Alright, alright, so maybe Heavenly Sword will be a nearly three-year-old PlayStation 3 game by the time this Nariko action figure ships next July. But maybe Sony and Twisted Metal co-creator David Jaffe will have a new Twisted Metal game readied for the PS3 around the same time. Then the release of a new Sweet Tooth action figure will make a lot more sense.

Details on the figures are still scant, but solicitations from DC Direct put them on course for landing at toy store shelves on July 28, 2010.

DC Comics Solicitations for February 2010 [CBR - thanks, Yema!]

The Nariko outfit in the UK can be snagged by pre-ordering the game through Play.com, while gamers in the ice spider-infested wilds of Canada are urged to wait a bit longer for an announcement the fiery warrior's sackcloth doppleganger.

Pre-order: And finally...Nariko SackGirl [LittleBigPlanet News - Thanks Dave!]

We see an entirely different area of progress: a form of independent production based on real-time game engine technology. We reckon you could do something like Beowulf for 15-20 per cent of the cost... If you are already creating hi-res assets for a game, then sharing these can bring that cost down even further... We have a lot of experience in performance capture, animation, rendering and so on. We can compete in the same way that indie films can live alongside blockbusters.

20 percent of the cost is dandy and all, Ninja Theory, but would your film have Angelina Jolie? Well.

Make Beowulf [Games Industry]

It's a brutal environment out there for an independent, particularly considering the size of the games that we're developing... But we've now signed up the new game and the future looks pretty rosy for us... our new game is going to be PS3 and Xbox 360.

Ninja Theory co-founder Nina Kristensen says her company may also have a movie in the works, a totally CGI affair "using the game engine alongside the game itself." Sounds interesting. At least more interesting than, say, Final Fantasy: Spirits Within.

Ninja Theory considers CGI movie alongside new multiformat title [GamesIndustry.biz]

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...Ironical, I was the first one to get cut by my sword. I let a kid hold it and he got a little power hungry, started swinging it around and cut my in the arm. For a wooden sword, it sure cuts well.

Cake-loving home ec students, we're looking in your direction for a proper rebuttal.

Real Life Heavenly Sword [GameGrep via PS3Fanboy]

They initially asked for video game background, then they had a follow-up phone call asking which games I had played or owned, focusing heavily on Heavenly Sword. There were 3 surveys done on Monday, groups of 6 for the first 2, 4 for the last group (my group). Predominantly males, asking about our impressions on Prince of Persia, God of War, Ninja Gaiden and, of course, Heavenly Sword. Some questions were asked about why Heavenly Sword didn't sell so well, what our impressions were on the gameplay, how the cutscenes were done, combat mechanics.

At the end of the night they gave us a few pieces of paper and asked our takes on the ideas (probably already set in stone). The following are the sheets that they asked our opinions on:

1. Heavenly sword 2 will take place 10 years after the events in heavenly sword 1

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

Right now we're working on an exciting new concept that has got everyone we talk to buzzing. We can't say a lot except that it's going to be great to work on and should be even better to play! It'll take all the things we loved about Heavenly Sword and make them bigger and better than ever before.

Devil May Cry 4 (PS3, 360)
Heavenly Sword (PS3)
Assassin's Creed (PS3, 360)
Call of Duty 4 (PS3, 360)
Halo 3 (360)
Mass Effect (360)
Lost Odyssey (360)

If you're feeling like a shopping spree you could pick up a couple games and use those gift cards to put towards that Rock Band bundle bringing the price down to a comfortable $129.

Best of the Sunday Ad Video Game Deals (2/17 - 2/23) [CheapAssGamer]

Playboy's Best Games of 2007 [Playboy]

So that was pretty sad in Heavenly Sword when red-headed Nariko croaked, huh? No worries! Just because she's dead, doesn't mean she's dead — especially in a game called Heavenly Sword. Says Nina Kristensen from developer Ninja Theory:

The beautiful thing about inventing a universe like that of Heavenly Sword is that you get to make up all the rules and happily, in the Heavenly Sword universe, just because you're dead, it doesn't mean your life is over ;)

...We haven't announced anything as yet but I can confirm that when we wrote the original story we did write it as a trilogy...

[Thanks, Ray]

Finalist #1

Lawrence writes:

The model in the photo is my girlfriend Kristen, and we shot it in my house against some silk sheets as a backdrop. She came up with the idea and carved the apple herself (it wasn't a photoshop job or anything). Legibility is a little tough when carving apples, but hopefully our "sign" is readable enough.

Finalist #2

James writes:

The recipe pictured, though delicious, does not necessarily exist—however, the red PlayStation Controller does (it was a Toys "R" Us exclusive). It has become one of my most reached for kitchen utensils, after having fallen out of favor with developers following the introduction of the original DUALSHOCK.

Finalist #3

Josh writes:

I call it "The End of an Era." Yes, that is our living room wall. No, I don't think I'll be married for much longer. See, I asked my wife if I could paint the wall red for the contest, I just kinda left out the spray paint part. The good news is that I actually got off my lazy butt and had some fun and my wife will end up with a nice(er), fully painted, red wall-eventually. The bad news...well, let's just say it's bit cold at our house for this time of year. At least if I win my wife can claim it was all her doing - if she didn't love red so much I'd have been screwed!

Finalist #4

Edrian writes:

Hmmm well it's basically a book-esque style with lots and lots of red stuff in it as the contest guidelines suggest. First is lots of big bold red "FF0000" and one "KOTAKU" text. But it doesn't stop there #FF0000 is a hex code for the color red. And if you look at the middle of the picture there is a very out of place ring, well you shouldn't focus on the ring but the shadow that it casted on the paper. Yes it's a heart (awwwwwwww). . . *ahem* hearts are related to red am I right?

Finalist #5

Alexandre writes:

Here is my submission for the Use Red, Win Heavenly Sword contest.

Finalist #6

Brendan writes:

Wasn't sure if the Lego and Cards spelling out Kotaku counted, so there's also a sign on the TV that says "Kotaku Contest".

My sister and I had fun putting this together

Finalist #7

Daniel writes:

I started spray painting last week as a hobby and decided that this was as good a time as any to spray characters as opposed to words. It's done on wood... I thought I captured the spirit of one Heavenly Sword, red haired heroine and I had to rush it when I got home from work to get it in on time. If you're wondering, the emo looking lemming in the bottom right corner is my signature (yes, it's a stencil).

Finalist #8

Bururian writes:

Came to me at the last minute. Can't remember how buzzed I was actually doing it though. I did drink most of that beer though.

Finalist #9

Fujoshi writes:

Well, here it is, my entry. It's complete with a Lego sword donated by my son.

Finalist #10

Pharlain writes:

Everyone loves game cakes. Except Luke. Sorry Luke. I'm a pastry chef by trade and I wish I got more requests for wedding cakes with game themes. Or any requests for game cakes. Anyhow here's a trade secret; that really smooth mailable stuff, fondant? Tastes like crap. It really really does. Technically it's edible, but that's only technically. I believe that any dessert should not only look kickass, it should be delicious. The entire cake is frosted with my very own buttercream which is magically delicious as only massive amounts of butter and sugar can be. The runes are piped buttercream and the other decorations are entirely white and bittersweet chocolate. That's not a transfer on top. The head and sword are both real chocolate. The bottom tier is a chocolate cake with a red cookie and cream filling. The top tier is red velvet with strawberry filling. That mini cake in the right corner is an example of how red the actual cake is.

I love letter openers, especially game-themed ones... and now I have three. A King Arthur sword, a Link sword in stone and this very nifty Heavenly Sword sword on a nice stand. Now off to flail the paper from my bills and slit the lids of unsuspecting packages.

So hit the jump for our Frankenreview: the one review that will dictate whether or not the PS3 is good for something other than big screen porn. That is, if you don't consider a beautiful redhead kicking royal ass in skimpy clothing to be some logical extension of pornography.

GameRevolution
I can not remember the last time I cared so much about the characters in an action game, and not just the heroes, the villains as well. Like Gollum, even the bad guys have complex motivations. The facial expressions, body language, and the lip synch are so spot-on it's uncanny. I found myself actually excited for more story exposition, rather than disappointed I was dropping out of the action.

GameInformer
From the moment Nariko chooses to wield the Heavenly Sword, her time with it is limited. As a player, your experience with the sword will also be fairly short; most gamers will probably finish the game in about seven or eight hours. However, that timeframe is dense with non-stop thrills thanks to the game's ability to continually throw compelling new challenges in front of you.

IGN
The game's biggest strength is its combat system, which in large part works very well. Instead of using only face buttons to put together combos, you have three different stances that each has its own set of moves...Unfortunately, in most one-on-one battles it makes most sense to mostly stick with Triangle as it doubles for a move-breaking counter attack. The more often you use Triangle, the more likely you are to unknowingly counter an enemy's attack and come back with an instant-kill finishing move.

Eurogamer
Now and then Heavenly Sword takes a break from all the hackandslash guff and lets you shoot at things from big cannons...In these hugely entertaining (but rather samey) interludes you can...hold down L1 and effectively steer the missile directly to its target. By default, the game encourages you to use the SixAxis tilt controls, but although it feels rather fantastic when you wobble your pad to your target, it's horribly imprecise. After a few hours of struggling with it, we couldn't quite believe how much easier it was to control the direction with the analogue stick in comparison

Pro-G
If you are looking for a purist's hack and slash that will test you for months, go elsewhere, ideally to Ninja Gaiden Sigma. But if you want a thrilling and cinematic adventure that will give you ample opportunity to show off the muscle of your PlayStation 3 and provide a glimpse of the console's possible future, you could do far worse than pick up this big-budget epic.
Penny Arcade pointed out that Heavenly Sword reviews (specifically 1UP's) read like a struggling game with an 8 tagged on. And while I agree that Heavenly Sword is certainly sandbagging a bit with the PS3's currently high handicap, I think the reviewers were so generous despite length and mechanic issues because of the game's extremely high level of cinematic polish. Either way, the fanboys can dry their tears.

Can't remember how buzzed I was actually doing it though. I did drink most of that beer though.