*** Before you begin, let tell you to plz cooment on any thing if you want me to add to this thread like mgs4 one . Thanks
In the beginning...
KZ2 is receiving a majority of positive feedback from the press and commuity. There exists the definite critcisms as well from press and gamers (which, said by many sources and the horses mouth: GG, is being addressed). Even large segments of gameplay excerpted from the first half of the single-player is available for all to see; which has been praised. And the second half is reported to be even better. In addition, I doubt that 1000's of KZ2 beta testers are lying about the quality of the game, not everyone is biased. Or would continue to play it for months just for the sake of doing so. Akin to how CoD4 had a fun and successful beta, which players loved and critiqued. Look at how that turned out.
Now we all know that in some cases previews are positive in nature. But as development time goes on, as does the exhibition of said game; journalistic integrity begins to rear its handsome head. And still, through all the controversy and skepticism swimming througout the industry, KZ2 remains impressive on various fronts. More often than not, games that withstand positive impressions in the duration leading up to a review end up being good (look at every AA and AAA game this year). If you want an example of a game getting negative feedback, look no further than Too Human. From it's initial debut leading up to release, it received unfavorable impressions from press and community alike. Even surrounding the game in controversy concerning Denis Dyack's infamous damage control.
Also, contrary to belief, KZ2 does play different than other shooters (it's look is a no brainer). The physicality (including momentum, weight, hit detection, recoil, speed, etc.) of the engine and mechanics lend itself its own feel and sty|e. Even previews and testers say this: go watch the 1up Show segment from a few weeks back. This game is filled to the brim with features (some standard, others unique), sty|e and longevity. Save split-screen and co-op (which I'm pissed about), yet a game's quality/value doesn't rely on those two features alone (i.e. CoD 4, Bioshock, Crysis, FarCry 2, etc.)
All aboard the hype train
Sure there will be the random fanboy who praises the game to heaven and back. But what most of us who are invested and interested in KZ2 initially do is just talk about it --> doubters/haters eventually rag on it (whether through singular fanboyism or "the sins of the father" reasoning) --> this segues into the phase of rational persuasion by those partial/optimistic based on data/impressions --> then inevitably, the doubt and/or hate can elevate and clash with the optimism and demonstration.
Remember, the quantity (I agree there are too many, but there's no doubt KZ commands interest) of discussion doesn't always equate the degree of hype. And in more cases than not--especially involving a game with KZ's reputation--hype isn't contingent upon selling the game as a "good and not bad" product. This is often misinterpreted as "OMG, teh best revolution game evar!!1" in the heat of debate. Then we have the extremists (on both sides of the hype spectrum) whose talking points and opinions range from unfounded to incontrovertible ("the first was a flop, this has no chance" OR "KZ2 will be the best FPS of all time").
Most of the discussion/hype topics (70-80%) relating to KZ2 have been exclusive to graphics (for good and fair reason). I can honestly attest to this since I post in 90% of them
To simply state it. Fans and those interested are excited about the look and feel of KZ2, and of it's credibly noted quality. Furthermore, they are intrigued by proving these points (which weren't initially given the time of day) to others. Not necessarily meaning "best thing since sliced bread" or "second coming". The length (years) at which the anticipation is undergoing doesn't help the outlook either.
Birth of the Beast
Killzone was originally a PC game in development, but Sony saw it and was impressed, so they paid for a publishing deal. It was initially branded with the "Halo-killer' alias by a British journalist (neither Sony, nor Guerrilla) who first saw a demo behind closed doors. Unfortunately, fanboys ran with it and it has haunted the game since. Everyone was mostly impressed by the animation and art/setting of the game. The press came to give positive and critical feedback in previews that consisted entirely of verticle splice demos. We all know the subsequent story; Killzone failed to meet the hype and recieved poor reviews.
Even though the game was rushed to fill the exclusive shooter void in the PS2's library, Killzone went on to sell pretty well. Sony saw Guerrilla's talent/passion/potential first-hand and then acquired the company, officially making GG a subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Here's my take on the situation and relationship...
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I look at it like this: A basketball team sucks one year and doesn't make the playoffs. After a few years of good drafting, trading, and salary managment they develop into a talented team and make the playoffs (in many cases go to the championship). This happens. New talent and good management can bring great things.
GG is virtually a different company since Sony's acquisition. Of course you have the 15-20 employees who were there originally, plus new hires and transfers. The studio is about 100+ now, well, that's at least how many individuals contributed to development (their amount is up in the air). Not only that, but Sony is actually injecting money, in-house resource sharing, and time into KZ2. They're not just "throwing money at the problem". And when it comes to 1st-party games, they don't screw around. Just look at their track record (Killzone 1, Lair, Haze do not apply).
A 4 year development cycle and a $40 million budget ($20 million of which was used ending Q4 2007) is not dissimilar from other AAA titles:
In the end honestly, franchises can definitely turn around for the better. Look at Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening (8.6) after Devil May Cry 2 (6.4), or Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings (9.1) after Age of Empires (6.8 ).
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The debut of the infamous E3 2005 CGI trailer created controversy and hype. But little is known that GG didn't make that trailer; a Scottish tech studio did right before the expo. Nor did they or Sony, in all honesty, claim that it was real-time. The trailer produced interest no doubt. But even without it, the E3 07 debut would have still impressed and wowed everyone. Period. Minus the criticism the game received under the weight of its target render. And speaking of target renders...how many games can we name that have met or exceeded their own targets? I remember the first GRAW's target render not being criticized much, if at all. And when the gameplay was unveiled, editors on the 1UP Show even expressed that they prefer the game's real look compared to the render.
Lets get this party started
Definitely Impressed and highly anticipating KZ2, as are many gamers. The Odyssey that is Killzone, has undoubtedly created one solution we can all agree on: this game is it's own worst enemy. GG knows this, and their passion shines through in the quality of the game.
I'm quite confident that KZ2 can be a success in exeeding doubt, meeting expectations, and selling well. I'd say that it has a very strong chance of receiving a AAA score.
Gameplay
- Set in distant future in a era of space colonization
- The Vektan colony army ambushes the Helghast home planet after the events in Killzone 1
- Gritty-stylish art direction
- Unique and effective weaponry
- Standard assault rifles to man-held cannons
- Cover mechanic (ala Gears of War but in 1st person)
- Playstation Home/trophy integration
- Oh, did we mention it's the best looking game on consoles?
Single Player
- Play as Sev, a member of an elite group in the ISA (Vektan) military
- Cinematic gameplay and set pieces
- 8-10 hours of playtime to finish
- Vehicular combat – a first in the KZ franchise
- Buddy support system
- Briefings via a space station in between missions
- The Helghast's weather harnessing abilities will play a big role in the game
- Strongly narrative driven
Multi-player/Online Features
1.) Valor Points: Valor Points are used as currency for your clan. You acquire VP by defeating other clans. In addition, you can challenge other clans and gamble as many VP as you wish. Winner of the match takes all. The more VP, the higher your clan rank is on the Leader boards.
This also makes for natural match making. The more VP your clan gets the more you will want to gamble. Therefore you would generally only challenge clans who are somewhere near your clan's leader board rank.
2.) Clan Support: players cannot create a clan until a certain personal rank is achieved (you're awarded 100 VP when you first create a clan). The member cap for clans will be 64. And GG will host clan tournaments for up to 64 teams (32 players per match x 64 teams. That's a total of 2048 potential players in a given tournament!).
Naturally, there is the option to participate in exhibition/grudge matches as well as tournaments.
3.) Squad System: while you are playing you can press a button to form a squad within your team (from 2-4 players total). Once a squad is formed you can only communicate with your squad members. You can also see the health and badges of those within your squad. This makes for more tactical gameplay. Of course whoever created the squad is the captain and thus holds the ability to disband them at any given moment.
4.) Dynamic Matches: instead of going back into the multiplayer menu to switch game modes you can select a queue list for continuous play. As soon as one game mode is over you switch directly to the next.
EXAMPLE: after playing a round of Body Count the match will remain on the same map and immediately switch to say, Assassination.
5.) Badge System (see specs below): character classes are not new, but KZ2 is putting a unique twist on the system. You can mix and match badges, and they are obtainable as you rank up.
EXAMPLE: I can choose the Primary badge skill of a Medic and the Secondary badge skill of a Tactician (2 total). This mixes various abilities and is entirely customizable within the limits of 2 slots. Team Fortress 2 meets Call of Duty 4? Exponentially cool.
Rifleman:
The default multiplayer character is assigned when no primary badge is selected. A secondary badge may still be added. Riflemen can start with most weapons, except for the specialized ones.
Engineer:
Primary badge ability: Sets up an automated turret which targets the enemy.
Secondary badge ability: Repairs ammunition dispensers, mounted guns, and automated turrets.
Medic:
Primary badge ability: Revives downed team mates.
Secondary badge ability: Throws a health pack, which can be picked up by other players.
Scout:
Primary badge ability: Uses a cloaking suit to become near-invisible.
Secondary badge ability: Tags all on-screen enemy players with a hidden marker, which broadcasts their coordinates to team mates.
Assault:
Primary badge ability: Dons heavy armor twice as strong as normal.
Secondary badge ability: Temporarily boosts running speed.
Tactician:
Primary badge ability: Throws a colored smoke grenade, which serves as a spawn point.
Secondary badge ability: Requests air support from a sentry bot which targets the enemy.
Saboteur:
Primary badge ability: Assumes the disguise of a randomly selected enemy player.
Secondary badge ability: Throws a sticky, proximity-activated C-4 charge.
Note: player appearance changes depending on which badge(s) they have equipped.
6.) Respawning: choose your spawn point after dying or spawn next to you squad captian. Pick a point on the map, and watch real time action feed to help choose the best location. You will also be able to modify your badges in between respawns, adding another layer of tactics and evolving play styles.
7.) Ranks and Medals: There will be 12 military ranks and a plethora of medals to acquire as perform feats and rank up. This adds incentive for players to keep playing.
8.) Web Support: Killzone.com tracks all clan activity and ranks (thank God). Along with that, each player's individual activity, rank, and over 100 different stats (i.e. headshots, deaths, wins etc.) Also, players can create a profile page to display all of these aspects.
9) Bots: players without internet connection do not fret. KZ2 supports multi-player bots offline as well as online. Online, matches can consist of humans and bots. Bots are said to utilize badges efficiently, as well as mimic human player behaviors. There will also be filters to exclude bots from online matches.
10.) Game Modes: There will be a total 6 game modes shipped with the game. These include:
-->Body Count – your standard death match with a cool name
-->Team Body Count – team death match
-->Assassination – a player is randomly targeted and the opposing team has to kill him. His/her teammates must protect them.
-->Search and Retrieve – capture the flag-esque mode
-->Search and Destroy – self-explanatory, like in Call of Duty 4
-->Search and Hold – like king of the hill, find a given point and hold it
11.) Basic Multiplayer Specs: 32 players. 16 vs. 16. 8 multiplayer maps, small to large.
12.) Downloadable Content/Patches: there is already confirmation that additional multiplayer maps will be available for download shortly after the game launches. More so, there will be a free update that patches in online co-op for the single-player as well as vehicles for multi-player.
Damn, could the lighting, animations and physics get any more godly.
New vids!!!
http://www.play3-live.com/news-ps3-1...e-2-11334.html
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