Killzone 2 Comments by Tom Bramwell

Gazza_UK: but about 70% of those 2000 comments were MGS fanboys crying about it getting an 8. And a good proportion of those had signed up accounts just for the occasion o_O

ah your right.. everyone is crazy.. dont know why i read these threads, they always do my head in :D

"Has your fanboyism not caused you to implode yet farticus?"

Nope, still going strong thanks. It's nice to know you care though. Makes me feel all warm, a little bit like if I'd peed my pants.


"For the record, this game looks fantastic graphically"

That's one opinion, yes. Personally I think it looks dull. Not ugly, not rubbish, just dull. A rehash of numerous WW2 games with a touch of starship troopers and a generous daubing of grey. It certainly doesnt look original, and it has no 'character', no charm. Dull.


"... the first. (which was never a bad game, simply rather mediocre and average, which has been twisted by riled fanboys to mean it was shit)"

No, no, no, no. Killzone 1 was a godawful game and no amount of rose-tinting or apologising can ever make it a worthwhile game.

KZ2 is certainly looking a million miles better than KZ1, but with that pedigree of intense digital suck ingrained in the team (assuming it's the same team) I don't expect the gameplay to be stellar. I'll be happy enough to be proved wrong though.

@monkie_king - Despite what Edge said about Killzone 2's lack of originality, it never hurt Halo when it came out, which itself was just a Best Of compilation of all the best bits from FPSs up to that point. I'm not saying that Killzone 2 will be better than the Halo trilogy - if anything it won't, at best it'll be just as good - just that innovation isn't always a necessity for a good solid FPS.

BULLSHOTS!

Still got that jaggedy shadow image, too.

I dunno, based on this vid, it appears to move as its been shown in the pictures:

http://www.gamersyde.com/leech_7077_en.html

So like Haze but without the nectar then?

Sorry everyone, but a 70% average is far from "godaweful" and "terrible". It does in fact support my view that the game was average, rather than the biased view that it was terrible.

They're not Bullshots either, we've seen gameplay videos that look like this. In fact it looks even better in motion due to the post-processing effects.

I know from the reaction to this game that it's going to get panned for it's lack of originality, but for some reason it only really matters if the game isn't Halo or CoD.

@Farticus
"(assuming it's the same team)"

Be interesting to know - it's been a long time and there are going to be a hell of a lot more people involved this time - so there have to be plenty of new people (good or bad).

@Darren
While a lot of Halo you could point to as generic or done before that still doesn't stop the combat itself - the meat of the FPS - being the best there had been for many. That is what Halo does to distinguish itself, not graphics, gameplay.

JMM: just shy of the coveted 71% Metacritic score for FunkMaster Flex's Digital Hitz Factory, then ;-)

It was really the burden of hype that makes people regard KZ1 as being such a big let-down, as with Haze this gen.

edit: agree with DrDamn on Halo's gameplay innovations -- recharging shield, two-weapon slots, grenades and melee mapped to buttons. That's more or less the template for all modern console shooters, and it made for much more free-flowing run-and-gun gameplay than was typical of the PC ports that characterised the pre-Halo era.

The thing is, you then have to use that yardstick as the one to measure all others by... if the genre isn't advanced, but the meat is all good, then it would deserve to sit on the same plateau. If it gets knocked down for not bringing something new to the genre, then you're understandably going to get people going around with the wtf flag.

JediMasterMalik - "I know from the reaction to this game that it's going to get panned for it's lack of originality, but for some reason it only really matters if the game isn't Halo or CoD."

So true but since when were Halo 3 or CoD 4 considered "original"? :?

The best you can hope for from a FPS these days is solid shooting mechanics, cool weapons, some impressive A.I. and a compelling storyline and well-designed levels to keep you playing right to the end. Oh and an online mode for those of you who care about such things. Originality and innovation aren't necessarily a requirement. Even the sublime BioShock wasn't all that original but it still managed to be distinctive, atmospheric and memorable. Likewise CoD 4... less so for Halo 3 as I felt that was a little overrated personally but still a solid game overall. Haze committed the cardinal sin of having no redeeming features whatsoever, it was very bland and ordinary and it didn't help that the story and dialogue were excruiatingly poor either. Played OK though but it was instantly forgettable the moment you put the controller down.

Where can I get me a WTF flag? Why does no one tell me about these things! :)

DrDamn: send me your bank details and i will give you all the WTF flags you want.. and more.. much more

What do you think you are going to do with my bank details - aside from donate cash to a charity by direct debit?

Why are there only ever monchrome shots from this game?
/awaits stoning!

yea im pretty simple i dont even know what bank my money is in..

Funny reading the comments from way back at the start now. Complete ownage. Since it is graphically superb I don't really care if the palette is grey and bleak TBH. Just hope it plays well and has a compelling story.

Meh

I would like a WTF flag.

I did have a little sign that said "F9", which I wave at people when they say their Excel formulas aren't updating...

err.. cool?

Lets not beat around the bush, it looks like your granddad.... So much grey and desolation has never been cool since Fallout.

functional

@WongaWhats the point in making your own engine why not just use UE3 for a game like this, that's what its made for, why reinvent the wheel.

Please noooooooo most UT3 games really do look the same thanx to some very destinctive lighting and texturing effects!

These guys, DICE and Insomniac should be prasied for doing their own engines and doing such a good job of it.

As far as KZ2 goes I don't think their going for ultra realisum, it's got a really nice dark sci-fi graphic novel feel to it. Games are to a certain degree a work of art and should be judge on does it look good not does it look real. Or in few years time every game truelly wil look the same and look like real life, where's the escapisum in that??

Comparing the graphic jump in this and the original to GoW and its sequel is a bit of a non starter seeing as Killzone is across two generations of hardware and Gears is the same hardware. So a jump in graphical quality is expected.

Besides, reguardless of the console its on, the setting and everything else you want to throw up. The look of this game is totally unappealing. Post Apocalyptic worlds is the new WW2.

Looks like it could be ok.
The hate seems a bit out of proportion.

@Hypershadow

If you don't like the look then that's fair enough. Personally I really like it. and like WW games there are plenty of people who really like KZ style setting and will never tire of it.

And again like FPS game mechanics pretty much every style and setting has been already and there will be trends when a surtain setting is more popular then another.

I think we all need to except that other then a gradual improvement in graphics and the occational game play element that FPS games are not going to change much more. In the next gen every FPS will have the desctrucability of Bad company and GoW2. Meaning the only variouse will be setting and story and even then you be able to say "oh but that just looks like such and such" and "oh where have i heard that story before!!!!" much like the film industry, hell in films at the moment it's just comic aduptation after another retelling the same stories that have already told 10 times in comic books.

easily one of the best looking games this gen, hopefully it plays half decent

I don't care what anyone says, graphically at least, this game is looking phenominal. Whether the gameplay will match up is simply a case of wait and see, although its likely to be playable at E3, so we should get lots of reports back.

Looks grand. Can't wait for this one.

Hmm, very drag=b if you ask me (I know you haven't).

Its just so... dull looking! It looks okay graphically in the sense of being detailed, its just a poor setting and use of colour (or lack of).

Funny reading the comments from way back at the start now. Complete ownage.


Hahahahaha what? The shots still look boring and generic as hell, like any other FPS. There's still nothing special about them. "Complete ownage", what?

This game looks way better that anything the 360 has or will have in its lifespan.Just as Gran Turismo 5 and Metal Gear Solid 4.People just dont know what they are looking to.

@Diomedes

Wha?

No Diomedes...no it doesn't.

I do think it looks very good, though nothing stand out amazing. Smoke, lighting, shadows, detailed textures, smooth animation - this is what this gen is supposed to do and there are plenty of examples of it already. I have no idea how it will play so I'm not going to comment.

As for the issues of it not being very original, can we have some suggestions please?? I do agree, but also think it's very difficult to come up with some new settings and visual styles now.

In actual fact, for all the abuse it's getting Halo is starting to look more and more unique!

HL 2
XIII
TF2
Halo
Gow
MOH/COD
Quake
Painkiller

I think that covers most of them.

Is it me, or has the new pics (the first 4, I think) lookeworse than the previous ones?
I mean, it looks equal to that of gears, but I always thought the previous images looked better than gears. It now looks almost identical. Trust me, have a quick scan.

I think M$ fanboys or xbots or whatever is wrong.

It's the fuckin' Halo boys that spout fuckin' shite.

Just checked on two threads that cover the PS3 news items on the front page and Halo is mentioned in both.

Fuckin' tedious I tell ya.

@The Bodybuilder
Nah it's just you. If anything the new pics display a suspicious amount of AA. Compare picture 2 (new) to picture 10 (old). Very similar in terms of detail / textures etc but new pic is smoother.

It looks good, which must be a massive relief to everybody at Sony. I hope it plays better than the original.

I've only scan read the thread so correct me if I'm wrong (as if I needed to say THAT lol).

Nobody seems to have mentioned Resistance 2 yet, a game that looks better than this one and has a whole lot more promise in the playability stakes. They have giant robots too. GIANT ROBOTS!

I think it looks great. As long as the gameplay is tight those visuals are absolutely fine. People saying that it looks rubbish need to go here

http://www.netjak.com/review.php/1013

I think M$ fanboys or xbots or whatever is wrong.

It's the fuckin' Halo boys that spout fuckin' shite.

Just checked on two threads that cover the PS3 news items on the front page and Halo is mentioned in both.

Fuckin' tedious I tell ya.

@CannonAnBall

It's all in that Sony-biased skull of yours.
The first comment mentioning GOW or Halo3 is Britesparc...he's not an xbot.
After that, one of those 2 games were mentioned by Lucky88, evilfoxhound, Widge, muzzer77, seasidebaz, evilfoxhound (again) and finally, farticusmaximus. So where are all the xbots spouting Sony hatred while referring to GOW or H3?

...in your delusional and defensive mind, CannonAnBall :)

...maybe it is, maybe it isn't?

Who's to say? :D

Hmmm. If this and MGS4 (as has been stated in several reviews and previews) are examples of the PS3 being "pushed" graphically then I'm happy to keep hold of my very reliable and quiet 360 thank you very much. Still, at least you can go appear superior by paying £25 for a Blu-ray disk while the rest of us pay £10 for the same experience. Oh hang on... wait, isn't half of the content on the MGS4 blu-ray disk non interactive cut scenes? Make that £40 then.

Yeah, you can tell... I like my 360 thanks. I'm a FAN of it. I really like the extensive list of superb games and the fact it'll be around for a while yet despite the desperate whinnying of the Sony fraternity hoping it won't.

As Playstation users we've had a rough year, what with being robbed and deprived by our true loves and then firmly battered and shamed by the crazy usurpers.

There will be some amonst us that manifest a certain bitterness. This is that Earth thing called jealousy.

Mercifully it is all finally looking good. Great games, a genuine push for performance parity and the long overdue OS features finally appearing on the horizon. Plus rising sales and some great system exclusives.

Can we play in the same park now?

I'm actually in that camp of people that played and enjoyed the first game - it may not have been bristling with uniqueness, nor originality, indeed. However, it occupied a well thought out universe populated by a fairly interesting cast of characters - perhaps not fully realised in the first game, but I was certainly glad when I heard the announcement of the second game that there might be potential to develop some backstory or just ongoing story.

Some of the locations throughout the game were certaintly imbibed with atmosphere - sneaking around the edges of the swamp levels, and fighting crater-to-crater over some of the helghast installations was really the sort of FPS goodness which led me to replay the game using different characters. The consistency of the design and the narrative really, for me, made it a pretty immersive experience, with some of the scripted events rivalling the cleverness displayed in the CoD games.

Now, it only remains to be seen whether KZ2 has the sort of pedigree that will make it a product likely to influence me in purchasing a PS3, or whether it will be one added to the (admittedly growing) list of games I will be very pleased about picking up cheaply second hand in the future.

I hope that Killzone 2 is better than Killzone. I tried Killzone for the Playstation 2 and tried my best to enjoy it, but it was so poor that I did not finish the second mission before returning it to its owner. The technical achievement was impressive even though the art direction was somewhat drab. However, the gameplay was simply broken and not enough to pull me away from the available alternatives. The developer, Guerrilla Games (formerly Lost Boy Games) has an uninspired history: Tiny Toon Adventures: Dizzy's Candy Quest (GBC), Rhino Rumble (GBC), Black Belt Challenge (GBA), Invader (GBA), Killzone (PS2), Shellshock: Nam' 67 (PS2, XBox, PC), and Killzone: Liberation (PSP). The Playstation 3 needs Killzone 2 to be something special, especially after the underwhelming Resistence: Fall of Man and the botched Haze.

I hope that Killzone 2 is better than Killzone and that it delivers something special, but that is a hope which runs in opposition to my expectations. The screenshots presented above lead me to expect a technically proficient and very drab game (not unlike Gears of War), and the history of Guerilla Games leads me to expect a functional experience, dripping with unfulfilled potential, but ultimately encumbered by poor design. Sony have backed the wrong horse.

agparrot - "The consistency of the design and the narrative really, for me, made it a pretty immersive experience"

Ugh, really? I thought the level design in Killzone 1 was too enclosed and restrictive, and the narrative was absolute bollocks. I hated the way it focused on these irritating, argumentative soldiers, rather than the conflict at large, which was actually quite an interesting premise.

I really hope the environs in Killzone 2 are more wide open and interactive, and I hope the plot is a bit more epic for its own good.