Killzone

Killzone is a Video game of subjective shooting developed by Guerilla Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment in November 2004 on PlayStation 2.

The play knew a continuation, Killzone: Release , on Portable PlayStation and another is envisaged on PlayStation 3.

Play

Synopsis

The play is located in one era of space Colonisation where the empire Helghast recovered from its defeat of the first Helghane war and launched a blitzkrieg against the colony of the ISA, Vekta. The platforms of defense of Vekta (also called platforms SD ) which has not been able to attack the fleets because of engineering problems, Helghasts could land on planet and launch their attack with thousands of soldiers. The soldiers of the ISA find themselves completely overflowed by Helghasts in excess.

Helghasts are descendants of human which colonized the planet Helghan there are several generations. The hostile environment of planet forced Helghasts to adapt and transfer, so that they cannot really any more be regarded as the human ones. They are stronger, faster and less sensitive than their counterparts, and also developed a great hatred towards the human people. To share for a certain number of Helghasts having human blood and Helghast blood, they carry a Gas mask which enables them to breathe the air of their planet of origin. The only hope of Vekta rests on a team of elite made up of four people.

The player controls Jan Templar, a captain of the ISA, in full Helghast invasion. Templar and its team are recalled to the base for a new mission, and are sent to find the agent of ground Hakha, a semi-Helghast semi-human person, who holds the key allowing to reactivate the platforms of defense. During the course of the play, the player is brought to take the control of three other characters: Luger, a Shadow Marshall specialized in special operations of infiltration; Rico Velasquez, specialist in the heavy weapons; Hakha, agent of ground of the ISA charged to infiltrate the enemy lines (it will have a surging relation with Rico during most of the play).

Characters

; Main characters

Captain Jan Templar

Jan (Yan delivery) is the odd-job man play. He is captain of the Forces of Fast Reaction ( FRR ), and a leader born. He entered the battle by order of the Vaughton general. He can control all forms of situations, and can also control all types of weapons of the ISA. Its experiment with the Helghast weapons being small, it does not control well this kind of weapons. Luger and have a close relation to him, but after having seen that Luger changed whole with the whole, he is now a colder person, more considered. (“One is involved to think, not to feel. It is necessary to act, and not to reflect. ”, like Hakha says it.)

Shadow Marshall Luger

Luger (it is not specified if it is its true name or right a Pseudonyme) is the former boyfriend of Jan, and she was charged to assist it for her mission. She is very involved. Even if Jan and it always have feelings one for the other, Jan thinks that it changed too much compared to what it was front. It is an assassin, always ready to use its knife in furtive attacks. It is the character having less health, but it can use all kinds of more or less large weapons. She carries glasses of night vision, enabling him to see in the very dark places. It is the fastest character, and can quickly crawl, go up on the broken cables, explore the exiguous places, assemble the scales and can kill the enemies rather easily.

Sergeant Rico Velasquez

Rico, born in the slums of Vekta City, is the slowest character most extremely, and aaynt the most hatred towards Helghasts in all the play, insulting them constantly. It became apparently insane furious and developed a desire of revenge towards Helghasts since they decimated all its unit, leaving it like only survivor. It tried to kill Hakha with their first meeting, and the two protagonists spend their time putting themselves on the pinks (Hakha often has the last word, because Rico does not include/understand anything with but it says). Towards the end of the play, Rico and Hakha seem to start to respect itself. Even if it is not very mobile, it can jump over the low walls like the others. Luger calls it the large .

Colonel Gregor Hakha

Hakha is half Helghast, half human. It is very skilful with Helghast arms manufacture, enabling him to have more ammunition than the others. It is that which is regenerated most quickly of the four. It carries also a knife, but does not use it as easily as Luger. It is incredibly intelligent, and hates Helghasts like anybody (perhaps with equality with Rico). Being a former Slow henchman of the general helghast, Hakha knows many things on Helghasts and the machines which they use. Rico and it are sent regularly on the pinks due to their opposition and their differences. He often makes fun of Rico with his intelligent counterparts that this last cannot include/understand, while answering with tact (“I am spy. It is my JOB. ”) When one asked him on which side it was, it simply answered “On my side”. It is probably most changeable of the four characters, being able to pass through the mines laser, and using all types of weapons in a very sizeable way. The section “Appropriations” of the handbook of Killzone reveals that its complete name is Gregor Hakha.

; Supporting characters

General Vaughton
General Adams
General Slow

Weapons of the play

; Weapons of the ISA

Gun M4 - M4 is the preferred weapon of the forces of the ISA. It is very precise, powerful, but the charger can contain only 7 balls. A shooting in the head keep silent in much case.

Rifle of attack M82 - It is the weapon by defect for Templar and much of soldiers of the FRR of the ISA in the play. It has less low rate of shooting and less large charger than the LAR StA-52 Helghast, but he is more powerful and more precis. He has an integrated grenade thrower which can be activated with the secondary shooting. He has also an important retreat in primary education shooting, making assemble the objective of the weapon to each shooting. It is a very effective weapon with average and long range. If it step by step is used, it becomes extremely precise.

Rifle with pump M13 - a weapon with short very powerful range, and it can kill many enemies with a shooting placed well in the chest. The primary education shooting sends a salvo, the secondary shooting two. The weapon is very vague with long range. If somebody had suddenly used the primary education and secondary shooting at the same time, three salvos would be sent instead of one or two salvos, fortunately, it was a bug which was corrected for the play In line.

Machine pistol with silencer M66-SD - It is the principal weapon of Luger. It is a weapon with automatic shooting with little retreat in primary education shooting, and a blow mode by very powerful blow in secondary shooting; that is normally foolish, because the primary education shooting, thanks to its rate of shooting more raised, should make more damage. The weapon is equipped with very precise glasses, designed to be a furtive weapon. The primary education shooting empties the charger in a few seconds, therefore the secondary shooting is recommended to preserve the low number of ammunition which one can lay out.

Grenade thrower M327 - This imposing grenade thrower can carry to six grenades in its charger, and via a standard Barillet Révolver draws them. The primary education shooting makes it possible the grenades to explode with the impact, and the secondary shooting transforms the grenades into mines of proximity, and the grenade explodes only when somebody is close to the grenade. There is a confusion on this weapon since she is regarded as a weapon of the ISA sometimes but the soldiers of Helghast elites use it in the play.

MAW M404 - the MAW M404 (MAW for Medium Antitank Weapon , Weapon Average Anti-tank device ) is a Lance-roquettes. It can contain only a rocket at the same time, asking its user to reload after each shooting. The primary education shooting fires a very destroying anti-tank missile in straight line. The secondary shooting makes it possible to the player to use a laser guidance system, making it possible to the player to direct the rocket.

heavy Machine-gun of support M224 - It is the weapon by defect for Rico. It has the fastest rate of the shooting of all the play, and it is also a very destroying weapon, but it is very vague, requiring an enormous system of suspension. The weapon takes care directly on a chain of ammunition removing any recharging, but the weapon can overheat. It also has a system of anti-tank rockets integrated in secondary shooting. Because of its imposing size, this weapon drastiquement reduces the speed of sound user.

; Weapons of Helghasts

Gun of combat IvP-18 Tropov - the Helghast gun draws a gust from three balls in primary education shooting, and draws step by step with the secondary shooting. With the primary education shooting, the retreat is problematic, because it is completely substantial.

Rifle of attack LAR StA-52 - the standard weapon of the army Helghaste, this Fusil of attack is very powerful with short range. The LAR StA-52 has a faster rate of shooting and a charger larger than M82 of the ISA, but these advantages are made at the price precision, which makes difficult its use to long range. It is more useful for engagements for short and average range. The secondary shooting often sends to a salvo of rifle to pump mortal, making this weapon a true threat with short range, but the secondary shooting is not as fast as the rifle of the ISA, and is not also powerful, even if the shootings are mortals in many cases of figure. The addition of pump rifle integrated causes an absence of charger and requires to reload with each shooting, and can cause a vulnerability of the user if the first shooting did not have the discounted effect. Another negative point of the weapon is that it can be blocked. That often arrives when the player tries to draw with one from the two types of shootings when one reloads pump rifle integrated. The intelligent soldiers will draw only from the short salvos, then will safeguard themselves of continuation afterwards. It is also the weapon owing to lack of Hakha. Thanks to its Helghastes origins, Hakha can control the Helghastes weapons better than its fellow-members, as it can carry more ammunition.

light Machine-gun StA-3 Stova - the response of Helghasts to the machine-gun of the ISA. Very powerful, very fast, with an imposing charger, but very vague. It is often used by the soldiers of Helghasts elite because it requires a great force to use it. This weapon is often used to eliminate from the masses of enemies without too many problems thanks to its raised rate of shooting, its enormous charger, and its weak precision is compensated by the number of drawn balls.

Rifle of precision StA-52 SLAR - the only rifle of precision in the play. A weapon at rate of shooting slow but extremely precise, with very powerful shootings allowing to kill many enemies in a blow. Its long glasses carried make this weapon very useful when one is with cover. Ironically, although it is only rifle sniper available, this rifle is used more by the forces of the ISA than by Helghasts. Moreover, this weapon with a special system of aiming: the player can move the sight inside the glasses, allowing to avoid aiming well to the center. This function was added to make the weapon more futuristic, but with final, the weapon is very difficult to handle! This function is nevertheless useful for the parts on line, avoiding the risks of camp-site , but the players found a parade. Certain players indeed discovered that while not using the glasses, the balls leave in straight line. The players do not have any more but to draw a simple point on their screen and thus to be able to draw precisely while killing in a blow. Guerilla had also wind of this easy way, and left a patch which makes this rifle extremely vague when it is used without its glasses.

Canon of group Pnv-3 Siska - a weapon anti-tank device, this weapon fires an anti-tank shell of 20mm in primary education shooting, and two obis in secondary shooting. Because of his imposing size, its user is slowed down. It is the largest weapon of the play and undoubtedly the most powerful weapon, but it is difficult to aim with, it is necessary to aim just above the target, and if you miss yourselves, you will have to reload the weapon before being able to withdraw.

Grenade thrower Pup BP-02 - a Gun which can draw from the grenades. This weapon draws a grenade by blow, exploding with the contact. Similar to the operation of a flare gun.

Rocket launcher Hadra BLR-06 - This rocket launcher is the response of Helghasts to the MAW of the ISA and can carry up to three rocket S at the same time, and not only one. The weapon fires a rocket in primary education shooting, and the three rockets simultaneously in secondary shooting, but when the secondary shooting is used, the rockets do not activate their system of propulsion and function like mortar S. Because of its big size, the user is slower, but the game is worth the candle.

Pointer laser Dohvat BDL-23 (Countryside mode only) - the laser pointer Helghast is portable, which sends a direct video signal via a helmet. The laser pointer is used to indicate targets for the artillery shootings. The laser pointer is often used in the large towers, the bunkers, the sites of artillery, and against groups of armored vehicles.

; Others weapons

Knife of hunting Knife of combat M32 (Countryside mode only) - the knives are mortals, but they are very difficult to use. Mortals because they can kill in only one blow. Very difficult because it is necessary approaches an enemy without showing itself.

Grenade with fragmentation HE - only the hand grenades in the play. Very destroying, they often make deaths in a blow. The users can is to launch the grenade directly, where then “to prepare it” not to leave any chance of escape to the enemy in the vicinity.

Battle fields

The mode “arcade” of Killzone is known under the name of “Battle fields”. Off line, it can be played with one or two players with Bot S to 16 players. In line, the play does not have the club-footed ones, and can also be played up to 16 with human players. There are six modes of play in the playable Battle fields and eight charts.

; Modes of play

Deathmatch - It is every man for himself. That which marks the most points (or Frag S) gains.

Deathmatch equips with it - Two teams entretuent themselves to accumulate points. The team which makes the most frags gains.

Domination - Another mode in team. In this mode, two teams must adapt territories, or “positions”, on the battle field. The positions are captured when the players remain around. The team which captures the most positions in a limited time gains the part.

Supply - Similar to the mode captures the flag ( captures the flag ), this mode makes face two teams which must fight to recover cases of supply. The supplies are captured when they are brought back to the base. The two teams can capture the cases since the enemy base. The team which captures the most supplies gains.

Attack - In this mode, there are two teams: an assailing team (always Helghasts) and a defensive team (always the ISA). The defenders must protect the targets in their base while the attackers must destroy them. If the attackers destroy the targets in assigned time, they gain. If it is not the case, they are the defenders who gain the part.

To defend and destroy - Similar to the Attack mode, but this time, the teams are assailing and defenders. The two teams must destroy the targets located in the unfavourable base. The team which destroys them in first in allocated time gains the part.

Units helgahst

basic soldier helgahst : They are the most current soldiers of the play. In general armed with their rifle of attack, the soldier helgahst is balanced between defense and attacks. Their weak point is their head, less protected than their body. They are often used masses some by the helgahst at the time of their operations.

light soldier helgahst : These troops are fastest of all the combatants. Always equipped with light weapons, the main mission of these soldiers and to play of role of scouts for the remainder of the army and to encircle the enemy forces before attacking them of all share.

soldier of elite helgahst : These troops most resistant and most powerful and are best formed of the forces helgahst. You can recognize them easily because their collar is very broad and their head is equipped only with special glasses. Their massive appearance is due to their genetic potential higher than that of a basic private helgahst and than their more protective waistcoat avoid-ball. These troops are in general charged to support the attacks and to defend the strategic positions. They are often equipped with machine-guns helgahst and rifle of attack. They generally appear groups some and are much more dangerous than it is believed, therefore a forced passage is almost dedicated to the failure with them.

soldier of attack helgahst : Easily recognizable with the form characteristic of their armours, these soldiers helgahst are armoured forces helgahst. Extremely dangerous, and generally armed with rifle of attack, machine-guns and grenade thrower, these helgahst appears especially at the end of the play, in the platform SD where, combined with the forces of elite, they can represent a great threat.

bodyguard : They are the most dangerous adversary of the play, even more frightening than the soldiers of elite. They appear into small groups near an important character helgahst. They carry a black tunic and a helmet recovering all the face almost. Especially face them with a greatest caution on the last level where they very many and armed well. The means easiest to get rid some is to use the weapon of Rico.

officer helgahst : These characters are the graded tops of the army helgahst. They do not carry any apparatus on the face and are rather resistant. They are not very well armed but especially count on their troops to defend them.

Hunter of premium : One sees only once this type of soldier in the play (heuresement) and it carries the laser pointer. It is frightening with long range but it with the force of a basic soldier with short range. When you see it, kill it as quickly as possible.

Specialist helgahst : Enough dangerous owing to the fact that it reacts more violently than the conventional troops helgahst, the specialist is recognized with his helmet identical to that of a basic soldier except that it does not have pipes and than its uniform is slightly different. These troops are armed in general with the gun or the machine-gun helgahst.

Charts

Split Delta - an environment in the jungle with some benches of fog and much of shrubs and places to cover itself. The Split Delta is based on the environment of the jungle in the countryside solo, where the team seeks the Adams general. Its surpluses of places of cover make that the beginners like this chart.

Through the canyon - One of the largest charts of the play, and it is in fact a snow-covered canyon connected by a bridge. The chart is based on the environment of the mountain which one reaches far in the play.

Slum of Vekta - the chart is directly taken mission where the team finds and releases Hakha. It is a chart of intermediate size with step badly of interior corridors slightly enlightened and an outside very luminous. The various levels of rise in the chart make that this level is very appreciated sniper S.

principal Well - This chart is very complicated and confused. Confusion comes owing to the fact that all on the chart resembles itself. It is directly taken of a mission of the beginning of the play, just before Templar meets Luger. The chart is made up around a puit on three levels which are separated by two levels intermédiairesdonnat access to rooms.

Final - Another large chart, the Terminal is directly taken first mission with Luger, right before reaching the park. This chart is a station of train, with a hall with several stages, two bridges footbridges passing above the ways of train and much of narrow corridors. Thanks to its adaptability with much of modes, it competes in popularity with the chart the Beach . Like the latter, the terminal conceals many bugs. One of them makes it possible to the players to go on the ways of train.

Orbit station - Still a complicated and very confused chart, this level is based on the corridors of the platform of defense SD which one explores at the end of the play. The many and very narrow corridors on this chart on two floors forces the player to be on his guards at every moment, or it will be a rapid discussion with them and their torturer…

Collines of the south - One of the two only not adapted charts of the environments of the play, even if it seems to have resemblances to the landscape of the very first mission of the play. Basiquement, it is a chart of intermediate size with a tower of guard, two heliports (which are used like bases in certain modes) and a abandoned bunker of the ISA. The name comes from the hills located at the south of Vekta.

the beach - Another chart adaptable to many modes (and original), the beach has two bases: one hidden behind the hills, and one hidden behind a large wall. The medium of the chart resembles a devastated battle field. The only way towards the unfavourable base is the straight line through the beach, making modes like Assaut and To defend and Destroy a taken up challenge. The two bases have turns of duty, giving an excellent cover to the sniper S. Its adaptability with all the modes of the play enables him to be the most popular chart with the Terminal. It is also one of the preferred charts of the beginners with its many points of cover.

Online game

; Battle fields mode The play is compatible with the play In line and to 16 players can take part in a part. However, there is no online service centralized but of the local waiters, making impossible a world competition.

All the charts and the weapons of the solo mode (except the knife) are available, with the possibility of communicating with helmet-microphone USB. The attack close to the solo mode was removed, because of the problems of animation.

The play In line was for much the reason of purchase of Killzone. Unfortunately, a few months after the exit of the play, the online game was polluted by players operating of the bugs. With any protective system anti-cheating, the cheaters can thus quietly play without compliance with the rules, and no system of denunciation was set up by Guerilla.

The cheating is an enormous problem for the online game, because the “honest” players who increase their level are killed each time by the cheaters who can thus assemble their level more quickly.

Killzone became unpopular near the players because of the cheaters, because front, the waiters could contain until hundreds of players (measurement taken in Europe, but now, they contain of it nothing any more but one around fifty at any moment.

; Waiters

North America: The players of the the United States and the Canada can play together.
Europe: The European players can join various waiters. The English waiter is often used as central server for Europeans. Even if it is not mentioned in the handbook of play, it is possible to choose either the mode 50 Hz or the mode 60 Hz.
Oceania: The Australia NS and the Néo-zélandais can play on the waiter of Oceania. The modes STAKE and NTSC are with the choice of the player.
South Korea: Even if the play left only in 2005 (thanks to the trailer card the E3 2005, the players can play Killzone (킬존) In line via a local waiter.
Japan: Killzone (キルゾーン, kiruzōn ) is published by Sega and left fine 2005. Considering it is not published by Sony Computer Entertainment, the mode In line was removed play.

Development of the play

Dutch of Guerilla Ranges, known in the past under the name of Lost Servant boys Ranges, developed this play and typed in the eye of Sony. The company showed with Sony a demonstration of a Jeu of subjective shooting which they were developing for PC. Sony was impressed by the play and concluded an agreement with Guerilla to develop exclusively Killzone for the PlayStation 2. Sony asked Joe Dever, famous writer and having received several prices of writing, to develop the scenario of the play and to take part in the design of the play.

To make the Programmation PC with the PlayStation was not an easy task. Guerilla spent two years to learn the techniques from programming when they were in phase of pre-production. In 2001, Killzone was ready to be created. The public knew a little Killzone , but information which filtered made it possible the play to make speak about him. A simple photograph of the play via a Video cassette was posted in a magazine of English video games, and surely made its way on Internet since.

When Killzone was officially announced, waitings for the play were enormous, and certain magazines qualified it already “Halation-killer”, by thinking that the play was going to be able to beat the '' FPS '' of Microsoft, Halo: Combat Evolved , even if Guerilla Games insisted that one does not put them in direct competition with Halo. At its exit, the rumors of a co-operative mode on line and a support of a Hard drive finally appeared false.

Topics of the play

Similarities with the Second world war

The critics and the fans noted that the artistic style and the scenaristic direction of the play are strongly inspired by the Second world war.

The representation of Helghasts in the play shows a strong resemblance to the fascistic state of the Third Reich, not only with the remilitarization which they undertake but in appearance of the soldiers and also with the reasons of the war with their neighbors. Helghasts secretly undertook to rebuild their army after their defeat in a war preceding, similar to the extreme remilitarization of the Germany during the Third Reich under Adolf Hitler some time after the First World War. Many soldiers carry helmets and uniforms which are inspired by the elements of the soldiers of the Wehrmacht of the Second world war. The chief of Helghasts, Scolar Visari, is introduced into a kinematics which has a strong resemblance to the gathering of Nuremberg captured by Leni Reifenstahl for its film, Triumph off the Will . Helghasts employ a style of blitzkrieg like Hitler to invade Vekta.

Finally, the cruel conditions that Helghasts had to be constrained to accept after their defeat of the first Helghane war have resemblances to what the Germany had to undergo after the First World War. The Helghasts chiefs use this oppression of humanity like a catalyst to gather the people and to create a general hatred towards the human ones, like German after the ratification of the Traité of Versailles during the Entre-deux-guerres to have the support of the people during their actions.

Similarities on the level of the design

The design of the Helghasts soldiers are apparently based on the Protect-GEARs in Kerberos saga of Mamoru Oshii. The fact is that Kerberos saga is based on a alternative history where the Germany gained the Second world war and that caused a similarity between the German Helghasts soldiers and soldiers. Images off the Last Battalion , a Short film animated going back to 2005 (thus after the exit of Killzone) has strong similarities with the Cinématique S of Killzone. This court was created by Axis Animation and Kerberos saga .

Reactions

The play really started to make speak about him in June 2003 when sites of video games launched rumors and fact of the previews on the play. Many fans of the console of Sony awaited a play at the level of the title headlight of Microsoft, Halo: Evolved fights, left exclusively on the console Xbox. Halo was an enormous success, and was besides the title more sold on this platform, which pushed the fans of the PlayStation 2 to be protested that Killzone was the “Killer Halation” ( Tueur of Halation in French). This label was intensified towards the end 2004 when the official magazine American PlayStation ( CPM ) left a number with a long article on Killzone . One could read in title of the article: “Killer Halation”.

The tests and criticisms of Killzone in the magazines or on Internet sites pointed many engineering problems like a stammering IA, of the occasional bugs causing blockings of the play, a bad fluidity, graphic or sound bugs, a reduced distance from posting and a sometimes hazardous control system. Because of these problems, certain sites as Gamespy judged that Killzone was not the “hoped Killer Halation”. However, Killzone was appreciated for its sound effects, its Bande its, and its environment of very realistic and fascinating war; it was also rewarded for its single artistic design.

With nearly two million sold plays, Killzone was a business success. In 2005, the play became a Best-seller in the European market, and in summer, the play passed in the range Platinum , making fall its selling price in the neighborhoods from the 20 €.

Continuations

Just before the play did not leave, with the end of the year 2004, one following summer announced for the PlayStation 2. But since Sony presented a demonstration of Killzone on PlayStation 3 to the E3 2005 with Los Angeles, of the rumors claimed that this continuation would be finally developed on a console new generation.

Sony recently announced its intention to acquire Guerilla Games and the company develops now plays Killzone for PSP and PS3. The developers of Killzone confirmed on the official forums that no title PS2 would be under development.

Killzone: Release (2006)

Killzone: Release (on PSP) was created to be a title adapted to the portable console, by giving up the traditional format (FPS of the titles PS2 and PS3 in favor of a sight in prospect with the third nobody (Jeu of objective shooting). Release takes seat two months after the events of the first Killzone in the postapocalyptic zone of the south of Vekta. The players can take the control of futuristic weapons varied against Helghasts and their leader maniac, Metrac, with Templar, one of the playable characters of the first episode.

Killzone 2

The hero of the play is called sev. The troops of the isa take by storm Helghan, planet of the helghasts. Left in March 2008. Exclusively on Playstation 3. Many video is available, coming from E3 2007, here in High-definition: (kinematic trailer card and in-range) (in-range) (in-range) According to the trailer cards rico will be in the play. when hakha has, luger and templar one does not know for the moment.

Derivative products

official Guide: The North-American editor PRIMA put on sale a fine official guide 2004. This guide will never be distributed in Europe.
Cartoon: In 2005, the Canadian independent editor Dreamwave Productions envisaged to publish Killzone volume 1 but the project was cancelled due to the Faillite of the company a few months before the coming out date. When the company was recreated under another name in 2006, the series of cartoons could be possibly marketed in North America.

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