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