Killzone 3 - And how high it can fall

Ok let me start off by saying that this is in no way a fanboy or anti fanboy blog post, I have a PS3 and am a big fan of Killzone 2, this will be talking mostly about the online component of the game. Now with that out of the way here's the main point, and I hope I'm wrong, Killzone 3 is going to fall and hit the ground hard. Hear me out on why this could be a real possibility.

So I was part of the KZ3 beta, I remember how exciting it was really was estatic about it, within 2-3 games though the dream started cracking. KZ3 really seemed to have changed the game from KZ2, I'm sure many of you reading this also read the articles from the time on 'How Killzone 3 has fixed the controlls' and was being hyped as the CoD killer ect unfortunately this all was very wrong

Keeping with the controls, yes they are more 'responsive' yes you can snap to a target and cleanly take them out and yes you can take out an enemy with only a few bullets. These things were all being so well recieved by the readers of the articles (and i would have believed it had i not been in the beta) but with all these adjustments there lay a big problem its becoming CoD-ish and thats a problem. CoD is already out, already doing better than Killzone and this direction is what is going to kill Killzone

Let me paint the scene of multiplaer, Killzone 2 - a heavy feeling robust class based gunplay, you have to focus and make sure you take shots wisly, very satisfing. CoD (Franchise) - A light and fast paced very customisable twitcher based gameplay - Quick thrills and satisfying. So 2 different multiplayers some may argue that something bridging them would be good, unfortunately Killzone 3 is not that. Judging by the response on the forums for the beta players and personal experiance Killzone 3 will disapoint, the old veterans of KZ2 generally did not like this new twitchy direction of a case of see first kill first and the lowing of health and reduction of recoil with aim assist makes this an open fire bam your dead game which isint what the old fans played KZ2 for. So bad for them but maybe GG were aiming for the CoD market, again not going well, KZ3 does what CoD does but not as well, after a little while I believe they'll just go back to it, its nothing new to them and not as good at doing it as there CoD games, so whos left ? A niche few who see something in it, Hardcore KZ fanboys/PS3 fanboys

I write this so hoping I'm wrong, but the amount of times I'm seeing 'oh just wait till KZ3 comes out' or 'the PS3 gamers will all buy Killzone instead of the next CoD' and its just making me cringe as if what I say does happen then the amount of over hype the game is getting will finish it some will obviously buy for the story and that may still be amazing but the multiplayer may be a huge letdown, maybe people will adjust maybe all the technical issues with CoD games will convert people over to killzone. I don't know. If you played the beta and really enjoy it all the more power to you, enjoy it. I'll be eagerly awaiting the oh so reliable reviews on the game and will decide to get it on the week of launch

[PhoenixDevil]

Hey all just wanted to say this is my first ever blog post so if its written really bad sorry, I hope the point gets across and please I don't want to hear that im a fanboy for not having blind 100% faith in this game, Finally this is a blog remember its just my opinion as i said if you love the look n feel of KZ3 then buy it and enjoy it respect to you i just dnt think its going to be as longlastingly good as KZ2

[UnSelf]

i understand your concern and why you chose to address it. what u must remember is that before and after everything, a developer must invest in themselves. Part of doing this includes moving and riding in at least some part of the "whats popular and working" wave.

COD has its issues and its fanbase but it does so many things right. i havent purchased one COD game yet and have beaten KZ2 on Elite. My purchasing habits already speaks volumes about what kinda game KZ2 was....a niche title. As proud as im sure GG was for appealing to a hardcore fanbase, part of an expansion and growth process within a development team is adapting and implementing what works and whats popular while still appealing to ur original core fanbase.

[PhoenixDevil]

Well said and thank you (I read your blog on what is fun n it totally kicked my blogs ass in terms of writting) yh he concern has been there since the beta, trying to tell idividuals in a comment about this is kinda tough so i thought i'd try the blogging thing, happy that there have been no fanboy response

The biggest worry of this game for me is PS3 fanboys way over hyping n then 360 fanboys countering if anything is wrong with it, i agree GG did brilliantly with KZ2 being its own very unique game n its good that alot of ppl are looking forward to getting KZ3 but over hyping can b such a killer, lyk i said i hope im wrong i hope many many players will pick this up and enjoy it and i hope im wrong and that ppl will pick it up n love the slightly CoDish feel, im just not 100% on it and each time a preview or comparison comes up it sparks the debate of weather to get it or not

[Active Reload]

KillZone isn't a niche title, and I don't understand why you think this. Just because people didn't like the weight of the guns and went back to playing COD or whatever doesn't make it niche. I loved the feeling of weighty artillary, but didn't like the floaty reticle. Killzone 2 just didn't have what most of the other shooters had, like; a lot of maps, a lot of weapons, harder leveling difficulty or lengthy one, and dlc. Thats just off the top of my head.

[UnSelf]

personally i think it was niche when its compared against the mainstream FPSes today. what was absent in KZ2 is typically prevalent in most FPSes today:

floaty controls
P2P online
perks no matter the class
fast gameplay
run and gun (to a degree)
lag
Multiple teams
random spawn points
vehicles

im sure theres plenty of others but u get the point

[-Alpha]

You are not alone buddy. Numerous fans on the forums are fed up with the drastic changes and I personally don't see a bright future with K3's MP. I'm banking my money on SOCOM and UC3 personally to be Sony's top shooters.

cgoodno makes the excellent point that it's a no-win situation. However, I think much of Killzone 3's changes were never complained about, and if they were, it's like GG took a huge sidestep or step back. Take for example the TSPs.

I wrote my concerns on the beta. Thank goodness the co-op/story looks ace.

[showtimefolks]

I think one thing they should have done is give the gamers option to choose whether they want the new controls or want to play with old controls

and i like the 32 player online why cut it down to 24. gameinformer's last issue had a preview and it said some of the mechs are too powerful

since the game has gone gold let's hope if GG find some minor issue we will see a patch on release

[MintBerryCrunch]

were you even in the beta?

playing the maps GG gave us was fun...it did take some time to get used to the changes...but once you get in a rhythm, the kills begin to feel very rewarding, you can feel every bullet hit the opposing players...brutal melees are always fun, and the best part is that you can save one of your teammates if you are fast enough before they get their throats slit...Operations was very refreshing and fun...seeing the key players in every scene shows you who's trying to compete and knows what they are doing

[-Alpha]

I was in the beta and I did not like it. Take brutal melees. You can't even tell when you do a normal melee and a brutal melee. It's terrible when you want a kick kill but have to suffer from the random mechanic. The changes are just game-ruining. The TSPs kill pacing, if one team dominates them the game is pretty much over from the start.

What I dislike most is that GG spent all this time making changes nobody asked for (matchmaking, very low health, PERKS and abilities via ribbons) and no time making a bigger cast of weapons, actual NEW modes, etc.

And I know everybody here can't stand it when you criticize any PS3 game, but K3 just wasn't my thing and I feel that GG screwed up

[showtimefolks]

the only thing i am worried about is the controls if they change them to a complete COD/halo controls i will not buy it its that simple.

i loved the way the controls felt heavy in COD it feels like a stick is floating in the air with a gun attached to it.

I just don't want this to be the halo killer or cod killer just be KZ 3 and we are fine

story should be better there is a review out for it
and in that review atleast it said its difficulty is a bit more than KZ2

but like you said let's hope for the best. the game has gone gold already so its done i am not sure if you can make changes once the game has gone gold. maybe if you detect a problem you work on a day one patch

so here is hope we see a bit of a overall improved game

[darksied]

I can definitely understand your concerns, and they can be valid ... but man, just run your text through a spell checker. Seriously, copy and paste it into Word, openoffice's Write, etc. Just make it read well, so people can understand what you're saying better.

Valid points, but they could be inconsequential in the end (I hope so). I'm very much hoping that the concerns of the new, faster-paced shooter aren't necessary and that it will sell like crazy. I want a good shooter on the ps3, because black ops is NOT that.

[Christopher]

I see where you're coming from, but you have to understand it's a no win situation for Guerrilla Games here. The biggest complaints about KZ2 were that it didn't play more like CoD. Now, the complaints will be that it plays too much like CoD.

Based on the number of people who bought CoD, from a business perspective it's obvious why they decided to make it control more like CoD. People are more familiar with those controls and any new gamers you get, you want them to be very comfortable with controlling your character in KZ2.

But, you should note that many of the control options from KZ2 can still be enabled in the options menu if you so desire. This was also true of making the game more like CoD in KZ2. Also, the overall gameplay isn't reflective of CoD, but pretty much remains in line with KZ2 gameplay and goes a step further. The weapons are different, the tactics are different, the cover system is still there, and the unrealistic sci-fi occurrences really help give KZ3 the ability to do things that CoD just can't do until they do a CoD: Future War release.

[PhoenixDevil]

Good point, I am one of those guilty ones who when i heard about KZ3 that I hoped the controlls would be faster, tbh I'm just worried that after all the effort GG has gone through that this will fall after a few months, im undecided in picking it up

1 thing that gives me faith is the end result of KZ2 i've spoken to ppl in that beta n they had many concerns but GG pulled it off with some post beta changes n then a patch or 2. If KZ3 can do this then everything im worried about will be voided

[iamnsuperman]

What I have seen so far is good. There was a video on N4G showing the Move guide and it seamed to work well. I was happy will KZ2 and didn't get why people complained to much. I am expecting, like you say, people to be disappointed but its a matter of opinion. The feel of Killzone 2 and what I have seen the look of Killzone 3 is much gritty-er than COD and that is what I miss from FPS. I wouldn't judge to much on teh beta but its inevitable for big titles for them to not live up to some peoples expectations

[ZombieAssassin]

I'm one of those people who loved Kz2 for it's unique controls and I do wish they would of kept them for Kz3. Yeah it's more CoD-ish now and some of the hardcore Kz2 Mp fans who have played the beta might not get Kz3 but now they have a chance to win back the people that were really hyped up for Kz2 but put off by the controls.

The game still has other things going for it like it being basically the best looking FPS on consoles, they put match making in (I'd prefer server list but i know alot of people complained about them), Mechs/Jetpacks.

IMO they need to add more game modes, the ones they have added are really nice but people like to have a huge variety. I think GG did what they thought they needed to try and bring more people in and keep them in, we don't know if it's going to work but nothing wrong with trying.

All I know is I'm going to get this game just from what I've played of the BETA (also I enjoyed the SP for Kz2 and want to finish the story), some of my friends who were really put off by the controls in Kz2 who I've let try the BETA say that they'll prolly pick it up too.

[PhoenixDevil]

Thats good to hear, I really hope that the people who didnt have much chance to get into KZ2 will find this easier, I'd love for it to be huge even if I dnt like it myself im happy to stick to KZ2 if needs be as controlls never felt bad to me (except wen very close up to an enemy)

Yh graphically i love the game, was stunned by the beta, the snow looked amazing n just how consistent it was, i did stop just to look around in some matches, on a technical level the game is amazingly supurb

I dnt kno how game modes are going to work without custom games, assuming there is going to be Warzone - mix of all types of gameplay. And then idividual game types as stand alone matches interesting to see how they handle them.

The story and single player campaign is looking very exciting honestly never buy shooters for the story but that may change wit KZ3 as im undecided, only actually played KZ2 story a few months ago even tho i've had the game well over a year just on MP

either way time will tell

[Otheros00]

You should send them your concern. That's why they change the controls in the first place.

[kissmeimgreek]

The game has already gone gold

[PlayStation X]

agree tbh, i had about 50 hours on the kz2 beta and 300 hours on the full game but kz3 beta i got 3 hours and honoustly couldnt be bothered to turn it on.

hopefully the full games an improvement since there meant to be bringing back custom lobbies so we can ban the scrub stuff and lmg's wont be so overpowered.

[blackburn5]

I know everyone is going to disagree but gamers these days are real downers. You haven't even played the whole game yet and already writing articles about how badly it might fail or how disappointed you will be. I just finished listening to someone saying that DCUO will be dead in a month. So he is eagerly awaiting it's demise. I undrstand you might have some concern about a game, everyone does, but writing how far KZ3 might fall is really unnecessary. How about actually playing the whole game before you start the griping and the predictions of disappointment and doom? Wow, you guys must be real downers at parties.

@ cgoodno. Well said. Like they told me in marketing class, as a business you can't please everyone. No matter what GG did somebody will still complain. In UC2 everything was just fine until everyone forced them to change things unbalancing the whole MP.

[nycredude]

I agree with this. People are just way too picky these days. If it isn't 100% exactly to your liking then it must suck.

We need to just chill and get back to having fun. I remember have loads of fun with pitfall and boxing on the atari.

[PhoenixDevil]

Fair point sorry if this came across a bit whinny, it kinda was i kno what you mean and it is a negitive out look. Now in my defense this is not a review of the game just my personal opinion about it, also (I kno a beta is more for testing and a demo is for wetting the gamers appitate) the beta is kinda marketing for the game, no doubt alot of the ppl who thinks KZ3 is going to be amazing gets it from watching vids of the beta ect so while not a full game it does show core mechanics.

About the title, yes it is what im talking about n its to grab peoples attention, the 'might' bit is a big factor this blog is purly done off my speculation and opinion, im not stating that it will fall (n i certinly hope it wont). The reason I wrote this was to share my opinion on what is fastly becoming a very over hyped game, as i point out in the last part ppl are over hyping it the PS3 fanboys are going nuts claiming CoD killer ect honestly would it have been better if i wrote the whole blog on why KZ3 is going to kick CoD and anything else that ever existed ass ? somehow i think that would be more arragont and then someone could argue that i was over hyping the game, which is a trait a lot of gamers do on this site

you cant play a game and then predict what its going to be like takes the point of predicting away, if i go to do a review of the game then i will obviously play it through and go over all the important details and that would b put in the 'user review' section n not a blog. As for parties there cool :P

yup i agree from a business stand point there expanding the market n target audience n what not, unfortunately im a gamer n less of a shareholder n this was done in the point of view of the gamer

I'll say again i hope the hardcore fans n new ppl to the series alike get on with the multiplayer n only time will tell i look forward to it, i just dnt kno weather i'll be there unfortunately

[outwar6010]

trust i was in the killzone 3 beta for some time(i think like 6 or 7 months) the controls and gameplay were just AWESOME its not going to fail

[Holeran]

I for one am a KZ2 veteran and liked the game a lot. I also played the KZ3 beta for quite a while. I got in it when the playstation plus people all got their codes but not when it first opened up. I honestly felt exactly opposite about the beta that you did. It does feel different from KZ2 but I think they tweaked it enough to get rid of the lag and still deliver a lot of the weight. I actually enjoyed the beta so much I went out and pre-purchased the game along with the Sharp Shooter even though I'm sure I won't use the Sharp Shooter much but I'm curious as to how it will operate.
I think that it is honestly a much better game than KZ2 as I loved the feel of KZ2 but I hated the controller lag. And overall the gameplay trumps KZ2 in every way according to my tastes. I honestly am jonesing for feb 22nd at this point.

[Carlos_Irwin_Estevez]

The uncharted 2 beta ran for six months prior to launch, in terms of mechanics imo the game set itself apart from anything else MP I have played in 20 years of gaming, it had its influences but it was pretty fresh games would consist of as much platforming and traversal as it did gunfire.

It was like a quicker light hearted MGO which was alot of fun.

After the game was out for 2 months, ND quartered the health and pretty much made the game COD tps, people complained for a while but in the end ND just said who cares we got a slice of the COD pie.

So basically if it happens with KZ3 it will be another loss to gamers who like originality and difference between their games but it wont be surprising.

But KZ3 will have coop and I love KZ so I will buy it anyway and tbh least you can go back and play KZ2, U2 fans from the beta cant even do that.

[Pillage05]

^exactly why developers shouldn't always listen to people who whine on the internet. Most of the whiners were done the second they started complaining so why try to appease them. Most of the time BIG changes to MP are just gonna push more people out. I'm all for balancing but huge changes after the game comes out is a big mistake. UC2 is the poster child for this problem.

I played the kz3 beta and yeah it's fun. It doesn't need to be exactly like KZ2...I played the hell out of that already. And anybody who played the beta for KZ3 and thought the controls were toooo cod-ish is crazy. It's smoother for sure and more reactive...but it still feels like kz if you know what I'm sayin'.

TBH i'm not a fan of the mech.s though. I could live without them. I didn't spend a lot of time with the mech.s but I think it will be easier to take them down once the general population starts working together to do so.

The only thing I'm worried about at this point is class balancing. I wasn't in the beta long enough to really tell but it seemed like the medic class was a bit OP. As well as the LMG.

[jneul]

you know what either way kz can't win kz2 had a weighty feel to it, i had no problems adapting to the controls even though they was different to COD's, but loads of people winged about it having lag, which most of us would disagree with, now people winge about it feeling too much like COD, how about you all stop winging and just enjoy playing the game, i embraced the changes in kz3, and yes the multiplayer was much better than kz2, so in the end that is all that matters to me, thankyou goodbye

[Pillage05]

You hit the nail on the head I think. People are likely to bitch either way. I just hope they don't pull an U2 and completely change the mp 2 months after release because people were bitching too much.

[Raven_Nomad]

I was also in the Beta, I think the game improved some areas over KZ2, but I don't believe the game is going to compete with the likes of Call Of Duty anytime soon.
Personally I cant get next to a game that is a shooter that lacks the ability to go prone. At least that's not what I look to in a realistic style shooter. I also am not a fan of the environments that I've seen so far. I guess Killzone just wasn't my thing, but I will say for anyone to call Killzone a "Halo Killer" or "Cod Killer" is just wishful thinking. After being in the beta, I'll probably pass on this game. I know last time I got KZ2 on release date, only to have all my friends stop playing it within a week or so. Online games are only fun when there are actually people online.

[outwar6010]

killzone 3 beta took over my agming life even now im just playing it in bot mode. Kz 3 is def a cod killer

[Raven_Nomad]

No offense, but to be a COD killer it'd need to sell 20 million copies and be multiplatform. It's just not going to happen.

It might turn out to be a fair or good game, but it'll never kill any other franchise, especially not COD.

[outwar6010]

To all those who didnt know the kill zone 3 beta was ALL an alpha build just imagine how the full game will be

[TKCMuzzer]

I think people are making to much of this issue and need to relax. I love Killzone 2 but found the Killzone 3 beta an improvement. There is a fine balance when using a joy pad and Guerilla have found that balance.
e.g. I was playing Black Ops the other night and gave it a good two hours. I then decided to give the Killzone 3 beta a whirl against the bots. The controls are so different it is untrue, it's only when you play one straight after the other do you realise how tricky Killzone 3 controls are in comparison. It took me a good three games to get back into it and yet I still was not pin point like in Black Ops.
I have a good k/d ratio on Killzone 2 but as much as liked it when you got someone who did lag in game, the slight lag of the controller made it hard to counteract.
The poster above said it best, the developers have to find a safe medium for everyone, Killzone 3's controls are not like COD's and I don't think they ever will be.
Like anything, once you settle into the game you will become familiar with the controls allowing you to enjoy the game. We need to be grateful that we are going to be playing one of the best looking games on any system and more importantly one that is going to work (looking at you Treyarch).

PS. I'm not sure about your article title, "how high can it fall" . It makes no sense. "How far can it fall" is surely what you where after.

[beavis4play]

so, now a game can only be good if it has good MP?.....i think that's a lame notion and people who love to game would never take such an elitist attitude.

i loved KZ1/2 and can't wait to get a hold of #3

and phoenix-as for CoD games - i only purchased WaW (for $15 off of amazon) to play zombie mode. as far as the CoD games themselves - i think they're over-rated.

now i'm no MP expert by any measure, but i like to play from time to time. my question, phoenix, is have you seen any of the MP vids? they look like fun to me. as far as those who say they've been in the beta and then rip the game.......i'll wait to make my own opinions since it's too easy (and popular) to hate on the internet.

[TheCryptKeeper]

can't fall no harder than COD black ops has on PS3. if you think sony will let this game fail, then you're not familiar with the brand.

[shadow2797]

I know I'm late to the party, and the OP can't respond, but I'd like to point something out that many seem to be forgetting:

KZ2 isn't going anywhere. If you're in love with KZ2, if you think it's perfect and don't like the changes that have been made in KZ3, by all means, play KZ2. In fact, it will probably be a godsend when KZ3 releases because all the noobs will migrate and you can play with only the most hardcore KZ2 fans.

Now I haven't played the beta, but the footage I've seen looks really promising. Too CODish? Perhaps, but that's okay by me. Fundamentally, I love COD. The things I don't like are: the yearly updates without any actual "update", the lack of polish and general "glitchy-ness", and the ridiculous Killstreak rewards, and stupid perks like Martyrdom. Oh and the un-balanced weapons. If I play COD, I play Hardcore to give the game some balance.

As far as I can tell, KZ3 doesn't have any of these faults. The only thing I'm worried about is weapon balance, something even KZ2 struggled with.

But we'll all find out more when the open beta hits. Personally, while it may not be popular with KZ2 purists, I expect KZ3 to more popular online than it's predecessor. I'll probably alternate between playing both.