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Killzone Shadow Fall Review Thread

velociraptor

Junior Member
To be fair, the Multiplayer in BF4 kicks the living shit out of Killzone 4's.

24 players vs. 64 players.
Relatively tiny small maps vs. huge massive maps in epic scale.
Tons or vehicles, tanks jets & ships vs. none whatsoever.
Full destructibility vs limited destructibility.
Uh.... those things that you have mentioned don't necessarily make a game more fun.
 

Curufinwe

Member
To be fair, the Multiplayer in BF4 kicks the living shit out of Killzone 4's.

24 players vs. 64 players.
Relatively tiny small maps vs. huge massive maps in epic scale.
Tons or vehicles, tanks jets & ships vs. none whatsoever.
Full destructibility vs limited destructibility.

That's fine. It still needs to be discussed in the review.
 

Eusis

Member
I wonder how the lack of auto aim is effecting some of these reviewers.

After watching the GameRadar twitch of Knack, its clear the difficulty was affecting their view.

Also, I don't see how you can compare COD, KZ and Battlefield. These are all quite different games even though FPS.
Admittedly being on a console and played with a controller "no auto aim" does translate to me as "give me a mouse, thanks." Even with the DS4's improved sticks it's a pain relative to pointers or mice.
 

Crisco

Banned
Battlefield 4's multiplayer (on the PC) is an objectively a better game than any Killzone. That's not even up for debate. Technical issues not withstanding, it's an amazing game. I have a PS4 with KZ:SF arriving tomorrow, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it, but Battlefield 4 is in an entirely different league. No other shooter does it what it does in multiplayer.
 

nib95

Banned
To be fair, the Multiplayer in BF4 kicks the living shit out of Killzone 4's.

24 players vs. 64 players.
Relatively tiny small maps vs. huge massive maps in epic scale.
Tons or vehicles, tanks jets & ships vs. none whatsoever.
Full destructibility vs limited destructibility.

What the hell, none of those things necessarily make a MP game great. Did Counter Strike Source have vehicles and destructibility? No. Did Modern Warfare? No. The quality of a multiplayer game is not by the numbers. It's about the feel, the balance, the maps, the weapons, general tactility and feedback and so on. Killzone has some of the best gunplay and skill based shooting there is in any shooter full stop. That's what makes it's multiplayer so appealing.
 
That isn't a lack of surprise. That is "I am glad reviews now -- but not before -- agree with me."



Killzone 2 was hugely hyped. (It delivered.)

Haha true.

I heard KIllzone 2 was good, I haven't played it yet, I might since it should be really cheap now. I still need to play the Dragon Age games first though.
 
Battlefield 4's multiplayer (on the PC) is an objectively a better game than any Killzone. That's not even up for debate. Technical issues not withstanding, it's an amazing game. I have a PS4 with KZ:SF arriving tomorrow, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it, but Battlefield 4 is in an entirely different league. No other shooter does it what it does in multiplayer.

lol, i love how people convince themselves that their opinion is some objective fact
 
Stack rankings? Maybe reviewers already used up all their high scores on Bioshock:Infinite, Last of Us and GTA V, and now have to meet their quota on lower scored games.

They can only use their "Citizen Kane of Gaming" card 3 times a year. Sucks for those other games I guess.
 

Awntawn

Member
Games are getting reviewed much more harshly, for whatever reason, this past year so you might want to adjust your buying habits based on Metacritic, which is a terrible metric to base your purchase on anyways.
I've noticed it too. One possible explanation.

This year brought us some real gems earlier on. Bioshock Infinite, TLoU, and GTAV all in succession. I know people going on about how those games "ruined other games" by being too good is eye-roll inducing, but I feel there may be some truth to it. Notice how many reviews focus on the narrative lately. Before, it used to be who gives a fuck about the story in games. Now, bad storytelling could potentially ruin the experience because new expectations have been set.

I'm not saying that all games need a good story now, I'm only using that as one sample aspect. But I think it's possible that in the eyes of many (including reviewers), a lot of games that would previous be considered acceptable now feel like cheap imitations.
 

Mifune

Mehmber
I thought he was fairly specific enough about the gameplay stuff he didn't like. He spends several paragraphs on it... 5 at my count, just on a quick reglance.

The review feels like a list of instances in the game that he didn't like. Or nitpicks. That somehow add up to a review. So in that sense, yes there are specifics. But there's no sense of how the game plays or how it feels or how challenging or immersive it is. Just a list of things he doesn't like.

As for the overall picture, he just says it's made up of a bunch of elements that have been done before better. Well you can damn any game with broad strokes like this if you want to. That's not good criticism. What if I barely play FPS games and am intrigued by this one because of its look and setting? Will I really care if it fails to measure up to other games in the genre? It feels like very lazy, rushed writing.

Compare it to Sessler's rather negative review. That review gives an excellent impression of both the overall flow of the game as well as its mechanics. He doesn't just compare it to Far Cry or Halo and say it doesn't measure up.
 
I've noticed it too. One possible explanation.

This year brought us some real gems earlier on. Bioshock Infinite, TLoU, and GTAV all in succession. I know people going on about how those games "ruined other games" by being too good is eye-roll inducing, but I feel there may be some truth to it. Notice how many reviews focus on the narrative lately. Before, it used to be who gives a fuck about the story in games. Now, bad storytelling could potentially ruin the experience because new expectations have been set.

I'm not saying that all games need a good story now, I'm only using that as one sample aspect. But I think it's possible that in the eyes of many (including reviewers), a lot of games that would previous be considered acceptable now feel like cheap imitations.

I will say that the "games are ruined" effect applies to me.

I just finished Far Cry 3 on PC and found that game amazing. So open, yet with such solid and varied gunplay... so many gameplay possibilities, excellent integration of stealth. It makes it difficult going back to a strictly linear "experience" type of FPS. Sometimes it's easy to just get jaded.

(Similarly, I used to enjoy Star Trek for what it was, but after something like Battlestar Galactica it just because too laughable to watch, due to how limited and basic it was.)

However, I don't think that explains away these types of reviews in this case. I think this one might just be a dud -- way too much vitriol for it to not be the case.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Video game reviewers are just as full of shit as the rest of us. You shouldn't place much weight on their opinions.
This
And for example using the post above, I think Far Cry 3 is boring and not very good as an FPS, yet loads of people love it.
Shame they aren't releasing a demo for people to try.
 

IISANDERII

Member
I'm really only interested in multiplayer and some of those reviews are bogus[eg only couple paragraphs devoted] so would I be a fool to get KillZone?
I already have Ghost but wouldn't mind another one. Reading here, should I go for Battlefield4, is this a no-brainer?
 
I'm really only interested in multiplayer and some of those reviews are bogus[eg only couple paragraphs devoted] so would I be a fool to get KillZone?
I already have Ghost but wouldn't mind another one. Reading here, should I go for Battlefield4, is this a no-brainer?

get battlefield
 
Battlefield 4's multiplayer (on the PC) is an objectively a better game than any Killzone. That's not even up for debate. Technical issues not withstanding, it's an amazing game. I have a PS4 with KZ:SF arriving tomorrow, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it, but Battlefield 4 is in an entirely different league. No other shooter does it what it does in multiplayer.

There's nothing objective about what you just said.
 
I love how simply *because* BF4 has vehicles, huge maps, etc it AUTOMATICALLY makes it a better MP game than KZSF, when they're both trying to do different things.
KuGsj.gif


This fucking forum I swear.
 

ghst

thanks for the laugh
maybe it's just a case that with all the invention and thematic exploration being pioneered in the indie scene, the videogame industry can finally afford to give big dumb blockbuster games big dumb blockbuster review scores.

no one pre-booking a ticket for white house down saw the lack of oscar nominations as a deal breaker.
 
maybe it's just a case that with all the invention and thematic exploration being pioneered in the indie scene, the videogame industry can finally afford to give big dumb blockbuster games big dumb blockbuster review scores.

no one pre-booking a ticket for white house down saw the lack of oscar nominations as a deal breaker.

A nice tidy conclusion, but it ignores the fact that big blockbusters don't have to be dumb and do in fact often get very nice review scores... even though it's considered bad form to give them Oscars.
 

Shosai

Banned
maybe it's just a case that with all the invention and thematic exploration being pioneered in the indie scene, the videogame industry can finally afford to give big dumb blockbuster games big dumb blockbuster review scores.

no one pre-booking a ticket for white house down saw the lack of oscar nominations as a deal breaker.

This implies that big-budget shooters never got bad scores at some point in time. Which is demonstrably false.

Those things are all a matter of taste and quality.

UT3 had many of those things, but wasn't a very good game. Halo has always been small, but nobody would say it's MP has suffered because of it.

A lot of UT fans did
 
To be fair, the Multiplayer in BF4 kicks the living shit out of Killzone 4's.

24 players vs. 64 players.
Relatively tiny small maps vs. huge massive maps in epic scale.
Tons or vehicles, tanks jets & ships vs. none whatsoever.
Full destructibility vs limited destructibility.
Those things are all a matter of taste and quality.

UT3 had many of those things, but wasn't a very good game. Halo has always been small, but nobody would say it's MP has suffered because of it. Quite the opposite, really.
 

Gestault

Member
These conversations would be a whole lot more meaningful if people criticizing the opinions of others had actually played the game in question as basis for them.
 

Nymphae

Banned
Then why is he reviewing this game?

All opinions are valid, right? It's an interesting question, I mean should you put huge fans of a franchise on the review? Or someone who actively hates the genre/franchise instead? Or shoot for a middle ground? I personally would rather read a review from a person who was looking forward to playing the game, and has a good background with similar titles.
 
I feel like game are now just being developed with only reviewers in mind. This a bad thing as reviewers only have so much time and aren't playing games for their lasting appeal but for how quickly and easily they are having fun/doing good.
 

Zoned

Actively hates charity
This
And for example using the post above, I think Far Cry 3 is boring and not very good as an FPS, yet loads of people love it.
Shame they aren't releasing a demo for people to try.

Does any AAA game have demo these days?
 

Zoned

Actively hates charity
I don't understand why people here can't really except the fact that KZF is just a decent game.

Just because you like the franchise doesn't mean that every reviewer should like it. The result is clear it's just a decent game. That's it.

Not many complained when the same reviewers gave TLOU 10's or uncharted 10's. If the game is good, it will get good reviews. So stop hating the reviewers. It's their option. Deal with it.

(Although polygon reviewer is a moron and his review is a joke)
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
I don't understand why people here can't really except the fact that KZF is just a decent game.

Just because you like the franchise doesn't mean that every reviewer should like it. The result is clear it's just a decent game. That's it.

Not many complained when the same reviewers gave TLOU 10's or uncharted 10's. If the game is good, it will get good reviews. So stop hating the reviewers. It's their option. Deal with it.

(Although polygon reviewer is a moron and his review is a joke)

I'm mostly confused that some of the criticisms are that KZ does some things other FPS games do, and the story isn't very good. But isn't that the same for 90% of FPS games? I haven't read much about how the actual mechanics of shooting feel, the reviews seem to spend a long time talking about the setting, the story, the characters, and cliches.
 
I'm mostly confused that some of the criticisms are that KZ does some things other FPS games do, and the story isn't very good. But isn't that the same for 90% of FPS games? I haven't read much about how the actual mechanics of shooting feel, the reviews seem to spend a long time talking about the setting, the story, the characters, and cliches.

Have you ever noticed that a game is more than the sum of its parts? Sometimes two games, on paper, have all the same stuff, but one works and the other doesn't.

I agree that typically reviewers don't articulate this very well, so they just go back to what they know -- the usual complaints of "generic," "no evolution," etc. While that is annoying to read, and good writers are hard to come by, if the general consensus (even if not that well articulated) is "the game was just not that good to play," that is probably the bottom line.

It's tempting to try to squirm out of it by confusing inarticulate reviewing with an ultimately incorrect assessment... but more often than not that leads to disappointment when actually experiencing the game and having to admit the reviewers were right.
 

RoboPlato

I'd be in the dick
I'm mostly confused that some of the criticisms are that KZ does some things other FPS games do, and the story isn't very good. But isn't that the same for 90% of FPS games? I haven't read much about how the actual mechanics of shooting feel, the reviews seem to spend a long time talking about the setting, the story, the characters, and cliches.
Yeah, most of the reviews are focusing on the things the series have never done well instead of the stuff that it's always done well.
 

TEH-CJ

Banned
So what the hell is going on here?

is Killzone really a mediocre shooter? or are reviews full of shit with some hidden agenda?
 

BigDug13

Member
So what the hell is going on here?

is Killzone really a mediocre shooter? or are reviews full of shit with some hidden agenda?

My guess, mediocre campaign and fun multiplayer, but reviewers barely got to play multiplayer for enough time to promote it in their review.

BF4 campaign is shit as well but overall the game is praised after reviewers got to play a ton of multiplayer on one of the other many platforms they've had review copies for.
 

Eusis

Member
So what the hell is going on here?

is Killzone really a mediocre shooter? or are reviews full of shit with some hidden agenda?
I'd sooner expect it's just not to their preferences than that they have some damn agenda.
BF4 campaign is shit as well but overall the game is praised after reviewers got to play a ton of multiplayer on one of the other many platforms they've had review copies for.
Admittedly I suspect more of us were more optimistic for Killzone's campaign while having little to no hope for BF4's campaign, and it probably IS miles ahead of BF4's at least. BF3 and 4 are completely and absolutely frustrating examples of squandering an attempt to adapt the MP's core gameplay to a SP framework in favor of a very mundane campaign. Doubly so that they would focus on selling the SP at conventions and kind of ignoring the MP, it's to the point where I legitimately wonder if they're absolute god damn idiots.
 
What the hell, none of those things necessarily make a MP game great. Did Counter Strike Source have vehicles and destructibility? No. Did Modern Warfare? No. The quality of a multiplayer game is not by the numbers. It's about the feel, the balance, the maps, the weapons, general tactility and feedback and so on. Killzone has some of the best gunplay and skill based shooting there is in any shooter full stop. That's what makes it's multiplayer so appealing.

THIS

bigger doesnt always mean better
 

nib95

Banned
So what the hell is going on here?

is Killzone really a mediocre shooter? or are reviews full of shit with some hidden agenda?

My guess...

Single player.

SP has moments of greatness, but is overall messy, with a weak story and unusual pacing. Some areas being less polished than others. Open ended levels stand out, but unfortunately they are too few. OWL does however offer good tactical diversity.

7 -8/10

Multiplayer.

MP is fantastic, with excellent skill based gunplay, great map design and overall well balanced weapons. Free DLC maps and countless challenges add even more value. 24 players keeps things tight and focused, with more intimate encounters and what feels like more old school firefight scenarios.

8-9/10
 
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