Killzone 2 pre-release discussion thread

Maybe they don't show cut off heads coz they don't want that kind of gore in their game! heads rolling around in such graphics can get disturbing !

 

Those on the previous page. As I said looks very close except jaggies. If it is taken with a 'BlackMagic Design Intensity Pro' then they have been processed in a photo editor to blur the edges in as it isn't as soft looking ingame. OR it is just screenshots of the video stream which also doesn't present the raw quality of the BlackMagic capture since the video has been re-encoded for internet use.

 

I've just completed the singplayer. The last stage of the last level was quite hard.

My final verdict is that this is extremely solid single player. I really can't remember when was the last time i played singe player as good as Killzone 2 (and yes, i've played CoDs, Resistance games, Halo etc.). Orchestral music is really amazing. Cutscenes look brilliant. Lighting is especially really well implemented into them and it shows.

There are few FPS drops here and there, but FPS remains solid during the most of the game. Of course, game is, viewing from the pure graphical PoV, best thing seen on consoles and i really can't even imagine what's going to beat it in the graphical department. Something from Sony's 1st party probably.

As some of you have noticed, there are some bad textures, but overall, there's really little you can say against graphical presentation of Killzone 2. It's simply breathtaking. I've said this before, and i'll say again, DO NOT judge the game based on your experience on the demo. Demo really doesn't show the beauty of this game.

AI is great, they adapt to different situation really well. There are some bugs, but nothing serious. In contrast to Resistance 2, where you were the only target of enemy attacks, your comrades will be under attack all the time.

Total time it took for me to complete the game was little above 10 hours, though my friends who played on Normal (i played on Hard) managed to complete it in around 8 and a half.

There are some quite interesting trophies in the game btw, and their icons are really nice.

 

Usually demos have reduced violence functions since it can be downloaded by anyone as opposed to buying it in the store where the clerk can guess the age or demand leg for 16/18+ games.

 

-sigh-

It's a MA15+ game, compared to Gears etc. it is relatively tame, even if they did include 'rolling heads'. Since it already has a lot of swearing I don't see why the devs decided to be so conservative in this regard)

 

I think rolling heads are not something pleasant to watch or a thing that would increase enjoyment. If it doesn't have it for full version that is just a plus IMO. I mean there must be a line somewhere how messed up something should be. I agree with RengadeRocks that it would be disturbing seeing a head roll around. Even more if it is physicalized and somebody "soccerlize it"... uhhh

 

Well, I suppose it depends whether you're squeamish or not.
But IMO it adds to the immersion, and the lack of the head or any of it's pieces, somewhat breaks the suspension of disbelief.

 

I fail to see what is 'cheating' about ducking a bit lower to actually avoid bullets - which is the whole point of taking cover any way. And what is wrong with the notion of peeking over or around the barricade to see what's going on and taking your chances that you won't get hit to see what is going on?

I mean, this is exactly what happens when you're taking cover behind a tall pillar which does give the 'live pause' you describe to all intents and purposes.

 

I agree, in real life, you would crouch as much as you could to avoid being hit, so it isn't realistic apart from the view.

I wouldn't mind if you couldn't seem much at all (except above you) while in cover, and had to peek over or lean out to shoot and see what's going on. It would introduce an interesting risk & reward mechanic, where you may be well protected while in cover, but have limited spatial awareness and be more vulnerable to flanking attacks by the AI. And so would force you to predict the AI movements, and pop in & out of cover to see what's going on etc.

That would be a innovative take on the standard cover mechanics being increasingly found in shooters.

 

My "cheating" comment referred to being completely in cover and thus impervious to damage, yet being able to see around said cover freely. This is the case in the games I mentioned, which use a 3rd person cover camera.

Nothing - in fact that is exactly what I'm championing. If you get the advantages of being able to see around cover, you should also suffer the possibility of being hit while doing so.

EDIT: Vanquish's suggestion sounds like a nice way to do it, but then you need to differentiate between which movement counts as a "peek" and which movement counts as "aiming". I'm not sure I like the idea of half-moves of the analogue stick, and an extra button press is out of the question due to the number of buttons already used for various actions while in cover. Perhaps it would be a nice fit for SIXAXIS.

 

Well the mechanic is already there in that when you're taking cover behind a large wall, your view is very restricted and you have to peek out to see what's going on.

 

Whatever dude, you'd puke your guts out if you've seen real body parts severed from a body. I know I did.

Also, guns demolish heads, a sniper rifle will likely remove the back half of a persons skull upon exit, etc.

Heads do not "sever" and then roll around. Obviously this isn't Gears of Gore, and they aren't going for some stupid over the top "bad ass" chunks. Cliffy B can keep that in his game, this is KZ2.

Either way, if a head has been removed from a body by a weapon, there is more than likely very little left that is recognizable as a head. Or does that not play into your role in this thread, to downplay the game? Just curious.

 

Personally i think R6V should never have had this style of cover.

being invulnarable whilst seeing everything does not really suit R6V either, or any game trying to be semi-realistic, aside from the fact that its totally unrealistic (obviously), it gives a very unfair advantage to defenders.

I stopped playing objective based games in R6V allmost immediately because of it. Its ridiculous to try an capture something, when the defenders have the priveledge of being completely hidden from view, but being able to see\aim at you.

I dont think grandmaster wants to cheat, he just want your character to be able to take cover completely. That doesn't necessarily mean that you would have to be able to see anything.

An option to duck even lower behind cover and not exposing your head and therefore not getting shot at (also not seeing anything besides the wall in front of you), would be welcomed by me.

 

Yes, I think Far Cry 2 AI can be very dumb. They do exhibit some intelligent behaviours in flanking though. AI was the best of that selection though...

And BTW...

Spoiler

the Sniper level is just so great, exactly what the game needed as I was getting a little bit bored of the grey and then the train...Wowza!

 

I knew when you said it was samey you hadn't got to the desert! Plus there's different moments before that.

 

I thought the leaky cover mechanics is intentional. It's a tradeoff for you to attack the enemies with a little damage. You can hide behind taller obstacles or walk away (change location !) if you need complete cover. That's what I do when I draw too much fire.

I'd imagine in more advanced levels, the mechanics will force you to move when pinned down by heavy fire (S*cks but hey it's a shooter !). May have to anticipate these moments, and keep moving. I reckon the more enemies you kill from the same location, the more likely they will zoom in on you.



More sophisticated cover mechanics may be appreciated, but it will complicate the controls. If GG designed the levels around the simple cover mechanics, then we will probably need to play the game the way they intended us to experience. Throw in our own improvised techniques and we will be ready to take on real humans in multiplayer. ^_^

 

Indeed it was intentional. GG have talked about it as such. They want the pressure to stay on and keep you moving. Even if you get a couple of shots in the head, you'll still be able to heal - it just keeps it intense.

 

I understand that you would want that, but no one else would.

Also, cover is not functional in Online play at all. So no hard feelings right? Single player is better because of it, and multiplayer doesn't suffer from the problems it can cause competitively.

 

is there a way to blind fire?

 

I couldn't personally find fault with the cover system yet, but of course I haven't played the full game. The Helghast are just not stupid and they attack / flank you both left / right and top / bottom. That combined with that you have quite a bit of room for movement behind your cover means that it's a pretty deep process and that often you just won't be able to get full cover, because someone has an angle on you.

The Helghan can and do blindfire as well, by the way, which is pretty cool - they do it when it matters, too.