Killzone 2 Demo Impressions

As of today, a demo of Killzone 2 has been released to the public through the European Playstation Store and to all the folks who pre-ordered the game from Gamestop and received their exclusive voucher. I’ve been anxiously waiting to finally get my hands on this game. Now it’s time to give you all my first impressions of Killzone 2.

First thing’s first: Killzone 2 is an absolutely beautiful game. The visuals are the first thing that you’re going to notice when you boot up the demo, and trust me, it hits you like a brick. Crisp textures, gorgeous lighting effects, and impressive particle effects are plentiful. Each and every detail of the visual presentation of Killzone 2 will suck you in and you’ll really feel as if you’re part of a much larger conflict. You’re part of a war, and this is one hell of a good looking one.

Killzone’s audio design is just as, if not more impressive than the visuals. From the moment that you’re crashing down on Corinth’s sands to the first time you squeeze off a round into a Helghast adversary, you can truly feel the weight of everything going on around you. Weapons sound hefty and pack a well needed “punch” that many shooters lack. Squad chatter sounds gritty and satisfying as well, albeit boasting some excessive swearing. My only real complain with the sound in the demo had to be during the opening cinematic; the lines felt forced and were poorly delivered. It’s a small price to pay for an otherwise outstanding presentation.

A jaw-dropping presentation can’t make a game on its own however. The gameplay is where it’s at, and believe me, Killzone 2 is coming out swinging. Unlike other games in the genre, Killzone has a believable sense of weight to it and you don’t just feel as if you’re a floating gun moving around a battlefield. Everything feels heavy, whether its your character’s movement, taking cover, or firing your weapon. You’re completely grounded in the experience, so don’t expect to float off anywhere anytime soon. Although, this weighty feeling can come off as “sluggish” to first time players whilst aiming, but the more you play the more you’ll get a hang of it. You’ve invaded a hostile alien planet, so you’re going to need a lot of practice, because the Helghast are not going down easily.

The enemy AI has been vastly improved over the original, but to be entirely honest, that’s not saying much. However, do not take the meaning of “vastly” with a grain of salt. The Helghast are a very formidable foe even on the standard difficulty allotted to us in the demo. They will be constantly moving about from cover to cover seeking better vantage points to take you out. They will flank, flush you out with grenades, and keep the pressure on you until they eventually get you down. Helghast grunts alone will give you a run for your money if you’re careless. Rushing in to any firefight will inevitably get you gunned down. You’re going to have to make good use of that “lean-and-peek” cover system Guerrilla Games so kindly put in there.

Overall, Killzone 2 is turning out to be a fantastic shooter that will set a new standard on the Playstation 3. From the visual/audio presentation to the well-grounded gameplay, Killzone 2 is set to take you on a wild roller coaster ride through the industrialized barrens of the Helghan home world. If the demo is any indication of how the final game will turn out, then color me impressed. Be ready to buy this game come February 27. You owe it to yourself.

The Playstation 3: My Rant

It has been a while since I last posted anything on Rumble My Joystick, but lately I’ve been having a lot of complaints and I figured, “You know, why not publish it and get it off my chest”. My topic of complaint is the Playstation 3.  The lineup this year was incredibly solid; not everything was perfect, but solid. The games are not what’s bothering me, it’s the features, or the lack there of.

Back at E3 of 2005, Sony made grand promises for the Playstation 3. Jack Tretton himself said they were to “Under promise and over deliver”. I look back at that and think, “What a crock”. Xbox Live is no doubt ahead of the Playstation Network, no matter how many people wish to fight it. It’s a very integrated service that’s easy to use, and boasts features that the Playstation 3, frankly should have had from the start. Sony has been playing catch up since the release of the PS3 and it’s beginning to really bother me.

Here are a list of features the Playstation 3 is missing that I personally want and some that I believe I really need as a user & consumer.

Communication:

• First off, Sony needs to bundle the Official Playstation 3 Bluetooth headset with the Playstation 3. When playing online, I sometimes forget I’m playing with other human players. It’s sad because even though you can use any bluetooth headset with the console, the consumer shouldn’t have to go out and buy one. It’s just an extra expense that we should not have to deal with.  Sony, please give the Playstation Network a voice.
• Voice messaging is another feature that Xbox Live has over the Playstation Network. Most people don’t have a keyboard hooked up to their PS3 and if we have something to say, we don’t want to spend the time typing letter for letter off an on-screen keyboard. I understand that the keypad was just released for the controller but we should have the option to use our headsets, record a message, and send it to our friends. (Along with this we should be able to send a single message to multiple recipients. It saves a lot of time.)

Games Invites & Parties:

• Getting into parties with your friends just to play a quick game is surprisingly difficult on the Playstation 3. With the lack of any sort of game invite or party system it can quickly become a headache. Some developers like Evolution Studios & Insomniac Games have taken a step forward with game invites in Resistance 2 and Motorstorm Pacific Rift. Too bad it’s only a text message without an option to join the game or a prompt to insert the game disc. It just takes out the effort of typing out the message yourself.
• Home is supposed to be Sony’s big community service. As of now, it’s just a glorified chat room. It’s still a pain to get together with friends and launch into a game, especially since the only game you can currently launch is Warhawk. Even within Home, you can’t form a party with your friends. Everywhere you go you have to reinvite the person to come join you. It becomes a hassle and it’s something I don’t want to deal with. Thankfully it’s an optional service and it’s free.. well aside from the clothes, club houses, etc. I just won’t touch on that topic.

Evolve the XMB:

• The XMB (Cross Media Bar) is undoubtedly one of the easiest interfaces to navigate. I only wish it was more appealing to look at. Yes, we have themes and we can even create our own themes. Too bad the majority of themes Sony releases on the Playstation Store are horribly ugly. Even most of the user made ones that you can find on PSU are eyesores. I mean, has anyone seen the ‘Premium Themes’ on the Playstation Store? Don’t make me laugh Sony, who the hell would pay for them? The sad truth is, there must be those poor suckers out there that actually do or else you wouldn’t keep pumping them out.  After the NXE (New Xbox Experience) was released, I feel that the XMB needs a big time visual overhaul. It’s just too plain. It also probably wouldn’t hurt to compress some of the categories.

I have some other small complaints but I don’t believe their relevant to even list here. All I’m trying to get across is that, Sony, start delivering first. Then, maybe you can talk about overdelivering.

The Big Three: Step Up Your Game ‘Sony’

This is Part 2/3 of ‘Step Up Your Game’ entries. This time I’m talking about Sony and the Playstation 3.

Sony has been the leader in the console gaming department for the past two generations, but they have made some poor business decisions getting their new console out the door and have been playing catch up thus far this generation. Lately, however, Sony has been slowly recovering lost ground with big releases such as Grand Theft Auto IV and Metal Gear Solid 4. They still have a long haul ahead of them but here are my ideas that could potentially improve the company and their progress in the console war.

Probably one of their biggest problems at the launch of the Playstation 3 was the $600 price point. Over time they have dropped the price and now you can get your hands on a 40GB PS3 for $400, but this is still a bit pricey for the average consumer. If they really want to get their old consumers back in bigger numbers they need to seriously consider dropping the price to be more appealing to their old consumers.

Sony has been delivering the games, but they really don’t advertise enough. Reasons why big games such as ‘Halo 3’ sell so well is because of the strong marketing behind them (aside from being a high-tier franchise). They just simply are not putting enough money in to marketing their products and selling them to the consumer as evidenced by prior software sales. Several of their higher quality games have sold well, but I believe they could have sold much better with more advertising.

When it comes down to games, they’re there, but this generation is more costly than ever to develop games. In order to recuperate the money lost, many developers rely on multiplatform development. Sony has been securing few high-quality third party exclusives. Some multiplatform titles prove to have a slight upper hand on the Playstation 3 while others fair much better on the competition’s machine. Sony really needs to reach out to developers, help them with development, and if need be to secure a high-tier title as exclusive, throw some money their way. Even if it’s only exclusive for a certain window of time, it would still be better than having a multiplatform game release that is better on the competition’s console. It can really discourage potential costumers who want the best experience available. Sony has the first party studios creating plenty of quality games but as far as their third party support goes, they just aren’t fairing as well as they did in previous generations. This is one key factor that Microsoft has the upper hand in.

Online has become a large staple for the gaming community. The Playstation Network is constantly growing everyday and with growth comes evolution. As I’ve reported previously here, Sony has been actively improving the Playstation 3 and the PSN with firmware updates that keep their console’s experience feeling fresh. There are still plenty of improvements that can be made to the network and I’m sure over time they will. One big announcement that Sony made at last year’s GDC was Playstation ‘Home’. It has been in a private beta for a while now and many have been patiently (others impatiently) waiting for at least an extended public beta or the full release of Home. No one is quite sure when Home will grace our PS3s but it could be a necessary extra feature the PSN needs to set itself apart from the competition.

Stay tuned for the final entry in ‘Step Up Your Game’ where I will be discussing Microsoft and the Xbox 360.