You are Lucas Kellan and it is the year 2390, approximately 30 years after the events of Killzone 3.  It’s a new world where the Vektans (the good guys) attempt to live side by side alongside their once sworn enemy; the Helghast.  But seriously how long can these arch enemies live together in peaceful harmony?  When the inevitable kicks off, it’s time to rattle the beehive and finally put an end to the Helghasts long reign of tyranny, but are things as black and white as they first seemed, are the ones you hold close really who they say they are?  It’s up to Lucas Kellan to finally bring peace to the  Vektan people, the civilisation that you have sworn to protect.  But what he might find may raise questions to the allegiance he has dedicated his whole life too.  You are Lucas Kellan and this is Killzone: Shadow Fall.

 

I know all next gen games should look great, but in truth not all of them have blown us away.  I believe there are a few games out there that perhaps would have started development on the last gen console, but then was tweaked to attempt to look the part for the next gen.  Some games are not always that obvious, but most can tell between a game that had started development on the last gen, to a game that has been built from the ground up for the next gen.  Fortunately Killzone: Shadow Fall falls into the later, simply put this game looks absolutely stunning.

 

Before its release, from footage that was shown as far back as E3, I was pretty much sold instantly, but until you actually see this game running first hand, trailers and gameplay footage cannot do this game justice.  There are games that look great such as Dead Rising 3, Forza Motorsport 5, Battlefield 4 to name a few (the picks from a bunch that I have played), but Killzone: Shadow Fall was the first game that made me think “wow, next gen is really here”.

 

 

It’s one of those games that just make you stop playing for that moment and just admire the view at hand, a beautiful sunset, tall skyscrapers, running waterfalls, woodlands, dark dingy facilities all make you ever so thankful of the PS4’s share function.  Having the ability to record your game footage on the spot (as you can also do with the Xbox One) has never had so much purpose, but for me it’s the screenshot option that I have used often than not during my Shadow Fall playthrough.  It’s about having the ability to capture and share those moments that make you go “wow” with the online gaming community.  The textures to all the worldly environments, the gun in your hand, the explosion from a grenade, lighting effects, the facial animation and more, are all created to a currently unprecedented level that we have seen on the home console.  As I have already mentioned, there are some great looking next gen games (and rightly so), but in my humble opinion Killzone: Shadow Fall is the pick of the bunch.

 

The core gameplay of Killzone: Shadow Fall is just about as generic as they come in the FPS genre, which is great as no one really jumps into a game such as this expecting deep immersive gameplay.  Its why I think of the FPS genre is the video game equivalent of the popcorn movie, but that’s not to say that Killzone: Shadow Fall is a case of same old sh!t different game, because that is certainly not so.  If you go into Killzone: Shadow Fall all guns blazing, then you are going to suffer many timely deaths (unless you are super skilled).  Even on the normal difficulty setting, Shadow Fall offers as much of a challenge as the vast majority of FPS games, maybe even more so then Battlefield 3 and 4.  There are times when going gung-ho is the best solution, but it would be wise to scout the area and think about your attack approach as almost every mission offers different variations.

 

For a lot of the missions stealth is often the key and I have been using the melee kill far more than I ever expected.  This is not a knock at all, as I appreciate the change of pace.  Your environments are far less linear then you might expect.  Some of the levels are very close quarters, but the vast majority almost encourage you to take a different approach and use various methods of tactics, which offers extra replay value alone.  The open levels and considering how easy it can be to die, can get  a little daunting, but thankfully you have a very loyal and handy sidekick known as the OWL.

 

 

The OWL is kind of like a far more efficient drone which can act is a UAV, hacking tool, protector and lethal weapon all in one.  The OWL will remain on your side almost throughout the campaign and you almost begin to feel attached to the little fellow.  Controlling the OWL will be done via the DualShock 4 touchpad for the most part by swiping in the desired direction.  Swiping pp will activate fire mode, which will launch an assault on its unfortunate victims, down will drop a vital shield which will allow you to fire at your enemies, but will protect you from returning fire for a short period of time.  Swiping right will fire a zipline which will give you access to certain far to reach areas and evens allows you at times to get the drop on enemies with a surprise aerial attack and left will active a shock which will stun enemies within its vicinity.

 

The OWL will also hack terminals such as alarms to stop the enemy calling for back-up and so long as you have the adrenaline, the OWL will also give you an adrenaline shock which will spring you back to life just when you thought you was down and out.  Another very handy tool that you will be relying on as much as the OWL, is the Tactical Echo.  Holding down right on the D-Pad will scan your area for nearby enemies, security cameras and many other objects of interest.  It will only work for a short period of time, so be sure to make the most of it while you can.  You must also be very careful whilst using the Tactical Echo, because if you hold down the D-Pad for too long it will overload and will alert any nearby enemies to your location.

 

 

For the most part Killzone: Shadow Fall plays as good as any top FPS on the market and its clear to see that Guerilla Games have done overtime to insure that not only does Shadow Fall look great, but its plays great too.  That’s not to say that there aren’t any faults to pick out, because if there had to be one, it would be in regards to then enemy A.I.    If enemies are alerted to your location, so long as you can find a suitable place, you can literally hide around the corner while the Helghast line up one by one as they take it in turn to appear from around the corner to get a shotgun to the face.  While this lack of A.I is a little disappointing, it by no means hampers your enjoyment to what is one of the best next gen launch games available for any of the two consoles.

 

Storytelling in Killzone Shadow Fall is of cinematic quality from the voice talent, to its great soundtrack.  All the voice actors in this game do a great job at portraying their designated characters, but oddly enough it’s the talent of a supporting actor that that comes to mind when I think of the games great cast.  David Harewood  (Homeland) is your commander and chief and he plays Sinclair who is a man that Lucas has looked up to from very young age, acting almost as father figure.  I loosely use the term “supporting actor”, because in truth he plays almost just as an important role as the character you play and much is centred on this charismatic character.

 

 

The official soundtrack is also well portrayed and plays an absolute pivotal role in telling Shadow Falls story.  It complements tension, tranquillity and fear as good as any top movie could do, in fact it almost reminds me much of Ridley Scott’s iconic movie Blade Runner.  It wouldn’t surprise me if this wasn’t a huge influence for the composer Tyler Bates (Guardians of the Galaxy, Sucker Punch, Watchmen, 300) when creating Shadow Falls musical score.

 

First Person Shooter games are traditionally not often packed with replay value in abundance; this is why a decent multiplayer is often a vital key element and the biggest reason to why games such as Call of Duty are always a success.  Despite hearing many great things about the multiplayer of Killzone: Shadow Fall, I’m yet to have a dabble, so it would be very inaccurate of me to comment on it.  Speaking of multiplayer, the kind folks at Guerrilla Games will offer much of the multiplayer maps for Killzone: Shadow Fall for free. How often does that happen with such a big game?  There will be some DLC packs that will cost you and to make them a little less expensive, there is a Killzone: Shadow Fall Season Pass.  You can read up on the details in regards to the free maps and the Season Pass content by clicking here.

 

To keep you more than busy in the singleplayer campaign, you have the various difficulty setting and as I’ve already mentioned the normal difficulty setting offers a sterner challenge then most.  Then throughout the campaign you have various hidden items to seek out such as Helghan news documents, comic books, dossiers and audio logs that often provide extra back story and it makes the most out of the speaker located in the DualShock 4 controller.  Not to mention that you have all those tasty trophies to acquire for all you hunters out there.

 

 

While Killzone Shadow Fall may be lacking in enemy A.I, it still plays as well as any other top FPS game on the market.  In fact it’s very difficult to pick out any other faults, certainly none that’s off putting in anyway.  It plays absolutely smooth, suffers no slow down even when things get really hectic, the OWL is a great companion and will become your loyal friend throughout your playthrough and more noticeably Shadow Fall looks beautiful.

 

This is a game that has truly dawned a new era in the Killzone franchise and a lot of credit must go to the talented team that has made this game what it is from top to bottom.  I am a fan of the FPS genre, but even I can admit many games feel a little same old at times, but Killzone: Shadow Fall has done enough to standout from the crowd.  If you are planning to pick up a PS4 before the release of Infamous: Second Son on March 21^st and are looking for true quality console exclusive titles, then I urge you to pick up Killzone: Shadow Fall to see what all the next gen fuss is all about.

 

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