Chapter 3 tricked me into thinking the game was going to go in a very different direction and left me kind of disappointed.
Still love it because of the atmosphere though, wish there were more sections like that.
That one long audio file in Chapter 3 is pretty creepy. I found it near the burned bodies. It sounded like some torture scene in a crazy movie
Will be interesting to see how other games use the speaker in the controllers. The way it layers over the sound in your tv/home theater is pretty engaging.
On a side note, just started a second playthrough on easy, like I usually do after a normal run. I'm enjoying revisiting the levels with a less troublesome opposition. The game gets too much hate.
Chapter 3 tricked me into thinking the game was going to go in a very different direction and left me kind of disappointed.
Still love it because of the atmosphere though, wish there were more sections like that.
Uhm, I thought the audio logs are only played through the DS4's speakers?
I remember people complaining about that and it's good when I'm playing with headphones on, but when I'm not, the audio log sound is coming from the TV at the same time and it's way too loud.
Is there somewhere a setting that changes if the audio logs come via controller/speakers/both? Or at least a way to reduce the volume? (I only know how to change the volume of the DS4 speaker, but that doesn't change that it's way too loud on the TV still)
Also, I only get subtitles during cutscenes, but the reason I have them on in games is actually because I might miss something during gameplay otherwise. Even more weird is that e.g. the audio logs HAVE subtitles when played via the option menu, but they don't show when I'm listening to them during gameplay.
Finally finished my first playthrough, on hard! I can see why people got infuriated at that section. Easiest way I found was to....
pick which ever weapons you are happy with, clear out most the enemies in the first wave whilst stood behind the opening / closing doors. Go in once there is only a few left, use the stun ability on any of the armadillo troopers to remove their shield. Once that first wave is done and you get the checkpoint run as fast as you can for the far right corner of the room. There is a chaingun there. Kill the two guys who are near it and pick it up. Plant a shield near the door in front of you then open the door and get ready to shoot! Once you kill those few run as fast as you can to the very beginning of the area and spam the tactical echo and just mow down anyone who comes near, using the stun ability of the owl to remove shields.
I made it through that area first attempt once i knew where the
chaingun
was.
I enjoyed the SP, took my time to work through it and although it's not amazing I'd say it was pretty solid. I'm looking forward to going back through it on easy to find the last few collectibles and get a few of the other random trophies.
Finished the Campaign today. I haven't really tracked much of the opinion surrounding it, but will give a few of my thoughts on it.
I thought the general theme was pretty good, giving you an insight on both sides of 'the wall'. And the missions themselves were often pretty good. When you got the attack drone, I thought it might be a bit of a useless/annoying feature but it was actually rather enjoyable. Although, the very first time you use it is probably better than the rest, because I was zip-lining from all sorts of places. Later in the game, you basically either have to do something with the drone, or it tends to be just something you forget about.
So after that, Chapter 3 is a cool change - then Ch4 looks good and everything. Once you get into 5+6, there are some good moments, and none of it is particularly bad - but it does start to get a little bit 'FPS by numbers'.
Saying that, Ch8 is a bit of a change, almost like a different game really. Introducing loads of new concepts. I'm not really sure whether that worked or not, some of it got rather tedious - but at least it was different.
Then Ch9 was very much standard FPS end game.
Go via these steel catwalks killing bad guys, defend someone 'hacking a computer', kind of a weird boss-fight (I had barely any ammo left in the standard gun which shoots the charge to take down the shield, so I just kept running and shooting him with a gun that I picked up, and he went down after a couple of tries). After that, you have the very standard go-through-rooms killing a lot of tough bad guys. It was a pretty disappointing end (or so I thought) really.
I have just seen a few people moaning at the difficulty of this part - it was hard (playing on normal), and i'm not great, but I actually didn't die (revived by drone a couple of times).
I found the first room easy enough, the second was really hard, and I came so close a lot of times, but I just stayed in cover, got a shot out when I could, and used my drone to attack constantly.
I was glad at the extra little mission. I felt sure that the ending couldn't have just been as it was. That being said, the whole stealth thing only playing a small part in this last semi-mission was a little strange. And, i'm not sure about others, but I just basically ran for it after going for the sniper anyway.
Overall, I liked the game. There are some ideas that I think could have been spread out better, and used for a greater effect - but it is good enough.
Finished the Campaign today. I haven't really tracked much of the opinion surrounding it, but will give a few of my thoughts on it.
I thought the general theme was pretty good, giving you an insight on both sides of 'the wall'. And the missions themselves were often pretty good. When you got the attack drone, I thought it might be a bit of a useless/annoying feature but it was actually rather enjoyable. Although, the very first time you use it is probably better than the rest, because I was zip-lining from all sorts of places. Later in the game, you basically either have to do something with the drone, or it tends to be just something you forget about.
So after that, Chapter 3 is a cool change - then Ch4 looks good and everything. Once you get into 5+6, there are some good moments, and none of it is particularly bad - but it does start to get a little bit 'FPS by numbers'.
Saying that, Ch8 is a bit of a change, almost like a different game really. Introducing loads of new concepts. I'm not really sure whether that worked or not, some of it got rather tedious - but at least it was different.
Then Ch9 was very much standard FPS end game.
Go via these steel catwalks killing bad guys, defend someone 'hacking a computer', kind of a weird boss-fight (I had barely any ammo left in the standard gun which shoots the charge to take down the shield, so I just kept running and shooting him with a gun that I picked up, and he went down after a couple of tries). After that, you have the very standard go-through-rooms killing a lot of tough bad guys. It was a pretty disappointing end (or so I thought) really.
I have just seen a few people moaning at the difficulty of this part - it was hard (playing on normal), and i'm not great, but I actually didn't die (revived by drone a couple of times).
I found the first room easy enough, the second was really hard, and I came so close a lot of times, but I just stayed in cover, got a shot out when I could, and used my drone to attack constantly.
I was glad at the extra little mission. I felt sure that the ending couldn't have just been as it was. That being said, the whole stealth thing only playing a small part in this last semi-mission was a little strange. And, i'm not sure about others, but I just basically ran for it after going for the sniper anyway.
Overall, I liked the game. There are some ideas that I think could have been spread out better, and used for a greater effect - but it is good enough.
Yep. Could have used some more time in development. They should have scrapped some ideas (eg. freefall sections), and include more variety in areas. The last mission was also a little weird because of how oddly the pacing felt, but those types of missions (and those like Ch. 3) should have been more prominent throughout imo.
Seriously though, I'm curious as to what you mean by "hollow", especially compared to the other major shooters of today. Personally, I'd give the game an 8/10. I thought it has a solid personality as a "gritty sci-fi shooter" in contrast to Halo's more "sterile sci-fi shooter".
Yep. Could have used some more time in development. They should have scrapped some ideas (eg. freefall sections), and include more variety in areas. The last mission was also a little weird because of how oddly the pacing felt, but those types of missions (and those like Ch. 3) should have been more prominent throughout imo.
Chapter 8-10 is some of the worst designed levels i've ever experienced. The scripting is just terrible, and the layouts are so repetitive. Chapter 1-5 had me stoked, and then it's all downhill from there :<.
Can someone please tell me how to do the melee/stealth attack when dropping from above followed up by throwing your knife at a second dude? I lapsed concentration when the tutorial told me and I completely missed it.
I downloaded the game today to try it out this weekend (PS+). The game keeps crashing everytime I try to join a game, so I deleted it and downloaded it again but it still crashes and gives me an error code.
Got the game for Christmas, only got up to like Chapter 6 or 7 so far. The game looks freaking beautiful. The actually gameplay is hit or miss. My biggest complaint is the voice acting and writing is kind of terribad. I actually really like the premise and I think there could have been a really, really cool story if the voice acting and writing were better. The themes are cool, but it feels like it's written by a 14-year-old trying to explain East/West Germany or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict using bad futuristic fanfiction sometimes. It's by no means the train wreck people make out to be and the graphics are amazing, but it's not like a GOTY candidate or anything.
Wrapped up the SP yesterday, and I'm still deciding why I didn't love the game. I enjoyed it much of the time, some of the time it was a bit of a slog, and I found the overall story arc reasonably satisfying. I'd give it a 7/10 but it feels like a really unbalanced score. There are bits that are solid 10/10 and other parts that are 5/10 and drag it down.
What worked for me?
The overall story arc was a refreshing change of pace from the basic solider for good vs. soldiers for evil backstory that completely fails to engage me in most FPS titles. The introductory chapter and subsequent storytelling did a reasonable job of engaging me in the overall objectives. Controls were generally tight and responsive without that signature Killzone lag that just wasn't fun no matter how realistic it might be. The OWL was a fun addition that gave the title some much needed character. Lastly and most impressively, the lighting in the game was absolutely transcendent. Colorful and dynamic, it was the standout artistic element in an otherwise generic set of design decisions. Nothing else screamed "next-gen" especially, making the representation of lighting the clear star of the show.
What failed to connect?
The characters didn't sell the story all that well. They were all too wooden, too one-dimensional and undermined what could have been a memorable game. Mission design was far from clear with vague objectives that were fine once you figured them out, but all too often you were guaranteed to fail a few times while you tried to figure out what the game wanted you to do. Models and textures didn't measure up to the lighting, with none of the next-gen sophistication I'm expecting in representing a range of materials.
So it was well worth playing, but I'm not shocked it didn't garner stellar reviews.
Seriously though, I'm curious as to what you mean by "hollow", especially compared to the other major shooters of today. Personally, I'd give the game an 8/10. I thought it has a solid personality as a "gritty sci-fi shooter" in contrast to Halo's more "sterile sci-fi shooter".
I agree with the description of "hollow." To me, the game just felt derivative and soulless, without its own personality. I can enjoy even bad games if they know what they're trying to be and revel in their own sense of style, but this game just seemed like it was checking the boxes without as much as a whiff of fun.
I didn't mind them either, but a lot of others hated the free-falling. And it's easy to understand why, as it was rather annoying at times. But yeah, the idea was good, but implementation could have been a lot better.
Hit or miss is a good description of the game. I liked it but it was an uneven game. I like the direction the game took away from previous Killzone titles, but certain elements were just sloppy. The story for example, I like what they attempted, but again it was sloppy in how it was done, with so many elements that should have been more thought out, clarified, and better executed. The whole game's set up with the Helghan moving in and kicking people out, that needed to be fleshed out alot more to make it more logical. Like previous killzones, I assume they have a ton of background made up explaining alot, but they fail to inject it into the actual games. And encounter/gameplay design had lot of highs and lows.
The MP is fantastic, I usually prefer my FPS on the PC, so thats where I go for stuff like BF4, but for a console game I find Killzone to be right in it's design and feel for the console experience.
I agree with the description of "hollow." To me, the game just felt derivative and soulless, without its own personality. I can enjoy even bad games if they know what they're trying to be and revel in their own sense of style, but this game just seemed like it was checking the boxes without as much as a whiff of fun.
I don't see this at all. To me you are describing exactly what is each CoD and BF sequel. This felt like it was trying to do something different and go a new direction for the franchise, though I have to say they weren't totally successful at this and took several falls on their journey. Unpolished or needing more time in the oven perhaps, but hollow to me is exactly what the annual big FPS games feels like. Killzone 3 to me was exactly what one would consider hollow, as it was feeling too much like it was trying to be like every other shooter on the market especially with the changes they made to MP as well.
Just did Ch.5 on Hard.
LOOOVE games that reward methodical play and not just trial and error.
Basically KZ SF/Mercenary on Hard is how I wish more FPS's would approach higher difficulty:
-More aggressive enemy AI
-Enemies still go done with the same amount of damage but now so do you
-The player isn't handicapped IE: Enemies are now bullet sponges, your accuracy is worse (STILL can't believe RAGE did this shit), AI always know where you are and have aimbot accuracy/reflexes
- Higher difficulty forces player to utilize their arsenal/tools ala Crysis
By doing so they'd lose people like me, who prefer the SP campaign over the MP. By bringing co-op to the MP they might convert those, who don't enjoy competitive online play.
Battlefield is the only big shooter series that I could see with getting away with that. Even COD has a long history of single player campaigns, and they used to be pretty damn good too.
So I'm playing the free weekend right now. I also have a copy of KZ coming in. The mail, gift from my family. Do I delete KZ from my PS4 when the new one comes or just pop it in and go?
Given how this one ends, I think it's pretty much now a possibility.
I think they made a smart move with both Shadow Fall and Mercenary going the mostly gray area route, which gradually allowed people to distance themselves from the ISA/VSA.
Now did it need take this many games? .no not really
By doing so they'd lose people like me, who prefer the SP campaign over the MP. By bringing co-op to the MP they might convert those, who don't enjoy competitive online play.
Jesus NO! Ok this needs to stop, all this campaign sucks, needs to die gibberish.
The Killzone Universe is up there with the Star Wars franchise for fuck sake, its mega awesome, if you dont like it play something else, stop trying to ruin it for those that enjoy it.
They tried something different for 4's campaign and failed for a lot of people. That doesn't that mean they should scrap a core part of their product. That would be lunacy.
They tried something different for 4's campaign and failed for a lot of people. That doesn't that mean they should scrap a core part of their product. That would be lunacy.
I just hope they listen to the right criticisms and don't try to appease people that just plain don't like the series and we get another KZ3 that doesn't please anyone.
I'm surprised there hasn't been a spin off Helghast game (on vita) or campaign in a KZ yet.
Dropping campaign would be a no for me as I like that KZ gives me something different to BF, COD or even Halo. It has it's own voice, art style & universe.
I think the complicated history and tone of KZ would also allow for interesting stories & scenarios but story doesn't seem to be GG's strongest point.
I just hope they listen to the right criticisms and don't try to appease people that just plain don't like the series and we get another KZ3 that doesn't please anyone.
I'm glad that the free weekend is over. Yesterday I played a Classic Warzone game where I wasn't revived once, half the team didn't spawn on the beacon I placed near the objectives and no shields placed.
Maybe some people are used to the COD formula of gun, explosive and killstreak and ignore the rest but when you are placed in a "team" like this, it's over before it started. We lost 1-4 and I was the best player overall not because I'm good but I was the only one playing the objetives.
Completely agree with the menus. It's incredible how the quality of UI in FPS online shooters have deteriorated in recent years. MOH Warfighter was even worse. BF3 and BF4 are a different kind of mess and even COD Ghosts has a much worse UI than previous iterations of that franchise.
But Shadow Fall multiplayer is much better than KZ3. Just the fact that we don't have Spawn Beacons that only tacticians can capture is more than enough.
who are the composers of the soundtrack? i remember reading they had two this time, one for each section. vekta one was joriis de man, as in previous killzones, but who's the new one?
