[detrimental]

From September issue.

First one I've heard of for PS3... let's see how the reviews go

BTW, Bioshock is killing sh*t with its reviews. When I saw the first trailer for that ish months ago, it looked like one of the most dead-atmosphere, second rate games i'd ever seen... Seems like they got it right though.

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The first thing that strikes you about Heavenly Sword is an unfathomable level of detail and facial expression. I'm not sure if it's just brilliant programming or the cell processors at work, but you've never seen such drama portrayed in a game. Not just the cosmetics of the face, but the way the lips, tongue, eyes, eyelids, brow,and cheeks appear and move.

With Heavenly Sword the term "cinema" becomes passe. The game IS cinema as it seamlessly blends action and drama. The acting is the best I've experienced in a game, easily on par with a good film. When Flying Fox first appears and begins his discourse - "you are full of spirit, you are full of passion" - I challenge you to compare it to any scene in any game. And the animation, well, it's almost not: The people in Heavenly Sword simply move like people.

Mastering the game's perfectly hones techniques creates a rhythmic fighting style that keeps you engaged like never before. Typically barbarian hordes won't dilly-dally while you deal with them one at a time; they like to alternate, attacking in any number of combinations. Forget submenus or any cumbersome HUDs. heavenly Sword is all action, aimed squarely at skilled players. The unskilled can get through [normal mode] (ultimately becoming better skilled), but the thrill is in mastering this artfully produced epic.

Heavenly Sword is a cinematic journey you unfurl with a control pad. The entire game, especially Nariko, is all but alive. There is simply nothing like it. Following Act 1, as she speaks seemingly to you (she's actually addressing the sword), there's simply never been anything like it.

(The models) are individual works of art, all of them. Not only in their construction, but you just don't see animation of this caliber in a video game. In the areas of realistic human movement and facial detail Heavenly Sword stands alone. And the environments, whether you're traversing a picturesque valley or doing battle amidst the games' grandiose palatial structures, every last detail has been attended to, from a wee table setting or vase to gushing waterfalls, enormous bridges and rugged hillsides. In harmony with the orchestral magic playing in the background and lighting from the gods , it's almost too much to take.