Heavenly Sword Member Review for the PS3

"And so was born the legend of our Heavenly Sword..."

Heavenly Sword is one of the most astounding games I have ever played. With its intense combat, ridiculously stunning visuals, massive array of sounds, great voice acting, and music, and its excellent motion capture animation, this game will leave you out of breath and amazed by the time it ends...and then you'll crave more! Heavenly Sword may not be a good buy for some people, but it's the perfect rental for all.

CONS
No game is perfect and without flaws, but Heavenly Sword gets pretty damn close. I only found one problem with the game, and that's its length. Bigger doesn't always mean better, but this game should have been longer.

Now onto the pros; the many, many wonderful things about Heavenly Sword.

STORY
You're put in the shoes of Nariko, a young woman who was supposed to be the Heavenly Warrior reincarnated. Because she was born a woman, her clan members think she is powerless to protect them, and they call her a curse and such. She was trained by her father, Shen, who's the leader of their clan, to wield the Heavenly Sword. Now, a king from a distant land, named Bohan, marches after the Sword. He knows of its power and wishes to wield it.

GAMEPLAY
The gameplay is so intense and epic from start to finish, it's unbelievable. I get excited just writing about it. The combat is probably the best part. It's divided into three parts called stances. Each stance plays differently and does its own amount of damage. There's the Heavenly Ranged stance, which does quick, ranged, weak attacks that can block certain projectiles such as arrows. To enter the Ranged stance, hold L1. Then, there's the Heavenly Speed stance. This is the default stance. The Heavenly Sword is split into two separate swords, which are quick and do moderate damage. Finally, there's the Heavenly Power stance, entered by holding R1. This stance is powerful, but slow. The Sword is in one large piece, here.

You can also use various environment objects such as dead bodies, dropped shields, dropped swords, etc, and throw it at enemies. This is also used to solve puzzles and open doors. If you hold X to throw the projectiles, you activate the AfterTouch. It's a type of precision aim where you tilt the SIXAXIS to guide the projectile. Good fun. When playing as Kai, Nariko's "sister," you can also use the AfterTouch to guide the bolts from her crossbow.

There are also timed button sequences similar to those in Resident Evil 4 or God of War. These are used to reach certain areas or finish off some enemies and bosses.

GRAPHICS
All I can say is "wow!" The graphics are definitely made for a next gen system. The characters look amazing, and the environments are beautiful. And Bohan's army: thousands of characters on the screen at once with no issues or anything. And Heavenly Sword has the best motion capture animation I've ever seen in a game.

AUDIO
"Heavenly Sword's audio is more massive than a DVD."
The music is great. It really sets the mood, and the voice acting is superb; as good as any Metal Gear game.

PROS
+Stunning Visuals
+Great Voice Acting
+Amazing Music
+The Best Motion Capture I've Ever Seen In A Game
+Intense Combat
+Immersive & Epic Gameplay
+Great Story

CONS
-Too Short

FINAL
Final Score - A
Heavenly Sword may not be a good buy for some because of its length, but it does make the perfect rental.