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Kinect PS3 hack is a console purist's worst nightmare
They said it couldn't be done, but Shantanu Goel has seemingly done it: married an Xbox 360 and PS3 together through some good, old-fashioned Kinect hackery. In the video past the break, you can see the first small steps for man that is Killzone 3 being played with Kinect. Yes, that is a sentence we never thought we'd have to write. It's still a bit rough around the edges (a self-professed "pre-Alpha" build of the software), but the progress that Goel claims to have made is quite impressive to behold. It could be faked, but all signs point to this being a legitimate, working Kinect hack, using Kinect PC drivers and software that allows the PS3 to use PC controllers. Goel's posted a walkthrough online for all to see.
160GB PS3 with Killzone 3 bundle coming Feb. 22 for $300
Sony is hoping you'll find its latest hardware bundle a killer deal. It's at least a Killzone deal -- the $300 package includes a 160GB PS3 console and a copy of its latest sci-fi FPS, Killzone 3. Considering that this PS3 model usually costs the same price by itself, it's technically a $60 savings. Y'know, if you don't have a PS3 and want Guerilla Games' new shooter. If you're in that camp, visit your store of choice on February 22 -- the same day Killzone 3 hits shelves -- since that's when the pack goes on sale.
Killzone 3 contains over an hour of cutscenes
The "3" in "Killzone 3" might as well stand for the quantity of cinematics in Guerilla's latest shooter -- three times the amount employed by Killzone 2. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) said in its bestowing of an "18" (mature) rating on the game that its cutscenes total 70 minutes. Its predecesor, by comparison, contained 25 minutes worth of story sequences, according to the BBFC. Let's see: We know that characters voiced by Malcolm McDowell and Ray Winstone will be chewing up the scenery for a good chunk of that hour and 10 minutes; the rest will therefore be composed of shouting space marines and other guys who are also shouting but have red "eyes." Someone get Michael Bay on the phone!
McDowell, Winstone sound off in new Killzone 3 trailer
So, we just found out that Killzone 3 has a story. How that's going to work without ruining all of the senseless shooting is beyond us, but at least it sounds interesting. Plus, Malcolm McDowell and Ray Winstone are going to voice two Helghast leaders vying for power. We hope you can shoot them.
Guerrilla co-founders form Vanguard Entertainment
The original co-founders of Killzone developer Guerrilla Games, Martin de Ronde (pictured above) and Michiel Mol, have founded a new studio named Vanguard Entertainment. The new company combines the duo's current online dev house, Karami, with Greed Corp developer W!Games and will focus on taking "the fundamental mechanics of the fast growing market of PC online games and applying them to products for consoles and other premium platforms." That idea's got promise, especially coming from experienced industry pros like de Ronde and Mol. However, we think it goes without saying that if we ever log into Xbox Live and there's 30 Mafia Wars requests waiting for us, we're going to quit playing video games forever. [Image credit: Gamedev.net]
Killzone 3 wrecking Helghast shop on February 22, 2011
PlayStation Blog has announced a February 22, 2011 North American release date for Killzone 3, the fourth installment in Guerrilla Games' FPS series (we know, we still find that confusing too). For those of you keeping score, that's almost two years to the day after the release of Killzone 2. We guess the last week of Feburary holds some kind of secret significance to the Amsterdam-based developer. If you happen to be attending the Penny Arcade Expo at the moment, you can get your hands on the game much, much sooner -- a playable 8-on-8 multiplayer demo is currently set up at Sony's booth on the PAX show floor.
What Killzone looked like before it was Killzone
The E3 2005 trailer for Killzone 2 quickly became well-known (infamous, even) for its supposedly unatainable levels of in-game graphical prowess. But the initial trailer for the game that would become the original Killzone has been much less well known ... until this past week at GDC Europe. Guerilla Games Managing Director Hermen Hulst showed off the circa-1999 concept video in a keynote speech in Cologne earlier this week, calling it a "showcase of technical competence" prepared for their first meeting with Sony. Even though Hulst admits there's "nothing really 'Killzone' about it" at this early stage (for instance, the Helghast and their glowing eyes don't even make a cameo appearance) we thought it was an interesting look at the pre-history of one of Sony's biggest exclusive franchises. To see the video in full, follow us past the break.
Killzone 3 multiplayer trailer power-armors up
Sony couldn't possibly stage its Gamescom 2010 press conference without spotlighting its FPS mega-sequel, Killzone 3. So we've gotten a new trailer for the game -- the same one screened for attendees -- that provides a first glimpse at the new game's multiplayer component in action. Big, metal, stomping action. In addition to the usual running around in squads shooting the bad guys, this footage shows something we wished Killzone 2's multiplayer featured but never did: the ability to use giant powered exoskeletons to smash your opponents. (The single-player mode's jetpacks are in there, too.) Sadly, the exoskeleton doesn't appear to transform into a jeep or other vehicle -- that's for Killzone 4, obviously. For now, we'll just have to make do with what you can see in the video after the break.
Hands-on: Killzone 3
Following yesterday's presentation by Guerrilla Games at a San Francisco media event, in which the developer outlined its ambitious plans for Killzone 3, I played two sections of the featured demo. Described as "extremely early" by Guerrilla and Sony staff, the segment I played, "Frozen Shores," is actually a level from later in the game's campaign. It takes place in the frigid Helgan arctic, which is home to iced-over oil rigs and, according to the mission description, an arms factory. I headed toward one of the rigs, riding in on an Intruder dropship. I manned a gun turret during this on-rails sequence, picking off enemies and destroying sections of the oil rig as the ship swerved to avoid enemy fire. Massive pieces of the rig bent, collapsed and fell into what I can easily say is the best-looking ocean I've ever seen in a game. The scene was stirring, if not somewhat bleak due to the near absence of color in this stark world. As ISA Intruders seem wont to do, the one I was on crashed, kicking off the on-foot majority of the mission. Thus began a gameplay sequence so incredibly intense that I was barely able to focus any attention on surveying the details in an attempt to draw distinctions between this experience and Killzone 2. It was all a blur of red, white and glowing eyes. Blood soaked into the snow and oil barrels exploded all around, as those creepy Helgast goggles haunted the scene. %Gallery-93774%
Guerrilla demonstrates Killzone 3; promises a more epic, varied experience
Guerrilla Games showed Killzone 3 in action for the first time tonight at an event in San Francisco. Managing director Hermen Hulst was on hand to lay out some key details about the sequel -- unfortunately, any sort of release date wasn't among them. Saying that the team was inspired by the ambition exhibited by other Sony Worldwide Studios releases, specifically Uncharted 2 and God of War 3, Hulst detailed planned improvements across the board for Killzone 3. Chief among them is more variety in environments, weapons, vehicles and enemies. Promising more epic, unique moments throughout, he pointed out that the first three minutes of the demo featured more cinematics and scripted events than the entire first level of Killzone 2. My full hands-on with the game will be published tomorrow afternoon, but for now you can read on after the break for more on Killzone 3's new environments, weapons and other features.
Killzone 2 'Napalm & Cordite' expansion dated for July 23
The first rumblings of Killzone 2's next DLC pack, Napalm & Cordite, came over the wire last week. Now we have a date -- and details. Hitting on July 23 (that's next Thursday!) the expansion includes two new maps: "Suljeva Cliffside" and "Arctower Landing." Both are rooted in locations from the single-player campaign; the former taking place near the Suljeva mining village, the latter in the urban hotzone of Blood Meridian.The pack's release will also usher in the ability to use two more of the campaign mode's weapons in multiplayer -- but only on the new maps. The VC1 Flamethrower will appear for use on Suljeva Cliffside, while Arctower Landing will offer the opportunity to say "I love you" to your enemies using the Boltgun 4400.
Killzone 2 getting patch and new DLC: 'Napalm & Cordite'
Incoming! Another DLC pack is en route to Killzone 2. This time, it's the "Napalm & Cordite" pack, which we'll be hearing much more about next week. In the meantime, Guerilla Games has seen fit to detail the next patch, which will coincide with the new DLC content. Patch 1.28 is the "latest and greatest update" to the game and adds a multitude of new features when it drops on July 14. These features include, obviously, code support for the new Napalm & Cordite maps, "Suljeva Cliffside" and "Arctower Landing," as well as code which adds the flamethrower and bolt gun to multiplayer. The patch also contains new trophies, more detailed information when browsing games and a bunch of other fixes and updates. Check out the full list over at the PlayStation Blog. %Gallery-67751%
New features added to Killzone Command Center
We realize that the hardcore Killzone 2 fans among you are probably too busy enjoying the "Steel and Titanium" map pack to do any internetting right now, but if you haven't checked out the shooter's official site recently, you should really point your browser in that direction.The Killzone Command Center recently underwent a huge revamp, adding in a number of oft-requested features. Chief among these additions is the ability to upload and view battle replays, though the non-cinematically inclined have plenty to check out as well -- for instance, the site's improved tournament tracking page and live updates of featured matches are well worth a gander. Said gandering can be performed by clicking this here link.
Killzone 2 multiplayer reaches 1 million participants
The Killzone 2 leaderboards aren't just for tracking who's best at putting down Helghast scum (or the invading ISA, if that's how you roll). The leaderboards are also handy for when you need to keep track of a milestone, like Killzone 2's millionth player to log in online, for example. That's right, Killzone 2 has over one million folks taking the fight online, achieving the number in little over two months of being on store shelves. Based on sales data, this also means that roughly 2/3rds of the people that purchased the game have taken it online, which is impressive in and of itself. And with so many of the people that bought the game going online to try their skills against the rest of the world, we're willing to bet that Sony will sell a good deal of Steel and Titanium to gamers. [Via PS3Center]
Killzone developer says PS3 dev easier than PS2
You've heard it time and time again: the PS3 is not easy to develop for. However, the folks behind Sony's flagship FPS, Killzone 2, will disagree. Guerilla Games' Managing Director Hermen Hulst spoke to GameDaily about the working as a PlayStation-exclusive developer. "Like us, if you are native to PlayStation, our tech director doesn't say it's particularly difficult. It's specific, but it's not difficult like PS2 was difficult – PS2 was a difficult [machine] to crack, but PS3 didn't take us a long time to get up and running." Hulst does admit that multiplatform developers may have more trouble working with Sony's console "because it is very different" from other consoles.Development Director Arjan Brussee not only sees PS3 as an easier system to develop for, but also believes Sony's proprietary architecture can be easier to deal with than the Xbox 360. "I actually think PS3 is a simpler architecture than some of the other consoles; you just have to have a certain mindset on how to address it. I think the Cell-based processor with the SPUs and the super high speed DSPs that you can throw all your calculation tasks at gives us a model that's way easier to program for, even for junior programmers, than the general purpose multi-core type of architecture, which the PC and Xbox 360 have." Brussee notes that offloading certain processes to the SPUs allows programmers to take full advantage of Cell's processing power.The remarkable visuals of Killzone 2 certainly gives credence to their claims. Perhaps Guerilla should follow Insomniac's steps and allow the development community to learn some of their PS3 programming tricks.
Joystiq Review: Killzone 2 (multiplayer)
click to enlarge We know what you're thinking: "Hey, didn't you guys already review Killzone 2?" Pretty neat trick, huh? Yes, we did. But, as we played before the game hit retail, we only covered the single-player experience. Now that the game's out, the servers are up and we've had ample time to pop some caps in other players thousands of miles away, it's time to talk about Killzone 2's multiplayer offering.Considering how solid the game's solo campaign is, some would argue it's good enough to just leave the critique at that. But any major, modern FPS needs a strong multiplayer component to compete -- not to mention bring some staying power to that $60 purchase. In the case of Killzone 2, its MP side can scrap with the best of 'em when it's good (which is often) but still contains enough of the rough stuff to warrant a few rounds of patches.%Gallery-4719%
Killzone 2 is UK's 4th fastest-selling Sony title, Halo Wars is best-selling console RTS
This past week saw a massive resupply of ammunition for both the Sony and Microsoft fanboys on the treacherous European front of the current console war -- first of all, the highly anticipated Killzone 2 nabbed the top spot in the ELSPA GfK ChartTrack Top 40, and became the fourth fastest-selling Sony-published title ever released in the UK. Its first place finish in the Top 40 charts gave it an edge over number two finisher Halo Wars. You read that right, people. Killzone 2 has become, as many of its zealous acolytes claimed it would, a "Halo killer."However, the situation isn't exactly grim for said murdered Halo title -- within its launch week, it became the UK's best-selling console RTS to date, beating out former leader Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars by a three-to-one margin. So ... we guess Halo is a "Command and Conquer killer," now? We're not sure. All this inter-franchise homicide is hard to keep track of.
PlayStation Blog wants your Killzone 2 photos
Planning on picking up Killzone 2 within the next 24 hours? Of course you are. Before you stick it in your PS3's drive and get transported to Helghan for the foreseeable future, the PlayStation Blog has a request. Take a photo of yourself posing with your newly purchased treasure (preferably as you're buying it) and upload it to the PlayStation Blog Facebook page. Make sure it's also tagged "kz2." The best photos will win an official strategy guide for the game.If you don't have a replica ISA rifle handy -- like the PlayStation Blog's Jeff Rubenstein has in the above image -- don't be put off. Blog employees aren't allowed to win. Good luck!
Blow up Helghast (and us!) in Killzone 2 webgame
Can't wait until Friday to start shooting at Helghast? No doubt you've already played the demo to death, so your next stop should be the new Killzone 2 webgame. After signing up and downloading the browser add-on (yes, it's Mac compatible) you'll be randomly accosted by glowing red eyes as you go about your normal surfing. A simple 30-second game begins, with Helghast invading whatever website you're viewing at the time. Don't worry, if you're not in the mood you can decline to play, or disable the game completely for a short time.Scores add up on the global leaderboard, which you can check at any time on the official website. Perhaps the coolest part of the webgame, however, is the ability to work in squads with other people. If you're in a squad and are attacked by Helghast, your squad members will be alerted (as long as they are online) and are given the chance to join you, building up a higher score for the squad leaderboard. The site indicates that there will competitions "coming soon." With Killzone 2 release for reals this Friday, though, we can't imagine too many people will keep playing after that.
Killzone 2 behind the scenes episode 2 released
"You're not welcome here." That's the message Guerilla Games is trying to send to you all throughout Killzone 2, according to the various members of the team who speak in this second episode of the behind-the-scenes documentary. They discuss the world of Helghan, the ideology of its people and how that's reflected in the architecture. Check out the video after the break to hear it and to see some more in-game footage. It won't tide you over until the game's release this Friday, but it's a start.
