The "one-man-against-an-army" scenario has been overdone in all forms of media. If it wasn't about the movies, where Steven Seagal and Bruce Willis have taken on terrorists and other evil forces by their lonesome, then it's certainly present in a few video games, where the player takes control of a lone force who will, by themselves, change the balance of what the bad guys are up to. Before we got our hands on Heavenly Sword for the PlayStation 3, it was all about the one-man army that was Kratos, a vicious, blood-thirsty warmonger who wanted revenge on a war god and did everything possible with his twin blades to complete his journey. But now that we've gotten introduced to the likes of Nariko and her incredible fighting techniques, we're not so sure. The God of War may even find himself challenged with this woman.

Credit Ninja Theory, an up-and-coming development team who was last known as Just Add Monsters when they created the crazy fighting/party game Kung Fu Chaos for the Xbox. Heavenly Sword is completely different from that development, but the same tone of care and devotion to the content continues to be in check. Working off of more advanced hardware, Ninja Theory certainly seems to be up to task with the content at hand, crafting a beautiful game that means business on the gameplay front as well.

Ninja Theory actually worked alongside Andy Serkis, the actor who was the model for various Peter Jackson films, including the big guy himself in King Kong and the mischievious Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Serkis not only lent a hand in the story's development, writing, and casting, but also lent his performance capture prowess to the game, playing the tyrant-like king who makes Nariko's life such a living hell. The result could definitely be a primary reason to purchase a PS3 in the fall, despite its high price tag.

In the game, you take control of Nariko, a young, beautiful, fire-blooded woman who finds herself in quite a dilemma. A vicious King has ravaged her land and destroyed the warrior clan that was hand-picked to protect a dangerous blade known as the Heavenly Sword. The reason for the sword's protection is its devastating power. See, it's a sword that was originally wielded by an almighty diety, and cannot be held by a mere mortal without killing them. It uses the holder's life-force in order to keep its energy alive. Nariko, however, is out of options, and when she finds the warriors defeated, including her father, she takes it upon herself to go upon the sacrifical mission. She picks up the sword and proceeds to go after the king and his army, hellbent on bringing them to their knees before her life force succumbs.

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