Killzone 2

[MisterNoisy]

I've played about 10 games in a row, no issues whatsoever.

Post-patch (1.2)?

[schild]

I guess, I just started today!

[MisterNoisy]

Glad to hear that that's fixed.  Regardless, I'm pretty sure that the multiplayer's got legs (though I'm not 100% that it's got CoD4-level legs), tho'.  Hell - the GAF crowd alone will keep it running until the cockroaches take over.  I'm torn because i *want* to like it a lot - it's a good shooter with amazing visuals, but I can't help but think it's missing 'something'.  I'm not sure if that's a product of buying into the hype or what, but whatever.  I don't regret the purchase, but it's not a 'go-to' game.

[schild]

It's not that the game is missing something, it's that the level designers suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

[Fabricated]

I haven't gone online yet but the only thing that I dislike about it so far is again, playing an FPS with a controller. I can deal with Killzone 2 being a slower paced game, but I just can't get good at fine-tuning my aim when I need to.

[schild]

I really like the MP and I think I'll be playing it on and off for a long while (with RE5 and Demon's Souls inevitable), this is third on the list. That said, the SP is wholly mediocre.

[fuser]

I haven't gone online yet but the only thing that I dislike about it so far is again, playing an FPS with a controller. I can deal with Killzone 2 being a slower paced game, but I just can't get good at fine-tuning my aim when I need to.

Easily fixed.

[schild]

I wonder if I should get a "review" piece of hardware from them.

Email sent. Who says you can't play press on the weekends.

[AcidCat]

Eh, I returned the game after a week. I liked the MP for a bit but then it just got really repetitive and boring. Unlocking the Engineer was as far as I got. Of course, the two times I actually tried to play Engineer, I couldn't use their signature ability of placing a turret, since your team can only have two turrets down at once. Genius design, let me pick a class and join the game only to find I can't use my special ability. Anyway after that the game locked up two nights in a row on me and I just lost all interest.

[schild]

I can't bring myself to continue. I love the IDEA of the MP and the actual control mechanics and some of the class stuff, but honestly, this game has the worst level design I've seen in years. In both SP and MP. I'm done with it.

[apocrypha]

I've got about 1/4 way through single player and got bored.

However it is very good for stoned play with my brother. One life each, when you die you swap controller for spliff and carry on. There's an art to dying at a REALLY tough spot for the lols 

[stray]

So late here, but fuck me, this game is great looking. They actually did exactly what that old trailer displayed years back... I was almost sure this was gonna be ridiculous when it came out.

[Fabricated]

It's a cool game. Last boss so to speak is a bit retarded and the game is really fucking hard even on normal but it's pretty cool.

Multiplayer feels like it would be awesome as a PC game with tools so people could make levels that didn't suck.

[stray]

On a sidenote, I've been wondering for awhile now if it's... hmm.. wasteful maybe? for one company to have so many shooter game engines.. on one platform no less. Admittedly, I don't know shit about the details about how engines work (or how the relationship between 1st and 2nd studios work), but is that even necessary? If you count them, there must be at least a dozen floating around, all pretty good and doing the same thing. Except in Killzone's case, it's a little understandable seeing that it's the newest/best one. But I wonder how much of even Guerilla's tech could have been used in early games  - or maybe how much faster games would have come out if they had pooled all of their resources together and shared code.

[Sheepherder]

On a sidenote, I've been wondering for awhile now if it's... hmm.. wasteful maybe? for one company to have so many shooter game engines.. on one platform no less. Admittedly, I don't know shit about the details about how engines work (or how the relationship between 1st and 2nd studios work), but is that even necessary? If you count them, there must be at least a dozen floating around, all pretty good and doing the same thing. Except in Killzone's case, it's a little understandable seeing that it's the newest/best one. But I wonder how much of even Guerilla's tech could have been used in early games  - or maybe how much faster games would have come out if they had pooled all of their resources together and shared code.

That's normally how things are done.

Gamebryo
Source
Unreal

The difference here being that Guerrilla Games has been purchased by Sony, which means they don't necessarily need or want to license their software to other companies because they can restrict it to their platform.  Incidentally, I'd expect a large number of shooters games on the PS3 are going to be using this engine, or at the very least significant portions of it.

[stray]

No what I mean is why isn't talent/code being used across the board to all Sony related companies? Why does Insomniac, Naughty Dog, and Guerilla, for example not just work together under Sony's wing? That's what doesn't make sense to me. All three made good shooter engines, all three are Sony development houses, all three develop exclusively for the PS3.. But they kind of play around in their own little spheres - and it's all at Sony's expense too. Also, lets say if all three had taken part in the development of Guerilla's engine, then all of their games would look as good - not to mention would be released earlier than they were. The individual requirements couldn't have been that special to have needed their own particular engines, could it?

[stray]

OK, I see.. Guerilla was only purchased by Sony in 2006... And apparently all 3 are actually working together more these days, among others (like Zipper and Sucker Punch).

[schild]

While they may be working together more, different cultures don't always mesh well. And to say game dev houses have different cultures would be something of an understatement.

[Ard]

Not to mention that Guerilla is in Amsterdam, and most of the rest of the big name sony studios are on the west coast of the US or in Japan.  You try to support a game engine when you're physically located on the other side of the world from most of the rest of your potential clients.

[Velorath]

No what I mean is why isn't talent/code being used across the board to all Sony related companies? Why does Insomniac, Naughty Dog, and Guerilla, for example not just work together under Sony's wing?

Insomniac technically isn't a Sony studio, even though they're pretty much Sony exclusive.

[stray]

They're definitely working with Sony's money though, right? I just think it'd be more efficient if there was one Sony owned engine for all of these games.. these type of games, I mean. instead of multiple things spread about. Seems like that can get pretty damn expensive.

[Velorath]

They're definitely working with Sony's money though, right?

Sony is their publisher, but I can't guess how much money they put into Insomniac's projects nor what the terms of the deal are.  They're pretty tight with the crew at Naughty Dog, but even then they've said that they don't trade tech with the Naughty Dog guys.  Insomniac does occasionally offer up bits of source code free for any PS3 developer though.  At GDC this year for instance, they announced that they put up the source code for their water tech from Resistance 2.

[stray]

Probably by the time the PS4 is out, it might be a different story. Or hell, maybe PS3 development from here on out. Looking further into it, Sony has slowly been acquiring these studios and turning them into 1st parties. It just happened to be all within the same time as the PS3's release, so it was too late to have the whole ball rolling at first. Umm.. so I guess that answers my original question!

[Sheepherder]

Like I said?

[Azazel]

Don't forget that studios occasionally break away from their owners. Look at Rare/Nintendo, Bungee/Microsoft. It's all clearly in the fine print that we're not privvy to.