and the death count would rise.

Yeah, if you don't counter fast enough she'll kill them by ... uhhh ... mistake?

 

[Lord Error]

I like Kai's level best because it's funny and refreshing at the same time.

I have stopped playing last night right at the beginning of the mission where Kai has to go in that wooden cage. Her level so far has been really good. I had no idea she could jump over things like that, it was surprising, and it's animated really well. Her running animation reminds me of Ico a little bit. I was worried her missions were something tacked on just to make the game longer, but they are pulled off really well (so far at least)

 

[LaneDS]

Played through probably half of this over the weekend. Unlike the other mega-hyped PS3 release Lair, I came away very pleased from my time spent with Heavenly Sword. I went in knowing most of it's flaws beforehand (short game, some framerate and vertical sync issues, nearly 100% combat-based gameplay) and just had a blast.

The gameplay itself is a bit repetitive but overall quite fun. Even the Kai segments are decently entertaining (even with the dumb as bricks AI... they're like ghosts from Pac-Man at times).

Music is surprisingly outstanding. Really compliments the usually jaw-dropping visuals. And as expected the story and presentation is perhaps the best ever seen in a videogame. Mr. Kojima has his work cut out for him to top Heavenly Sword in this department.

I fired up the PS3 Saturday night to show some people the first scene with Bohan where he's got

Spoiler

Shen chained up

, and I was amazed to see people that didn't know any of the game's characters or context laughing at the parts Ninja Theory intended people to laugh at. For any other medium, this wouldn't be terribly impressive, but the fact that games have progressed to the point where the acting and animation is believable enough to quickly illicit emotional responses is really something.

Well worth any fan of action games (or movies?) to play through, though like many have said it's very much best suited to rental status at the steep $60 price tag.

 

[Tieno]

I just rented the game, finished chapter 2. It's nice, although repetitive at times. Cutscenes are great, but it's sometimes a bit too melodramatic for my tastes. Especially the overpronounciation and overemphasizing of words, which gets tiring. But all in all it's damn nice, wish there was just more of a game there.
Best part so far was at the end chapter 1, where Nariko chose to pick up the heavenly sword...sent chills down my spine.
I was afraid of the Kai shooting-gameplay, which to me didn't look fun at all based on the videos, but it's actually quite good. I'm terrible with aftertouch so I turned it off.

It has a couple of unique stuff which make it worth checking out.

 

[Lord Error]

Yeah, that's another thing - the game really has genuinely funny moments - not only in the cutscenes (Bohan really rocks there - "I can't feel my legs" ... "There, let me feel them for you") but in gameplay as well. In one of Kai's missions I shot the guy in the butt with an arrow without using the aftertouch, and he started jumping like an idiot holding his hands there, it really cracked me up. Then the comments that they make during fights with Nariko - "Someone kill her ALREADY! ... "I'm trying!!" and bunch of others, really gives some character even to those completely forgettable fodder characters.

I had problems with aftertouch on Kai's very first mission, but it's been smooth sailing ever since. I miss just rarely enough (maybe one in ten arrows) to keep things interesting, and while I'm sure I could be even more precise using sticks, there's no way it would be as fun. I see the aftertouch in this game the same way I see something like Lightgun games. Sure you could be more precise using mouse and seeing aim pointer moving on the screen, but shooting with lightgun with no aim on the screen is simply more fun.

 

[Phoenix Down]

why aint dis thread stickied?

 

[Tieno]

Yeah, I laughed out loud in the first chapter ending cutscene. Bohan's all evil laughing, being maniacilly evil...evil grin vanishes instantly 'Kill her'. Made me genuinly laugh.

 

[Lord Error]

Also, I have to point out that on my TV, I can't really tell which cutscenes are pre-recorded video and which are fully realtime just by looking. They did a really good job with encoding. I think it's easy to tell which scenes are video though, just by going into the cutscene playback menu and all the cutscenes listed there are probably video streams. They all start playing too quickly to be anything else. They are also missing some cutscens there, which means those are likely all realtime then. Waiting for Deano or Nostromo to confirm/deny

why aint dis thread stickied?

Why don't you abbreviate God of War as GoW??

Some things in life are simply not fair - get used to it!

 

[patsu]

I finally got my game! I'll be playing non-stop till I beat it. Wish me good luck!

May the skirts be with you...

 

[dark10x]

Also, I have to point out that on my TV, I can't really tell which cutscenes are pre-recorded video and which are fully realtime just by looking. They did a really good job with encoding. I think it's easy to tell which scenes are video though, just by going into the cutscene playback menu and all the cutscenes listed there are probably video streams. They all start playing too quickly to be anything else. They are also missing some cutscens there, which means those are likely all realtime then. Waiting for Deano or Nostromo to confirm/deny

Why don't you abbreviate God of War as GoW??

Some things in life are simply not fair - get used to it!

I thought it was easy to tell.

Pre-rendered videos run at a smooth framerate while realtime cutscenes tend to run slower and have loads of tearing. They look every bit as detailed as the videos, though, which is quite nice.

 

[Tieno]

I thought it was easy to tell.

Pre-rendered videos run at a smooth framerate while realtime cutscenes tend to run slower and have loads of tearing. They look every bit as detailed as the videos, though, which is quite nice.

Is the facial acting of the same quality too?

 

[dark10x]

Is the facial acting of the same quality too?

Yes it is. Nothing is lost except performance. I'm sure they COULD have displayed most if not all of the cutscenes (excluding the ending) in realtime but chose not to in order to hide the loading times (which are insanely long).

 

[Lord Error]

Yeah, some of the realtime cutscenes do have some performance issues, and do have some lipsync issues as well (not all the time though!) The look identical to recorded video scenes otherwise though.

I disagree about the comment on load times however. The only visible load times are when you die and have to retry the mission. Sometimes makes no sense really as you're literally restarting the same exact room and everything, but you still have to wait to load. Oh well, at least I didn't die too many times so far so it hasn't been a problem.

 

[dark10x]

I disagree about the comment on load times however. The only visible load times are when you die and have to retry the mission. Sometimes makes no sense really as you're literally restarting the same exact room and everything, but you still have to wait to load. Oh well, at least I didn't die too many times so far so it hasn't been a problem.

I'm saying that the load times are HIDDEN by the cutscenes. Try selecting an indvidual chapter and you'll get an idea of how long the game requires to load each area.

 

[Jonas]

I'm saying that the load times are HIDDEN by the cutscenes. Try selecting an indvidual chapter and you'll get an idea of how long the game requires to load each area.

True if you skip a cutscene it will show the loading mode.

 

[Lord Error]

Ah I see. I didn't try to skip the cutscene so far, but I remember it did load for quite a bit in the demo when I did skip the intro cutscene.

Also, I just read about the shadows talk a few pages back.

Here's my take on it. Realtime world shadows which HS has look pretty damn good - artifacting usually appears on character self shadowing, but that's the case with almost all games with soft self shadowing right now. Realtime shadows like this allow you to cast world shadows onto moving characters (which you can see in HS whenever you walk into a shadow or under the moving flag etc.) They also allow for character shadows and world shadows to blend perfectly which just gives characters that much more 'contact' with the world, which I think again is one of the things where HS does a really good job. Characters really feel like part of the world. I am surprised however, there's no more moving shadows in the world scenery. They could have done that easily it seems.

I'm guessing also, this way you save memory because you don't have to store all the precomputed shadow maps, but render them directly onto the buffer?

 

[cgcg]

What kind of technique did they use in Warhawk? The shadows in that game are beatiful and almost flawless. They are still some jagged edges but they are kept at the minimum.

 

[XHitoshuraX]

I'm guessing also, this way you save memory because you don't have to store all the precomputed shadow maps, but render them directly onto the buffer?

It really works either way depending on the scope of the shadow rendering being used. It seems that with HS very few, if any precomputed shadow maps were used.

 

[steve]

Finally finished the game last night, I'd say the length was damn near perfect, this is the first game I've played through to completion in years.

Pros:

- Amazing animation
- Stunning art direction
- Addictive gameplay
- Voice acting and character design all extremely high quality
- Beautiful visuals as far as the eye can see. Exactly how I imagined a next-gen ICO to look.
- Giving me the option to turn off motion control. The game was 100% more fun with it turned off.

Cons: Anything negative I can say about this game stems from technical issues, which I'm confident could have and should have been addressed. Perhaps a patch down the line?

- Frame studdering during cutscenes while the HDD is accessing data to load the upcoming scene. This literally made some of the cinematics in the game crawl to a slideshow for a few seconds.
- Dialogue volume was a bit low, even cranked to full in the options. I always had a bit of a tough time hearing all the spoken words with everything else going on in the background. I even turned down music and combat volume, but dialogue still wasn't pronounced enough for me in certain instances. I'm playing in 5.1 digital btw.
- Load times are arduous when you fail a section. Thankfully, QTE's reload instantly when you fail.
- Strange enemy AI. Sometimes, enemies wouldn't attack unless I did so first. I could stand there, with a dozen guys circling me and no one would take a swing at me until I attacked first.
- Framerate takes a hit in certain instances.

Overall, this was one fantastic videogame. I enjoyed every minute of it, and I'm praying it sells well enough to justify what I'm sure will be one amazing sequel. It took me about 10 hours to complete, although I do like to take my time and admire my games as I progress through them, checking out the sweeping vistas and any secrets that may be kicking around.

Great job NT, I hope you can fix the technical bugs I mentioned, , this is one that shall remain in my collection for years to come.

 

[Tieno]

Chapter 3 definately is my favorite so far. It has a nice pace and variety, Kai is very endearing and funny in it (password stuff!) and the Roach battle is funny too. It's just a funny game in general and its quirkyness feels refreshing.
Just weird that the loading is so apparant after installing 2gb of data on the hd. Even the menu has to load more than it should.

 

[Lord Error]

Dialogue volume is a bit low sometimes. I actually had to enable subtitiles because I started missing things spoken in the dialogue. I have all three volume bars at 100%, I never tried to lower down the music and effect, and to keep voice high. It's usually fine, but now I can quickly read whatever's being said if I don't manage to hear it.

I find this to be a problem in many games, and HS is not nearly as guilty of it as some of Capcom's games (Viewtiful joe comes to mind instantly)

What kind of technique did they use in Warhawk? The shadows in that game are beatiful and almost flawless. They are still some jagged edges but they are kept at the minimum.

Are world geometry shadows in Warhak dynamic at all? I thought they were pre-computed and the character/vehicle shadows are dynamic. I also think shadow blurriness in Warhawk is always the same regardless of the shadow length, whereas in HS they use cascaded shadowmaps where the shadow can get blurrier the longer it gets (but I'm not sure on either account...)

 

[XHitoshuraX]

Are world geometry shadows in Warhak dynamic at all? I thought they were pre-computed and the character/vehicle shadows are dynamic. I also think shadow blurriness in Warhawk is always the same regardless of the shadow length, whereas in HS they use cascaded shadowmaps where the shadow can get blurrier the longer it gets (but I'm not sure on either account...)

I know that the Shadows (specifically geometry) in WowHawk aren't dynamic, considering the bandwidth they were using for lighting in general.

To be honest I'm not entirely certain about the cascading effect used in HS.

 

[Dante]

OK anybody got any tips for getting medals with Kai I seem to always get stuck with two medals for her levels. :/

 

[cgcg]

Hmm can't remember for sure, but I do remember the trees cast shadows and so are the underpasses. Can't remember about other stuff right now. Honestly though visually the shadows in Warhawk are much better to look at even if it's technically inferior.

 

[Yoshichan]

Holy shit... I just beat the game. It took me 7 hours (which is A LOT longer than what I had in mind). I'm kind of speechless at the moment, so I don't have time to do a review... I'll just sum it all up, really quick.

Pros
Cutscenes
Expressions
Cutscenes
Graphics
Sound effects
Nariko
Kai
Cutscenes
All fucking bosses
Cutscenes
Cutscenes
Framerate was A LOT better than expected (considering the demo...)
Cutscenes
Cutscenes
Nariko
Cutscenes
Nariko
Animations
Cutscenes
Kai
Kai
Kai
Cutscenes

Cons
The puzzles seemed... out of their place

Don't wanna give this 8/10 (too low) nor 9/10 (a little bit too high)

 

[~Devil Trigger~]

Holy shit... I just beat the game. It took me 7 hours (which is A LOT longer than what I had in mind). I'm kind of speechless at the moment, so I don't have time to do a review... I'll just sum it all up, really quick.

Pros
Cutscenes
Expressions
Cutscenes
Graphics
Sound effects
Nariko
Kai
Cutscenes
All fucking bosses
Cutscenes
Cutscenes
Framerate was A LOT better than expected (considering the demo...)
Cutscenes
Cutscenes
Nariko
Cutscenes
Nariko
Animations
Cutscenes
Kai
Kai
Kai
Cutscenes

Cons
The puzzles seemed... out of their place

Don't wanna give this 8/10 (too low) nor 9/10 (a little bit too high)

8.8

 

[Tieno]

Don't wanna give this 8/10 (too low) nor 9/10 (a little bit too high)

8.5?

 

[Yoshichan]

8.8

Exactly where I want it!

Heavenly Sword, 8.8 (just as good as TP)

 

[steve]

OK anybody got any tips for getting medals with Kai I seem to always get stuck with two medals for her levels. :/

Once you've dispatched the baddies, use the camera pan feature to move the camera into positions you normally wouldn't see. Oftentimes I found hidden pots in the strangest places, just waiting to be shot and broken. I think you also get extra points for killing guys in some ways more than others. Headshots and shooting % seemed to be unlocking bonus content more often than not for me, although it might have just been my imagination.

 

[Kittonwy]

Im going at it again on Hell Mode

its not too Hard so cuz I pretty much mastered the Combat System, and The game is So much better now

getting more metals too

Once mastered, the counters are just infinitely more enjoyable than what they had in God of War 1/2, I wonder if they're better off just dropping the "perfect" counter for the next game but just have everything happening in the form of a normal counter, or just zoom in a bit, so there's less break in the immersion per se.

 

[~Devil Trigger~]

Exactly where I want it!

Heavenly Sword, 8.8 (just as good as TP)

Nintendo fans are actively planning your assassination FYI

 

[Yoshichan]

Nintendo fans are actively planning your assassination FYI

Drones will have to at least play the game first, before killing me

 

[SlasherJPC]

Awesome awesome game. It was so entralling the whole way through. I enjoyed it so much I startd hell mode right away and already made my way up to Whiptail.

I hope this game gets a much deserved sequel.

 

[XHitoshuraX]

Awesome awesome game. It was so entralling the whole way through. I enjoyed it so much I startd hell mode right away and already made my way up to Whiptail.

I hope this game gets a much deserved sequel.

You know who really deserves praise is Rhianna Pratchett. She was able to take the script far far away from sounding video game-esque. The actors of course do the actual vocal work, but the writting techniques she implemented are simply stunning in their simplicity.

 

[SlasherJPC]

You know who really deserves praise is Rhianna Pratchett. She was able to take the script far far away from sounding video game-esque. The actors of course do the actual vocal work, but the writting techniques she implemented are simply stunning in their simplicity.

I 100% agree.

 

[TONX]

Once mastered, the counters are just infinitely more enjoyable than what they had in God of War 1/2, I wonder if they're better off just dropping the "perfect" counter for the next game but just have everything happening in the form of a normal counter, or just zoom in a bit, so there's less break in the immersion per se.

Nice Kittonwy's back! No more

Spoiler

fucking

outbursts, k? TGS this week!

Just picked this up today, can't wait to try it out.

 

[Aeon712]

Just finished Chapter 4 and this game has the best voice acting ever. I didn't think the game could top Nariko and Whiptail but Kai and Greyfox was so moving.

Spoiler

I :lol when I found out the dead body I used for target practice was Kai's dead mother

. I planned on going to the store but screw that I need more Chapter 5 here I come.

 

[SlasherJPC]

Just finished Chapter 4 and this game has the best voice acting ever. I didn't think the game could top Nariko and Whiptail but Kai and Greyfox was so moving.

Spoiler

I :lol when I found out the dead body I used for target practice was Kai's dead mother

. I planned on going to the store but screw that I need more Chapter 5 here I come.

Unfortunalty you don't mave much of the game left

 

[Kittonwy]

Nice Kittonwy's back! No more

Spoiler

fucking

outbursts, k? TGS this week!

Just picked this up today, can't wait to try it out.

You'll like it, it's awesome.

Spoiler

I didn't fucking know using fuck alot means I'm having a fucking meltdown.

 

[tehbear]

You'll like it, it's awesome.

Spoiler

I didn't fucking know using fuck alot means I'm having a fucking meltdown.

Internet doesn't show the absolute calm and dignity with each

Spoiler

fuck

you type.

 

[Lord Error]

Hmm can't remember for sure, but I do remember the trees cast shadows and so are the underpasses. Can't remember about other stuff right now. Honestly though visually the shadows in Warhawk are much better to look at even if it's technically inferior.

Hmm, I dunno, HS shadows may be a bit glitchy but the are very rich and plentiful. Warhawk looks very barren in comparison as far as shadows go.

 

[tanod]

You'll like it, it's awesome.

Spoiler

I didn't fucking know using fuck alot means I'm having a fucking meltdown.

You implied the dude was a

Spoiler

fucktard

.

Mods are hardcore about the inkling of a personal insult. Tread with caution. I got banned for telling somebody

Spoiler

they fail at math

in a sales-age thread.


I REALLY hope my copy of this game comes today. hopehopehopehopehopehope

 

[dark10x]

Hmm, I dunno, HS shadows may be a bit glitchy but the are very rich and plentiful. Warhawk looks very barren in comparison as far as shadows go.

Warhawk also runs at a solid 30 fps.

Heavenly Sword is the ultimate example of necessary sacrifice. They simply attempted to display too many things and the performance is terrible as a result. When you find yourself fighting up on the wall in chapter 5, they continue to draw and shadow all of the troops out in the field and the framerate is a smokin' 15 fps. However, had they used a trick of some sort, things would have looked just as good AND run smoothly. Why not toss in some slight depth of field and fake the troops? Hell, God of War managed to draw a similar type of scene using fake troops in the distance and it still managed to feel epic.

There are just so many instances when it seems as if they are pushing their engine for no reason at all.

 

[steve]

Just finished Chapter 4 and this game has the best voice acting ever. I didn't think the game could top Nariko and Whiptail but Kai and Greyfox was so moving.

Spoiler

I :lol when I found out the dead body I used for target practice was Kai's dead mother

. I planned on going to the store but screw that I need more Chapter 5 here I come.

Did you notice Kratos' armor and blades?

 

[Kittonwy]

Warhawk also runs at a solid 30 fps.

Heavenly Sword is the ultimate example of necessary sacrifice. They simply attempted to display too many things and the performance is terrible as a result. When you find yourself fighting up on the wall in chapter 5, they continue to draw and shadow all of the troops out in the field and the framerate is a smokin' 15 fps. However, had they used a trick of some sort, things would have looked just as good AND run smoothly. Why not toss in some slight depth of field and fake the troops? Hell, God of War managed to draw a similar type of scene using fake troops in the distance and it still managed to feel epic.

There are just so many instances when it seems as if they are pushing their engine for no reason at all.

The one thing I don't like about the God of War series is that I know that all the background stuff is just fake, and most of the places you see in a distance you can never go there. It would probably be ok not to have a 1000 soldiers on screen at once, but if anything I would like the world to be MORE seamless and MORE sprawling, and be able to look around with some sort of camera control than using tilt, maybe L2 or R2 to reset the camera behind the character, put more platforming in there and give it a more Soul Reaver-like feel to it.

 

[UntoldDreams]

Just beat the game...

*** My Final Review Score: 8.5

Awesome game. Worth every penny.

 

[steve]

Just beat the game...

Awesome game. Worth every penny.

Seems to be the general consensus amongst those that have finished it.

 

[XHitoshuraX]

Unfortunalty you don't mave much of the game left

/slapjunior.gif

Tanod: Hurry the fuck up and play it already!!

 

[Firewire]

Seems to be the general consensus amongst those that have finished it.

Finished it Saturday night. Awesome game! Hell mode here I come!

Its worth every penny!