For those who remember the initial reveal of of the PS3 at E3 2005, there were several game trailers that accompanied the announcement. These included Killzone 2, Motorstorm, Tekken 6 and a couple of titles that never made it past the concept stage. There was a lot of controversy surrounding some of these trailers due to perceptions about pre-rendered graphical quality, but while some titles haven't lived up to the level of visual splendor of that first glimpse, one title has actually exceeded its teaser trailer: Heavenly Sword.

Truly a visual masterpiece Heavenly Sword proved out to be a hit when it returned in playable form at E3 2006. The game has been hyped up a great deal during 2007 and finally released at the kick off of video gaming's most important time during the year. We examine what sort of hit Heavenly Sword is and its importance for the future success of the platform it released on.

Oh thank Heaven...
According to the NPD, Heavenly Sword was the best selling PS3 game for the September period. The game even managed to crack the top 10 games of the month, coming in tenth place overall. In total, Heavenly Sword sold 139,000 units during September.

Andy Serkis works his magic as King Bohan

While the sales total itself does not appear that significant, at least compared to some other recent hits, Heavenly Sword's importance is emphasized when you compare its market performance to the results so far for dozens of other PS3 titles. Many PS3 exclusives, such as Ninja Gaiden Sigma, have found difficulty achieving a high level of sales success. While Heavenly Sword wasn't a break away hit, what it sold in a month dominated by Halo 3 is encouraging and a good building point for the PS3 library going forward.

Along those lines, the importance of the game's success cannot be overstated for the PlayStation 3 this holiday season. Heavenly Sword is the tip of the spear for Sony's advance during Q4 for their next-gen system. Lair turned out to be a disappointment both critically and commercially, and with PS3 titles like Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Haze more than a month off when it first released, Heavenly Sword had to try and fill the void.

Style over substance?
Easily Heavenly Sword's biggest selling point is its high production values. The game just bleeds fluid beauty, from the clean animation of the characters, to the bright backdrops and vast armies. The game is truly a wonder to behold from both an aesthetic point of view and a technical perspective, demonstrating the promise of the PS3's power to come.

The cinematic qualities of the game extend beyond the graphics, though. Quality actors, such as Lord of the Rings/King Kong veteran Andy Serkis, donned the mo-cap suit and brought the characters of Heavenly Sword to life with aplomb. Add onto that a stirring, dramatic score and you have a game that is in many ways the equal to a summer blockbuster movie.

Unfortunately, like a summer blockbuster movie, the thrills are fleeting. While most considered the action of the game to be solid, between the three styles for the titular sword, some timed button sequences with some Sixaxis shooting sequences thrown in for good measure, there just wasn't enough of it. Clocking in at roughly six hours of gameplay for one play through, the game is a very poor value proposition at the retail price of $60.

"In the end, Heavenly Sword is clearly a God of War knockoff, from the blades with a ranged chain attack to the lack of camera control (both games use the right analog stick for dodging) and emphasis on massive one-against-a-dozen battles," said Libe Goad in GameDaily's review. "At least this game has the good sense to crib from the very best, and is a solid effort. But despite the strong presentation and excellent voice acting, Kratos and his mythological pals have nothing to fear from Heavenly Sword. The game doesn't quite match God of War's sense of pacing, character control and after plowing through another room of identical enemies, button-mashing until your thumbs are sore, you may eventually lose the urge to see what's around the next corner."

The new Goddess of War?
Sony spared no expense in advertising Heavenly Sword to the masses, and it started with an anime prequel. A five-part series, this stylized animation told players about the world of Heavenly Sword, detailing the ancient history of the titular sword, explaining how the various characters came to the positions they are in and showing Nariko's conflicted childhood. It's compelling viewing and provides a good reason for fans to get hyped up for the game and see the conclusion of the story.

Along those same lines, Sony released five "Making of" videos for Heavenly Sword. Showing interviews with the designers, actors and composers of the game, giving an inside view on everything from why certain decisions were made for the characters to how the sound effects were created. Normally, players would have to pay extra money for a collector's edition to get this sort of "behind-the-scenes" info, so it was very nice that it was provided for free online.

When it came down to the paid ad campaign, Sony made sure Heavenly Sword was everywhere. From TV spots to pre-rolls before videos, the campaign had a broad reach that touched every corner of the America where 18 – 34-year-old males are likely to dwell. The ads hit home the central theme of the gameplay as well: ass kicking with a beautiful heroine.

While Heavenly Sword hasn't quite achieved the level of success of God of War, a title that it is incessantly compared to, the game could certainly serve as a base for a franchise going forward. Sony has clearly invested a lot of time and money in building up developer Ninja Theory for this first Heavenly Sword, and we think they'd be hesitant to just have them start from scratch with another new IP. Perhaps the sequel will release when the PS3 is fully in stride, and it will address the issues of its predecessor and truly become worthy of the nickname "Goddess of War."