http://www.computerandvideogames.com/news/news_story.php?id=94664[/URL]]KILLZONE: HOT NEW DETAILS STORM IN!
If the first shots and press release on Sony's highly-touted FPS left you gagging for more, head on through for first details on characters and much more...
17:04 After months of aching torment and torturous build-up, catharsis was reached late last week, with Sony Europe releasing the first ever images and official details on Killzone, its hugely important PS2 first-person shooter, in development at newly renamed Dutch outfit, Guerrilla.
Although we were the first to bring you concrete details on this mega-hyped title several weeks ago, official ratification of the rumours and hi-res shots gave us our first tantalising glimpse into the future of PS2 warfare.
But while basic details were provided, new information has emerged over the weekend giving a clearer picture of what the game is like in action along with a heap of extra detail on one of the worst kept secrets in gaming.
As we previously revealed, the press release confirmed Killzone will feature four playable characters, new information has emerged revealing two of them to be Templar (a manly, commando type) and Luger (a female stealth specialist), both of which are available in the three level playable demo recently shown to select members of the press.
Each of the four characters will have very different abilities; you pick one at the start of the game and remain as that character all the way through. Luger, for instance, due to her extensive stealth training, is great at sniping but not so hot when it comes to lugging around heavy artillery.
Although Killzone centres around a squad of four, players will have no direct control over the other three during gameplay. Instead, with the help of advanced AI routines, they will act as your support, offering covering fire and intelligent tactical assistance throughout.
Guerrilla reportedly had three specific goals in mind when implementing the squad system: to ensure the squad keeps up with the player and act intelligently; to not obstruct the player's direct progress at any point; and for squad members to fall back when injured.
It's also worth noting that squad members cannot be killed, only weakened, and will only be seriously vulnerable during the odd protection mission thrown in for variety's sake.
AI is of paramount importance to the genre but Killzone's AI editor is said to be quite an achievement in itself. Enemy behaviour is based on a hierarchichal structure: basic footsoldiers clearly rely on orders from commanding officers; if you pick off these officers at the start of a battle, it's likely to send troops into a state of panic and disarray.
Set in the near future, science-fiction plays its role in Kilzzone, but Guerrilla is keen to keep it recognisable and largely rooted in reality - as a result, you won't get the luminescent alien fire of Halo and other sci-fi shooters.
Don't expect vehicular combat either, as while your squad will be deployed in a range of craft, and you'll have to battle against enemy gunships and more, none of these will be directly playable.
In terms of actual gameplay, expect standard FPS control using Dual Shock II, while the 'X' button is used for context sensitive actions like climbing, leaping over low objects and so forth.
Production values are said to be extremely high, with some of the finest visuals on the console backed by a swelling orchestral score. But early reports suggest that frame-rate is currently less than sumptuous, meaning Guerrilla will ultimately have to strike a balance between detail and action if it is to achieve an acceptably jitter-free experience.
The single biggest mystery remains the online component and both publisher and developer are adopting a predictable cards-to-chest position at present. But with one highly placed Sony insider recently telling us: "Killzone will make full use of the SOCOM USB headset for online communication... the online side of things will be doing stuff no-one's ever seen before," we can only hope for great things.
While the title is now likely to go to ground for the time being, we'll keep you bang up to date on everything and anything to do with Killzone as soon as we learn more.
Johnny Minkley
