Heavenly Sword does a great job getting your attention but its length and combo system taint an otherwise great game.
Where GOW's system is proactive Heavenly Sword is very reactive. Your character is always blocking. You have control over her blocking "stance" Each enemy give you a sign as to what type of attack they are about to use a second before performing the move. It is up to you to block properly and then counter the attack. This is a great idea and is useful on most enemies but several of the combos you will be blocking are 1. unblockable or 2. so long that you won't know when your counter opening is. The combos and countering were the most frustrating part of this game and will really begin to grate on the nerves of anyone who is used to GOW.
Now on to the great parts of Heavenly Sword. The story is solid and the cut scenes are brilliantly stunning. Nariko is a strong female character that is easy to believe in. The clever use of the Sixaxis controls were a welcomed addition to the archery and projectiles in the game. Having the ability to throw everything including the dead enemies was fun but largely useless. Whenever your character would shoot or throw something, by holding the trigger, you could guide the object through the air with the Sixaxis motion controls. This was blast on the Kai levels (Nariko's adopted archer daughter). The animations and graphics are fluid and beautiful throughout the game, but the game's length is way too short.
Had the developers added a plot twist or 2-3 extra sets of challenges Heavenly Sword would have felt like a more complete package. As it stands, HS feels like a teaser prequel to a much longer game. However, with the recent announcement that HS2 will probably not happen, HS1 stands as a "boy, what could it have been" project that over promised and under delivered.
Now that HS has dropped in price its pretty easy to suggest its purchase, due to it impressive use of the PS3 hardware. The final battle grounds and the sheer number of enemies that you have to take out is epic and processor heavy, but as a newly released $60 game Heavenly Sword falls flat.