| Platform | OVERALL |
|---|---|
| PocketStation | 7.40 |
| Overall | 7.40 |
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So you just bought a PS4, looking for that game that is going to showcase the new shiny graphics? Killzone is that game. Looking for that game that will hook you for hours on end, that game that will make you say "yeah it was worth it just to play this game". Killzone is not that game. What you will get is a game with a bad campaign and very good multiplayer. Nothing groundbreaking, nothing that screams out system seller, just a good game that you may want to pick up simply cause what are you going to buy for your new PS4, Knack? Let’s begin with the campaign because it had great potential to be something special; that potential is squandered away by poor design choices that permeate the whole game. Unlike Killzone games of old this Killzone is not a corridor cover shooter where you go from one big Michael Bay setpiece after another. This game has more open areas and gives the player the ability to play as they choose with more combat options and even optional missions to accomplish. This is exactly the kind of FPS I enjoy, so imagine my disgust when about a few levels in I realized the game is not going to get any better. Shadow Fall gives the players more tools allowing for far more interesting gameplay than cover and shoot. The OWL, a robotic companion, gives you either cover fire, a shield which deflects bullets but lets you shoot through it and even a zip line for quick traversal. These moves can be used with a short cooldown between them allowing you to create your own defense or offensive strategies. The problem is not how the game plays, I think the controls and shooting feels great. It is all about the design of the levels and gameplay scenarios that do not benefit from the options you have. Some levels are rather large offering many different paths, but they are very empty meaning you will fight a group of four guards once every few minutes. You have optional missions to complete; in only one or two levels the rest of the game still forces you down a set path. There is no sense of urgency at all in the campaign; there are many levels where you do nothing but walk for 5-10 minutes, MANY levels. I don't need to see explosions every two seconds to stay interested but at the same time a big action sequence is great every once in a while, Guerrilla Games shrunk the scale of the game down to just having minor skirmishes with small battalions of enemies. The first three or so levels are the best chapters of the campaign, games should get better as they go on, this one gets worst. The final few chapters filled with horrible ideas strung together. One level removes your powers and makes you follow very specific scripted moments. The game is filled with moments where it tells you to perform a certain action but it is not clear on how to perform it so you end up dying when it was not your fault. There is one part in particular where your ally specifically tells you "stay still so the guard wont see you", if you stay still the guard simply walks up to you and shoots you. Weird moments like that are scattered throughout the game. There is this new enemy type that is introduced which is hell to pass on hard, the devs could have simply put a giant middle finger on the battlefield, would have served the same purpose. Then there is the story, Guerrilla Games has to have some of the worst writers in gaming. The game takes place about 30 years after your idiot squad of heroes accidentally blew up the entire Helgast home world in Killzone 3. Because of that now the Helgast get half of one of the human’s worlds with a Berlin wall type split. You are a secret agent who... who cares you do missions with some really paper thin story about starting some war which totally falls apart at the end. At least Killzone 3's story was so bad it was hilarious (and it had Malcom McDowell), this story is just bad and boring. Inexplicably soon after the end credits begin you get to start a special short epilogue mission which is totally awesome. What the hell, this is what I wanted from the campaign, now you give it to me?! I am making the campaign seem more horrible when in reality it is better than some of the crap campaigns in Battlefield and Call of Duty but it is still a big disappointment considering what it could have been. Wow I just spent five paragraphs on a mode most people won’t even bother to finish, the reason to buy Killzone is for the multiplayer. Right from the start every class, ability and primary weapon is unlocked allowing you to play your way right from the start. The choices can be a tad bit overwhelming at first but give it a few hours and you will develop a good set of presets that you become comfortable with. The classes are assault, infiltrator, and support. Each have one set ability and one ability you can choose. For instance the support class lets you heal downed teammates and set spawn points, turrets or air drones. Infiltrator lets you have a stealth cloak and a radar to detect enemies. Each class and their abilities have a role to fill in the games battles. I find the game to be well balanced to where you can focus on any one class and do well. Fans of Killzone 2 will be pleased to know that this game feels a lot more like 2 than 3. The ability to place spawn points anywhere on the map returns allowing for those incredibly hectic moments where two teams are spawning right next to an objective. When a team works together placing spawn points at key points and reinforcing those areas with drones, snipers and shields you can be unstoppable, it is a beautiful thing. Since nearly everything is unlocked at the start, earning unlocks through play is relegated to upgrading the scope of your gun or making your abilities stronger. You don't level up in the classic way, now you level up each individual skill or weapon and that unlocks the bonuses. If you get grenade kills you unlock a better one. Use one ability over and over and it will level up. It is a system that makes sense but I do not find it to be as addicting as one that does level you up and ranks you against others. This game doesn't have the same level of presence of rank as other killzone game, I don't know my place in the overall community. In past games I remember there being stats for everything, for instance who has had the best week, that is missing. Minor quibble in an otherwise addicting, competitive and interesting multiplayer mode. Guerrilla Games has touted the custom matches feature as a major positive for multiplayer. In concept it is a great feature, anyone can create a playlist as it has loads of customization options. There are some interesting matches like all pistols and grenades, no melee or skills. Sadly no one plays these custom matches. Everyone is playing classic warzone or team deathmatch, which can get too repetitive after a while. There is a good amount of maps, most are well designed but something is missing, something that made Killzone 2's maps very memorable. I am not a great online shooter player so I don't feel like I can describe why, it is just a feeling I have as I play. It may not be the greatest multiplayer on the planet but I do believe it is the best online experience on the PS4 right now. Lets be real here you want Killzone cause it looks pretty, oh so pretty. During the PS4 launch I came to a realization that the new graphics aren't so much about pushing polygons to make incredible new models or worlds, it is more about how smooth everything runs. Killzone Shadow Fall always looks stunning, no slow down, no jaggies, no screen tears, and it runs in beautiful 1080p. It is a gorgeous game; it is a “show the new console off” kind of game. Killzone Shadow Fall could have been great; the idea of the campaign was the right one but the execution and design of the campaign is terrible. The online multiplayer mostly makes up for it providing many many hours of well balanced combat. It serves an alternative to the more twitch, instant death kind of shooter of a CoD or Battlefield as this game allows for more tactics and the ability to react to being shot. There is not much to choose from for the PS4 at this time, you could do a whole lot worse than Killzone, I would say this is the safe pickup. Oh and it actually works which I can't say for all PS4 games. |
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Posted by Dvader Wed, 18 Dec 2013 05:58:09
The multiplayer sounds really good. Even if it's not as good as Killzone 2's, you make it sound a lot better than 3's, which in and of itself was pretty good, so it should still be a great experience.
Are you considering getting a PS4, GG?