RipTen Videogame Blog » Killzone-2

Killzone Re-Release for PS3 Delayed “Indefinitely”

Sam Naylor — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:00:03 +0000

Killzone‘s official Twitter page has said that a re-release of Killzone for PS3 has been delayed until further notice.

It said:

With regards to KZ1 for PS3, not sure what happened but I’ve been informed that it’s been delayed indefinitely.

This news comes despite the fact that Sony has said rumours of a re-release for Killzone 1 were “false“.

It’s a shame, since I think Killzone 1 was actually a rather good game- and I didn’t really like Killzone 2.

Cosplay Spotlight: The Helghast (Killzone)

Dave Oshry — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 02:40:04 +0000

Call them space Nazis, call them evil fascist oppressors of freedom – but one thing is for sure - The Helghast are bad ass. With the release of Killzone 3 fast approaching, we only thought it fitting to find some men and women who could step into the evil cosplay combat boots of Killzone’s iconic evil doers.

First up, we’ve got this Helghast Tactician costume desgined and being worn by Italian Cosplayer {Sh[I]vA} (yes, there’s a lady in that suit) Note the awesome work on the helmet and rifle.

Yes, There is a Sexy Lady Under That Helmet

Her boyfriend (why do all the cool chicks have boyfriends?) Cosplayed as a Helghast sniper and the work on his helmet and rifle are equally impressive.

What A Cute Couple

Better yet, these two showed off their costumes at a convention late last year. Enjoy this short video and many more pictures of {Sh[I]vA}’s costume at the end of the article.

Now, while we usually prefer home-grown cosplay – sometimes the best costumes are corporate. To promote Killzone, Sony sent out these two awesome Helghast troopers to terrorize the press and public at events big and small.

If You See These Guys And You're Not At A Comic Con . . . Run.

The detail on these costumes is amazing from head to toe – and you can tell that Sony spent a lot of time going back and forth with Guerrilla making sure these guys looked authentic.

One Of These Helghast Is a Statue. Seriously.

However, it’s not all serious business for these awesome corporate cosplayers. After their press tour – they got a bit . . . silly. Enjoy:

Other than these fine examples, there is not much other Helghast cosplay to be found. Mainly because it is such a difficult costume to recreate. From the armor, to the helmets, to the glowing goggles – this is not a costume just any old cosplayer can create. Our hats off to {Sh[I]vA} and her boyfriend – but Sony’s cosplay team clearly takes the cake here. Know of some awesome Killzone cosplay that we couldnt find? Send a tip to @SigmaRue @DaveOshry or @RipTen on Twitter – there may be a cookie in it for ya.

Killzone 3 Split-Screen Co-Op Confirmed by Guerilla

Garrett Hartman — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 23:14:56 +0000

Often criticized for it’s lack of co-op play in Killzone 2, Guerrilla has confirmed that Killzone 3 will have co-op play – including split-screen co-op.

In an interview with 1UP, studio manager Herman Hulst pointed to split-screen co-op as an example of how much what could be done with the PlayStation 3:

“We found a lot of power after we completed Killzone 2. Just to give you an example on the graphics side: we pulled a level from Killzone 2 into the Killzone 3 engine and it ran at 50 percent. That’s how much power we’ve been able to find. You can see it in split-screen co-op. We had to do the double rendering anyway.”

50% is impressive no matter how you look at it. Could this explanation simply be a way to explain that the game will look just as with split-screen? The image provided looks pretty damn good albeit a bit washed out.

There has been no mention of co-op online multiplayer, but then again is it really necessary. Obviously the move to a co-op campaign, especially on with split-screen, is no doubt great news to any fan of the series.

Source

Greenberg: Halo 3 Outsold Several Top Sony Exclusives, Combined

Chad Lakkis — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 01:13:05 +0000

I’ve never been able to get into the Halo series myself, not to say that I think it’s bad, I’ve just never got around to falling in love with it. However, examining some recent NPD data makes it easy to see that I’m certainly the minority.

According to a recent tweet by Aaron Greenberg, Microsoft’s Xbox Product Director, the third installment of Bungies popular Halo franchise gobbled up the collective efforts of some of Sony’s most highly touted console exclusives:

“Just in from research team (NPD),” Greenberg wrote in the Twitter update, “Halo 3 has outsold Resistance 1 + 2, Uncharted 1+2, Killzone 2 and God of War III COMBINED….wow.”

It’s worth mentioning that even if the NPD data is spot on, Halo 3 has had nearly 3 years to build these numbers, while titles such as God of War III (released March 2010), Uncharted 2 (released October 2009), and Killzone 2 (released February 2009) are still fairly recent editions to the gaming market. None the less, this is an impressive notch in the heavily armored belt that is Halo.

FPS Alphabet: From Aliens to Zombies

Bryce Wilson — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 01:09:37 +0000

Join me as I take an in-depth look at an alphabetical list of games, publishers, and developers, that have helped to make the first person shooter genre one of the most robust around on both the console and the PC over the years.

This list pays tribute to the FPS highs and lows while trying to be as diverse as possible. Check it out, and let us know some you think in the comments section at the end. Let’s sing, shall we?

A is for: Aliens v Predator

Released in 2010, Aliens v Predator allowed players to play 3 separate campaigns as both the factions in the title plus as a Marine. The title went on to garner mixed reviews from critics both prior to and post launch, however it pleased fans and is still a much played title on Xbox LIVE and PC.

B is for: Battlefield Series

Spanning over 10 years and including 16 titles the Battlefield series has become a household name for many gamers. The original title “Battlefield 1942″ allowed players to enter the roles of four unique classes: Scout, Assault, Medic and Engineer. As well as 4 unique classes the game has allowed players to commandeer over 100 vehicles throughout its lifespan. With the release of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 only recently the series is still going strong and hard.

C is for: Call of Duty Series

Perhaps the biggest name in shooters, the Call of Duty franchise started off in 2003 and in only seven years has managed to move 55 million units worldwide taking over three billion dollars for Activision and Infinity Ward in the process. Modern Warfare 2, the latest spawn in the long running series went on to become the world’s biggest entertainment launch and to bring in over one billion dollars.

D is for: Doom

Originally launched in 1993, Doom has gone onto become perhaps the pivotal figure in popularizing console FPS and making it a force to be reckoned with. Telling the story of a Marine stranded on the planet Mars, who is assigned to protecting a corporation responsible for secret teleportation experiments. All goes awry of course and you’re left the only one alive and tasked with fighting through hordes of demons. Plagued with demonic imagery and gory death, Doom was a head turner for its time.

E is for: Enemy Territory: Quake Wars

Sequel to Quake 4, Enemy Territory was set in the same universe as it’s brethren Quake 2 and Quake 4. Featuring heavily multiplayer orientated gameplay as well as a plethora of new vehicles Quake Wars went on to receive an average of 84% on reviews and still features a heavy modding community.

F is for: Fire Warrior: Warhammer 40k

Fire Warrior was a little known FPS title to grace the Playstation 2 and PC. Putting you in the boots of a Tau soldier during a campaign that was spanned over 24 hours. The game featured innovative Multiplayer for it’s time being one of only a few to offer 8 Player MP through the PS2 Broadband Adapter. Fire Warrior received mixed reviews from the press.

G is for: Goldeneye

Where would any First Person Shooters, especially console ones be without perhaps the father of all FPS? Goldeneye was a Nintendo 64 exclusive released in 1997 to reviews that even now are impressive. During the 2001 Top 100 Games of All Time by Game Informer, it came in ranked in at 16th whilst a similar poll by Game FAQs ranked it at 7th. Either way, Goldeneye is the proverbial father of FPS on consoles and could even see a remake sometime in the future.

H is for: Halo Series

Launching in 2001 on the Xbox console, Halo is and will always be the most recognizable name alongside the Xbox and Xbox 360. Featuring in-depth campaigns, beautiful sound tracks and a multiplayer mode used by MLG, it will be a sad day when Bungie parts way with the series after Halo: Reach launches at the end of 2010. Inspiring Machinima shows, thousands of fan made montages and reviews all over the internet, it is safe to say everyone has heard of Halo at some point.

I is for: Infinity Ward

Definitely deserving on a place in this comprehensive FPS alphabet tribute, Infinity Ward has gone on to produce shooters at a level yards ahead of other developers. Whether it is the crazy hype that follows them or their devoted fan base, IW is forever etched into the tomes of FPS history. Whether the development of their titles is ever the same again is hard to say after the dramas that have occurred in the last three months.

J is for: Jurassic Park: Trespasser

Released in 1998 and billed as the literal successor to the Jurassic Park 2, this game essentially flopped. Receiving a review of “1″ by Computers and Video Games and billed as a “dog” by the same people, Trespasser contained horrible game mechanics and required a heavily modified and up to date PC to run it even back in 1998. 12 years later the game still features a heavy modding community and the game is still played.

K is for: Killzone 2

The beaming light at the end of the tunnel that is Playstation 3 shooters. Featuring an extensive and in-depth campaign alongside a multiplayer mode supporting up to 32 players, Killzone 2 is quite the shooter. Receiving an average score of 91% as well as going on to sell over a million units this title is a commercial success as well. It’s interesting to note too, that all in game voice as added after the game was done by having artists around the world record their voice then send it to the studio.

L is for: Left 4 Dead

Everyone knows Left 4 Dead, right!? One of the most co-operative games to grace a market full of “Pop ‘em and Drop ‘em” single player experiences, Left 4 Dead features intense combat, hordes of undead and an awesome story to boot. Developed by Valve, a long running developer of quality First Person Shooters, this game has seen a sequel produced as well as long running support for the original. The game also featured an awesome AI system called “The Director” that placed Zombies and Special Infected randomly so no two play throughs of a level were the same.

M is for: Medal of Honor

Due for release worldwide on the 12th of October, Medal of Honor is looking to reboot and revitalise the long running and obviously stale franchise that has all been set in World War 2. Moving the setting to modern day Afghanistan, players will take the reins of a “Tier 1 Operator”, a soldier in an elite group tasked with dangerous, and sometimes stealthy missions. At times players will also take control of a US Army Ranger to partake in bigger battles.

N is for: No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.’s Way

Right, after reading possibly the longest game title in history here’s a bit of info on the game. NOLF2 was a FPS released in 2002, following the astounding success of the original No One Lives Forever title. This did equally well incorporating new gameplay features, graphics improvements by the bucket full and eventually went on to claim Game of the Year courtesy of GameSpy.

O is for: Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising

A spiritual successor to the original title (I call it a spiritual as it wasn’t produced by the original developers and didn’t have the same feeling, or performance), this game was a letdown to all involved, even Codemasters. Players had access to a huge island, 227km2 to be exact, that Codemasters bragged about time and time again. Turns out the player only gets around 5km to play around in. Originally meant to have monthly DLC, the game was dropped from support by Codemasters only 4 months after launch.

P is for: Portal

Portal, such a beautiful and unique game. Although you do shooting, it’s only of the namestake; portals. A puzzle game set in the First Person perspective Portal sees you take the role of Chell, a female test subject locked inside the bland white halls of Aperture Science. Featuring puzzles that will break your brain and a simple gameplay premise, Portal has gone on to be loved by critics and fans alike all over the world. It’s even been good enough to get a fully fleshed out sequel at the end of the year.

Q is for: Quake 3

Quake 3 Arena was released in 1999 and focused exclusively on Multiplayer fraggin’ action. Featured in some of the most exclusive Cyber athletics competitions around the globe, as well as played on thousands of dedicated servers through PC, Quake 3 is one of the pillars in competitive shooters and eSports. A port to the Xbox LIVE Arcade has also been planned.

R is for: Rainbow Six

A father of the tactical First Person Shooter genre, Rainbow Six features heavily based realistic combat along side a well written and thought out story by world renowned author Tom Clancy. Relying on players to accurately plan missions as opposed to blaze in all guns firing, this 1998 title is fun and enjoyable to play even today.

S is for: Shattered Horizon

For anyone that has benchmarked their PC Graphics and CPU before Futuremark should be a name you know. Well their first foray into the video game world and out of the Benchmarking tools world was quite an impressive one. Set in 2049, players take the role of an un-named Human on the Moon shortly before it explodes due to a huge mining accident. Combat is set in a Zero-Gravity environment challenging players whilst providing something new and unique. Critiques have given great scores with most even encouraging Futuremark to create a franchise.

T is for: Timesplitters 2

A cult classic if there ever was one, Timesplitters 2 is a FPS like no other. Placing players in the role of a space marine in 2401 whilst Humans are at war with a race named “TimeSplitters”. Instead of invading the Humans, the sentinel beings instead use things called “Time Crystals” to travel through, and alter time placing Earth into ruin. Featuring an awesome split screen mode and hours of fun, gamers around the world can only hope we see a sequel!

U is for: Unreal Tournament 2004

Like it’s brethren in the form of Quake III, UT2k4 is a heavily multiplayer orientated experience. Featuring vehicles for the first time, as well as a new game type titled “Onslaught” UT2k4 went on to win numerous “Multiplayer Game of the Year Awards” and to set the future benchmark for Multiplayer First Person Shooters.

V is for: Valve

V is for Valve, a long running American game production and publication company founded in 1996. Makers of revolutionary titles such as Half Life, Half Life 2 and new products like Left 4 Dead, they have firmly cemented themselves in gaming life. As well as their gaming exploration, they also invented the most popular and widely used Digital Content Distribution platform: “Steam”, saving PC users all of the world thousands of dollars.

W is for: Wolfenstein 3D

Another innovator of the First Person Shooter Genre, Wolenstein 3D gained most of its success through its Shareware agreement, basically allowing everyone to give out and to have as many copies as they wanted, but only one level. Of course you had to buy the full release to get the others! Being one of the first PC FPS games to implement Psuedo-3D, Wolfenstein 3D has become a retro favorite, but was also covered in controversy. Featuring levels constructed entirely of Swastikas and heavily Nazi party based imagery, many weren’t happy. One of the final bosses was even Hitler himself.

X is for: X

Not even I knew this game existed. That’s how hard it was to find. Released in 1992 on only the Gameboy, X puts you in the role of a tank commander tasked with completing numerous random missions. They include convoy protection through to defending whole bases. The game was listed by Famitsu as being one of four, in the most influential Game Boy games ever created.

Y is for: You Are Empty

A game I actually regret playing, You Are Empty puts you in the shoes of a high ranking Communist in Stalin-era Russia. The game features pathetic graphics for its time, a dismal gameplay experience and the stupidest ending I’ve ever encountered. No matter what you do you encounter the same clip montage ending in the destruction the Twin Towers in 2001. It scored a 1.5 courtesy of Game Informer reviewer Brent Todd. A little generous, I would’ve only given it a 0. DO NOT PLAY THIS, EVER!

Z is for: Zombie Panic! Source

One of, if not the most enjoyable community mod I played for Half Life was easily “Zombie Panic”. Zombie Panic! Source is a Half Life 2 redux of the original title that features content heavily emulating the classic Zombie movies and games of the world. Featuring four game modes, two of which are very similar to ones included in Left 4 Dead 2, Zombie Panic! Source is free to download off of Steam and well worth it.

Well that’s it for our comprehensive alphabet of FPS goodness. Some titles like Half-Life are missing, but I believe this is an awesome collection, and I hope you agree! If not, I’ll be more than happy to respond to your comments and suggestions below. Thanks!

Killzone 2 Double XP Weekend

Rangebar Merani — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:56:15 +0000

You read that right Killzone 2 fans! After just releasing the third DLC map pack “Napalm & Cordite” yesterday for their highly popular PS3 shooter, Guerrilla Games is celebrating by giving players a double XP weekend starting today.

The double XP weekend will allow players to earn a 2.5 multiplier with a team win and with a loss you’ll be granted the normal multiplier for a win which is 1.5. So even with a team loss you still get extra XP, which is always a plus. Now get online and start ranking up and unlocking those badges!

Source: PlayStation.blog

Killzone 2 Napalm & Cordite DLC includes new maps, new weapons

Rangebar Merani — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:05:36 +0000

So, last week I had a post up about the new Killzone 2 update and DLC and in that post I told you all that the DLC and update would be available on July 14, this past Tuesday. Well, it seems like I was only half right. The 1.28 Patch was up and ready, but the Napalm & Cordite DLC was no where to be seen on the PlayStation Network.

Okay, my bad, but I just discovered today this new trailer for the Napalm & Cordite DLC, showing off the two new maps (Suljeva Cliffside and Arctower Landing) along with two new weapons (the VC1 Flamethrower and the Boltgun 4400), which were previously only available in the single-player campaign. Look for the new DLC on the PlayStation Network on Thursday, July 23. I repeat Thursday, July 23. See ya’ll online!

Source: PlayStation.com

Killzone 2 DLC #3 “Napalm & Cordite” coming July 14

Rangebar Merani — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 18:34:02 +0000

Time to get excited Killzone 2 fans! Guerrilla Games is releasing a new DLC pack called “Napalm & Cordite”, featuring two new maps and a new patch. Already the third DLC pack for a game that has just been out since late February, GG is doing a great job giving to it’s Killzone 2 community and really supporting it’s PS3 shooter.

Patch 1.28 will contain many new fixes and features, including the support for the Napalm and Cordite maps. Hit the jump for a picture of Cordite (the above pic is of Napalm) and the official press release from Guerrilla Games detailing Patch 1.28.

Cordite

On Tuesday, ~~June~~ July 14th 2009 at 8AM Greenwich Mean Time, Guerrilla Games will release the 10th update for the visceral shooter, Killzone 2.

Patch 1.28 will be 91MB in size (316MB for Asian release) and will be released worldwide simultaneously pending a server update. There will be an anticipated server down-time of about 2 hours while the patch is rolled out and the server updates are completed and tested. The following fixes and features are included in this latest release:

Feature - Code support for DLC pack III “Napalm & Cordite”. The update will enable players to create games with the newest maps “Suljeva Cliffside” and “Arctower Landing”

Feature - Code support for DLC to allow the additions of the Flamethrower and the Boltgun to multiplayer.

Trophies – New trophies added for DLC pack III “Napalm and Cordite”.

Feature - Detailed information screen when browsing games. Items displayed include: Friendly Fire, Faction Balancing, Custom Weapons and Custom Badges as well as the region, game size, selected maps and allowed Missions and Badges.

Feature - Higher values for Bodycount mode. Players can now create games with 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 50, 100 and 200 points to increase the time of the mode for 32 player games.

Feature - Moderators can now create double-points events.

Fix for persistent squads now working correctly when users using separate Japanese accounts join Friends.

New loading screens.

Moderation – Additional powers and functionality for online moderators.

Fix for Clan Leader leaving his clan before an active Tournament of Clan Challenge.

Fix for score replication on different clients.

Fix for a Clan Challenge results displaying a won/lost games as a ‘Draw’.

Fix for incorrect Tournament timings being displayed for (semi)-final.

Fix for an empty message pop-up being displayed.

‘High Precision Mode’ now defaulting when requested.

Fix for stuttering audio on the Asian version.

Fix for network error displayed when trying to log in with another users account.

Fix to reduce network traffic and improve performance.

Fix for occasionally being displayed an empty background when ‘Join Friend’ via Communications tab.

Exploit – Pyrrhus Rise map boundary fix.

Exploit – Radec Academy collision fix to prevent players being revived inside a pillar and using it to their advantage.

Cosmetic fix for Medic Gun visual effects.

Cosmetic fix for Search & Retrieve object being cloaked by the Scout.

Cosmetic fix for Scouts body remaining cloaked after being mortally wounded (i.e. headshot).

Gameplay – Damage from Sentry bots tweaked back on request of the community.

Collection of minor code fixes.

For the latest new content, news and all things Killzone, visit www.Killzone.com which will also reflect the changes made to the game such as being able to view Battle Replays of games played out on the new maps or being able to use the new settings to create Clan Challenges or Tournaments. Further features and fixes to www.Killzone.com include:

Feature - Tournaments – Full tournament functionality enabled once again.

Feature - Upcoming Tournaments are now displayed in a clan’s calendar.

Feature - Upcoming Tournaments are now displayed in My Killzone upcoming events.

Feature - Upcoming Tournaments are now displayed in clan communication center.

Feature - Tournament and Clan Challenge support for DLC Pack III “Napalm & Cordite”.

Feature - Additions of sounds in Battle Replays.

Feature - Additional animations in Battle Replays.

PlayStation®3 landing page updated.

Higher selectable Bodycount values when creating Tournaments or Clan Challenges via www.Killzone.com.

Various bug-fixes and minor updates.

Source: Playstation.com

Best Buy to bundle Killzone 2 and MGS4 with 80GB PS3 (Update)

Rangebar Merani — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:16:27 +0000

A week after releasing an 80 GB PS3 bundle with LittlelBigPlanet and Wall-E, Best Buy will soon be offering an 80GB PS3 bundle packaged with both Killzone 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4 for $399.99, according to rumors and the above pic that has been spreading around the web. It’s said that Best Buy is trying to clear out their shelves of the 80Gb PS3 to replace it with the 160Gb and then eventually for the rumored PS3 Slim.

Again, this is all speculation for now, but I’m pretty sure that picture is legit and we’ll be seeing those bundles on Best Buy shelves soon enough. It’s a great deal for anyone thinking about getting a PS3 as you get two of the best games on the console for free!

(Update) No longer a rumor as the bundle has now been posted on Best Buy’s website. Yay!

Source: Joystiq

Killzone 2 Steel and Titanium Map Pack Dated

Rangebar Merani — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 17:08:12 +0000

As we reported earlier in the week, Guerilla Games’ first downloadable content for Killzone 2, dubbed “Steel and Titanium”, is due to be available sometime this month. Well, now we know for sure that the map pack will hit the PlayStation Network on April 30.

Featuring two new maps, Wasteland Bullet and Vekar Cruiser, there’s still no word on how much the map pack will cost, but there might be a good chance that it could be free. Let’s cross our fingers and hope that’s the case. Hit the jump for a video and brief description for both of the new maps.

The first map in the pack is Wasteland Bullet, and the action will take place on the bullet train that and transports goods and troops between Pyrrhus and the Wasteland. The game is a frenzied firefight to wrestle control of the train from the enemy and into the hands of your faction. With the train moving at full speed, players will need to remain aware of the immediate environment as well as enemies – hitting an overhead obstacle at this speed will mean instant death.

The second map, Vekta Cruiser, will find ISA troops boarding a vast ship with the goal to repel a force of assaulting Helghast troops while also protecting the cruiser itself from heavy Helghan fire. The action takes place entirely indoors in a frantic and claustrophobic battle where attackers lurk around every corner.

Source: PlayStation.com

Killzone 2 DLC releasing this month

Sam Naylor — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 13:19:35 +0000

Gametrailers TV reports that Killzone 2 will be receiving DLC, hitting this month. The “Steel & Titanium” pack will add two maps; ‘Wasteland Bullet’, with “fast-moving trains”, and ‘Vetka Cruiser’, with a big ISA battle cruiser (the ‘New Sun’). Another pack was mentioned, and hinted at having a retro theme, perhaps with maps from Killzone 1. I didn’t really connect with the maps in Killzone 1, since I found them rather generic, but perhaps Guerilla can make them a little more entertaining this time around.

Via Giant Bomb

Get Your BioShock 2 Gameplay, Killzone 2 and PunchOut Announcements, More on Next GTTV

Sal Romano — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 20:34:33 +0000

The next episode of GameTrailers TV, airing this Thursday night at 12:30 PM, will be epic featuring the premier gameplay of BioShock 2 featuring none other than the Big Sisters, a “major announcement” and look at what’s next to come for Killzone 2, an announcement for PuncOut on the Wii by Reggie Fils-Aime, and Peter Molyneux drops in to give us the first video for the upcoming Fable II downloadable content.

Wow. This is going to be one great show.

Interactive Killzone 2 “Behind The Bullet” Commercial Now Available on PS3

Demi Adejuyigbe — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 03:06:28 +0000

You’ve probably already seen the Killzone 2 commercial, whether it’s on the internet or on TV, where the course of a bullet is followed closely throughout a warzone. If you haven’t, you can see it after the jump. Guerilla Games released a brand new trailer for the game on the PSN that allows you to move the camera around as the bullet moves, allowing you to see new angles of the trailer in gorgeous high-def.

This is all done easily because the trailer was made in 3D using the Killzone 2 engine. The “4D” trailer is also much longer than the normal Behind The Bullet trailer that airs on television, and it allows you to actually unlock audio commentary from the Killzone 2 team and screw around with visual filters that affect the way the video plays. You can see the brand new 4D commercial on the Playstation Network now.

Killzone 2 Romantic Comedy Trailer?

Jonathan Zungre — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:08:47 +0000

Black20 is known for making great movie trailer spoofs for games like Tetris and Contra by pointing out film cliche’s that we all know and love. Their newest romantic comedy based on Killzone 2 is hilarious and oddly…heartwarming?

Killzone 2 Cheaters May Lose PSN ID

Rangebar Merani — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 17:23:23 +0000

Killzone 2 has a wonderful online multiplayer experience and like most popular online shooters, there are always going to be those who want to cheat and glitch. Well, according to Official Killzone 2 Twitter page, developer Guerrilla Games is fed up with all the cheating.

The following warning was “tweeted” on the Killzone 2 Twitter page:

Glitchers risk losing their PSN ID altogether. We’ve been quite lenient so far but that’s going to change.

Looks like Guerrilla has noticed the cheating and glitching going on in Killzone 2 but have been hesitant to take action until now. Mind you PSN ID’s don’t cost money, unlike Xbox Live accounts, but if you’re that motivated to cheat and glitch, you’ll probably care enough not to lose your trophies and shit. SO DON’T CHEAT ASSHOLES!

Source: Killzone 2 Twitter Via Destructoid

New Game Releases: Feb. 22 – Feb. 28

Rangebar Merani — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 20:27:07 +0000

Look’s like we got another pretty decent week of new game releases with Killzone 2, Star Ocean: The Last Hope, Puzzle Quest: Galactrix and 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, among others. Oh by the way, I was only joking about 50′s new game. If it’s as whack as his no good, talentless raps, I wouldn’t want shit to do with it. Hit the jump for my pick of the week (obviously not Blood on the Sand) and the full list of game releases for the week.

Pick of the Week: Killzone 2 (PS3)

Xbox 360:

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand
Shellshock 2: Blood Trails
Star Ocean: The Last Hope
Stoked

PS3:

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand
Killzone 2
Shellshock 2: Blood Trails

Wii:

Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop
Yamaha Supercross

PC:

Puzzle Quest: Galactrix
Shellshock 2: Blood Trails
Tom Clancy’s EndWar

Nintendo DS:

Blue Dragon Plus
C.O.R.E.
Imagine: Ice Champions
Legacy of Ys: Books I & II
Puzzle Quest: Galactrix

Ripten Interviews Adam Sessler about Crazy Killzone 2 Fanboys, Fable 2, and the Cult of Exceptionalism

Jonathan Zungre — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:55:40 +0000

Fanboys, they approach leisure activities with religious zeal and defend their console of choice with dogmatic ferocity. Fanboys have had “gentlemanly discussions” with some of the writers here at Ripten, more or less, but no one fought it out with them like X-play’s Adam Sessler. I caught up with Adam to discuss Killzone 2, gaming journalism, and the fanboy plague that corrupts message boards and comment sections like The Flood. Oops, Halo reference, here they come…

When X-play gave Killzone 2 a sterling five out of five, Xbox 360 fanboys and, inexplicably, PS3 fanboys complained. The Xbox faithful said it could never be that good and the PS3 faithful somehow accused Sessler of everything from giving out the high score begrudgingly to attributing Killzone 2′s high score to Microsoft payoffs (wha?). Sessler responded by picking out individual posters and verbally grounding them into paste in his Sessler Soapbox. If you haven’t seen the video yet, please, clear the children from the room and check out his Samuel L. Jackson-scale rant.

Zungre: Hey, what’s up Adam, thanks for taking the time to talk to us, man.

Sessler: No problem at all.

Zungre: I really enjoy your Sessler’s Soapboxes, especially the recent ones about Killzone 2 and I just wanted to ask you, in your time in game journalism, has fanboy hostility ever been this bad? Is it really at an all time high?

Sessler: Oh, I would actually say it’s at an all time high. I mean, there was always some stuff like that back in the old days, but it seemed to be at least incorporated into a grounded discussion about the merit of the consoles or the games that were exclusive to those consoles. Where as now it seems to be fully disassociated from that, and it’s kind of, “I bought this and I need to justify it to myself”. I mean, obviously, all the comments themselves are incredibly obnoxious, but it’s more that how much space it takes up on our message boards and other people’s message boards, that, you know, people who would like to maybe use it to foster an interesting discussion and enlighten themselves really can’t get in there because these people just pop in constantly.

Zungre: So, it’s almost ruining entire message boards.

Sessler: Yeah, I mean, I’ve always joked that the Internet serves only to give voice to those I didn’t want to hear from [laughs]. I mean, it’s supposed to be an area where you can have interesting discussions of ideas on topics and you don’t have to use the mainstream media, but unfortunately it does allow for too many voices to get in there and it’s just, so juvenile [laughs].

Sessler opening a can of verbal whoop ass.

Zungre: I wonder why is it that in most message boards and a lot of comments that you see on youtube, that everything seems so middle school? Why does that voice or that vibe seem to be dominating instead of logical, normal discussion?

Sessler: Obviously, there’s the role of anonymity, but I like how you said middle school because what we all don’t know is what age these people are. I would like to think that they’re ten years old given the lack of intelligence that’s demonstrated. I think it’s a mixture of young people who think that’s how you voice an argument or they’re not able to carefully construct one and other people who just, you know, I think there’s a lot of people out there that I think are just spoilers. And I think there’s also some, and they’re definitely on our message boards, who are just borderline pathological. There’s one guy on our boards who continually posts this conspiracy theory about who owns us, especially from back in the Paul Allen Tech TV days, and somehow that means we’re owned by Microsoft.

And it’s not so much that he states that, but that he states that continually and just reposts the exact same thing to the point where it’s a little disconcerting for me because this guy clearly doesn’t have much of life outside of that and seems so fixated on people and things he has no control over and has decided they’re his mortal enemy.

Zungre: Yeah, in your video response to the Killzone 2 comments, you seemed to be most serious about those posts that, like you said, were trying to impugn your integrity as a journalist.

Sessler: Why I use the “do you fuck your mother” line is because, obviously we, and I’m talking about myself and my colleagues on various sites, you yourself, we do pride ourselves in taking our job seriously and respecting the necessary objectivity in reporting and the lack of, obviously, taking money when we do these reviews, that to charge that from someone, and from the same position of anonymity I wanted to put it in the context of, that’s a very, very serious statement to make. And I know they’re doing it whimsically, and they probably don’t understand that, whimsy or not, that’s an absolutely inappropriate thing to say, just as much as, you know, implying that you have familiar relations with your own mother.

Ripten, alone, burns thousands of surplus dollars from Microsoft payoffs every month. We call it the “Rip Ten Thousand” because we’ve got so much money, we can make jokes like that in a recession.

Zungre: Right, right. Hey, I wanted to ask you about one thing. I saw your most recent Soapbox and you talked about how multiplayer sometimes takes away from assets for developing a good single player game, which i completely agree with. I mean, I played Stranglehold multiplayer online and it was the saddest day of my life.

Sessler: Yeah [laughs].

Zungre: But, you know, I wanted to ask you about that because in the review of Killzone 2 you guys said that Killzone 2 could have really used some co-op. And I wanted to know how you felt about that and give you the opportunity to justify that comment.

Sessler: Yeah, just so you know, I was not the one who personally reviewed Killzone 2, it was Mr. Sark, Scott Robinson on our staff, and I don’t think he was wrong in doing that [laughs]. More or less, what he was trying to say is that, obviously the game got a 5 out of 5, [and] the game by its nature would be perfect for co-op. And that some of the weaknesses that were in the single player game, which I personally do see, which is not the best pacing that kind of makes all the set pieces so memorable, could have been bolstered by allowing also for co-op, because the combat of the game is so much fun. And I think that we all know that when you’re playing with someone else in a single player game, story kind of takes a back seat. Sometimes in reviews you’re talking to the audience, sometimes you’re kind of talking to the developer as well, as in “be aware of this.”

I’m happy you brought that one up because what precipitated in some of the rant about the Killzone 2 review, and the postings on it, is that it was very evident that people went to our site, they saw the score and they looked at the pros and cons, yet didn’t read the body. So, in the Cons it said “could use Co-op” or “No Co-op” as if somehow that was a really serious point that we were trying to make and no, if you read the body of the text it’s far more a nuanced statement that’s made with regard to co-op in the game.

You have to fight the spider-Nazi looking Hellghast alone, soldier.

Zungre: Right, right. And you know what, I’m so glad you talked about that because I remember one of the comments you really made fun of was the guy who said that Gears 2 got a 9.5 and Killzone 2 got a 9.4. And it just made me remember, I think it was, “Innovation vs. Innumeration“, your soapbox where you talked about just this thing about numbered scores and about how you don’t like them. I’d like you to talk about that a little bit, and where can we move as journalists to get away from numbered scores? Because personally, I don’t like the 10 point scale, I don’t think it’s good at what it does.

Sessler: No, and to be clear, I don’t think numbered scores period are good. I would even say that on the show. If I had my druthers, I wouldn’t have numbered scores because that would force you to pay attention to the either video or the written review we have available. [laughs] I mean, people work hard to put those things together and I can’t stand the fact that no one pays attention until they hear that number. Obviously, I prefer the five point scale as opposed to the ten point scale, because I think anything below a five just reads as a crappy game, so it’s kind of, you know, pointless.

Zungre: Oh, totally agree.

Sessler: If I had to do a numbered score and, once again could have my druthers, I would probably do a four point scale because i don’t like the 3 [laughs].

Zungre: Oh really?

Sessler: Yeah. But the fact is, the reason why we still have the scale the way that we do, obviously we’ve had the five point scale for a while and to make a change like that is a very, very difficult thing to do, because you’ve trained your readership or your viewership on that scale. I also think that for all websites, we can’t move away from the numbers because, unfortunately, we are still businesses, and we would hurt ourselves if we didn’t have that easy access evaluation of a game, because as I said earlier, so many people won’t read it. We’re kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. Almost anyone out there would just as soon not have the numbered scores, but until the population is willing to educate itself and actually look at these reviews as something that’s more an evaluation and discussion about the game rather than some sort of consumer product, good or bad evaluation, I don’t think it’s going to change. More or less, we need smarter readers [laughs].

Zungre: [Laughs] You know what, I really do get upset about some of the comments that pop up on Ripten and some of the other gaming sites that I see. You talked about this thing called the “Cult of Exceptionalism,” and Adam, I have to say, I absolutely love that term, and I had never heard it before you said it.

Sessler: I made it up. [laughs]

Zungre: [Laughs] No but it seriously is fantastic because it gave me a term for something I had been seeing and it’s just the thing that happens on the Internet so much where either a game is the most amazing thing that ever happened and it fathered your children or it completely sucks and it’s completely devoid of any worth. So why do you think this happens, why do you think people are caught up in this idea?

Sessler: I think it has a lot to do with the media and I think if you wanted to see where you really see that practiced would be in national politics. When you see bills or politicians. I mean just look at the Stimulus Bill, that while there is actual cooperation on what’s happening between the Republicans and the Democrats right now, the statements that are being made are, “This bill is completely evil, it’s bad, it’s bad, it’s bad.” And what really happens on that political sphere really does infiltrate other areas of discourse.

And just the media itself. It’s not able to convey news in a nuanced style because they’re afraid they’re not going to be able to hold your attention. So it’s either “this is the worst thing that’s ever happened” or “this is the best thing that’s ever happened.” Or “this is going to kill you” or “this is going to save your life,” and when it comes down to evaluations of cultural products it’s only “this is the best thing ever” or “this is the worst” and there can’t be a middle ground that also justifies that this is still worth your attention and your interest.

Zungre: Right, and I see a lot of games that are really good games, maybe not the best games, that are swept up in that undertow of that Cult of Exceptionalism, like you said. And they don’t even get noticed.

Sessler: We’re saying “this is really worth your time, it’s just not the best.” That’s all [laughs].

Oh, Legendary, I know you weren’t as bad as everyone said…

Zungre: And we’re so obsessed with the best, I think, in America, so it’s just very sad. But hey, really quick before we finish up here, I just wanted to ask you some questions, journalist to journalist. You’ve been doing this for how many years? About ten years now?

Sessler: About ten and a half. Yeah, it will be eleven in July.

Zungre: Ok, now what’s something that you’re really excited for? In the arc of the gaming industry that you’ve seen, what’s something that your really excited for in the future of gaming? Where do you see us going?

Sessler: That’s a good question. Two of the games that really stand out to me from last year are Fable 2 and Fallout 3. Because they’re deep, rich, articulated worlds. There’s such a sense of, who was designing this, they know so much more about the world than even what’s present in the game. And that, you really feel that you’re in somebody else’s imagination. And I’m seeing more and more of that. I don’t know, to me that’s an absolute thrill and I think that those two games are the beginning of a sense of really getting in somebody else’s imaginative playground, where you just literally lose yourself.

Even when I was reviewing Fable 2… Usually when you do a review you have an eye towards “I gotta get this done because I need to get it up by the time the embargo lifts.” But in [Fable 2] I kept on catching myself just dithering around just enjoying all the small details. The same thing is happening in Fallout 3, which luckily, I chose not to review because I wanted to indulge myself as much as possible in that one [laughs].

Zungre: Very cool. What’s something you’re glad we’ve left behind?

Sessler: Well we haven’t completely left swimming levels behind, but that’s one thing [laughs].

One thing which we are leaving behind is the abject sadism that was in a lot of video games. I’m obviously a big defender for violence in video games, in the fact that it is an adult medium, but I also think that just justifying the fact that there should be violence in video games isn’t the right thing. Still, there needs to be utilization. I look to a game like Soldier of Fortune, which I found to be just abhorrent in every stretch of the imagination. It almost encouraged you to do horrible things to other human beings. There is much less of that. There’s still very violent games, but it seems to work within the context and rationale of the world that has been presented inside of the game.

This is one of the only gaming images that instantly makes me feel anxious and confused.

Zungre: Right, ok. Hey Adam thank you so much for the interview.

Sessler: No problem at all, thank you very much, I really appreciate how you pay attention to the recent soapboxes that I worked on [laughs]. Good luck with the website.

If you’d like to see more of Adam check out X-Play and the rest of the always insightful Sessler’s Soapbox.

European Killzone 2 demo coming February 5

Sam Naylor — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:06:19 +0000

Joystiq reports that a demo of the much anticipated (by some) Killzone 2 will be hitting the European PSN on February 5. In the US, PS3 owners will have to pre-order the game at GameStop to get the demo on the same day, or wait until 27 February. Of course, cunning PS3 owners will find a way of downloading the European demo on their Euro accounts, I’m sure. Hugo Bustillos, a UK Sony representative, has noted that we’ll see the first two areas of the game’s first level, ‘Corinth River,’ with a beach landing and a warehouse. Also, the demo will include a tutorial, although I doubt it can match a certain game’s tutorial.

This is good news for people like me, who haven’t really seen much about the game, but want to know why people are talking about it so much. If the game is anything like the mediocre last game, even if it does look pretty, it won’t be getting a free pass from me. That said, pretty graphics!

Killzone 2 PS3 Bundle announced for UK

Sam Naylor — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:06:17 +0000

ThreeSpeech reports that Sony are releasing a Killzone 2 PS3 bundle in the UK, priced at £299.99. That’s about $418 at the time of writing. The bundle includes the game and an 80GB PS3 console, as well as the fancy box. The release date is TBC currently, but expect it to be very near to the Killzone 2 release date. If you are in England, don’t yet have a PS3, have £300 to spare, and want Killzone 2, this is the perfect bundle for you! Hey, maybe they’ll widen the target audience by releasing it in the US, too.

Dear Internet: Quit Overhyping Killzone 2

Dan Landis — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 07:22:38 +0000

Like most things in life, the more something is hyped, the higher your expectations. Killzone 2 is currently the subject of so much hyperbole that it’s starting to damage what people will think of the game.

Killzone 2, as you may have heard, is the best thing in the world since sliced bread. The only problem with that notion is that Killzone 2 does not make as delicious of a sandwich.

Just taking a gander at gaming hubs like N4G, the past week has been ruled by articles about Killzone 2. Most of these articles range from relatively small sites to some well-established sites, each of which claiming that Killzone 2 will absolutely blow your mind. Of course, there are also a few saying that Killzone 2 is just another shooter and that it’s not a big deal.

I happen to be somewhere in the middle. I’ve actually gotten my hands on Killzone 2 for just a few minutes, but I also hung around and watched other people play it rather extensively. As far as first-person shooters go, Killzone 2 is great — some might even go so far as to say it’s fantastic. What Killzone 2 isn’t, however, is a ‘killer app’.

Killzone 2 is not going to move systems. Killzone 2 is not going to convert Xbox owners. Killzone 2 is not going to cure cancer or resurrect the dead. Killzone 2 is simply a great shooter, and that’s it.

The main problem with all of these sites claiming otherwise is that it is actually going to damage the impressions people get from the game. Expectations are so high right now with all of the hype that people have no choice but to be disappointed. As great as it is, it is impossible for Killzone 2 (or any other game, for that matter) to live up to the tremendous amount of hype surrounding it.

I only say this because I’m concerned for my fellow gamers. I don’t want people to be disappointed when they should be excited. I don’t want the hype to ruin the game for them, much like it did for me and GTA4. I curse IGN to this day for handing out “the first 10 since 1999” and making me believe that the game was more than it was.

So please, citizens of the Internet, I beg you: stop overhyping Killzone 2 before you end up spoiling everyone’s fun. Thank you. I will now take my leave of the Ripten soapbox.

[And for the record, I think Halo 3 and Gears of War 2 were overhyped as well.]