Sony quiet on Heavenly date

By Tom Bramwell Published 30 July, 2007

Nothing too specific just yet.

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 us this morning that an announcement had yet to be made.

Not that that's to say it won't come out on that day. Indeed, SCEE currently believes the Ninja Theory title will be released that month. They just don't want anybody getting ahead of themselves.

Unless, of course, you're referring to "playing the demo", which came out on PlayStation Network last Thursday. It's whipped up a frenzy of discussion as to its merits, which we'll be contributing to this afternoon with our own demo impressions.

Is it all it's cracked up to be? Or not? Or is that question even relevant? You decide. Or rather, we decide, then you shout at us for venturing an opinion. Woo!

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (47) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Dr.Mott #1 5 years ago

    A decision on how good it is can't really be made on the demo. It was way too short.

  • StormRider #2 5 years ago

    Well, it'd better be good, otherwise what exclusives has the PS3 got coming out this year?

    Sony need a good kick up the backside in bringing out triple A titles. Then I might even think about buying one.

  • Darkedge #3 5 years ago

    from the recent videos it's gone off my most wanted list down to i'll buy a PS3 and it when it gets to platinum price (oh and the PS3 costs a reasonable amount).
    So lets say next October.

    Seriously the last video i saw of 'Ariel counters' looked totally rubbish. pretty game but button mashing boredom.
    Edited by 2 at 30/07/07 @ 11:38

  • kangarootoo #4 5 years ago

    I tried the demo again, and got on with it a lot better the second time around. Its not really my kind of game, so button mashing was all I could really bring to it on my first attempt.

    A bit more thought about what to use when made things feel a lot more controlled. I agree the demo was ludicrously short. It doesn't really give you enough variety in enemies to try out a variety of combat styles. Not ideal given the nature of the game and the purpose of a demo.

  • Draqule #5 5 years ago

    Yeah, I was a little dissapointed, felt too much like a poor man's (or should that be rich man's) God of War. Having said that, I'm sure, given a bit more time with the combat system, that promised depth will become more apparrent.

  • kangarootoo #6 5 years ago

    @Darkedge

    What did you see in the vids that you didn't like?

  • Darren #7 5 years ago

    I agree. The demo showed a lot of promise but simply wasn't long enough to make an informed opinion on and so far it has been getting very mixed reactions across the internet. I liked what I saw but found the combat lacked fluidity compared with other games like Ninja Gaiden Sigma and God of War II but I understand that you gain moves throughout the game which presumably improve said combat.

  • tonynibbles #8 5 years ago

    The demo says due in September. I hope so.

  • kangarootoo #9 5 years ago

    I got the impression that the combat just needs a different touch to get the best out of it, but the demo is sort short and unvaried that its tought to discover what exactly that touch is (or indeed, if it even exists).

  • Steroyd #10 5 years ago

    @Stormrider

    ... oh screw it can't be arsed with a list.

    @Darkedge

    Button mashing boredom? o_O

    Albeit the demo is short to give a verdict to what the overall game could be like but from what I've played button mashing wouldn't get you very far in the game.

  • penhalion #11 5 years ago

    They would also be kind of stupid to release near the Halo 3 date. It doesn't matter what game you are or on what console. If you release on or near Halo 3's date you may as well kiss you sales goodbye.

    Intelligent people would have moved the date forward a month. to gain that clear sailing window.

    @Steroyd

    It's God of War style button mashing i.e. block, roll and use super move over and over again. Heck the combo names are almost the same as GOW too!
    Edited by 1 at 30/07/07 @ 12:02

  • morriss #12 5 years ago

    MAKE TH GAME 1080i COMPATIBLE SONY!

    Along with every other first party title on the market.

  • BrokenSymmetry #13 5 years ago

    "A decision on how good it is can't really be made on the demo. It was way too short. "

    OK, but isn't the whole point of any demo for users to make a buying decision based on it without having to rely on the second-hand experiences that reviews are?

  • peterfll #14 5 years ago

    I tried to play the demo half a dozen or so times last night and it kept crashing on me after the intro sequence, on the loading screen.

    This has happened a few times with demos I've downloaded... hmmm...

  • oreillymj #15 5 years ago

    Seemed like pure button mashing to me.

    But what really seemed crap what the walking/running animation, which was no where near go enough considering all the crap spouted about state of the art motion capture.

    No one, goes from stationary to running in 1 movement, and no one runs like this in real life.

  • Les #16 5 years ago

    Demo is very short and rough around the edges but it sure is no button masher. I was very sceptical about this game but the demo increased my interest. Not much next gen about the gameplay (although the throwing aftertouch is nice) but I guess we'll have to wait till the next gen for that (if ever). Think Ken was very nice to MS by calling the 360 xbox 1.5. I wouldn't go further than 1.1. Like the PS3 is PS2.1.1 at the most.

  • mendo #17 5 years ago

    I'm an Italian journalist and I received last week the Fall line-up by Sony Italy. HS is set for September, the 19th with a RSP of 59,99 so I guess it's kind of official :)

    (I can forward you the file if you want :D)
    Edited by 1 at 30/07/07 @ 12:27

  • Steroyd #18 5 years ago

    @penhalion

    Your right every dev should just pack their bags and take a months holiday in September, and have Halo as the only game in that month, I'm sure those who don't like FPS's would appreciate that much.

    The comparisons to God of War are well founded, but it does enough on it's own, heck the game doesn't even have a block button to mash. :p

    No one, goes from stationary to running in 1 movement, and no one runs like this in real life.

    Hell no, just... no they improved the walking animations going from PS1 to PS2, and it resulted in the characters, moving too slow for my liking the speed at which the main character move is enough.

    I like realism in games, but sometimes you have to draw the line somewhere between realism and maneuverability particularly in these types of games.

    And an IGN journalist called it Xbox 1.5.
    Edited by 1 at 30/07/07 @ 12:39

  • Dizzy #19 5 years ago

    With Lair apparently rather shite.. Sony better make sure that HS is up to it. Might be the only system seller this year on PS3. Extra polish won't hurt.

  • Steroyd #20 5 years ago

    Oh yeah was anyone surprised in the demo at the different languages you could select, and Nariko would speak the dialogue. :o

    Teh powah of Blu-ray.

  • Les #21 5 years ago

    "And an IGN journalist called it Xbox 1.5."

    For real? Ken never said that? In a recent issue of games(TM) they said it was one of his statements. Typically Ken, stealing quotes from others. Will Sony ever do something original?!

  • teabagger #22 5 years ago

    oreillymj:

    So I guess you hadn't noticed the cut scenes are mocap and the game anims hand animated?
    And on the subject of in game anims; there is always a trade off between real-life accuracy (i.e the point you make about going from stand to run quickly) and making the controls responsive.
    Edited by 1 at 30/07/07 @ 12:47

  • dr_shambles #23 5 years ago

    Downloaded it. Played it. Hated it. Played it again. Still sucked.

    The main thing is to me there seemed little connection in the combat, and you just end up randomly button mashing at identical looking enemies. The frame rate chugged, and the QTE stuff reminded me of Dragon's Lair.

  • dahsif #24 5 years ago

    Is Eurogamer going the CVG way by reporting NON-EVENTS too? What next? Annoucement regarding future announcements?

  • Santino #25 5 years ago

    "They would also be kind of stupid to release near the Halo 3 date. It doesn't matter what game you are or on what console. If you release on or near Halo 3's date you may as well kiss you sales goodbye. "

    i'm really sick of this rubbish

  • penhalion #26 5 years ago

    @Steroyd

    Actually I was very suprised at the different language thing. I didn't expect it, though the lip sync was non existant no matter what language I picked.

    I agree with you that Heavenly Sword is worth a buy. After all it's going to be a few years yet for a PS3 version of God Of War and after GOW2 I wouldn't be holding my breath for that anyway (too short and too repetitive).

    I guess I'm assuming (gotta stop doing that) that everyone owns a 360 as well as a PS3 so the Halo 3 comment is a bit off. If you own a PS3Wii then any releases in September would be welcome. I'm still bitter with Nintendo about not having any firm dates for Mario and Metroid here in england. My Wii got dusted yesterday and I was suprised at the thick layer there. I simply haven't used the danged thing recently.

  • Hughes. #27 5 years ago

    Demo = too short, too easy.

    Set a demo like this too easy and you just invite cack-handed cretins shouting "BUTTON MASHER!" to tear your work down. Watching Brian Crecente play the extended demo showed there's a hell of a lot more to this game than the demo shows.

  • oreillymj #28 5 years ago

    @teabagger
    "So I guess you hadn't noticed the cut scenes are mocap and the game anims hand animated? "

    Yes, of course I noticed the cut scenes, but I'd prefer better gameplay and no cut scenes. They don't add any value to the experience IMHO.
    Why spend a fortune on mocap and hiring Andy Sirkis when your main character is then going to run around like she has a pole shoved up her arse?
    Edited by 1 at 30/07/07 @ 13:08

  • Steroyd #29 5 years ago

    For real? Ken never said that? In a recent issue of games(TM) they said it was one of his statements. Typically Ken, stealing quotes from others. Will Sony ever do something original?!

    Ooops I was wrong maybe not an IGN reporter, but a famous one.

    Commenting on the demos shown by Microsoft and Sony at their respective conferences, Kutaragi adds, "One famous reporter let slip, Xbox is 1.5, the PS is more than what I was expecting, so it's 3.5. That's the difference."

    [link url=http ://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/623/623546p1.html
    ]http://uk .ps3.ign.com/articles/623/62354...[/link]

    Hmmm... on second thought maybe him repeating it is just as bad?

  • Atropos #30 5 years ago

    I've played a later build (post-demo), and while I button-mashed at first, pretty soon the fight mechanics became very much more involved and a great deal more satisfying. Most of the puzzles are spot on (not too hard, not too easy), and it moves like a dream with no slow-down at all. That was still just an early preview build. The only thing I don't like is that you can't jump unless it's in context, which I've always disliked. But having played that early build, I will be first in line when it's released.

    Oh, and Uncharted will rule the planet. I'm looking forward to that even more than Heavenly Sword, I swear that's going to be the sleeper hit of the season. I played a pre-E3 beta, and it's already almost all there. I effin' love that game.

  • Steroyd #31 5 years ago

    I guess I'm assuming (gotta stop doing that) that everyone owns a 360 as well as a PS3 so the Halo 3 comment is a bit off.

    Dude you're doing it again, your assuming everyone who has a Xbox 360 loves FPS's.

    Hmmm... that statement is open to attack lol.

  • kangarootoo #32 5 years ago

    @peterfll

    The crashing you are seeing doesn't bode well for your PS3 methinks. That type of instability might suggest failing memory (though that is a huge assumption to make, give the tony amount of info). What are you seeing when the demos crash? Do you see the same when launching disc based games?


    @oreillymj

    Applying transition animations between movements is a sure fire way to kill a game dead (I speak from experience). Things like HS and GoW war need quick transitions that react on the spot to player input. If you start animating things like standstill -> run you end up with a horribly sluggish control system. For a 3rd person adventure like Fahrenheit (for example) that is just fine, but for something like HS its really not what you need.

    Go back and look at stuff like PoP:SoT and Gow. They snap all over the place, but the result is fluid response to player input. The difference is that when you are the player you don't notice the way a game looks as much as the way it feels. When you play PoP or GoW the player character is often the last thing you focus your attention on; more often you are concentrating on an enemy or an environmental hazard.

    Analysing character movement in detail in a movie is no way to gauge how the actual game will play.

  • penhalion #33 5 years ago

    @Steroyd

    Er yea but..no..but..yea..but...awwwww ;)

    I love all kinds of games luckily. I think the release schedules of Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo are just plain stupid though. A steady stream of games throughout the year would sell a heck of a lot more than this "dump em all in the three months to Chrsitmas" crud they always seem to pull.

    For instance this hoiday season I'm interested in playing

    Bioshock
    Halo 3
    Heavenly Sword
    Kane and Lynch
    Mass Effect
    Blue Dragon
    Mario Galaxy
    Metroid Prime Corruption


    And that's just the ones I remember off the top of my head. That's like a spend of 400 quid in the next two months. As it stands even though I earn enough. I couldn't begin to play all of them at the same time so I have to choose. Halo 3, because I'm determined to finish the fight and insult the hello out of Bungie if it's crap. Mass effect because I loved Knights of the old republic. Mario..well it's mario...Blue Dragon, because I love the old school RPGs. Heavenly Sword..because I have F-all for my PS3 at present (motorstorm doesn't count).

    Even this cut down list is too long for a true play and enjoy experience. I simply don't get that much holiday!

  • penhalion #34 5 years ago

    @oreillymj

    Have you ever seen an olympic race. Say the 100 meters. People in that race go from a standstill to a run instantly. Why do you think it's not possible to do that? There isn't any in between state. If I want to run I simply do. I don't need to build up a walk first or transition from some strange state. I think I'd notice if that ever happened :)

  • Les #35 5 years ago

    "Ooops I was wrong maybe not an IGN reporter, but a famous one.

    Commenting on the demos shown by Microsoft and Sony at their respective conferences, Kutaragi adds, "One famous reporter let slip, Xbox is 1.5, the PS is more than what I was expecting, so it's 3.5. That's the difference."

    Funny to browse through that old article again. Ken was spot on with his analysis of the 360. It's only about taking graphics to HD levels. But so far the PS3 hasn't really proven it can do much more. Wether that's because the 360 is holding it back or not doesn't really matter.

    edit: apparently something went wrong HTML-wise (I'm not that geeky) so my response wasn't displayed. Fixed it.
    Edited by 1 at 30/07/07 @ 16:43

  • MoGamer2006 #36 5 years ago

    Just finished the demo... nice movie, wonder what'll be like when they put a game in there... ;-)

  • kangarootoo #37 5 years ago

    @penhalion

    Well technically there MUST be an "inbetween" state.

    Acceleration HAS to take place, otherwise you are talking about eliminating inertia, which is physically impossible (barring something Stephen Hawkings might have to say to the contrary).

    My point is that [real world realism < game play fun] and that introducing transition animations into a game like HS would make it unplayable.

  • oreillymj #38 5 years ago

    I fully accept the points made that there is a balance to me made between accuracy & gameplay.

    But, I also expect next gen consoles to deliver something better in the way of animation than I saw in the HS demo. The transition from stationary to running just stood out as being poorly implemented and actually I had PoP SoT in mind as a game were this was done well. And Another World is a game I remember as having very good stop-start dynamics.
    While running the HS character also seemed to turn in steps of 45 degrees.

    Just not what I expected of a supposed next-gen AAA title.

    BTW - I own a PS3 and can't wait for something new to play.
    So bring on Unchartered, Singstar & Sega. If stuck I'll probably DiRT if it get some gameplay tweaks for it's PS3 release.
    Edited by 1 at 30/07/07 @ 16:24

  • kangarootoo #39 5 years ago

    @oreillymj

    I agree it is a shades of grey thing and I was probably being a bit hard and fast in my response. I don't believe that transition anims are a good thing, but perhaps HS could benefit from some tidier blending.

    In Another World every frame was rotoscoped, so there was no blending at all and everything had to transition. For that game it worked fine, and was even part of the gameplay mechanic. I just think that something like HS needs a very quick response to player input, so AW is not necessarily a fair comparison.

    I think actually we agree on the issue (that HSs anim transitions could do with some work), but perhaps just not on the solution :)

  • StormRider #40 5 years ago

    @penhalion

    you're right. There's too many good games coming out at the same sort of time. Who can afford to buy all these games? Most of my salary goes toward my family and living expenses.

    Here are the games that I want this year, but will I get to buy all of them?

    Bioshock
    MOH: Airborne
    PGR 4
    Halo 3
    The Orange box
    GTA IV
    Assassin's Creed
    Call of Duty 4
    Splinter Cell Conviction
    Medieval 2: Kingdoms
    Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts
    Blue Dragon

    Hmm, choices, choices . . .

  • Steroyd #41 5 years ago

    It does indeed suck that games get crammed but what third party do and what first party do are seperate so they cause a giant cluster**** at Christmas.

    Which is why I'm going to stick to my first party games only regime bar Pro Evolution Soccer in the next 4 months hopefully I'll survive come new year.

  • Les #42 5 years ago

    "Who can afford to buy all these games?"

    The people that can usually don't have the time to play them all...

  • OfficialBlue #43 5 years ago

    U lot are dicks HS is sick! how can u say its button mashy? u lot need to play it again and learn how to play it! And why are Xbots on here???
    Edited by 1 at 30/07/07 @ 22:14

  • kangarootoo #44 5 years ago

    You had to edit that random brain fart? What the hell was your original version, two words?

  • DjFlex52 #45 5 years ago

    "And why are Xbots on here???"

    same reason Sony suckers are on here....cause they can

    "U lot are dicks HS is sick! how can u say its button mashy? u lot need to play it again and learn how to play it!"

    hmmm...learn how to play it?

    /mashes buttons

  • m0thr4 #46 5 years ago

    There are so many combos that the chances of you activating one while mashing the buttons are actually quite high. Therefore there's no real need to learn the combos.

    That just leaves the rest of the game, which is not very impressive at all. There's nothing about the graphics that screams "only possible on PS3".... apart from the frame tearing and the poor animation.

    There are so many better games coming to the PS3 than this, although you'll have to wait until next year for those...
    Edited by 1 at 31/07/07 @ 14:24

  • kangarootoo #47 5 years ago

    @m0thr4

    "There are so many combos that the chances of you activating one while mashing the buttons are actually quite high. Therefore there's no real need to learn the combos."

    Its surely not just a matter of "use a combo, any combo". If there is any depth at all to the combat certain combos will work better (or at all) against certain opponents. I mean hammering X to execute lots of basic punches in a row is a combo, just not a good one.

    You can't dismiss this on the basis of your extremely thin assumption that there is "no real need to learn the combos" withough at least knowing what the result of applying your "any old combo will do" method in the final game will be.
    Edited by 1 at 31/07/07 @ 15:51