PS3 Update: 4% … 4% … 4% ...

I'm not going to go around ragging on the PS3 for its game library or its price tag, because that's unnecessary. Nobody forced me to buy one, after all. I bought one because I wanted to:

A) Have a Blu-Ray player.
B) Get a 60GB PS3 that was backwards compatible with PS2 games before they became even more hard to find than they already were.

The only PS3 game I've played (except for some demos) to date is Heavenly Sword, and I really enjoyed it. This week I rented my second PS3 game, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. I was super-excited to play it, since I like both Tomb Raider and Gears of War, and I've heard lots of good things.

Last night at around 7:45 PM I decided to boot it up. I turn on my PS3 and it tells me there is a mandatory system update, so I say "okey dokey" and go to the system update feature. After about 20 seconds of staring at "0% Downloaded" the buzzkill feeling started to set in.

Between downloading this stupid update and installing it I didn't start my game until 8:20 PM, at which point I was thoroughly less excited to play Uncharted. Interminably slow updates are yet another reason why I always choose my 360 for any games that come out on both platforms (also: achievements!).

Heavenly Sword (PS3) - Review

Heavenly Sword
Developed by Ninja Theory
Published by SCEE
Released September 2007
For PS3

Six months ago, you couldn't find much love out there for the PlayStation 3. Between the high price, the lingering resentment over Sony's arrogant pre-release marketing, the uncertain future of the Blu-Ray format, and the lack of high quality first party titles, bashing on the PS3 was the en vogue thing to do. Sony loyalists awaited Heavenly Sword with a high level of anticipation, hoping it would be the system's saving grace and prove the PS3 could offer a unique experience in an already crowded marketplace. Perhaps it was that same anticipation that caused a certain level of backlash against Heavenly Sword. It's too short, it's just God of War-lite, it's boring, there's too many cutscenes, etc. In the objective light of March 2008, I'm here to offer another point of view: Heavenly Sword is an absolute blast.

A clan of warriors has long guarded a massive blade known as the Heavenly Sword. None but a God could wield it without sacrificing his life to its powers. A prophecy foretold of the day when a man would be born who was strong enough to reclaim it and bring peace to all the lands. Nariko was supposed to be that man. She was still raised a warrior, but none in the clan could hide their disappointment, and many believed Nariko would bring about their doom. But when a warmonger named King Bohan attacks looking to steal the Heavenly Sword for his trophy room, it will fall on Nariko to take the Sword away and, in time, use it herself to stand against him and his armies.


Heavenly Sword does, in fact, control very similarly to God of War. Nariko tears through hordes of enemies, spinning, jumping, and slashing them to pieces. You can vary your stance via the shoulder buttons from normal to strong to long range, with each one color-coded to show you which stance you must be in to block an enemy's attack. There are also button-prompt action sequences (e.g. Nariko running up the side of a cliff or putting the finishing touch on a boss). Heavenly Sword isn't the first game to borrow from the God of War playbook, but by maintaining a high level of action and excitement, it pushes those comparisons to the back of your mind while you let loose and have fun.


The biggest gameplay addition is in the distance attack levels. Nariko has an adopted sister named Kai, and though Kai has the mentality of a small child, she's an expert with a crossbow (or "twing twang" as she calls it). Using the Sixaxis motion controls, you can slow down time after each shot, zoom in on the arrow's perspective (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves style) and physically steer the arrow to its target. It takes a few tries to get used to it, but soon becomes instinctual. Anyone who's ever bowled has felt the urge to lean left or right as if you could somehow affect the ball's trajectory, but in Heavenly Sword, "body english" actually works.

But Kai's not the only one with the supernatural ability to steer projectiles mid-flight. In a few sequences, Nariko has to fire a giant cannon at Bohan's invading army, and the cannon balls can also be steered where you need them to go. If you have a big enough battlefield, you can even pick up discarded objects--like swords, shields, or dead soldiers--at any time and throw them at your opponents. It's not an easy shot, but tossing a dude into another dude, when it works, is pretty damn sweet. Finally, there are a few "puzzles" that involve tossing shields at markers so they bounce off each other, Captain America-style, that require a little Sixaxis leaning to pull off.


The plot itself may not pave any new ground as far as revenge-driven epics go, but the story is still a large part of the game's appeal. There are quite a few cutscenes, after all. But the graphics are so sharp, and the voice acting so well-done, that the cutscenes add much more to the gameplay than they detract. A particular boss fight comes to mind (the second time you face Flying Fox) as being a much more viscerally satisfying experience because of the masterful acting and storytelling than it otherwise would've been. They've somehow managed make the characters look hyper-detailed and expressive while still avoiding any Uncanny Valley creepiness. I'd go as far as to say I don't think I've ever seen more effective CG character models outside a Pixar movie.

At around 5 - 6 hours of gameplay, Heavenly Sword is a very short game. And yes, in many ways, it is essentially God of War-lite. But until God of War 3 comes out, this is the best current generation game in the GOW play style you're going to find (sorry Conan and Shrek the Third). With amazing graphics and acting, shockingly fun uses for the Sixaxis controller, and tried-and-true hack-and-slash gameplay, Heavenly Sword is one of the best exclusive titles for the PS3 and is well-worth playing for any action game fan.

Grade: A-

echochrome (PSP) - First Impressions

echochrome
Developed by Japan Studios
Published by Sony Computer Entertainment
Released May 2008 (maybe)
For PS3 via PSN (and hopefully PSP)

Yes, that is actually a screenshot. echochrome is what happens when a pile of geometric shapes in the form of a man is let loose in M.C. Escher's crazy world o' stairs and illusions. The foundation is simple: perception equals reality.

There is a little man in a little world. The man must meet up with several silhouette versions of himself who are standing in place waiting for him. You can pause him or speed him up but you can't steer him. Mostly what you can do is rotate the world itself, thus changing your own perspective on what the level looks like. If you're looking at a bridge with a gap in it, he'll get to the gap, stop, and turn around. However, if you change your perspective so another piece of the world is completely obscuring the gap, then he will be able to cross the bridge.

If there's a hole in the ground, he'll fall through, but if you can't see the hole, he won't. Better yet, if you shift it so it seems like another piece of ground is under the hole (though moments ago it was clearly nowhere near it), then he'll land on that piece of ground.

That's about all there is, but really, isn't that enough? Okay, there's also trampolines.

It's being released this month in Japan, with a Spring-release scheduled for the US PlayStation Network store. Japan is getting it for the PSP as well, but there's no confirmation we'll be getting a PSP version in the States. However, the good folks at PSP Fanboy have put together this guide to enable you to download and play the Japanese PSP demo. In all honesty, it made me giggle with delight, and that's gotta count for something.

echochrome made a great first impression.