There are also links to interviews (including one of ours) for those who want to get a little more insight into the person behind the words. From the look of things, the site won't be updated for a while as Rhianna's being kept fairly busy with Overlord 2 and the Wii and DS Overlord games. Now that she's set up home on the internet, we wonder if she'll be joining us on Twitter soon, too.

If Gollum says it, it must be true. Andy Serkis, who played the loathsome creature in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movie adaptation, has said that he feels game stories are generally lacking. "There's no heart in them. We put so much into the writing of film scripts and plays, but not into games. And games are where the audience is going to be. I absolutely think that gaming is a massive storytelling arena in the making and now the technology has arrived to do that. It's a fascinating time."

We absolutely agree with Serkis that this generation is the launchpad for real cinematic storytelling. Games like Uncharted and Metal Gear Solid 4 are paving the way, but with such a young medium there's still plenty of room for improvement. Serkis' background may be in Hollywood, but he did a lot of motion capture and dialogue work for the under-represented PS3 title Heavenly Sword, stating afterward that he'd love to work in games again. Perhaps if game stories keep improving at the rate they have over the last couple of years, it won't be long until we see him donning the skin-tight motion capture suit again.

Sony previously announced several planned pre-order bonuses for LittleBigPlanet, including custom downloadable "Sackboy" versions of God of War's Kratos and Heavenly Sword's Nariko. While the Ghost of Sparta went to GameStop, the official LBP blog has revealed that pre-ordering the game at Best Buy will land you a download voucher code for Nariko.

Both characters are über-spiffy, but, if you want both, you'll have to pre-order the game twice. No one's preventing you from avoiding it at one of the two stores when it's released, though. Oh no, certainly not us. Of course, you could always wait a bit for the characters to be made available for paid download via the PlayStation Store, something we're sure Sony would never think of doing, not in a million billion years.

Europe, rejoice! You're not being left out in the cold. Those amazing LittleBigPlanet preorder bonuses will be available on both sides of the Atlantic. So far, we've spotted Nariko hanging out over at Play.com, but there's no sign of any of the others. At least, not yet. The Nariko Sackgirl (who is actually a Sackboy playing dress up, but don't let that put you off) is downloadable via the PlayStation Network. Instructions will be sent out during the week of release, according to Play.com, so don't expect to be playing with your new heavenly pal on launch day.

Now, where's that Kratos Sackboy got to? We're sure he's hiding around here somewhere.

Yesterday, Kotaku posted a rumor saying Heavenly Sword 2 was in fact in development ... but that it had been canned by the Sony higher-ups. Details of a potential sequel to Heavenly Sword were leaked to the public from a focus group a few months ago. However, since then, developer Ninja Theory has moved on to a yet-unannounced multiplatform game.

According to the Kotaku report, the Heavenly Sword franchise is not seen as commercially viable, in spite of generally favorable reviews and respectable sales figures. Supposedly, Ninja Theory has "grown increasingly bitter about their treatment at Sony's hands." The bad blood between Ninja Theory and Sony has supposedly caused the developer to move offices, further away from Sony Cambridge.

If there is any truth to this rumor, it would be the third major game canceled by Sony's European arm in recent memory (The Getaway and Eight Days being the last two games canned). Today, SCEE responded saying "I think it is fair to say that we do not comment on rumor and speculation, especially about games that have never been announced." In addition, the rep wants to remind everyone that Killzone 2, LittleBigPlanet and Motorstorm: Pacific Rift are all from Sony Europe, emphasizing that first-party development in Sony Europe is not in any kind of trouble.

Update: Speaking to Gamespot, Ninja Theory confirms that the relationship between Sony and Ninja Theory are good. "We are moving, but it's completely amicable," Ninja Theory cofounder and chief development ninja Nina Kristensen told GameSpot. "We move mid July and have been planning it for the best part of a year; there's nothing nefarious about it. We are excited about the move--our new premises are considerably bigger and in an excellent location near the town centre." According to the report, Heavenly Sword 2 was offered to Ninja Theory, but the team declined to work on it.

Sony Europe has allegedly canceled the Sony Cambridge-helmed Heavenly Sword 2, while the first game's developer, Ninja Theory, has been said to be generally unhappy with the company. Kotaku reports an "inside UK source" said the game was killed after months in development because it was no longer commercially viable.

Meanwhile, Ninja Theory, which has offices in the same building as HS2 developer Sony Cambridge, is apparently moving out following "increasingly bitter" treatment by Sony. We've contacted both Ninja Theory and Sony for comment. If true, we'll never underestimate Sony Europe's game culling ability again.

Update: Sony informs it will not comment on the Heavenly Sword 2 rumor. Ninja Theory's official statement is after the break.

If you read this site religiously to the point of excluding all other media (and you should), the name Heavenly Sword may be unfamiliar to you. Perhaps there is a tiny voice in the back of your mind that tells you it's related to the Playstation 3. The voice in your head is right (for once), as Heavenly Sword is one of the Playstation 3's more well-known exclusive titles and received decent reviews last year. It comes as good news then that Ninja Theory -- developers of Heavenly Sword -- are developing a new title for both the 360 and PS3. Gamesindustry.biz has the scoop, in which Ninja Theory's Nina Kristensen notes, "We're certainly targeting a triple-A blockbuster, with two and a half years in production – a big game that builds on our core strengths of story-telling, cinematics and combat." Kristensen also says that Ninja Theory is considering creating a CG movie using the game's engine that would be released as a compliment to the game.

No further details, such as a projected release date, have been revealed.

[Via Joystiq]

With the story's second part already scribed, fans of big-haired action epic Heavenly Sword have eagerly been awaiting confirmation of a sequel. Though it hasn't arrived just yet (possibly waylaid by disappointing sales of the original), developer Ninja Theory has revealed to Gamesindustry.biz that it's no longer entangled in Nariko's mess of red hair. A new intellectual property for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 is now being assembled, with some thought spared to a CGI movie tie-in.

"We're certainly targeting a triple-A blockbuster, with two and a half years in production – a big game that builds on our core strengths of story-telling, cinematics and combat," said Ninja Theory co-founder and chief developer, Nina Kristensen. "But we're actually looking at something in addition to that – we're considering opportunities in creating a CGI movie using the game engine alongside the game itself."

Kristensen went on to say that the company hopes to maintain its relationship with the world of film, which seems to imply that Ninja Theory's next game will boast the same high production values and cinematic flair seen in Heavenly Sword. Right, is this where we make a joke about running time?

Unfortunately it seems that Ninja Theory are definitely not currently working on Heavenly Sword 2. Nina Kristensen, co-founder of Ninja Theory, confirmed the news during an interview with GameIndustry.biz. Instead, the development team is working on a new multiplatform intellectual property, potentially leaving the Sony owned Heavenly Sword franchise for another developer to play with.

Kristensen also mentions that they're thinking of producing a CGI movie to accompany their new project. Nothing's confirmed yet, as the two and a half year development cycle has only just started, but the potential of using the game engine to produce a movie is something they're definitely interested in. The full interview will be published on GameIndustry.biz later this month, where Kristensen will discuss their new project in further depth. In the meantime, check out the concept art for the game that was found on the new Ninja Theory website.

Check out this impressive piece of woodwork, a Heavenly Sword replica sword that reportedly took a trimester to make (via PS3 Fanboy). Check out the highlights for today:

Joystiquery
First impressions: Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Metareview -- Army of Two (Xbox 360, PS3)
X3F Week in Review: February 29, 2008 - March 6, 2008

News
Condemned 2 Xbox Live achievements detailed
Sims 3 teaser posted, more info coming March 19
Survival horror puzzler LIT coming to WiiWare
Rockstar working 'around the clock' to quell 360's Bully issues
US Air Force to purchase 300 Playstation 3s
GameTap Thursday: Batman Returns with Aces of the Pacific (now landing in Port Royale)
Famitsu confirms Disgaea for Nintendo DS in Japan
Full Gran Turismo 5 Prologue vehicle and track list announced
EA rejects 'impossible' collaboration with Jack Thompson
Former ESRB rater dishes on organization
Get the echochrome demo on your PSP
Device converts controller rumble to electric shocks
THQ has spirit with 'All Star Cheer Squad' for Wii, DS
Codemasters readies new action franchise: Damnation
Spore, 'Touch Fighter' shown on iPhone
GarageGames' InstantAction beta open to the public, c'mon in
Guitar Hero III gets Modern Metal, free Dropkick Murphys tunes coming
Sega: We're not interested in a buyout, thanks
PSN Thursday: Rocketmen blast off, Echochrome marches onto Japanese PSN
Microsoft: No Live Anywhere announcements in the immediate future
Sega: Hardcore gamers shouldn't be 'excommunicated' from Wii
Producer admits Tabula Rasa is starting slow
Eurogamer: Lego Indiana Jones dated for Europe June 6
Wax nostalgic over King's Bounty website, screenshots
Insomniac considering new IPs, Ratchet sells a million
Sony, Microsoft 'in talks' over Xbox 360 Blu-ray drive
The Sims 3 wants you to go outside (in the game)
Harrison: Atari is the best opportunity in the industry

Culture & Community
Witness the greatest Animal Crossing cosplay ever
GameStop holding Smash Bros. Brawl tournament, midnight launch events
'Free for All': Our favorite rap song about Smash Bros. Brawl
Romantic gamer proposes with homebrewed Bejeweled

What does a real PS3 fan do to show his love of Heavenly Sword? He makes one. "Linkin Park Fan" from Game Grep created his own wooden replica of the titular sword in wood shop. "Instead of making some stupid cabinet or a DVD shelf like the rest of the class, I decided to make something a little more original ... The sword is about 3 feet long and about 1 and a half feet high. To my surprise and others, the sword barely weighs anything. Light as a feather, Feather that can kill."

We love it. Check out more pictures here. And yes, it does it cut.

[Thanks, Jamie T.!]

Tired of searching Etsy in vain for fan-made God of War apparel? You're in luck! Sony today announced partnerships with four different clothing and accessory makers to feature the company's biggest franchises on all sorts of shirts and such. IV Gear has a list (shown above) of at least some of the franchises which will be depicted, including God of War, Ratchet & Clank, Resistance: Fall of Man, Heavenly Sword and Little Big Planet. Apparel makers Fortune Fashions, Bioworld and MJC will also put the games' logos and character on everything from hoodies to handbags.

"PlayStation is an extremely strong and well-known brand" Shelly Gayner, Director of Licensing, SCEA, said in a press release "We feel that this is a great opportunity for us to satiate our core fans and extend and capitalize on PlayStation name recognition by creating a new line of apparel in connection with the PlayStation brands and our top franchise titles." Memo to Sony: If you really want to satiate the fanboy audience, you'll put Sofia from Battle Arena Toshinden on a body pillow. We're just saying ...

It seems a focus group got together, thanks to Chatter Inc., and talked about Heavenly Sword 2. At first, the questions were standard survey stuff -- nothing too meaty, just reactions to the first game. Later, though, tidbits were unveiled about possibilities with the sequel. What were they? We'll list them below, but if you hate spoilers, we'd recommend you turn your monitor off and bathe in clorox until all the pigment is gone from your skin.

1. Heavenly Sword 2 will take place 10 years after the events in Heavenly Sword.
2. The main character will be a male with martial arts background.
3. The main character will be Kai, but she will be a more mature woman.
4. The game will require you to master different martial arts styles before retrieving the heavenly sword.
5. The game will, instead of button mashing, have controls that utilize an analog stick to go through weapons.
6. The game will have downloadable weapons, characters, and enemies to customize your experience.
7. The game will be more interactive with the environment.
8. The game will have you on a storyline with replayable missions, as opposed to an open world.

It seems like it's all speculation, but we can kind of see how the game will turn out if they follow some of these ideas. Instead of being compared to God of War, it seems the game might turn more into a Devil May Cry presentation style. Just so Kai isn't so ... weird. Take this rumor with a basket of salt.