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[Proelite]

The tag line for Halo 3 is finish the fight.

So what will the tag line for Killzone 4 be?

Spoiler

A lot.

Spoiler

More than you think.

Spoiler

They used to be people.

 

[Dan]

Thought the same thing, it was even more confusing because the difficulty itself felt easier than veteran. It is recognizing it as completed on elite though. I believe if you check an elited level with one you know you haven't completed yet you should see the icon is brighter than it used to be once you complete it. It is weird though, how the elite icon is duller than the others, you'd think if anything it would be the other way around. Not something you should have to think about.

Cool, thanks. I'll keep on going then.

 

[Barrett2]

Wow, the first hour of this game is some unbearably boring shit.

3D looks nice, though...

 

[patsu]

Did this make anyone else LOL? I sure did because I can relate 100%

Hell, I still get lost out of Mawlr on the Higg side, especially considering that GG spawns you in different spots throughout the home base so it's different every time.

Once I got lost on the ISA side of Salamun Market for a good 10 seconds because I had no damn clue where I was -- I thought I accidentally spawned outside of the map or something.

Some KZ2 maps were like that for me too. Not sure what's so different about KZ3 maps.
Once I got used to them, I could navigate, camp and flank people as usual.

I remember people complained about MAG maps too, but I had lot's of fun in the game. Played it almost everyday like R1.

I think if people take the game for what they are trying to achieve, they'd actually enjoy the game better… instead of complaining about how the game is what _you_ think it's supposed to be.

 

[BrLvgThrChmstry]

EDIT: Herp

 

[mr_nothin]

Some KZ2 maps were like that for me too. Not sure what's so different about KZ3 maps.
Once I got used to them, I could navigate, camp and flank people as usual.

I remember people complained about MAG maps too, but I had lot's of fun in the game. Played it almost everyday like R1.

I think if people take the game for what they are trying to achieve, they'd actually enjoy the game better… instead of complaining about how the game is what _you_ think it's supposed to be.

The game is trying to achieve this:
Fix the problems that people had in KZ2. Going off of that, they fully achieved that + more.
What they failed at doing is coming up with good solutions to the problems people had in KZ2. These "new solutions" are poorly implemented and executed so it basically introduced tons of other problems. They also "fixed" a lot of problems by just completely removing those aspects of the game.

So yea, if we took the game for what it was then I guess we could enjoy it but then again...they failed at executing it properly.

 

[patsu]

The game is trying to achieve this:
Fix the problems that people had in KZ2. Going off of that, they fully achieved that + more.
What they failed at doing is coming up with good solutions to the problems people had in KZ2. These "new solutions" are poorly implemented and executed so it basically introduced tons of other problems. They also "fixed" a lot of problems by just completely removing those aspects of the game.

So yea, if we took the game for what it was then I guess we could enjoy it but then again...they failed at executing it properly.

I consider KZ2 MP broken. But there are KZ2 lovers anyway.
I consider KZ3 MP broken, but it's actually more fun than KZ2. There will be KZ3 lovers anyway.

They didn't fix the problem by removing them. There are significant changes, there are removed feature, and there are late patches.

I hope they release the MTU patch fast, and also more maps. I suspect the MTU problem may have caused some of the issues with hang, team balance and hit detection.

 

[Thunderbear]

The game is trying to achieve this:
Fix the problems that people had in KZ2. Going off of that, they fully achieved that + more.
What they failed at doing is coming up with good solutions to the problems people had in KZ2. These "new solutions" are poorly implemented and executed so it basically introduced tons of other problems. They also "fixed" a lot of problems by just completely removing those aspects of the game.

So yea, if we took the game for what it was then I guess we could enjoy it but then again...they failed at executing it properly.

Didn't you contradict yourself right there? First you said they fixed the problems, then you said they failed to fix the problems.

I disagree with your general view of the game anyway. I think it's a thoroughly enjoyable game. Easily worth the high 8s and low 9s it's getting in all the reviews. The story is much better, the intensity is much higher. The sound disappointed me (especially in cut scenes). Image quality seems to be a bit lower (or am I imagining things?). The environments are great (except IMO the jungle). Botzone is massive amounts of fun, I love the new cinematic MP mode.

I think it's a fantastic game. Perfect? No, far from it, but a really great game still. I am going to replay it on the hardest mode when my 3D set up gets here within the next two weeks.

 

[JB1981]

I just played KZ2 MP online. Squad spawn and spawn grenades

Honestly, all I basically wanted was KZ2 without boost, rocket launcher spam, smaller player count and a more elegant solution to spawn grenades and I would have been set. I could play on these KZ2 maps forever.

What is with Sony shooter franchises and reinventing with the wheel with each iteration?

 

[commish]

The thing is the game is not casual friendly at all, at least Warzone isn't. If you are playing with randoms and you are pitted against an organized squat you are going to get SMOKED. I just played two Warzone games in a row just now and I was number one with most points and 40 kills and my team still lost 0-7 on Turbine Concourse. Ugh that fucking map. Beyond frustrating.

Which FPSs have you ever played where randoms had a chance against an organized team?

 

[plasmasd]

Playing through again, just got a 3dtv and the sharpshooter. Best looking 3D game I've tried. amazing

 

[JB1981]

Which FPSs have you ever played where randoms had a chance against an organized team?

I played with randoms in Halo and BF BC 2 all the time and the experience has never been this miserable.

 

[patsu]

I just played KZ2 MP online. Squad spawn and spawn grenades

Honestly, all I basically wanted was KZ2 without boost, rocket launcher spam, smaller player count and a more elegant solution to spawn grenades and I would have been set. I could play on these KZ2 maps forever.

What is with Sony shooter franchises and reinventing with the wheel with each iteration?

Spawn grenades are interesting but it is a game breaker in so many occasions. The Assault class is also game breaking. The accelerated controls, narrow field of vision turn many off. The KZ2 maps were confusing at first because they were quite different from other "flatter" maps. Some KZ2 maps are also prone to spawn rape. The objectives are hard to do with a small team when the game often evolves into a clusterf*ck. IMHO, it was best without any of the advanced classes (i.e., the original KZ2 MP where everyone was a beginner), but then again we still needed to get used to the controls.

 

[H_Prestige]

I just played KZ2 MP online. Squad spawn and spawn grenades

Honestly, all I basically wanted was KZ2 without boost, rocket launcher spam, smaller player count and a more elegant solution to spawn grenades and I would have been set. I could play on these KZ2 maps forever.

What is with Sony shooter franchises and reinventing with the wheel with each iteration?

Same. I'm playing regular warzone in KZ2 right now and even the boosting rocket spammers are easier to deal with than the crap in KZ3.

And the maps are so good. They actually have structure and aren't needlessly busy like in KZ3. I feel this games maps are like circles with a bunch of destroyed junk thrown all over the place to make them seem more "complete".

 

[patsu]

I played with randoms in Halo and BF BC 2 all the time and the experience has never been this miserable.

I suspect you'll have greater success in Turbine as Infiltrators. The few time I played it, I could traverse the map freely as one.

Even on Salamun Market, I have 0-7 and 7-0, the people should make most of the differences.

EDIT: Give them time to understand the maps.

 

[boredofcanada]

so is kz2 still full of bot matches? thinking of getting it but last time i played (over a year ago) it was a wasteland

 

[patsu]

Same. I'm playing regular warzone in KZ2 right now and even the boosting rocket spammers are easier to deal with than the crap in KZ3.

I am much more happy on KZ3 so far. Could complete missions with 1-2 helpers, or when I'm lucky, alone ! In KZ2, it's a lot more chaotic and intense, which is good and bad in other ways.

And the maps are so good. They actually have structure and aren't needlessly busy like in KZ3. I feel this games maps are like circles with a bunch of destroyed junk thrown all over the place to make them seem more "complete".

The clutter becomes more interesting after I acquired Infiltrator's sprint speed. I could twist and turn to avoid direct line of fire, especially in Search and Retrieve missions.

 

[Stillmatic]

Spawning on squad leader would help this game so much.

 

[Danne-Danger]

The big worry about Brink is that there looks to be no clan support, which is a huge downer.

They're bound to have something in there. All of SDs previous games have been balanced mainly for competitive play, though it's all been handled outside of the game before (as all competitive PC games) I'm sure they'll have some sort of clan administration and matchmaking stuff in there for the console crowd. Well, "sure" is too strong of a word, and frankly I don't care if they include it or not, but based on their history I'm sure that they'd want to have all that stuff in there and would to anything they can to make it happen.


Anyway, about KZ3, what are some of the major changes they've made with class/weapon balance from KZ2? Overall good or bad?

 

[.GqueB.]

Little by Little shit I said which was considered whining/bitching, but now everyone is starting to realize the faults that GG committed, and starting to see WTF I was talking about

I'm passionate about KZ, enjoyed 2, wanted the same thing for 3, but it really does fail

The reason I'm still staying in this thread is to keep showing others, that this game isn't all the hot shit it was supposed to be

You can't say "enough negativity, more positive reinforcement", when the game doesn't come to being what I and others thought it was going to be

I platinumed and 100%, now I go play MAG for MP and Mass Effect 2 for SP, I'll help answer ?'s, and give advice for whom who want and request

The game is retired until patches/DLC, no point playing the game for me rather than releasing frustration while playing, makes it more frustrated with bullshit

This sentence... are you serious?

You worded it nicely but youre basically saying "Im staying here so I can bitch". I dont really get this thread. When I have a game I dont like I stop playing. Whats more, if I have a sequel to a game I liked and I hate the next iteration of it, I go back to playing the first game. Why they hell are you people still playing this game if you fundamentally dont like it?

You say GG has ignored all your complaints so its not like theyre coming to this thread seeking your crits. Youre not changing my mind or anyone elses who is enjoying the game. So youre just staying here to complain? For what? To what possible end? I understand that forums are for discussion but when that discussion will quite literally lead to absolutely nothing then whats the point of having it? At some point enough is enough.

I'm passionate about KZ, enjoyed 2, wanted the same thing for 3

SO PLAY KZ2!! I dont "get" people like you. Life is much too short to waste time and energy on something you dont like. Itd be like me sitting around critiquing Nick Cannon music videos.

aaaaaaaanyways...

Does anyone actually use the three burst weapons for Medics? I have 3 unlock points to use right now an Im debating getting it but I dont wanna end up regretting it. Tell me if you love it.

 

[patsu]

I don't use it. I regretted paying for the 3-burst rifle. In fact, I still use the entry level medic gun even though I have maxed out everything in medic. I prefer accuracy over power.

Hated the medic LMG. The other LMG model is better, more power and more accurate.

 

[Dibbz]

Just had some awesome games. Played one match on Mawlr as ISA and was an engineer. Planted a Turret just in front of our middle spawn and got so many kills through that. Higs were jumping over the crusher operator button to get to our spawn and my turret was just destroying them.

Then on Capture and Hold I changed to Infiltrator, ran to the C&H point closest to the Higs neutralized it then before they could get me legged it. Was causing so many problems for them. Infinite boost and Disguise lvl 3 are so awesome.

 

[patsu]

I use Infiltrator mainly for Search and Retrieve missions.

For Search and Destroy missions, its great for causing confusion in the attacker's parties (i.e., playing as a defender). As an attacker, it's hard to sneak into the objective room as a disguised soldier because too many of them would shoot first. Once the disguise wear off due to damage, the turrets and bots will feed on your body. >_<

I think medic is more versatile. You are equally difficult to kill when attacking _and_ defending.

 

[mr_nothin]

Didn't you contradict yourself right there? First you said they fixed the problems, then you said they failed to fix the problems.

I disagree with your general view of the game anyway. I think it's a thoroughly enjoyable game. Easily worth the high 8s and low 9s it's getting in all the reviews. The story is much better, the intensity is much higher. The sound disappointed me (especially in cut scenes). Image quality seems to be a bit lower (or am I imagining things?). The environments are great (except IMO the jungle). Botzone is massive amounts of fun, I love the new cinematic MP mode.

I think it's a fantastic game. Perfect? No, far from it, but a really great game still. I am going to replay it on the hardest mode when my 3D set up gets here within the next two weeks.

Well let me clarify. Im only talking about KZ3's multiplayer and I only play Warzone (KZ's main MP mode) for the most part...about 90% of the time. Also, I didnt contradict myself. Just because you fixed something doesnt mean it's an efficient solution to a problem.

How did they fix the problem where people didnt know how to properly use spawn grenades (people not knowing that the ppl that spawn on those grenades spawn in the opposite way in which you threw it)??? They got rid of spawn grenades and replaced it with stationary capture points. Sounds efficient on paper right? They implemented TSPs poorly. Not enough TSPs | Teammates that arent tacticians dont know which TSPs are captured and which ones arent...without dying and checking where they can spawn next | Makes battles a lot less dynamic (kind of subjective) | etc etc.

Couldn't they have just changed the way spawn grenades worked? Change the direction in which players spawn, give an active spawn grenade a radius in which another spawn grenade cant be thrown, dont allow spawn grenades to be thrown within a certain distance of an objective, allow spawn grenades to be destroyed. (to be fair, we're not sure of what problems this could have introduced).

I consider KZ2 MP broken. But there are KZ2 lovers anyway.
I consider KZ3 MP broken, but it's actually more fun than KZ2. There will be KZ3 lovers anyway.

They didn't fix the problem by removing them. There are significant changes, there are removed feature, and there are late patches.

I hope they release the MTU patch fast, and also more maps. I suspect the MTU problem may have caused some of the issues with hang, team balance and hit detection.

I guess I should say they replaced a lot of the mechanics of the game (but they did remove squad leader spawning and ingame squads...what they have now is not an ingame squad, it's a party system with a diff name). They did removed a lot of features though....

 

[Callibretto]

I tried the online yesterday, I remember people whining hp is too little and you die faster, but I didn't feel like that at all. if you want example of low hp in shooter, try MAG, now that game have very hp before upgrades.

anyway, for the actual game, I use move, and it control great. although there's a couple instances when I shoot an enemy like forever and he's not dying, maybe it's lag or something? the experience is not as smooth as I hope, and I have hard time learning the map because there's usually upper, middle lower level and they interconnect with each other. not as simple as look at the map and get a good understanding of the map.

I'll play more for a while, then try SOCOM when it's out, I'll go back to KZ3 when there's a huge update sorting out the lags etc.

 

[.GqueB.]

Couldn't they have just changed the way spawn grenades worked? Change the direction in which players spawn, give an active spawn grenade a radius in which another spawn grenade cant be thrown, dont allow spawn grenades to be thrown within a certain distance of an objective, allow spawn grenades to be destroyed. (to be fair, we're not sure of what problems this could have introduced).

I dont think changing the direction wouldve done much of anything. The way they had it before was perfect because it allowed you to be more exact about where you wanted people to spawn. So lets say I wanted to have people spawn with their backs to a wall under a stairway. If they changed the direction you spawned, as a tactician Id have to stand with my back to that wall and throw the grenade at my feet. Otherwise my teammates would be spawning out in the open.

If I were tasked with "fixing" spawn grenades:

1. Id make them capture-able. Similar to the TSP now. If the other teams tactician could walk up and capture the spawn grenade it would make people more mindful of where they put it. Placing one down in front of the objective would be risky because it would make the spawn so easy to find.

2. Get rid of the goddamn smoke. I never understood this. Having the spawn grenades puff smoke was pretty much an invitation to camp a spawn. There was nothing tactical about it. It was a giant "HEY HERE WE ARE." The spawn grenades should have been a handful of glow sticks. Still visible but at least they wouldve been a smidge harder to find and camp. It wouldve made things more interesting because all the other team would know is that the enemy is coming from "THAT WAY" and not just "RIGHT OVER THERE".

 

[patsu]

I guess I should say they replaced a lot of the mechanics of the game (but they did remove squad leader spawning and ingame squads...what they have now is not an ingame squad, it's a party system with a diff name). They did removed a lot of features though....

Best is to interview GG. Sometimes, features don't mix well with each other. They removed some features that people liked, they may be willing to listen (again) if you communicate rationally. I believe even KZ2 squad was not persistent at the beginning.

I am wary of shortening the medic cool-off time though. I think he's sufficiently "powerful". I have to choose who to revive and that may not be a bad thing. We shall see.

 

[Vandiger]

This sentence... are you serious?

You worded it nicely but youre basically saying "Im staying here so I can bitch". I dont really get this thread. When I have a game I dont like I stop playing. Whats more, if I have a sequel to a game I liked and I hate the next iteration of it, I go back to playing the first game. Why they hell are you people still playing this game if you fundamentally dont like it?

You say GG has ignored all your complaints so its not like theyre coming to this thread seeking your crits. Youre not changing my mind or anyone elses who is enjoying the game. So youre just staying here to complain? For what? To what possible end? I understand that forums are for discussion but when that discussion will quite literally lead to absolutely nothing then whats the point of having it? At some point enough is enough.

I'm passionate about KZ, enjoyed 2, wanted the same thing for 3

SO PLAY KZ2!! I dont "get" people like you. Life is much too short to waste time and energy on something you dont like. Itd be like me sitting around critiquing Nick Cannon music videos.

aaaaaaaanyways...

Does anyone actually use the three burst weapons for Medics? I have 3 unlock points to use right now an Im debating getting it but I dont wanna end up regretting it. Tell me if you love it.

The silenced assault rifle is pretty awesome using scope(love it) or even hip firing, I can usually kill guys within one burst or enough to let my med-droid to finish them off. The only issue with medics are the fact you can't give out health kits, the revive has to be aimed to carefully and you have to be so close to the character, the fact the cool down is so long compared to inflitrators disguise ability. Anyways, I love being medic in KZ2, sort of dissapointed by KZ3 on that regard.
Engineers need better weapons too, having an LMG as the final primary weapon is an insult when compared to other classes.

 

[user friendly]

Cool, thanks. I'll keep on going then.

You can always manually select the next mission where you'll be able to reselect the difficulty just to be sure without loosing any progression.

 

[DoomGyver]

The silenced assault rifle is pretty awesome using scope(love it) or even hip firing, I can usually kill guys within one burst or enough to let my med-droid to finish them off. The only issue with medics are the fact you can't give out health kits, the revive has to be aimed to carefully and you have to be so close to the character, the fact the cool down is so long compared to inflitrators disguise ability. Anyways, I love being medic in KZ2, sort of dissapointed by KZ3 on that regard.
Engineers need better weapons too, having an LMG as the final primary weapon is an insult when compared to other classes.

You don't have to give out health kits, the aurora speeds up the health regeneration of teammates you're next to. I don't have any problem with the m82SE either, it keeps you off of the radar and its pretty deadly if you get good with the bursts.

 

[.GqueB.]

You don't have to give out health kits, the aurora speeds up the health regeneration of teammates you're next to. I don't have any problem with the m82SE either, it keeps you off of the radar and its pretty deadly if you get good with the bursts.

And theres my problem. Im generally ok when I come upon someone from a distance. I can compose myself and aim etc etc. But when someone comes around the corner on me Im one of those "AH!@!! *spray and pray*" type of people. Its really sad. Ive emptied out clips and hit nothing before, lol.

 

[Y2Kev]

So I thought Earth

Spoiler

was nuclear-ravaged and all shitty? Why is it worth saving at all? That was the point of colonizing Vekta, I thought?

Also, why does the ISA

Spoiler

surrender? Like, really? Why surrender at all? The Helghast just lost a major war (Second Extrasolar) and are contained entirely within their home planet. There's no reason for every other planet/the UCA to surrender.

I don't get these two points.

 

[Kogepan]

Which FPSs have you ever played where randoms had a chance against an organized team?

Of course people will complain when their organized clans AREN't able to rape randoms.

Frankly, doesn't this indicate good design? Or do people now want maps where there is no incentive for working together?

Or should a single guy with 40 kills in Warzone be able to singlehandleldly win Warzone?

 

[Facism]

FTSG had an ops match vs VC-9 clan. you can gather what weapon they were all using lol.

 

[BattleMonkey]

So I thought Earth

Spoiler

was nuclear-ravaged and all shitty? Why is it worth saving at all? That was the point of colonizing Vekta, I thought?

Also, why does the ISA

Spoiler

surrender? Like, really? Why surrender at all? The Helghast just lost a major war (Second Extrasolar) and are contained entirely within their home planet. There's no reason for every other planet/the UCA to surrender.

I don't get these two points.

Earth

Spoiler

is a separate entity from both the ISA and Helghan, it is kind of big brother to the everyone while the Vectans and Helghast were just Independent Earth colonies. Nothing I have ever read has said anything about Earth being messed up, and it was the Earth fleet that helps save Vecta in the KZ1.

The ISA seemed to want to just end the war as they failed at the invasion of Helghan. The entire first wave of the invasion was wiped out and the 2nd wave was mostly destroyed and forced to retreat as seen in KZ3. The surrender was basically an attempt to end hostilities that started in KZ1 since KZ2 was essentially the failed counterattack and not a separate war.

 

[Shakala]

So playing with HUD and crosshair off online is awesome

 

[RedRedSuit]

Having finished this on Veteran, campaign opinions only:

Overall: B. First let me say that those critics claiming the campaign was a "miserable experience" or "it is just not good," etc., are full of shit as far as I'm concerned. This was definitely a solid campaign. It's not what it could have been and lacks the impact of its predecessor, but it definitely delivers and is worth recommending to any shooter fan.

Overall, though, I was personally disappointed especially with the first half, though the game really turned around starting with the ice level. The sense of gritty realism from KZ2 has dissipated, as has the atmosphere, as has the level design and the feel. The campaign feels like they were simultaneously more ambitious (more locations, types of missions, etc.) yet had far less time to polish it and make it really strong. Too much pandering and trying to please everyone. I don't blame them for trying something different: they likely thought they'd get backlash if they just did KZ2 part II; but I just don't think they're experienced with this CoD-style globe-trotting thing to make it work with just 2 years of development... it's not their style. CoD has the "shooting gallery with pretty set pieces" thing covered -- Guerrilla should focus on making a nice tough tactical shooter. KZ3 was a step back in terms of the latter, even if did pick up some CoDisms.

Gameplay: B+. There's good news and bad news. Good news first -- all the glaring issues with KZ2 have been addressed. At no point did this game have any momentum-killing ultra-frustrating sections like KZ2. No endless waves of enemies, no huge difficulty spikes. Therefore at no point was KZ3 as bad as KZ2 was in a few isolated spots (for example, the AA gun and the pre-Radec fight). The other major problem with KZ2's campaign were the friendlies, who didn't kill anyone and constantly died, having to be revived. Not only are they competent fighters now, but they will even resuscitate you if you die.

So, that's good. The bad news is that this game is just nowhere near as intense as its predecessor. It is far, far easier overall (I seem to remember having a slightly harder time on Trooper in KZ2 than Veteran in KZ3). That's not necessarily bad, but combined with the fact that approximately the first 1/3 to 1/2 of the game features no memorable firefights (in fact, I can barely remember anything before the stealth jungle section), it makes for a far less exciting experience. Honestly, all of the escape from Pyrrhus is rather dull, when it should be pulse-poundingly terrifying. There was this standard fight against the snipers (sniper on the left! sniper on the right corner!) which was so by-the-numbers I was honestly rolling my eyes. This is a big contrast with Killzone 2, which pretty much exploded from the get-to without such gimmicks.

Excluding the stealth section (which was fine), the game's low point was the jungle area. It was rather ugly and ended in a confusing standoff. I was about to give up on the game, but then it really improved. The demo level (which the demo did not fully represent) was great. It was fairly open and vertical. Everything from that point on was at least solid. Finally the game's enemy A.I. got a workout. The MAWLR set piece was awesome (though admittedly not nearly as terrifying nor difficult as one would assume just looking at the thing). Overall, this game was definitely a step back in terms of the bread and butter level design which was so good in KZ2 but just par for the course here.

Unfortunately, even just the basic game mechanics were one step forward, one step back. Certainly the shooting is more responsive and easier. On the other hand they've added really blatant auto-aim that's almost CoD-like at times. Also all the main automatic weapons seem way too similar to each other now. The two ARs are seemingly identical, and the SMG is not much different. Even the LMGs seem way too usable at long range. Ammo was an issue in KZ2, but ammo crates are EVERYWHERE now, which sadly removes a lot of the tension. Ammo crates and weapons racks also appear in nonsensical areas.

Finally, there are the vehicles and on-rails sections: namely too many of the latter and too few of the former. It's not that there were that many but that it seemed like the game relied on them to provide the WOW moments... and with the exception of the MAWLR fight, it really didn't. Honestly, they should mostly abolish on-rails segments. Put in some real vehicles instead, and make those actually challenging like the real firefights instead of making them pure "reward" sections where you get to slaughter everyone.

BTW I recommend changing the control layout to Alternate and set Crouch/Cover to Hold (instead of Lock). Much nicer if you like to use cover IMO. Easier to get away if you get grenade-spammed.

Story/atmosphere/voice acting: B-. Again a lot of hyperbole on the criticism in the press on this (though admittedly I was playing in Russian; in English a lot of the battlefield chatter seemed poorly done by comparison). This is not a bad story. In fact it's fine. It was clear what was going on, and it set up some interesting situations and a decent dramatic arc, for a shooter. The Helghast in-fighting was effectively conveyed, and I actually felt a certain kinship to Narville and (gasp) Rico this time around.

The problem was the constant interruptions. It's fine in a slower-paced game like an MGS. In Killzone 3, though, there were way too many times when I'd get through a 5-10-minute-long section of brutal fighting, only to suddenly walk into a cutscene when my gun is involuntarily lowered and a bunch of exposition is shown. Games can do cutscenes effectively, but it has to be either infrequent, or it has to be blended into the game (see Uncharted 2). It was way way WAY overdone here, with tons of sudden transitions.

So yeah, on a pure plot and performance level it was just fine. But in terms of how it affected the gameplay... it was pretty bad. Take Resident Evil 4. That game had a terrible story (much worse than this), but it didn't get in the way of the gameplay. It did here.

Oh, and the ending was AWFUL! What the hell!

Graphics: A-. On a technical level, superb and far ahead of any other shooter on consoles (that's released, anyway). Clean image quality, excellent animations, mind-bogglingly complex environments (though mostly inaccessible for gameplay purposes), at times shocking amounts of simultaneous activity, all without losing smoothness (except for this one bizarre pathological 5-fps area at the end of an early level, which has to be some bug). I mean, I didn't have an FPS counter running, but with the exception of that one fight, I didn't encounter any noticeable frame rate drops ever.

On an artistic level, it definitely loses its identity. For all the me-too criticism of KZ2's "brown" color palette (which wasn't even true... the game had quite a varied color scheme over its overall course), it had its own identity. It was different from everyone else. All those post-processing effects combined with the oppressive lightning and dark skies of Pyrrhus in KZ2 are kind of gone. Instead the game goes for a brighter look. It worked. It's not as unique, but it's usually quite impressive -- once you get past Pyrrhus and the jungle. The jungle itself, however, was terribly ugly and didn't use the engine's strengths at all. There was actually a time in this game where I thought I might prefer KZ2's graphics to KZ3's. Again, all that disappeared starting with the ice level but still.

By the way, the loading hitches from KZ2 are mostly gone. The are some, sometimes, but they're barely noticeable to me.

Sound design/music: C. What a mess! I don't place *that* much importance on sound in games, but honestly, WTF? At default settings, I had to turn the volume up to hear the cutscenes, then when the gameplay started again, people's voices and sound FX *blared* at me. Eventually I had to set all those thing to like 60% volume to even this out a bit. Then at times during the gameplay, people's speech would be whisper quiet then suddenly get nice and loud. No, it's not some technical problem with my setup. The sound design was just not properly done in this game.

Value: B. I finished on Veteran in 6.5 hours not counting deaths. So that's probably something like 8 hours total. Shorter than KZ2, much shorter than Reach (for me), longer than the CoDs. So not bad. The lack of online coop is *sigh*, though to be fair, I am not really inclined to replay through this.

---

I also played 2-3 hours' worth of multiplayer. MP is not really my thing, but I have to say that this, to me, was really enjoyable, and I will be playing again. I think those that were unhappy with KZ2's online should find much to like here. All classes are unlocked, a constant stream of rewards, simple matchmaking, simple party system, tight controls, less health (not like CoD but closer), no more 32-player clusterfucks; Warzone is back and still rules. Haven't had a chance to try Operations yet. The menu system is really solid and responsive though also way simpler than before. This, to me, was just so much more accessible than KZ2 was. No more trying to make it as a grunt before using some real classes; I feel like I can contribute to my team (and points to myself) as a Tactician from the get-go instead of basically getting reamed by the game in the beginning, even if I'm not a great shot (0.7 KDR, baby!).

Already I felt a couple of problems, but they are not game killers. First of all, I got stuck on Salamun Market -- the game refused to put me into any other Warzone maps. I had to pick a different map on purpose to make the game stop doing that. I also couldn't find a detailed stats screen -- how many matches I've won, what my favorite weapon is, etc. -- not in-game and not on Killzone.com. I assume people will have complaints about balance, and I haven't played enough to say anything, so all I can say as a noob is that it was fun. I'd love to play with some people on here in a more organized way (it'd be nice to have an engineer who can repair ammo crates near by Spawn Areas).

 

[rdrr gnr]

People huddled around the mortar spawn on MAWLR reminds me of the people who waited around for the UAV in BC2. Not sure which group is more useless.

 

[MustacheBandit_]

the game would be much more enjoyable without mortar spam. its funny because although I enjoy the game and have fun in multi, the longer I play I am realizing just how many things they did wrong with it. At first I thought it was just the killzone 2 vets being whiny but nope, there are a lot of questionable design choices with just about every aspect of multiplayer.

 

[jorma]

I really don't understand the majority of the complaints. I do miss a lot of stuff from kz2 but it's more like stats, matchmaking and clan options, none of it is related to gameplay and i hope they do patch some extra stuff in post release.

I get a LOT less framerate slowdown/lag/random grief bullshit from kz3 than i did in kz2. (Maybe in part because my internet is a lot better now.) Ok sometimes i do get some laggy 5-15 rage-inducing games, but not really a lot. I'm wondering if all the people who think it unplayable are playing on the US server and there really is a big difference between playing on US and EU servers?

I played nothing but randoms pretty much the whole day yesterday since i could not get an invite to a clangame, and had some shitty games, some good games and some fuck awesome close 3-3 games, and every single game was always or nearly always full.
All in all i had a great time.

KZ3 is a much better multiplayer game than KZ2 in my opinion. Much much better. Patch in some stuff that makes it easier to organize clan games though, the fact that the clan system is so bare bones is not really excusable considering they had it going in the last game.

edit: removing the dlc maps improved the game a LOT for me.

 

[cnizzle06]

Just finished my run on elite. It was pretty fair for the most part, the last part of the jungle was a bitch and the final on-rails bit was annoying as fuck but overall, much more enjoyable, especially with all the HUD crap turned off.

 

[DevelopmentArrested]

I wanna play the game again but DO fucking not want to have to go through same shitty tutorisl section again.... TWICE

 

[RedRedSuit]

I wanna play the game again but DO fucking not want to have to go through same shitty tutorisl section again.... TWICE

It lasts 5 minutes, dude. Come on.

 

[user8503492]

I'm enjoying the SP so far, not finished just yet tho.
Me and my son love playing co-op shooters, playing an hour or 2 on weekends and constant restarts from TK'ING each other has slowed us down lol.

To be honest to me the MP is exactly like KZ2, when I say that I mean really good but obvious flaws everyone seems to see except GG. Just like in KZ2 I find myself saying "how did they make such a good MP yet think this glaring issue is ok"

Off the top of my head, flaws from MP that make me think GG are oblivious to the competition, balance, and fun.

1. Proximity mines...everywere. Serious you tell yourself you'll look out for them but every corner and road is just a minefield..of proximity mines.

2. Marksman..really, out of all the classes you can turn this class into a monster. The ease and power of sniping (good job on sway GG!) coupled with 2 secondarys so the sniper can also carry an AR, top this off with a beasty silenced machine pistol.
The cherry on top of this dispenser of death is invisibility coupled with radar jamming. So while they can eliminate you from distance and CQC they also are impossible to detect.

3. Medic nerfed IMO.
Med Packs > Aura
KZ2 Med gun > KZ3 Half ass revive idea
Lack of mini map indication of Medics location, and the time to respawn needs an increase so medics even have a chance to reach a moron spamming X

4. Stats, is it just me or is the game giving you the bare bones when it comes to stats. Maybe I can't find the menu but the amount I find is laughably sparse.

5. TOO GOD DAMN LONG BETWEEN MATCHES! 30 seconds of this, some loading, another 30 seconds etc..

6. Lastly some brilliant ideas floating around the KZ Forums I agree with..
A. Honor badges, um where they go?
B. Clan system, why was this torn to shreds and made a shell of what it was?
C. Replay mode from Killzone.com, another cool feature deemed to smart an idea from KZ2?
D. Boltgun and Flamethrower? Seriously, your gonna sell them to us AGAIN???
E. Ability to see friends status on the HUD, did I miss the memo saying this wasnt important?
F. Suiside point reduction, another usual feature in every shooter has..but KZ..

I'm sure theres more I could bitch about and I feel it only makes sense cause just like KZ2 GG was on the verge of making an exclusive shooter for the PS3 which might have rivaled the likes of Halo or CoD.
But its as if they took 1 step forward and 2 back, its as if they just don't "get" how to make a MP FPS, I say this cause the issues are abundantly clear just like they were in KZ2.
Once again fans are left asking the same question they did while playing KZ2...
"This game is so good but why did they fuck it up by.."insert glaring issue, unneeded change, blantant lack of balance etc.."

I'm sure if a gang of FPS enthusiast and KZ2 diehards were given sometime with the game pre-launch and GG agreed to implament they're ideas and changes to the final product we would all be singing the praises of are new FPS overlord. Instead we are left wondering what good the input we gave during the beta was and is it time to just except that as good as GG is at visuals and art direction that when it comes to MP they are far from able to design/balance what should be Sonys AAA flagship FPS. So much potential drowning in mediocrity.

 

[StealthGoblin]

I wanna play the game again but DO fucking not want to have to go through same shitty tutorisl section again.... TWICE

Heh. I the same way about most of the game. In fact, the only chapter I feel I want to play again is the Junkyard level. Everything else was a 'okay-great the first time through' but I'd be bored if I played them again.

 

[Chuckie]

I finished the SP saturday... but considering I was slightly intoxicated at the time I have a question about the ending.

Spoiler

The sir the two Helghan soldiers are talking to.... it's Stahl right?
I thought I actually saw him but I guess I imagined that in my drunk head.
Or are we not supposed to know who it was? Like Radec or someone else much cooler than that ugly little Stahl guy

 

[kroosmarin]

for me it is the best shooter available just because of the implementation of move!

i feel like a retard when playing a shooter with the dualshock these days.....

 

[Thrakier]

Ops is a brilliant mode because everyone is going for the objective. It just works and it's ton of funs. A pitty that there are only 3 maps and no DLC...

 

[jorma]

Ops is a brilliant mode because everyone is going for the objective. It just works and it's ton of funs. A pitty that there are only 3 maps and no DLC...

My only beef with operations is that the games tend to be very short and the delay between games is loooooooooooong. Longer games is mainly why i prefer warzone.

 

[Wickwire]

Sooo... I finished the game on Elite this weekend. Much, much easier than I was hoping for. Elite felt easier than KZ2 on veteran. Besides the on-rails scene, which im just terrible at no matter what game, I just walked through eash stage. Very disappointing.