Killzone: Shadow Fall Reviews
Ultimately, Killzone: Shadow Fall once again falls short of the lofty expectations placed upon it.
Cleverly progressive one moment and tediously predictable the next, next gen Killzone has all the same strengths and flaws as the older games – just now with even better graphics.
I couldn't shake the feeling that Guerrilla Games had grander visions for Killzone: Shadowfall than what was shipped for the launch of the PS4. Despite it being visually stunning and a ton of fun to play, a lot of it feels like it missed on a bigger opportunity for the franchise.
Killzone: Shadow Fall is a good game, and it hints at a rosy future for shooters and video game in general. I remain disappointed at the surprisingly outdated drawbacks, such as audio balancing, silly AI and occasionally unconvincing acting, but the result is still agreeable. The graphics are a definite highlight, the OWL drone works very well, and the more open and immensely detailed landscape infuses the campaign with branching, compelling energy.
Despite being beyond brilliant at times, Killzone: Shadow Fall misfires in many of the same areas as previous entries. It undoubtedly does an exceptional job of demonstrating the power of Sony's next generation system, but the single player pacing issues and narrative flaws let it down. These issues are accentuated by the fact that the core combat and multiplayer is outstanding – even if the lack of voice chat augments an unnecessary obstacle when communicating with your team.
Killzone has never looked this good.
With Killzone: Shadow Fall, developer Guerilla Games has given early PlayStation 4 adopters an entertaining shooter that doubles as a great-looking tech demo. However, by resting on its laurels, the European developer has once again failed to deliver greatness, opting to release a tried but true experience instead of anything revolutionary.
If you have a PS4 and you enjoy a more methodical FPS and want to see some really pretty visuals, Shadow Fall is a good choice.
In the current crop of offerings on the PlayStation 4, Killzone: Shadow Fall is one of your best choices.
The future of first-person shooter looks an awful lot like the past.
Multiplayer is solid and technical presentation sets the bar high for PlayStation 4, but Killzone: Shadow Fall lacks any other enticing features to make it a must-have shooter.
Visually, the game is absolutely beautiful. In addition to the fact that it's not a typical brown shooter, some of the cut-scenes on Vekta will take your breath away and make you realize that next-gen is here, and wow is it pretty. It's just a shame that the fun I initially felt with Shadow Fall's campaign faded away as the end missions droned on for far longer than they should have. At least the multiplayer brings that feeling back.
At the end of the day you will find a 7-10 hour campaign within Killzone Shadow Fall. The only reason to replay it will be for the visuals or the story, as Battlefield 4 will certainly cast a deeper/better shadow in terms of first-person shooter gameplay when you're trying to decide between Killzone or it. BF4 will also outshine the multiplayer aspect of Killzone Shadow Fall, which features huge levels, good modes/matches to play, but dreadfully slow gameplay that keep it from being the reason to purchase KZ over other FPS titles at launch. Having said that, it's Killzone and it will fight nicely with the other Killzone games on your shelf. It still brings some of the most intense campaign gameplay in comparison to other FPS titles at launch, and brings some unique elements (enemy A.I. and the OWL) to make it worth your time and money.
Most of the time Shadow Fall is confident about what kind of game it is, and it's when it leaves players to decide how they want to fight it shines.
In the end, despite an unmemorable story, I quite liked Shadow Fall's campaign simply from a design perspective alone. By ditching overbearing auto-aim, bending linearity and actually posing a real challenge at times, it's a fun experience and PS4 could do a lot worse for a debut title. I don't know if the series will ever explode in popularity, but for now, it's done its job showcasing the new abilities of the PS4.
As a whole you can't go wrong by including Killzone: Shadow Fall as part of your next gen PS4 package. It might be lacking in true next generation gameplay mechanics but it really shines when it comes to the new generation of graphics. Sony and Guerilla Games will surely continue to develop the franchise and I can honestly say without hesitation that the path they're on is the right one.
And so in the absence of any new ideas, Killzone: Shadow Fall exists as worshipful paean to the technical power of the PlayStation 4, not as a game to actually play and enjoy.
Killzone: Shadow Fall offers up incredible presentation and a better-than-average campaign narrative that's unfortunately more boring to play than it should be. The exciting multiplayer mode injects some greatness into an ultimately good game.
The gunplay is uninspired and the multiplayer has been detrimentally cut down, but the presentation is truly something to behold for console gamers.