So I finally stopped playing about an hour ago. I fucking LOVE this game lol. As I did the predecessor (though not quite as much). Something about the KZ franchise just feels like it was made for me. I prefer the gunplay and firefights over any other shooter. There's this intimate personality to all the battles that just makes them so unique and raw.
Playing it in Elite now, just enjoying it a whole lot more, though naturally it is a tonne harder. That being said, I haven't died that much more, since it's forcing me to play far more tactically and cautiously, a lot more realistically. Every burst you fire off has to be more carefully thought out, and you have to select targets a lot more efficiently. You also have to choose cover and hiding locations much wiser, as they will precision grenade you out of your comfort hiding spot faster than you can shoot off a whole mag (or at most two).
If I could compare the gunplay to another shooter, I guess it's closest rival would be FEAR. I dont know if that's because of the AI, weapons or what. But it's more similar in pacing and tactility. Maybe Gears too now that I think about it. COD whilst really fun, has this serious sam like bowling feel to it. You're literally just mass murdering hundreds at a time like you were a God and enemies are nothing but inconvenient fodder. Halo is more open and playful. Enemies take a lot more damage and everything is more animated, but doesn't have the same level of realism and weapon feedback. To me the kills aren't as satisfying. In KZ, i's a nice balance between not having too many enemies, but just enough that it feels like a large scale struggle, but with intimate battles in between. Often you spend a fair bit of time on just one enemy in a crowd of many, one super intelligent enemy who is lucky enough to be far enough and behind enough cover, cover that he'll use intelligently enough that he will annoy you and pick at you to no end, and you will keep hounding him till you finally get that beautiful head shot that has you seeing his body flumo behind the cover and the blood trickle out. But all the while, the knowledge that each second you waste on him could either have him pick you off, or some other enemy flank you, that fear makes the battles so much better. Not to mention the actual weapon sounds (deadly) and enemy animations (inc hit detection).
Anyway, I'm going on and on, but after another long play session, I had to get it off my chest. Probably my fave first person shooting franchise now. Overtaking Half Life (bring out HL3 already). Still not my favourite online shooter by a long shot mind. Talking strictly single player campaign here.
