Update of our test published on November 14, 2013 at 06:45
Killzone at the launch of the PS4 is something that Sony Computer Entertainment and Guerrilla have been preparing for us for two and a half years now on the side of the Netherlands. It was there, in Amsterdam, that the idea germinated while the development of Killzone 3 was being completed quietly on PS3. A major challenge for the Dutch studio which has always been in Sony's small papers when it comes to highlighting the technical prowess of their consoles. It is enough to return to Killzone Mercenary, released in early September 2013 on PS Vita, to realize how good the developers are at technically sublimating each of the episodes of his favorite series. And on PS4, more than on any other console with the Sony logo, Killzone: Shadow Fall has to send some pâté, preferably Ouszbek, the reputation of the machine depends on it. The Guerrilla FPS has, in this regard, not usurped its reputation as a next gen slap. It's simple, with Battlefield 4 on PC and next gen consoles, Killzone: Shadow Fall gives a glimpse of what the games of tomorrow will be like. For now, these are the first titles to appear on PS4, and we can already fantasize about those that will arrive in 7/8 years at the end of the machine's cycle. Unless you use the Doc's DeLorean to make a jump in the future, we can already start by noting the evolutions brought by the arrival of the next gen' in terms of visual rendering, and allow me the expression: his mother, it slaps a lot of buttocks!
The Guerrilla FPS has, in this regard, not usurped its reputation as a next gen slap. It's simple, with Battlefield 4 on PC and next gen consoles, Killzone: Shadow Fall gives a glimpse of what the games of tomorrow will be like."
Those who swear by graphics and who want above all to have a PS4 to impress friends passing through the house are likely to be greatly flattered. Not only is Killzone: Shadow Fall displayed in 1080p Full HD on TV for a finesse of the image never reached in a console FPS, but in addition, the game has the luxury of offering a frame-rate of 60 images per second. This is also reflected in the fluidity of the game, never taken to default and which offers a really appreciable visual comfort. This is also the minimum we can expect from the next gen, which arrives in our cottages with lots of promise. So don't be surprised if you stop for a few minutes to marvel at the game's environments, its richness, the play of light and shadow, not to mention the always very successful character design of the Helghasts, both classy and frightening. Don't hesitate to examine certain textures in the game, like those rocks found on the cliffs of Vecta or those flames that dance in the wind as if they were real. But the real show stopper is the game's final two levels. This is where Killzone: Shadow Fall impresses the most, with jaw-dropping graphics and a certain sense of spectacle where falling skyscrapers and the like buildings give rise to ruins of incomparable richness. Unheard of and it is indeed so beautiful that it is hard to believe that all this will be exceeded in a few years. And yet...
Owl then!
Of course, as everyone knows: a beautiful game does not necessarily make a good game. We remember for example the bitter disappointment Crysis 3 last year and we hope that the experience will not be repeated with Killzone: Shadow Fall. Fortunately for the latter, the developers were able to start filling the gameplay with the appearance of a combat drone. Called the owl (the owl in French), this mechanical companion will be of great help throughout the adventure, Lucas Kellan preferring to play the solitary soldiers. Quite the opposite of Call of Duty Ghosts and other Battlefield 4 where the war is lived in groups, with several. The owl thus compensates for the lack of partners in the field and at first glance, he is only there to support Kellan in difficult times. It is true that during the first missions, we tend to forget it but it is actually essential to carry out the quest for revenge of our soldier, traumatized by the death of his father twenty years earlier. To interact with this drone, the thinking heads at Guerrilla had the very good idea of using the touchpad of the DualShock 4. With a simple touch on the area, it is possible to bring up a circular menu where it is possible to issue 4 specific orders: attack, stun, protect (by creating a protective shield) or use the rope. The entire structure of Killzone: Shadow Fall was built around this drone and forgetting to call on it will be fatal to you more than once.
Nothing is imposed, nothing is fixed: it is possible to apprehend a situation in several possible ways. An open-mindedness reminiscent of the first BioShock or Crysis, especially since the drone is often very useful to create a diversion and allow the enemy to be attacked by the sides."
If the game's AI is far from the smartest we've seen, it's still very tough. Often superior in number, the Helghasts have also learned to aim accurately and it will not take them more than 3 bullets to make you bite the dust. A habit of the series which can also be extremely frustrating at times, especially in the last moments of the game. We remember with sourness the penultimate mission where we are asked to defend a position, accompanied by 3 poor soldiers, facing a swarm of Helghasts who not only land with amazing protections (shields and protective aura) but also do a lot of damage with their shotguns. Worse, the latter have learned from the Japanese of the Second World War and playing the kamikazes is really not a problem; without forgetting that the lack of available ammunition increases the difficulty of getting out of it a little more. It is true that the absence of clear objectives in the game also tends to confuse the issue and we would sometimes have liked to be taken by the hand to understand what is happening on the screen. But that's also why Killzone: Shadow Fall stands out from other FPS, not being limited only to scripted sequences, but offering a certain form of exploration. There are no corridors to follow stupidly in Sony's title and you will have to use the gadgets that are made available to find your way and fulfill the objectives that are updated regularly. The maps of the game are often open and devilishly large and it will sometimes take you a good few hours before moving on to the next one.
RISK AREAS
Killzone: Shadow Fall has the good taste of alternating situations, so as not to cloister the player in shooting sequences that could be boring after 5 hours of play (follow my gaze). Not only will you have to explore the scenery, but also be discreet so as not to arouse the suspicions of the Helghasts who tend to sound the alarm to ask for reinforcements. In this regard, the developers have the elegance to leave the choice to the player of the tactics to adopt. Nothing is imposed, nothing is fixed: it is possible to apprehend a situation in several possible ways. An open-mindedness reminiscent of the first BioShock or Crysis, especially since the drone is often very useful to create a diversion and allow the enemy to be attacked by the blanks. The environment is also an element to take into account and going through the air ducts turns out to be smarter than rushing into the heap, gun in hand. To do this, the designers have made available some very practical gadgets accessible via the game's directional cross. There is, for example, the Tactical Echo, which allows you to scan a perimeter around your significant character. This provides a comfortable field of vision that allows Helghasts to be spotted, even through a wall. To do this, simply hold down the button for a short time, being careful not to go all the way, otherwise you will trigger a sound that could alert the populace. There are also pockets of adrenaline that can be picked up here and there and which have two distinct functions: to allow the owl to get you back on your feet after having succumbed to enemy bullets or to trigger a slow motion function, just to land in a room full of enemies that we can easily kill since the action is slowed down to our advantage. The choice is once again given to the player.
This freedom of gameplay in Killzone: Shadow Fall is fortunately not an obstacle to the spectacle that the game can offer and the latter does not forget to offer intense war scenes with good big family scripts, in order to put us full of peepers."
This freedom of gameplay in Killzone: Shadow Fall is fortunately not an obstacle to the spectacle that the game can offer and the latter does not forget to offer intense war scenes with good big family scripts, in order to put us full eyes. As explained above, the title impresses with its graphics in front of which we can marvel for several minutes without moving, but sometimes we feel a certain lack of finish for other sequences. We think in particular of those where we find ourselves in free fall and which are strictly speaking unplayable. Not only, no explanation is given – in time – to the player, but in addition, the gameplay is clearly missed! Frustrating phases, on the edge of a nervous breakdown, and which you will certainly try again, go… a good fifteen times before finding the trick which is never given in a clear and limpid way to the player. Imprecise objectives: we come back to this. We also noted some problems with progress, starting with checkpoints that were not always very well placed, often requiring us to start a mission from the beginning, when it had been a good ten minutes that we were struggling to complete an objective. An old school difficulty, which we are no longer really used to, which also seems to be an aberration in an FPS which is intended to be popular and general public. How also not to grumble after this badly dosed difficulty where certain enemy attacks seem so insurmountable that we want to move on? Finishing worries or want to put the player's nerves to the test? The question needs to be asked. On the other hand, let's see the good side of things: the single player mode of Killzone: Shadow Fall does not burn 4/5h shows in hand like the last Call of Duty Ghosts not to mention it, but will ask you a good ten hours of play before knowing the outcome of this story where Humans and Helghasts cohabit peacefully. Obviously bullshit...
Multiples of 24
In addition to a consistent single player mode, Killzone: Shadow Fall also holds up on the multiplayer side. In fact, it doesn't just hold up, it's rock solid to be honest with you since it also takes into account what has been done in the single player mode. Mean by this that the player will have a fairly free field of action and be able to configure his parties to several as he sees fit. Certainly, we find the eternal “Deathmatch”, “Team Deathmatch” and “Domination” modes, but it is clearly the War Zones that are likely to keep us in suspense for many games. Concretely, this means that it is possible to customize its games as we see fit, whether it is the number of players (from 4 to 24), the rules (we can limit the games to a single type of weapon for example), the classes, the specific capacities of each one or even the mission orders which can evolve in real time. Customizable parameters, which can be submitted to the community and according to their interest, can be selected by the developers who can circulate them to other players.
Otherwise, the choice to make the 22 weapons accessible from the start makes it possible to ensure wild games from the start of the multiplayer games, just like the "Run'n Gun Capture the Fun" and "Paranoia in the Park" modes which come out clearly off the beaten path..."
As we mentioned and underlined during our already very complete preview last month, each class has an impressive number of skills that push us to move towards this or that class. There are 3 in total (Scout, Assault, Support), which doesn't seem like much, but each of them has its own strengths and different combat drones. Between the one who attacks as soon as he is given the order, the other whose mission is to remain frozen but to defend a territory, and the last who revives the fallen soldier, the approach is obviously not the same. Of course, between each respawn, it is possible to change class and set their abilities that deem necessary once on the ground. Moreover, it is not because we are used to behaving like a madman on the battlefield with the Assault that we do not want to take advantage of the options made available to Support. To this wealth of gameplay are added 1 challenges to complete and for which you can collect rewards to show off on the PSN. It's not necessarily a selling point, but Trophies collectors will undoubtedly find it interesting to slap them all. Otherwise, the choice to make the 500 weapons accessible from the start makes it possible to ensure wild games from the start of the multiplayer games, just like the "Run'n Gun Capture the Fun" and "Paranoia in the Park" modes which come out clearly off the beaten track, with their special settings, like forbidden respawn or the obligation to play with the same weapon for everyone. These last two modes completely change the way you behave in the middle of a match. No more soldiers running like mad on the battlefield, or even bullets fired into the void just to make noise: we tend to move on tiptoe, spotting opponents and then eliminating them with the greatest discretion. The goal is to survive as long as possible. So there's a real sense of sharing in the game's multi that even the Communists wouldn't have even thought of. In short, you got it, Killzone: Shadow Fall plays the card of efficiency above all and the result is really successful, in the same vein of Killzone 22 which had already made an impression when it was released in 3.
