Heavenly Sword was one of the first quality PlayStation 3 exclusives but evidently, 1.5 million sales wasn't enough to warrant a sequel.
Now, though, it seems the IP survives…only with another developer. Unfortunately, according to HipHopGamer , that developer remains unknown, despite the supposed fact that the idea of a trilogy remains intact. Ninja Theory handled the first and have since gone on to deliver Enslaved: Odyssey to the West , a multiplatform effort that went over well with critics, but sort of bombed out on the sales charts. The fall competition and lack of promotion likely hurt its potential, and we know Ninja Theory is currently cranking on the new Devil May Cry . So who has Heavenly Sword ? Our vote would go to Sony Santa Monica; the same team that handles the stellar God of War series. Anybody else have good ideas for a competent developer…?
Of course, until we see a more official source, we're not saying this is confirmed. We just love the idea of a new HS title, that's all.
I've been waiting for this for a long while. Ninja Theory should have just continued working on this series and right about now we would be hearing about part 3.
And each game would double the sales of the last easy.
The obvious vote is NOT Sony Santa Monica to my mind but one much closer to my UK home-Sony Cambridge. Cambridge helped extensively when NT ere making the original game, know the IP, haven't been making big games as such but HAVE announced a "AAA franchise" game for PS3 and job listings confirm this to be the case.
A lot of folk assumed the game would be a new MediEvil but I fear not enough of today's gamers would have a clue about Sir Dan-I definitely wouldn't think they'd have called the series AAA at any point since PS1 and the PSP game was a stinker so that doesn't help the cause. No, I always felt HS was a better fit for Sony Cambridge and with SM helping Lightbox and DJ on the follow up(we think) to Warhawk AND GOW4 seemingly confirmed by sources close to them(and you'd think they'd be right on it as a PS4 launch title or leg stretching follow up to the PS3 pushing GOW3)SSM have well enough on their big plate already.
The only other game I considered for the "AAA" franchise at SC was possibly Syphon Filter 5PS3 but the rumours on that supposed Bend and Cambridge game went cold a while ago(sadly). So, given their history(helping rescue the first game with amazing animation work and mo-cap)is it not a fair bet that Cambridge are the one most likely to emerge from this doing HS2?
Then again, this IS a HHG story so I know we have to get the salt ready-he's a rumour hound God bless him-but I can't see a better fit for Cambridge than HS2 would be. The Englsih studios have too long been left to casual stuff like Singstar at London and being hawked round to help with other devs working with Move or just helping with other games(Cambridge AND London)in general while the promising .looking likes of TheGetaway PS3 and 8Days went down the crapper. A big game for PS3 exists at Cambridge and HS2 just suits too well for me to think it'[s anyone else IF, indeed, the sequel is being made at all. Can't think of many other "AAA series" floating around(and even so it's a stretch unless Sony mean how much they're spending on the games)bar HS and SF that haven't already got sequels out or announced anyway.
All the other stuff people crave like LoD etc is unlikely to be made outside Japan as well just making this seem more than likely to me.
This is some of the best news I've heard in quite a while. I know it isn't as big as other announcements, we all knew there would be an Uncharted sequel and KZ3 didn' come out of left field either, but this is a game that really deserves a follow up. I love it when a game sits the bench for a while, and then gets another shot at the big leagues. We keep seeing sequels for games that don't need them, and then games that show real ingenuity or creativity end up being one offs. I still think this game has one of the better stories of this generation, and the heroine was HAWT beyond belief, but what really set this game apart were the cut sceens. They are better in some ways than anything in Uncharted. The ammount of emotion they achieved with their facial capture was unbelievable. If you missed out on this game then you owe it to yourself to grab it out of the bargin bin.
guess I need to play the first sometime. Probably cheap enough now. Heard it was short.
actually the last time I tried to buy it, it was so hard to find that it was pretty expensive. Things change though so ya never know.
6 hours approx. But fully self contained, when its over you don't feel like any opportunities were missed. Just be forewarned it had technical issues since it tries to have like a thousand enemies on screen at once… literally.
@World I never had any issues with it at all, it should be fine.
Last edited by Clamedeus on 4/11/2011 12:19:33 AM
I have Heavenly Sword… it is a great game, but I haven't been able to complete it… I am stuck somewhere, I can't remember where now, it was that long since I played it. I remember World tried to help me with some tips, but I just couldn't do it and gave up…
Q!
"play.experience.enjoy"
I think it finally hit the greatest hits. Could be wrong, probably am. But try glyde dot com, they are my trusty website I go to when I cant find a game cheap enough. Picked up Bioshock 1&2 for $20 total between the two, got R&C: ACiT for $10, got burnout paradise for $7, you get my point…
framerate tanks when that whole army is on screen
It never happened to me, but i don't know maybe for others but i never experienced any frame rate drop when the army was coming at me, it was solid on my end.
Last edited by Clamedeus on 4/11/2011 1:46:11 AM
My biggest issue was that I found it annoying that your character was incredibly fast, but you had to input your combo's incredibly slowly. Was difficult to convince my brain to slow down while everything on screen was happening so fast.
If sony santa monica had it, the sequel might actually turn out better than the original. This may sound a little off the wall, but I'd like to see what media molecule could do with a game like this.
Might sound a little out there, but I'm not a fan of side scrolling games, but MM got me to spend over 80 hours with a side swinging sackboy.
I actually suggested this at the Ninja Theory forums. Media Molecule know how to handle the ps3 and they bring out the console's color/textures perfectly. I can definitely see them making a very animated and fun sequel to HS. They also know how to handle animations well which is something HS did extremely well.
I think that Ready at Dawn is actually a better candidate to be working on this game than any of the other devs mentioned. Looking at their track record with working with already existing franchises, doing HS would be right up their alley, not to mention after Ghost of Sparta they announced they were moving to the console side of things. My money is on them.
hip hop gamer? is he really a relieable source?
fo shizzle
Well, actually it would be a question of whether or not their source is legit…. 2 legit 2 quit.
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 4/10/2011 10:17:14 PM
I don't think I can beg God enough for it to be Santa Monica. Santa Monica + Heavenly Sword= Game of The Year.
Santa Monica is the only one that makes sense if it's to stay exclusive. Since I was the only one who liked Dante's Inferno then Visceral could do it too but then it'd be multiplat.
In any case I'd love to see it, and I will relish in tasting the bitter tears of Ninja Theory as they watch the sales skyrocket off the charts. Oh how they will rue the day.
I've been waiting for that very moment for a long time. The moment Heavenly Sword 2 comes out and sells millions and Ninja Theory's all teary eyed in pain.
Don't forget about me! I stood with Dante til the bitter end.
It has to be Santa Monica!!!
Then you have taste Just2skill, and a sequel still isn't out of the question since that job posting at visceral a few months back looks promising.
I liked Heavenly Sword but its not a favorite of mine. I say put it in Platinums hands. Bayonetta was awesome.
Different type of game. It's like wanting Prince of Persia or GOW to be similar to DMC.
The shooting combat was good but I didn't find the melee combat especially useful or effective, and HS is all about that sort of thing.
I found it useful and effective. Very straight forward. Blue for light (enemies), orange for power (enemies), and air/area of effect moves.
Just a matter of varying your attacks and not being predictable, kind of like a fighting game actually.
I just shot people.
World that would make a great line in a book about simple minded serial killers. lol
I don't want HS2 to be like Bayo,Im just saying Platinum is a good choice.
The Iceman in an interview: "Did you think of yourself as an assassin?"
"Assassin? Sounds so exotic. I was just a murderer."
That guy was hilarious for a killer.
I'll buy it just to spite Ninja Theory. I know this sounds petty, but I wrote them off as soon as they went multi. Cash grab or no, that's all it smelled of, and that's as far as I was willing to look into it.
Heavenly Sword 2, on the other hand…that's a whole different story. I preordered the first, would certainly enjoy a sequel.
And they did it in such a nasty way, saying "1 million isn't enough" even though those were rough times for ps3.
Naughty Dog didn't complain that Uncharted 1 sold around 1-2 million.
Anyway, I laugh that Ninja Theory, they're basically doing DMC for Capcom now. What a fall from grace.
Dude! The best news are coming back to back! First White Knight 2, now Heavenly Sword 2? Man ps3 has it good! lol
Well if this is true I'll be keeping my eyes glued to any news/images.
Hoping it's Sony Santa Monica, Ready At Dawn, or Media Molecule. Any of those 3 will do an amazing job with it.
I do hope it's true, come on Sony the first one was one of the best games for ps3. Still one of the best well told storylines this gen. All that's needed is more playtime and you've nailed it!
Oh yes, Kai ftw!
What'd she say all the time? Twang twang?
Edit: oh yeah Ready At Dawn did say they wanna do console games, hmmmmm.
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 4/10/2011 10:43:16 PM
Twing Wang!
Which basically means hitting you for massive damage! 😀
Seriously she was so freaking funny and cute!
I found her more fun to use than the main chick, except her repetitive speech patterns sometimes grated the nerves.
I really enjoyed guiding arrows into bad guys faces along the lengthy bridge when protecting some old dude as he crawled back towards me 🙂
Yes i think i'd like to play another HS game.
Santa monica? l'd like to see a different genre from them for their next game!
What about team soho?
Have'nt heard anything from them since the getaway 3 has scrapped,unless its been them doing all the HOME and singstar crap???
Santa Monica would do the series justice.
Well, I haven't really valued any of Ninja Theory's stuff, so getting a new dev might make the HS series more compelling to me.
the games wasn't bad, it deserves a sequel…with top notch developers.
DMC = who knows!?
platinum games is dev. my fav.
but i think it's very fitting that santa monica takes this one
Santa Monica or whoever as long as the game is official and the developer does something spectacular is all I can ask for. Hope this leaked info has some truth in it. HS is one of my favorites!
I hope they do make a sequel, i loved the first one.
I enjoyed Heavenly Sword, but the mechanics within it are fairly dated and overly simplistic compared to most other games of the same genre out there today. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, but it certainly needs to become more compelling to draw in the action/adventure fans. The story was top-notch though, and I loved the characters, and I would most certainly like to see what became of them after the end of the first title.
I think Ready At Dawn would be a great developer for a new game, as they've before spoken of their intention to move onto console development, and have proven themselves in maintaing the feel of series, without overburdening them with RAD's style. Santa Monica would be another good choice, but I'm somewhat leery of them. As good as GOWIII was, it simply felt too… heavy-handed for what I see HS as being.
And as a shameless plug, check my review: it's hovering about somewhere.
Peace.
Agree with you on that Lawless… Ready At Dawn would be a fantastic developer for the franchise!
Q!
"play.experience.enjoy"
God I hope not, Heavenly Sword sucked. It was so boring….
The boss fights sucked, I hate those "hit the right buttons"-style fights. They are not fun, they take all the attention away from what's actually happening on screen, and I suck at it. Three darn good reasons right there. 🙂
Apart from the bosses the game was cool imo. Cool moves, looked good, and… well… Babes with swords… Is never a bad thing.
Last edited by Beamboom on 4/11/2011 2:25:35 AM