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CuriousGeorge

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Could Killzone: Shadow Fall be the worst Killzone yet?

Upon seeing the Killzone: Shadow Fall gameplay reveal during Sony’s press conference I was both amazed and apprehensive. Graphically, it looks amazing, but despite this I still have a few anxieties regarding this new and exciting title from Guerrilla. My concerns do not come about from what the demo looked like, or what it was being run on, as with other people; I am sure graphically it will be remarkable, especially given the PlayStation 4’s capabilities. My real concern however, comes about from the way the gameplay appeared to be.

I am a huge fan of all the Killzone games, Killzone 3 easily being one of my favorite first-person shooters, and I am very excited to play Killzone: Mercenary, coming to PS Vita in September. However, what struck me as disappointing about the gameplay video of Killzone: Shadow Fall was the apparent difference in gameplay from the first three titles.

Take away the colossal sky ships in the air, the iconic glowing red eyes of the Helghast, and those odd sideways thigh pouches of the ISA troops, and you could have fooled me into believing it was anything other than a Killzone title. What worried me was the way the new title resembled more of a Call of Duty title in its gameplay. The movement of the firearm, or what appeared to be a rail gun, in the hands of the player was super tight, and the reloading was immensely quick. Very foreign to Killzone’s casual reloading, and natural sway and feel of weapons as your character moves about. I realize that this is hardly something a lot of players care to deeply about, so let me get to the nitty-gritty; the part of the demo that disappointed me the most.

The moment where your character dived for the rope of the Helghast aircraft and held on was to me unquestionably ridiculous. The cinematic moment appeared to be something that would have been in a Call of Duty title, not a Killzone one. Not to mention, in order to hold on to, climb up, and shoot from a rope attached to a moving ship at the speed represented in the demo, someone like me would believe that your character should be wearing a Crysis Nano Suit.

My point is, Killzone is not Call of Duty, and is not Crysis, nor does someone like me want it to have the same characteristics. Too many first person shooters have become a mirrored image of the other. Battlefield, Medal of Honor, and Call of Duty all have eerily similar gameplay, which is perhaps why people like me, who want something different, have to come to love the Killzone titles so dearly. I love Killzone because it is not another game; it feels original, and not like another first person shooter with a different coat of paint.

The principle of my argument and the reason behind my seemingly ridiculous ramblings is that I do not want Killzone to be the next Call of Duty, and if Guerrilla ceases to create Killzone as a game whose gameplay goes against the grain, then I no longer have a reason to love it.

Based on the gameplay video, the game obviously has some polishing up to do (e.g. the character animations), but what I have seen is enough for some concerns. At this point though, I guess I can only hope. So I will let this cookie crumble how it may.

striker454076d ago

Good post. I agree with you mostly, although I think I have some additional optimism for how the game will end up being

Dylila4076d ago (Edited 4076d ago )

i loved most things ive already seen in killzone shadow fall except the bubble shield. im hoping when the game arrives that itll be very balanced online and support co op play, co op competitive play, and a lot of multiplayer features.

im also hoping that helghan still exists with a lot of helghast still living there but lacks military might at the moment and probably waiting for help from the helghast on vekta. im hoping that there are female soldiers in killzone shadow fall and that visaris daughter plays a roll in the game.

lex-10204076d ago

There aren't Helghast on Vekta. The ISA ran them off in the first game.

HammadTheBeast4076d ago

I can't see any killstreaks or super fast movement or ridiculous animations.

What, jumping a single set piece now turns this into CoD? When the hell did CoD become such a standard in gaming, that even a single quality of it instantly qualifies another game to be a "CoD Clone"?

I disagree completely with this blog, for an opening "tech demo" it more than fulfilled its role, and looks completely killzone to me.

krepler4075d ago

@lex-1020, #1.1.1, there ARE Helghast on Vekta. It seems that the ISA probably helped the Helghans out after the destruction of their planet. It was said at the PS Meeting that they are living together, separated by a wall al la Berlin type, right before the clip was shown. Check it out.

StraightPath4076d ago

have you forgetton that Killzone 3 borrowed heavily from call of duty? Killzone 3 just tried to be call of duty. If you played Killzone 2 and went to Killzone 3 you could instantly see the difference. The heavy gun controls were replaced with quick scope and precised iron sight controls just like call of duty. even multiplayer tried to copy and paste.

WarThunder4076d ago

Why can't they make a Helghast campaign?

SilentNegotiator4076d ago (Edited 4076d ago )

Analysis of a short, well before release gameplay section that was clearly tooled for demonstration purposes and suggesting that it could hint to it being the worst game in the series.

Someone wants attention.

DoomeDx4075d ago

Actually, you dont play as ''human'' in Mercenary.

Its a cyborg. Probably explains why he reloads so fast, can enter slow man, can jump on a roof from a helicopter etc.

But yeah.. I dont like where this is going either.
I miss the realistic 'slow' reloads and high recoil of KZ2.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4075d ago
TheFirstClassic4076d ago

Yeah I have some of the same concerns. Killzone is a gritty and authentic shooter, with realistice movements and gunplay. In my opinion, the demo looked too clean for Killzone in terms of its art, and that rope scene really was too over the top. Really did look more like cod.

Still, I have hopes for this game. Even if it doesn't offer a Killzone experience I will still buy it if it's good enough.

e-p-ayeaH4076d ago (Edited 4076d ago )

To be fair we really havent seen the other side of the wall where the helghans are stayed which looks like a completely different kind of environment.

Shadowfall seems to be focusing on bringing the 2 types of environments together in one game to give that contrast on how vektans and helghans go trough their everyday lives.

All this could be the setup for an amazing story if done well.

Blastoise4076d ago

Yeah I thought the same thing

TheFirstClassic4076d ago

That's true. Could be that most of the game takes place in the Helghast side, and I am interested in the story. The demo still looked really good irregardless.

Kalowest4076d ago

"All this could be the setup for an amazing story if done well"

LMFAO, KZs story sucks!!!
KZ2 is my favorite in the series.
The demo played out too much like COD.

smashcrashbash4076d ago (Edited 4076d ago )

I think that not only you are being prematurely negative .You just see a single level looking this way and already you assume it isn't gritty or dark? Did you think that the ISA's planet would look the same as Helgan? Or did you think the city would be all crumbled and war torn even though it was years later? You like many people are making up concerns before you really know anything or know the full details.You can't judge the entire game on a single level or scene not to mention this obviously not the Alpha version of the game but you are making judgements on a unfinished game.No offense but gamers really have to stop finding problems and concerns before you even see or play the whole game.

People who make games want to move on and just because they decided to use lighter colors for certain levels don't just assume that negates any type of Killzone like environments.I mean it is a futuristic city. Did you expect polluted air,burnt out buildings and broken streets? We haven't even seen what other environment they have to offer us and if they have the same industrial look.

You can't just jump and start saying 'You are trying to be like COD or Battlefield' just because of a little change in scenery or colors.We have already seen from the preview that the Helgast look exactly the same. Red eyes and frighting helmets and all with the knife stabbing in the face still there. You are assuming a whole bunch of stuff based on a preview of a game.I think you are trying to see Crysis and COD when it isn't even there the same way people somehow see Halo in Killzone and Resistance. That is the very reason PS3 games always get ruined before they even come out because people are always trying to compare it to this and that and not letting the game crave it's own niche.For example people were so trying to think Killzone was supposed to be a Halo killer they never allowed it to make a place of it's own.People on other consoles don't do that.Only we allow other people to compare our games and let them spoil it for us.Forget COD and Halo and Crysis. This is Killzone and only Killzone.Judge it for what it is and not what something else is.

Ducky4076d ago (Edited 4076d ago )

I don't see where the author ever said that the change of scenery was the problem.

... unless if you're replying to some comment. *shrug*

Kalowest4076d ago

"you are trying to see Crysis and COD when it isn't even there"
Sorry, but I saw nothing but COD; and trust me, I wasn't looking for it.

HammadTheBeast4076d ago

I can't see any killstreaks or super fast movement or ridiculous animations.

What, jumping a single set piece now turns this into CoD? When the hell did CoD become such a standard in gaming, that even a single quality of it instantly qualifies another game to be a "CoD Clone"?

JaredH4075d ago (Edited 4075d ago )

I'm done with shooters that have short, action packed, campaigns. They just feel like the same thing over and over again to me even when they're different franchises. Call of Duty 4 started with making shooter campaigns a roller coaster ride and a lot of other shooters followed suit. COD sequels, Killzone 3, Crysis 2, Crysis 3, Halo 4, Battlefield 3, etc. I just find that so boring now and yes the Killzone: Shadow Fall demo reminded me of those shooters. I'm sure most people don't think this since I have played a lot of shooters this gen.

Honestly, I liked the ps4 presentation but the most disappointing thing about it was the games. Nothing looked super innovative but I'm pretty sure those games are saved for e3 reveals anyway. Infamous looked awesome and so did Watch Dogs though.

Hazadess14076d ago

Well said. GG had a few mins at the reveal to show the world something exciting, and they did. To be worried about a game due to a brief demo is childish.

I know this might come as a surprise to some but Killzone is an FPS so of course it looks like bloody COD. KZ2 and 3 are still my favorite console fps of all time, Far Cry 3 came close but only close.

If you watched the reveal the only gameplay shown was from KZ everything else was a techdemo. That includes watchdogs which was so setup to look cool right down to the train escape.

Its going to be awesome so please calm down over 4 mins of footage. Thats the lenght of the average COD game for god sake.

Blastoise4076d ago (Edited 4076d ago )

Honestly I think it looked awesome, the change in colour is probably because everybody whines that it's too dark and should use a more varied colour pallet.

I'm no expert on Killzone but the gameplay seemed very similar, guns had recoil and the character seemed to have weight. You also gotta remember this would have been on some super easy mode for the conference, just so the guy didn't die and look like a fool lol. Brutal melee kills are back and grenades sound and roll exactly the same.

I can see where you're coming from with the jumping on the rope thing, was a bit Crysis/Call of duty but I imagine there will be very few of these moments. Just something to "Wow" the majority, and an excuse to show the awesome graphics

Watch the trailer again, skip to about 8 minutes in, just as he blows up the ship and pause it. It shows an epic, gritty, futuristic city and I imagine that place will play a big part of the game. I can't help but be excited

Personally I think this game could take Killzone to new heights, and I love the part where the helghan uncloaks himself as he walks up to the guy. So cool

flyingmunky4076d ago

While I understand where your concerns are coming from, and that they are totally warranted given the climate of the gaming industry at large. I really would advise you take this game play with a grain of salt, the build they demonstrated was probably pre alpha and very likely to change a lot between now and release.

Chances are if you enjoyed the few games you should give the developers the benefit of the doubt until more gameplay is revealed.

Show all comments (48)
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darthv721h ago

They really put a lot of effort into making this a full on proper remake/remaster. So much more little details that one would have missed when playing the original GC version.

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‘Stellar Blade, but good’ is here, and it came out seven months ago

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VersusDMC52m ago

Stellar blade is currently higher than lies of p on metacritic with 40 more reviews. No shade on Lies of P but just pointing that out.

But i don't even know why compare them? Because both are souls type games?

Then you can just reuse this article all the time and say Elden Ring is "whatever new souls game" but good for every new souls game.

Stellar blade hate articles must be rolling with clicks...

CrimsonWing6942m ago

I mean… it’s like saying we have a better NieR with Devil May Cry. Yea, there’s some similarities, but Lies is really hardcore in the sense of emulating a FromSoft game almost perfectly, where Stellar has some Souls-like elements, but I’d say it’s closer to Sekiro than say a Dark Souls game. This almost feels click-baitey

Psychonaut8537m ago

What if, and hear me out, they’re both really good? Mind blowing, I know.

Christopher29m ago

Listen here you, that's not how this is supposed to work. You choose a side and you defend it. None of this little "what if there's more than one good game out there" nonsense.

Crows9030m ago(Edited 28m ago)

Oh geez...this is why journos suck...they can't even see differences between games.

Stellar blade is nothing like lies of P. Didn't these guys give stellar a bad score? Geez they really hate it. Stop the hate! Lol