Small details make the big picture

Hey Folks,

I thought I would share my views on Killzone 2 demo.
I know there has been a lot of discussions about the controls, the graphics etc... I will just discuss my views on this different elements and my impressions of it all.

Downloading the demo was quite fast considering the size. I think the first thing that really stroke me was the sound. This is a game that you have to enjoy in full surround sound, 7.1 if possible. The music while not being omnipresent is perfectly suited and above all has a vibe to it that really pulls you in the action.
I was shocked at the sound effects. Particularly after having gushed at MGS4 for its sound quality, this was even louder and had more envelope. It makes you feel as if you are in the middle of it all. I believe it plays a big part in the experience.

After the landing I found the controls heavy and quite cumbersome. The actual layout is not the typical FPS control scheme and must admit that instead of learning them I jumped straight into the options to modify to alternate 2 with Zoom hold in order to get the default L1 to zoom and R1 to shoot. It did give a good head start into the game.
Then obviously the overall graphics and visual ambiance which are very immersive. It is not that the characters nor environments are more detailed than in other top tier games but I believe its the overall "put it all together" that succeeds in creating a more believable picture and world.  While other games just display obvious 3D graphics, Killzone 2 has a distinctive cinematic feel to it. It has this extra layer that makes you think, this is new, I`ve never had this before. I think that's why many stated that the game was ahead of anything else. That layer of polish through post processing creates a much stronger immersion.

I must say that the control scheme felt a little unwieldy particularly when under cover and trying to lean and peak. However as I played through it many times, I changed the control scheme to the default scheme including sensitivity and Hold. And I must say that after memorising and getting use to them, they make much more sense and the game plays much better. GG has been testing those for a while before us, there`s a reason behind it. It really opened up the game play for me. I'm not a hardcore FPS player but I can say that i was lining up the most outrageous head shots in very little time. I believe what annoys most is the habit of holding left to shoot with right. Here you do this on the same side. Also zoom becomes a toggle instead of a hold. As annoying as it might seem just try it out. The mechanics are then obvious. Go into cover which now feels natural, lean and pick easily, then press R3 to zoom, shoot your burst, press R3.

Then I took some time to look at the details that make up the game. as I mentioned before there is a quantity of details and elements going on at the same time that creates a unique experience. Big structures and objects have a nice Ambient occlusion effect which grounds them in the map. Impacts are superb and are different on all surfaces. It really is fantastic. some of the cover actually seemed to erode as I continuously shot at it. Textures are of reasonable detail, it makes a vibrant image. Some will argue that gears has better textures but it is easy to fool one with heavy sculpted normal map patterns and with a camera located more than a meter away from your character and cover.  There is no visible streaming or pop in or dodgy fog effect to hide texture loading. Image is immaculate.
The only visual flaw particularly obvious is the character`s shadow and self cast shadows which are of very very low resolution. (just look at your character`s shadow on the ground) However this is quite common with this technique of shadowing and the memory limitations of the consoles. I did not find this detracting as I was not really noticing it until i was scrutinising for flaws.
The other few elements that were a little sub par:
the lip synch at moments was completely off but this seem more to due with the audio synch than the quality of the lip synch itself. Also in battle facial character  animations are really basic and quite obvious in their repetitiveness. When they are all in cover just look at their faces, their oddly rolling eyes and pulling a grim.
Again it is not like you are going to be kissing your squad mates but still it would have been good to have them a little bit more natural. I'm assuming that there is little memory left for those things considering the amount of death animations etc...

The physics are excellent and watching the hangar exploding  left, right and center is incredible. Many objects can be shot and react accordingly. just try the drawers in the hangar file cabinet ! Most bodies stay on the map, so is the blood. if you walk on the blood, you can see your foot prints as you hang around. When you get shot, your blood is being splattered around and behind you ! Blood oxidize over time !

Gun play has got to be one of the most satisfying experience. How can a demo keep you playing for so many times. It bodes well for the final game.
Helghasts flying into acrobatic poses as they get blown up by grenades, environmental animations and space ships landing in front of you, the most realistic depth of field I have seen in real time !.

once you taste it, there is no going back. I played Fear 2, Resident evil 5 and Battlefield Bad company after that and did they seem bland, generic. there really was no comparison. Again it is not the complexity of the characters or particularly more detailed textures (although I must say that killzone 2 appears to display more variation and finer detail than those two), its the whole experience that feels completely like a new generation step. Immersion is the word for me.

ps: you can also shoot your buddies...guess what, some of them will retaliate and kill you  (Natko just uses one pump shot!

ps2: Have you ever seen a helghast come close to you as you are dead lying on the ground and taunt you !

ps2: for Sony TV  X series make sure you adjust your TV settings as it changes the overall graphics quite substantially. Turn off all the fancies. Set your colour temperature to Neutral (it has a blue tint), add backlight to 6 (half way through), I left the colour, brightness and contrast to the ones i had.

They should put a disclaimer as once you have a puff of it, you are stuck with it.....I can`t think of anything else right now but to play it again !! damn you killzone

[ronwil6]

at first i thought the controls stunk but after i had played through a few times it was as though it was natural i must say the more i play the demo the better it gets i love this game just give the controls time to get use to them

[info]

Agree. I understand most people feel very different on the first play through but changing the default layout is probably the biggest mistake as you will be struggling against the natural speed and flow of the game design.
I reached the stage now where i turn off all UI including crosshair and I can shoot from the hip (without the Zoom) and kill and headshot helghasts.

[rroded]

lol ya got killed once n the hellgast dude by my body looks right at me n waves it was hilarious.

[denied]

changes the setins of the controllers eccept if the devs dont care to make you feel like you are playing something new...good post dude