Heavenly Sword is one of the best games to exclusively hit the PlayStation 3 since Sony launched it.
The Bad: The game is short and can be beaten in roughly 6-8 hours depending on how good you are. * It seems like you have to fail a button press scene at least once if you want to succeed in the button press scene. * Music tracks are reused a bit to much. The Good: The graphics are some of the best (If not THE best) we have seen on the PlayStation 3. * The music, while a bit repetitive, is very good and nice to listen to. It also fits in with the game perfectly. * The cutscenes make the game fill like a movie, and a very good movie to. * The combat doesn't get repetitive with the inclusion of the unique and impressive combos. * A couple of puzzles, shooting games, and Kai Missions keep the game from getting to repetitive. * Storyline is well written * Boss battles are awesome * Framerate never dips, even with literally thousands of enemies on screen * Top notch voice acting * Bug-free
Now, most review sites have given Heavenly Sword generally positive reviews with an average of 8 out of 10, but some have taken it upon themselves to give it a 7 out of 10. These guys need to go back and play again. While the game is pretty short, it's almost perfect from start to finish. The gameplay is mixed up with the combo system and it is not all button mashing with unique Kai Missions, Puzzles, and Shooting Missions. The boss battles are very fun to, especially the dialouge during the fights. You also have to strategize to beat the bosses and think about how you should beat them. You can't just mash the same button again and again. The Sixaxis is implemented ok in this game. When you get knocked up in the air by a power combo, you can shake the controller to counter your enemy from the air. You can also use it to perfrom aerial combos. Both of these are surprsingly easier and better than using the analog controls. You can use it as an aftertouch to guide shots from an arrow or bazooka to specific targets. I found the aftertouch controls to be ok, but harder and inferior than than using the stick. Thankfully, this game didn't make the same mistake that Lair game did and you can turn off the sixaxis controls for everything or only for certain things as you wish.
The button press are very stylish, but if you want to beat them you basically have to lose them once.
The cutscenes in the game are gorgeous and it really feels like a movie. The story is engaging and you will actually care what happens to the characters. The motion capture makes the characters move more realistically as well. But the mouth movement and voices seemed a bit off. As for the sound, there are many good sound effects in the game and the voice acting is top notch. The only issues with sound is the music tracks, which, while great, are used to many times. Although they fit the setting really well. The graphics pretty much speak for themselves. The only issue is that sometimes Nariko's (The main character) hair goes through her body. The value is dependent on whether or not you enjoy it. If you do, then you will want to play it again, if not then there won't be much value unfortunately. There has been promise of downloadable content if sales are good enough however. I really enjoyed this game, but this is just my opinion. I think that you should at least rent Heavenly Sword, even if you don't like these types if games.