heavenly-sword posts (Subscribe to this feed)
Rhianna Pratchett launches portfolio website
by Jem Alexander 
{ Mar 18th 2009 at 7:25PM }
Rhianna Pratchett, the British game writer behind Heavenly Sword, Overlord (and its upcoming sequels), Mirror's Edge and Viking: Battle For Asgard has launched her portfolio website, making it easier to keep track of her various projects. The website showcases all the games that she's worked on, as well as her contributions to some game writing textbooks and her ongoing series of Mirror's Edge comic books.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.
Killzone 2, Buzz and Heavenly Sword LBP DLC revealed
by Jem Alexander { Feb 26th 2009 at 12:15PM } 
The observant among you may have noticed that Sony's LittleBigPlanet 2009 DLC roadmap has now finished and we're still clueless as to what's coming next. The PlayStation Blog has updated with some new costume images, as you can see above, including Sev from Killzone 2 (almost certainly due to arrive today, in time for the game's launch tomorrow), Kai from Heavenly Sword and Buzz from, uh, Buzz!.
While unlikely, the low-res textures and low poly-count of the Buzz model have us thinking ... maybe, just maybe, this may be a model from the upcoming PSP version?
While unlikely, the low-res textures and low poly-count of the Buzz model have us thinking ... maybe, just maybe, this may be a model from the upcoming PSP version?
Andy Serkis: Game narrative is lacking, but has much potential
by Jem Alexander { Feb 10th 2009 at 4:00AM }
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.
LittleBigPlanet's Nariko Sackgirl is Best Buy exclusive
by Randy Nelson { Sep 3rd 2008 at 4:30PM }
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.
Nariko Sackgirl is Play.com's LittleBigPlanet preorder bonus
by Jem Alexander { Aug 23rd 2008 at 8:00AM }
Now, where's that Kratos Sackboy got to? We're sure he's hiding around here somewhere.
Rumor mill round-up: Heavenly Sword 2 [Update]
by Andrew Yoon { Jun 18th 2008 at 1:30PM }
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.
Rumor: Heavenly Sword 2 canceled; Ninja Theory 'bitter' with Sony
by Alexander Sliwinski { Jun 17th 2008 at 6:35PM }
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.
Update: Sony informs it will not comment on the Heavenly Sword 2 rumor. Ninja Theory's official statement is after the break.
Heavenly Sword devs target 360 for next project
by Richard Mitchell { Mar 19th 2008 at 7:30PM }
No further details, such as a projected release date, have been revealed.
[Via Joystiq]
Heavenly Sword dev working on new IP for 360, PS3
by Ludwig Kietzmann { Mar 19th 2008 at 3:00PM }
"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?
Ninja Theory's next game could have accompanying CGI movie
by Jem Alexander { Mar 19th 2008 at 1:30PM }
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.
Today in Joystiq: March 6, 2008
by Ross Miller { Mar 6th 2008 at 11:59PM }
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
A real life Heavenly Sword, made of wood
by Andrew Yoon { Mar 6th 2008 at 9:00AM }
We love it. Check out more pictures here. And yes, it does it cut.
[Thanks, Jamie T.!]
No shirt? Sony launches official apparel program
by Kyle Orland { Mar 5th 2008 at 3:40PM }
"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 ...
Rumor: focus group discusses possible Heavenly Sword 2 info
by Nick Doerr { Mar 5th 2008 at 2:45PM }
- Heavenly Sword 2 will take place 10 years after the events in Heavenly Sword.
- The main character will be a male with martial arts background.
- The main character will be Kai, but she will be a more mature woman.
- The game will require you to master different martial arts styles before retrieving the heavenly sword.
- The game will, instead of button mashing, have controls that utilize an analog stick to go through weapons.
- The game will have downloadable weapons, characters, and enemies to customize your experience.
- The game will be more interactive with the environment.
- The game will have you on a storyline with replayable missions, as opposed to an open world.
Ninja Theory concept art hints at new game
by Jem Alexander { Feb 19th 2008 at 12:15PM }
What have Ninja Theory been up to since making Heavenly Sword? Good question. It looks like we'll be finding out fairly soon though, as their website has today undergone a sudden transformation. An annotated Flash banner can be found on several pages of the site, showing some environmental concept art, such as the image above. These paintings are about as far removed from Heavenly Sword as you can get, so those of you who are itchy for a sequel straight away might be disappointed.
The front page of the website states that "there are some teaser elements on this new look website...and don't forget, this website is the very best place to check regularly for updates and news...especially the forums." It also says that Ninja Theory are "working on an exciting new concept that has got everyone we talk to buzzing." From the sounds of it, whatever project they're working on isn't very far along. They've successfully to get us intrigued, however, so we'll be keeping an eye out for any news. Who knows, maybe something will be shown at GDC?
The front page of the website states that "there are some teaser elements on this new look website...and don't forget, this website is the very best place to check regularly for updates and news...especially the forums." It also says that Ninja Theory are "working on an exciting new concept that has got everyone we talk to buzzing." From the sounds of it, whatever project they're working on isn't very far along. They've successfully to get us intrigued, however, so we'll be keeping an eye out for any news. Who knows, maybe something will be shown at GDC?
