Heavenly Sword demo'd

JOYSTIQ: "That was it...? As the most significant chunk of data to hit PSN since Gran Turismo HD (CAC didn't live up to the hype), and weighing in at 996 MB, the Heavenly Sword demo merely offers a beefy pinch of tease. Call us biased. We are. At E3 we were able to play well past where this demo ends, and we've had the itch ever since."

Continued after the jump.

[jromao]

And camera isn't perfect, no first person view so we can't admire the beautiful landscape. But still good gameplay.

[Marceles]

I guess that was the whole point of the demo being short, to make us really hungry for more...and it sure did work

[lesbiansonyfan-girl]

Good! the demo is all the more you could ever want of this game.
LOL now everyone is agreeing with what I said a week ago an attacked for. THis game is just hack and slash repetitive clone crap, not even good for a PS3 game.

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

but...it's not a repetitive hack 'n slash. Where did you come up with that?

If this is repetitive hack 'n slash, then Ninja Gaiden is just a terrible game all-around.

[VaeVictus]

It was a short demo but an impressive one. I thought the gameplay was terrific. I was up in the air about this game, but it looks like a solid buy now. Beautiful graphics, fun gameplay, I only wish it were longer.

[EZCheez]

Do not bother replying to "lesbiansonyfangirl" . This is just "Sonyfan's" second (possibly more) account. His tactics are the same and it is already a waste to read his comments, even more to reply. I know that's exactly what I am doing, but I am trying to save everyone else the time and intelligence wasted on this guy.

[akaFullMetal]

downloading now, but heard it was short :( o well just got to buy the game

[Blackmoses]

yeah...it may have been short but, it was beautiful! I found myself playing four to five times afterwards jsut to see if what I could do differently.

It really is a beautiful game...very impressive!

[Scrumptious]

Agree with you moneybags...a good game. better graphics than God of Waar, but weaker controls. I wish they could replace the camera shoulder buttons with a block button. Trying to block to match the attacking enemies color will take getting used to. A good game that wets my appetite for PS3 God of War.

BTW, I still have your game and have been itching to watch that movie again.

[Caxtus750]

well i have only played it a bit..and it looks lovely! PErsonally i didnt rate the gameplay too much and think its a rather overhyped hack n slash...Id rather play Ninja Gaiden...or is it just me?

[Bebedora]

I must say I feel like you there. Just demo wise. NGS demo was more responsive.

HS is very nice and perty though.

[nurayi]

the movement may not be as responsive, but the combat sure is. its just as deep and you can mix and match combos. try switching stances mid combo for instance ;)

just defeated NGS so I was hoping for atleast harder difficulty settings for the demo. anyway the closest thing to a boss you can find is if you dont kill the first guy in the QTE. just dont hit the button.

[sandip787]

i played through it 3 times and i thought it was great everytime.

[Nicosia]

It played great.. but it felt you had little controle :(. Also the feeling of Godess of War..just felt more. Btw just on a side note..i finished GOW1..freaking great...now playing 2..whoa :P

[Bebedora]

but I felt that too. When comparing to GOW1 + 2 there is more control in GOW series. As you may feel too? There is some combos I just tried button mash galore with and some cool stuff happend. I haven't looked for what to do since I just rushed in to the demo. So I may give some other judgment later. For now this is my stand though.

[Stunt]

Yah, I can't wait to play it. lol @ Gonard.

[Nicosia]

Gonard is the man, so freaking funny :P

[Ice]

After finishing playing the short, but tasteful demo I can't wait for the final game. I'm hoping the fighting system gets deeper as you get into the game, but other than that I have no complaints about this beautiful game. Also I don't think that multiplayer would work to well in this game (if anyone remembers a rumor a little while back about them adding it later). Anyone else agree or am I the only one that thinks this?

[DiLeCtioN]

very suprised after two quick battles weighing 996 mb on the store only lasts for about 5 minutes...dam ninja theory i waited the whole bloody day for this man!! Am still gonna buy this game ive been watching it since 2005.
oh also this game is not like other hack n slash games the enemy AI is impressive

[Bebedora]

...we don't need blu-ray! <joke>

[LeShin]

Very short......but why have I been playing this for an hour?! It's bloody good. Word of advice: Master air comboing and throwing people using aftertouch and prepare to be dazzled!

[Phantom_Lee]

yea, the air combo is cool...and whats aftertouch?

[LeShin]

@PhantomLee
Aftertouch? Oh you're in for a treat :)
Press X to pick up someone on the floor or something. Once you have it/them press and hold X and tilt the pad for some aftertouch

[Phantom_Lee]

Nice~ that was cool~ just tried
thanks

[drtysouf21]

must have more! Day one purchase for me!

[XxZxX]

too short
pretty good
so many move to master

[Bathyj]

What a whiny b*tch. Just cause he got to go to E3 and has played more. WE obviously didn't and if you were part of the excitement 5 hours ago when we were all calling out download progress you would know we were happy to get anything. I actually only had a very short go as it was wee hours of the morning for me but I plan to play it my now that I've had 3 hours sleep. Beautiful game, and cant wait to get my hands on the full version. All the other content last night was great too. I suddenly give a crap about RE5. I hadn't been following it, but I think I will now.

[snoop_dizzle]

too short. I was hoping to fight in the arena part.

It played pretty well though.

[ApocalypseShadow]

the full game will add to being able to play

heavenly sword
DMC1,2,3
bujingai
blood will tell
genji1
ninja gaiden
god of war1,2
way of the samurai
gungrave overdose
castlevania:loi

ALL ON ONE SYSTEM.can't do that on xbox.haters will always be haters.the demo is just a sample.every game is repetitive.it just has to be fun doing it over and over.

after 2 hours,i'll gladly play the full "repetitive" game.

[SofaKingReetodded]

anyone complaining that it is unresponsive probably just sucks, after five minutes of playing the demo 2 times..lol, I have a pretty good handle on the fighting mechanics and Im already addicted.

[Bebedora]

Yeah, but it's a bit 'gluey' before the rope part. When standing there and trying some moves. I must say she is a bit behind my moves. Still the fighting is intense and nothing to complain about there. Nothing at all.

The responsiveness when pulling the X didn't seem like multi pushing, I may have gotten that wrong?

Other than that it's a great fighter. Too hard for my liking (NGS demo was way easier, but the boss) so GOW beats it for now when coming to my liking. If you don't like what I say:

Opionions are just that. They suck, but for your own ones.

[Siesser]

I liked it; it's the pacing of her attacks. It doesn't play where you pull off 3 moves in 2 seconds; there's weight, and pause after your hits. It may be "slow" for you, but for me, it feels more practical. The last thing you want to do is punch in 4 moves and get stuck in a string of attacks; especially given that multiple enemies will attack at once.

And as for the button pressing; it does make a difference. If you don't press it fast enough on the rope sequence (as in how fast you're tapping), then you get a different animation.

First X: tapping fast gives you a slide down the rope, slow and she slips off, catches herself with her hand and flings herself back on

Second X: Fast and you run smoothly; slow and you perform a forward roll

Third X: haven't noticed much of a difference here yet; may have to exaggerate my fast and slow more

Square when jumping onto platform: hiting it soon enough knocks off the big guy; late and he catches you with his blade and plants you (which is cool, because until I did this, I didn't realize you don't get to fight any power-hitters; it's fun defending against him).

And after you cut the last rope, the speed of pressing determines if you land smoothly, or faceplant.

I personally have found myself enjoying more playing without even attacking; just maintaining defense and counter moves, with aerial combos mixed in.

[Omicronn]

really short...expected more.. but it was so good it makes you want to have the real game already.

Total tease if i ever saw one for a game on any system!

But i think i found my next addiction.

Seriously good looking, and good feeling game.

[Antan]

Amazing lighting (REALLY Amazing), best lighting ive ever seen (Right up there with ICO). Glorious size and scope!! Just fix the odd hiccup in framerate and the odd v-sync issues and everything will be perfect. A demo should leave you wanting more........................Jo b done.

[timmyp53]

=) im itching to play it no matter how short

[EZCheez]

Did Nariko look like Angelina Jolie to anyone else? Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[The Wood]

she looked more like the women from half life 2. Very attractive all the same

[tehcellownu]

The game is really beautiful and after beating it i really want heavenly sword more then ever before..

[Figboy]

Calling All Cars "didn't live up to the hype?"

*WHAT HYPE??

it was a $10 *DOWNLOADABLE game. it was simply form.

how the hell do you hype a $10 game? seriously?

were they comparing it to God of War? or Gears of War? or MGS4?

seriously. Calling All Cars is not a AAA title, nor a system seller. anyone who thought it *WOULD be, is, frankly, stupid.

what Calling All Cars *IS, is a simple, easy to pick up fun time, especially when playing with three other friends (who are in the same room as you. as an aside; remember when people used to actually *SOCIALIZE together? now it's all, "let's play *ONLINE, never once seeing each other's faces! it's fun!!" i don't mean to bag on online gaming, but the whole people factor has gotten very, i don't know, *ARTIFICIAL as of late. it's kind of sad). end of story.

on topic: *SO WHAT if the Heavenly Sword demo was barely a minute. i was disappointed too, but you know what, a few days ago, we could only judge Heavenly Sword by what *OTHER PEOPLE have said about it (well, i got to play it at E3, but that was a year ago, a *LOT has changed since then). *NOW, we got the chance to play it's latest build, with our own hands, forming our *OWN opinions about the game.

a demo is a *DEMO for a reason. it gives us a taste of the game to come. some demos are longer than others, but the goal is the same.

for me, this did it's job; it's gotten me itching to play the game, just like the Joystiq folks (is it just me, or have the joystiq guys been unneccessarily harsh on some of the *BEST looking PS3 games lately? of course, most of the writers there are diehard PS3 haters, anyway), who, under all of their smarm and "wit," the game is enjoyable, but to spend almost the *ENTIRE article griping about the demos length, and bringing up unrelated games just to put them down (ie, Calling All Cars), just seems unproductive, and not very helpful to me.

IGN has a much better hands on, with a lot more effort going into describing the *GAMEPLAY, which, from all accounts of the demo so far, joystiq included, is rather deep, and not so hack and slashy afterall.

[Rama26285]

got home from work last night and started downloading the new trailers and the Heavenly Sword demo. Since it was taking waaaaaay too long to download (I presume too many people downloading at the same time) and it was late, I paused everything and went to bed. Woke up this morning and resumed my downloads and they were all done in like 5 minutes! Waiting for the installation and began the demo.

The first thing that strikes you is the music and the atmosphere it creates for the game. You then check out the controls and the combo's(there's too many to remember first time). You start the game and the first scene is a cinematic introduction that is first class. You then walk around and start the rope descent which involves pressing buttons to stay on. (Get these right otherwise you fall and die straight away!) You then land on a rock platform with around 8 guys to beat up. It took me a while to realize how to block, but I find countering more effective. When you start to figure out the combo's you start to "ooooo" and "aaaahh" and there is certainly enough variety for them not to become repetitive. Also trip picking up things - you can even throw the dead bodies that you've killed at the enemy!!

You then cut the rope holding up the platform and it starts falling to a lower platform. Again, some timely pressing of the X while ensure you land smoothly (if not, you sort of stumble to the ground). You then get some more guys to beat up and try more moves on. Then after they're all dead, the doors burst open with some harder looking guys - then it fades and the demo is over!! What a tease!!!!

Yes, the demo is very short, but it's enough to get a feel of the game and also practice your moves to get ready for the full thing. Definitely has the potential to be a great game - the graphics and combat is certainly up there with the best. The only thing which can stop this being a great game, IMHO, is if the story lets it down.

(Does anyone know if it's possible to transfer the demo to another PS3 which doesn't have internet connection??)

[VirusE]

I liked the demo but i did have a few gripes. Here is my take on the demo.

The good:
The graphics are VERY good and everything had an epic feel to it. The waterfalls in the background look sweet and the lighting was well done.

The HDR is some of the best I have seen. This game looked hot on my 58” 1080p set!

The scripted button mashing sequence (ala RE:4) with the ropes was hardcore.

The controls are easy to pick up and they have a fluid feel to them.

The voice acting was top notch and so was the music.

The bad:
The frame rate didn’t have any big dips but all in all it was way lower than what I wanted it to be for a game this fast paced. Some of the animations were sort of choppy.

No camera control???? The original ninja gaiden made this same sin and I personally can’t stand when games control the camera for you.

The fighting was a bit repetitious but this may simply be because I am still learning how to play.

The AI seemed very stupid, some of the guys on the screen just stood in place and did nothing but the game may be set on easy.

It's not as cool or as fun as God of war from what I have seen so far.

Conclusion:
I 100% will be getting it day 1. I had a couple of gripes but the game doesn’t come out for 2 months which is plenty of time to optimize the frame rate. It isn’t the most original game I have played as it barrows heavily from god of war and Resident evil 4 (the scripted button mashing scenes) but it looks like it will be an awesome game non the less. The only genuine concern I have is the lack of camera control. With environments that look this good it would be nice to be able to look around at them.

[dino645]

that was a 1 year old demo that has just come out for us to play so they have fix all those problems and done alot more...

cant wait for this game geting it as soon as it comes out.

[Ares84]

I downloaded the demon...waiting to be "WOW"-ed but sadly I wasn't.
I don't know about you guys but it wasn't that impressive in my opinion. The fighting was ok I think but I played better games like NGS and GOW. And what was my biggest issue with the demo is....why she can't jump???
I mean, from a game like this I think it's expected.
Also the demo is extreamly sort....so I won't judge the whole game based on this. But they would been better off if they didn't gave us anything as opposed to this 40second "demo"

Also It feals like I was controling a cutscene not a video game.

[felidae]

lol. joystiq svcks anyways.

[pmx]

The problem with Sony is that they show too much and when the product is released, blam!!! another normal game.. i was blown away with Sony's 2005 E3 conference: F1, Motorstorm, Heavenly Sword, Warhawk and resistance; today that almost all are available i'm not even playing those games. Now I don't expect a big thing from Killzone 2, i was blown 2 years ago, but it was 2 YEARS AGO.

I already played Gears Of War, Lost Planet, GRAW 2, Splinter Cell, Rainbow six Vegas etc. So i'm not that HD thirsty anymore. I already saw big stuff..

[Lightning Mr Bubbles]

First off the mood of the game really struck me. The voice and character productions. Then the gameplay and it's actually pretty complicated and good. The 3 basic fighting styles are speed, power, and distance. Right away you find that certain characters keep blocking against speed attacks so you need to change to power stance, other faster characters without shields are best attacked directly with speed. I really liked the sound and mood of the game. The character oozes with cool, she looks badass when you start swinging the chains in distance attack. The gameplay is more challenging that I thought but enjoyable. I really do think they have a quality game here.

As far as the Demo itself, yeah disappointing. Very short and pretty much the part we've seen over and over. Still, I have a better understanding of what Heavenly Sword is all about and I like it.

[Hayabusa 117]

I was really looking forward to this game, but sadly, the demo disappointed. The combat hardly felt fluid at all, and the graphics aren't as good as the impressions I got from all the trailers. I think I was just too hyped about it. That's my personal view.

[VirusE]

I liked the graphics and the game overall but i agree it did get hyped up to much. I will buy it day one but as i said above God of war is a better game from what i have played.

[Lightning Mr Bubbles]

more than this game

[Hayabusa 117]

So you agree Heavenly Sword is overhyped.

[Lightning Mr Bubbles]

If it was overhyped people would be talking about it like Halo 3, it's a god of games. Gonna end the console wars. People aren't saying that about Heavenly Sword, they think it's gonna be a very good game because of the graphics and gameplay people have seen so far. And this little demo teaser isn't the whole game but I was honestly impressed. What can I say?

This game got any hype it has, from media editors playing it and previewing it. It's not a sequel or anything.

Halo 3 is a sequel, it's making a living off all the hype of the original masterpeice. It could be a great game Halo 3, but either way it's getting hype it didn't earn.

[Hayabusa 117]

Heavenly sword is overhyped in my opinion, because it simply doesn't live up to what has been said about it. This is a mixture of press previews, fanboy talk, and my own personal expectations from watching the demos/trailers. It's not whether it's the most hyped game or not, it's just not as good as the hype the game has already received, although, I do recall quite a few people saying it's going to be THE killer game for the PS3. What I'm saying is, it has not lived up to my own personal expectations.

As for Halo 3, since I haven't played the final game, I can't say whether or not it's lived up to the tremendous hype, although again, for me personally, it's not so much the hype, but more of my own personal expectations. And yes, I do worry that Halo 3 simply isn't going to live up to it.

But anyway, it's merely a demo of Heavenly Sword, and I find most demos are woefully unrepresentative of the actual game, but before I thought I would definitely get HS, and now I will be more cautious when it comes to buying the release game.

[sumfood4u]

Short but Sweet!

[supnub5]

omg, i woke up at 12 am my ps3 started downloading hs at 1pm i ate, whatched tv, used computer,ate again,went to sismpson's the movie (funny one) i came to my house at 6:30pm and not only it didn't fully download it was at 80%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!