Killzone: Shadow Fall (PlayStation 4)

Description

Strive To Uncover The Whole Story Killzone: Shadow Fall is the latest installment in the hugely successful Killzone franchise, developed exclusively for PlayStation 4, by Guerrilla Games. Thirty years after the events of Killzone 3, the world is a very different place, with two rival factions, the Helghast and the Vektans, living side by side divided by a vast wall. In the midst of it all stands a Shadow Marshal, an elite soldier, the best of the best. As Shadow Marshal Lucas Kellan, you’re sworn to protect your home and the values you believe in. Maintaining the fragile peace is difficult when there is no trust between either side. A series of escalating conflicts puts you on the path of a Helghast intelligence operative named Echo, who fights for the same reasons but on the opposite side. Strive to uncover the whole story as the intense, immersive combat of the Killzone series is reborn on PS4. A New Breed of Hero For a New Vision of Killzone You are Shadow Marshal Lucas Kellan, tasked with maintaining the fragile peace between the ISA and the Helghast. Any misstep could see the conflict spiral out of control, taking your homeworld with it. Designed For The Next Generation of Gaming With breathtaking scale and the new freedoms of tactical gameplay, Killzone: Shadow Fall is a true showcase for the impressive power of PS4. The redesigned DUALSHOCK 4 further enhances the experience with its refined controls. An Expansive Arsenal of Futuristic Weapons Command the OWL, Kellan's versatile, commandable combat drone that functions as an extension of you, dramatically augmenting your abilities and offering a host of new tactical options. Tense, Realistic Cold War Sci-Fi On a divided Vekta, one in which bitter enemies are forced to coexist, constant distrust threatens to escalate into all-out war. Discover an all new side to an ancient conflict. View larger Killzone Season Pass (Sold Separately) To help you save on the first six expansion packs, we’re introducing the Killzone Shadow Fall Season Pass:
Online co-op expansion pack- A new co-operative game mode in which up to four online friends must survive against impossible odds. Fight waves upon waves of enemies in four new arena maps, featuring a unique leveling system and new unlocksThree online co-op map packs- Each pack contains two brand-new arena maps for co-op mode with friendsTwo additional multiplayer expansion packs- We’ll reveal more about these additional multiplayer expansion packs when Killzone Shadow Fall’s launch date nears. Suffice to say they’ll offer many hours of additional multiplayer thrills!

Features

• A new breed of hero for a new vision of Killzone: You are Shadow Marshal Lucas Kellan, tasked with maintaining the fragile peace between the ISA and the Helghast. Any misstep could see the conflict spiral out of control, taking your homeworld with it.
• An expansive arsenal of futuristic weapons: Command the OWL, Kellan's versatile, commandable combat drone that functions as an extension of you, dramatically augmenting your abilities and offering a host of new tactical options
• Tense, realistic cold war sci-fi: On a divided Vekta, one in which bitter enemies are forced to coexist, constant distrust threatens to escalate into all-out war. Discover an all new side to an ancient conflict
• Designed for the next generation of gaming: With breathtaking scale and the new freedoms of tactical gameplay, Killzone: Shadow Fall is a true showcase for the impressive power of PS4. The redesigned DUALSHOCK 4 further enhances the experience with its refined controls

Customer Reviews

Killzone Shadow Fall is everything and more than I expected...
cenpaldj

First off, KZ Shadow Fall is just a gorgeous game. The type of game you throw into your shiny new console to show your friends what the PS4 is capable of. I know of a lot of reviewers have commented on the graphics in this game and for good reason, they are astounding. That being said, there is also plenty of substance to go along with the style. This game is CHALLENGING! It's sort of an Open World FPS. That certainly adds to the difficulty. There are many different areas in each map to explore, and you may find yourself getting lost in certain levels because of how large and detailed they are. So, if non-linear is your thing, Shadow Fall will please you. Now as I said the levels are very detailed, well, so is just about every other aspect of this game. You have a device called O.W.L. who follows you around and helps you in a number of different ways, whether it be providing a shield, hacking an alarm, joining in on your action packed shootouts, providing a zip-line for fast travel and other uses as well. The O.W.L. is revolutionary for FPS's in my opinion. It's one of the things that makes this game feel Next-Gen. I also strongly recommend the online multi-player. Very, very fun. I felt compelled to review this game because of all the negative 1 and 2 star reviews. I think the level of difficulty may turn some people off, but I welcomed it. Not sure what else people want out of an FPS? This game has it all. I'm having a blast playing it and I think any true FPS fan will too. Enjoy!

The only FPS you need.
John W. Marki

Killzone Shadow Fall is the absolutely best bang for you buck when it comes to Launch FPS games. CoD = Worn Out, BF4 = Broken. KZ SF excels in so many aspects. Firstly, the single player is improved a ton. The story is very exciting, the gameplay varies so its not always shooting and reloading, and gives a great amount of variables in the way you can attack and defend certain missions in the game. Secondly, the multiplayer is absolutely stellar! Everything about the MP is what you will see other games try to do in the future of this new generation. FREE MAPS, ALL WEAPONS UNLOCKED, NO FRAGMENTATION in the MP experience! Being on an even plane is a breath of fresh air in online FPS games, and Guerrilla Games deserves praise for this. Lastly, the Audio and Visual prowess of this game are clearly on display. 1080p/60fps in MP and 1080p/30+ in SP will take your breath away. The audio is very intense and the soundtrack is perfectly matched for this game. If you love visceral, intense FPS, Killzone Shadow Fall is really the only game you need. A+

Spawned from Hellghast
Pikminfan

Next gen is here and according to Sony, “Greatness Awaits”. It looks like greatness may have to wait a little longer though because “Killzone Shadow Fall” definitely isn’t it.Now don’t get me wrong. If drop dead gorgeous, but painfully generic first person shooters with aggravating and pointless free fall/flying sections are your thing, and you love games that are hollow, shallow and soul-less to their very core-plus you are completely opposed to anything that even resembles action in your first person shooter then you are in for a monster treat here.For fans of the Killzone Series however, outside of a few cut scenes there’s really not much here that immerses you into the rich universe that is Killzone. There’s no longer a sense of being a star player or a hero in an epic war raging between races. There’s no sense of urgency or feeling that you are immersed in an epic battle to save mankind. Honestly there doesn’t seem to be much of any kind of threat here at all when it comes down to it. There’s lots of walking around though. Lots of walking around. See that waterfall over there? Yep. You get to walk over to it. See that scientist? Yep. Instead of shooting and blowing things up (who wants to do that?), you get to walk with her for a while. You also get to experience the joys of meandering aimlessly through large and completely barren terrains not having a clue where you are going because your direction indicator doesn’t work half the time, just hoping you finally stumble onto your next objective before you throw your controller and say “screw it, this game sucks”. There’s also a bit of walking in the dark. I especially enjoyed these areas of the game where it was so dark on the screen I could barely see anything at all. The walking experiences I had there were particularly memorable. I can honestly say that I have never experienced a game quite like Killzone Shadowfall where so much loving devotion was given to recreating (to the last detail) the entire experience of being a pedestrian.So if you like trekking through large empty spaces completely alone and desperately searching for an enemy (or even TWO!) that you can finally kill, and you can’t stand too much action in your first person shooters-Killzone Shadow fall is your launch game of choice this holiday season.For the rest of you odd ball types who actually want some action and intrigue in your first person shooters, do yourself a HUGE favor and skip this piece of Hellghast spawned dog s*** and pick up the Killzone collection for PS3 instead. Even KZ1-dated as is it is still an enormously more fun game to play than Shadowfall.If Guerilla games wants to take the Killzone series in this new direction for PS4 this generation-that’s fine. Count me out though. Call me crazy, but I still like to have “fun” when I play videogames, not just look at pretty eye candy as I’m traipsing along the countryside with no one around and nothing at all to do. Oh, I forgot-the inclusion of the new OWL is pretty cool though. So there’s that I guess. Shadowfall was easily my number one choice of launch games. Of the three PS4 launch games I’ve played now, Shadow fall ranks dead last with a bullet. Read more ›

Series just gets better.
M. McAvoy

For the PS4's launch lineup, the two games you need to check out are Killzone: Shadow Fall and Assassin's Creed 4. These two games give you the best glimpse of the potential for the next generation. The Killzone series has formerly been an interesting approach to be the Halo-killer on the original Xbox vs PS2 generation. It offered multiple points of view with unique abilities for each. Then the PS3 debuted and it became more about the gritty realism of war but felt more like a chest-beating exercise in not-too-subtle manly cliches within an 80s action movie set piece. Killzone: Shadow Fall takes place long after the previous trilogy's war against the Helghan (Read: Future nazis) where the protagonist is again the Vektan you control that was traumatized by events unfolding at the hands of the Helghans, retreading the hostility between the races from a more "espionage" spin on it.Gameplay - First off, Killzone was always a FPS that you truly felt the "weight" of the character and his gear. in Shadow Fall, you're no longer the grunt carrying dozens of pounds of armor and gear into the middle of a huge battle. Sev is gone, now you control a Shadow Marshal, the Vektan super spy. You feel lighter than previous games. You also now have access to a hovering robot sidekick that can perform a number of functions and then disappears when it's no longer needed. After you learn the basics, it becomes very very easy to forget that you have it though. The game is completely beatable without ever using it outside of the few scripted instances where it's required (i.e. ziplining). However, when you get to a tough spot that you are getting frustrated over, that's when remembering you have the O.W.L. to assist you saves your controller from wall collision damage. It's entertaining reading forums where people complain of impossible fights only to simply be reminded to use the O.W.L. and the complaint dies/fades away. For the most part, most areas are able to be tackled using stealth. However, just because you're "lighter" and have stealth options doesn't mean you're no longer able to go in, doom-style, guns blazing. You'll just set off the alarms and have to deal with an extra wave or two of enemies. Ammo never feels scarce and there are a few really tough spots where weapon choice can play a crucial role in the difficulty.The multiplayer is where the game really shines. 24 player Warzone is the go to mode if you are a team player. Battlefield 4 has some serious competition to face in this game, especially since BF4 is currently nearly unplayable with the horrible servers and equally bad "lone wolf" community currently playing it. There are three classes customizable with different loadout slots. As small as that seems, there is a huge difference between the three classes and they are all completely necessary to have a successful warzone team. Scouts are your snipers, with cloaking abilities, able to sneak past spawn campers to break the siege. Assault class players are your heavy gunners with dash abilities to bolt past spawn campers and then lay waste with their uber-powerful guns. And the support class is just that, a balanced class with average guns that really shines in how well it supports the team effort. A spawn beacon properly placed can allow your assault class to steamroll the other team while allowing the scout to get to a better sniping position quicker. The individual loadouts within each class can be customized depending on game mode and team needs for quick swapping (for example, spawn beacons are critical in warzone but far less useful in deathmatch where something like a turret would be more appropriate). This is what Battlefield should have strived for, just on a larger scale.with vehicles.Controls - With the introduction of the DualShock 4 controller, we're in a golden age for FPS's on the PS4. However, the touchpad is still struggling to find its niche. In the campaign, the touchpad is simply used to switch your OWL's function mode. Multiplayer OWLs are one-function optional gear so it's not used. The controls themselves however are well mapped and tight/responsive. This is the game to show off the new controller in an FPS setting.Audio/Visual - Graphically, Killzone was clearly built to show the hardware off. On my playthrough, I never had framerate dops, and at 1080p, it looks absolutely beautiful. And the developers varied the environments far more than previous games. Now instead of the same grey, bombed out hell-hole level after level, you're fighting in lush forests, giant pristine glass buildings, even venturing off-world to the ruins of a previous game's locale. The sound is equally terrific, even in 2.1 simulated surround sound of a soundbar.Story - Guerilla gave up on the steroid-induced war theme and tried a more story focused attempt at a campaign. This is probably the weakest aspect of the game...and that's not a bad thing at all. The story is refreshing for the series, far less predictable than previous entries. In a very Fallout 3 reminiscent opening level, you play a child following his dad out of the Helghan city on Vekta, in which recent rebel tensions have caused Vektans to flee for the safety on the other side of "the wall", a giant wall built to separate the refugee Helghans from the native Vektans on their new planet following the fall of Helghast in KZ3. That was a mouthful, but that's the situation years after the previous console entry (KZ: Mercenaries doesn't really seem to have much influence here). You immediately jump ahead to years later and now you're grown up. Tensions are still high and you're thrown feet first into the deep end of a cold war of sorts going on. From there, it grows into Killzone standard fight-your-way-to-the-next-setpiece-battle story as you unravel the various plots between the Vektans, the political party of the Helghans and the underground Helghan rebel network trying to destabilize the region.Overall - This game, as a launch title, deserves a 3.5 star rating, but seeing as that's not possible, I'll round up in this case. It's a beautiful representation of what the PS4 can do. The campaign is fun, and you can choose how to tackle the missions (stealth vs guns blazing) for the most part. And when you're done, you have the multiplayer to keep you going long afterwards. This is one of the two must own PS4 launch titles to hold you over until the launch draught is over in March 2014. Read more ›