Killzone 2 Multiplayer Beta
Back in the zone.
Astonishingly violent, conservatively assembled. That was how Tom described his first impressions of Killzone 2's single-player campaign way back in July 2007, and it provides a rather convenient bridge into the multiplayer side of things, as revealed in the current invite-only beta.
While other first person shooters have been busy tweaking and remixing their multiplayer components, Killzone 2 seems to be taking it back to the old school with a deliberate focus on tense, brutal action with the minimum of distracting frills. In fact, for all the talk of Halo 3, Resistance 2 and Call of Duty, the game it bears most resemblance to is the original PC version of Rainbow Six, the gritted-teeth centrepiece of so many LAN parties ten years ago.
Killzone 2's biggest innovation comes in its class system, where you can combine elements of two different disciplines to create a hybrid class that best suits your preferred style of play. Even so, the classes on offer will be instantly familiar to anyone who has spent time on the Battlefield or Team Fortress series. Scouts are the default snipers, armed with a cloaking device and the ability to spot and mark enemy units for their teammates. Tacticians can deploy spawn points and call in air support, making them useful infiltrators. Saboteurs can disguise themselves and plant bombs, while Engineers erect automated defence turrets and can repair damage. The Medic and Assault classes are much as you'd expect, offering the obvious combat and healing options.
You won't get to try any of these features though, at least not to begin with. Each class must be unlocked by levelling up through the game's military ranks, along with the ability to create clans and the expected additional weaponry rewards. It's a curious decision and one that seems at odds with the game's natural audience. "This system allows for a very natural learning curve throughout because the player is introduced more slowly to every feature, one by one," claimed Eric Boltjes, from developer Guerilla, while showing off the multiplayer modes to Kristan this August.

Whoever thought that glowing red faces would be a sensible fashion choice for stealthy combat troops?
It's hard to imagine who will need such a gentle introduction to such a tried-and-trusted class system, however. It only takes a few minutes play to realise that Killzone 2 is as hardcore as shooters get, and it's unlikely that hardened FPS veterans will benefit from having to grind their way through the ranks in order to access all the toys they've come to expect.
This means that every player starts the game as a classless grunt, with no auxiliary abilities and a choice of just two rifles and two pistols. These weapons are thankfully extremely effective (perhaps too effective - but we'll get to that later) and you can also boost your chances by joining a four-man squad. Since the game supports up to 32 players, this means that each side can have four organised squads at work rather than sixteen loose cannons. Apart the clear tactical advantage of this division of labour, the biggest benefit of squad play is that you can respawn alongside the squad leader, rather than back at the base, as well as use a private chat channel to coordinate your movements with your comrades.

A lucky trooper takes aim at Damon Albarn from Blur.
In terms of gameplay on offer, the beta offers all the proposed game modes and three of the game's maps on which to try them. Body Count is your basic Team Deathmatch mode, but there doesn't seem to be a traditional "every man for himself" Deathmatch option. Search and Retrieve is your Capture the Flag variation, while Search and Destroy takes much the same form but swaps retrieval for planting bombs. Assassination is perhaps the most interesting mode, randomly selecting a player as the target and tasking their team with protecting them while the opposing side does their best to kill them to bits within a strict time limit.
All of these modes can be mixed up in Warzone mode, which allows the host to serve up a conveyor belt of challenges all on the same map without having to dip in and out of the lobby between game types. While not particularly innovative, it's still a thoughtful addition and one that keeps the gameplay moving and reasonably varied without spoiling the flow.
And what of the maps? They're good. Great even. With the game modes directing everyone to attack or defend the same objectives, the maps are freed from the typical artificial arena designs that funnel you into the same choke-points over and over. The larger maps strike a solid balance between open ground, claustrophobic interiors and elevated positions which means there's always a multitude of ways to approach any given situation - a facet of the game that is greatly enhanced by shrewd squad play. Radec Academy is the smallest, and most traditional, of the trio. Featuring two buildings divided by an open plaza, with an underground tunnel and opposing spawn points on each side, this is the map that really throws the players at each other most frequently and is best suited to Body Count mode.
Salamun Market and Blood Gracht are much larger, offering sprawling streets and winding alleyways, with plenty of interiors for ducking out of danger or sneaking past enemy forces. The visuals fall into the current trend for bleak browns and greys, but there are enough incidental details to make it a successful aesthetic decision rather than just a lazy one. Climb up to the higher levels and the wind howls and whips around you, sending banners and cloth fluttering angrily. Scenery objects are affected by physics, but this isn't Half-Life 2 and the game wisely doesn't waste time or processing power on letting you hoof empty boxes and cans around the place. The frame rate seems solid and while the occasional laggy player can be seen popping around the map like the witch from Chorlton and the Wheelies , that's clearly a result of their troubled connection rather than any flaw in the game code.

A hapless ISA soldier gets to enjoy a very special Platoon moment.
Gameplay is fast and vicious, then, with precious little time between the first bullet hit and your writhing body (which can be revived within ten seconds by a medic) hitting the ground. It's another area where the Rainbow Six comparison feels most comfortable - if you stray into somebody's sights, chances are you're going down. Equally, get someone in your sights, even from a distance, and chances are you'll be able to take them down with little more than a quick volley of shots. There is a recharging health system, but it rarely gets the chance to do its thing because the default weapons are so brutally accurate and devastatingly effective. Ammo and replacement weapons, however, are virtually non-existent. If you prefer the sort of shooter where you can stand in the open and soak up damage, while rifles and rocket launchers are scattered about the place like used bus tickets, then Killzone 2 won't be for you.
This ruthless edge certainly lends itself to the sort of taut and unforgiving gameplay that hardened FPS addicts will favour, but it can also lead to awkward balancing problems since it automatically favours those playing defence. A squad of soldiers behind cover can be all but invincible, at least within the time limits offered for the various game-types and with the default weaponry. Your tactical options drastically improve with more classes to choose from, but there's a tough attack-die-respawn-attack cycle waiting for most new players as they battle their way to a decent rank.

Nickname: Napoleon Blownapart.
Killzone 2's multiplayer certainly impresses with its technical stability and stark, oppressive atmosphere. Where it perhaps struggles a tad is in its adherence to a savage style of play that has come to seem old fashioned in recent years. This is an online game that demands much from the player, but seemingly will only offer its rewards grudgingly and in small increments. However, there are many who will relish this back-to-basics approach, and for those dedicated players the lack of surprising new twists on the deathmatch formula won't matter one little bit.
Killzone 2 is due out exclusively for PS3 in February 2009.
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Comments (77) Latest comment 3 years ago
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hope the ps3 pad can cope well
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Awesome, just sold it to me. That resistance video from the other week where that guy spent half an hour shooting the alien before it died really isn't for me. This sounds more like a mix of CS and Battlefield.
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If you're about Dan, what have you preferred playing in multiplayer so far, the Killzone 2 beta or Resistance 2?
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Anyway i hope they didn't spend to much time on graphics over gameplay.
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come on sony, there is still a little time to win me back
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I hope it plays like CS.
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Or Left4Dead I suppose. Thats just plain great!
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I've dropped COD 4 completely since FO3.
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It is just nice that GOW2 has tried something different, and being a mmo type player it really appeals to me.. capture flag, deathmatch et al is just generic and dull.
*not impressed with left for dead, however after just activating my gold account after a year of online ps3 gaming all I can say is 'you get what you pay for'.
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So latecomers will have to grind out loads of games where the opposition shits all over them. This is exactly what put me off CoD4. No sale.
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Didn't read the article, did we?..
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I'd say Resistance 2 is more fun, but Killzone is more satisfying. If that makes sense.
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I couldn't stand COD4 but this has been one of my most played games recently. With next week off work, I'll be putting more time into this beta.
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ah yeah, thats why I suggest Resistance 2. By all reports, the co-op on that is about as MMOish as you want. Tanks absorbing attacks and damage, medics doing healing, spec ops doing support.
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Yet Halo3 get 10/10. Yeah....right...
Still it was a decent write up, hope GG pulls it off.
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One question: do people use headsets? It bugs me when people don't use comms. I know you can use any bluetooth set with the PS3, but do most people actually set theirs up to use one?
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I would say that you will find yourself getting killed a lot by someone you think is your team mate but is actually a sabotageing or cloaked bastard. If your character hasn't leveled up a bit then you can die from very few shots, or you can pretty much unload your weapon into someone and they may not die.
One thing I hope gets sorted out is some of the late death animations. At close range someone can kill you, then you see them die from one of your bullets a few seconds later. I don't know if hit detection is server or client side.
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Overall KZ2 is as impressive as anything on consoles, but it certainly doesn’t “shit on Gears 2”.
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In game you can only talk to your squad (like in Bad Company). If you're not in a squad then you can't hear anyone speak. The lobby is free-for-all chat but hopefully PS3 owners will get the Official PS3 headset. £17.99 on Play.com and it is an excellent mic.
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Why can't somebody make a shooter based in the Mushroom Kingdom or something?
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Me too. I've always like the Doom grunt model. A decent shotgun blast (or maybe two) will put down most enemies, but there are piles of enemies to keep the challenge up. The bullet socking enemies in Resistance were one of its lower points for me.
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There have been a few games (Ghost Recon maybe, and one of the Splinter Cell games?) where only your team could hear you speaking all the time, but enemies could hear individual opponents in surround sound if they were standing close enough to them as they talked.
I always thought that was an awesome idea and much underused.
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Because killing a 20 - 30 foot monster with a single shotgun blast would be more satisfactory?
@ kangarootoo
That's quite cool. I remember in CS: Condition Zero if the game goes down to 1 vs 1, if you're close by you can hear your opponents heart beat.
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I always thought that was an awesome idea and much underused.”
Halo 3 has that if you turn the setting on, or it might just happen, that is if you’re not on a private chat to block out all the annoying fools that is. KZ is looking very, very good. I’ll be looking forward to playing this, those explosions look very pretty as well, I would have thought I’ll get killed a few times whilst starting at their inimitable beauty…
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Jeez guys, did you even play the game?
EDIT:
"(which can be revived within ten seconds by a medic)"
Erm... You can revive someone whenever you like. Whether its 1 second after being shot, or half an hour.
EDIT 2: chessboxer
Thats also not true...
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is English your first language?
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No its not, but feel free to point out anything obvious, as that would probably get the point accross quicker...
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Sorry guess I wasn't clear in my criticisms:
1. Blood Gracht is the smallest map - by far!
2. You can writhe on the floor indefinately
3. Voice comms works (almost) as Kanga described. Your squad hears you, and anyone close.
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"Because killing a 20 - 30 foot monster with a single shotgun blast would be more satisfactory?"
That is why I mentioned Doom grunts, rather than just Doom. Tough boss battles are cool, but the common garden scrapping loses its pace imo if every enemy is quite tough.
Re the chat option stuff, a friend of mine who is on the beta was just telling me that something similar to what I describe is actually in KZ2 (added recently, but not present when the beta started). You have 4 man squads, who can hear each other all the time, but other players including enemies can hear you when you are close by.
Sounds nice, and introduces a level of tactics insofar as you need to remember to avoid bleating out info to your buddies that might give them away whilst enemies are near by ("I've just been killed; they are coming up the stairs" might imply to your enemy where your squad mates are, or at the very least inform the enemy that their presence is known by those still standing).
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As it should be TBH. Attacking is risk taking by default.
Looking forward to this. The aesthetic is beautiful, as in the first game. If this time the engine can actually cope with the action, it's a must-buy for me.
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Yet Halo3 get 10/10. Yeah....right...
Still it was a decent write up, hope GG pulls it off.
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'Savage'? By the sounds of it, this seems far more like CoD4/Rainbow Six than Halo 3, which is consistently (and uselessly, in my view, seeing as I love the Halo style) slated as being 'bunny hopping bullet spongez lol OMG NOT REALISTIC'. I don't think Halo is the point of reference here....
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I think its style will compliment Resistance 2 and COD 4 nicely.
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Despite this, the game seems that shows the best technical department in any other shooter in market (aside from the untouchable Crysis/Warhead). So this beta is essentially a very BIG owned to all the press and fanboys talking with disrespect about Guerrilla Games and Sony in the last three years.
Killzone 2 multiplayer will be a juggernaut, crushing all other shooters in the PS3 at his path (Warhawk, COD 4, BC, Resistance 2... ). It will be a system seller too, for sure (but I don't care about the number of players really, in the same way that Lamborghini customers don't care about the other cars in the streets.
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febuary 09 out go the " well compared to COD... " comments FOR EVER !!
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"No sale."
I think what really puts you on the no-sale list is that you seem to own JUST XBox 360 games, and do not seem to own or have played ANY PS3 game (at least from your profile)
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and yet a load of people got it without even wanting it.... is there a term such as ultra-pissed?
well there is, sodding now..
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Can't wait for everyone's impressions next month.
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I wouldn't want it any other way.
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To be honest, the way some people have been on here of late anything below a 9 will be considered an epic fail.
I'm pretty confident though - the level I played at EG Expo was superb and pretty much everything I've heard from the beta has been positive. I'm more fond of the sharp, fast gameplay like this, as oppose to games where you can soak up more shots and it takes longer to get a kill.
Also - just noticed ShopTo have it down for 33 pounds... I think I'm gonna order it for that price
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You've just described almost every blockbuster shooter on the market. I'm not concerned about any of that, as the linearity and set pieces allow GG to really show off what their engine is capable of. No, my main concern is the real meat of the gameplay and whether or not the AI is appropriately challenging. Liberation had smart enemy AI, so I sincerely hope Killzone 2 will be an extension of the sort of dynamic AI they had in their PSP game.
If the AI isnt up to snuff, I will be pretty pissed.
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Bullshit!!
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This isn't really true at all. If it takes you more than a few seconds to drop someone in R2 online, then you're simply not very good at it.
I've not played the Killzone beta, but I've played the R2 beta a lot and love it. Hella fun. This'll have to be special for me to stop playing resistance.
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http://ww w.gametrailers.com/player/42699...
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Evidently the game caters to the hardcore but the inclusion of the ranking system in order to unlock the different classes does not sound like a smart ideal. The ideal that you need to level up in order to get the class benefits seems totally backwards and I hope is taken out of the release game since it will totally frustrate new players who will ride the endless death respawn cycle and probably quite the multiplayer before they get to the meat.
Basically it looks like KZ2 takes elements from other successful multiplayer games and integrate them which is a good smart decision. The problem I see is that one of their original decisions to make the Class system reward base may not go over very well.
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True, but judging the top selling games of the last 3 years, gamers couldn't care less about originality or creativity. They just want to shoot bullets apparently, with lots of pixels on screen. Looks like KZ2 meets those 2 criteria...
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Having said that, I've found Left4Dead a joy. Its nice a game being designed around co-op rather than co-op being designed around the game!
Edit:
I wonder if they'll include an "old school" MP option like in COD4. Pick ups, no levels, everyone starts of basic etc.
I do like the idea of building your own custom player type and being able to mix and match across troop styles.
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[link url=http://ps3street -style.blogspot.com/
]http://ps3street -style.blogspot.com/
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Vote end comment Please!
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it blows call of duty 4 out of the water in realism.
I'm gonna snap one off if the campaign is just as good or better... which im really hoping it is.
the graphics are freakin sick tho... truly a game worth buying and obsessively playing.
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muscleblade said, "Bullshit!!"
well hope this doesnt start a flame war but...
well ive played both games on a full HDTV and i must say killzone 2 does look slightly better (Gears 2 still looks great though)