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Official Heavenly Sword Thread - Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads

Z3F said:
I guess I'm the only one here that thinks his dialogue was poorly written. I hate that part when he said "You're fuuuuuuuuullll of passion". Was he supposed to be mentally disabled like Kai?



That was one of the best parts of the game.
 

LordK

Member
So I just got all 129 glyphs on normal. I was hoping for a premium goody. No such thing :( I'm gonna do it on hell mode now. I doubt I'll get a goody for that either. Hopefully this stuff shows up when Home is released!
 
Wow.

I have to say this is the first PS3 game I can say I absolutely love. I have played up thru the end of Chapter 2 over the last couple days (I must be taking my sweet time apparently), and I am loving every single minute of it.

I love the sound and the music. I love the animation and the acting. Love the gameplay, and the different stances. Often before completing a section, I'll just sit and stare at the set pieces and the scenery... some of it is truly amazing.

What I especially love is the presentation... how each chapter, although divided into different sections, is "seamless." And maybe it's the 24 fan in me, but I loooove when they do the split screen stuff with different camera angles.

Best game I have ever played on PS3, and is the first full Blu-ray release that I can say validates my purchase.
 

drohne

hyperbolically metafictive
i think i'll skip the medals on hell mode -- i had a lot of fun getting them on normal, but it kind of broke up the game's flow, and i want to experience the full headlong momentum of the thing. the construction of the chapters is actually really clever, though it can produce a kind of minigame feel that isn't always agreeable -- hs shares some dna with incredible crisis, incredibly enough
 

Tieno

Member
Finished the game and ended up liking (loving!) it more than I thought I would based on some of the critical reception it got. During its finest moments it achieves and offers a delicate beauty, not unlike Crouching Tiger or House of The Flying Daggers, which feels refreshing on the heels of having played God of War 2. During its worst it feels tacky and silly. Those moments usually are with the two boss characters Grey Fox and Whiptail. I don't like their voice acting and overemphasizing of words. Roach is cool, he's good. But they should definately continue on the more touching vibe and dramatic direction of the Nariko and Kai cutscenes.

Nariko and Kai are spot on, I love everything about them. They're nice, friendly, sexy and not hard edge emo bitches.
Got chills at the start of chapter 6 or end of chapter 5, very impressive and just plain cool.
It picks up so well with chapter 3, where it ofers more variety.

Biggest criticism is: lack of content (variety and what they do with it is ok), Grey Fox and Whiptail and technical issues (framerate, loading, etc).
 

Lord Error

Insane For Sony
I can't wait to see if at the end of the game it's clearly shown whether at the end of chapters Narko talks to you, as a player (and technically, a "higher power" that controls the game and designs her destiny) or if they are trying to lead you on to think that while she will in fact at the end reach some kind of 'in game' deity that will talk back to her perhaps.

There's so much nuance in everything in the game, it's really impressive. Everything feels thought out and interconnected, and elegantly so. From the intro scene to the first monologue that becomes the main menu, to the way the story goes from there to things that actually happen in the game, and back into those eerie monologues, character relations etc. Really cool stuff.

Marty Chinn said:
I hate to break it to you but not all the cutscenes are in the viewer. I discovered this last night when I wanted to show my wife a specific scene and noticed it wasn't there.
Fully realtime rendered custcenes are definitely not in the viewer.

Z3F said:
I guess I'm the only one here that thinks his dialogue was poorly written. I hate that part when he said "You're fuuuuuuuuullll of passion". Was he supposed to be mentally disabled like Kai?
He's out of his mind, same as Whiptail and Roach actually, except that Fox and Whiptail are drunk on power, and act accordingly, while Roach has major inferiority complex that keeps him more grounded..
 

sprocket

Banned
I finally picked this game up. I was going to play through a part at 11 pm then go bed. Lets say I got in bed around 3 am.
Also the most beautiful game I have ever played as well.

highly underrated.
 

theBishop

Banned
I still think Nariko is too overwrought, and her taunts at the bosses are poorly written.

Everyone else, I love. Kai steals the show from a dramatic perspective. Nariko's combat is aces. Great hybrid of GoW accessibility with the depth of more "hardcore" action games.

If they do a sequel here's my wishlist:
- JUMP BUTTON (but don't make it a big part of combat)
- 60fps (or Resistance-esque godly 30)
- More interesting puzzles
- Longer campaign (10 hour minimum)
- Online/local Coop (Kai can snipe for Nariko, and maybe some joint puzzles)
- Some levity for Nariko
- More diversity in environments
- More... uh.. SACRED GENITAL!!!

Oh, and if they insist on keeping QTEs, then follow God of War's lead and do stuff that simulates on-screen actions with the thumbsticks or tapping.
 

Tieno

Member
Watching the making of, it's interesting how the actors were in the same room...acting with each other instead of single recorded lines patched together.
 

steve

Banned
The final fight with Bohan is the stuff of legend.
I've never had to be one with the controller moreso than during that fight. Quick hit, roll, shot in the back, evade, poke, duck, jab, roll, smack... I wish I could have videotaped it, I was moving like lightning during that fight. My hands actually hurt when I finished, but oh what a glorious final QTE. :D
 

wotter

Member
Il Comodino said:
someone, outside US and UK, have find the game?

Spain, Italy, Germany, France?
It's in stores in Belgium already for a couple of days now. Should be so for the entire benelux afaik.
 
Tieno said:
Finished the game and ended up liking (loving!) it more than I thought I would based on some of the critical reception it got. During its finest moments it achieves and offers a delicate beauty, not unlike Crouching Tiger or House of The Flying Daggers, which feels refreshing on the heels of having played God of War 2. During its worst it feels tacky and silly. Those moments usually are with the two boss characters Grey Fox and Whiptail. I don't like their voice acting and overemphasizing of words. Roach is cool, he's good. But they should definately continue on the more touching vibe and dramatic direction of the Nariko and Kai cutscenes.

Nariko and Kai are spot on, I love everything about them. They're nice, friendly, sexy and not hard edge emo bitches.
Got chills at the start of chapter 6 or end of chapter 5, very impressive and just plain cool.
It picks up so well with chapter 3, where it ofers more variety.

Biggest criticism is: lack of content (variety and what they do with it is ok), Grey Fox and Whiptail and technical issues (framerate, loading, etc).

Glad you ended up loving it in the end. The whole package of the game is pretty damn awesome. It really all comes together at the finale and the last moments were just pure bad ass.
 

Tieno

Member
slasher_thrasher21 said:
Glad you ended up loving it in the end. The whole package of the game is pretty damn awesome. It really all comes together at the finale and the last moments were just pure bad ass.
Yeah, it's nice to be surprised.
When you're
first in godess mode and you're just sending hundreds upon hundreds of foes into the air. Interacting with that spectacle sent chills down my spine, rare goose bump moment. Somehow it reminded me of a part of the interactive end of SOTC. Like, holy crap, this is dramatic!

Nariko choosing the Heavenly Sword at the end of chapter one was an excellent dramatic moment, goose bump moment too. Almost all of the drama feels natural and not forced at all.
Probably best cutscene direction because of that.
 

Lord Error

Insane For Sony
Tieno said:
Watching the making of, it's interesting how the actors were in the same room...acting with each other instead of single recorded lines patched together.
They almost never do that for games, but you can tell they did it here. The process of recording actors separately is usually an editing nightmare. They sometimes make them pronounce sentences in a few different intonations so that the sound editor has more options to patch the dialogue together, which oftentimes doesn't work well enough to make it sound natural and seamless.

theBishop said:
I still think Nariko is too overwrought
Really? I thought so far (beginning of chapter 4) she's been talking less than I thought she would. I was expecting a bit more of those thought like that one time early in the game where you could hear her thinking how she was always secretly hoping the heavenly sword would be just a normal sword, and her clansmen fools for believing it's something worth worshiping. I liked her taunts as well so far - I actually felt a bit bad for the Roach there where she made an idiot out of him in the arena.
 

Tieno

Member
Marconelly said:
They almost never do that for games, but you can tell they did it here. The process of recording actors separately is usually an editing nightmare. They sometimes make them pronounce sentences in a few different intonations so that the sound editor has more options to patch the dialogue together, which oftentimes doesn't work well enough to make it sound natural and seamless.
Yeah, it pays off. It makes the cutscenes, dialogue, etc flow very naturally and the characters come alive.

Music is incredible too.
 
Tieno said:
Yeah, it pays off. It makes the cutscenes, dialogue, etc flow very naturally and the characters come alive.

Music is incredible too.

Musis IS incredible. I want the soundtrack. Man, I need to go home and finish my game on hell mode.
 

theBishop

Banned
Marconelly said:
Really? I thought so far (beginning of chapter 4) she's been talking less than I thought she would. I was expecting a bit more of those thought like that one time early in the game where you could hear her thinking how she was always secretly hoping the heavenly sword would be just a normal sword, and her clansmen fools for believing it's something worth worshiping. I liked her taunts as well so far - I actually felt a bit bad for the Roach there where she made an idiot out of him in the arena.

Everyone else in the game is sort of funny (even if some are evil), but all her lines are like "I know nothing but death awaits me...". From the very beginning of the game, your first introduction is
her writhing round as the sword kills her
with those terrible wailing noises. My distaste for he voice-overs is established early, and doesn't improve much to the end.

She's like a walking parody, super serious in the face of so many enigmatic characters. The whole subplot with her and her dad doesn't fit the style at all. Kai is the bridge between the ridiculously serious "Honorable Warrior" stuff, and the batshit insane Bohan stuff. Thus, Kai is the best character. Later, something happens to Kai that humanizes her a lot. Objectively, its a pretty weakly written left-turn that happens abruptly. But because Kai is such an interesting, well-acted character, it works and you actually care about her.

I think the actress that played Nariko just didn't get it. Its probably not her fault either. Serkis was probably telling her to play it like that, and the script doesn't do any favors.

"First your catapults, Then Your Army, Then You, BO-Han"
"Your daddy doesn't like you very much"

Blech. I could write wittier dialog than this.
 

Lord Error

Insane For Sony
Hmm, interesting. I can't say I feel that way about her dialogue/voice at all. I agree more with what Tieno said above about her sounding smart and friendly, and not like some hard edge emo bitch, that her character could easily have been.
 

drohne

hyperbolically metafictive
i thought nariko had some good scenes. certainly that bit before she steps onto the battlefield with the rocket launcher -- stirring, though worded a bit strangely. she is often put in the difficult position of playing 'straight woman' to a bunch of loonies. but i like the actress who plays her -- she's got a really cool voice.
 

theBishop

Banned
drohne said:
i thought nariko had some good scenes. certainly that bit before she steps onto the battlefield with the rocket launcher -- stirring, though worded a bit strangely. she is often put in the difficult position of playing 'straight woman' to a bunch of loonies. but i like the actress who plays her -- she's got a really cool voice.

I kind of agree with the straight-woman thing, but her character would be 100x more effective if she showed some humor in the face of this stuff. All her one-liners against the bosses are cringe-worthy. If those lines had been actually funny or biting, that alone might have saved her for me.

And anyone who's ever done a monologue knows its bad form to look directly at one audience member the entire time. It makes people squeamish.
 

sprocket

Banned
theBishop said:
I kind of agree with the straight-woman thing, but her character would be 100x more effective if she showed some humor in the face of this stuff. All her one-liners against the bosses are cringe-worthy. If those lines had been actually funny or biting, that alone might have saved her for me.


You are in the minority here. To me she plays perfectly next to the crazy characters she encounters.

I love how there is dialogue going on in the back ground between characters during actual game play.
 

McLovin

Member
I liked the part where
Bohan was hitting on Noriko and she said ".... Im going to kill you"
reminded me of Stewie from family guy for some reason.:lol
 

Nolan.

Member
sprocket said:
You are in the minority here. To me she plays perfectly next to the crazy characters she encounters.

I love how there is dialogue going on in the back ground between characters during actual game play.

Which ones are you talking abut when they say things like ''i'm gonna tear you another one''.?
 
Marconelly said:
Hmm, interesting. I can't say I feel that way about her dialogue/voice at all. I agree more with what Tieno said above about her sounding smart and friendly, and not like some hard edge emo bitch, that her character could easily have been.

I agree, thought she played her parts perfectly. Definetly glad she didn't take the emo bitch route.
 
theBishop said:
I kind of agree with the straight-woman thing, but her character would be 100x more effective if she showed some humor in the face of this stuff. All her one-liners against the bosses are cringe-worthy. If those lines had been actually funny or biting, that alone might have saved her for me.

OK...

Let's look at Nariko:

-no mother because she died giving birth to her.

-homeless refugee status due to Bohan's army.

-a tribe which sees her as a curse.

-most of tribe killed, those left alive are on the run.

-father captured and nearly beaten to death by Bohan.

-a father who she finds out tried to kill her at birth.

-life being constantly drained due to a self-imposed death sentence that comes with wielding the sword.

Yeah, considering all that, Nariko should totally just be laughing it up and making wisecracks and jokes... [/sarcasm]

Uh, that wouldn't make her character "100x more effective" at all. It would make her character completely weightless and idiotic.
 

McLovin

Member
Nolan. said:
Which ones are you talking abut when they say things like ''i'm gonna tear you another one''.?

How about when you first meet Bohan and Nariko desides to take out the Heavenly Sword. If your doing really good one of the guards says "oh no shes a demon!" then bohan says,"I'M A DEMON now get down there and kill her!"
 

Nolan.

Member
McLovin said:
How about when you first meet Bohan and Nariko desides to take out the Heavenly Sword. If your doing really good one of the guards says "oh no shes a demon!" then bohan says,"I'M A DEMON now get down there and kill her!"

Yeah I remember that one and the
''but daddy she's hurting my head''...''nothing compared to what i'm going to do with you''

It's stuff like that, that made me like the roach character because he seemed really vulnerable but loyal at the same time. Though I agree with the other guy the thing she says there to make roach say that could have been a lot better. And it could have been done without her character sounding ridiculous with it. The line she said was too childish she could have said something like ''aww so eager to please with no reward''. The moment she said that it sounded like a upperclass quarrel between spoilt children. Having said that I still think Kai and Nariko were the best of the lot Kai moreso.
 

BeeDog

Member
Just got my copy of Heavenly Sword (live in Sweden, retail date tomorrow), but I haven't opened it yet. The thing is, the cover on my copy differentiates itself from the other shops (mine is an UK copy I believe); the age limit on the front of the cover is a big fat 15 on mine (like in the old days), and is not the [16+] that's often found on Swedish covers nowadays, and the back of the case is written only in English compared to the Nordic languages on the Swedish cover.

Now, my question is, is there a difference between the different countries' copies? Like, missing languages, additional bug fixes etc.? I'm a bit afraid to open my copy, as to void the return possibility or shit like that. Any help is appreciated.
 

DeanoCalver

Splash Damage
BeeDog said:
Just got my copy of Heavenly Sword (live in Sweden, retail date tomorrow), but I haven't opened it yet. The thing is, the cover on my copy differentiates itself from the other shops (mine is an UK copy I believe); the age limit on the front of the cover is a big fat 15 on mine (like in the old days), and is not the [16+] that's often found on Swedish covers nowadays, and the back of the case is written only in English compared to the Nordic languages on the Swedish cover.

Now, my question is, is there a difference between the different countries' copies? Like, missing languages, additional bug fixes etc.? I'm a bit afraid to open my copy, as to void the return possibility or shit like that. Any help is appreciated.
There only one European version (AFAIK). So whats on a UK disk is the same as a Swedish disk. Packaging can change but the actual game on the disk is the same.

Though I've been known to be wrong but I'd be VERY surprised in this case.
 
theBishop said:
I kind of agree with the straight-woman thing, but her character would be 100x more effective if she showed some humor in the face of this stuff. All her one-liners against the bosses are cringe-worthy. If those lines had been actually funny or biting, that alone might have saved her for me.

And anyone who's ever done a monologue knows its bad form to look directly at one audience member the entire time. It makes people squeamish.


Well that was very much the point IMO. She isn't speaking to the audience directly she's speaking to an entity within the game, namely
the heavenly sword
. What you described was a soliloquy, not a monolouge. When Nariko actually narrates specific points in the game, thats a solioquy, she's speaking to us, the audience.

During the chapter transitions, she's speaking directly at the
sword, or at least the entity within
 

theBishop

Banned
Pristine_Condition said:
OK...

Let's look at Nariko:

-no mother because she died giving birth to her.

-homeless refugee status due to Bohan's army.

-a tribe which sees her as a curse.

-most of tribe killed, those left alive are on the run.

-father captured and nearly beaten to death by Bohan.

-a father who she finds out tried to kill her at birth.

-life being constantly drained due to a self-imposed death sentence that comes with wielding the sword.

Yeah, considering all that, Nariko should totally just be laughing it up and making wisecracks and jokes... [/sarcasm]

Uh, that wouldn't make her character "100x more effective" at all. It would make her character completely weightless and idiotic.

Yeah, so who decided to make the main character's life so bleak when everyone else is sorta goofy. Its not like she had to be written that way. In fact, the decision to make her life a curse on the clan was probably the worst decision in the entire development process. (close 2nd: no jump button)

If Nariko didn't have the massive chip on her shoulder of being a curse to her community (and father), then she'd be a young girl raised by her father who trained her as a warrior because its all he really knows. And the clan's duty is to protect the sword. Maybe she is still born in place of the prophesied Heavenly Warrior to seed the whole savior/hero angle, but the community doesn't hate her because of it. You get a nice, serviceable story out of that without changing too much. And it also gives you license to make Nariko a lot more likeable.
 

Kaako

Felium Defensor
The cut scenes in this game are unfuckingbelievable!
This game is so beautiful and I love the deep combat system as well...if only it was a bit longer...
 

Nolan.

Member
I wonder how much of the original plot/story stayed consistent from the start of the project to when serkis jumped on board to the finish.
 

Tieno

Member
I don't see the problem at all. Between all the crazy boss characters, Nariko's story gives much needed weight and gravitas to the game. Kai is excellent in giving the game some genuine lightheartedness without being cheesy.

Just watched the cutscenes again and I can't believe how amazingly dramatic the intro cutscene is. With the camera movements, the screeming, the drawings appearing on her skin.
 
Agreed. After playing it once through and playing it again. I say the story has even more impact. I just all comes together nicely. Great characters, great va, and I wouldnt have Nariko change her tone one single bit. Its what makes her Nariko :) and Kai will always be one of my most favorite side characters ever. Nough said.
 

theBishop

Banned
XHitoshuraX said:
Well that was very much the point IMO. She isn't speaking to the audience directly she's speaking to an entity within the game, namely
the heavenly sword
. What you described was a soliloquy, not a monolouge. When Nariko actually narrates specific points in the game, thats a solioquy, she's speaking to us, the audience.

During the chapter transitions, she's speaking directly at the
sword, or at least the entity within

Yeah, but when you perform a soliloquy, its not directed at Bob in seat 14-AAA. Its directed at the entire audience. Her eyes are fixed at one point (presumably the player's eyes) through most of those mid-level thingies. Solutions to this are easy. She could be holding the sword and speaking at it. Or speaking to the sky, which everyone would understand to be the god(s).

Not that I'm saying those speeches are even a good idea in the first place. The writing is sort of disjointed, and it did more to distance me from Nariko than feel like I'm controlling her.
 

steve

Banned
Why the hell do people keep complaining about the lack of a jump button? You can jump in the game, it's not like your feet are rooted to the ground like in most games with no jump button. In this game, the jump is built into the combat, instead of sitting there allowing you to jump around when you have absolutely no reason to.

I love how people will complain about a character's mood, yet don't mind when a game lets you prance around like a bouncing idiot for no reason other than because it can.

Both kai and Nariko can jump when needed, that's all that really matters IMO.
 
theBishop said:
Yeah, so who decided to make the main character's life so bleak when everyone else is sorta goofy. Its not like she had to be written that way. In fact, the decision to make her life a curse on the clan was probably the worst decision in the entire development process. (close 2nd: no jump button)

If Nariko didn't have the massive chip on her shoulder of being a curse to her community (and father), then she'd be a young girl raised by her father who trained her as a warrior because its all he really knows. And the clan's duty is to protect the sword. Maybe she is still born in place of the prophesied Heavenly Warrior to seed the whole savior/hero angle, but the community doesn't hate her because of it. You get a nice, serviceable story out of that without changing too much. And it also gives you license to make Nariko a lot more likeable.

Couldn't you make the very same arguments replacing the word "Nariko" with the word "Kratos"? Why didn't they make Kratos "a lot more likeable" then? In your world, that would have somehow made Kratos better, huh?

Why are you so hung up on this idea that the protagonist has to be happy and likeable to be a good character?

Seems like a dumb argument to me. Personally, I think it was good to give Nariko an edge. After all, she's sexy as hell. And she's a baddass warrior. So you already like her. Giving her some emotional gravitas to go along with all that sex-appeal was a good idea, IMO. Otherwise, the character might come off as a little too sweet.
 

kenta

Has no PEINS
copybeaver said:
Which ones are you having trouble with? I pretty much found some cheap ways to score points... some do take some luck (perfect counters one right after the other). But if you can list some of them, I'll see what I can do.
Currently I'm pulling my hair out over "Dawn Siege" in the first chapter (I have no idea what I need to do or hit in order to get the third glyph... maybe hit all of the exploding barrels?) and also "The Heavenly Sword" in the first chapter (the enemies aren't aggressive enough for me to counter constantly which makes my combo meter reset too much). I'm also having a tough time with "Playtime" in the third chapter, the enemies are too close to get accurate headshots via aftertouch, but John Davison on the 1UP Yours podcast mentioned running down one of the hallways where the enemies come from so I will go try that
 

theBishop

Banned
Pristine_Condition said:
Couldn't you make the very same arguments replacing the word "Nariko" with the word "Kratos"? Why didn't they make Kratos "a lot more likeable" then? In your world, that would have somehow made Kratos better, huh?

Why are you so hung up on this idea that the protagonist has to be totally happy and likeable to be a good character?

Seems like a dumb argument to me. Personally, I think it was good to give Nariko an edge. After all, she's sexy as hell. So you already like her. Giving her some emotional gravitas to go along with all that sex-appeal was a good idea, IMO. Otherwise, the character might come off as a little too sweet.

No. Kratos is likable because he's a badass working for himself. The memories of his bleak past
killing his family, etc
serve two functions: showing you he is actually a human being, and fueling his spectacular rage, both make him even more likable.

The reason I'm saying Nariko needs some levity is because everyone else in the game has a sense of humor. She comes off as a downer because of it, and she's the most important character.

If everyone in Greece was a granola-eating, peaceloving, hippy, maybe Kratos would seem like a bit of a dick.
 

drohne

hyperbolically metafictive
kenta said:
I'm also having a tough time with "Playtime" in the third chapter, the enemies are too close to get accurate headshots via aftertouch, but John Davison on the 1UP Yours podcast mentioned running down one of the hallways where the enemies come from so I will go try that

this might be what davison suggested, but yeah, when the last set of enemies appears, you can head through the door they come from and over an obstacle, and then pick them off at your leisure. and you can then turn around and tack a red pot onto your combo.

edit: kratos comes off as more than a bit of a dick. he comes off as an absurd and colossal dick. i'm aware of his unpleasant past -- i take it into account -- and i find that it doesn't explain his behavior. i guess he might be modeled on achilles to some degree -- more an embodiment of pride and anger than a character. achilles is also difficult to like, but he isn't silly.
 

~Devil Trigger~

In favor of setting Muslim women on fire
theBishop said:
No. Kratos is likable because he's a badass working for himself. The memories of his bleak past
killing his family, etc
serve two functions: showing you he is actually a human being, and fueling his spectacular rage, both make him even more likable.

The reason I'm saying Nariko needs some levity is because everyone else in the game has a sense of humor. She comes off as a downer because of it, and she's the most important character.

If everyone in Greece was a granola-eating, peaceloving, hippy, maybe Kratos would seem like a bit of a dick.

i dunno, Nariko got jokes too
 

steve

Banned
If the worst thing you can say about this game is that the main character needs a better sense of humour... meh, guess I can live with that. Who cares really, the game is kickass and that's all that really matters.
 

Firewire

Banned
Anyone seeing the HS commercial in weird places. I know its on G4 T.V. but I just checked out Leafs T.V to get the time for tonights game from the menu & it was showing the HS commercial. A friend mentioned he saw it on CBC News World as well?

Weird channels for a video game commercial.
 
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