A Fantastic Final Fight, Incredible Animation And Conclusions
I can honestly say that the final boss battle is one of the coolest I've seen in any game. I can't describe it much without giving something away, but everything from the graphics to the pacing to the cut-scenes that book-end it are top-notch. This is where the game engine shines the most and it really shows the strength of the Playstation 3. It doesn't bring anything new to the table - it's a pretty straight-forward fight actually - but it's the presentation that makes it great. I hate to oversell it because it came as a nice surprise but if you're on the fence about the game, the final boss fight is worth seeing.
View the Heavenly Sword slide show (24 images)
The area that Heavenly Sword truly excels in is its facial animation and lip synching. It's the best I've ever seen in a game engine. You don't see it much during the gameplay sequences but you'll really notice it in the game engine cut-scenes. I always knew that most games didn't do much lip sync and instead just use a canned series of mouth animations, but when you see it really working well it's pretty amazing. The intricate facial animations make the characters come alive and bring their emotions to the screen. You really can't say enough about Andy Serkis in this department. You'll know Serkis as the guy who did the voice and motion capture of Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings" films. Serkis is credited here as playing the voice and motion capture of King Bohan as well as being in charge of dramatic direction and having a hand in the story and screenplay. His voice may not be perfect for a major villain but his rendition of Bohan could go down as one of the great over-the-top performances in gaming history. It doesn't make Bohan a great villain per se, but Serkis' rendition never once felt phoned-in. If only other actors committed that much to video game performances.
King Bohan performed by Andy Serkis.
Heavenly Sword may not be the system-seller Sony was hoping for but it's a good game that showcases the power of the Playstation 3. It's an original property still finding its legs and one I expect will see more games. Hopefully, future releases in the series will pack more gameplay - this can be beaten in six to eight hours depending on your ability - but the brevity almost works to its benefit. The game ends leaving you with the high that comes from a good hard sprint rather than the exhaustion that follows a marathon. Unfortunately, it may lack the marathon's sense of accomplishment as well.
Where I'm Coming From: I'd been looking forward to Heavenly Sword with guarded optimism since I first saw it. I'm a big fan of the third-person action genre especially when they incorporate deep combat systems. I think God of War and God of War 2 represent some of the best experiences that video games have offered, which gave Heavenly Sword big shoes to fill.
What I Compared It to: No question this game is reminiscent of God of War. In a world without the God of War games, Heavenly Sword would fare better but with Kratos looming over her head Nariko needs to step it up. Some say it isn't fair to compare the two but it's the road chosen by developer Ninja Theory and the similarities are unmistakable (not to mention the fact that Kratos' armor and Blades of Chaos are seen hanging in King Bohan's armory).
What I Liked: The final boss battle; Andy Serkis; the facial animation and lip-synching and the after-touch system.
What I Didn't Like: Nariko can't jump; Nariko's hair animation never worked for me; fighting can get repetitive; bosses healing when failing hero sequences and the game is a bit short.
Value Meter: Rent it. It's short but sweet, worth the rental price and easily beatable in a rental time-frame.
Final Score: 7.0 out of 10.
Join our discussion on this topic
