Hi, this is Kyle, I’m a producer here at SCEA’s Santa Monica Studios. One of the titles I am working on, and quite frankly playing most often, is Heavenly Sword. I’ve read a lot of your comments on this blog about this title and I’m happy to confirm the reports that we’ll have a downloadable demo coming this week to the PLAYSTATION Store.
The complete game is still set for September, but I think you’ll find this demo is a great sample of what’s in store and it’ll certainly give you a good idea of the look and feel of the game. To set the stage here, at the beginning of this demo, our heroine, Nariko, gains consciousness after a violent encounter with the evil King Bohan and his army. Nariko learns that Bohan is holding her father, Shen, prisoner inside a massive temple complex so she sets out to fulfill her destiny and embarks on a quest for vengeance against the invading King and his army.
Keep a lookout for the demo on the PLAYSTATION Store this week, I’m anxious to read what you guys think of it.
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I hear a lot of people complaining about the demo being to short. At almost 1 gig of data and taking as long as it did I’m guessing because of how many people are trying to grab that and the many trailers released today, some at around another 600 meg.
How long do you think it would have taken for another gig for an added 5 more minutes of gameplay and would you have been content with 10 minutes of gameplay but double the waiting time?
It has been stressed many times that because of the art, animation and everything else these games are taking up more and more space this game being the most used example of that statement.
I thought the demo was fine. It gave me a feel for a small portion of a much larger game.
I can only speak for myself when I say what I’m about to say but I think even if the demo had been longer I would have still wanted more because this is one of many games that have played the carrot on the stick so to speak since I bought my PS3 back in November and for me atleast my patience is stretched thin.
I was more than satisfied with the demo.
The game is very amazing, the graphics and animation are out-of-this-world.
Kudos to the creators, I will be buying it as soon as I can afford it.
The demo was ok but it was a tiny bit short. I passed it in 3 minutes..but 1gb of data for that is unbelieveble
Yeah this demo did just fine in delivering! did anybody really expect more from a 1 gig demo? took a bit to download but it was worth it.. but I wouldn’t be complaining if it was a 10GB 1-2min demo as long as it gives me a look at the story, setting, style, gameplay, and control scheme which this demo did in just under 1gb and 5min or less if you rush through.. also with all the different attacks and things that can happen during the fights it is worth replaying the demo more than just a couple times.. no complaints here.. do I want to play more of the game? yeah I do! but I would rather have the rest be a surprise when its released instead of already playing a big part of the game a month or o before its released.. the demo gave me what I needed to know.. works for me.. I was waiting for a demo or rental before buying but after playing the demo my pre-order was placed..
The first time you play it…it’s like yeeesss lets smash all the buttons…but NOOOO it doesn’t work like that. All the combos as there utilities. And when you press triangle each time you get hit it’s a COUNTER-ATTACK!!!!! This game is the most enjoyable slashing game to date. I can’t wait to play it in a tougher level.
I also like the aftertouch you hold the x button down and you can direct projectiles such as swords,crates,Your enemies,shields and im sure other objects as well. Great Job to you guys at ninja theory and good luck as well including you kyle :) great job man.
That’s funny Lotsoguns because I’ve only heard you complain so far. I loved it! Thank you, Kyle! And I still think that Bohan is misunderstood- obviously this game will be told from the point of view of Nariko and so she’s probably going to fudge some facts. While the game may show him beating a child to death- what probably happened was he was having a bad day and just lost it and yelled at the poor kid- and of course apologized immediately after! This is all propoganda against the kind, generous, benevolent Lord Bohan! :P Hail Lord Bohan!
@464
Heavenly Sword is a pretty tight game!!!
BUT
I AGREE IT IS OVER HYPED!!!
FEATURED IN E3 2005 AND YET AFTER 2YRS OF DEVELOPMENT ITS NOT EVEN 1080i OR 1080p…
AND WHATS EVEN MORE SAD IS THAT SONY’s UPSCALE WONT EVEN UPSCALE ITS OWN GAMES
JUST LIKE PS3 CAN ADJUST VIDEO RESOLUTION ON ANY OTHER FORMAT BUT ITS OWN…
ANYONE ELSE SEE AN ISSUE WITH THAT???
Just for the record though…i have a TV that supports ALL resolutions so my ass will most likely buy Heavenly Sword :)
Loved the demo, can’t wait for the actual game.
EXCELLENT DEMO!!!!!!!!! very fun and stunning visuals!!! i can’t wait to see the entire game!! congratulations Ninja Theory!!! PLAY BEYOND
Just played the Demo.
This is a must have right now for me. I saw HS as a new Ninja Gaiden but I can see that the combat mechanism is far more deep.
One thing I still can not understand (I only played twice) is how/when you can perform the finishers.
Is the special button for that? Anyway, great great demo.
Please keep them coming. At least gameplay trailers like the one from MGS4. Damn that trailer just sold me. And I have never played a MGS before.
The 480p/1080i only TV owners cheated once again by another 720p only game. Sony fix the upscaling problem.
Heavenly Sword Demo
This game is going to be a masterpiece.
First, the visuals are truly a piece of artwork. With all of the detail put into the surroundings in this demo it was hard for me to stay focused on all of the action that was going on around me, from the textures of the rock and stone to the vegetation and lighting effects, this demo is true eye candy.
Second, the combat system is one of if not the most advanced that I have ever put my hands on. With a small learning curve the counters are very deep. The ability to counter an attack (camera zooms in) and latterly pick and choose how and with what part of your enemy’s body you want to use to neutralize him is REVALUTANARY. The combos are also great, with the stance change being so fluent the possibilities felt endless.
2.5 The animations and motion capture for the facial features are a nice touch to the sense or reality, while the combat animations are superbly fluent. Nariko (sorry if I spelled her name wrong) moves with a true sense of calm and confidence, and while you have three sets of weapons at your disposal the transfer between the three is flawless.
Third, the sound track is also impressive. With great voice over work and an awesome musical score ripping out of my surround sound system turned my living room into Nariko’s struggle.
This game will be a true next-gen action experience for anyone who is planning on picking it up.
Now for the technical stuff.
720 could be a bit sharper, please apply another coat of polish before the games release. Though 480 looked great, for 480 anyways.
Thank you, Ninja Theory and Sony Computer Entertainment for this great demo experience. Now if you all will excuse me I must go work on my counters and combos.
This has turned from a game I was interested in but cautious towards into a day one purchase for me. The graphics were much, much, much better looking than the trailer. For some reason, all of the trailers were washed out and had this weird spotty gamma thing going. Not to mention an insane amount of aliasing and seemingly low-res textures.
Everything about this game looked gorgeous in motion when actually playing the demo and as long as they’re fixing some of the performance hitches (sounds like they have already from the previews, in addition to making it even more pretty) I’m not going to have anything to complain about.
I am now officially pumped for this game. The mythical $500 game indeed.
Look. Sorry but why cant you guys release spyro and crash2 in the united states? SCEE released it why cant you guys?
I agree the demo was short, but i can’t believe all these people that are downing the gameplay because of how short the demo is. Its short but it does give you an example of the game’s mechanics. Although i am disappoint in the shortness of the game, its still awesome and i am about to play it again right now. But, Lotsoguns, for you to say that the motorstorm demo sucked and people won’t buy the game sounds like you are paying attention to whats going on around you. Motorstorm is a blast and the demo was actually fun to me also, and dude people are still buying that game. Also, the only thing you complained about was the length, for you to be so upset about the length tells me that you like the gameplay (which is all that matters) so instead of only griping, please give the guys credit for making a game that you are going to buy.
lol the demo is laughably short-and I was a little annoyed at how sort of.. non interactive the combat felt. I didn’t feel I had that much direct control over Nariko’s moves I guess. The cover art is still gorgeous though.
ninja theory…
ILOVEJOO
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sony…
ILOVEJOO
ILOVEJOO
ILOVEJOO
ILOVEJOO
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ILOVEJOO
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playstation 3…
ILOVEJOO
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ILOVEJOO
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ILOVEJOO
and i love this demo, i managed to spend half an hour on a single run.
at first i was skeptical, felt i couldnt control the moves.
second time, i knew what buttons did what
third time i tried to learn some combos
all the other countless times, this game totally PWNED, im definetly picking this one up.
ty ninja theory for making this awesome new revolutionary fun beautiful clever kick as$ violent stunning dramatic quality demo.
cant wait for the game
AMAZING DEMO!
it was kind of a shock at the end..just because i was JUST getting settled in…then you took me out. i was like “that’s it?”
other than the fact that it took me about 60 seconds to beat, it was a lot of fun! i am gonna buy this game for my PS3! Good Work
yeah indeed a great demo but action game like this needs smoother framerates imo :)
OMG this game kicks well you know. The graphics are beautiful. I can not stand these type of games but I sure the hell will buy this when it is out. I have not been this excited about playing a PS3 game yet. Thank you for the awesome demo!!!!!!
@Zxany
Yes I noticed the frame rate problem. The game demo was too short but fascinating. I hope this demo was not taken from the finished game because I would definitely have a problem playing it if the intense action kept slowing the frame rate down. I’m crossing my fingers and praying that the final product will exceed my expectations.
@siggy
im with u
*cross fingers and prays*
@Siggy & Zxany
The problems are already fixed the devs said it them selves an can be found on their forum.
[quote]the demo was locked down ages ago, plenty of spit n polish has been done since then right.[/unquote]
http://www.ninjatheory.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1381&page=27
Wow…how long did it take you guys to download the demo? I dunno if it was my connection or what…but I got home at around 6pm EST and my download wasn’t done til about Midnight! The demo seemed WAAAAAY too short for a download that took that long. You can download movies and games off torrents faster than that!
This whole discussion basically has turned into how long it took to download the demo and how it was short. I think the real issue to be concerned about is the framerate. From the moment the demo starts on the grassy cliff, Nariko spastically moves around with unfluid choppyness like Gumby. Other than that though, pretty good, but no God of War.
The frame rate issue has been fixed. I guess you guys dont read the other comments before you comment.
http://www.ninjatheory.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1381&page=27
At every one that did not like the controls. Read #522, play the demo again and learn how to play this masterpiece.
@Polyphony NL & 40cal
okay so no framerate issues for final releases.
will get this great game for sure! wooot
I wish there was something on page 27 of that discussion thread from the Ninja Theory blog that actually talks about the frame rate. I guess I’ll just have to take your word that it has been fixed… as in doubled whatever it is now hopefully.
Comment 522 continued.
What is the deal with Narikos lil sis? LOL
The ability to pick up almost any object that is lying around is a very interactive touch. Whether its barrels, swords, broken lumber, it is all at your disposal for smacking these thugs upside the head. Start a combo, then roll to evade an incoming attack, while rolling pick up the inanimate object and throw it at the end of your roll and unleash new combo. OMG!
The combos involving the Sixaxis shake are a little challenging at first but once you get them down they are very rewarding.
I will be playing the living _______ out of this demo until and after I get my hands on LAIR. Again, NEXT-GEN MASTERPIECE.
Thought the demo was excellent and pleased to hear superb voice casting. Had problems with the shadows on the cut scene. Still its a must buy come September.
The controls still seem sloppy. Hopefully it will be improved in the final version. I will buy this game.
@40Cal
You are completely right in comment #522
I’ve been waiting for this game since 2005. I downloaded the game and played and I tought what the hell. I was so disappointed. I couldn’t believe it. So last night I played the demo over and over again for three hours straight forcing me mastering the combos and blocking. Well I can say my faith is restored. It will be an insane game. People can better practcing instead
Heavenly Sword is masterpiece it only asks you to master it and that takes time.
The controls are unique and wonderful. And thanks for the Wallpapers aswell. lol
A few questions answered by the devs on their forum.
[Quote]
Questions were answered by Daves [NT-DEVELOPER] Sound Engineer over at NinjaTheory Forums.
http://www.ninjatheory.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1381
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.
Question 2
HELLO????
is blocking is automatic?
Answer 2
It’s not completely automatic, in that you need to be in the right stance to block the incoming move (or evade for unblockables).
For a NinjaChallenge – try completing the demo ONLY using counter-attacks
Question 3
Please tell me the hard mode is available without having to play through once to unlock it?
Answer 3
HELL mode is available right off the bat, yes.
Bare in mind, that what you’re playing now is a level early on in the story, you can scrape through it just by mashing buttons – try that in the later chapters and you’ll get your (gorgeous) ass handed to you on a plate…
Question 4
Please tell me the hard mode is available without having to play through once to unlock it?
Answer 4
I heard today that we had to prove to Sony that the game could be completed in Hell Mode… a couple of ninja’s managed it I believe. Seems the testers didn’t! Hehe.
Question 5
also, does anyone else notice the brightness of the game fading in and out? I keep thinking its my TV, but i’m curious…
Answer 5
Naa, that’ll be the sun going behind the clouds.
Noticable points
– the demo is an old build probably from last years demo since its exactally the same level
– the game has improved significantly from the demos build
– many glitches are fixed
– sound issuses have also been fixed
[/Unquote]
The game itself is Great. But the demo is short. I felt like i had gotten blue balls . It just abruptly ended at the gate opening cutsecene just when i was ready to erupt into a melee of whup ass on those villans.
But you should have seen the look on my friends face priceless. Deifinitley a buy.
This is the most overhyped pathetically short demo in history! Do not waste your time downloading!!!
Also its in 720p so those out there with “old CRT HDTVs” should not waste their time unless they want to demo Heavenly 480p Sword. Come on Sony. Can’t you do anything right. Fix the 720p game scaling right now!
I have been playing games for years, and I have played some bad demos, and I have played some good demos. This is Baaaad demo. I hope there are some major improvements to this game before it comes out. I was actually excited about it, until I played it. For one I hope the game doesnt release in 720p like the demo was. Also could the demo be any shorter, that was ridiculous. And to think thats supposed to build hype over this game. I was more entertained watching the metal gear gameplay 15 times straight. Does anyone else feel like this game is just a pretty god of war wanna-be with a female lead or is it just me?
I love the deep combo system, I love the visuals, I love the quality of the cutscenes. Very nice work Ninja Theory.
@547 To me it felt more like “genji with only one character”. Having played it a bit now, I don’t care if they bother fixing the scaling or not, the game just doesn’t appeal to me at all. The whole combo system is kinda cool, but I don’t see the game staying fun for more than a few hours.
It seems to be another “throw a million bland enemies at the main character and watch her mow them all down over and over again”. For me, that’s what made the Genji and Gundam Warriors Legacy demos so boring too. Add to that the fact that they couldn’t be bothered to achieve 1080 and I’m totally out.
Maybe it’s because I’m looking at in 480p, but the graphics just don’t seem that amazing either. there’s my review… flame on.
I had a few issues with the demo, the first and foremost being how short it was (obviously). It really didn’t give me any clear indication as to how the game was supposed to be. Secondly, I felt that some of the movesets of Nariko and enemy attacks were very clunky and didn’t move fluidly at all. I don’t know if that’s a framerate issue, but it needed to be faster and more versatile. Lastly, I felt that waiting around for other guys to attack in order to ensure counter-attack succes was borderline lame and that there wasn’t enough tactic left up to the player. Still interested in the game, but I’m at a loss for what the game is supposed to be like based on that demo.
I liked the demo but I have a couple of issues with the games. Nariko reacts a little late to the controls. SHE DOESN”T JUMP? I tried every single button on the control and tried to tilt it to see if jumping was related to the motion detection, but guess what NO JUMPING I didn’t like that part of the game. The frame rate should be fix. The demo was ok because it was too short it took me 3 hrs to download because I have DSL and the demo only lasted like 5 minutes, crazy!!!. The game it’s gonna be huge I really like the concept entirely, I will get this one. See ya folks
What is with all of this idiot trolls complaining about 720p? An actual HDTV plays 720p and 720p is gorgeous. There’s no “scaling issue” to fix.
These people with TVs that are 1080i only don’t even have HDTVs. And they’re not displaying 1920×1080 resolution! You might as well call them 540p televisions.
I’ll repeat that: These very, very, very few unfortunate souls with 1080i only televisions have TVs that don’t even display actual 1080i. They take a 1080i signal and downscale it to the much, much lower resolution of the CRT, usually 960×540, which isn’t that far above 720×480.
So you people with 1080i only televisions can shut up about scaling and play in 480p until you have a real HDTV. It’s not like you’re actually missing out on all that much resolution.
Like everyone said… the demo was a lil too short but i liked the graphic and the gameplay is very nice..
2 things i didnt like tho… first theres no button to jump and secondly no button to block attacks.. except those 2 things
Its a must buy for me
Developers if you agree with Deviation please let us know. His arguments are so compeling that I think it might almost change my mind.
Maybe all the posts about this are an indicator that this issue is important to more than a few people. Apparently this issue doesn’t directly affect you so why are you so sensitve?
Deviation, you obviously have no understanding of how 1080i works, and are just parrotting what other retards have already said. 1080i is two 1920*540 signals interlaced faster than your eyes can comprehend- in the end containing considerably more data than 720p and a considerably better still picture. Second, the number of 1080i only TVs is a lot bigger than you’ve apparently been led to believe. Research the issue a bit instead of parroting the incorrect data you’ve heard.
This is a response to post #552:
Hey Deviation you are so damn wrong you have no idea what you are talking about. 1080i is fantastic HD and your totally wrong about that bull about it not playing at full resolution with CRT. Your the troll making excuses about something that you not only don’t have a clue about; but should have never been released from Sony with this MAJOR (still to be fixed) hardware PROBLEM. Don’t tell me that I don’t have a real HDTV you pompous ass.
sooo…now people are getting upset about people telling other people that they don’t have a real HDTV? wow…thats pretty sad no matter where you stand on the subject. I got a crappy old tv thats probably as old as the original PS2…but i’m dealing with games fine. I played all my other games on this tv so I don’t see a reason to buy another tv…besides for the limited room so I can’t put one in my room anyway. I know there is a difference between the picture quality and everything…but nothing to start flaming other people cuz of their tv
I played the demo last night. I was right. This game sucks andswallows