Killzone 2: Multiplayer

The real meat of Killzone 2 is in the Multiplayer. The multiplayer is absolutely fantastic and expertly creates the feeling of a true warzone. Since I've been playing the game for a few weeks, I've managed to unlock a few classes and earn some ribbons and other upgrades. The multiplayer experience starts you off as a peon of a soldier: you can pick either assault rifle, get 1 grenade and a measley 64 rounds of ammo. The good news is that the experience system helps you play against equally new players. I have encountered minimal lag (basically a few pauses in maybe 2 games) if at all. This is even more impressive since the game is f*&#ing hectic with 32 players and amazing graphics and explosions.

One of the best features of KZ2 Multiplayer is the dynamic Objectives that change throughout the match. Every match includes Assassination, Attack & Defend, Deathmatch, Search & Retrieve, and Capture & Hold missions. After a 'Round' is completed, the game picks the next objective and announces it to each team without any loading at all. It keeps the game interesting and it's something new for FPS mutliplayer games. You can easily lose hours playing KZ2 without realizing it.

As you play and gain more experience in Killzone 2, things will become even more insane. Last weekend, I began to see Medics emerge and then Engineers who can build sentry turrets...soon flying sentry drones started flying around the maps and gunning me down. More recently, I've encountered cloaking snipers, enemies that look like friendlies, C4 traps, and rocket launchers. All of these additional wrinkles have made multiplayer more frantic and warlike (without any lag). They've also given me something to work towards and I can't wait to use (and abuse) some of the later abilities and classes.

Killzone 2 Multiplayer is a mix of CoD4, Gears of War, and Team Fortress with a sprinkle of SciFi. The class/badge system is fantastic and gives you something to work towards for whichever type of soldier you yearn to be. Killzone's single player experience is graphically impressive, but ho-hum when it comes to story and new experiences. Killzone nails what it needed to nail to have staying power though...and that's multiplayer.

Killzone 2: Single Player Impressions

I played a lot of Killzone 2 this weekend. I'm going to start with my single player impressions and move on to multiplayer later this week. I have completed 7 Missions (out of 10) so I'm pretty far into the single player campaign.

Killzone 2 instantly does 2 things incredibly well:
1. It is possibly the best looking game ever
2. It absolutely creates the feeling that an all out war is going on and your head is in the enemy's cross hairs.

The opening cinematic really sets the tone of the game and then the opening mission inserts you into a visceral warzone. The story (thus far) is good. It's pretty straightforward, and a little cliche. There's still the final few missions left and perhaps there will be an interesting conclusion or cliffhanger. I do like that the game feels 100% like a mature title. The graphics are grim, the gameplay is chaotic, Helghan is harsh, and ultimately everything has pretty bleak outlook. Killzone 2 is definitely not an uplifting title.

Gameplay wise, Killzone 2 is a mix of 2 parts Call of Duty, 1 part Gears of War/Rainbow Six and a splash of Halo. The biggest thing worth mentioning is of course the excellent crouch/cover mechanic. Unlike Rainbow 6 or GoW, taking cover never takes you out of the first person view. If you're near cover and crouch, you'll stick behind the wall or sandbags and if you're not near cover, you'll simply crouch and improve your aim and accuracy.

That leads me to the gunplay... there are no brightly colored plasma pistols in this scifi war. Almost every gun uses munitions and has incredible kickback. This is not a run-n-gun shooter....taking cover and picking Helghast off is definitely the name of the game. The guns all sound incredible and as long as you're OK with the slower pace, the game will please FPS fans.

Some specific highlights from the campaign thus far include:

• Manning a turret and shooting a building to rubble
• Driving a Tank for an all too short battle
• Impaling Helghast with the explosive harpoon gun
• Shocking enemies with the mighty electricity gun

Some of the most annoying parts for me have been:

• The boss battle with the ATAC
• The jolting and very noticeable in-game loading
• A cheap scenario on a Train where enemies charge you, while a tank fires rockets at you.

It definitely is a missed opportunity not having any co-op for the single player game at all - neither online or offline (in fact there's no split screen options at all). My guess is that this was a time and tech issue, but it is certainly something that will be needed if/when Killzone 3 is released.

If you have a PS3, definitely pick up Killzone 2. The single player experience is certainly a unique take on the FPS genre and mixes several different game styles very well. The graphics are unparallelled and the multiplayer experience is probably the best available for PS3...but more on that later.

Street Fighter IV impressions

Rented SF IV this weekend and have put in a couple hours. It has been overwhelming praised, but I'm definitely not blown away. It's a pretty safe SF2 in 3D adaptation. It's well animated, but I wish they had gone more daring with the paintbrush/watercolor art style. I find the characters a tad cartoony and really loved that highly stylized first trailer. The game definitely needs an arcade stick and the computer AI is pretty brutal even on the lower difficulties...maybe it's just the crappy D-pad on xbox 360. I've only played about 4 characters so far (really like the new C. Viper) but the game is certainly solid. I really like the challenge mode since it teaches you the ropes and builds up the difficulty well. The final boss in Arcade Mode is impossibly cheap and the anime cutscenes have some laughable voicework. The main theme song is also pretty corny. The gameplay is solid though and there was no noticeable lag for me online...well done.

Halo Wars Impressions / Demo Review

I downloaded the massive 1.7GB Halo Wars Demo Last night. Despite the Tutorial being very annoying (your control is frozen as the computer talks to you...argh! let me do what you're telling me as you talk!), I found the demo pretty enjoyable. The gameplay works pretty good for being on a console and the graphics are pretty cool. I wish the camera could be manipulated a little more to show off some of the intense infantry battles. The most compelling thing about the game is certainly the story...this game looks to have the best story backdrop of any Halo title since the original...plus the CGI rendered movies look fantastic. I'm very disappointed about having only a Human Campaign, but perhaps we'll get a Flood and Covenant Campaign as downloadable content. I'm a huge Halo fan, so I'll probably get this if only to play thru the story and get the Mythic Maps early. I don't think the gameplay is compelling enough for me to play this multiplayer very much. I wish I was more of an RTS buff, but I'm not a huge fan of the genre. I'm very interested to hear if Halo Wars legitimizes RTS on consoles.

Far Cry 2: Preview/Impressions

I rented Far Cry 2 and have been playing it. It is absolutely gorgeous....the graphics have absolutely impressed me. The ability to start brush fires is also very cool, but I have found the single player - sandbox/GTA progression to not work very well. Luckily the multiplayer is pretty good with an interesting EXP and ranking system. I really don't get why the game carries the Far Cry name since it has nothing to do with the original "Island of Dr. Moreau" storyline or even gameplay mechanics (no catlike reflexes in this game). Oh well, it's a good rental, but I'm passing on a purchase.

Download the Metal Gear Online Beta Now

Metal Gear Online is available to download (if you preordered MGS 4: Guns of the Patriots and received the bonus DVD). It's pretty easy to download, just go to account management, transaction management and then enter your promotional code.

You can't play the game yet (that goes live April 21st for 2 weeks), but you can check out the menus and a trailer. You may want to take the time to download the game and sign up for a Konami ID before monday since I am sure that things will be slower the day of.

The download and install process was pretty quick. Now Metal Gear Online and MGS4 just have to live up to the hype and expectations of gamers. Metal Gear has been one of the best series for 20 years now, so I am confident this will be the Playstation system seller it is meant to be. More to come when the Beta Launches.

Band of Bugs Preview & First Impressions

So Band of Bugs was released yesterday and I of course immediately downloaded and starting playing this Xbox Live game since after all it's been one that I've been looking forward to and was featured in my top 5 Arcade games to look out for, plus I have mentioned it quite a bit in other posts. I have not had enough time to try out all the features: Level Editor, Online Multiplayer, etc., but I have started the campaign and have some general impressions of gameplay, graphics, etc.

Graphics: The Graphics are VERY good for Xbox Live Arcade and very clean. I think they pop a little bit more when the colored team shading is not on, but the convenience of identifying the different teams was not worth leaving off for me. The bugs all move differently and are well animated...Maal walks along, Grasshopper's hop, etc. The thing that really pops about the graphics and presentation are the large 2D pictures of each bug when they talk in the campaign. It's fabulous. I love the 2D style in this game.

Gameplay: So far, the campaign story is pretty interesting...it's amazing that this game is only $10. You can instantly see the time/effort that went into the game and it's a full-fledged game and not just a flimsy little Arcade title. The gameplay is instantly reminiscent of Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy Tactics, Fire Emblem, etc. I wish there was some sort of weapon triangle like Fire Emblem (Sword beats Axe beats Spear beats Sword) but if there is, it was not explained in the Tutorial and Training missions. I guess that's where the casual steps in. I have to admit that I love the back and forth of the rounds instead of entire turns where you move all your characters. It's very Action/RPG and works really well to keep the game moving. Surely it will be a blessing in Multiplayer (when I get around to playing it).

Sound/Music: Don't have much to say about this except that the voices/gibberish that each bug speaks in is so great. If you don't have voicework, this is an absolute must and just livens up the whole story presentation and 1 player campaign. Sound effects are very good, and I like the hop sounds of the Grasshopper as he bounds around. Haven't really taken a moment to listen to the music, but it fit the theme of the game and didn't overtly stand out as bad, quirky or weird.

Lasting Appeal: Haven't been playing it that long, but I can already tell that there is a lot to do in the game. Ultimately if multiplayer delivers this game will have incredible lasting appeal with the level editor and all. I'm a huge fan of multiplayer, but want to learn as much of the rope as possible before I delve in and get my ass whooped. I hope to run into the Ninja Bee in the game very soon and congratulations to Ninjabee the development team on another great game for the Xbox Live Arcade.

Full Review will arrive soon, but Band of Bugs is living up to the (my) hype.

Crackdown First Impressions

So what's Crackdown best known for?...undoubtedly the Halo 3 Beta. You have to tip your hat to Microsoft on that brilliant marketing move...a game that was receiving only mediocre hype and attention boomed to one of the most discussed games on the 'net. The question is how do you evaluate Crackdown as a result? For some Halo 3 fans, the Beta itself is worth the $60 price tag. Well, maybe the value of Crackdown/Halo 3 Beta package will have to wait till the Beta is actually available. As it is right now, Crackdown is $60 for Crackdown, so how is it?

I have logged a considerable amount of time in Crackdown over the weekend...both alone and online. The coop option is an immense feather in Crackdown's cap. If any other GTA-style, Sandbox games come out that do not offer some sort of similar online option are just stupid. Playing with a friend is so fun in that not only can you complete the missions and murder mobsters, but also just enjoy the world of this game. Let me share such an enjoyable moment with you:

Playing on my friend's game (from the beginning...we both just got it- though I had played around some and level upped earlier in the day) we start off in the Los Muertos Gang area, quickly acquire a supply point and kill a plethora of gang thugs. Now info comes in on a Gang Boss...we want him dead and after collecting some green orbs, proceed to the Boss's facility. Now the game picks up and gets intense and we're jumping, blasting, and hurling grenades...my partner dies and I'm on my own. I am talking on my headset pleading for backup...he says, "I'm coming." Minutes pass and my low life indicator is chiming at me. "Where are you?"...I get back. "Almost there, don't worry you'll see me." At this point, the gang has amassed in full force and hot rods and big ass trucks have surrounded and barricaded me in. Boom, my friend rolls in with a Semitruck with a car rack on the back, destroying the barricade and allowing me to proceed through and waste the Gang Boss. Laughter ensues, mission complete...but then the real fun happens. I tell my friend to drive straight while I hop in and floor a gang hot rod. I use the ramp on the back of his truck as we both fly down a highway to propel my care up into the air over dozens of moving cars, enjoy a sec of success before all out destruction on the highway. Cars crash, and explosions soon rock the bridge throwing bits everywhere. At this point, my friend and I both knew we'd be playing together soon.

The above experience cannot be reproduced in any other sandbox game to my knowledge, and that's a shame. Crackdown doesn't have a story, doesn't have very many side missions or tasks, but does offer you the chance to play with a friend in an environment where your character levels up and starts to take on super hero abilities. Driving around is Ok. The agency vehicles are significantly more fun than any you can find on the street (and they level up with you). I guess driving is necessary, but what's really fun is scaling rooftops. You can leap like Neo, Trinity, and the best of them in Crackdown and it is damn fun. I have spent more time looking for green orbs than I have looking for gang members, driving or anything else. The game is fun to play and the controls are easy to learn. As a solo game, Crackdown is probably shallow, but as a co-op game this game, so far, seems fantastic. I mean look at the fun that can be had:



Crackdown is about Explosions, Superhuman abilities, and pure funfactor. Did I mention I like the campy announcer too? Granted I payed a fraction of Crackdown's full price, but I am confident in saying that it is worth checking out and if you're a Halo fan you may find yourself playing Crackdown more than you expected while you wait for the Beta. Look for a full review later in the week, but if you can't wait you can buy Crackdown from Amazon below (and save some bucks as well):