GamesRadar - Heavenly Sword

Lesbian Trysts (Feature)

Aug 18, 2008

For some, it may be a shock to learn that there are actually female gamers out there. More shocking yet may be the realization that some female gamers are gay. If you haven’t gone into apoplectic seizures yet, you may be interested to know that some gay female gamers enjoy illustrations of their favorite characters in compromising situations. Enter lesbiangamers.com with their Lesbian Trysts series, wherein two iconic game babes get ...

Ninja Theory to Use Natural Motions's Techology (News)

Jun 17, 2008

Ninja Theory has just purchased a license of morpheme for use in their future titles. Gamers can expect to see this technology being used in their future titles.

Sony silent on 'Heavenly Sword 2 canned' rumour (News)

Jun 17, 2008

Word is development of Heavenly Sword 2 has been canned as the title's "no longer seen as commercially viable" says a Kotaku report. The game is said to have been axed after six months of development at the Sony Cambridge Studios. We contacted Sony UK for comment, but was issued a firm "no comment". ...

Heavenly Sword Sequel "Extremely Unlikely" (News)

May 27, 2008

Ripten's Patrick Steen writes:

"There was always hope Heavenly Sword would give birth to a sequel that was "bigger and better than ever before." At least that's what we thought when we received a batch of new concept art from Ninja Theory.

Not only were our hopes dashed, but they've now been pummeled into believing there will never be a Heavenly Sword sequel. Nariko is dead."

Heavenly Sword Dev now PS3/360 (News)

Apr 23, 2008

Ninja Theory, the development studio behind Heavenly Sword, has announced that their next game will be appearing on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

"It's a brutal environment out there for an independent, particularly considering the size of the games that we're developing," said Ninja Theory co-founder Nina Kristensen.

"Yes, our new game is going to be PS3 and Xbox 360," Kristensen said. "We have actually signed it but we're not announcing to who at the moment."

Looks like they've lined up a publisher and will indeed be going multi-platform.

PS3/360: Five High-Def Titles For Your Game Console (News)

Apr 14, 2008

The Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 have brought HD gaming into the mainstream. After years of High-Def in the living room being a hazy concept that really only affected A/V aficionados, the more technologically inclined, and the affluent, these videogame machines have made HD Gaming as simple and affordable as "plug n' play." But as with any consumer device, the hardware, for all its potential, is just that - untapped potential. What really brings out the true worth of the machine is the software that goes into it, and how it utilizes the power built into its system architecture.

Gaming's greatest Fatties (Feature)

Feb 22, 2008

Just in time for Black History Month, GamesRadar is proud to present a completely unrelated article about fat people. Chubbies are everywhere these days. Your next door neighbor could be a fatty. More than likely, your mom is one, too. Oh, Snap! ...

Heavenly Sword dev hints at new project (News)

Feb 19, 2008

Ninja Theory, the UK-based developer behind PS3 hit Heavenly Sword (and Kung Fu Chaos), has updated its website to tease us about what its next project will be. A Heavenly Sword sequel or something completely different? "Right now we're working on an exciting new concept that has got everyone we talk to buzzing," reads the website. "We can't say a lot except that it's going to be great to work on and should be even better to play! It'll take all ...

Latest PS3 Game Updates: What Are They? (News)

Dec 31, 2007

Perhaps you didn't notice, but more than a few PS3 titles got recent and very unexpected updates... and some could potentially hurt the system.

-- 12/31/2007, Ben Dutka

Playboy's Best Games of 2007 (News)

Dec 29, 2007

Here are the winners and runners-up for all the categories:

Game of the Year: BioShock
Runners-up: Rock Band, Mass Effect, Super Mario Galaxy, The Orange Box

Most Innovative: Rock Band
Runners-up: Portal, Assassin's Creed, Crush, Super Paper Mario

Best Writing: Mass Effect
Runners-up: BioShock, Portal, Assassin's Creed, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

Best Adrenaline Rush: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Runners-up: God of War II, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Project Gotham Racing 4, Halo 3

Best Jiggle Factor: Heavenly Sword
Runners-up: Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Conan, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary

Guiltiest Pleasure: LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
Runners-up: Stranglehold, Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, Overlord, Mario Strikers Charged

Best Portable Game: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Runners-up: Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow, Silent Hill: Origins, Dead Head Fred

Worst Game: Vampire Rain
Runners-up: Jackass: The Game, Lair, Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s, The Eye of Judgment, Hour of Victory

[ Judges: Scott Alexander, Damon Brown, John Gaudiosi, Scott Jones, Marc Saltzman, Scott Stein and Scott Steinberg ]

Official PLAYSTATION 3 Skins (News)

Dec 28, 2007

On the official Heavenly Sword and Warhawk sites, they have provided a link to a website who sells official limited edition Heavenly Sword and Warhawk PLAYSTATION 3 skins to customize your PLAYSTATION 3 console. Hopefully Sony and 3rd party developers will make more skins like these for gamers! Maybe that's why the 40GB PS3s have the PLAYSTATION 3 logo painted on instead of engraved like previous older models?

NPD Fallout: Uncharted Fails to Chart (News)

Dec 15, 2007

Missing from the NPD November sales charts is Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, which only managed 117,000 sales. To be fair, Uncharted did have a better first-month than Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (74,500 units), Warhawk (58,600 units) and Lair (46,500 units), but still fell behind Heavenly Sword's debut sales (139,000 units) in September.

Heavenly Sword Creators Working on Something Exciting (News)

Dec 10, 2007

Ripten:

"Ninja Theory, the developers that brought us Heavenly Sword, are moving forward in the creation of their next game. Something exciting is in the cooking pot and the hinting makes us giddy."

Current Japanese Best Sellers (News)

Nov 22, 2007

Mario Party DS sold a further 116,000 copies during the week ended November 18 to retain the top spot in Japan.

The feat follows unit sales of almost a quarter of a million in its debut week, and is enough to beat the latest Resident Evil title to the Japanese software summit.

Wii exclusive The Umbrella Chronicles, the first of five new entries to make the top ten, debuts at No2. It supplants Shin Sangoku Musou 5, which drops one place to No3.

Overall 14 DS games, six Wii, four PS3, three PSP, two PS2 and one Xbox 360 title chart.

01. Mario Party DS (DS) - 116,000 / 350,000
02. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (Wii) - 83,000 / New
03. Shin Sangoku Musou 5 (PS3) - 76,000 / 264,000
04. Pro Yakyuu Famista DS (DS) - 49,000 / New
05. Game Center CX (DS) - 46,000 / New
06. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) - 40,000 / 365,000
07. Heavenly Sword (PS3) - 15,000 / New
08. Final Fantasy Tactics A2 (DS) - 14,000 / 230,000
09. Wii Sports (Wii) - 13,000 / 2,211,000
10. Soukou Kihei Votoms (PS2) - 12,000 / New

VG Chartz: Preliminary Japanese Sales for the Week Ending Nov. 18, 2007 (News)

Nov 19, 2007

VG Chartz is still compiling weekly data for Japan. Here is an early take on how some of the figures will look for the week ending November 18, 2007. These figures are preliminary and should not to be taken as gospel; they are just an early take on approximately where the market will be for the week. Estimates are in units sold.

Hardware sale estimates:
¿ DS: ~80,000
¿ PSP: 50,000 to 58,000
¿ PS3: 45,000 to 75,000
¿ Wii: 30,000 to 40,000
¿ PS2: 8,000 to 12,000
¿ Xbox 360: 4,000 to 7,000

Wii software sale estimates:
¿ Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (Total): ~100,000
¿ Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (without the Wii Zapper): 63,000 to 70,000
¿ Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (bundled with the Wii Zapper): 25,000 to 30,000
¿ Super Mario Galaxy: 24,000 to 28,000

PS3 software sale estimates:
¿ Dynasty Warriors 6: 56,000 to 64,000
¿ Heavenly Sword: 9,000 to 13,000
¿ Ratchet & Clank Future: 4,000 to 7,000

Xbox 360 software sale estimates:
¿ Dynasty Warriors 6: 10,000 to 13,000

PS2 software sale estimates:
¿ Metropolitan Police 2: 8,000 to 12,000
¿ Armored Calvary Bottom: 6,000 to 10,000
¿ Ar Tonelico: 3,000 to 5,000
¿ Volleyball Worldcup Evolution of Venus: 3,000 to 5,000

PSP software sale estimates:
¿ Monster Hunter Portable 2: 8,000 to 10,000
¿ Covenant Door: 4,000 to 8,000
¿ Akumajou Dracula X Chronicle: 4,000 to 8,000

DS software sale estimates:
¿ Mario Party DS: 110,000 to 130,000
¿ Game Center CX: 40,000 to 48,000
¿ Famitsa DS: 28,000 to 34,000
¿ Drum Master: 24,000 to 28,000
¿ Final Fantasy Tactics A2: 9,000 to 12,000

Japanese First Day Sales - 11/15/07: Resident Evil, Heavenly Sword (News)

Nov 16, 2007

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles sold 70,000 units total on launch day. Here is a breakdown:

¿ Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles without Zapper - 50,000
¿ Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles with Zapper - 20,000
¿ Heavenly Sword - 7,000 (30,000 shipped)
¿ Famitsa DS - 20,000
¿ Game Center CX - 35,000 units (50,000 shipped)
¿ Cooking Mama DS - 2,000 units (30,000 shipped)

PS3 Owners Find Heavenly Sword Divine (News)

Nov 15, 2007

For those who remember the initial reveal of of the PS3 at E3 2005, there were several game trailers that accompanied the announcement. These included Killzone 2, Motorstorm, Tekken 6 and a couple of titles that never made it past the concept stage. There was a lot of controversy surrounding some of these trailers due to perceptions about pre-rendered graphical quality, but while some titles haven't lived up to the level of visual splendor of that first glimpse, one title has actually exceeded its teaser trailer: Heavenly Sword.

September was a tough month to release in with Halo 3 dominating all, but Heavenly Sword did manage to crack the top ten, bringing PS3 owners a satisfying action game. According to the NPD, Heavenly Sword was the best selling PS3 game for the September period. The game even managed to crack the top 10 games of the month, coming in tenth place overall. In total, Heavenly Sword sold 139,000 units during September.

While the sales total itself does not appear that significant, at least compared to some other recent hits, Heavenly Sword's importance is emphasized when you compare its market performance to the results so far for dozens of other PS3 titles. Many PS3 exclusives, such as Ninja Gaiden Sigma, have found difficulty achieving a high level of sales success. While Heavenly Sword wasn't a break away hit, what it sold in a month dominated by Halo 3 is encouraging and a good building point for the PS3 library going forward.

Worldwide PS3 releases for the week of November 11 (News)

Nov 11, 2007

US Games

* Assassin's Creed
* Kane and Lynch: Dead Men
* Need For Speed: ProStreet
* WWE Smackdown vs RAW
* Beowulf: The Game

EU Games

* Assassin's Creed

Asian Games

* Heavenly Sword

Assassin's Creed & Heavenly Sword composers to present MIDEM keynote (News)

Nov 9, 2007

The music industry's marketplace event MIDEM is bolstering its focus on the games industry with a joint keynote from composes Jesper Kyd and Nitin Sawhney.

Kyd has worked on a number of games titles to produce accompanying orchestral scores, including upcoming game Assassin's Creed. Sawhney, meanwhile, worked on recent PS3 game Heavenly Sword, but is also a famed artist in his own right.

Xbox Officially Wins September (News)

Nov 7, 2007

The official NPD numbers are in for September, and the Xbox 360 swept, even beating out the Nintendo Wii for that month.

We think it has something to do with Halo 3.

Here are the hard Numbers, from industry analysts at the NPD Group:

Hardware

Xbox 360: 527,800
Wii: 501,000
Nintendo DS: 495,800
PlayStation Portable: 284,500
PlayStation 2: 215,000
Playstation 3: 119,400
Game Boy Advance: 75,000

Australian Game Charts for Week Ending 21st October (News)

Oct 26, 2007

Australian GfK's weekly software sale charts for All Formats, Xbox 360, PC, PS2, PS3, DS, PSP, and Wii.

Enter PS3's Onyx World: New PS3 Brand Campaign Starts On TV Next Week (News)

Oct 23, 2007

Next week, Sony Computer Entertainment America will be bringing its new PS3 brand campaign to TV. Unlike the initial "White Room" ads, these will focus on key titles and PS3 features. GameDaily Biz chat with Kim Ngyuen, SCEA Marketing Manager, about the new focus.

Kim Ngyuen says:

"We briefed the [ad] agency in April that we wanted to emphasize the entertainment qualities and show off the primary titles [for the PS3] this Holiday season," described Ngyuen when asked about how the campaign was initially envisioned. "We wanted to show that, firstly, the games are here this holiday; come and get them! Secondly, we wanted to demonstrate that [the PS3] is an entertainment powerhouse.

2 new demos in the Japan PS Store (News)

Oct 18, 2007

G1 Jockey 4 demo (469MB)

Heavenly Sword kai demo (1149MB)

Sony to Develop Chips With Infineon to Cut Costs (News)

Oct 2, 2007

Sony Corp. will design chips with Infineon Technologies AG to reduce development costs at its consumer electronics division, the world's second largest.

Sony and Infineon's Qimonda AG will own equal stakes in a Tokyo-based venture that will design DRAM chips that speed up data processing in cameras and mobile phones, the companies said today in a statement. Elpida Memory Inc., a Sony supplier, fell on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on concern it will lose orders.

The agreement will help Tokyo-based Sony reduce costs as Chief Executive Officer Howard Stringer overhauls the chip operations to raise overall profitability to the highest this decade. The semiconductor unit, which makes processors for PlayStation 3 game consoles, posted a 10 billion yen ($86 million) loss last year.

Heavenly Sword reigns in Spain (News)

Sep 28, 2007

The PlayStation 3's new flagship title, Heavenly Sword, was top of the Spanish software charts for sales in the week ending September 23. Full top ten chart compiled by Media-Control GfK after the jump.

Heavenly Sword arrives at Mygen (News)

Sep 27, 2007

Mygen.com were lucky enough to find Heavenly Sword on their doorstep this morning, but it isn't any standard type of the game. Sony seems to be going to great lengths to send their games to us in the most flashy way possible and boy are they impressed.

Havok creators praise Heavenly Sword (News)

Sep 26, 2007

"Heavenly Sword is a fantastic game on a number of fronts. An emotionally rendering storyline, a beautiful heroine, a wide range of villains, epic scale destruction, in a beautiful environment, with the realism of Hollywood visuals offers the player an incredible gaming experience, especially on PlayStation 3," said Havok CEO, David O'Meara.

"This game is a great example of how a talented development team can use cutting edge physics and animation technology to bring games to a whole new level and leverage the power of Havok's PlayStation 3 optimizations. We are very proud to be involved in the latest evolution of this next generation console game."

Heavenly Sword (Screenshots)

Sep 21, 2007

New PS3 starter pack unveiled (News)

Sep 20, 2007

The new pack includes the 60Gb PS3, two Sixaxis controllers, Resistance: Fall of Man, MotorStorm and new addition Heavenly Sword, which made its debut on the charts this week at number seven.

UT3 preview and Jeff Day interview for PS3 (News)

Sep 20, 2007

Latest issue of P3Zine has a 6 page preview/interview with emphasis on how the user-built maps work on the PS3. Also has Stranglehold, Warhawk, Fracture and Fallout 3.

ELSPA Weekly Chart - Playstation 3 (News)

Sep 18, 2007

Heavenly Sword enters the chart straight at number one, with Colin McRAE: DIRT in second...

Heavenly Sword - Anime episode 5 09-17-07 (Video)

Sep 17, 2007

Heavenly Sword - Anime episode 4 09-17-07 (Video)

Sep 17, 2007

Heavenly Sword - Anime episode 3 09-17-07 (Video)

Sep 17, 2007

Game Informer reviews Guitar Hero III, Heavenly Sword, Metroid Prime 3 and others (News)

Sep 16, 2007

The October issue of the American gaming magazine Game Informer has just landed in stores and all the review scores are already found on the internet. In this months' issue titles like Guitar Hero III, Metroid Prime 3, Warhawk, Heavenly Sword, SKATE, Medal of Honor and tons of other games have all been reviewed.

Check out all this months' review scores below

Guitar Hero III (Wii/Xbox 360/PS3/PS2, RedOctane): 8.75 / 9
Stuntman Ignition (PS3/Xbox 360, THQ): 8.5 / 9
FIFA 08 (PS3/Xbox 360, EA): 7.75 / 7.75
Skate (PS3/Xbox 360, EA): 8.75 / 8.5
NHL 2K8 (PS3/Xbox 360, EA): 7.75 / 8.25
NHL 08 (PS3/Xbox 360, EA): 8.5 / 8.5
Medal of Honor Airborne (Xbox 360, EA): 7.25 / 7.25
Warriors Orochi (Xbox 360/PS2, Koei): 5.75
Dynasty Warriors Gundam (PS3/Xbox 360, Koei): 5
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core (PS2, Koei): 7.75
Heavenly Sword (PS3, Sony): 8.75 / 9
Warhawk (PS3, Sony): 8.25 / 8
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (PS3): 8.5 / 8.5
Fatal Inertia (Xbox 360, Koei): 7.5 / 7
Stranglehold (PS3/Xbox 360, Midway): 7.25 / 7.25
Wild Arms 5 (PS2, Xseed): 6.5 / 6.5
Soul Nomad (PS2, NIA America): 7.75 / 7.25
Metroid Prime 3 (Wii, Nintendo): 9.5 / 8.75 **Game of the month**
My Sims (Wii, EA): 8 / 8
Dewy's Adventure (Wii, Konami): 7 / 6.25
Tiger Woods 08 (Wii, EA): 7 / 8.25
Madden 08 (Wii, EA): 7.5 / 7.75
Boogie (Wii, EA): 7.75 / 6
Alien Syndrome (Wii, Sega): 6.25 / 5
Rune Factory: Fantasy Harvest Moon (NDS, Natsume): 5.75 / 6
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (NDS, Nintendo): 9.5 / 9.5 **Handheld game of the month**
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (PSP, Konami): 7 / 7.25
Dragoneer's Aria (PSP, Koei): 5.75
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes (PSP, Namco Bandai): 6.75
Hot PXL (PSP, Atari): 6
Worms Open Warfare 2 (PSP/NDS, THQ): 7.5
Drawn to Life (NDS, THQ): 7

Heavenly Sword downloadable content coming...if it sells well (News)

Sep 15, 2007

During a presentation and Q&A at last night's Warhawk tournament at 3Rooms, Tameem Antoniades (co-founder of Ninja Theory) was asked what his response was to the criticism that Heavenly Sword was too short. He replied that Ninja Theory are definitely interested in extending the experience via downloadable content - but only if it sells well.

Sony Offering Free PS3 Or PSP With HDTV Purchase In EU (News)

Sep 14, 2007

Apparently, Sony is offering a pretty sweet deal overseas, in Sweden at the very least. Anyone who purchases a full-HD TV from Sony, will get either a free Playstation 3 unit or a 200EU rebate on the TV. On top of that, with every HD Ready TV purchased, buyers will receive a free Sony PSP.

Critical Reception For Sony/Ninja Theory's Heavenly Sword (News)

Sep 13, 2007

This week's edition of the regular Critical Reception column examines online reaction to Heavenly Sword, an anticipated PlayStation 3 release that critics say is "an impressive, epic hackandslash adventure" that "may not realize its full potential."

Billed as an action title that combines gameplay elements from the God of War and Dynasty Warriors series, PS3 owners and critics alike pinned high hopes on Heavenly Sword. Its success seems especially important for the PlayStation 3 at this point in time, given that the highly anticipated Lair recently debuted to a spate of below-average review scores. However, while Heavenly Sword's average rating of 80 out of 100 is described as "generally favorable" at Metacritic.com, many reviewers note dissatisfaction regarding its gameplay.

PlayStation Blog: Heavenly Sword Is Here & New TV and Theater Ad (News)

Sep 13, 2007

This week marks the release of Heavenly Sword - and after months of anticipation, weeks of "making-of" videos and the annimated prequels, PS Blog is fired up to see the game make its way to store shelves.

Considered one of the most anticipated PS3 titles of the year, the buzz around Heavenly Sword continues to build as review scores begin to pour in from leading gaming sources. A sampling of the scores thus far include: Play Magazine ¿ 10/10, Game Pro Magazine ¿ 4.5/5, Game Informer Magazine ¿ 8.75/10, Electronic Gaming Monthly Magazine ¿ 8.33/10, GameZone.com ¿ 8.8/10, and 1Up.com - 8/10.

Here's what they're saying:

Heavenly Sword Release Mishap? (News)

Sep 12, 2007

Although the game was slated for release today, gamers and retailers are fighting past the frustration of yet another release date error. This time is a little different as the game is actually slated to be on sale today...

Heavenly Sword's slimiest moments (Feature)

Sep 12, 2007

Sept 6, 2007 Whatever complaints critics might have about Heavenly Sword's action, it's undeniable that its visuals - particularly its cutscenes - are some of the most striking to ever be put into a game. And it's the individual characters that really stand out, with hyper-expressive faces and broad, theatrical performances that are simultaneously riveting and ridiculous. At the center of it all is actor Andy Serkis, best known for his portrayals of King Kong and Lord of the Rings' Gollum. ...

USA Today: Heavenly Sword Is Heaven Sent For PS3 Review Score 9.0 (News)

Sep 12, 2007

The comparisons to God of War couldn't have been more accurate.

PlayStation 3 release Heavenly Sword boasts a blade-wielding protagonist, gripping action and spectacular cinematography.

Created by game studio Ninja Theory, Heavenly Sword tells the tale of Nariko, a passionate heroine who brandishes the Heavenly Sword to protect it from an invading king.

Heavenly Sword is a rare game where cut scenes are welcome. Andy Serkis -¿ best known to Lord of the Rings fans as Gollum ¿ lends his creative talents with impressive results. Facial animations are incredibly detailed and dripping with emotion, ranging from panic to elation to terror.

Stranglehold & 360 Dominate GameFly Charts, Heavenly Sword leads on PS3, Metroid Prime 3 on Wii (News)

Sep 11, 2007

This week's top rental charts from U.S. game rental company GameFly, representing the most requested games for the week ending September 7th, highlight both to-be-released and already released games in a unique demand-specific chart.

This week sees the overall charts dominated entirely by Xbox 360 titles, with Midway's Stranglehold, formerly in the second position for two straight weeks, rising to the top spot, displacing BioShock to the fourth position. EA's Medal of Honor: Airborne moves up one slot to second place, and Halo 3 slides from fifth to third, making room for Activision's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in spot five.

No Stranglehold demo for EU (News)

Sep 9, 2007

European PS3 owners will have to settle for the new MotorStorm downloadable content on PSN this week as Midway still hasn't confirmed when the Stranglehold demo will be released here.

The Coyote Revent VIP Pass pack will cost GBP 3.99 / EUR 5.80. It includes the new reversed and revamped version of the Coyote track plus two new vehicles and the Eliminator online mode.

There's also a spattering of new trailers you might want to look at, like GT5 Prologue, Lair, and Heavenly Sword - but you can find most of those over on Eurogamer TV already.

Rumor: SCEE Announces New PS3 Bundle w/Heavenly Sword (News)

Sep 4, 2007

SCEE has announced a new PS3 bundle, which includes Heavenly Sword and F1 Racing.

Lair and Heavenly Sword - what went wrong? (News)

Sep 4, 2007

September 4, 2007 So the results are in. With two of PlayStation 3's biggest titles now being reviewed around the world, it has to be said they haven't been as impressive as their initial promise suggested. We're talking scores as low as 40 for Lair and 6/10 for Heavenly Sword. How could such massive releases be so disappointing? Didn't someone look at Lair somewhere along the line and say "Er... this really isn't working"? And why does Heavenly Sword feel so disappointing despite its beauty? ...

Confirmed PSN Dates (News)

Sep 3, 2007

Confirmed PSN dates for you guys¿

MotorStorm Coyote Revenge 06/09
Vehicle Sets 1 13/09
Vehicle sets 2 27/09

Heavenly Sword Making of and anime part 4 6/09
Heavenly Sword Making of and anime part 5 13/09

Lair trailer #3 6/09

LocoRoco Cocoreccho trailer 13/09

inFamous trailer 13/09

OPM Scores Warhawk(9), Heavenly Sword(7), SingStar(9), Stranglehold(8) & More (News)

Aug 30, 2007

NeoGAF member pswii60 posts:
"Got my latest Official Playstation Magazine UK.
PS3 Reviews:

Lair - 6
Heavenly Sword - 7
Stuntman Ignition - 7
..."

New games tantalize ahead of holidays (News)

Aug 30, 2007

The summer dry spell for video games came to an end last week with the arrival of "BioShock," the creepy underwater shooter that has won rave reviews and flown off store shelves.

The main bulk of important games this year won't come out until November, but the next month or two will see the release of quite a few other hot games. These aren't necessarily "system sellers" -- games that are so good that consumers will buy a particular video game console just to play them -- but give potential customers a few more reasons to eventually take the plunge.

CVG: Heavenly Sword not possible on DVD (News)

Aug 29, 2007

The benefits of the higher storage capacity of Sony's Blu-Ray discs have once again been pulled into the spotlight as Heavenly Sword chief development 'Ninja', Nina Kristensen, tells CVG that the game would simply not be possible on DVD.

"We have jam-packed the Blu-Ray disc absolutely full," declared Kristensen, as she confirmed rumours that the audio alone was allocated 10GB of space on the 25GB Blu-Ray discs.

Heavenly Sword (Review)

Aug 28, 2007

Aug 28, 2007 Four years in the making at Sonys Cambridge studios, Heavenly Sword is unashamedly the bi-product of Ninja Theorys obsession/adoration for the chop-socky, swordplay-filled flicks of yesteryear. Part Shaw Brothers flick, part Red Sonja with a peppering of Wushu, the developer even went as far as hiring the same sound masters who provided the battle sound effects on Ang Lees Oscar-nabbing Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to supply the noise of steel clashing with steel in one-to-one ...

Current US Best Sellers: BioShock, Halo 3 & Metroid Prime 3 Rule the Charts (News)

Aug 28, 2007

2K Games' BioShock rules over the charts again this week while there are new best sellers on PS3, PS2 and Nintendo Wii.

1. BioShock-2K Games (Xbox 360)
2. Halo 3*-Microsoft (Xbox 360)
3. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption-Nintendo (Wii)
4. Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day-Nintendo (DS)
5. Nintendo DS Lite w/ Brain Age 2-Nintendo (DS)
6. Wii Play w/ Remote-Nintendo (Wii)
7. Halo 3 Ltd. Edition*-Microsoft (Xbox 360)
8. BioShock-2K Games (PC)
9. Madden NFL 08-EA (Xbox 360)
10. Brain Age-Nintendo (DS)

Heavenly Sword ninjas aim for number one (News)

Aug 28, 2007

Aug 28, 2007 After four years hard slog for developer Ninja Theory, work on its ambitious, PS3 exclusive adventure, Heavenly Sword, is done, dusted and will be hitting the shops next month. And after all the painstaking nurturing and momentum-building hype surrounding the game, will anything less than a chart-topping hit be a disappointment for the development team at Ninja Theory? The answer, according to company co-founder and chief development ninja Nina Kristensen, is a definite ...

October EGM Scores: Heavenly Sword & Warhawk Impress (News)

Aug 27, 2007

In what's becoming an ever more increasing sight, the potent differences between scores of highly anticipated games on the PlayStation 3, Massive Attack from Neogaf has posted scores that he claims are from the October issue of EGM in where Bioshock, Heavenly Sword and Warhawk are amongst the titles reviewed.

Bioshock 10, 10, 10 gotm
Heavenly Sword 8, 8, 9
Warhawk 8.5, 7, 8.5

PS3 Exclusives List from PSU (News)

Aug 24, 2007

The list both shows confirmed, and rumored exlusives in an easy to read and well thought out way. The list includes both released and unreleased PS3 exclusives including timed exclusives such as Haze.

Heavenly Sword gets 6/10 from Edge, Warhawk & BioShock both get 8/10 (News)

Aug 24, 2007

Here are the latest scores from Edge magazine for games like Heavenly Sword, Warhawk, BioShock, Stuntman Ignition and Medal Of Honor Airbourne:
Heavenly Sword - 6
Bioshock - 8
Warhawk - 8

GC: Ninja Theory hoping for Heavenly Sword 2 (News)

Aug 23, 2007

Development on the beautiful PS3 bruiser Heavenly Sword has finally wrapped up after four long years. It's definitely left developer Ninja Theory in a good mood as well, because they're already thinking up ideas for a sequel - but it looks like the final word is up to Sony.

EU PSN Update LIVE - Includes Folklore Demo plus much much more.... (News)

Aug 22, 2007

The EU Playstation Network Store has been updated with lots of goodies hot off the Leipzip convention. The update includes:

UT3 Gamers' Day Trailer
Stranglehold Gamers' Day Trailer
**Folklore Exclusive Demo** For a LIMITED time
Warhawk Trailers (Multiplayer/Air/Ground/Trailer)
PSN Trailer from Leipzip
Playstation Eye Trailer from Leipzip
MGS4 Gameplay Demo from Leipzip
Heavenly Sword Nariko Trailer
Snakeball Trailer

Heavenly Sword: EU Retail Release Dates confirmed (News)

Aug 22, 2007

Threespeech have confirmed that Heavenly Sword will be released on the 14th September in the UK and the 19th for the rest of the EU.

Ninja Theory Dev Comments on 10GB Audio, next game on dual bd? (News)

Aug 19, 2007

A developer from Ninja theory responds to the recent news about the developers using over 10GB of space for only Heavenly Sword audio.

The developers came very close to using a dual layer blu-ray disc because even with the size of the single layer blu-ray disc, they were having problems fitting all all of the game's audio data onto a single layer blu- ray disc. According to the developer :

"We use a mixture of compressed and uncompressed, but lots were compressed for the reasons people have stated.
Make no doubt, fitting all the audio in and not stuttering and being the the highest quality we could get wasn't easy, it was quite a problem even with the size of blu-ray. At one point we seriously considered dual layer Blu-ray cos of disk space issues."

Second Ps3 Starter Pack Planned? (News)

Aug 19, 2007

Following the successful PlayStation 3 starter pack containing a ps3 console, Resistance Fall of Man, MotorStorm and two Sixaxis, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe intends to renew the experiment with a second Pack planned for September 19 at the cost of 599.99 euros. This new pack will contain a PS3 ,2 sixaxis controllers and two new additional games as well ,namely Heavenly Sword and Formula One.Stay tune for an official conformation maybe at next weeks Leipzig Games Convention in Germany...

PSW October Scores - Heavenly Sword & Lair both score an 8/10 (News)

Aug 18, 2007

Heavenly Sword - 8

+ Stunning Visuals
+ Inspired use of the Sixaxis
+ Superb combat system
- Over too soon

Lair - 8

+ Always so much going on
+ Stunning attention to detail
+ Intuitive control set-up
- Not the longest of games

Sony Exclusives Cheaper Than Other Games In UK (News)

Aug 16, 2007

The normal RRP(Recommended Retail Price) for games in the United Kingdom is £49.99 for the Playstation 3. Online game retailers such as Play, Gameplay and ShopTo have updated their prices to reflect the PS3 exclusives as £39.99 RRP. This includes Warhawk(with headset), Heavenly Sword and Lair

It is worth noting that despite these RRP you can buy games online for £39.99 instead of the RRP of £49.99 and these Sony exclusive games are available online for £32.99 instead of the RRP of £39.99. This makes them £7.00 cheaper than all other new games coming onto the market.

Could this be a promotion by Sony to promote the exclusive games you can only buy on the PS3? Will these prices help sell more consoles?

Heavenly Sword: 10GB of sound FX audio work on the ambitious PS3 game (News)

Aug 14, 2007

With 10GB of sound FX, three and a half hours of music, 4,500 lines of dialogue, and an hour and a half of cut scenes localised for 11 different languages, Heavenly Sword is clearly an immense game in terms audio. This piece looks at the game's sound production, with comments form developer Ninja Theory and Sony.

Sony Blog Responds to "PS3 Can't Handle AI As Well As 360" (News)

Aug 14, 2007

A poster on the Official PlayStation Blog by the screen name of "Free" had this to say on recent article posted on the Blog.

Would you guys mind commenting on the recent statements by a Ubisoft Developer claiming that "the PS3 can't handle AI nearly as well as the 360?

It seems more of the same type of stuff addressed in your "Is the PS3 Really Harder to Develop For?" blog¿ But it would be nice to get an official response to the attack on the PS3's capabilities.

It is nice to have something these articles about this can print to balance out the reporting.

"PS3 can more than handle AI, as you will see with Heavenly Sword, which has hundreds of on-screen enemies with different AI routines at one time thanks to the power of CELL." - responded Dave Karraker Sr. Director of Corporate Communications.

Threespeech Reviews Heavenly Sword: "Amazing, Addictive, Original" (News)

Aug 12, 2007

At last, we've got hold of pretty complete preview code and from the moment we popped it into our debug, our worries melted away. There's no doubt it will be held up as an example of the sort of killer games the PS3 so badly needs when it arrives in the shops in September.

New Buzz: Play Magazine gives Heavenly Sword 10/10 (News)

Aug 10, 2007

The forums have been hot lately with rumors and speculations. Some come to past while others fade to black. The hot topic just in on the forums is a member claiming he read a play magazine in which the upcoming PS3 exclusive Heavenly Sword recieved a perfect score of 10/10. Here are some of the alleged quotes from the "Play" Mag article.

PS Blog : Heavenly Sword Prequel (News)

Aug 10, 2007

PS Blog:

"Heavenly Sword marketing guy elaborates on the recent Heavenly Sword videos that were just released, so here it is. Hopefully without all the marketing buzz words."

GAP Members Get Exclusive Look Into Heavenly Sword (News)

Aug 7, 2007

Members of Sony's online gaming community known as the Gamer Advisory Panel (GAP) recently received an e-mail directing them to an exclusive site where they could view the first two episodes of two Heavenly Sword productions. The first production is a stylishly animated series that will reveal the history of the Heavenly Sword in five weekly episodes. The second production is a five-part "Making Of" series that will focus on various aspects of the development process. Each episode will only be available for one week before it is replaced with a subsequent episode. For all those non-GAP members out there: keep your eyes peeled for these episodes to show up elsewhere.

Tomonubu breast qualified for titillating 'half assed' criticism (News)

Aug 5, 2007

Admittedly, the relevance of this clip is negligible considering that Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 hit shelves at the close of 2006. However, GamerSquad thought it somewhat poignant considering the recent slamming of Heavenly Sword by Dead or Alive creator Itagaki Tomonobu, who recently labelled the eagerly anticipated PS3 exclusive as being "half-assed."

Point being? Well, with predominantly poor critical reviews for Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 (GameSpot ¿ 59%, IGN ¿ 64%), perhaps the Team Ninja boss should curb his scathing criticisms while reflecting on this overtly desperate piece of flagrantly 'half assed' and sexist marketing for a game built on tantalising the easily titillated pre-pubescent school boy demographic.

Clearly Tomonubu has never heard it's not the breast idea to throw semi-naked stones in glass houses.

Heavenly Sword Producer responds to Itagaki;new game details : 48 missions, 6 acts and more (News)

Aug 5, 2007

Yesterday, Itagaki Tomonobu made some remarks about Heavenly Sword, an upcoming exclusive game for the PS3, that the game is "half assed" players will not get much from the title". Heavenly Sword producer Kyle Shubel has responded to Itagaki's comment made in the latest EGM magazine.

Heavenly Sword producer Kyle Shubel:
"My response to Mr. Itagaki would be that the intent of the Hero sequences is to empower the player to experience events that would be nearly impossible to play in a natural platforming state¿

More after jump.

Heavenly Sword is "half-assed" says Itagaki (News)

Aug 4, 2007

Itagaki is at it again. Itagaki Tomonobu who is the lead graphics programmer of Tecmo refers to Heavenly sword as "half assed" in the latest EGM magazine in which there's a Heavenly Sword preview and a little article.

"I've never played a good game where the developers put a big icon of the button you're supposed to press onscreen," Itagaki says. "I look at Heavenly Sword and it seems really half-assed, because it's asking you to do all these button-timing sequences but you are not getting much payoff from it."

Heavenly Sword - 12-15 hours gameplay mayhem, No special edition planned, plenty of replayability (News)

Aug 4, 2007

Ninja theory developer working on the upcoming playstation 3 exclusive title , Heavenly sword have confirmed that, Heavenly Sword will clock in around 12-15 hours of gameplay mayhem.

He confirmed this via the official forums:

12-15 hours sounds about right for a gamer well versed with fighting games. That's just for a first playthrough - there's also plenty of scope for replayability - especially with the stacks of unlockable content that's been stuffed onto the Blu-Ray.

Heavenly Sword Date Officially Set (News)

Aug 3, 2007

Get your blades sharpened as Sony Computer Entertainment has announced that Heavenly Sword will hit shelves on September 12th. Developed by Ninja Theory and published by Sony Computer Entertainment exclusively for the PlayStation 3, the game is Sony's attempt at creating the equivalent of a summer blockbuster with extremely detailed cutscenes and action sequences that borrow style from martial arts films.

Heavenly Sword on Xbox - footage released (News)

Aug 1, 2007

Fancy that - Heavenly Sword was originally intended to be "Only on Xbox." A new look at the game has hit GameTrailers, which shows various trailers for the title dating back to 2003, when it was being pitched in its Xbox form. It's hardly as old as the Ark, but still worth a look... You'll see footage from the Xbox version, which was made by the then-called Just Add Monsters. The same team was responsible for Xbox comedy party game Kung Fu Chaos. But it went bust after the release of KFC ...

Heavenly Sword - updated hands-on (Preview)

Jul 31, 2007

It's been a dry first year for PlayStation 3 owners, but the trickle of long-awaited exclusives begins soon - and it's bringing this year's most anticipated hack-and-slasher along with it. Heavenly Sword is slated to hit stores in September, and now that we've seen and played more than just the tiny arena battles Sony's showed us in the past, it's clear that there's some real meat here - at least enough to keep fans of graceful, crowd-slashing brutality happy. Heavenly Sword follows the story ...

Sony quiet on Heavenly date (News)

Jul 30, 2007

Sony has distanced itself from reports that Heavenly Sword has been confirmed for release on 14th September.

Retailers and some press reports have pegged that date for the game, but a spokesperson for the company told Eurogamer this morning that an announcement had yet to be made.

Heavenly Sword - Release Date Confirmed (News)

Jul 27, 2007

Heavenly Sword, this emotionally charged, stunningly beautiful hack and slash action-adventure game has received a final and confirmed release date. Heavenly Sword will be shipping to North America on September 4th. It will be shipping as well in Europe on September 14th and in Australia on September 20th. Japan's final release date for Heavenly Sword is still to be confirmed.

NinjaTheory Talks about Heavenly Sword Demo, Glitches, Build and Hell Mode (News)

Jul 27, 2007

Questions were answered by Daves [NT-DEVELOPER] Sound Engineer over at NinjaTheory Forums. These were questions asked about the demo on the PSN of Heavenly Sword.

Question 1
There were a few problems with it that I would like to point out.
- First when you do super styles that abrupt music change is very odd. The volume increases and it just seems a little out of place. The music cut out every so often and there was even one part right at the beginning of the demo that the music was actually crackling.. it was strange.
Some bodies float as well.
But I had so much fun with the demo and I played through it about 12 times so far.

Answer 1
The volume increase was because they were 'super styles', however, I did nock them back a bit and do some balancing just a day or so ago.
The audio (music cutting out) glitches during the Ninja Sequence are also fixed.
FYI the demo was locked down ages ago, plenty of spit n polish has been done since then right...

Get the most out of Heavenly Sword (Feature)

Jul 27, 2007

By now, most of you PS3 owners out there have probably downloaded the disappointingly short Heavenly Sword demo, plowed through it in fewer than five minutes and wondered what all the fuss was about. That was our first reaction, too, when we played the same demo during E3 - until we sat down with the game's producer, Kyle Shubel, and he told us what we were doing wrong. While you might never guess it from a quick play-through, the Heavenly Sword demo can be a sublime, endlessly replayable ...

IGN AU Sony 'Experience More' Event Coverage: 6 Million PS3 Sold Globally, Blu ray Dominates (News)

Jul 27, 2007

The Sony Experience More event, Sony Australia's annual consumer electronics trade event, was on again this year in Sydney. Move over, Nintendo - if you want to see a gaming console turned into a mainstream consumer do-all device, you need not look further than today's presentation.

Sony Gamer's Day - revealed! (Feature)

Jul 26, 2007

Originally posted on May 22, 2007 Months before the 2007 Electronic Entertainment Expo, Sony Computer Entertainment of America flew a small army of journalists down to its headquarters in San Diego for its Gamer's Day, a pre-E3 sneak peek at games set to arrive on its PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2 and PSP platforms. Featuring dozens of games from Sony and third-party publishers, several of which were unveiled and/or made playable for the first time, the event was a staggering look at a swarm ...

Heavenly Sword Demo Now available in Europe (News)

Jul 26, 2007

Yes finally, the demo is now available on the PS Store in EU.

Heavenly Sword Demo could be out at 12:00 GMT (News)

Jul 26, 2007

Peonic from Ninja Theory comments on their official forums that the demo should be out today at noon GMT and that the file is about 1 gigabyte in size.

Time to discuss initial reactions and hands on impressions about the game here on N4G.

Ratchet & Clank Future Demo this week? (News)

Jul 24, 2007

Sony has confirmed to Game Informer that both Heavenly Sword and Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction will see demos on the PlayStation Network in the near future. So when exactly? Sony's Dave Karracker believes this week, and considering Europe is supposed to get Heavenly Sword on Thursday, we're betting we'll see the same here in the States.

Play Heavenly Sword this week (News)

Jul 23, 2007

You've been drooling over sexy shots of Sony's Heavenly Sword in action for months, and as of this Thursday you'll be able to download the demo to play it for yourself, Sony has confirmed. The demo is short and sweet, only lasting around 10 minutes or so but giving you a nice taster of the multiple-style fighting system, the interactive cutscenes and physics-based scenery. You'll take on a group of men on a high cliff, slide acrobatically down three huge ropes and land in an object-filled ...

Heavenly Sword Demo: All Territories Simultaneously (News)

Jul 23, 2007

It is already known that the Heavenly Sword demo will be hitting the Euro PSN this Thursday - IGN have also got word from Sony that the demo should hit all territories simultaneously.

Plus, according to Sony the demo is the same as that shown during Sony's Gamer Day earlier this year.

Heavenly Sword demo on PSN this week (News)

Jul 23, 2007

Sony has confirmed to Pro-G that a playable demo of Heavenly Sword, one of the PS3's most anticipated titles, will be released on Thursday, July 26. PS3 owners will be able to grab the demo from the PlayStation Network and sample the action ahead of the game's scheduled September release. Sony tells us that the demo will feature a rope sequence as seen at Sony's Gamers Day which took place in May.

Week recap: PS3 sales; Xbox 360 plunge; Wii 3M (News)

Jul 22, 2007

Enterbrain this week said that Sony Corp.'s Playstation 3 has reached 1 million in sales in Japan. The console debuted in the territory on Nov. 11.

In the latest weekly sales in Japan, the PS3 sold more than 13,000 units, an above average tally for the console.

The 60GB PS3 SKU is a top-seller this week at CircuitCity.com. The product is listed in the top five best-selling products and the top five most searched products at the online retailer.

Read On.

Heavenly Sword: Above The Heavens (News)

Jul 21, 2007

Details include:

- In depth look at Nariko
- More than 7,300 animations
- Game's first use of Dynamic Parallax mapping
- And talk about the SPU's usage in game

Heavenly Sword Multiplayer Rumor Officially Debunked (News)

Jul 20, 2007

Two days ago, a site that goes by the name gaminginsider posted a rumor about Heavenly Sword to getting online multiplayer sometime after the game launches.

Read On.

KillZone 2 preview in P3Zine Issue 5 (News)

Jul 19, 2007

Issue 5 of the free PlayStation 3 magazine has a preview of KillZone 2, plus an exclusive interview with the developer of Heavenly Sword and an E3 roundup report.

Heavenly Sword: Gameplay Footage (News)

Jul 17, 2007

Footage taken from game on show at E3 2007. July 17, ...

Heavenly Sword Demo : Dated for Europe (News)

Jul 16, 2007

The demo has been dated for the EU playstation store. It will be out on the 26 July which is this month. No indication of when it will be available in other regions as yet though.

Heavenly Sword Demo Completed and Ready for Release (News)

Jul 15, 2007

Chief Technology Developer Ninja Mikey of Ninja Theory has posted his thoughts of E3 on the Official Ninja Theory forum. And with it one final thought on the Heavenly Sword demo:

"Well, let me just tell you all that the dev team has finished work on the demo.. that's it... it's in the bag... so now it's a case of Sony deciding when they feel is the best time to release it to PlayStation Network."

Plus for the complete game: "The Ninja team is now in the closing stage of development. We are quite literally fixing bugs and then it's done."

July's European PSN Store offerings - Heavenly Sword demo and more (News)

Jul 13, 2007

According to PS3Fanboy, European PS3 owners should be expecting quite a fat update to the PSN Store this month including a demo for the highly anticipated game Heavenly Sword. Click the link to see more additions scheduled to be coming.

E3 Day 2 Extra: Liveblogging the Sony Keynote Speech (News)

Jul 11, 2007

PS3 Attitude liveblogs the Sony keynote speech at E3 2007 to bring all the details of every Sony PS3-related announcement.

Playstation Network: E3 Heavenly Sword & Lair Demo, LittleBigPlanet Beta (News)

Jul 5, 2007

First off, Factor 5, the developers of the forthcoming dragon shooter Lair, has already confirmed that a demo will be coming out for the game "in July", one month before the game's official August 14th release.

Another demo rumored to be making the rounds "very soon" is Ninja Theory's Heavenly Sword, featuring a sweet-looking hottie battling all kinds of impossible odds to bring down the man that murdered her father. Theory should be finishing up work on this soon and already promised a demo would be coming as well. So, again, it would be a big part of some kind of online E3 push.

And let's not forget the online betas, either.Word has it that Little Big Planet would be starting up a beta as well. Again, E3 could hold the key to all this and Sony could really give its users something spectacular if it wanted.

Game|Life's E3 Predictions (News)

Jul 5, 2007

Sony has the most to prove this year. With PlayStation 3 in need of a booster shot, they'll unveil some more exciting games in known franchises. What's left in their internal stable of franchises? Answer that and maybe you'll figure out what they'll show off. Certainly you'll see more from Metal Gear Solid IV and Final Fantasy XIII, but they won't be out this year.

Heavenly Sword - Exclusive interviews with the cast on Bravo (News)

Jul 5, 2007

This weekend an exclusive edition of Gamer TV dedicated to the forthcoming PlayStation 3 AAA title Heavenly Sword airs on UK satellite and cable channel Bravo.

This half-hour programme takes an in-depth look at the making of the game, as well as revealing never before seen levels, characters and story elements.

Exclusive interviews with the cast, including Andy 'Gollum' Serkis, and unseen footage from the performance capture sessions at Weta Digital reveal how the game's impressive cinematic sequences were created.