Strike911 Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Thoughts? Impressions? I played the demo and I was pretty damned impressed with the way skirmishes played out. They felt visceral, and the AI seems to do things to keep battles feeling fun and interesting (although admittedly, on occasion they do dip into stupid territory, though all FPSs do that). Fighting a squad of enemies is a lot of fun... a lot more fun than a lot other FPSs I've played as of late. The cover system is interesting and the general presentation and animations are really immersive. That said, the controls are made intentionally slow to respond, and even though it is intentional, it feels like unintentional controller lag. You get used to it though after moving around a few seconds. The character feels heavy, which is interesting. Certainly gives the game a little bit more a slower, more meticulous feel. Guns aren't pinpoint accurate, but it works for this style of play. The game is pretty damn fun. Again, it isn't perfect, but the demo was a blast for as short as it was. I don't know that want to buy into the hype surrounding the game, I'd rather play through it and see how it is, but from playing the demo I certainly am surprised with how Killzone 2 has ended up. Pretty cool stuff. I don't think it will usurp Left 4 Dead as my current favorite FPS of choice, but it certainly has a lot going for it. Anyone else play the demo or plan on buying it when it's released? Edit: I'm half afraid to talk about Killzone 2 because of the shit storms that always get caused from every other discussion I've seen on the game.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJMetal Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Killzone 2?! Ha! Now you'll be telling me "Duke Nukem Forever" is coming out. Oh wait...It's street-dated? It's actually HAPPENING?! Huh. Well, I'm pretty stoked, I guess. I liked the first game, and I'm actually a little interested in seeing just what TOOK THEM SO DAMN LONG. *moderate excitement* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfoot Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Even though it took forever, the game looks amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Native Jovian Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 That said, the controls are made intentionally slow to respond, and even though it is intentional, it feels like unintentional controller lag. [...] Certainly gives the game a little bit more a slower feel. Guns aren't pinpoint accurate This right here killed it for me. Just personal preference, but I prefer my FPSes to be rather more fast paced than what I saw in the demo, and the innaccurate weapons + slow controler response was frustrating to me. It was difficult hitting an enemy with an assault rifle from more than a few yards away, even when you were both standing stock still and using ironsights. If one (or, God forbid, both) of you move, just forget it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCvgluvr Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 ...and almost nobody cares. *Expects rage from all 3 gamers with PS3s* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schwaltzvald Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 ...and almost nobody cares. *Expects rage from all 3 gamers with PS3s* In reality, I've never actually played the original Killzone game so I almost equate it to the Halo-isms. Nonetheless I'll probably be the 1% that wouldn't be raging Oh yeah I guess that'd make me the fourth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strike911 Posted February 24, 2009 Author Share Posted February 24, 2009 Meh, the original Killzone was mediocre, nothing really special. Hey, I checked out the old Killzone E3 '05 Pre-rendered footage earlier and it looks like complete ass compared to the actual game. Sure the smoke effects and character faces are more expressive, but as a whole, damn. I booted up the demo again after a week or so of not touching it. The flow of skirmishes really has me sold. At first I had issues with the accuracy thing, but really, the guns are accurate so long as you're crouching, not moving quickly, and using your iron sights. Stil,l aiming while your gun is moving (or even worse while you're gun and an enemy are moving) is difficult. I find that aiming in front of the enemy and firing while stationary works the best. I don't necessarily think it's because the system is flawed, but because it's just different from all the other games. The guns feel a little more real imo. It forces you actually shoot at enemies, and simulates a real(ish) firefight with the enemies. Now that I'm adjusted to the style, I'm completely used to it, and enjoy the control style. The slower style really adds to the way firefights work. You have to take cover, you should be aiming with your iron sights. It's not a run and gun game by any means. Once I came to terms that this game is in fact different from what I was used to and was in fact, a different style of all out war FPS, everything was cool. I loved Call of Duty 4 and I played it countless hours... and many people have emulated that style. Killzone 2 is a fresh take on the FPS and though its easy to tell that Call of Duty has affected the warzone presentation of levels, the controls feel fresh to me, after playing tons of games that are so much more fast paced. Also, I didn't realize until a day ago that headshots with that last one-shot rifle will blow enemies' heads off... which was kind of cool. And the death animations are really good. I found myself unloading clips into enemies that were already dying and it would cause their original death animation to alter a little. Just popping them and letting them curl over and die is really satisfying, in an animation sense. I'm officially excited about this game now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlastikBag Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 I'm stoked. The demo was awesome. The pacing is very different from what I've come to expect from FPSs, it's slow and methodical, and not all in your face fast paced action like most others. I found that "secret" gun in the demo from the guy up top in the warehouse. It pops people's heads off in one shot... awesome. I hope that the final game has situations like that, where there might be a really nice gun in a somewhat obscure location. Anyway, I'll be getting it day one, and I'll probably play the multiplayer a lot in the first couple of weeks. That is, until my first day at my new job. My PSN ID is Plastikbag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FR Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 I still need to beat the first one. :[ I got to the beach then I stopped caring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animae Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I would certainly liek to play the game with some OCR people if I get the chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thin Crust Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 I don't get it. The game isn't out yet, but I see reviews for it everywhere. What is going on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollgagh Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 I don't get it. The game isn't out yet, but I see reviews for it everywhere. What is going on? gaming press often get some copies to play and rate ahead of time I thought this was common knowledge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strike911 Posted February 24, 2009 Author Share Posted February 24, 2009 I still need to beat the first one. :[I got to the beach then I stopped caring. Meh... you don't really need to go much further than that. lol. I don't get it. The game isn't out yet, but I see reviews for it everywhere. What is going on? The game was essentially completed way early by November-December. It's had about an extra month or so of pure polish time. The game was originally slated for a November 08 release, and it got pushed back to the end February 09 so it wouldn't clash the with Resistance 2's release in November. The game, as for as I've read, was ready to go by November, but they added a couple months to the end of the development cycle. The game has been done for a pretty long time, that Gollgagh speaks the truth. Although, admittedly reviews for the game did come a little earlier than usual. I think I saw the first full blow review at the end of January, which doesn't happen that often. My guess is that the game was essentially complete months ago, so they just sent them out early to a few places... *shrugs* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hy Bound Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 I don't know why they would have the reviews go out that early... Interest tends to die pretty quickly after even amazing reviews. I guess all the videos and docs that keep coming out are helping it stay in our minds but i don't know. Personally, I'm pretty excited for it. The only thing that could make it not purchase-worthy is if the controls really are as sluggish and unresponsive as people are saying. I haven't pre-ordered it so i don't have the demo yet, so I'll reserve my judgment til the demo comes out (thursday?). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thin Crust Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Well if they're as sluggish as gears of war than I'm definately not getting it. I'd get resistance 2 before it anyway. The reviewers called it "the guns feel heavy." so if there was a varied amount of sluggishness to different guns, than I could forgive them for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soma Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I don't get it. The game isn't out yet, but I see reviews for it everywhere. What is going on? There's been numerous "final" and "review" builds for Killzone 2 but the final retail copy is still supposed to be different. A reviewer at IGN claimed to have beat the game like 7 times albeit on different builds. Reviews started coming out as early as a month beforehand. I agree with you it is odd but I think it's Sony trying to drum up some extra press for the game, a similar thing happened with God of War 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strike911 Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 Personally, I'm pretty excited for it. The only thing that could make it not purchase-worthy is if the controls really are as sluggish and unresponsive as people are saying. It's kind of a weird animal. The controls feel heavy; for instance, upon moving in a direction you're character has to put force behind it... it slowly accelerates into turning, which is exactly the opposite of CoD4 that just let you move at full speed depending on how hard you pushed the joystick. The acceleration feels like .3 seconds of lag AT FIRST. Once you play the game for 2 minutes you're completely adjusted to it. It really makes your movements and decisions in combat feel important, because you do have that fraction of a second where your character's weight has to shift to make a turn. That's the best way I can describe it. After messing around with the demo, it's pretty easy to tell that the developers were trying to stop running and gunning, as it is ALMOST impossible (you can still do it, but its really REALLY risky). The game emphasizes more of a run to cover, then shoot at enemies, and progress like that. That's how I've been playing, and it's been pretty effective, and it feels realistic. ... The controls aren't bad. They're different from everything out there, but they're not bad. Once you internalize the controls, you start to really notice the sheer level of detail in the levels. I replayed the demo a few times and caught new things going on that I missed. It's really visceral, really immersive. And I hate to talk about the AI over and over again, but enemies act really intelligent. If I shoot at a baddie, and they're under the impression a bullet is coming towards them, usually they'll jump to cover. And because of this you can actually suppress enemies in a way that is natural and feels right. Constantly shooting in an area (even missing them) will make them jump for cover, and it's so natural and common sense, it's amazing that other games didn't do this correctly yet (besides Full Spectrum Warrior, but that doesn't even count). If they're completely suppressed, they'll blind fire over cover. If you toss grenades they'll occasionally dive out of the way. The cool thing is, if they speak to each other too, so they'll say things like "Shit I'm suppressed" or when their gun jams they drop F bombs. It's really cool. The interaction with baddies is a lot of fun. And the animations look fantastic too. I'm not going to keep pimping this game like a fanboy. >_< lol. I just really enjoyed the demo, and the more I play it the more I see things that I missed. Officially excited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadofsky Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I'll be glad to see the ridiculous fanboyism on the review scores die down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlastikBag Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I don't know why they would have the reviews go out that early... Interest tends to die pretty quickly after even amazing reviews. I guess all the videos and docs that keep coming out are helping it stay in our minds but i don't know. Personally, I'm pretty excited for it. The only thing that could make it not purchase-worthy is if the controls really are as sluggish and unresponsive as people are saying. I haven't pre-ordered it so i don't have the demo yet, so I'll reserve my judgment til the demo comes out (thursday?). The controls take some getting used to. They are definitely heavy and not quite as responsive as other shooters. Also: http://uk.playstation.com/registration/ Sign up for a uk PSN account. It's free and really easy. Just follow the normal registration steps, but choose Europe, and make up some fake address. I did it and got my Killzone 2 demo without a preorder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollgagh Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Sign up for a uk PSN account. It's free and really easy. Just follow the normal registration steps, but choose Europe, and make up some fake address. I did it and got my Killzone 2 demo without a preorder. as did my brother the demo is even playable on normal accounts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlastikBag Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 On a somewhat related note.. Aren't demos supposed to be free for everyone kind of as a way to see if you like it or not? I don't see what the point is in giving the demo to only those that are actually buying the game. I guess Sony is making some extra money on a pointless contract with Gamestop though. Whatever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgx Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I'm grabbing it on friday. If people want to play with me, i'm sgxyay on PSN. I gotta get a headset though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Native Jovian Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 It really makes your movements and decisions in combat feel important, because you do have that fraction of a second where your character's weight has to shift to make a turn. That's the best way I can describe it. It would be fine if they only did it for movement, but it's the same for aiming. Precision aiming is difficult, even when using ironsights, because of this. Even that would be acceptable if not for the fact that, as you mentioned, enemies love to take cover, making precision shots necessary to take them out. And even that would be okay if it was you and a squad of intelligent, useful NPCs fighting against a squad of enemies, but from what I've seen it's basically you vs the whole enemy army (as per usual for FPSes, but still). With five or six enemies popping in and out of cover and shooting at you, it's like playing whack-a-mole with an assault rifle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strike911 Posted February 28, 2009 Author Share Posted February 28, 2009 Okay, so I'm about 8 hours into the campaign, about to start the final stage. The single player just gets better and better, both gameplay-wise as well as visually. Just taking a break to check the my email and everything to leave a little note on the game. I was expecting COMPLETE cheese for a storyline, but it's pretty good. Most of the characters are memorable (some more than others), and ... visually, the demo impressed be, but the levels later on completely blew my mind visually. There is some amazing visuals, and the guns which I also expected to be really cheesy are REALLY fun to use... it's been rare that I've had this much fun using different guns in a FPS... the last time I was like "wow" was when I used the gravity gun in HL2, or the portal gun in Portal. And the progression in which you keep obtaining new guns is good... you never feel like you've been stuck with the same weapon for a long time. Fantastic game. As soon as I finish up the single player it's on to multiplayer, which all reviews have said is even better than singleplayer. Killzone 2 has delivered for me. I'm a little disappointed with the way NPC Squadmates move through their waypoints (looks artificial in comparison to how well everything else is animated) but I've had a blast playing the game! Alright enough yackin' for me. Back to the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thin Crust Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Sometimes spending $60,000,000 on a game works out well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.