Why Killzone 2 Will Not Increase PS3 Sales

Why Killzone 2 Will Not Increase PS3 Sales

Killzone 2 is easily the most hyped video game of the current gaming generation. Killzone 2 is pushing graphics to a level never seen before on consoles, and the gameplay is just as polished, but will this potentially great game help boost the poor sales of the Playstation 3? We believe that Killzone 2 alone will not, and here's why.

Recession/Price. This one is quite obvious. The Playstation 3 simply costs too much. $400 USD is far more than the Xbox 360 and the Wii. Sony made it clear that the PS3 is a great value, with a blue-ray player, wifi, and an 80 gb hard drive, but why isn't there a cheaper PS3 package? Sony's strategy here is great on the surface; a hard drive and wifi capabilities in every single console package gives developers the freedom to harness the extra memory, and encourage every single gamer to try the online experience, but the price point has obviously scared a huge amount of potential buyers away. There should be a cheaper package with a smaller hard drive and no built in wifi. It seems like Sony may have noticed (finally), but it may be too late. A price drop is rumored to happen this spring, but the recession is sucking money out of the buyer's pockets at an alarming rate, so Sony might not get the expected results.

First Person Shooter. This can be both a good and bad point. Killzone 2 is a new game in a flooded genre. FPS games have a history of great sales, especially in the Xbox's case with the Halo series, but some gamers who haven't done their research may look at Killzone 2 and assume it's just another shooter, and that's it. It is something that we as educated gamers might find hard to believe, especially after seeing the amazing graphics, but reality is this game hasn't been exposed to the general public.

Advertising. Now, Sony's decision with this has baffled us. Killzone 2 will be released in 2 weeks, yet there are no advertisements out there. Supposedly, there will be an ad on the air this week, but it's a shame that Sony waited until now to release a major ad. At the same time, it seems like Killzone 2 has had great success in terms of reaching the ears and eyes of many gamers without advertising. The hype across the internet has been great news for Sony and has definitely caused the huge numbers of reserved copies of the game, but will the late ads be enough for the general public? We will have to see how Sony carries on with their advertisement plan, because it still can be used effectively.

Fanboyism. This has been a relatively old thing in the video game world, but it has been massively magnified since the beginning of this new generation. An ongoing debate about which system is better has turned to a consistently narrowing view from gamers. It's quite hard to describe the whole situation, but many who have browsed large video game review sites have seen fanboyism in action. Some may call it console loyalty, but all can agree that it has changed the video game world, and how it is perceived. We won't talk too much about the whole idea of fanboyism, but it has caused a distinct separation between Xbox and Playstation gamers. This may prevent a growth of gamers who own both systems, therefore preventing the growth of both system's fan bases. What makes this situation bad is that it may be out of the reach of Sony and Microsoft's power. Quality may have nothing to do with the victor of the console wars. Sad.

Yes, Killzone 2 will not be a miracle game for PS3, but it will start a new age of PS3 games...

Guerilla's Engine. Killzone 2 was in production for a really long time. A really, really long time. Creating the Killzone 2 engine is what took so long, but now that it is here, more PS3 developers will be using it. The engine can take full advantage of the PS3's hardware, so developers will simply have a more powerful tool to use. It would also be interesting to see Xbox 360 developers using this engine if possible. With such a powerful engine available to developers, gamers can expect much more quality in the future exclusive titles, which can eventually lead to increased PS3 sales.

Killzone 2 is just the beginning. The console war just got really interesting. 2009 should be a great year for both consoles.

Killzone 2 Demo Impression

The Killzone 2 Deme Impressions.

The Killzone 2 release date is slowly approaching. The hype on Killzone 2 has been enormous and the recent reviews indicate that Killzone 2 won't be a disappointment. We got a chance to download the European Killzone 2 download and actually get our hands on the game. Click Here to find out how to get your copy of the demo.

The demo quickly throws you into a warzone, where you and your fellow soldiers, who are on some kind of hovering aircraft, crash land onto a beach. After everyone evacuates the aircraft, you take control of your character. The first thing noticeable is that this quick little scene was not exactly a cutscene. This is actually what the game looks like, and will look like throughout the rest of the game. After getting over how good the game looked and moving on with the game, a sense of intensity overwhelms the player. Yes the graphics are amazing, but the sounds of explosions and the constant yells of falling soldiers are just as great in creating an immerse experience. Although this demo is very short, about 5 minutes long to be exact, it is very intense on the senses, and will leave players hungry for more.

Killzone 2 has been a hype machine mainly because of it's graphics. Textures are very sharp and all, but where Killzone 2 shines is in it's graphical effects. Motion blurring looks absolutely amazing; every movement you make in your first person view will cause the world and your gun to blur in a very realistic way. The lighting is absolutely amazing; I haven't seen any game come even close. The sunlight causes some nice lense flair effects, your gun actually lights the area around you when shooting, and the Helghast's eyes truly glow and light up things around them. Gunshots to metal objects give off realistic looking, glowing sparks that really bounce off the ground, then stop glowing as the metal pieces cool down. Explosions cause realistic-looking smoke clouds to appear. The list of tiny graphical details is too large to list; it's absolutely overwhelming.

Animations are top-notch. From the first person perspective, your character really feels as if he is carrying the gun, armor, ect. There is a very nice sense of weight; jumping looks as if you have to heave that gun to make a decent jump. Running to full speed takes a short time, as if it takes time to accelerate all the weight. While running, it is difficult to turn quickly, adding on to the feel of weight. What is absolutely bad ass about the helghast is their death animations. Their bodies react realistically to every bullet that hits them, and blood splatters wildly as they go down. Rarely do you see the helghast go down in the same animation twice.

Gameplay is where the big question about Killzone 2 is, and it is great. It is hard to fully analyze this part of the game with such a short demo, but these 5 minutes of gameplay are promising. The cover system works well for the player and for the helghast. Much of the gameplay revolves around this cover system; you will likely be using cover during most of the gunfights, and so will the helghast. This makes both sides of the field equal, because the same features are available to both. This is also where the AI has a chance to shine; helghan will cleverly use their cover, and they will chase you out of your cover if you stay in one spot for too long. This truly creates a feel where you are fighting for your life, not just aiming and shooting at enemies. You will have to use strategy to win fights. Only the equivalent of a normal difficulty was available for the demo, but the harder difficulties will surely be an interesting challenge.

Gameplay cannot shine without great controls, and the controls for Killzone 2 do hold up. The default controls have the crouching button mapped to L2, and a melee attack mapped to L1. You can fire your gun by pressing R1, and you can throw a grenade using R2. Using the gun's sight is mapped to R3. At first, a similar control scheme to that used in the Call of Duty series might be preferable, but players will soon find that because of the cover-based gameplay, the default controls are the best alternative. It will take some time to get used to, but it is easier on the fingers, and makes the gameplay flow at the perfect flow.

This Killzone 2 demo has been impressive, showing off the great graphics, and proving that the gameplay may be just as good. The multiplayer sounds promising and the storyline in the single player campaign seems like it will be an epic one, and the gameplay seems like it will hold up very well, but not much can be said until Killzone 2 is released on February 27th.

How To Get a Killzone 2 Demo!

Killzone 2.

The hype is killing the fans. They want their hands on Killzone 2. They want to know if Killzone 2 really looks as good as the videos. They want to know if Killzone 2's gameplay is as good as the graphics. They want to know if Killzone 2 is worth the money!

The only way to answer these questions is to test out the game, right? Sadly, in the US, these Killzone 2 demo codes are exclusive to people who reserve the game at GameStop. Requiring $5 down on the game defeats the whole purpose of a demo. But wait, why does Europe have a demo out already?? Most don't understand Sony's logic on this one, but forget them. Let's go ahead and create a new Playstation Network account, and choose a European country as your region. Complete the registration, then head over to the Playstation Store. The Killzone 2 demo should be on the homepage, but if not, it should be listed under 'games'. Download, and have fun!

Killzone 2 E3 2007 Trailer

2 years after the first Killzone 2 target video trailer, an actual game trailer showing off how the game actually looks is released. Up to this point, Killzone 2 wasn't expected to reach that target rendered video, but as you can see, Killzone 2 indeed has reached it, and possibly surpassed it. Take a look for yourself:

Killzone 2 E3 2005 Trailer

Here is the amazing Killzone 2 E3 2005 Trailer showing off the visuals.. Remember this was a rendered video intended to create a target for the developers to strive for! This is not actual PS3 gameplay video.



Looking back at this video, it looks much worse than the final.. amazing. And people thought that graphics like this on the PS3 were unachievable! I can't wait until I get my hands on Killzone 2...

Privacy Policy

I respect your privacy and I am committed to safeguarding your privacy while online at this site Killzone2FanBlog.blogspot.com The following discloses how I gather and disseminate information for this Blog.

Links

This Blog contains links to other sites. Please be aware that I am not responsible for the privacy practices of these other sites. I suggest my users to be aware of this when they leave this blog and to read the privacy statements of each and every site that collects personally identifiable information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this Blog.

Advertisers

I use outside ad companies to display ads on this blog. These ads may contain cookies and are collected by the advertising companies and I do not have access to this information. I work with the following advertising companies: Google Adsense. Please check the advertisers websites for respective privacy policies.

Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns please contact Rhapsodist at cali_to_nc4@yahoo.com. This privacy policy updated January 2009

Killzone2 Coming February..

Killzone 2. Are You Serious Guerilla?? This game looks absolutely CRAZY. Who would have thought the PS3 would be able to run a game that looks beyond anything I've ever seen... When I first saw that 2005 trailer, I was totally convinced that buying a PS3 was worth it JUST for this game.. well I soon found out that trailer I saw was NOT gameplay video, but actually a target video set by the developers... so it was nothing but a render. Awww. But now there has been some real gameplay footage circulating around the internet, and it looks BETTER than that rendered video.. HOW?!?! Believe me when I say, these are the best graphics to ever hit the consoles... and some claimed the PS3 is the only system capable of such polished graphics.. well you PS3 fanboys got something big to brag about, cuz this game will be amazing.. February 27 2009.. PS3 owners get ready for one of the most anticipated games of this generation.