Following the competition for 35 tickets for entry into a very hush hush sneak preview of the latest code Killzone 2 campaign, GGS in partnership with Pixelated Geek went along to cover the event to bring you the news and views for those unlucky not to get a ticket. The lucky 35 fans (plus their +1s) got time to play with the latest pre-view code for Killzone 2's single player campaign and the resounding impression was in one word awesome!
Hit the Read More link for more, plus a load of photos from the event.
The Vue in Leicester Square was an apt venue for the preview hands on. Some 20 odd screens were setup up in a private bar within the cinema with a champagne reception and two hours of hands on time with the game for all the attendies. We got some quality time with the game ourselves and can safely say roll on the hype machine. Unlike the original Killzone on the PS2, Killzone 2 definitely warrants the attention and build up. Not only is this the best looking shooter on the PS3 bar none, we could postumously go as far as to say, the best looking shooter on any console with PC games hard pressed to beat it. The textures, the incredibly well detailed animations and a look that combines the best of a modern warfare setting with a little bit of sci-fi makes Killzone 2 one of the most immersive experiences we've had the pleasure of experiencing on a console. To give you an example of the amount of detail and thought Guerilla have put into Killzone 2, the shell casings eject when you fire your gun as one would expect, but instead of being a canned animation that is just replayed over and over, each casing is an interactive object that obeys the physics of the game. For instance when you fire one shot off the shell ejects normally falling to the ground. When you fire off a burst each shell casing hits the next spewing the ejected brass all over the shop in a totally unscripted realistic way. Everything in the game that we experienced had that level of detail. The most amazing thing was that with all that detail, texture quality and in HD, the game ran smoothly and fast (there was no appreciable drop in frame rate even when there were about 15 Helgast and one npc alley on screen). It is true that the game is not as arcade like as COD however, with things taking time and no snap reactions. It's more realistic in that sense and really makes you feel like you're actually doing the things. When you go for cover you move into cover not just snapping there, when you fire over the top of cover he moves his gun over the top to fire. These things all take time, but really gives you a feeling of effort. It's a different game, probably a good thing, to the quick fire lightning reactions of COD4, but it really is a cut above the rest.
As the gameplay session wound up we were treated to something that no-one outside of Playstation had seen, a total surprise for us, the cinematic introduction to the release version of the game. We were specifically asked not to video the sequence (which means unfortunately you'll have to do with my description for the time being) but rest assured what was shown was truly epic. After being thoroughly impressed with the hands on time with the game, we were totally blown away by the video. It was a speech about taking it to the Helgast intermixed with scenes of massive troop ship launches and landing ships blasting their way onto the Helgast home world. The speech was rousing truly making you want to blast the crap out of the fiends who ravaged Earth, it made you truly feel like you were a troop about to embark on a mission to kick some ass and take the fight to your mortal enemy. The characters in the scenes were again incredibly well animated and the soundscape was incredible with deep resonance in the voice acting, fantastic sound effects with big, realistic sounding gunfire and drop ships. It reminded me of the initial landing scenes in Saving Private Ryan, with the ISA troops being gunned down as they poured out of the drop ships. It was on of the best intro videos I've seen for any game and will truly get you in the mood for the fight.
The evening was rounded out with a private screening of an original copy of the classic Aliens. It was truly a priveladge to be able to see it at the cinema considering the original release was way before I was able to go to the cinema. Everyone there had a good time and left with a feeling that we had witnessed something quite special. Needless to say, if you we're interested in Killzone 2 you really should be. If Guerilla manage to hold it together coming into the February release (which looking at the pre-view code seems likely) then Killzone 2 could be THE game of 2009. Roll on February is all we can say.
Check below for some photos of the event, you'll have to excuse the poor camera work, this surprise event was even a surprise for us and the only thing we could lay our hands on was an iPhone for pictures.
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