Killzone 2

Quote from Sentura

i just played this demo. it made me lose faith in humanity. how can a game like this with nothing but combat combat combat get such a high rating? exactly what makes this game so good?

The combat?

I really enjoyed it, controls did not bother me but it did take a bit to get to grips with. Regardless I think it’s going to take a lot to top it this year.

Quote from Taylor

The combat?

but the combat is tedious and boring!

I gotta admit that I was very underwhelmed after playing the demo yesterday.

I find it amazing that they make a FPS for a console without any aim assists at all in this day and age. Its kinda silly when its easier to get your aim on something by using the side strafe to make minor adjustments. Also the default control scheme was not doing it for me at all, having aiming on the right stick? Gah, switched it over to having aiming on L1 and firing on R1, much better. I also really felt that the demo was just a bit too short, or rather, didn't sell the game very well. I mean, the idea with a demo is that you're supposed to be left wanting more afterward, but with this demo it felt so uninspired (Yay, tutorial level!) that I questioned whether I actually wanted to play more at all.

Apart from that, then I thought it was pretty cool stuff (). Some amazing post filter effects they got going, has a really deep look to it. Also the weapons feel and sound great, really liked the detail on the main rifle where each shot would get increasingly high pitch as your neared the last round.

Anyway, I was fairly hyped for the SP before, now I'm slightly questioning that. I still think the MP will be nice, definitely gonna get me somma that

Edge gave it 7, F.E.A.R. 2 got an 8, considering the high regard of that magazine, I'd say your money is better spent on the latter title

http://www.vg247.com/2009/02/07/edge-gi ... one-2-710/

I quite enjoyed the demo.

I don't really empathise with the complaints about the floaty controls I've heard in various places, and I thoroughly enjoyed what little action there was. I think the demo is far too short to call any conclusions either way though, so I'm pretty much as oblivious as I was before of how good the overall game will be.

All I know now is that the combat is solid, the cover system works well, and that it looks superb. In fact, the game is a technical marvel in pretty much every way including the sound.

I never try to put too much weight on single-player demos anyway, because it can be really difficult to gauge the quality of a game based on such a short segment. I mean, pretty much all the criticisms I've heard of Killzone 2 (cliched set-ups, action in a warehouse, etc) could be levelled at games like Half-Life 2 if you were to take an equally short segment of the game out of context.

I seriously doubt the whole game will consist of the demo copy/pasted a thousand times, but I get the impression that's what people are expecting. Maybe I'm being too optimistic.

One thing I did find is that the combat is much better if you use the Call of Duty-style scheme (Alternate 2 and enable hold zoom), which puts zoom on the left shoulder button. I much prefer aiming this way, much like you do in Call of Duty 4 & 5, Metal Gear Solid 4, and Uncharted where you move your aim into position while zoomed out, then zoom in to actually fire once you're in the right region.

The aforementioned games pretty much force you into it though, whereas Killzone 2 gives you the option — I kind of think it'd have been a better design decision to softly force it in Killzone 2 too by taking away the crosshair when not zoomed out.

Annoyingly the only control scheme with this set-up has 'use cover' on L2, which is a serious pain to use at the same time as you typically don't use L1 and L2 at the same time in any game ever and it's a bit awkard on the fingers. I would very much like fully configurable controls.

Oh, didn't see your post there D3. Basing purchasing decisions on nothing more than review scores (as opposed to reading reviews and trying the game yourself) is really stupid IMO, as we mentioned on the last page. And basing it on just one magazine's score is even more stupid, even if it's one as good as Edge — which despite me reading every month, does have scores I occasionally disagree with.

Also why did you feel the need to mention F.E.A.R. 2? I know you're totally a fanboy and everything, but there's no need to go into totally unrelated game threads and say you should buy it instead. I'm sure most PS3-wielding Mapcorians will buy or at least try both.

since you're going to buy it anyhow, thrik, feel free to describe whether or not the demo is the game copy pasted. somehow i doubt it will be anything else (which is why i won't bother buying it) but perhaps you can tell whether there's more to the game than just combat and ...combat.

I just finished the demo and it checked all the boxes for me as a decent shooter, I'll probably pick it up when my "To Play" pile isn't a safety hazard. Yeah, it’s clearly about shooting people more than anything else, but at least I didn’t have to spend 20 minutes triggering nonsensical dialogue for the narrative before I shot someone in the face and watched them roll down some stairs.

Quote from Taylor

I just finished the demo and it checked all the boxes for me as a decent shooter, I'll probably pick it up when my "To Play" pile isn't a safety hazard. Yeah, it’s clearly about shooting people more than anything else, but at least I didn’t have to spend 20 minutes triggering nonsensical dialogue for the narrative before I shot someone in the face and watched them roll down some stairs.

so you're saying the delay before getting to shoot someone in the face is a greater waste of game potential than an entire game full of combat?

i'd be happy if someone explained to me exactly why this game is worth playing, much like i'd be happy if someone explained to me why halo was worth playing. apparently i am born without the brain center controlling endorphine doses for gunning down hundreds upon hundreds of people in a repetitive murder simulator.

The point is more that if the extraneous content does not exist a game should be able to stand up on its own feet regardless, and the combat in Killzone 2 is at least par with every other FPS out there. No, it’s not the kind of game that’s going to make you think about its story or be quoted as art, whatever the hell that means, but sometimes a game can just be a game.

Quote from Sentura

apparently i am born without the brain center controlling endorphine doses for gunning down hundreds upon hundreds of people in a repetitive murder simulator.

Wow... I feel for you man, I really do

What matters in a game for me is the fun factor. Really, if you want some deep emotional shit go read a book or watch a pseudo-intellectual indie movie or play Bioshock

I never expected Killzone 2 to be anything other than a straight shooter, I can't understand why you thought otherwise Sentura.

Well, I do expect a game of this type to give me the sensation of just splattering the enemy for hours, but I also expect awesome cut scenes, a decent story and awesome graphics.

If killzone got those things as well then its a winner

okay it seems a few of you misunderstood where i am coming from. i don't want games to be art, to call a game art is for me a pretentious decision with no real meaning. i'm pragmatic when it comes to games; they need to be fun first, everything else comes secondary. this includes story, features and so on. i'm not looking for a deeper meaning here, but i at least want to enjoy the game for the time i am playing it.

...and that's the thing: killzone 2 is just not fun. yes i am aware that different people have different tastes, and this is why i ask: what is it about killzone 2 that you think is 'decent' or 'awesome'? i know some of you have said the combat already, but i'd like to have explained in detail why the combat is so special, what makes it stand out, what makes it fun or immersive or enjoyable. is it the stress relief? is it that you get to be a soldier on a foreign planet in a war?

i just want to know because it doesn't work for me.

Well, I haven't played it, but I liked Killzone 1 on the PS2 because it was just a pure shooter, there was no deeper meaning in the game, the story wasn't perfect either, but I just liked it because I could shoot people all the time, with weapons that differ from other games. It is a SHOOTER game so the more shooting, the more shooter it gets. If you don't like shooting stuff/people then this game will probably not be a must-buy for you...

(I'm so good at explaining stuff / end sarcasm )

Tbh. I see games as art sentura. I do... A ton of effort goes into them and if i get entertainment out of it then its good. And if the game isnt that "Fun" its not thaat big of a deal as long as im entertained. I enjoy fancy graphics and cutscenes why? Same reason i like movies.... To be entertained. I typically like this sort of all out war feeling wayyy more than i do Bioshock or Doom 3 where those games are narrow hallway horror/thriller games. Just so happens i dont like horror movies... They just dont entertain me. Dont get me wrong tho about setting and mood of those games because you can make a horror game that is entertaining in my opinion... Stalker would be that... They mixed just the right amount of spooky and mood to make me enjoy it.

This killzone 2 for me looks like damn good entertainment for me :] Gets the right mood + solid action.... I see sweet animations and some solid mech gameplay that breaks up the action much like halflife 2's car sequence. What i see here is an all out war with some cool guns and spanky environments !

And if you are wondering.... Yes i liked most Halo 1 but i found Halo 2 and Halo 3 to be god aweful and was just not entertaining for me....

Please note i have not played Killzone 2 yet and probably wont due to the fact i do not own a ps3.

Quote from jaboo224

Tbh. I see games as art sentura. I do... A ton of effort goes into them and if i get entertainment out of it then its good. And if the game isnt that "Fun" its not thaat big of a deal as long as im entertained. I enjoy fancy graphics and cutscenes why? Same reason i like movies.... To be entertained. I typically like this sort of all out war feeling wayyy more than i do Bioshock or Doom 3 where those games are narrow hallway horror/thriller games. Just so happens i dont like horror movies... They just dont entertain me. Dont get me wrong tho about setting and mood of those games because you can make a horror game that is entertaining in my opinion... Stalker would be that... They mixed just the right amount of spooky and mood to make me enjoy it. This killzone 2 for me looks like damn good entertainment for me :] Gets the right mood + solid action.... I see sweet animations and some solid mech gameplay that breaks up the action much like halflife 2's car sequence. What i see here is an all out war with some cool guns and spanky environments !

And if you are wondering.... Yes i liked most Halo 1 but i found Halo 2 and Halo 3 to be god aweful and was just not entertaining for me....

Please note i have not played Killzone 2 yet and probably wont due to the fact i do not own a ps3.

Exactly my thoughts