PlayStation LifeStyle » Heavenly Sword

Heavenly Sword Sequel Rumored to be in Development

Cameron Teague — Sun, 08 May 2011 23:09:17 +0000

The pre-E3 rumor mill has begun to churn, and with it comes a sequel to Heavenly Sword, one of the most underrated games for the PlayStation 3 which many feel lost out as it was released during the troubled launch of the PlayStation 3. According to the latest issue of the UK PlayStation Magazine, PlayGamer, the sequel is in development and takes place 10 years after the events of the first game.

According to the magazine it will be an open-world sandbox title featuring re-playable missions and interactive environments. The magazine goes on to say that the Heavenly Sword weapon will not be available from the start of the game and you will have to work your way to obtaining it by mastering different martial arts.

Seeing as how Ninja Theory, the developer behind the original game went on to multiplatform titles, a sequel would have to be worked on by another team. Now again this is just a rumor so take it for what it’s worth but we do have to hope this is one of those rumors that come true.

[Via]

Enslaved Writer Got ‘F***ing Sick’ of His PS3

Zak Islam — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 18:30:46 +0000

The man who penned 28 Days Later and Enslaved has stated that he only played Heavenly Sword after meeting Ninja Theory because of him being “f***ing sick” of his PlayStation 3.

Alex Garland told Edge during an interview:

“I had not played Heavenly Sword at the moment I met Tameem, then I went and bought it. The reason I hadn’t played it is because I’d bought a PlayStation 3 along with an Xbox 360, and by the time I met Tameem I’d already stopped playing on the PlayStation 3 because I was so f*cking sick of it. There weren’t any original games that really blew me away. I was really into Xbox Live; I was much more into playing Call Of Duty 4 on Xbox Live. So Xbox really had its claws into me, and I just never bought Heavenly Sword.”

Shortly after meeting with developer Ninja Theory Garland played Heavenly Sword and as a result, was impressed enough that he decided to write the story behind Enslaved. The game is now out in North American retailers; expect PlayStation LifeStyle’s review very soon.

Enslaved’s Monkey, Andy Serkis, Wants Your Questions

Ray Conley — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:54:46 +0000

Actor, Andy Serkis, is really starting to turn heads with his versatility in the entertainment biz. Beginning his now famous debut as Gollum from Lord of the Rings, Serkis has used his performance as a platform to launch himself into cinematics for game design. He has proven that he had the grit to pull off the amazing portrayal of King Bohan in Heavenly Sword, and now seeks to show his flamboyance with Monkey from Enslaved. Are you still curious about this man?

Andy Serkis will be taking questions directly from his fans and answering them in his own “precioussssss” style. But you better put on your thinking cap. Only the best questions that are submitted will be selected, and there is no given limit as to the number of questions that will be picked. After all the questions are gathered, the answers will all be posted at http://eu.playstation.com.

Jump on over to the EU PlayStation forums and start getting your questions posted if you desire the mighty Serkis to solve the mysteries of the universe. No time limit has be given as to when the questions will no longer be accepted, which could end sooner than you think. Better not wait too long!

PS3 Preview – Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Sarah LeBoeuf — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:59:13 +0000

In 2007, Sony and Ninja Theory released Heavenly Sword, one of the earliest big-budget exclusives for the PS3, released within a year of its launch. The game had a huge marketing push, and was often described as “God of War with a chick”, but Heavenly Sword failed to achieve the sales, critical acclaim, and notoriety of Sony’s mythological franchise. It wasn’t a complete disaster, and many reviews seemed to like it enough to see the potential of a possible sequel, but instead Ninja Theory began working on a new project: the multiplatform post-apocalyptic action-adventure game Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. With Enslaved only a few months from release, Namco-Bandai let some members of the press get a look at it earlier this month, and Ninja Theory’s distinct style was definitely present.

Much like Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom, another upcoming Namco-Bandai game, Enslaved puts you in control of two main characters who must work cooperatively to survive. Loosely based on the Chinese novel Journey to the West, the setting is about a hundred and fifty years in the future, a time when robots rule the land and the human race is all but extinct. Amidst the post-apocalyptic chaos, a physically strong man named Monkey teams up (against his will and better judgment) with Trip, a woman with strong technological skills. Though Trip’s ability to manipulate electronics and make useful tools comes in handy, she must be protected by Monkey throughout their journey. They need each other to survive, and if one dies, the game is over.

The whole post-apocalyptic, post-human race setting is nothing new in this industry, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for more games that want to present their own vision of a less-than-ideal future. Ninja Theory’s design style is very distinct, especially when it comes to their characters; while observing Enslaved, I was reminded of how strongly I felt about Heavenly Sword’s Nariko and Kai, and perhaps Monkey and Trip have the potential to be just as memorable. The environments are also quite interesting, as the main characters use a combination of technological know-how and martial arts to further their journey and stay alive.

Heavenly Sword wasn’t perfect, but it was certainly a good stepping stone for Ninja Theory. Three years later, the developer is hoping to use the lessons it learned on its next title, and it appears that they are on the right path. I love a good post-apocalypse story, and I think Ninja Theory can take an old idea and make it feel new again. . I can’t say that it’s my most anticipated game of the year, but I’m definitely interested in seeing more.

Ninja Theory Talks Heavenly Sword Release

Kyle P. — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:21:08 +0000

The first year of the PlayStation 3′s life proved to be a hard one, as the console was clouded by constant reports of inferior multiplatform games and of worsening hardware and software sales. When Heavenly Sword, a title by Ninja Theory, hit the market, exclusively, for the PlayStation 3, in September of 2007, gamers finally got their hands on a title that actually took advantage of the PS3′s unique architecture. Up until that point, there were only a handful of titles worth purchasing.

With a bare market for quality software, the heat was on for Ninja Theory to pump out a good title. In a recent interview, studio head Tameem Antoniades talked about the immense pressure his studio was feeling, and how the entire experience wasn’t “enjoyable”. Speaking to CVG, Antoniades said his studio performs much better when the gaming world’s spotlight is not on them.

“I personally feel much more comfortable now we’re lower profile. It’s better to be the underdog so you can surpass expectations.”

Continuing, Antoniades added:

“I think all the hype surrounding PlayStation 3 wasn’t particularly enjoyable for us, and the other reason I like to underplay things is that – despite what anybody says – on a creative project, you just never know if it’s gonna work until it all comes together right at the very end.”

Certainly makes sense. Ninja Theory’s newest game, Enslaved, is multiplatform, and releases later this year.

Ninja Theory: Heavenly Sword 2 Was On The Cards

Christopher Gordon-Douglas — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 02:09:04 +0000

Ninja Theory, the famed developer of Heavenly Sword on the PlayStation 3 is currently working on their recently announced project called Enslaved. With Heavenly Sword receiving decent reviews, it would seem to be only a matter of time before Ninja Theory started on Heavenly Sword 2 with the PS3′s tech under control. But today in an interview with CVG Ninja Theory explains the multiplatform stance and the reason for not following up on Heavenly Sword.

According to the studio boss Tameem Antoniades, Ninja Theory made no revenue from Heavenly Sword and had to go multiplatform to save the UK based developer:

“I don’t know if Sony made any money on Heavenly Sword but we didn’t,” he said, adding that the studio’s survival meant it had to quit being PS3 exclusive.”
“There are pros and cons, if you’re exclusive you get more attention but when you’re multi-platform, at this stage in the cycle, there’s more competition. You’ve got to weigh it against each other,” he added.
“But we couldn’t do Heavenly Sword 2 as a multi-platform because it’s owned by Sony, the tech we developed for that game is also owned by Sony.”
“Would Ninja Theory of done it? Probably, I think we would have,”

“But there’s a different dynamic with a platform holder. I mean, we signed up and we happy to sign up to it because it allowed our studio to grow and we’re really grateful for that, but it feels like as a studio we need to think about the next few years, the next games we release.
“We want them to be multi-platform so we had to come up with a new idea”

Ninja Theory’s current project, Enslaved, is set to launch sometime in 2010 as a multiplatform title. Check out our E3 impressions of the game. Also check out the latest trailer if you haven’t done so already.

PSLS Presents – Tameem Antoniades, Co-Founder and Chief Design Ninja of Ninja Theory

Ray Conley — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:14:40 +0000

Every gamer worldwide should be quite familiar with the UK-based developer Ninja Theory. They slashed their way to the console market with their red-headed, sword-wielding diva in their PS3-exclusive, Heavenly Sword. Ninja Theory took all the lessons learned from Heavenly Sword and poured their heart into their next hotly anticipated title, Enslaved. Co-founder and Chief Design Ninja, Tameem Antoniades, took some time from his busy schedule and was very generous to answer a few questions that were on our minds concerning Ninja Theory and Enslaved.

From a creative standpoint, who gets to decide what type of game will be worked on next?

Well so far it’s been me. Our first game Kung Fu Chaos was what we founded the company on. We learned a lot about combat on that game so we wanted to take it to a new level on a next-gen platform and focus on story-telling. Being huge kung fu movie fans, I really liked the idea of making something like Crouching Tiger or Hero. For Enslaved, our art director wanted to tackle science fiction, and I was interested in the idea of developing cooperative gameplay and story around an AI partner. It was only later that I proposed Journey to the West as an inspiration to the team and everyone really liked it.

It’s usually a seed of an idea that grows in an evolutionary manner rather than a scatter-gun approach of ideas.

Since Enslaved has shown such focus on artistic detail in its environment, any chance that we could see Enslaved in 3D?

No plans at all for 3D. No. If we were to do a 3D game, it would have to be designed that way from the start.

We heard that Nitin Sawhney will be working on the music again. What style of music can we expect for Enslaved? Will it be similar to Heavenly Sword?

It follows the themes we set out for the game: mysterious, ominous, tribal, emotional. I didn’t want us to fall into the trap that so much sci-fi does fall into. Namely, going for a really obvious hi-tech soundtrack just because it is set in the future. The music reflects the emotional state of the characters on their journey. As always with Nitin, the music can be hauntingly beautiful.

What was the greatest challenge faced during the development of Enslaved? Did you find any limitations?

Creating a new IP is always very difficult. You have to find the game. To do that, you have to build a mission with just about every element working together well. Doing this is a huge challenge because you don’t have unlimited time and resources. You have to build what you think will work, watch it fail, re-build it, watch it fail again, etc.

Particular challenges include making the combat feel accessible but challenging, making Trip feel part of your team without getting in the way, story-telling in and out of cutscenes, and creating colour in a post-apocalyptic setting (so much harder than slapping brown everywhere!). Every aspect of the game has had its own challenges. We don’t shy from a good challenge!

Ultimately every creative process is a cycle of: building, failing, learning and repeating. So ironically, the faster you fail, the better the results. This can also take you to dark places during development where cherished ideas have to be let go, or “killing your babies” as we refer to it. Ultimately though, we embraced this work ethic and worked hard to create gameplay, story and action that we could feel proud of. Hopefully, this will elevate it to become more than the sum of its parts.

What lessons were learned from Heavenly Sword? What are some things that you would have done differently?

I could write 10 pages about what we learnt on that project and bore you to death. We learned how to do everything better really.

So will Enslaved be a better game? I really believe it will be because there is so much more variety and depth to the gameplay. Longer? It should feel a lot longer and richer because we have so much more experience and far better tools to play with. But will it reach those deep parts of your soul that no other game will touch, I hear you ask? I sincerely hope so but if not, there’s plenty of brain-teasing gameplay, challenging combat and a large dollop of action to give you that nice warm feeling inside.

PlayStation Lifestyle would like to thank Tameem Antoniades for his time and insightful comments. We would also like to thank Namco-Bandai and Ninja Chris Belton for making this interview possible. Stay tuned to PSLS for more PlayStation news, reviews and interviews.

Brink Squeezing PlayStation 3′s Potential

Kyle P. — Fri, 28 May 2010 01:51:46 +0000

Fans around the world are eagerly awaiting the release of Splash Damage’s first foray into the console world, Brink. The first person shooter is trying to seperate itself from the competition, with its seamless blend of single and cooperative gameplay. In an interview with PlayStation LifeStyle, Splash Damage’s Creative Director, Richard Ham, talked about the high-caliber talent working on the game, and why PS3 fans should get excited.

Responding to a question posed by PSLS about how the transition has been from creating additional content for PC games to making full-fledged games, Ham said the following:

To help out, we’ve hired some of the best console developers in the business to ensure we’ve got a game that really rocks on console. For instance, we’ve got the lead coder from Heavenly Sword to help us squeeze the most out of the PS3. We’ve got the lead level designer from Killzone 2 to make sure our maps are awesome. And we’ve got the lead designer from Syphon Filter on the original PlayStation (that’s me) to ensure the game plays well on console.

Certainly, that should get any sane PS3 fan, or gamer in general, excited. To know that some senior designers of top-notch PS3 exclusives are helping out with development, is quite reassuring. And with the assertion that they are onboard to “squeeze the most out of the PS3″ gets everybody here at PlayStation LifeStyle very excited.

Stay tuned for the rest of the Richard Ham interview.

The PS3 Doesn’t Scare Ninja Theory Anymore

Dan Massi — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:45:35 +0000

It’s no secret that the PlayStation 3 is a technological wonder – but with great power, comes great responsibility. Since the debut of the PS3, many game companies have expressed the intimacy of developing on the console, and the reported difficulty of doing so. Surprisingly, one of the companies is none other than Ninja Theory – developers of the popular PS3 exclusive Heavenly Sword.

But don’t worry, that difficulty has disappeared. Ninja Theory’s Tameem Antoniades has said that the developer is no longer scared of the PS3, as they are now used to developing for the platform.

“When we went into this project instead of starting from scratch with absolutely nothing we had a much clearer idea of what we wanted to do and how we could do it. The PS3 didn’t scare us anymore because we were so used to it, so it’s been a lot smoother. I think a lot of the games that were announced back then were tainted by that negativity about the price of the console and the things people were saying about it.”

The PS3 exclusive Heavenly Sword hit back in 2007. Ninja Theory’s current title, Enslaved, is scheduled to hit sometime in 2010.

[Source]

New Explosive Enslaved Shots

Zak Islam — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 07:08:40 +0000

Set 150 years in the future, Enslaved shows a human civilization that is all but wiped out by robots whom are given just one order: kill all humans. The latest batch of ‘explosive’ screenshots released show off the environments, visuals and the gameplay you can expect from the title.

Heavenly Sword developer Ninja Theory are the team behind Enslaved and the game should receive a solid release date at E3.

Ninja Theory’s Enslaved Website Unchained: Trailer Countdown

Ray Conley — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:54:20 +0000

Ninja Theory made quite a slashing entry into the next gen gaming console with their PS3 exclusive Heavenly Sword in 2007. Even though gaming critics didn’t give them a warm reception, that didn’t stop Ninja Theory from picking up the pieces to push out their next cross-platform title Enslaved. So far, only screenshots of the gameplay have surfaced, and now Ninja Theory has recently launched an official teaser website.

As the webpage loads, it flashes dramatic scenes from the game with fade-ins of text to build the premise. After the flashy intro, the site then teases a countdown for the first released trailer of the game . Finally, fans of the UK developers can now look forward to an official release date of a trailer in just under two weeks.

In someway, I actually find myself quite surprised of the trailer announcement and the fact that it will be released before E3. Perhaps, though, this move by NT will help draw some attention for an E3 crowd and allow them to make a grander appearance when the time comes. We’ll be sure to keep you posted on any developments with Ninja Theory’s apocalyptic, sci-fi action game.

3D Will be Limited, Says Ninja Theory Co-Founder

Kyle P. — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 20:27:10 +0000

Whether you like it or not, 3D gaming is here to stay. With already a plethora of games already announced to have 3D support, gamers around the world are eagerly awaiting the patch that will allow their PlayStation 3′s to display 3D images. Ninja Theory co-founder Tameem Antoniades recently spoke with CVG, talking about why this generation of 3D gaming may not live up to the hype that silver-screen blockbusters, like Avatar, created.

When asked about the current generation and how 3D will fit into it, Antoniades said that there is a problem now, as there are very few 1080p games in the market.

“The problem is that to do 3D properly you need to render 60 frames per second, per eye. And at least a 720p resolution [per eye].
“So in essence that’s 1080p rendering at 120 frames per second, and the current generation can only process very rudimentary graphics at that spec. I think the technology’s limited now, so you won’t be able to play stuff that looks like Avatar – the movie – in 3D.
“Every generation has to be at least five-to-ten times more powerful than the last, so I think we’ll get there in the next generation. I think that will be totally revolutionary for games.”

Certainly makes sense. With Antoniades logic, we won’t see Avatar-looking 3D until the next console generation, which could easily be 5 more years. Until then, will you buy into the 3D hype? Or will you prefer to play your games…the classic way?

Heavenly Sword Wasn’t Profitable for Ninja Theory

Zak Islam — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 23:55:27 +0000

Ninja Theory are highly regarded for making one of the best PlayStation 3 exclusives to date, Heavenly Sword. The title was one of the biggest draws for Sony during the PS3′s first year, being compared to God of War, and receiving a warm reception from critics. However, the developers have revealed they did not make any money on the hack-and-slash game.

Speaking during an interview with CVG, co-founder of Ninja Theory, Tameem Antoniades, stated the company did not even break even for Heavenly Sword:

It’s difficult. Heavenly Sword came out pretty early on the PS3, and we sold, I think, a million and a half copies, and that’s still not enough as an independent studio to break even.

He then went on to explain the decision of making the developers latest title, Enslaved, multiplatform:

The publisher potentially breaks even at that point, but the developers don’t, and it’s for this reason that the developer chose to go multi-platform with its latest upcoming quest, Enslaved.
It’s just that when so many people have Xbox – I mean over half the market or more has Xbox 360s – why limit yourself to one platform?

The Heavenly Sword creators recently announced they are making a top secret game. Ninja Theory are developing concurrently with a Namco Bandai-published post-apocalyptic third person action title, entitled Enslaved.

Heavenly Sword Creators Developing Top Secret Project

Zak Islam — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:16:47 +0000

United Kingdom based developers, Ninja Theory, are best known for creating the brilliant PlayStation 3 exclusive Heavenly Sword. They have been pretty silent since but now the team are now reportedly working on a top “secret project”.

Speaking with PS3Center during a recent interview, Ninja Theory’s co-founder Tameem Antoniades has said the team are working on a new project:

“We’ve just started pre-production on a new secret project. It’s a full scale, it’s a pretty big project. It’s still top secret, but it’s gonna be awesome, obviously.

Tameem Antoniades also confirmed that the title will not be released digitally nor on handhelds. Inevitably meaning the firm are creating a fully-fledged current console game. The platform for the unannounced game is yet unknown, but with the company already having worked on the PlayStation 3, they could very be working on Sony’s console. However, keep in mind that the developers split from Sony Computer Entertainment after the release of Heavenly Sword.

Ninja Theory are developing simultaneously with another title, entitled “Enslaved”. The game is an upcoming tactical action-adventure game to be published by Namco Bandai Games.

The Top 100 PS3 Games

Ryan Rigney — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:38:29 +0000

If you like this article, be sure to check Xbox LifeStyle for a list of the top 100 Xbox 360 games!

Intros are lame. So yeah, whatever. Read this article. It’s in ALPHABETICAL ORDER so don’t freak out and post an angry comment. Also, we realize that some of the games on this list haven’t quite been released yet, but who cares? I only put games that have already been reviewing well, and this list will serve much better as a buyer’s guide for this Christmas because of it. Please note that prices listed are subject to change at Amazon’s whim, as are PSN prices. Enjoy!

1. Assassin’s Creed

Genre: 3D Platforming/Haystack Base-Jumping Simulator
Review Score Average: 79/100
Release Date: November 14, 2007
Price on Amazon.com: $21.49
Buy it on Amazon.com!

2. Assassin’s Creed 2

Genre: 3D Platforming/Italian People Hobo-Stabbing Simulator
Review Score Average: NA/100
Release Date: November 17, 2009
Price on Amazon.com: $55.99
Buy it on Amazon.com!

3. Batman: Arkham Asylum

Genre: Action-Adventure/Vent Exploration
Review Score Average: 92/100
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Price on Amazon.com: $52.99
Buy it on Amazon.com!

4. Battlefield 1943

Genre: FPS (First Person Shooter)/Deep-Sea Swimming Simulator
Review Score Average: 86/100
Release Date: July 9, 2009
Price on PSN: $15

5. Battlefield: Bad Company

Genre: FPS/Deforestation Simulator
Review Score Average: 85/100
Release Date: June 23, 2008
Price on Amazon.com: $17.49
Buy it on Amazon.com!

6. The Beatles: Rock Band

Genre: Music/LSD Simulator
Review Score Average: 89/100
Release Date: September 9, 2009
Price on Amazon.com: $53.99
Buy it on Amazon.com!

7. Bionic Commando: Rearmed

Genre: Platformer/Amputee Victim Simulator
Review Score Average: 88/100
Release Date: August 13, 2008
Price on PSN: $15

8. Bioshock

Genre: FPS/RPG (Role-Playing Game)/Little Sister Choking Simulator
Review Score Average: 94/100
Release Date: August 21, 2007
Price on Amazon.com: $17.99
Buy it on Amazon.com!

9. BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger

Genre: Fighting/Anime On-Screen Explosion Of Nonsense
Review Score Average: 88/100
Release Date: June 30, 2009
Price on Amazon.com: $49.99
Buy it on Amazon.com!

10. Borderlands

Genre: RPG/FPS/Headshotapalooza
Review Score Average: 83/100
Release Date: October 20, 2009
Price on Amazon.com: $53.99
Buy it on Amazon.com!

11. Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway

Genre: FPS/WWII/Siblings In Limbs Simulator
Review Score Average: 76/100
Release Date: September 23, 2008
Price on Amazon.com: $19.59
Buy it on Amazon.com!

12. Brutal Legend

Genre: Action/RTS (Real-Time Strategy)/Jack Black Thing
Review Score Average: 83/100
Release Date: October 13, 2009
Price on Amazon.com: $53.99
Buy it on Amazon.com!

13. Burnout Paradise

Genre: Racing/Skin-Peelingly Fast Crystal Meth User Simulator
Review Score Average: 88/100
Release Date: February 5, 2009
Price on Amazon.com: $17.49
Buy it on Amazon.com!

14. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare: Game of the Year Edition

Genre: FPS/Life-Destroying Addictive Substance
Review Score Average: 94/100
Release Date: November 6, 2007
Price on Amazon.com: $46.99
Buy it on Amazon.com!

15. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Genre: FPS/That Game EVERYONE Will Buy
Review Score Average: NA/100
Release Date: November 10, 2009
Price on Amazon.com: $59.99
Buy it on Amazon.com!

16. Call of Duty: World at War

Genre: FPS/Not CoD4
Review Score Average: 85/100
Release Date: November 11, 2008
Price on Amazon.com: $55.43
Buy it on Amazon.com!

17. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Genre: RPG/Platformer/Dracula Assassination Simulator
Review Score Average: 90/100
Release Date: July 19, 2007
Price on PSN: $10

18. The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena

Genre: FPS/Vin Diesel’s Boyhood Fantasy Simulator
Review Score Average: 81/100
Release Date: April 7, 2009
Price on Amazon.com: $27.49
Buy it on Amazon.com!

19. Civilization Revolution

Genre: Strategy/Abraham Lincoln VS. Ghengis Khan Pitfighting Simulator
Review Score Average: 85/100
Release Date: July 8, 2008
Price on Amazon.com: $27.99
Buy it on Amazon.com!

20. Comet Crash

Genre: Tower Defense/The World Record Holder For Ugliest PS3 Game
Review Score Average: 86/100
Release Date: April 2, 2009
Price on PSN: $10