Killzone 2 - First impressions

In a move typical of me I fired Killzone 2 up on Thursday night and headed straight for the multiplayer, or Warzone as its known. I know the single player mode is being touted as amazing but as happened with COD4, my heart lies online. Now, as a diehard Call of Duty player my first thought was, stupidly, 'this isn't Call of Duty!'. To put that into context, the controls have a real weight about them that you simply don't get in COD. Every jump lands with a thump as your character bends his knees and then straightens up. Every turn is slower and more deliberate than we have come to expect in FPS.

At first this is alarming and in the back of my mind I was thinking 'this isn't as good as I had hoped' but after a few hours you realise that it better than expected. The slower controls ground you and it makes you feel like a Helghast soldier rather than just a floating gun. I have found the first 3 hours online hard going because you only begin with the most basic of weapons - an assault rifle from each side and a pistol. It took me 90 minutes to unlock any other weapons but the more you play the more you get rewarded for your efforts. For example, after you complete 8 body count (read TDM) matches with over 10% of the kills you get an increase in points per kill. That in turn lets you rank up quicker and unlock more such as extra grenades, extra ammo, etc.

It is stunning and worth committing a big chunk of your gaming life to. Despite some mild frame rate issues when things get mental I have found no other notable concerns. On top of that the graphics have not been dulled down at all for the online, which is a feat in itself considering how good this thing looks.

If you don't own it yet, BUY IT. If you do, then I will see you on the battlefield. Die ISA Scum!!!

Get the best price when you trade in games (UK only)

I imagine a lot of you are like me and don't have the disposable income to buy 3+ games in a month. The problem comes when we get a month like November when at least 5 top class title were released; LBP, FIFA 09, Resistance 2, Mirrors Edge, to name just a few.

I have always found that in times like these I would collect up some of my completed games and trade them in to either Game or Game Station. The problem is that these massive games retailers offer such a pittance that it make you question if its worth while.

This is where CEX comes in. CEX is a company who deal in second hand games only. They offer a very good price when you trade in your old games. They have over 60 stores in the UK and most of these are in major cities. Now here is the clever bit! Game Station has a price match policy for trading that agrees to match any other retailer within 5 miles of the store. As long as you have a CEX within 5 miles of a Game Station they have to match them on price. All they ask is that you print off a copy of the game trade price from the CEX website and bring it with you.

For example, I took a copy of Motor Storm Pacific Rift into Game Station and they offered me £8 for it. I checked on the CEX website and they were offering £18 for the game. I printed off the information and went back the next day to Game Station were they gave me the £18 trade price against FEAR 2.

I wish more people knew about this policy because I recently saw one poor guy only get £24 for 3 PS3 games. He handed over 3 games and still had to pay £11 to get his new game. Using the price match he would have got £54 instead.

So there you have it. I hope this helps at least some of you get what you really deserve for your old games. I have included the details of the CEX website below for those of you who want to try this out. Also, if you are looking for good second hand games, phones, laptops, etc CEX themselves are excellent.

Happy hunting!!

http://www.cex.co.uk/

The Helghast are coming, look busy!!!

Just had confirmation from GAME that my copy of Killzone 2 has been dispatched, so by tomorrow evening I should have some Helghast skulls in my trophy cabinet. I will try and post an initial impression over the weekend, and follow it up with a full review next week.

I have heard on the grapevine that the multiplayer is better than COD4 and includes a full ranking/perks system. If that's the case then this will be very special indeed. I have not been this excited about a game since GTAIV.

Anyone looking for a clan?

Just wanted to tell you all about the clan I play PS3 online with. We are called Alpha Bravo Clan, or aB clan for short. We currently have lots of members spread all over the country, a lot of whom own a PS3. aB clan has an open and friendly attitude to gaming.

Although we play hard we are the kind of clan that welcomes all types of player. You don't have to be top ranked in COD4 or have 300 trophies to join. All we ask is that you play fair, join in and display the clan tag of "aB" when competing online. On joining the clan you are also issued with a special number, so everyone knows who you are. Mine for example is 27 or alp27 to give its full title.

Once a year Alpha Bravo Clan does what all clans should do and gets togther for a weekend of outdoors activities. Since we formed we have met on a yearly basis and taken part in team building activities such as PARACHUTING - GO.KARTING - AIRSOFT COMBAT - THEME PARK THRILL RIDES - BARBECUES - CAMPING - CANAL BOATING. As you can see we are a pretty active bunch. Our yearly meetings are a must see, and we always do our best to suit everyones budget.

We are always looking for new members and if you are interested please check out the clan website.

http://www.alphabravoclan.co.uk/

Street Fighter IV

I picked up a copy of Street Fighter IV on Friday after not playing a SF game for ten years. The first thing that grabs you is how close the game play, and look, is to SF2. Its like playing the game you remember, but it has been polished to within an inch of its life. This thing looks stunning, and when an ultra combo is pulled off the camera zooms into the fighters face and then pans out to show the move off in amazing 3d.

When the developers were testing the game they had a new hit detection model, but the playtesters didn't think it felt right so they retuned the whole system to work like the old rectangular hit boxes used in SF2. Those guys really love SF2 and its fans. They have made this game with them in mind, and if you could pull off dragon punches and sonic booms in SF2 you will be instantly at home here. The move list is very similar to earlier games, and the charge back, forwards, punch for Guiles sonic boom or quarter circle punch for the Ryu hadouken are all there.

Oh, and did I mention the game is hard as nails. I consider myself a fairly good gamer, but I have found beating Seth, even on medium, a massive challenge. Don't get me wrong, this is not a complaint but more a compliment and a nod to the developers for having the stones not to fall into the trap of the casual gamer. Casual gamers will still love it, and get great pleasure throwing fire balls and doing special moves, but the hardcore players will get the real benefit. This is a HC gamers paradise, they will learn insane combos and know the animation frames for each move. New comers and casual gamers will be destroyed by the elite. Online this is no place for button mashers. It is like a baptism of fire, but practice makes perfect and after your first few hours, and some time in the training arena, it all starts to come together.

If you can afford it, I would strongly suggest you pick up the official guide by Prima games. It has invaluable information for both beginners and experts and could give you the edge.

This is stupidly addictive, and for those patient enough to commit it will bring pleasure for months and years to come. Only time will tell if this is to be a classic, but the signs are good.

SCORE 9/10

Welcome

Welcome one and all to the Ultimate PS3 blog. The aim of the blog is to bring you all the latest Playstation 3 news, write game reviews and hopefully preview the latest up and coming titles. I will be starting the blog off with a review of Killzone 2 which is due to be delivered to me on Thursday/Friday this week.

In the mean time I would urge everyone to download and start listening to the Podcast Beyond "BEYOND!!!!" from IGN. I have included a link below to take you to the latest episode (number 80). Trust me, you won't regret it - the podcast is awesome and presented by the Playstation Team at IGN.

http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/955/955305p1.html

Well thats all for now but once I get someway through KZ2 I will post the review. Take care and thanks for reading!!!

alp27