Killzone 2 is set to change the way you think about first person shooters. eu.playstation.com took a trip to Amsterdam to get a first hand look at this seminal title and the team behind it, Guerrilla Games.
There's something a little strange about Guerrilla Games' offices. Not in a bad way - it's more from the idea that with a little adjustment the historical 17th century building (later a converted bank) would be a fantastic, if slightly old fashioned first person shooter level. The stark colour walls are at home with the intentionally bleak hues of numerous posters from the Killzone series, while the winding metal staircase is great grenade and sniper fodder.
Throw in its ominously locked doors, the notable mixture of various shaped rooms ideal for tense firefights, a picturesque garden courtyard, a security post and life-sized Helghast models intimidating visitors at various points, and it's hard not to see an eerie coincidence.
In other words, it's the perfect stage for one of 2009's most exciting titles...
Helghan via Amsterdam
As first person shooters go, Killzone 2 subscribes to the genre's staples - war-torn, action packed and unmistakably adult in its presentation as well as narrative content. Ironically, such a game can only be created in a serene and organised environment, which may seem a bit unusual given Guerrilla Games' Amsterdam home required a number of massive diesel powered generators to keep operations running and had the neighbours wondering what was happening in the building thanks to Killzone 2's rather convincing war sounds.
Housing around 130 staff members, Guerrilla's base may indeed feel like the halls of a FPS from years gone by, yet that's had little influence on Killzone 2 which sports a much more up to date feel. Taking place on the hostile planet Helghan, tight corridors are complimented with vast, open spaces, boasting multiple light sources and large complex environments which are rich and constantly moving with detail, whether that's from your buddies, the fearsome Helghast, the aggressive weather, or even finer details like insects and individual drops of water. Stunning only begins to describe it.
And it's obvious Guerrilla is proud. There's an excitable buzz in the air. That clear feeling of having something special on their hands - as well as the relief from coming to the end of a four year development period - is only equalled by a cautious sense of anticipation. The team is eager to get people playing and prove their opus is not just a very pretty face, albeit with scary glowing red eyes.
A rare performance of Helghast ballet
Despite long days and nights overseeing the game, Guerrilla's Managing Director Herman Hulst has more than enough enthusiasm when he kicks off his presentation. From the impressive 2005 teaser trailer to the game's current build, Hulst shows the progress and vast scale of Killzone 2 - open and chaotic warfare, a hugely comprehensive multiplayer mode and startlingly beautiful presentation - before narrowing down the principles of what makes this FPS so special.
"Firing your weapon has got to be satisfying," says Hulst. "Every bullet has a dramatic impact on the world around you." To demonstrate to this, a video plays showing the sheer level of destructibility offered by the game. Walls crumble, mortar flies, things fall apart. Using the environment as cover against gunfire isn't just a case of hiding behind something solid and waiting, unless you like the sound of your cover literally being blown.
The level of your forceful actions doesn't just apply to environments. "We've created something we call a Response System for the characters - it dynamically uses motion captured animation and physics impulses, so the possible responses are truly limitless," explains Hulst as he starts another clip playfully dubbed as Helghast ballet. The red-eyed fiends dance and stumble in a bullet laden montage with the operatic and suitably tranquil Flower Duet playing in the background as they're uniquely pushed in all directions from the deadly barrage. It's as impressive as it is bizarrely beautiful.
There's no "I" in war
Guerrilla's sense of humour is further evident on a tour into the Artificial Intelligence studio, where the behaviour patterns of the Helghast and your comrades-in-arms is created. Among the sketches and artwork there's an odd whiteboard caked with stickers and drawings of various children's cartoon characters. "Normally we have a pretty random collection of things on there," laughs Rob Heald, Designer. "We decided to play on the safe side and present a lighter mood - something to balance out the darkness of Killzone 2's world!"
The contrast between the hostile planetary setting of the game and the development team's enjoyment of their work makes for an entertaining atmosphere as Heald explains the depths of the AI system. "[With some other games] when the player turns up on the scene, everything is focused on the player, which obviously gives you an intense experience, but there's a battle going on around you in the world and you're not automatically the centre of it. We don't just automatically tell enemies where the player is."
Artificial Intelligence awareness also extends to the number of buddies fighting alongside you, who change tactics depending on the weapons they're using and the way you play. They use mounted guns if you're not, help you out if you're under pressure and occasionally offer vocal feedback, from encouragement to warnings if you're about to be blindsided. "Initially one of the problems we had was stopping your buddies from steaming ahead - it's not quite so much fun if you wait a bit, go around the corner and see they've done all the work for you," says Heald.
There's a sense of personality injected into all of these characters as well. "We have a set of sequences that we play when the player dies, so an enemy will sometimes come up to you and brandish his fists, or a buddy will say 'don't give up on me!', that sort of thing just before the game restarts," explains Heald.
"However, the rest of the game continues while that's happening, so we had this Helghast kill our player and had his arms up victorious, then a buddy came up and blew his head off with a shotgun! [laughs] Which didn't help the fact the player had died already, but that sort of stuff happens a lot with a dynamic environment. We're really pleased with the way it's turned out."
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