The Rise and Fall of Killzone

[Music] what gear do you realize that a car is everything it's supposed to be the summer of 2003 abounded with talk of Ford's supposed Ferrari killer the 2004 GT40 a faster quicker to break counterpart to the Ferrari 360 Modena The Four's high performance race car certainly dressed to impress but a Ford was still a Ford matched against Ferrari at the same time another killer of a premier brand lurked in the shadows awaiting its chance to pounce on the competition Sony's Killzone played Terminator in this scenario it's prey the game-changing Halo Combat Evolved from Bungie and Microsoft lots of rumors about the so-called Halo killer generated enough hype to reach a fever pitch before Sony even formally unveiled its new first-person shooter premature reports describe the game as the perfect cross between Halo and Socom claims of advanced technology spectacular graphics and destructible environments heightened the anticipation tenfold more importantly PlayStation faithful were thrilled with the prospect of its purported online multiplayer capabilities killzone's official announcement Amplified the anticipation yet its eventual deployment fell short of the unrealistic expectations this would ostensibly become the status quo for Killzone going forward marketing cycles that promised generation defining experiences but arguably amounted to Shooters of the slightly above average Variety in this way Sony's Flagship FPS series never competed with that of Microsoft's in a traditional sense it carved out its own Niche with six Adventures launching across a nine-year period but in the end Killzone was still Killzone matched against Halo and it hardly helped that the former battled false advertising claims on more than one occasion this is the rise and fall of Killzone [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] Guerrilla games hit the ground running as the amsterdam-based lost boys games at the turn of the century a handful of Game Boy titles were turned out first however the crew had its heart set on showcasing their coding and art skills to the industry at large 3D artist Aryan bokoven wrote in a developer diary that building a stylized Tech demo marked the first step the demo titled Marines depicted soldiers maneuvering through a battlefield explosions and sound effects texturing the scene that constituted the earliest version of Killzone upon its completion the team shopped the build to various decision makers within the industry one person demoing the project for Sony resulted in the Japanese Tech Giant gauging lost boys's interest in expanding the impressive showpiece into a fully fledged PlayStation 2 game according to bulkovan the challenge was accepted without hesitation by the end of 2001 then work had begun on a new shooter for PlayStation Hardware specifically the first person shooter the world had been waiting for such ambitious ends manifested as a Sci-Fi project that placed special emphasis on a premier story campaign and quality local and online multiplayer modes but these high-level goals proved only as good as the technology used to bring them to fruition thus instead of shopping for a licensed game engine the developers at Lost Boys built proprietary Tech equipped with features that promoted realistic ragdoll physics and directional damage though Anonymous sources cited in early reports allege the Killzone creators relied on the commonly used nurbs model to render in-game surfaces lost boys went with the multi-layered texturing system this internally develops Tech altered the number of textured layers shown on objects instances contingent on the user's distance from the model to dynamically raise and lower the level of detail a pursuit of realism carried over into AI development as well chiefly the studio targeted Advanced artificial intelligence that behaved believably during combat so while scripted scenarios often dictated Ally and enemy actions all NPCs needed to appear reactionary when contending with unscripted happenings properly balancing the AI especially proved integrals since users could choose from one of four playable characters with the remaining three serving as computer-controlled teammates finely tuned balancing Acts were similarly necessary for the creation of killzone's fiction and the visual language that breathed life into it bulkova noted that visual designers conceptualized each character object and location then pass them along to the production department for almost blueprint-like designs that later inform the game art each effort combined to formulate an adventure centered on the near future Galaxy spanning conflict that stemmed from science fiction however classical military engagements throughout human history influenced many facets of the experience from the trench combat of World War One to the guerrilla warfare employed during the Vietnam war unfortunately for Sony and its Partners in Amsterdam the lead-up to sharing such information ran rapid with rumors that prematurely set the stage for killzone's arrival the Killzone Universe played host to a Mankind in the not too distant future that successfully colonized space Humanity's special skill for Waging War followed it beyond the stars though setting off an interplanetary war between the earth loyal collectives the ISA and a militant Splinter organization known as the Helghast the first installment opened with a band of Isa soldiers trapped Behind Enemy Lines navigating a Kill Zone as it were hence the franchise's namesake notably before the Killzone designation became official Lost Boys tentatively referred to the title as kin it was this name that generated an unprecedented level of anticipation within the PlayStation Community during the summer of 2003. around June of that year official PlayStation magazine UK teased kin going so far as to demon the best game the publication had ever laid eyes on nearly two months later Insider sources claimed Ken had evolved into Killzone and would constitute an advanced first-person shooter packed with online multiplayer options a brand new engine powered the game sources confirmed to IGN telling the outlet the production team had pushed the limits of PS2 to deliver incredible visuals and destructible environments the notion of this project serving as Sony's so-called Halo killer picked up steam around this time too effectively making Kill Zone what IGN turned the most talked about pieces of Shadow wear in the industry Sony originally showcased the game to European outlets in April 2002 keeping the specifics under wraps for over a year thanks to non-disclosure agreements upon publicly lifting the veil in August 2003 Sony and the then newly named Gorilla Games had plenty to share though some details were strategically withheld gameplay footage and multiplayer related information wouldn't see the light of day for several more months yet the ISA vs helgas premise along with screenshots maintained the hype Train's momentum gorilla and his publishing partner kept up the pressure for months on end releasing news piecemeal that continuously stoked interest in the new Sci-Fi IP the single player campaign promised dozens of levels spread across 11 environments which users would feel encouraged to replay in three additional playthroughs since all four Heroes possessed unique combat skills Sony additionally heralded Killzone as a variation on traditional squad-based Shooters selling hopeful customers on the idea that the three AI companions followed their own objectives without the need for players to issue orders mid-fight multiplayer offered a different experience entirely coming in the form of offline split screen Co-op and 16 player online all things considered Killzone seemed equipped to run in the same race as its competition on Xbox ultimately many concluded it couldn't compete on Halo's level thank you Sony shipped Killzone on November 2nd 2004 one week ahead of Halo 2's eagerly anticipated debut more than anything critics were astounded by killzone's visuals the little details here and there layered textures capable of tricking the eye into perceiving finer touches that weren't necessarily present shooting mechanics went over players as well as did the relatively novel premise of humanity staping off an invasion from its own dark variant however Midas has hampered each of these pluses shortcomings that kept Killzone from reaching its fullest potential technical issues riddle the experience ranging from distracting frame rate drops to graphical hitches some reviewers remarked that the game's sophisticated texture system too often failed to appropriately swap in low quality models for their high quality counterparts culminating an awkward-looking close-up scenes the otherwise appealing gameplay mechanics buckled under the weight of its own deficiencies due to lacking enemy variety ineffective AI Companions and weapons that hardly said Killzone apart from other first-person shooter fare and though the core can seat behind the story campaign received Applause across the board the storytelling's execution faltered unfulfilled expectations aside Sony had faith in the burgeoning property the Japanese publisher believed so wholeheartedly in Killzone that it reportedly gave the green light for pre-production on a sequel a few months before the first installment launched Sony evidently had no intention of letting the Dutch Studio get away either March 2004 saw the two companies Inc an exclusive development deal at the end of 2005 Guerrilla games officially became a member of PlayStation's first party Family Phil Harrison president of SCE worldwide Studios at the time insisted the buyout would strengthen Sony's development portfolio on the eve of PS3's release and Beyond the hardware manufacturers expansion into the world of first-person shooters had only just begun [Applause] fire [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] lukewarm reception aside Killzone shipped two million units worldwide success earned despite its creators various fumbles throughout production gorillas then managing director Hermann Holst gave a talk during GDC Europe 2010 walking panel attendees through the ways in which the studio approached game development post fondly recalled the decision to prioritize creating a memorable villain over a favorite hero though he acknowledged The Strife between the Helghast and Isa boiled down to Space Nazis versus Space good guys it proved a winning formula though the helgas distinctive gas mask and orange tinted goggles quickly becoming an iconic visual for the PlayStation brand Killzone artists modeled The Mask after concepts of World War One goggles positioned over a Russian World War II era oxygen mask details shared in cook and Becker's Killzone visual design book noted the eyewear gained the colorful tint once playtesters criticized the difficulty of spotting enemy combatants these clever artistic choices paved the way for the franchise's aesthetic identity but such Sparks of Brilliance were all Killzone had going for it through the lengthy production cycle Post divulged in his GDC talk that gorilla knew its futuristic military shooter missed the mark a belief attributed to the team's unrestrained Ambitions and insufficient leadership for a significant period of time the Killzone group went without a game designer on staff resulting in programmers and artists building the game World the absence of design expertise meant creative decisions were implemented that hardly took into account how the game would play worst still a later juncture in development spawned an imprudent decision whose effects broke the game engine for months forcing artists to craft and install assets despite being unaware of their function in game a fix for gorillas managerial woes fortunately blossomed just in time for the unlikeliest of projects [Music] foreign and Now ladies and gentlemen please welcome the latest addition to the PlayStation family foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] title for its first handheld Sony proposed Guerrilla producer Killzone offshoot for the PlayStation Portable Herman Holst said the pish was far too enticing to turn down given gorilla's appetite for exploring new technology yet before diving into the Herculean task The Firm had to reckon with killzone's mismanagement the studio appointed a game director to oversee the PSP project and maintain quality standards producers also joined the fold ensuring various Milestones remained on target for the game's planned ship date a concentrated effort to focus on game design entered the picture from the outset as well if the PSP title reviewed better than its forebear later indicated organizational changes were for the best not compressing killzone's console experience to the handheld machine served as an otherwise Choice made in the embryonic stages when digging its heels into what would become Kill Zone Liberation around early 2005 gorilla had to consider whether a first-person shooter would translate well on portable devices production manager Aleister Burns told Gamespot no one believed it could work hence the implementation of a third person camera crafting The Experience around gaming on the go represented a top priority and pushed the decision to pull back the third person perspective for an isometric Viewpoint speaking with IGN ahead of e3 2006 game director Matthias Deion said the overhead angle provided a tactical overview that enabled extra graphical details and nice Parallax effects Dion later elaborated in a sit-down with gaming Nexus divulging how the creation of the pseudo-isometric intelligent camera system or picks elevated killzone's New Perspective by dynamically zooming in and framing any given scenario in the best possible way gorilla similarly applied its pickup and play approach to the user interface and moment-to-moment gameplay players control the protagonist Templar from the original through the PSP's loan analog stick then issued Ally commands via d-pad inputs a simple command menu facilitated these functions hammering home the streamlined feel and further promoting tactical gameplay all in all touchstones of this nature merely scratch the surface of the lynx Guerrilla travel to both refine and reimagine the key tenets of Killzone the ISA dealt a devastating blow to hellgast forces at the end of Killzone however the hell gas occupation across large swaths of the planet vecta allowed the group to reorganize and launch a counter-attack that hinged on the Abduction of several important Isa members such acts along with heinous misdeeds committed by the villainous new character General Armand matrak placed the Templar back into play just two months after the first game's events liberations direct continuation of the original story underscored how seriously Guerrilla viewed the project it was a portable spin-off sure but one developers used to kick-start their franchise's evolution thus the studio sought to improve its storytelling chops other generally well received aspects of Killzone like the visual style and weapons received adjustments in their own right the crew didn't shy away from tackling the previous game's lesser appreciated qualities either addressing critiques leveled against sloppy death animations poor Ai and repetitive speech given their intrinsic value to Killzone multiplayer features were a must-have for the PSP version as such the handheld's ad hoc mode connected to users and Co-op for single-player Missions while up to six players could fight in online game modes the title even supported voice chat suffice it to say Liberation performed a lot of heavy lifting during the Brand's early days it surprised January 2006 announcement arriving amid lingering discussions about a Killzone 2 trailer whose questionable authenticity became the subject of deep scrutiny Liberation sidestepped similar concerns launching in late 2006 to favorable reviews that praised the relatively high quality Graphics ease of accessibility and gameplay depth critics and players deemed it a solid shooter too with many swearing by the belief that Liberation had delivered were the overhyped 2004 outing did not balancing issues on top of a flawed targeting system and platform-specific limitations prevented Liberation from hitting the highs gorilla coveted still the PSP Adventure critically outperformed killzone's PS2 debut by a noticeable margin the console gamered an aggregate score of 70 on Metacritic while its portable follow-up climbed to 77 during his 2010 GDC panel Hermann Holst insisted the marginal Improvement in scores demonstrated a gratifying upward Trend Kill Zone 2 would later sort to Greater Heights working and all the collisions and all the Dynamics and all the fluid simulation but he's still a little bit lonely I think he still needs more friends so let's uh stick in a couple more here and this gives you an example of the overwhelming performance of PlayStation 3 and everything uh that you can do some of them are so happy to leave the uh the bath they they jump out but I don't think that's enough Ducks I don't think you can end it amongst you this demo uses LOD which is lots of ducks boom boom oh it did work right in and around the PS3 era Sony exuded a hubris that blemished the brand that sense of Pride felt earned in some ways though one in four American households owned a PS2 yet Sony had trouble supplying demand for the 2004 slim model PSP outperforms sales expectations early in its life cycle generating 400 million dollars in Revenue after only seven weeks simply put the root health of Sony's gaming division new no bounds emboldening the company to swing for the fences with the PS3's pricing in 2006. Executives Caz harai and Jack Trenton even asserted the Next Generation wouldn't begin until Sony's say so taking Jabs at Microsoft's Xbox 360 launch but corporate arrogance especially had its day during E3 2005 wherein the hardware manufacturer showcased a so-called real-time demo for a Killzone sequel that technically didn't exist Kill Zone 2 related Rumblings under the public Consciousness in August 2004 a few months shy of the original's Market debut having viewed the cover of a design document IGN reported Guerrilla developers were unable to divulge anything concrete but confirmed the sequel would not launch on Playstation 3. despite its eventual arrival on 7th gen Hardware the studio initially intended to produce the game on PS2 Hermann host told GDC Europe 2010 attendees That Kill Zone 2's brief stint as a PS2 project had targeted a Christmas 2006 release window however work on this iteration was cut short executive producer Angie smetz elaborated further in noclipse Horizon zero Dawn documentary in which she referenced a vision video Killzone developers designed for the sequel meant for internal use the video depicted what gorilla imagined a then next-gen shooter would look like in action overcast Skies intricate graphics and intense combat encounters were the stars of the Visionary piece which host claimed the studio hoped to unveil before select media members behind closed doors at E3 2005 Tangled Up in its own Ambitions and Sony's confidence gorilla agreed to showcase the tech demo on stage according to smetz no one knew SCE chairman kasarai would tell viewers the Killzone demo ran in real time on PS3 that anyone actually believed as much proved just as surprising two schools of thought followed in the Demo's wake with respect to public perception there were those who trusted the marketing speak and others who refused to believe it counted as anything other than cgi-centric smoke and mirrors Guerrilla consider the state of things a blessing and a burden a blessing because the video's publicity provided a clear goal and a burden because many felt the studio had squandered its reputation both halst and Smiths recalled the tech demo heavily influencing the decision to shift to PS3 development which in turn motivated the Studio's increased headcount the extra hands especially benefited production given the PS3's raw power if Killzone showcased Gorillaz art talents Kill Zone 2 exhibited its game design promise they will know Helga belongs [Music] my developers established helgan the Helghast Homeworld as the setting of Kill Zone 2 early in production the general idea vocalized a massive planetary Invasion on an alien planet dominated by the aggressors leaving players outgunned and outnumbered selling this demanded the best in art and Technology thus rethinking the Studio's approach to both seemed the best way forward by this time gorilla had become far better organized splitting into subgroups that each answer to a singular leader who regularly met with someone higher up to chain this management style worked favorably as it allowed the company to divide its focus across many disciplines simultaneously a far cry from the bumbling Kill Zone one days but Hermann Holst explained in a making of documentary that The Benchmark set by Killzone 2's Tech demos still presented the biggest challenge targeting the Demo's visual quality required a cinematic approach rather than building something that looked pixel precise according to development director Aryan Versailles the post-processing often used in film inspired Kill Zone 2's analog look manifested in visual noise such as motion blur and over brightening effects notably the internally created deferred renderer engine ensured these details could be replicated in game extra effort also went into fully realizing the impact of bullets hitting characters and materials blending animations achieve the desired effect in this regard whereby the team melded real-time ragdoll physics a top regular character animations if a player shot an enemy combatant in the shoulder The Struck body behaved accordingly likewise impact effects were applied to the material system and because various Services contained specific material types shooting a sand wall created a hole that bore no similarities to the impact created when firing shots at metal these relatively minuscule details mattered most in the grand scheme particularly when it came to designing helgan an alien world that appeared foreign to players was out of the question the Helghast practiced fascism a familiar political ideology the wider audience projected their own thoughts and feelings onto developers wanted the construction of helgan's cities factories and architecture to reflect as much so the pompousness of stalinist architecture pervaded the Helghast Homeworld The Works of Dutch filmmaker Paul verhoven namely Robocop and Starship Troopers provided a source of influence as well achieving realism at least on a cinematic scale also guided many of Killzone 2's technical decisions similarly a push towards complete immersion explained the absence of a HUD cover mechanics were born from the same train of thought providing tactical options lacking in the franchise's initial outing no one would argue that these gameplay enhancements didn't amplify the single player action but the improvements felt particularly pivotal in the multiplayer modes gorilla added online components to Kill Zone 1 at the tail end of production the multiplayer Suites public reception suggested it needed more time in the oven and the studio took that belief to Heart When developing the sequel Killzone 2's multiplayer matured alongside the story campaign as a result developers insisted on maintaining parity between the two modes in terms of graphical and performance quality from a high-level gorilla knew it wanted Killzone 2's online Suite to attract all player types heralding a progression system spread across 12 military ranks while ascending the ranks players could unlock badges or classes that boasted unique abilities and weapons the medic came equipped with skills disparate from that of the tactician for instance and as users progressed the ability to combine class specific skill sets strengthen their sense of ownership over the character better still those who preferred solo play yet wanted to enjoy multiplayer could do so offline with AI Bots and three difficulty modes gorilla further crafted mix and match options in which players could add say 12 AI Bots to a four-person game resulting in a 16 player experience another noteworthy addition included a new spawn function for players to select respawn points after dying a 64-person clan system buttressed the socially driven features with Clan challenges and matches going on to provide some of Kill Zone 2's most exciting online Encounters in spite of its tumultuous introduction then few would have anything but fond memories of the hellgan set sequel following the controversial pre-rendered trailer gorilla went silent on Kill Zone 2. The Liberation spin-off kept the IP afloat but even PlayStation's staunchest supporters were growing weary with the sequel's long absence finally it re-entered the Limelight during E3 2007 with new footage that didn't look on par with the previous showcase but came close enough to Warrant praise while news of a 2008 release window accompanied the reveal Sony later delayed the shooter to February 2009 in hopes of thinning out its fall schedule crowded with SOCOM confrontation Little Big Planet Motor Storm Pacific Rift and insomniac's own sci-fi shooter resistance 2. the weight paid off tremendously the series known for average review scores settling on a Metacritic score of 91 with its third entry polished enemy AI a strong campaign ballast gameplay great multiplayer offerings the compliments wouldn't cease Killzone had at long last lived up to its original promise delivering a gritty first-person shooter unlike anything else the game enjoyed a few commercial wins too garnering the biggest initial success at retail of any first party PS3 title at the time with 1 million units sold in two months despite early sales figures painting a grim picture all told Killzone 2 cemented Guerrilla among the brightest jewels in Sony's crown where that action now you idiot go the crew became more efficient with each subsequent release and managed to turn out games at a faster Pace Kill Zone 2's three and a half year production period thus turned into a roughly two-year cycle for the third Mainline installment Hermann host likened the quick turnaround to putting guerrilla's creativity in a pressure cooker but the technology and systems developed for the 2011 title made developing PS3 content much simpler the second time around nevertheless the series necessitated improvements the studio knew it had to tackle upon entering production on Kill Zone 3. reviewers and players had few complaints about Kill Zone 2 yet it somewhat homogeneous environments left many longing for level variety gorilla prioritized the creation of diverse locations and gameplay options as a result nuclear wastelands alien looking jungles and an Arctic setting counted among the newer playable areas on helgan outer space served as an in-game Locale to boot significantly broadening the franchise's horizons the broadening of Killzone also translated to its General scope courtesy of levels whose Footprints spanned 10 times the size of the average Killzone 2 environment gameplay systems were likewise expanded upon the best facets of the sequel such as lean in Peak dialed up to 11 then layered with fresh elements like jetpack mechanics and minigun segments given the sheer breadth of the project the claim that Kill Zone 3 utilized nearly 100 of the PS3's spu load compared to Kill Zone 2 60 hardly came as a surprise what did strike some as shocking was the Revelation that their shooter would support Sony's off the beaten path endeavors 2010 constituted the breakout year for 3D televisions James Cameron's Avatar had just captivated audiences in theaters creating unparalleled mainstream excitement around 3D technology and with LG Panasonic and Samsung having spent years betting big on the future of 3D consumers who could afford a specialized TV set were eager to bring the technology home for an immersive viewing experience of course Sony sat among the manufacturers who invested in 3D dozens of first and third-party games launched with 3D support on PS3 the likes of Batman Arkham City and Gran Turismo 5 included few received as much of a 3D Centric marketing push as Killzone 3 however in discussing the topic with IGN managing director Herman Holst said 3D entered the picture in January 2009 just as the team was shifting away from Killzone 2. he reasoned that for a series dedicated to player immersion 3D functionality marked the next natural step the Technology's immersive qualities lent themselves well to a player's ability to read the environment gorilla claimed Killzone 3 also supported PlayStation Move news that garnered a tepid response gorilla tried bolstering interest regardless principal programmer Tommy Doros even pontificated on the prospect of developers eventually integrating motion controls into most first-person shooters contending that forfeiting accuracy was a trade-off for being able to point anywhere on the screen the title may have presented a good case for motion controls yet its successes and other disciplines catapulted Kill Zone to new heights [Music] oh God naughty dog's release of Uncharted 2 in 2009 elevated storytelling in video games many of the Studio's peers took note Gorilla Games among them speaking to vg247 Hermann host recalled how shipping a game with great gameplay and an unrefined story was once fine but Naughty Dog set a new bar thereby inspiring Killzone 3 developers to invest more heavily in Story character building and dialogue uncharted's light-heartedness equally informed the direction of Killzone 3 in that developers opted to minimize some of the Grim overtones prevalent throughout Killzone 2. senior producer Steve Andre acknowledged wartime as the unlikeliest of lighthearted Affairs but protested against the notion that dark and Grim undercurrents provided the only worthwhile approach storytelling and tonal shifts aside the property's Bedrock principles Remain the center of gravity evidenced in guerrilla's unrelenting racing of the stakes with respect to the Helghast threat the sophomore entry ended on a Bittersweet note as the isa's alpha Squad terminated the reign of scholar basari founder of the Helgen Empire a power vacuum formed after his death inspiring influential figures within the government to Vie for control weapons manufacturer Johan Stahl played the biggest hand rounding up Isa members for execution and equipping a private army with Advanced Weaponry that once more placed the franchise's heroes at an incredible disadvantage this narrative beat inside of the introduction of new weapons and enemy types who follow distinctive behavioral patterns raising the bar within the Killzone Universe didn't only apply to the campaign multiplayer features underwent an overhaul of their own but instead of drawing inspiration from elsewhere Killzone 3's online crew looked inward to build upon what working Killzone 2. for instance the Beloved Clan system's return was made all the more satisfying with the introduction of unranked practice matches level events featured in Killzone 2's DLC rejoin The Fray as well serving as user-triggered game changers that drastically altered the map from the outside looking in gorilla had Amplified the technical Marvel that was Kill Zone 2. then waded into uncharted waters to establish a new status quo for Shooters on PS3 but whatever Allure Kill Zone 3 wielded lasted only a short while nine months separated Kill Zone threes May 2010 reveal from its February 2011 release awe-inspiring visuals bombastic gameplay and fun multiplayer action propelled the shooter to the top of PS3's list of must play games though many deemed Killzone 2 the superior title the third entry still managed to pull its weight in a market oversaturated with first-person military experiences it faded to the background soon after launch however with third-party Shooters home front and crisis 2 stealing much of the attention that spring sales similarly tapered off early on reflected in Kill Zone 3's and ability to achieve launch sales in the same ballpark as its predecessor nevertheless the interstellar war between the Helghast and Isa waged on playing host for Marquee Adventures on the next two iterations of PlayStation Hardware SCE Cambridge Studio best known for medieval merged with gorilla at the start of 2012. after adopting the gorilla Cambridge moniker the outfit entered production on a Killzone project utilizing its handheld bonafides to reimagine the Helghast and Isa Conflict for Sony's next gen portable the PlayStation Vita a mission to make the best portable first person shooter ever drove the incipient stages of development the team figure translating as much of the console experience as possible to handheld would be the ideal way to accomplish this ambitious feat Killzone on Vita subtitled mercenary thus ran on a modified version of Killzone 3's engine complete with mostly proprietary technology like the custom-built node-based editor used for the filmic post-processing effects Arch director Tom Jones shared in a Pocket Gamer interview that Cambridge also repurposed and scaled down assets from mercenary's PS3 predecessor to better mimic the gritty immersive High Fidelity World players had come to expect from the series since Sony continuously positioned Killzone as its go-to showpiece for new hardware the Vita exclusive outing needed to measure up this line of thought likewise applied to mercenary storytelling though the Cambridge crew approached the interplanetary war from a perspective far removed from that of the ISA or helgast as opposed to defending the cause of one group players assume the role of a mercenary assigned contracts on both warring signs the concept spawned from an interest in exploring the narrative relationship between the two factions specifically that which demonstrated nuances running deeper than good guys versus bad guys in the boots of an unbiased gun for hire Killzone fans witnessed how each group willingly partook in horrendous actions for the sake of their respective causes the mercenary Motif introduced new gameplay systems and mechanics too including the Vanguard a wrist mounted digital assistant that enabled the deployment of a drone and ion cannon by a tabs on Vita's touchscreen notably the game's unified progression system across single player and multiplayer perfectly complemented the mercenary concept considering the cash-based rewards and the action rewards spend new action gameplay Loop and that finely tuned Loop provided a solid template for the on-the-go Adventure such that mercenaries nine campaign missions were designed for longer sessions while cambridge-style challenge missions in the vein of bite-sized objectives users could jump into when traveling the retooling of killzone's multiplayer for Vita required its own iterative process ultimately the team concluded four V4 competitive multiplayer offered the best way to play for Technical and practical reasons lead to designer Gareth Hughes told pocketgamer that on the technical side of things Cambridge refused to compromise visual Fidelity for a higher player count on a practical level supporting eight-person matches helped quickly fill lobbies developers maintain that concessions along these lines weren't the fault of the handheld's technical limitations on the contrary Hughes claimed Vita's capabilities impose no restrictions in terms of content ideas however plans for an asynchronous challenge mode and multiplayer Bots did land on The Cutting Room floor due to time constraints nonetheless the experience that arrived in September 2013 appealed to FPS players far and wide the achievement absorbed the attention of non-kill Zone fans who'd been left disappointed after the Vita's first year of availability delivered subpar first-person shooters from Call of Duty and resistance the money system and on point mechanics kept users engaged long after launch yet stilted gameplay caused by frame rate drops and Vita's cramped controls prevented mercenary from competing with its console counterparts The Campaign which ran parallel to events in Killzone 1 and 2 didn't stick The Landing either but players agreed the experience as a whole secured mercenaries place as the best FPS title on Vita several weeks after the portable title hit stores gorilla attempted to set the same precedent with a brand new Killzone adventure for PS4 gorilla new killzone's fourth console installment wouldn't launch on PS3 and thus made a point to reinvigorate the series for New Generation Hardware lead designer Eric bolchus noted in a PlayStation lifestyle interview that PS4's incredible processing power opened up new possibilities therefore inspiring the near future storylines set three decades after Kill Zone 3. significantly moving the narrative forward called for a new hero and theme all of which combined to enforce the idea that kill zone 4 has a title felt out of place consequently Killzone shadowfall became the only Mainline entry with a subtitle attached shadowfall fostered a status quo change on a deeper level radically upsetting the balance of power between the Helghast and vectins insofar as the Helghast had evolved and designated themselves a genetically Superior race that the two rival factions cohabited the same Metropolis exacerbated the generations long tension spilling over into a cold war that bordered on hot by the start of shadowfall further still the game invoked Cold War era Berlin with a vast wall dividing the city which heightened the conflict to a degree requiring interference from Special Forces operative Sergeant Lucas Kellen casting players as calendar restore balance encouraged more gameplay depth but the PS4's potential married with gorilla's proprietary technology was what made newer advancements in the series possible the studio leveraged every ounce of power it could from the console culminating in higher res textures and larger play spaces visuals no longer suffered at the hands of compromise either choosing between prioritizing High dynamic range lighting or well-executed particle effects had ceased hanging over the head of developers who could now Implement both plus new ways to streamline production after the mix thanks to the ease of working on PS4 procedurally generated assets altered how animations were handled for example as opposed to programmers generating high-level code a lower level system took charge and subsequently provided designers with more raw game data this procedurally driven workflow notably introduced a greater number of character looks and behaviors senior technical artist Daniel antonovi equated the process to starting with a basic skeleton then adding the procedural Skeleton on top to flesh out believable characteristics but in spite of PS4's boosted CPU the console had limits Sony later sat on the defensive end of another deceptive marketing Fiasco following confusion about what those limitations entailed for shadowfalls online modes foreign [Music] [Applause] the technological leap between PS3 and PS4 was considered a case of diminishing returns especially when compared to the astronomical jump between PS2 and PS3 regardless interest in screen resolution dominated the discourse ahead of PS4 and Xbox One's 2013 arrival Xbox One didn't fare too well amid the contention a result of certain titles running at 720p while PS4 supported the same games at 1080p but even as a first party project Killzone shadow Falls technical prowess came with a caveat gorilla unveiled the shooter during the PS4 reveal event between Shadow Falls February 2013 announcement and subsequent November release Sony and Company proudly touted its graphical Fidelity and performance the newer Killzone prioritized a strong visual presentation however whereas Call of Duty ghosts prided itself on supporting 60 frames per second gameplay shadowfall only reached the milestone in multiplayer on most occasions with the campaign locked at 30 frames per second attic bolchus explained that gorilla had no intention of sacrificing resolution and certain visual effects to favor performance he surmised that because of this Killzone looked better than the competition the frame rate news ruffled feathers yet the multiplayer's inability to generate native 1080p struck the biggest blow neither its status as a PS4 launch title nor the middling review scores would be what many remembered shadowfall for in the long run rather its perception became marred by a deceptive marketing lawsuit filed within a year of release U.S resident Douglas ladore filed the suit in Northern District California Court claiming Sony misled consumers upon advertising native 1080p resolution for shadowfall case documents referenced a technical shortcut gorilla used to convey a high def effect in multiplayer a process the studio detailed months prior apparently multiplayer taxed the PS4's processors so heavily that employing a temporal reprojection technique was necessary to mimic the appearance of true HD the door took umbrage with Sony advertising full HD for shadowfall on its website and retail packaging and argued that players complained of killzone's multiplayer Graphics being blurry to the point of distraction Edelson PC The Firm that oversaw the aliens colonial Marines lawsuit represented the plaintiff who reportedly sought five million dollars in Damages a U.S District Judge dismissed the suit with prejudice in May 2015 after ladore filed joint stipulation eliminating the need for the case to be heard in court shadowfall ultimately moved on from the pr nightmare free DLC holding the audience's interest amid legal proceedings the future of the brand remains uncertain though weeks before shipping the PS4 title Eric bolchus confirmed the outfit would pursue a new IP that fueled a desire to Branch out and create something completely different unbeknownst to fans the Killzone maker had exchanged futuristic space wars for a future dystopia in which humankind lived primitively Horizons critical and Commercial Success effectively saw the face of Guerrilla go from a gas mask with glowing red goggles to a young woman with flowing red hair overnight and that much will likely Remain the case for quite some time considering Sony's expansion of the Horizon property with VR multiplayer single player and television endeavors it would seem gorilla found his bread and butter in the third person action space an area of single-player Storytelling that PlayStation all but cornered the market on during the PS4 era however quality first-person shooters have gone missing from PlayStation's original offerings leaving a gaping hole that only the likes of Killzone could readily film but the sour note that rang out with shadowfall begs the question of how soon we'll be too soon for PlayStation users to once again face off against the Helghast threat foreign this video has been brought to you by you the generous fans and patrons making all of this possible from having your name appear in the credits or even narrated by me to gaining Early ad-free Access to our entire library of content those who support us on patreon will not only become part of the awesome community that enables us to make these videos but receive a host of exciting rewards as a token of our gratitude if you are interested in contributing to our work and helping our Channel grow head over to our patreon page to discover all of the exclusive content and reward tiers we have on offer thank you for your support [Music] thank you for watching we'd like to take this time to thank by name the generous patrons who have pledged to our Hall of Fame rewards year Alex Moretti and those currently subscribe to our producer reward tier getreced.com Jonathan Kira May Landy K Hayes Mario Herrera milkshake if you enjoy our content please consider subscribing to our Channel and backing us on patreon [Music] [Music]

Channel: GVMERS

Views: 382,799

Keywords: Killzone, Killzone 2, Killzone 3, Killzone 4, Killzone Liberation, Killzone Mercenary, Killzone Shadow Fall, Killzone 5, Killzone Documentary, Guerrilla Games, History of Killzone, Horizon Zero Dawn, Killzone Remake, Killzone Remastered, Killzone 4K, Killzone PC, Killzone PS5, Killzone Retrospective, Killzone Essay, What Happened to Killzone, New Killzone, Halo Killer, Halo Killed, Killzone Multiplayer

Id: iwMmLltobj8

Length: 48min 35sec (2915 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 11 2023