A lone, mourning violin heralds your arrival into the world of Killzone 3, greeting you with such a beautiful but sorrowful soundscape that, were it not for the Helghan writing, one might well wonder if they’d accidentally wandered into entirely the wrong piece of software. It’s an oddly serious, sombre opening to the latest in a series renowned for its straight-up shooting and un-shying goriness. The deceptive simplicity of the opening score inspires a straight-faced, somewhat austere feel that makes at least one thing clear from the very start. Guerrilla’s baby has grown up into one of that very rare breed: a serious first-person shooter.

Where Killzone 2 was a loud, egocentric teenager, flexing its not-quite-fully-developed virtual muscles with testosterone-fuelled bloodiness and shouting you down with a range of obscenities that even criminals on North London estates would struggle to recognise, its successor is a solemn, straight-faced adult, stoic and businesslike, getting on with whichever tasks are necessary with unfaltering professionalism. Whilst understated, the effort that has been put into giving Killzone 3 – or at least its online functionality – such a refined and developed feel is ultimately its saving grace; it turns a good game into something that could potentially reserve Killzone’s place in the history books of gaming.

Killzone 3 is simply a more mature game all-round. Amongst first-person shooters, for the grimness of war to be effectively put into game form is both a rarity and a pleasant surprise (a complete antithesis considering the gravity of the subject matter). Throughout my time on the beta, however, I’ve found Killzone 3 to continually surprise me with its adult, mature approach to the overdone war-game format that serves only to increase the feeling of immersion one enjoys when playing it. Small details like the bodies which litter the map during a game, the brutal mêlée animations, the increased sense of teamwork and tactic and the lovely interjecting cut-scenes in Operations mode make Killzone 3’s online mode feel more grown-up and – despite the fact that the horrors of war still aren’t quite accurately or fully portrayed – make Killzone 3 feel generally more involving that its predecessor or, indeed, other first-person shooters.


The quality is evident throughout the beta, but there are drastic differences between the three game modes. Whilst Guerrilla Warfare and Warzone mode are fantastic for a twenty-or-so minute blast, providing some fast-paced shootouts and the typical Killzone online action that series connoisseurs have hitherto enjoyed, it is the new Operations mode that is the star of the Killzone 3 show. Operations (and Warzone, but to a lesser extent) both boast a real sense of tactic and teamwork that is largely missing from modern first-person shooters, and it is this tactic that is key to taking objectives and winning matches. Whereas Guerrilla Warfare feels like a free-for-all, with every player gunning for themselves and for the top-spot on the leaderboard, Operations and Warzone have a sense of team cohesion that increases the game’s engagement of the player, and requires a level of skill and intellect in order to effectively win over your objectives (be that defending as the Helghast or attacking as the ISA). This sense of combined effort and unity is ultimately what makes these modes more rewarding than Guerrilla Warfare; in Operations, covering frontline infantry as a marksman from far behind the lines, to go on and successfully gain ground or an objective is hugely satisfying, whereas whilst Guerrilla Warfare is a speedy blast of fun there is never the same sense of satisfaction. In this lies the issue with Guerrilla Warfare and the winning factor for Operations and Warzone: Guerrilla Warfare provides no reward and therefore no incentive to continue playing, whereas Operations and Warzone provide rewards in the forms of won objectives, and so will ultimately end up being the more popular game modes.

The key thing with Operations is it provides new aspects that haven’t been seen before in Killzone and are still largely novel across the online gaming world, no matter what your console of choice. The intermittent mid-match mini-cutscenes are a lovely touch that give some sense of a story or situation to an online match, something that barely any other games hasten (or even bother) to add. Guerrilla ought to be praised on the idea to feature the best players from each operation are the characters featured in the cutscenes; it is a reward which not only increases your sense of involvement in the match, but also serves as a nice way to quench the thirst for bragging rights and recognition, and encourages clever, tactical play so one can be featured in these miniature scenes. The mode’s system of completing objectives to push forward, unlocking new areas of the map, will be familiar to players of EA’s recent Medal of Honor reboot, as they use a similar system; it works well as not only does it provide an impression of progression through the level, but it also means the game can end at any of the objectives depending on whether or not you play well, and so you have a real drive to play well to maximise the game length (and therefore your chances of winning the most experience points).

Broadly, however, there isn’t a mode which is unenjoyable, due to the smooth-flowing, much-improved combat and game mechanics. The trademark ‘heavy’ feel of previous Killzones has, for the most part, been dumbed down and lessened, largely through smoother movement animations and the increased speed with which one can aim, reload and take down an opponent in battle. Whilst this makes the action much speedier and smoother, due to the less labourious and unfamiliar style of movement compared to other FPS titles, it does make Killzone 3 feel different to its predecessors. And whilst I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing, it will be something that die-hard fans of Guerrilla Games’ series will have to get used to.


In some ways, the changes that have been made enable the game to be more accessible to newcomers. One of the major problems that I found with Killzone 2 was that, whilst it was by no means a badly developed game, the way that it handled and the foreign-feeling control scheme meant that those uninitiated with the original Killzone were much less likely to find the second title an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. With the Killzone 3 beta, however, this seems to have been addressed. Old weapons return in order to ensure those migrating from Killzone 2 don’t find the experience entirely detached from its foregoer, some new weapons have been thrown in to increase variety and the weightiness of the weapons has been highly varied in order to bring the feel of the game more in line with recent and upcoming games in the same genre (Killzone 3’s shooting mechanic, for instance, has a similar aura to Splash Damage’s Brink, and regular readers will know how much I enjoyed that). The controls have been made more approachable for new players, with it being much more obvious how to use various functions than in the previous game. All the small tweaks to the gameplay serve to make Killzone 3 an all-round easier-to-play game than Killzone 2, and whilst veterans might not like that, it is certain to boost sales and chart rankings when the game releases later this month.

Matches themselves are more varied. The new brutal mêlées increase the hardened ruthlessness of the games new, more adult feel, and the XP reward (alongside the savage animations, none of which are overdone) make you as the player want to use mêlée function more, which makes for a more vibrant combat experience. The range of weaponry is much increased, with the new class- and skill-based system making for more choice when deciding on your killing tools; and the roster of side arms is more fully-featured than before. Furthermore, weapon choices have to be made carefully, as the balancing of the weapons has been very well done, meaning certain weapons are more suited to some situations or uses than others, and put together these few new additions make for an overall more tactical experience. My only gripes with the combat were that occasionally, (particularly at the beginning of a match, and most noticeably when playing as the ISA) the enemy tends to respawn far too close to your original basecamp, which prevents the battle from effectively spreading across the map; and that grenade aiming and throwing was largely hit-and-miss, and the system could do with tightening up in order to make it more intuitive and effective.

On some basic points, the single map which is playable on the beta is quite extensive – much larger than the average FPS map you might have played on before – and is well designed, with some lovely little nooks-and-crannies to hide in, some semi-secret passages and action over (at one point) five storeys. The game feels more brutal and is gory (if not as much as Killzone 2, then more so), but sometimes the gore effects can feel unrealistic and superfluous, less a well-considered component of the overall experience and more a mere party popper once the birthday banners are up (if you’ll excuse the metaphor). The game automatically puts you into an open match slot using the evermore-popular matchmaking mechanic and, whilst it is (for the most part) quick and efficient it can also mean you are sometimes allocated to a game that is late on in proceedings, meaning you’re destined to end the match with little XP and an overwhelming sense of dissatisfaction. Killzone 3 is graphically nice: the visuals have been improved on since Killzone 2, and whilst the visuals on a large scale are still a little underwhelming, the small detail such as the slight blur effect of the reflex sight’s crosshair when changing your angle of aim is what is most striking. Lastly, ranking up is quick if you play the game for extended periods, particularly if you’re a regular of games where XP is gained for completing objectives, and despite the fact that there are many ranks players may find that they reach the top ranks with little difficulty and with minimal effort.


For a moment, though, forget everything about the tweaked feel and the combat and the graphical prowess that I’ve already imparted because, although they certainly all make Killzone 3 the beautifully-formed package that the Killzone franchise was always going to naturally form into, for once they’re largely unnecessary in summing up what makes this beta so awe-inspiring. Killzone 3 – or at least the beta – is the turning point for the series, because it is drama, not melodrama. When you enter the beta, right from that very first bereft, quavering violin chord to the moment you leave the console, there is such a striking sense of thought to the whole thing. Where Killzone 2 was a good game, this is an excellent experience. It has the depth, the foresight and the development of the detail that Killzone 2 just didn’t have enough of. You can be walking the alpine expanses of the dam base one moment, the silence almost deafening when combined with the omnipresent danger, when suddenly gunfire explodes from nowhere with a roar like a wild animal. It is a refined, perfected, perfectly-glossed product that, if the single player mode and the final online functionality are as good as this beta has been, will be one of the titles best-recognised for its achievements this side of the next console generation.


You can download the Killzone 3 Open Beta now from the PlayStation Store, through 15th February. The Killzone 3 single player demo will be released onto the PlayStation Store on 16th February.

Killzone 3 is released in the United States on 22nd February, and in the United Kingdom on 25th February.

Labels: 2011, Beta Impressions, Brink, Feature, Guerrilla Games, Killzone, Killzone 2, Killzone 3, Linford Butler, Medal of Honor, PlayStation Store, PlayStation3, PS3, Review

Twitter seems to have become the place for announcements regarding the games industry, and it seems that Killzone dev, Guerilla Games, isn't being left out of the tweeting mayhem. The upcoming third downloadable map pack for Killzone 2, Napalm and Cordite, was announced recently, along with information for the latest patch to hit the game, and since has captured the imaginations of loyal Killzone players the world over.

Well, those loyal fans will be rewarded tonight when the people over at Guerilla release the trailer for the upcoming Napalm and Cordite pack, as they have promised on their Twitter account. Hopefully we'll get a good look at what's in store for those who download the maps, including the main bulk of the new locations and a peek at the new weapons and some of the patched features. However, I won't hold my breath for all that, as we'll all see what's going to be in the trailer when it hits the internet tonight sometime.

Keep your eyes glued to Gamer's Guide to Life for more - we'll have the trailer up as soon as we find it.

Linford

Labels: DLC, Killzone 2, Linford Butler, Trailer

Two map packs just doesn't seem to be enough for you Killzone 2 fans. As such, Guerilla has deemed it neccessary to put into effect Plan C, the release of yet another Killzone 2 map pack, this time named Napalm and Cordite. Details on the upcoming pack are sketchy to say the least, but Guerilla Games' producer, Seb Downie writes, "It has flames and bolts [and] will fulfill the wishes of many of our weirdest fans." No release date, as yet, though we do know the names of two of the upcoming new maps: “Suljeva Cliffside” and “Arctower Landing”.

However, the new map pack's secretive nature can be forgiven, as the Killzone dev has just announced - and extensively detailed - the upcoming downloadable patch for the game, the catchily named '1.28'. Amongst the new features contained in the new patch are the flamethrower and bolt gun (personal favourites of mine...), the ability for moderators to create 'double-points' events and some 'exploit' fixes which prevents unscrupulous players from using glitches to their own advantage. You can view the full update list below.

Official list of changes for Killzone 2 patch 1.28:

* Feature - Code support for DLC pack III “Napalm & Cordite”. The update will enable players to create games with the newest maps “Suljeva Cliffside” and “Arctower Landing”
* Feature - Code support for DLC to allow the additions of the Flamethrower and the Boltgun to multiplayer.
* Trophies – New Trophies added for DLC pack III “Napalm and Cordite”.
* Feature - Detailed information screen when browsing games. Items displayed include: Friendly Fire, Faction Balancing, Custom Weapons and Custom Badges as well as the region, game size, selected maps and allowed Missions and Badges.
* Feature - Higher values for Bodycount mode. Players can now create games with 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 50, 100 and 200 points to increase the time of the mode for 32 player games.
* Feature - Moderators can now create double-points events.
* Fix for persistent squads now working correctly when users using separate Japanese accounts join Friends.
* New loading screens.
* Moderation – Additional powers and functionality for online moderators.
* Fix for Clan Leader leaving his clan before an active Tournament of Clan Challenge.
* Fix for score replication on different clients.
* Fix for a Clan Challenge results displaying a won/lost games as a ‘Draw’.
* Fix for incorrect Tournament timings being displayed for (semi)-final.
* Fix for an empty message pop-up being displayed.
* ‘High Precision Mode’ now defaulting when requested.
* Fix for stuttering audio on the Asian version.
* Fix for network error displayed when trying to log in with another users account.
* Fix to reduce network traffic and improve performance.
* Fix for occasionally being displayed an empty background when ‘Join Friend’ via Communications tab.
* Exploit – Pyrrhus Rise map boundary fix.
* Exploit – Radec Academy collision fix to prevent players being revived inside a pillar and using it to their advantage.
* Cosmetic fix for Medic Gun visual effects.
* Cosmetic fix for Search & Retrieve object being cloaked by the Scout.
* Cosmetic fix for Scouts body remaining cloaked after being mortally wounded (i.e. headshot).
* Gameplay – Damage from Sentry bots tweaked back on request of the community.
* Collection of minor code fixes.

Further features and fixes to www.Killzone.com include:

* Feature - Tournaments - Full tournament functionality enabled once again.
* Feature - Upcoming Tournaments are now displayed in a clan’s calendar.
* Feature - Upcoming Tournaments are now displayed in My Killzone upcoming events.
* Feature - Upcoming Tournaments are now displayed in clan communication center.
* Feature - Tournament and Clan Challenge support for DLC Pack III “Napalm & Cordite”.
* Feature - Additions of sounds in Battle Replays.
* Feature - Additional animations in Battle Replays.
* PlayStation 3 landing page updated.
* Higher selectable Bodycount values when creating Tournaments or Clan Challenges via http://www.Killzone.com.
* Various bug-fixes and minor updates.

Linford

Labels: DLC, Guerrilla, Killzone 2, Update

Killzone 2 is Sony’s latest attempt to release a flagship game for its PS3. Lair was met with angry chorus, Heavenly Sword disappointed many and Haze was…terrible. Can Guerrilla Games’ effort meet the expectations of killer-app thirsty fans? Yes.

For those that haven’t been paying attention to the last 3 or 4 years of video games: Killzone 2 is a first person shooter set in an alternate reality. The Helghast are a race of human-like people that are, to all intents and purposes, trying to control the star system. The ISA are the “good guys” that, after being invaded in the first game, are trying to exact their revenge by invading Helghan.

Whilst this back-story is pretty clichéd, the characters do a good job of presenting themselves as real foot soldiers that, while being important, are still part of a much bigger war that would go on with, or without them. Voice acting is okay for most of the characters, but Rico is poorly voiced, and sounds pretty fake.

I’m going to get onto the bit you’re interested in. Graphics. Do they look amazing? Yes. Is this the best looking game on any console? Yes. Can they be bettered? Apart from a couple of loading freezes, no.

Gunplay in this game is great, with an assault rifle that could shoot a fly from a mile away; you’ll find yourself popping off Helghast helmets easily. Even with this ease the game never becomes dull, as later on you find yourself in situations where accuracy doesn’t matter anymore, because you’ll be, “No fighting in the war room” (CoD 4) style, ducking behind stuff while crying for mercy.

I’ve played around 10 hours of the online, and while I can’t say it’s as good as Call of Duty 4, it is at least comparable, with a semi-similar class system that seems more dependant on completing side-objectives (e.g. revive 3 people in 1 match) than normal ranking up. This can be frustrating as you find yourself playing in a way that just get’s that side-objective done, as opposed to putting in a 100% effort to help your team win.

However, when it comes down to it, the online mode really delivers, especially because of the match format. All modes are rolled into one 30 minute (approx.) violence orgy that promises to set your heart beating as fast as it has since…well…Call of Duty 4.

All in all, this game will deliver on the hype that Sony put on it – but the extent to which it goes beyond all of that hype probably depends on how much you like online gaming.

9/10

Matt

Labels: Killzone 2, Matthew, Matthew Meadows, Review

Imagine my delight this morning when I woke up to find a coffee next to me, my cat lying on the bed, and a fresh, unwrapped copy of Killzone 2. Following the orders that my still half-asleep brain gave me, I unwrapped the copy and placed it into my PS3. With a 3 or 4 hours before college started (I go in at 2pm and leave at 3pm on Fridays) I decided to get stuck in and give you some first impressions. 

As the game loads into the campaign mode I’m greeted by an impressive, awe-inspiring cutscene. It scares me that I don’t know whether it was pre-rendered or gameplay footage, but either way it was amazing. The general plot seems to be that the ISA (good guys) is pushing back the Helghans (bad guys) from the invasion seen in the first game.

My immediate impressions of the controls were not good. They felt heavily weighted, a problem which apparently was visable in the first game, and the controls didn’t match the standard FPS scheme (CoD4). However, over a short period of time, about 20 minutes, the controls quickly warmed to me, and I found myself really enjoying using the ISA’s default rifle, with it’s ultra accurate dot-sight.

I only had a chance to play one or two matches online. What I played there, was breathtaking. Stunning visuals which matched the single player mode, atmospheric explosions and gun shots all around, NO LAG (J) and a lot of over excited kids that really should have been in colle…I mean school. The way that the multiplayer works is that there aren't any kind of set game modes. You enter a game which should last you about 30-40 minutes, and during that time you’re given multiple objectives. From what I’ve played, the system works really well, and should keep gamers from piling onto one game type (I’m looking at you Search and Destroy on CoD4).

From what I have seen, this game ISN’T a reason to buy a PS3. But this along with Uncharted, Resistance, God of War and Metal Gear Solid, really should get you thinking about buying the black behemoth.

Matt

Labels: First impressions, Killzone 2, Matthew, Matthew Meadows

Take an enemy species, a new planet, lots of new weaponry, explosions and men that die like real men. Put it together, and what do you get? A mess. Or, as the case may be, Guerrilla Games upcoming offering exclusively for PS3, Killzone 2.

For those of you who don't know the Killzone series - you don't know what you've missed. The storyline focuses around conflict between human and sorta-alien forces (the Helghast). There's lots of fighting, killing and so forth. It's absolutely brilliant.

The latest in the series, Killzone2, is set to take the PS3 to new and unforseen heights - or at least the developers hope so. Set two years after the Helghast assault on Vekta, the ISA (the good guys) decide to take the fight to the Helghan homeworld. Their aim is clear: to capture Emperor Visari, the Helghast leader, and end the violence. Sounds good, no?

Graphically, Killzone 2 looks amazing. The explosions look like real explosions, the textures look beautiful and the dynamic lighting effects seem to be spot on. If the video footage I've already seen is anything to go by, this is going to be one of the highlights of the gaming year.

The controls look good, but they aren't anything really new - simple FPS controls really. The controls seem solid enough, however, and when the pad is in my hand, I'm sure they'll be amazing.

Gameplay wise, there's still work to be done - but that isn't to say it's terrible. In fact, quite the opposite - the feeling of chaos that the developers were trying to achieve seems to have been pulled off fantastically, with the ethos 'shot or be shot' and a real feeling of being in a theatre of war.

Guerrilla Games certainly seem to be on the right track with the latest Killzone game. I only hope that the end result will be as amazing as they've promised.

Brace yourself, Call of Duty, there's a new dog in town.

Linford

Labels: Exclusive, Guerrilla, Helghast, Killzone 2, PS3