Category: News

The first reviews for Playstation 4 games are rolling out today and in today’s Review Roundup we are going to take a look at how Killzone: Shadow Fall is performing. It is the biggest launch title for Sony’s new console and the one title that shows off the power of the PS4. Let’s see what other outlets are saying about the franchise’s freshman effort in the next generation.

IGN– 8/10

“I absolutely adored how it often challenged me to go about things in different and unique ways, especially on certain maps where you can go in any direction you please. Early in the campaign, you find yourself on the Helghan side of the wall in a stunningly beautiful forest searching for the crew of a downed Vektan aircraft, but before you do, you can stray to the far side of the woods to take out the security station. If you’re seen, you could use your special robotic friend, OWL, to shut off alarms and stop reinforcements from coming, or you could simply shoot everybody in your way. There’s not only inherent strategy to be employed here; there’s inherent replayability, too.”

Kotaku– NO

“Another thought bubbled as I kept neck-stabbing and shooting through Shadow Fall: if this game wasn’t so astoundingly gorgeous, I’d be bored out of my skull. It’s a cliché that beauty fades and Shadow Fall‘s pulchritude is no exception. Once the wonder faded, it became clear that the game is a collection of missed marks and recycled design.”

Polygon– 5/10

“The game constantly fails to find any sort of trajectory or direction, and it suffers as a result. In Guerrilla’s attempts to depict the horrors of a divided society, they often crush the life out of the game with extended “playable” cutscenes showing awful though pedestrian moments in day-to-day New Helghan. But, ironically, the parts of the game where I was able to wander through and soak up the often stunning environments that make up Killzone: Shadow Fall were the moments of the campaign I enjoyed most.”

Destructoid– 9/10

“I like Killzone: Shadow Fall for its change of direction from previous series games, as well as its change of pace over other first-person shooters. Guerrilla has tried a few new things this time around, and should be commended as such. I welcome the almost sandbox-ish level approach, and the stealth segments did a nice job of breaking up the standard shooting action. It’s really nice when gameplay concepts win out over big set pieces and cinematic events.”

Gamespot– 7/10

“The problem is that none of these activities are particularly interesting. Helghast soldiers roam the larger areas, but they are too few in number, and don’t offer much challenge. There are precious few large-scale shootouts; instead, you typically face a small handful of foes who take your bullets and collapse into a heap of ragdoll limbs without too much trouble. More troublesome is how much time you spend doing relatively little but moving through the game’s admittedly gorgeous spaces.”

Eurogamer– 7/10

“Alongside the technology is the craft. The fidelity of the artwork is eye-watering in places; a narrow alley in a shanty town can be just as breathtaking in its detail as the vertiginous, aerial establishing shot that runs under the credits. What you really notice is the lighting – dear God, the lighting. The PS4 has unthrottled the artists’ access to this art and they have run amok, drenching every corner of the game in luscious sunsets, glistening reflections, glaring lens flare and richly coloured, mote-filled shafts of neon. It’s not subtle, but who cares, it’s gorgeous – and it gives even the game’s smaller-scale locations and more intimate moments a glossy, opulent air.”