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Sony pulls Killzone 2 ads in Toronto following complaints [update]
PlayStation Canada has decided to pull about 300 bus shelter Killzone 2 ads throughout the Greater Toronto Area ahead of schedule following a string of complaints by parents regarding the violent imagery. Davis Mirza, a 4/5 grade teacher, contacted Sony Canada when he noticed one such ad on display at a bus shelter near his Scarborough school.Mirza told The Toronto Star that ads of such a violent nature do not "help promote any kind of community renewal or even responsibility." Kyle Moffatt, public relations specialist for Sony Computer Entertainment Canada, said the entire bus shelter campaign would be pulled, telling Joystiq the campaign was set to expire soon but the company has decided to "speed up the process."Moffatt told The Star, PlayStation would establish an off-limits radius around schools for any future, related promotional material. As for the trip to and from school, maybe parents should invest in blindfolds to shield their children from violent images of glowing orange eyes ... we eagerly await Killzone 2 branded innocence protectors.Update: Kyle Moffatt's position is public relations specialist at Sony Computer Entertainment Canada, not Sony Canada as originally listed.
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%
Guerrilla Games designer jumps ship to Splash Damage
If you really enjoyed the leaky pipes of level 2 and the sand worms on level 48 of Killzone 2, then you should probably thank lead level designer Neil Alphonso. Following his work on Guerilla Games' FPS for the PS3, Alphonso has left the company and taken up a position at Splash Damage. "He's the perfect man to lead our team of really skilled level designers," commented Paul Wedgwood, owner of Splash Damage.Splash Damage has been recruiting new faces for some time now, and is becoming quite the powerhouse of talent. The developer is currently working on a title for Bethesda Softworks that has yet to be revealed.
Killzone 2's 1.20 patch out today
Guerrilla Games is ready to release its version 1.20 patch for Killzone 2 today. Already available for download in Europe, this 16MB update fixes all previously detailed issues. The patch will arrive in North America sometime later in the day. In the meantime, play some online multiplayer while waiting for the patch ... Wait a minute, servers are down for maintenance? Oh. Source 1: US PlayStation Forums Source 2: Gamers Digest
PS3, PSP reach sales milestones in UK
Sony has announced that that the PS3 and PSP have passed 2 million and 3 million sales, respectively, in the UK. Of course, the recent release of Killzone 2 plays a big part in the achievement, with Sony UK's managing director, Ray Maguire, calling it a showcase of "the power of PlayStation 3." More interesting is Maguire's view of the PS3's future, however, which he believes "suggests more longevity" in the wake of selling units at a comparatively high price.On the PSP side, Maguire points to renewed interest in the platform, stating that the PSP-2000 helped emphasize the "portability of the device" to consumers. The interest is said to extend to third-party developers, who have "woken up" to a new business model oriented around online content.
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.
Guerrilla fixing Killzone 2 bugs, looking into control complaints
Despite being intentionally designed as a "weighty, slower, more tactical first person experience," Killzone 2 is taking some flak for its sluggish controls. Producer Seb Downie had previously stated that "no changes [were] required to the system" with regards to last month's demo, but now that the final game is out, Guerrilla Games is changing its tune. Included in an official list of things to be patched, Downie notes that controller issues are being looked into: "Any possible changes will have to be carefully implemented and tested before being deployed though." This is a stark contrast in tone whereas the previous message implied that Guerilla would not alter anything -- they just might do something now. As for the things that will definitely be patched, Guerilla has revealed it's working on bot solutions, network issues and other problems. Check after the break for the full list of fixes.
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!
PSN Thursday: Killzone 2 demo available for all
Didn't preorder Killzone 2? Your time to try the game out has finally come. Unless you've already grabbed it from the European store, that is. Other than that, there's plenty of downloadable content, a new episode of Pulse and a Killzone 2 video guide. PSP owners have a new game, some DLC for Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? and some new themes. Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
Killzone 2, Buzz and Heavenly Sword LBP DLC revealed
The observant among you may have noticed that Sony's LittleBigPlanet 2009 DLC roadmap has now finished and we're still clueless as to what's coming next. The PlayStation Blog has updated with some new costume images, as you can see above, including Sev from Killzone 2 (almost certainly due to arrive today, in time for the game's launch tomorrow), Kai from Heavenly Sword and Buzz from, uh, Buzz!. While unlikely, the low-res textures and low poly-count of the Buzz model have us thinking ... maybe, just maybe, this may be a model from the upcoming PSP version?
Play Killzone, win assault rifle replica
Here's a good incentive for Killzone fans to get the upcoming PS3 shooter early. If you play the game any time between March 1st and March 14th, you'll get a chance to win this replica rifle. There will be a winner every single day, determined by stats collected by Killzone.com. These rifles won't be available in stores, so make sure you play Killzone 2 non-stop for the best chance of winning.
Live chat with Killzone 2 devs again this Wednesday
Guerrilla Games must be very excited about the upcoming release of Killzone 2 this week. The dev team just can't stop talking about the game. Guerrilla just held a live Q&A session last week, and the company is doing it again this Wednesday. On February 25 at 12pm Pacific/3pm Eastern, Jan-Bart Van Beek (art & animation director for Killzone 2) and Geert Donker will be back on the PlayStation Blog answering important fan questions like: Do Helghast have feelings? So join in the fun before the game hits stores this Friday.
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.
Cool Stuff for Sunday, Volume 3
Many PlayStation fans wish Sony would open up their pockets a bit and advertise the system a bit more. S1gfrid from VGChartz created this simple, but effective, ad campaign. These posters highlight the many unique exclusives available on the PS3. For example, the poster on the left shows games that mature gamers may be interested in: Uncharted, Metal Gear Solid 4 -- while the poster on the right shows the system's more family-friendly affair. It's a simple concept that we think would work very well in a mainstream magazine. Check out all the pics here. Crysis user mod takes on Killzone Infamous: "I Am Scared" trailer Weekly Trophy Portal update PS Nation podcast - Episode 101 "We Have a LOT to Say"
Killzone 2 documentary, part one
SCEE has released (via ThreeSpeech) the first part of a behind-the-scenes Killzone 2 documentary, which focuses on the atmosphere of Helghan and player-immersion. Various members of the development team, Guerrilla Games, are seen describing the game while apparently in Helghan -- some classy special effects guys! There's also plenty of gameplay and cutscene footage without their ugly mugs transposed over top. Find the first video after the break. The second part will be released on Monday.
America's 30 second Killzone 2 commercial
Where are the commercials? Killzone 2 is just a few days away and advertising for the game has been mysteriously absent. That's about to change as SCEA has just unveiled its 30 second spot, to air tomorrow on "several networks." The spot focuses on a single sniper bullet, traveling through a chaotic battlefield. It reminds us a lot of last year's Angelina Jolie flick Wanted -- what do you think of it?
Killzone developer mentions co-op DLC
Yes, Killzone 2 is a great game. But you know what would make it even greater? Co-op. Those that play the single-player adventure soon realize that the computer AI partners aren't up to snuff -- a "human" squad-mate would be a much better ally in the fight against the Helghast ... or is it: the Helghast's fight against you ... Producer Angie Smets talked about post-release DLC on the European PlayStation site. She notes that split-screen co-op had to be axed due to the overwhelming graphical demands of the game. However, the team at Guerrilla Games is looking into what they can do once the game is out to the public. "We're investigating [co-op] now for downloadable content," she says. "We're looking at what would be the nicest possible things for downloadable content. We've already started on maps ... we're not allowed to talk about anything else unfortunately!" Additional maps for the multiplayer mode are a must, given today's necessity for multiplayer DLC. However, we're most hoping for some kind of co-op mode. Guerilla Games offered some game-changing updates to its PSP game, Killzone Liberation -- we're hopinng the team will be able to follow suit for Killzone 2. [Via Co-Optimus]
Killzone 2 developer live chat coming to the PS Blog
Killzone 2's presence on the PlayStation Blog continues to ramp up as we approach the game's release. A live chat with Seb Downey of Guerilla Games will take place on the Blog on February 18th at 12:00pm PST. So if you fancy getting some Killzone 2 info straight from the horse's mouth, you'd better turn up. We're not sure how much more there is to reveal about the game itself, but hopefully Downey will talk about some more upcoming Killzone.com features. We'll see you there.
10 seconds: the European Killzone 2 ad
The ten-second ad format doesn't seem very conducive to ... anything. The European 10-second Killzone 2 ad is so incredibly brief that it's almost completely unremarkable. 20 percent of the ad goes towards showing the PLAYSTATION 3 logo, 60 percent of the ad goes towards showing Helghan running around, and 0 percent shows actual shooting or killing. Exciting? We think not. Let's hope the full advertising campaign (for both Europe and America) looks a bit ... more fulfilling than this.
