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Killzone Shadow Fall Review Thread

In going through a lot of the reviews it sounds like a lot of the strong points of the series (gunplay and AI) are still intact as well as the weaknesses (writing, voice acting, sometimes obtuse design). Doesn't sound like this'll change anyone's mind about the series but Killzone fans should dig it. I was just hoping they had stepped up their game more.

I can't say I expected something amazing in the SP department. Good visuals, good gunplay and some interesting encounter design is fine - MP is where my interest lies and I am sure with what I have seen it will satisfy the small scale team based gameplay I am looking for while BF4 should fill in for the big open battles. Can't wait!
 

-tetsuo-

Unlimited Capacity
Obviously a lot of people disagree with you. You keep coming in here and bashing the series. I agree with you that the KZ2 art director is greatly missed but that's not what made KZ2 a good game, it just made it a better one.

Sir let me grind my axe is peace.
 

Eusis

Member
Ridiculous that he reviewed the game when he clearly isn't a fan.
It's worth getting the input of non-fans, doubly so given the changes ARE the kind of thing that can draw in people who blew off the series like myself. Not that I'm sure Arthur Gies is a great example of that non-fan, but still.
 

SeanR1221

Member
The reviews for this and knack are kind of a bummer.

Especially for someone like me who was going to go with an xbox 1 this gen and was excited for Ryse , killer instinct and dead rising.

If those games all get great reviews I'll kind of feel like I bought into false hype :/
 

njean777

Member
Get your tinfoil hat off, that isn't what's happening here.

No that is something to take into account. No matter which way you slice it, them being sponsored and paid by MS is a huge concern when reviewing anything. I am not only talking about now, I haven't trusted them since I heard about it. Polygon should not be take seriously at all.
 

Seanspeed

Banned
Yeah that's was more of a shocker for me than the Killzone score. I had heard Polygon were shills but that just ridiculous.
I don't think they're shills. I think they're a lot like Derrick on here. Inexplicable tastes and extreme cynicism for anything they even remotely don't like. Somebody in this thread showed quite incontrovertibly that even Xbox games were judged quite harshly compared to the average.

Bottom line - if you don't think you have the same sort of taste as Polygon, then stop paying attention to it.
 
Say what you will about Microsoft funding Polygon, Gies' questionable review record, the shit he says on twitter, special sauce, refusing to back down when he is proven wrong, etc.

The simple fact that he leaked NDA'd information to a Microsoft employee is indefensible and nothing you can say will make him seem like anything more than a piece of shit.
 
It's worth getting the input of non-fans, doubly so given the changes ARE the kind of thing that can draw in people who blew off the series like myself. Not that I'm sure Arthur Gies is a great example of that non-fan, but still.

I get non-fans, but I think someone who loves shooters in general should be put in charge of a shooter review. Don't make a guy who loves Mario to do shooters. Or a guy who does COD to do Tetris or something. If you have a specific hate for a game series though, you should not be put in the review seat.
 

Kintaro

Worships the porcelain goddess
"Not loving" doesn't mean bad.

Most boring game of the year says something. For him anyway.

This is what I hate about review threads... is always people trying to discredit certain reviewers. It's pretty clear the game is not what we (or at least I) was hoping :-/. Looking forward to sonys future titles, but this launch is disappointing for sure.

I think I'm understanding you correctly, but I just want to say that I didn't post that to discredit Jeff. I posted it because now a fan favorite has spoken up a bit...so the thread turns a new turn away from the Polygon gnashing.
 
Is this guy on the Polygon stream right now serious? Not Arthur, the other one. It sounds like he's never played a video game before.
At one point I heard them say something like "whats this light on the controller, it's like my crotch is glowing"....
 

reKon

Banned
Maybe harsh reviews for FPS's have taken a turn for real this time, lol.

Still though, I love that many reviewers are this harsh on a game that clearly takes different route from CoD, BF, and Halo...

To be fair though, generally single player FPS campaigns typically aren't known for being too great. Bioshock Infinite was the last amazing one and that would very hard to top.

This game is going to be a multiplayer beast that's tons of fun. It's a shame that reviewers are notoriously bad a judging multiplayer. 12 vs 12 Warzone matches WITH OWLS and zip lining are going to be absolutely nuts. GG needs to work on making sure they have good map designs for these.
 
Ugh my hype train for next-gen has been derailed this morning, then taken out back doused in kerosene, lite on fire and shot

guess I'll be playing a lot of BF4 on my PS4 then

will still play KZ but sounds disappointing

I'm not sure why you are surprised. This is a console launch. The games that make it for launch are generally: a) rushed or b) shallow.
 
Killzone has always been a "love it" or "hate it" kinda series, and it seems that this Arthur Gies fellow does not like it. He is absolutely entitled to his opinion but it does seem rather strange that Polygon would let a guy who clearly dislikes this series to review the latest game.
 

Coolwhip

Banned
Looking like I'll be returning that copy of Killzone to Amazon. Guess Battlefield 4 will be my go-to for FPS gaming this year, assuming I don't decide to sell my PS4 now and buy it again once MLB hits. Very disappointing.

This was the one game I was hoping would review overwhelmingly great.

Amazon helpdesk: "What is the reason for returning sir?"

You: "Others didnt like the game."

Amazon helpdesk: "O.K....."
 

velociraptor

Junior Member
I get non-fans, but I think someone who loves shooters in general should be put in charge of a shooter review. Don't make a guy who loves Mario to do shooters. Or a guy who does COD to do Tetris or something. If you have a specific hate for a game series though, you should not be put in the review seat.
Putting someone in charge of a review who has preconceived biases against a franchise is stupid.

But I agree - shooter fans should review shooters. Racing fans should review racing games. Sports fans should review sport games. Reminds me of the time when that IGN reviewer missed the point of Football Manager. Heh.
 

njean777

Member
Say what you will about Microsoft funding Polygon, Gies' questionable review record, the shit he says on twitter, special sauce, refusing to back down when he is proven wrong, etc.

The simple fact that he leaked NDA'd information to a Microsoft employee is indefensible and nothing you can say will make him seem like anything more than a piece of shit.

Wait when did this happen?
 

Nymphae

Banned
Lol.

Agies: I really, really don't like Killzone.

Polygon: Excellent! You can review it then!

He would have put himself on that review, no? I'm not sure of all the ins and outs of his job duties, but he's reviews editor, and I thought I've heard him talk about assigning reviews before.
 
I don't really want to shit on Polygon, but honestly, it's less about the games that review poorly with them, but rather their idea of games that deserve high scores.

Dead Space 3? Assassin's Creed 3? SimCity?

I was :eyeroll: throughout their Mass Effect 3 review too, they made it sound like god's gift to gaming.

Their guys are entitled to their opinion, but man, that site is the last site I'd go to for opinions that match with mine.
 

spwolf

Member
Say what you will about Microsoft funding Polygon, Gies' questionable review record, the shit he says on twitter, special sauce, refusing to back down when he is proven wrong, etc.

The simple fact that he leaked NDA'd information to a Microsoft employee is indefensible and nothing you can say will make him seem like anything more than a piece of shit.

what did he leak?
 

Zornack

Member
The reviews for this and knack are kind of a bummer.

Especially for someone like me who was going to go with an xbox 1 this gen and was excited for Ryse , killer instinct and dead rising.

If those games all get great reviews I'll kind of feel like I bought into false hype :/

Don't worry, they won't. Launch games will be launch games.
 

Smurf

Banned
The reviews from the higher quality sites all suggest it's goodish and reports really make it seem like a typical Killzone game, unremarkable but solid. In fact everything I've seen on it is exactly what I expected from it.
Reviews shouldn't really be so divisive on something like this but I suppose the tabloid review sites with the interest and excitement around a console launch are eager to turn the mundane into something sensationalist. Sad, but appears to be the landscape we're living in now.
 

Sweet Ivy

Member
Killzone: Shadow Fall could disappoint fussier gamers with a few irritating platforming sequences throughout the game, or maybe its sometimes silly enemy AI, but these moments of imperfections never tarnish the experience as a whole. An incredible campaign is complemented by an improved multiplayer component, all infused with beautiful next-gen visuals. If you’re looking for a day one purchase that shouldn’t be missed, Shadow Fall is looking back at you. (Killzone: Shadow Fall, PS4) 9.5/10

http://pixelvolt.com/2013/11/13/killzone-shadow-fall-review/
 

nib95

Banned
The main 3 journos/outlets I trust for reviews are GiantBomb, GameTrailers and Sessler. Admittedly my opinion of Sessler has dropped a lot in recent months, but I still value his reviews.

So of the 3...

- GameTrailers - 8.8
- Sessler - 3/5 (I can probably add a mark or more because I LOVE KZ MP, whilst he doesn't).
- GiantBomb -??
 

Bad7667

Member
Maybe harsh reviews for FPS's have taken a turn for real this time, lol.

Still though, I love that many reviewers are this harsh on a game that clearly takes different route from CoD, BF, and Halo...

To be fair though, generally single player FPS campaigns typically aren't known for being too great. Bioshock Infinite was the last amazing one and that would very hard to top.

This game is going to be a multiplayer beast that's tons of fun. It's a shame that reviewers are notoriously bad a judging multiplayer. 12 vs 12 Warzone matches WITH OWLS and zip lining are going to be absolutely nuts. GG needs to work on making sure they have good map designs for these.
Watching the GB quicklook, Killzone doesn't look like it's doing anything different from those shooters you listed above.
 

Nymphae

Banned
He said he got forced on it by his boss, Chris Grant.

lol good move Grant. Force the guy who doesn't like the series to review it. Whatever, I'm not saying only fans should review games, but it seems wrong to put a guy on a review who has previously stated disinterest in the title.
 
People are srsly cancelling preorders of the game over the review banter?

You're shocked to hear that the inventors of Ricco have put together a campaign with two-dimensional characters, bad voice acting and a flimsy story?

It's a Killzone game, people. Act like you've done this before. You buy a Killzone game if you like ridiculous visuals, great MP, and only then if the series' trademark gunplay is up your alley. Anyone expecting a SP masterpiece had their head in the clouds to begin with.
 

Derrick01

Banned
Jeff Gerstmann posted this on his tumblr.

In a year defined by really boring games like Tomb Raider, Ni No Kuni, God of War Ascension, Bioshock, Saints Row, Killzone Mercenary and Batman Blackgate (3ds/vita game) that's really saying something.

I think it's saying he needs to remember what came out this year.
 

B.O.O.M

Member
Polygon knows what to do to get clicks...don't give them any. so many outlets have given the game a score 8 or above but none talking about it. Metacritic has truly ruined the review system and the effectiveness of it.

All I care about are the user reviews. Can't wait to get some impressions on gaf :)
 
I watched that Polygon review...his words were so harsh, but the whole time all I kept thinking was "that looks so cool!"

Sucks if the game turns out poorly. It's the only PS4 game I've been planning on buying.
 
Sometimes I feel like Gaf is too infatuated with Gies..:\

Pretty much.

Don't know why some people give so much attention to someone who's views and attitude don't match.

I don't like Geis myself, because I think he's putting up a lot of airs and trying to act like he's a smartass, but he's entitled to it. I'm just not going to entertain him.
 

Ominym

Banned
No that is something to take into account. No matter which way you slice it, them being sponsored and paid by MS is a huge concern when reviewing anything. I am not only talking about now, I haven't trusted them since I heard about it. Polygon should not be take seriously at all.

Microsoft sponsors a lot of things, man. It's not like they're signing his checks. But hey, wear your tin foil hat if you must.
 
Anybody want to list the most divisive game reviewers of all time? I would nominate Jeff Gertsmann onto the list, and I see Gies would get some nominations. Really, don't give these guys (and I'm being nice) the power. They don't deserve it and you'd be doing yourself a disservice.
 
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