Killzone 2 Comments by Dan Whitehead

@ BOFH_UK

If it gets 8's and 7's so what. A review is only an opinion at the end of the day. Some people may like it and some people wont. I personally go by actual gamers opinions and they all love is and say it shits all over COD4 so thats enough for me.

@Rash'

That hardcore crowd you are talking about - they are called PC gamers and won't be interested in playing a FPS with a pad.

Farty stop trying to pigeonhole the whole hardcore into the PC market. 360 has built it's rep off the hardcore so think before you speak.

ARGH STOP IT YOU TWO

i?m one of the few that really liiked the first game so im looking forward to this

'Damage is indicated by splatters of blood around your peripheral vision, indicating the direction of the shots, and the game uses the now-traditional recharging health system'

If the game is going for a more tactical aprroach surely the more 'traditional' system of health packs and medkits would be more applicable than a recharging health system.

Just a thought.

Edit - Any Marvel fans out there might notice a similarity with the main picture and Star-Lord from the Guardians of the Galaxy- I wonder who copied who?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardians_o...

Think people are reading to much into the 'tactical' thing. Go watch a gameplay vid and get further impressions from that!

So glad they didn't go for the run-n-gun. Loved the slower pace of the original, made it stand out from the crowd (as did its technical deficiencies unfortunately... ;) ).

@Rash

There are many definitions of hardcore though, it's a very nebulous term.

Some call hardcore anyone who plays FPS's, but hardcore PC gamers put us console players to shame. It's a totally different world. My brother is a PC-only gamer and runs weekly CoD tournaments. Mostly CoD2 but some 4 and WaW, and trust me, PC hardcore shooter players are nothing like console gamers.

As most sites are saying it plays differently to any FPS currently on the market. More than enough for me.

I liked old Master Chief's shield and health bar combo from Halo 1, found it a bit odd that they did away with that for Halo 2

yeah, at last- killzone 2. finally a FPS that needs some skill to play.
in stellar graphics-physics-lightning-hit response-7.1 audio-near realistic animation package,
and what I really like is that killzone 2 is not run-50km/h- gun-1000-bullets-per-sec while jumping 10 meters in the air, noob/hack fest.

I love how Eurogamer finally get round to previewing this, days after the first reviews come out :-)

I'm a 360 owner, not a PS3 owner, but KZ2 is an undeniably promising game. No single game is going to make me want to buy a £350 console, but I'll be sure to visit friends' houses to check this one out.

Incidentally, rather than comparing it to Gears (which is 3rd person and heavily focuses on co-op play), could we not just see what kind of game KZ2 becomes in its own right? Why set a benchmark for a gaming-style that it's not even trying to emulate?

Yeah, I knew some girl briefly from another forum who basically vanished because she was training to go pro on Call Of Duty 2. I still see her on it on xfire when I kick it off nowadays!

I do like that Killzone is geared so that the hardcore can get what they want out of it, clan tournaments and calendars (and I think this is all in game too) and stuff I seem to remember reading. Whether or not that remains I'm not sure. You do get hardcore on consoles though, I hear tales of the Socom hardcore from the PS2 and Warhawk pretty much has a hardcore following who stick with the game. I reckon people would be more likely to be hardcore with this game for the reason mentioned earlier, there won't be some sequel shoehorned next year for you to keep up with.

£350 is a bit steep fella you can pick one up if you shop around for around £260.

But you're right it is a lot of money for one game. Does have a fair few gooduns thou now.

Farty, like I said the definition of hardcore isn't limited to one particular hardware. My point isn't anymore complicated than that. Ninja Gaiden is a hardcore experience only available on 360... do you see???

"£350 is a bit steep fella you can pick one up if you shop around for around £260. "

Perhaps, but if I want the top of the range PS3, plus KZ2, plus an extra controller, I'm going to have to shell out £300+, most likely.

But it's beside the point. All I'm saying is that at the moment at least, the PS3 doesn't offer me enough to justify the purchase.

Completely understand that mate. You're right though extra pad etc does up the cost a bit. Each to there own end of the day :) But it does look like a good game for PS3 owners to have.

"rather than comparing it to Gears"

It's hard not to. Although they are not the same viewpoint, there are a huge number of similarities.

* Both enormous budget 'flagship' shooters
* Have almost identical cover systems
* Both slow-paced tactical shooters
* Both pushing respective machine's hardware
* Both almost entirely grey
* Both set on ravaged alien world
* Both have space marines as lead characters

sounds great and glad i got a ps3 now :p

online will be amazing if Beta is anything to go by to!

From the read of this article, I am wondering if KZ2 has any WOW moments. I get the impression that the gameplay and environments can get samey. I also remember that the game is pretty short, 6 hours I believe. No Split Screen means I cannot play multiplayer with bots with my son which is definitely not good. No co-op also diminish my outlook for KZ2 as well. Actually right now, the only thing that is really selling KZ2 for me is the graphics. I like tactical shooters so thats right up my ally but I really do not like the 6 axis use. Seeing that you need it for the sniper riffle probably will not be something I like so I hope you can turn it off.

@ farticusmaximus
"it looks on par with gears"
???
You are seriously BLIND AND DELUSIONAL if you are comparing geow2 jag fest with killzone2 graphics.
Not to talk about gears laughable 10 player only, peer2peer broken multiplayer, and the fact that gears is TPS.

LEAVE

Actually you can pick up the odd bargain on the AVForums classifieds section, I've seen 80GB PS3s with games and stuff going for £200 - £250. Good trustworthy place actually. I've sold/bought/traded a few bits on there myself.

here if you're interested

Sections for Wii/360 as well as a host of AV stuff too.

8/10?

Gears Of War 2 is not a jag fest

@farticusmaximus

after reading more of your posts, it's obvious that you're just a stupid troll. You're talking about PC and PS3 gaming, yet it's obvious that you don't game on PC and that you don't own PS3.
Say HI to ignore list idiot.

@Rash

"Farty, like I said the definition of hardcore isn't limited to one particular hardware. My point isn't anymore complicated than that. Ninja Gaiden is a hardcore experience only available on 360... do you see???"

But Ninja Gaiden is in a genre that has always been associated with consoles, and Ninja Gaiden did not sell consoles.

Tactical shooters are a genre traditionally associated with PC's, and the gamers who would be most interested in this style of game are PC owners who already have tactical shooters and would not touch a gamepad even if you paid them to.

Of course the game will sell, and probably pretty well to, but this hardcore FPS crowd you describe are not going to suddenly flock to a console game when PC tactical shooters satisfy their needs far better.

"It's hard not to. Although they are not the same viewpoint, there are a huge number of similarities.

----------------------------

Oh please, you could be talking about any number of high profile 'futuristic' games - Halo, Resistance, COD4, Uncharted, Mass Effect, GRAW, R6V, Fallout, Bioshock, Crysis... I could go on.

There are too many futuristic shooters set in an oppressive faux-future, filled with over-sized musclebound lead characters. You could just as easily choose one of the above as a comparison - in fact, if you read the article he even says that KZ2 has more in common with COD than it does Gears...

@SHARXTREME

By your comments I can conclude that you have not played Gears of war or it's sequel, and thus are actually trolling yourself.

I welcome your impending ignore.

sounds exactly like the first one, but with the lighting fixed.

Looks great but sadly I really don't get on with FPS :(
Now if it had a third person mode, I would be all over it.

Eurogamer will probably give it an 7, while it scores 9s and 10s elsewhere.

Wow! It seems like forever for us to get this close to launch.

farty, your definition of hardcore is extremely limited. Hardcore isn't limited by hardware, genre or any other superfluous trait. It is defined by an experience that only a gamer with an extreme sense of dedication can appreciate. While most will walk away from the extreme challenges of Team Ninja's game, the hardcore's extreme sense of dedication will encourage them to persevere.

Interesting that people that don't even own PS3 and don't plan to buy the game comment most on exclusive PS3 games.

"Eurogamer will probably give it an 7, while it scores 9s and 10s elsewhere."

If the game really is a 9 or 10 it will get that score. If it is better than R2 or on par with COD4 then there is little reason for it not to. GG have had plenty of time to make the best shooter they can and if it doesn't cut it in the end they only have themselves to blame.

"farty, your definition of hardcore is extremely limited. Hardcore isn't limited by hardware, genre or any other superfluous trait. It is defined by an experience that only a gamer with an extreme sense of dedication can appreciate."

--------

This Children, is what we call a contradiction...

Trying to define a level of challenge (i.e. 'Hardcore') by the traits (i.e. 'extreme dedication') of the people who play it is just as superfluous as defining it by genre or hardware.

I'm not what you would define as hardcore gamer, but I will complete certain games to their fullest. It really just depends on how enjoyable I find the game, and whether I see it as fun or beneficial enough to warrant playthroughs on tougher difficulty settings.

Any attempt to solidly define an abstract concept (in this case, the 'hardcore' game) is going to fail. It's subjective, and that's that. That's why we all argue about it so much - there is no correct answer :-)

I have a question about the Helghast soldiers, I was under the impression that they wore those masks because they had adapted to the atmosphere of their colonized planet so when they invaded other planets they needed the masks to breathe, so...
why are they still wearing them on their home planet of Helghan, and likewise why aren't the colonial forces wearing masks to breathe?

sorry to be a lore nerd but surely if you create a story line for a book, game or film you would need to keep it consistent.

from wiki...
the Helghast are a faction of human descendants who colonized the planet Helghan many generations ago. The planet's harsh environment forced the Helghast to adapt and mutate so much that they can no longer be considered human. They are stronger, faster and more resilient than their human cousins, and possess a burning hatred for humanity. Except for a small number of half-breed Helghast and trained troopers, they require a gas mask and air processing tank that creates air similar to that found on the planet Helghan.

please let me know if I have this wrong

Well I've played through Gears 2 and thoroughly enjoyed it, but to say KZ2s visuals are on par with it is wishful thinking at best. Just by looking at the Preview Code videos should tell you that the execution of animation, lighting, particle effects and other environmental elements are a good few levels above anything on consoles now.

The fact that they are pushing this for the hardcore is also good news for those of us getting bored by CoD. And going for the Hardcore certainly didn't hurt the first Gears either.

IMO i rekon the FPS is done best on consoles and is its prefered game type and most famous for along with RPG's.

if the PC has any best genre it's without a doubt the RTS games thats the only type of game which is portrayed on PC and is a winner every time with games like total war series and warhammer dawn of war,closest the console has come to RTS perfection was endwar and that got like a 8/10.

Console is best at FPS so many succesful series like resident evil and halo and resistance plus hundreads moreso no doubt KZ 2 will not only prove FPS should be done on consoles it also blows away its FPS buddy like COD,GOW.

rpg's well there shared on both items pc and console.

and to say its a hardcore game is a safe assumtion its tactical and you need to think before you act i for one will be making the most of the sqaud feature with the mic and the orders will come thick and fast with my buddys.

"Interesting that people that don't even own PS3 and don't plan to buy the game comment most on exclusive PS3 games."

True, but most 360 owners on the EG forums actually own at least 1 PS3 that they never buy games for or play games on but use it solely to collect dust so when that one system seller finally comes out they can read the review and say it's shit.

this is really one that could be epic or it could fail completely. The game itself doesn't interest me in the slightest but I'm curious to find how successful it is after the first flopped. Its like the gaming version of 8 mile

Hm, can only assume that the helmet is part of standard issue Helghan warfare attire... I'm sure some sort of lore will be fudged together to explain these things.

Either that or they wear the helmets all the time because they know it makes them look better.

"Just by looking at the Preview Code videos should tell you that the execution of animation, lighting, particle effects and other environmental elements are a good few levels above anything on consoles now."

Didn't they say something in the past that they were using a separate core on the SPU for each of the different physics effects or something to that effect? They have done a grand job on it though.

Didn't they say something in the past that they were using a separate core on the SPU for each of the different physics effects or something to that effect? They have done a grand job on it though.

They gave a seminar about using the SPUs for deferred rendering at a GDC, methinks. From reactions of other developers, it sounded like the best use for them indeed, but still scaringly difficult to obtain.

It probably also is where Sony poured most of the money into, one can speculate.

@sab3r

that's very interesting. I'd like to know why they have helmets on as well then! anyone?

I have a question about the Helghast soldiers...

The wiki page isn't quite right - the masks are basically filters which reduce the deadly effect of Helghan's atmosphere, but don't eliminate it entirely, though later generations have become more resistant through genetic adaptation. Mask-wearing also has social and political significance for the Helghast, as well as being an integral part of their military uniforms, which is probably the most likely explanation of why they wear them when invading Vekta.

The ISA aren't wearing masks in KZ2 because they aren't expecting to be there (on Helghan) very long.

Backstory here:

Link

@ tiddles

thx dude that clears it up :)

If somebody is interested on tech in KZ2, it's on gametrailers (killzone 2 tech demo).
They are using 6 SPEs and it's shown for what(post processing,lightning,motion blur,particles,physics etc.)
On IGN developers said that 1-2 SPEs are used on low load, but when action goes more intensive all SPEs kick in, and that highest load, when there is massive interaction on screen, DIDN'T EXCEED 60%!
BTW. there are new screenshots and GIFs on neoGAF and comparisons on new review build. Impressive.

Best use I've personally seen of the SPU's so far was in F1:CE, they used one solely for the rain and I must admit the rain did look spectacular in that game. Impossible to drive in but, but very nice to look at.