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.