| System: PS4 |  |
| Dev: Guerrilla Games | |
| Pub: Sony | |
| Release: Novemebr 16, 2013 | |
| Players: 1 (2+ Online) | |
| Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p | Blood, Intense Violence, Strong Language |
Another bit of technology featured is a sort of tactical sonar that can be used at any point, as long as you don’t overcharge it, to mark enemies, cameras, and other environmental points of interest on your screen. These are denoted by an orange outline that can be seen no matter what is between you and the object or enemy, for a short period of time. This, coupled with your Owl, is at the heart of the experience of Killzone: Shadow Fall, taking what could have been a bland PS4 tech demo and turning it into something fun and interesting. Conversely, enemy AI leaves a little bit to be desired. While it is by no means incompetent, it certainly isn’t the smartest AI I’ve ever ran into, with enemies gathering at certain points for easy multi-kills, losing track of me after simply running behind a wall, staring right at me, and not engaging until I shoot them, or engaging me even though they can’t see me. It must be said that the AI isn’t horrid, it just doesn’t give you the feel that the Helghast is an organized fighting force, more of a collection of mindless drones. These issues don’t occur all the time either, just at random points throughout the game, which becomes only mildly frustrating.
The soundscape of Killzone: Shadow Fall is a competent one, with the exception of some spotty voice acting on the part of our protagonist, Lucas Kellan. Honestly, he talks too much. His voice seems weak and underpowering next to other voice actors in the game. The rest of the audio in the game does what it’s supposed to do and not a whole lot more. It’s quality work, just nothing that will transcend its intended purpose. On a side note, audio logs play through the speaker on your controller, which was pretty cool the first time I did it, and it made me feel as though I had picked up the audio log and had it in my hands, which added to the immersion of the game.
Killzone: Shadow Fall is a solid launch title for the PS4. It delivers the next-gen experience without cramming it down your throat too much, which is a great change of pace from previous console generations. While it obviously presents what the PS4 is capable of, the developer was careful after the beginning of the game to make sure that the Killzone experience was delivered, no matter what platform it was delivered on. This is definitely a good thing. All-in-all, Killzone: Shadow Fall brings more good things to the table than bad, and a robust multiplayer component gives it a lot of playability past the campaign. This exclusive next-gen shooter is one of the reasons to own a PS4 at launch, and even though it’s not perfect, shooter fans will no doubt enjoy Killzone: Shadow Fall for what it is–a good game.
 |
By Joshua Bruce Video Director Date: November 16, 2013 |
Game Features:
