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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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 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

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

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.

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!

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.

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.]

Sony has told Eurogamer that the Killzone 2 demo will likely be hitting the PlayStation Network before the game’s release. This contrasts to the American PSN, on which the demo will not launch until after the game releases. Here’s some more salt on America’s wound: Europe seems to be getting the game 2 days earlier than the US.

Anyone looking forward to Killzone 2? I wasn’t, and then I played the game at the Eurogamer Expo. Now, I’m… still not looking forward to it. Have you ever played a first-person shooter? Then you’ve played Killzone 2. Yeah, it looks nice, and it’ll likely be an example of how to do an FPS right, but what I saw just had nothing to excite. I guess the early demo will have to prove me wrong, eh?

Via GameZine.

Want a reason to dip into your trick-or-treater stash before the little buggers start taking it all? The scarily good X-Play line up tonight is the perfect excuse. Adam and company will be interviewing gaming icon, Shigeru Miyamoto, as well as debuting the US trailer for Killzone 2 on the PlayStation 3.

Airing tonight will be the first part of a two part interview with Miyamoto, where the legendary creator shares his thoughts on Wii Music and his love of music in general.

The Prince, Fallout 3, and Pacific Rift factor in too, so make sure to check out the rest of the show highlights in the press release after the jump.

X-Play’s Big Show Delivers TONIGHT, Wednesday, October 29, only on G4

Part 1 of a 2 Part Exclusive new Shigeru Miyamoto Interview

Exclusive new US trailer for Killzone 2 on the PS3

Fallout 3 Review

Motorstorm: Pacific Rift Review

All Access Preview of Prince of Persia

Don’t miss X-Play five nights a week, at 8pm ET/PT, only on G4

Sony are the only console giant to have an official showing at this years Leipzig Games Convention and with promises of blockbuster announcements and possible new game revelations, what games do we actually know will be on show from the 20th-24th of this month?

The good news first.  Heavy Rain will be on show with no curtains to hide the presentation from public eyes, so we’ll get to see much more than the already revealed screenshots and behind the scenes footage.

It’s looking less likely that Eat Sleep Play will reveal their new PS3 game at the convention, since previous evidence looks to suggest an internal development showing.  However, there should be a healthy list of titles on show, including the following:

- MotorStorm Pacific Rift
- LittleBigPlanet
- Resistance 2
- Free Realms
- The Agency
- DC Universe Online (announced at E3)
- Infamous
- PlayStation Home
- Killzone 2 (single player and multiplayer hands-on)
- Heavy Rain

Not too shabby, but we certainly hope for more new exclusive game announcements.

With all the buzz around LittleBigPlanet, we didn’t want to forget another of Sony’s big games at E3, Killzone 2.

The highly anticipated and long-awaited first-person shooter was definitely one of the best looking games I checked out at E3. Now I know why the game has been in development for over four years.

With the power of the PS3 and Guerrilla Game’s propriety engine, Killzone 2 looks incredible, and is almost up to par with that infamous trailer shown back at E3 2005.

Players can expect to experience a smooth and detailed picture with the use of motion blur effects, depth-based color grading, and enhanced deferred rendering technology. Along with smooth character animations, natural looking environments, and real-time cutscenes, this game is going to be a great piece of eye candy, fo sho.

The story of Killzone 2 takes place after the action and events of the original Killzone, two years after the Helghast assault on Vekta. But this time around the ISA is making its way to the planet Helghan, the home planet of the Helghast.

Killzone 2 Single-Player Image Gallery

9 Photos

 

On a mission to capture the Helghast leader, Emperor Visari, and to stop the Helghast army, the ISA is in a really bad position because the Helghast are a much stronger enemy on their home planet. Taking the role of Sev, a war-torn veteran and member of a special forces unit known as the Legion, players will be introduced to all new weapons, equipment, and vehicles to take down the Helghast.

I had roughly 15-20 minutes with the Killzone 2 demo, and the first thing I noticed was how f*cking good it looked. The second thing I noticed was how responsive and easy to grasp the controls were. Oh, and they’ve added a jump button to this game, so Killzone fans can breathe easy about that miscue from the first game.

The game played well, but I thought the A.I. was kind of off a little, seeing that I didn’t die once. We now know that the game was on easy mode and the A.I. was toned down, though it would have been nice to see more aggressive enemies.

At one point, my squad partner told me to grab the rocket launcher on the floor and blow up a pile of Helghast weapons, and as I was aiming and preparing to shoot, I don’t think one enemy soldier came after me. But again, it’s just a demo the A.I. shouldn’t be this slow in the final game.

Of course, with any first-person shooter my favorite part is the online multiplayer, and Killzone 2 sounds like it’ll be a great online game. With up to 32 players, six different character classes (and you can even create your own), the use of vehicles, and online leader boards and tournaments, Killzone 2 online multiplayer is looking like it could keep up with the likes of Call of Duty 4 and, gasp, Halo 3.  For a trailer and more details on the multiplayer, please follow this link.

Don’t expect Killzone 2 to be labeled another “Halo Killer”, but do expect it to be one hell of a shooter and one of the better games coming out on the PS3 when it hits stores in early 2009.

Killzone 2 Online Multiplayer Image Gallery

21 Photos

 

Our fourth and final installment of Ripten Radio from this years E3 will run you through the high (and sometimes low) points from day 4 of the conference. We give hands-on impressions of Left 4 Dead, RE5, Socom, Resistance 2, Killzone 2, Mad World, Little Big Planet, and many more.

This particular edition features the following Ripten super studs: Andrew “Hotel DJ” Podolsky, Jon “as seen on Ripten TV” Zungre, Emily “like a banshee” Balistrieri, Rangebar “Power Ranger” Merani, and myself — Chad “balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls of steel” Lakkis. Enjoy it after the jump.

With Sony’s E3 Conference at an end, there was an unexpected silence from Killzone 2.  However, if you make your way to the US PlayStation Store you’ll be able to find a new trailer.  And it’s not the same old single-player stuff.  It’s Killzone 2 Multiplayer and it looks incredible.

Rumoured to be 32 player online, the multi-player will support a new badge system, which allows users to complement their play style by mixing abilities into primary and secondary slots. PSU writes, “The primary badge defines the main role of the player character, as well as its outward appearance, while the secondary badge serves as a complementary ability that enhances the main role.” The full list of badges can be found at PSU.com

Watch here or simply grab it from the US PlayStation Store. Oh and please enjoy our gallery at the bottom of the article.

[UPDATE] Sony appears to have removed the Killzone 2 trailer from the PlayStation Store. Perhaps we weren’t meant to see it yet. Oh well, we have it here! Don’t tell anyone. There will be new Killzone 2 announcements every E3 day, so stay tuned.

What else will you find on the store?  Here’s the list:

Downloadable Content
* Rock Band The Best of The Who Track Pack ($19.99 for 12 songs, or $1.99 each)
($1.99/ea)

* Amazing Journey
* Baba O’Riley
* Behind Blue Eyes
* Eminence Front
* Going Mobile
* Leaving Here
* My Generation
* Good Looking Boy
* Sea & Sand
* Summertime Blues
* Who Are You?
* Young Man Blues

* Super Stardust HD Team Mode Add-on ($4.99)

Game Videos
* God of War III
* Killzone 2 Multiplayer
* Motorstorm Pacific Rift
* Xam’d Lost Memories
* Buzz PSP
* Resistance: Retribution
* Ratchet & Clank Quest for Booty
* PixelJunk Eden
* Siren Blood Curse
* PAIN Amusement Park
* Gran Turismo TV
* MKU vs DCU
* Blitz The League II
* Valkyria Chronicles
* Resident Evil 5
* This is Vegas
* TNA Impact! Wrestling

You’ll find the following on the European Playstation Store:

Games
* Fatal Inertia EX (€19,99)

Game Demos
* Fatal Inertia EX

Downloadable Content
* Super Stardust HD Team Add-on (€3,99)

Game Videos
* Buzz Quiz TV Trailer
* Buzz Quiz TV Trailer Sofa vs. Sofa
* Gran Turismo TV
* MotorStorm Pacific Rift
* LittleBigPlanet
* PixelJunk Eden
* Resistance 2

Source: PlayStation Blog

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Sony’s showing at Play.com Live was secretive before the event and it might not be too hard to see why.

The rumoured Killzone 2 trailer was not new. There was no new footage. It was the 2007 E3 reveal trailer, in a heavily compressed form. Dissappointing, folks.

We were expecting a playable LittleBigPlanet. In fact, I was heavily looking forward to getting my hands on it, and you’d think UK developer’s game would be at this UK event. Another old trailer was there to greet us. Sony are holding this one back.

Oh, and God of War on the Playstation 3? Last year? Oh yes, Ripten was the first to experience God of War: Chains of Olympus for the PSP advertised on an HDTV and under the Playstation 3 logo.

There were, however, playable games. Buzz PS3 made one of its first playable showings, which is especially nice to see since the developers are based in Brighton, UK.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue made a glowing showing, with full arcade set-ups challenging noob gamers in the impressively rendered London setting to score their best lap. Fastest times won the up-and-coming GT5P PS3 bundle. Echochrome walked in after Everybody’s Golf 5, and God of War PSP broke my fingers.

There were other playable Playstation 3 games on show, including Devil May Cry 4, Unreal Tournament 3, Burnout Paradise, Army of Two, Bourne Conspiracy, Lost Planet, Soul Calibur IV, Condemned 2, Rainbow Six Vegas 2, Lego Indiana Jones, Race Driver: Grid, Rock Band, Guitar Hero 3, and the PS3 exclusive Haze.

The advertised Resident Evil 5 and Street Fighter IV once again only made trailer appearences, but at least this was better than Star Wars: The Force Unleashed’s depressing effort.

In-depth game impressions still to come.

A poster on Killzone.com’s forums claims to have received this month’s UK Official Playstation Magazine a little early, and what’s inside? Allegedly, some juicy Killzone 2 tidbits.

According to the post (reproduced below for your convenience), Killzone 2 will feature several player-controlled vehicles and at least one other race of aliens living on the Helghast planet. Whether said xenomorphs will be just as bent on wiping you from existence or not remains a mystery.

Also, we can look forward to a beta around the middle of 2008. If true, then that positions the full game for a release during the next holiday season.

In issue 14 it has new info on Killzone 2 (i suggest buying the issue so you get the hope artical-im just saying some of the main bits-GG contact me if you don’t want me to say all this and want people to buy it to get the info)

Any who

“Killzone 2 also promises the inclusion of player-controlled vehicles”

“Public beta test in mid 08″

A quotation from the mag
“we asked De Jonge to tell us a secret.”as you know, they are not the only inhabitants.” He won’t be drawn on whether those ‘other’ alien inhabitants are friendly or not.

It’s always hard to trust rumors with such offensive grammar, but it does seem to be about that time of the month when UK subscribers are scheduled to receive their new issues and none of the details seem particularly far-fetched. Remember, this is not the same magazine as the one recently resurrected in the U.S.

[Source: Killzone Unit]

With so little information on these two AAA Playstation 3 titles, excluding the jaw dropping footage we were able to see at this years E3, the question that continues to be asked is “so when is the release date?”

The semi-official Playstation Blog “Three Speech” claims that both Killzone 2 and LittleBigPlanet won’t be seen until fall of next year. In a post titled “2008 Preview” Three Speech stated the following:

“From around September or October, the PS3 will move into top gear: that’s when Killzone 2 will arrive, to truly take first-person shooters into the next-gen era. And – more excitingly in my book – when LittleBigPlanet – will arrive. Again, LBP will provide an unknown gameplay experience – firstly, because it is so unlike any other game and, secondly, because it will be up to us to define the gameplay.”

If this turns out to be true, it will likely be at least a year down the road before we will be able to get our hands on these beauties.

Three Speech have, however, been known to be not only wrong, but very wrong in the past. For example, their listing of Bioshock as a Playstation 3 title was embarrassing, as were their 2007 release dates for exclusive titles. So we’ll take this report with a pinch of salt.

If these dates are true, with the great line up that will be running through the year, including the long awaited Metal Gear Solid 4 and Gran Turismo Prologue, I’m sure we will all be able to hold out a bit longer.

High Velocity Bowling is indeed coming to the US Playstation Store today, as can be seen by looking at the official US website. Bowling with the Sixaxis sounds fun, but the question is, is it as fun as using a Wii Mote?

In addition, the US at last gets Beats for the PSP. Made by Sony’s London Studio, it’s been out in Europe for a while and it’s great fun to play a game that uses the beats from your favorite music.

Now PixelJunk Monsters, which we previewed last week, is not coming to the US or Europe until January next year. It is, however, already out in Japan for 900 yen.

Americans can also look forward to a Black Sabbath pack for Rock Band at the cost of $5.49. Including three songs, Ozzy also lets us buy the them separately; N.I.B., Sweet Leaf, or War Pigs – each at $1.99.

Also coming to the US this week is Folklore downloadable content, which we already told you about here. Expect some costumes and characters similar to Japan as well, which you can see below. Oh, and don’t be surprised if you get the new GTAIV trailer to download in all its HD glory.

Last but not least, the European and Australian store has been updated with a Kane and Lynch: Dead Men demo (840MB), among other things, such as a Killzone 2 theme to pretty up your XMB. Photographs of the themes follow the Folklore DLC images. Here’s proof that a Kane & Lynch demo is indeed up:

Euro Update:

Games/Demos:
- Kane & Lynch: Dead Men 840MB

Downloadable Content:
- Motorstorm (2 cars: Domino & Adventure) (AU$3.95)
- Folklore (The Origin of Belgae Pack: 4 missions, 1 Folk & 1 Ellen Costume) (AU$3.45)

Themes:
- Mesmerise
- Tori Emaki
- Heavenly Sword
- Motorstorm
- Snakeball
- Lemmings
- Killzone 2
- SingStar

Trailers:
- Metal Gear Online (TGS 2007)
- Metal Gear Solid 4
- Blazing Angels 2

US/Canada Update:

Games/Demos:
-High Velocity Bowling – $9.99
-Wild Arms (PS1) – $5.99
-Timeshift multiplayer demo

Downloadable Content:
-Folklore – Ellen Pack 1 – $3.99 (includes 4 new quests unique to this pack, new costume for Ellen and a new Folk)
-Folklore – Keats Pack 1 – $3.99 (includes 4 new quests unique to this pack, new costume for Keats and a new Folk)
-Folklore – Bundle of Pack 1 + 2 – $5.99
-PAIN – Character Skin – Santa – $0.99
-PAIN – Character Skin – Cookie – $0.99

Rock Band:
Song Packs – $5.49 each:
-Black Sabbath Pack 1

Individual Songs – $1.99 each:
Black Sabbath:
-N.I.B.
-Sweet Leaf
-War Pigs

Trailers:
-Battlefield: Bad Company – “Frostbite”
-Battlefield: Bad Company – “Frostbite” 2
-GTA IV – Trailer 3 – “Move Up, ladies”
-Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots – “TGS 2007 Trailer”
-Uncharted – “Environments”

Other:
-Ratchet & Clank Future theme
-Uncharted theme

Thanks to Neogaf for the images.

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How on earth does this happen by mistake? Answer, it doesn’t — and if it does someone should be made to answer. Yes, it is funny, but from a marketing stand point it is free publicity for Killzone 2, and one can only imagine that Microsoft is not happy about it. And from the other side of the fence, fans of Killzone 2 are probably upset that their graphics are being used to falsely promote Halo 3.

Right after the obvious Halo 3 portion you will see the footage from Killzone 2 clear as day. If you haven’t seen the video yet, check it out after the jump.

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]