Issue 8
Halo Wars and Killzone 2 Demo Impressions
We take a look at the two biggest demo releases this month, Halo Wars and Killzone 2.
Halo Wars
Developed by Ensemble Studios (the same studio behind the Age of Empires series), Halo Wars is an RTS built from the ground up for Xbox 360. Using the Halo brand, Microsoft hopes to get gamers to try out this new RTS when it releases later this month.
Halo Wars offers a basic and advanced tutorial. The basic tutorial teaches you how to maneuver your units, attack the enemy, and use your unit’s special abilities. The advanced tutorial is more in-depth with special abilities, and it also shows you how to build your base. You’ll also learn how to upgrade your army and how to use leader powers. You can also play a 1 vs. 1 skirmish as either the UNSC or Covenant.
The first mission has you playing as Captain Forge, with your task being to rescue squads of marines and to take your base back from the Covenant. Gamers will get a good taste of how combat and unit abilities affect the gameplay. The second mission shows off the base-building of Halo Wars. Your mission is to establish a base and move toward the forerunner installation, or “relic,” as the Covenant calls it, and destroy any Covenant near it. Both missions will give gamers a good taste of what the final game will offer.
The controls are pretty straightforward. Players use the thumbsticks to move and rotate the camera across the battlefield. Selecting units is done with the A button, and attacking enemy units with the X button. The unit-specific abilities are mapped on the Y button. These abilities include grenades for infantry, a ramming ability for Warthogs and Ghosts, anti-infantry shells for tanks, and rockets for air units. Another cool feature is hero abilities. The UNSC abilities revolve around your ship, Spirit of Fire. Gamers will be able to call-in MAC cannon blasts, airstrikes and a unit of ODSTs that can drop in anywhere on the map. The Prophet of Regret uses the Covenant abilities. Special abilities include the Cleansing Beam, a strong, player-controlled energy beam that depletes your resources as you use it.
Graphically, the game looks great. It probably won’t blow anyone’s mind away, but it is an RTS – and graphics aren’t the most important thing – the controls and gameplay are. Ensemble has finally done what I think many other RTSs on consoles have tried to do - create a good control scheme that will work on consoles. While the controls for Halo Wars are pretty good, they will never be as good as a PC RTS. Having said that, they are the best I have ever seen on a console. All of the controls are well mapped and you never have to hit more than one button to do any one thing. The sound design, as with any other Halo title, is one of the best the gaming world has to offer. All of the sounds effects are vintage Halo and the music score is amazing.
Many gamers and critics alike worried how a Halo RTS game, even a Halo game not made by Bungie, would turn out. Toss those worries aside - Ensemble Studios has done an admirable job in bringing Halo Wars to the console with good controls and great gameplay. While not everyone will like it, every gamer should give the demo a shot. Halo Wars will be released worldwide on February 27.
Killzone 2
Killzone 2 is a PS3 exclusive developed by Guerilla Games that has been hyped about over and over again for about 4 years. Well, it’s finally here, and the question is - does it deliver? YES IT DOES. If nothing else, Killzone 2 is a technical achievement that hasn’t been seen since Crysis was released on PC. The fact that it plays well and looks like it will have an interesting story makes Killzone 2 a must buy for any PS3 owner - for everyone that doesn’t have one, get one NOW.
One of the only negative things I can say about the demo is that it is too short – you play one of the early levels in the game. The demo begins with you and your group of fellow soldiers on board an air car. As you descend through the clouds, there is flak cannon fire all around you, and a few seconds later you make a rough landing. Once you get on your feet, prepare to be blown away. The lighting and atmosphere effects are some of the … no wait … they are THE best you have ever seen. As you advance with your squadmates, you will encounter the Helghast. They are easy to spot with their headgear and glowing red eyes. There are two main objectives in the demo - take out the bridge and guard a squadmate while he opens up a gate. Once you complete the demo, you are treated with a little video showcasing all of the death animations.
One thing about Killzone 2 that I can see people complaining about is the controls. At first they felt a little stiff, but after a few minutes of playing I got used to them. There are a bunch of different presets for the controls, and I see most people using Alternate 2 for their control scheme, as it closely resembles Call of Duty 4.
After almost 4 years of waiting for Killzone 2, it’s nice to be able to say it was well worth the wait. If the demo is any indicator of the final game, we are in for something very special. Mark your calendars and set up your sick days - Killzone 2 will be released February 27.
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February 12th, 2009
Well written,good preview
February 12th, 2009
Agree With FRL Good Article I Like. It Two Good Games For Different Consoles And Neither Console Or Game Is Made To look Like They Suck. I Only Own A PS3 But The 360 Is Good Too. And When People Talk About How One Is Better Then The Other It Starts Arguments Dumb Arguments. Both Systems Have Good Quality’s And Bad Quality’s And It All Depends On What You Are Looking For. Cool Man Keep It Up.
February 12th, 2009
Good summary, but get your facts right about KZ2, we have been waiting since E3 05, which makes 3.5 years and not 5.
February 12th, 2009
Yep NN you’re right, I will update the article. Thanks for all of the comments guys.
February 12th, 2009
How can you say he doesn’t have his facts together. E3 05 is when the CG video was released. I’m sure the game was in development long before the CG video was released. I think 5 years is probably close to accurate.
February 12th, 2009
What a fresh change to come and see two previews from 2 different consoles and no fanboy fluff. I will be keeping my eye on this site for sure now. Also, bravo to the few commentors, no fanboys, no whining, just enjoying great games. Both PS3 and Xbox 360 have great things to offer.
February 12th, 2009
Wow this is the first time im seeying a clean review of two games,it was just straight facts….nothing fan boyish,no trash talk….it gave me a wierd tingle,but in a gud way