How Sony Will Counter the Halo 3 Beta

[DigiQ8]

With Killzone 2...

Rumors pointed at the game's intended resurgence at their pre-launch Gamers' Day event last year. Ultimately, if the rumors are to be believed, Sony shelved showing Killzone 2 in favor of spotlighting Insomniac's new shooter franchise (and it will be a franchise) Resistance. The same rumors have pointed to Killzone 2 being much further along than previously expected -- with the apex of the rumor arc concluding that the game has been playable online for almost a year.

Expect a playable Killzone 2 demo to be released (hmm, Phil Harrison is keynoting at GDC...) before gamers are participating in the beta for Halo 3.

1Up.com

BS ?

 

[Narvi]

Eh. Rumours.

 

[Sparta]

And sony hasn't been to reliable. But MS also said that Halo 3 would be out on the day the PS3 was released, so it could go either way.

 

[Kschreck]

Luke Smith is pretty credible but this is a case of wait and see. At this point Sony really needs something to stay afloat so I think that Killzone will be shown in some form or another at GDC next month.

 

[Jintor]

But who cared about Killzone? :O

 

[VictimOfScience]

Well, Gears of War has demonstrated that a game with mediocre and unimaginative gameplay (don't get me wrong, its totally fun, but imho just not super innovative in the gameplay or story department) but with absolutely stellar graphics can wow just about everybody in every camp, including critics, so even if Killzone PS3 has the gameplay of the PS2 version it can still be a humongous success and a much-needed system-seller if it can match the exceedingly gorgeous target footage of a while back. People will care....

 

[Asknoone]

Killzone sucked. :O

 

[Dalamari]

Killzone sucked. :O

qft

 

[Gray Fox]

Well, Gears of War has demonstrated that a game with mediocre and unimaginative gameplay (don't get me wrong, its totally fun, but imho just not super innovative in the gameplay or story department) but with absolutely stellar graphics can wow just about everybody in every camp, including critics, so even if Killzone PS3 has the gameplay of the PS2 version it can still be a humongous success and a much-needed system-seller if it can match the exceedingly gorgeous target footage of a while back. People will care....

GoW may have had unimaginative gameplay, but it was still a fun and rewarding one, Killzone was just bad at it's core, it did not suck because of bugs or a to short development cycle, it was just absolutely bad gameplay design at it's most fundamental level.

Although having said that, a teacher at a course I am taking has played killzone 2, and he confirmed it is playable and looks amazing.

 

[Asknoone]

What's the course?

 

[Cole]

Well, Gears of War has demonstrated that a game with mediocre and unimaginative gameplay (don't get me wrong, its totally fun, but imho just not super innovative in the gameplay or story department) but with absolutely stellar graphics can wow just about everybody in every camp, including critics

Who said things have to be innovative to "wow" everybody. It simply has to be fun. Gears of War while maybe not the most innovative thing in the world is simply really ****ing fun.

 

[smwScott]

I rather liked the premise and atmosphere of the original Killzone, the gameplay was good in places as well. If they can take that same concept and polish it up to an experience that's engaging all the way through, coupled with insanely good graphics, you definitely have a system seller on your hands.

That's all Gears of War is - a fairly polished but very generic game that remains fun to play and has great graphics. I mean shit, it's really not any better than Rainbow Six: Vegas or 30+ other games available from the last gen, and that's all Killzone 2 really needs to do too. Plus Killzone actually has a good art style, so it will likely be much more visually impressive.

 

[knut]

Wait, they are going to try to counter the Halo 3 beta with Killzone 2? Not only is that snide and cowardly in the sense that it's like picking on the smaller kid or to the effect of punching someone with no hands to punch back, but the beta? What about the actual release? What 'big guns' do they have saved up for that? I always presumed Killzone 2 was one of the more 'bigger' releases for the PS3..

EDIT: I am silly. The Killzone 2 demo. Ah, fair enough. I honestly did not see that second quote. Kinda in the thought that it would of been said in the first quote by whoever it was writing the paragraph, to be more informative, y'know? Heh. (NOT AIMED AT ORIGINAL POSTER)

 

[Bad^Hat]

Well, Gears of War has demonstrated that a game with mediocre and unimaginative gameplay (don't get me wrong, its totally fun, but imho just not super innovative in the gameplay or story department) but with absolutely stellar graphics can wow just about everybody in every camp, including critics, so even if Killzone PS3 has the gameplay of the PS2 version it can still be a humongous success and a much-needed system-seller if it can match the exceedingly gorgeous target footage of a while back. People will care....

Nah, Gears of War was a critical success because it had uber graphics, and it was uber playable. The controls were tight, the gameplay was polished to hell, it was just totally solid all around and that's what made it shine despite not being incredibly innovative.

In Killzone's case, it's no doubt gonna be pretty, but it'll have to lift it's standard a little higher from the first one in terms of playability and ease of control if it's going to wow people as much as GoW.

Anyway, didn't intend this post to be a defense of Gears, or to flame Killzone, just pointing out that shiny graphics alone don't make a successful game. (First person to mention Crysis gets a cyanide-laced cookie!)

 

[Loke]

The problems I had with the original game were the obvious bugs, cheesy voice acting and annoying unstable framerate. However I loved the art and the fantastic atmosphere. If Guerrilla manages to come close to the E3 trailer I'll be very impressed so I'm looking forward to this, of course if it's real that is.

 

[Bad^Hat]

The "trailer" was a target render. I really don't see how any of that would translate into real gameplay. They like to make games look more interactive, like virtual reality, but really something like that would be hellish to control with just analog.

 

[Loke]

The "trailer" was a target render. I really don't see how any of that would translate into real gameplay. They like to make games look more interactive, like virtual reality, but really something like that would be hellish to control with just analog.

I was more into the visuals and the great amount of action going on, not really the movement of the character.

 

[Bad^Hat]

Fair enough... but that was kind of what emphasised the action I thought. Anyway, not talking shit about I game I haven't even seen yet

 

[knut]

Rendered or not, fake or real, whatever it was - the Killzone 2 footage still looked badass to me. Graphics and visuals aside, just the whole descent to the bridge, the landing ships blowing up once they'd landed, all the gunfire, the shouting... man, I must've watched it so many times now.

 

[Iced_Eagle]

Halo3 Beta > Killzone2 Demo any day of the week.

I wouldn't doubt it if this was true since Sony is probably looking for any way they can to help themselves.

After the whole CG trailer thing (have we even seen the real graphics?!), I could care less. They can throw any franchise they want at Halo to try to "counter" it, but it just won't happen... Too many Halo fans out there compared with the Killzone people (I haven't met any Killzone fanboys yet)

 

[smwScott]

Eh ... the beta may be more hyped but it doesn't look very impressive to me. I mean, the original Halo games weren't all that hot in the first place and as far as I can tell they haven't made significant improvements for Halo 3. Killzone wasn't a great game either, but to be honest I didn't enjoy either of them very much at all. They both get far more hype than they deserve when their are better console FPS games out there like Timesplitters that are more deserving of it.

We haven't seen anything of Killzone 2 yet, so it's really hard to compare. We know it will probably have great graphics, it's possible that they may even turn around and create some slick gameplay too. They did a good job with the PSP Killzone game, maybe the franchise is turning around.

 

[Asknoone]

Eh ... the beta may be more hyped but it doesn't look very impressive to me. I mean, the original Halo games weren't all that hot in the first place and as far as I can tell they haven't made significant improvements for Halo 3. Killzone wasn't a great game either, but to be honest I didn't enjoy either of them very much at all. They both get far more hype than they deserve when their are better console FPS games out there like Timesplitters that are more deserving of it.

We haven't seen anything of Killzone 2 yet, so it's really hard to compare. We know it will probably have great graphics, it's possible that they may even turn around and create some slick gameplay too. They did a good job with the PSP Killzone game, maybe the franchise is turning around.

I agree with pretty much everything you said, except for the Timesplitters bit. I like Timesplitters quite a bit, but it isn't really *that* good. Right on about the Halo 3 beta though, it really isn't that exciting. :|

 

[CptStern]

is one game enough to sell a $650 console? Killzone is not Halo ..any sort of interest was generated exclusively by the e3 demo ..which the majority of the buying public didnt see ...unless it's earth shatteringly spectacular I doubt it'll make a dent on Halo3 beta interest ..I mean people are buying a full game (crackdown) just so they can play Halo 3 beta ...you just cant buy that kinda of fanboyism

 

[MiccyNarc]

If Killzone 2 looks anything like the early footage, I'm buying a PS3 purely for that game.

The above scenario is unlikely, therefore, I will probably not be buying a PS3 in the near future.

 

[CptStern]

shit if it looks/plays like the e3 demo I'm buying a ps3 ..however that level of gameplay is just not possible as of yet

 

[VictimOfScience]

Who said things have to be innovative to "wow" everybody. It simply has to be fun. Gears of War while maybe not the most innovative thing in the world is simply really ****ing fun.

Yes indeed and I agrere that it is fun, but I am arguing that if it didn't have the graphics that it does it would have gone largely unnoticed by the critics and the masses. Its the graphics that make it stand out--not the gameplay.

you just cant buy that kinda of fanboyism

Hahaha, yes you can.

 

[Cole]

Yes indeed and I agrere that it is fun, but I am arguing that if it didn't have the graphics that it does it would have gone largely unnoticed by the critics and the masses. Its the graphics that make it stand out--not the gameplay.

Graphics can make the game stand out initially. But it wont be a success on less the game is actually fun.
However there are more ways than pretty graphics to make your game stand out.

 

[Gray Fox]

What's the course?

The course itself is called Basis Opleiding Art & Technology,
which translates to Elementary education Art & technology.
It's a course you can take to prepare yourself for a full study in Game design and Development at the HKU( Hoge School voor Kunsten Utrecht) which I want to do next year.

The course is given by students and teachers from that college, now a couple of those guys had to work for an assignment at guerrilla, and they were able to play the game.

Obviously the game does not look like the CGI, they still told me it looked very impressive but did not want to go in to details unfortunately, the only other thing they told me was that they enjoyed it, but most importantly is the fact that they thought Killzone 1 sucked. Oh yeah and the sniper rifle is definitely fixed according to them.

So that tells us that they ( my teachers) have good taste in games, and you can bet the core game play will be good as wel as the controls. But remember Halo's has good good core gameplay and controls and thats not a very impressive game either, and B they have had a fairly stable and playable version for over months. Or at least a part of the game.

I don't think I will like Killzone 2, nor do I think it will be better than halo, but it won't be the steaming pile of shit that the first was.

(Edit - yes my spelling sucks monkey balls)

 

[smwScott]

is one game enough to sell a $650 console? Killzone is not Halo ..any sort of interest was generated exclusively by the e3 demo ..which the majority of the buying public didnt see ...unless it's earth shatteringly spectacular I doubt it'll make a dent on Halo3 beta interest ..I mean people are buying a full game (crackdown) just so they can play Halo 3 beta ...you just cant buy that kinda of fanboyism

There's more than one game ... and I wouldn't even count Killzone 2 as one of those games. MGS4, Motorstorm, Warhawk, Resistance, all future Naughty Dog/ICO/GoW/Insomniac games, GT5, Getaway, etc. Honestly, even if Killzone 2 does have graphics close to/on par with that trailer it still won't be in my top 3 wanted PS3 games.

Graphics can make the game stand out initially. But it wont be a success on less the game is actually fun.
However there are more ways than pretty graphics to make your game stand out.

Yes, Gears of War is fun. It's a decent game. However, it isn't even remotely special bar the graphics. Because it isn't terrible and has graphics that are technically impressive, the game was a hit. Once the graphics wear off, it's just another shooter.

 

[<RJMC>]

I hope killzone2 to be good

it hav so much potential

if sony screw killzone2 then my respect will go -97%

 

[Cole]

Yes, Gears of War is fun. It's a decent game. However, it isn't even remotely special bar the graphics. Because it isn't terrible and has graphics that are technically impressive, the game was a hit. Once the graphics wear off, it's just another shooter.

The game was a hit because of how fun and competitive it is. Sure it wasn't anything new. But the game did what already had been done really damn well. Live is incredibly fun and competitive. It's an incredibly solid and well made game.

It was a hit not because of it's graphics. Cut out the multiplayer and it wouldn't of been that big of a hit. The multiplayer was solid, and being able to play a game over live with your friends sells games.

To be honest I don't even see what people say when they talk about Gears of War's graphics being amazing. I don't, the only thing I really like about the graphic's is the crouch-run camera. What draw's me in is it's really damn fun. And being able to kill your friend, and head stomp him is awesome and badass. That's what makes me want to play it, the gameplay not the graphics.

 

[<RJMC>]

The game was a hit because of how fun and competitive it is. Sure it wasn't anything new. But the game did what already had been done really damn well. Live is incredibly fun and competitive. It's an incredibly solid and well made game.

It was a hit not because of it's graphics. Cut out the multiplayer and it wouldn't of been that big of a hit. The multiplayer was solid, and being able to play a game over live with your friends sells games.

To be honest I don't even see what people say when they talk about Gears of War's graphics being amazing. I don't, the only thing I really like about the graphic's is the crouch-run camera. What draw's me in is it's really damn fun. And being able to kill your friend, and head stomp him is awesome and badass. That's what makes me want to play it, the gameplay not the graphics.

yeah the crouch run camera make the game look cooler

 

[giant384]

where on earth does it say that this is the product that will counter the halo 3 beta? it just said that it would come out before the halo 3 beta. also my opinion of gears of war was great.....the first time,but the replayability is so boring. everything is scripted so gameplay wont change much. also its popular because the hype was so high. also what are you people talking about when you say the game is "rendered" OF COURSE ITS RENDERED every game has to be rendered. unless you were talking about it was rendered through the program instead of live footage in the game,but even if it was rendered in a program then it would take hours and hours possibly days for it to render that trailer.

 

[NightBlade]

is one game enough to sell a $650 console? Killzone is not Halo ..any sort of interest was generated exclusively by the e3 demo ..which the majority of the buying public didnt see ...unless it's earth shatteringly spectacular I doubt it'll make a dent on Halo3 beta interest ..I mean people are buying a full game (crackdown) just so they can play Halo 3 beta ...you just cant buy that kinda of fanboyism

At first I was just going to buy crackdown for the Beta, but then i played the demo and I now think theat the actual game is going to be more fun then the beta.

 

[Cole]

also my opinion of gears of war was great.....the first time,but the replayability is so boring. everything is scripted so gameplay wont change much. also its popular because the hype was so high.

It's popular because of the online. Your right, the singleplayer is scripted so the gameplay wont change much, however playing online always seems to be fresh and fun.

 

[Stigmata]

also what are you people talking about when you say the game is "rendered" OF COURSE ITS RENDERED every game has to be rendered. unless you were talking about it was rendered through the program instead of live footage in the game,but even if it was rendered in a program then it would take hours and hours possibly days for it to render that trailer.

I think everyone's talking about how the Killzone 2 trailer at E3 last year was PRE-rendered, meaning it's pretty much what they do with prerendered cinematics, or movies like Toy Story - set everything up at a ridiculous quality, render each frame at that exact quality for as long as it takes, and then play back the resultant video at a later date.

Meaning the Killzone 2 trailer was nothing but a lie.

 

[Warbie]

It's popular because of the online. Your right, the singleplayer is scripted so the gameplay wont change much, however playing online always seems to be fresh and fun.

Damn right, GoW is awesome online. Certainly the most fun multiplayer game i've played in quite a while. Single player wasn't earth shattering, but was very solid and great fun in coop. All in all it's the best game of last year imo.

 

[Qonfused]

Nothing will trump the Halo 3 beta.

 

[Stigmata]

Not even Year Zero and BYIT being shipped to your house in the next 24 hours?

 

[Icarusintel]

Nothing will trump the Halo 3 beta.

Haha, my penis will easily trump it.