Killzone 3 Message Board

The first one was infamously dubbed a Halo-killer. The second gave the PlayStation faithful something impressive to hang on to when pickings were slim in the FPS genre. And Killzone 3 remains one of the only games that truly delivered on the promise of 3D gaming, layering its graphics so that it looked like you playing through a sci-fi diorama of death. They’ve been shiny exemplars of what PlayStation systems can accomplish but Guerilla Games’ sci-fi shoot-em-ups have left me cold. I’m hoping that Killzone: Shadow Fall will be different. The Killzone games always seem like they’ve been engineered to explicitly impress the shit out of you, with no reason to exist other than to look shiny and render explosions in ever higher detail. Ostensibly, you were supposed to be in awe of the Helghast, the implacable enemy faction out to dominate the galaxy. But, for me, that never happened. WARNING: Spoilers for Killzone 3 follow. The Helghan grunts and commanders alike were full of bland bluster. And I never rushed to chat about a Killzone set-piece with friends when I played those games. Moreover, after I finished Killzone 3—with its ending that blows up an entire planet—I found a surprising lack of chatter about such an apocalyptic event. Did anybody care that they just blew up a planet? Killzone: Shadow Fall might be the game that makes me give a damn about the malevolent culture at the heart of the FPS series. Killzone’s main problem has been that the series’ bad guys have been far more interesting than its good guys. Can you even name the soldiers who you controlled in those games without looking it up? Probably not. They were empty wire-meshes thrown against creepy, glowy-eyed enemies. It was those enemies who were the series’ only intriguing element. In the franchise’s three titles, the Helghast were essentially presented as an extraterrestrial Nazi/Stalinist mash-up. Marketing images—as well as unlockables inside the games—channeled mid-20th Century Soviet propaganda art and you could see the similarities to a swastika on the Helghan flag. And the Old Country macho affectations of the Helghan ruling class certainly made it feel like they were in a futuristic version of the Politburo. But for all the wannabe provocation—ooh, get angry, why don’t you?!—in the Helghan DNA, it never made me feel anything. Sure, the visuals and performance pushed the PS2 and PS3 to their limits but that’s all technical flash not emotional reaction. The same kind of flash showed up when Killzone: Shadow Fall showed up at this February’s PlayStation Meeting. (The video above is from E# last week and features a more in-depth breakdown of Shadow Fall.) Guerilla’s devs were trotted out to show off a demo that highlighted the PS4’s glorious processing power. But in the middle of all the carnage, there was the hint of an interesting idea that could separate Shadow Fall from its predecessors: You might be actually have some sympathy for the bad guys this time. Back in February, Guerilla managing director Hermann Hulst sketched out the framing narrative for Shadow Fall. Taking place thirty years after KZ3, the PS4 game puts Helghast survivors as refugees on Vekta, a planet they were formerly at war with. Helghans and Vektans have been living in an uneasy truce in giant areas where they’re walled off from each other. (Yes, it’s just like the Berlin Wall and, yes, it’s more real-world war symbolism.) Hulst said that planet Vekta’s embroiled in a cold war that’s about to go hot. It’s that cold war set-up that might get me more engaged with Shadow Fall when compared to other KZ games. There’s room for some really interesting storytelling dynamics here. Shadow Fall could give a look at what’s it like when the galaxy’s bogeyman needs to survive off the good graces of the people he/they once terrorized. And I’m seriously hoping that this game shows what it’s like to go from aggressor to oppressed. The games in this series have operated on a very black-and-white morality scale, with clear motives for fulfilling various military directives. Save your fellow prisoners-of-war and that sort of thing. However, Shadow Fall’s spot in the Killzone continuity gives it a chance to something different. Here’s what Hulst said to me back in February: The home planet of the Helghast is pretty much destroyed. It was decided to give shelter to the Helghast on Vekta. And whilst that was great initially, the Helghan are turning back to their old doctrines. They’re all based on militarism, duty, obedience. Where there was a good peace initially, it’s now an uneasy peace. Maybe I’m naïve to hope that Shadow Fall will show a more nuanced view of human nature. What could make the Helghast turn against the world that took them in, other than the reasoning that they’re the bad guys? For a series that imprints so heavily off chilling real-world events and power shifts, it’d be great if the societies in this newest game were scripted like the winning and losing sides of the world-changing conflicts throughout history. That would be a truly next-gen development.

Earlier this week, Guerilla Games released a report on the studio's PlayStation 4 reveal demonstration, which had people playing a real-time demo of the new Killzone game. It's mostly super-technical, but there's still enough interesting stuff in there for regular folk to get something out of. Stuff like: While the demo ran at "only" 30fps, it was also running at 1080p. Most current-gen shooters have been lucky to be running at 720p.Guerilla is working with Sony on its own form of anti-aliasing, code-named TMAA. I'm guessing that stands for "Too Much Anti-Aliasing".The game is putting all that GDDR5 RAM to good use. 3GB is there JUST for the visuals. Perhaps of most use for casual observers, though, are the comparisons between the 3D models used in Killzone 3 and those in the PS4 game. In Killzone 3, the average character model had around 10,000 polygons. That number has jumped out to 40,000 on the PS4, resulting in much more detailed people. The same goes for environments; as you can see below, piles of rubble have a lot more...rubble in them. As impressive as this may be in terms of raw numbers, though, I can't help but feel it also highlights the inherent dangers - and risks - in the upcoming generation of games. Sure, 40,000 vs 10,000 sounds like a big improvement, but when you look at those comparison shots (which are admittedly slightly misleading, since the KZ3 character is being shown inside the PS4 game's engine), does it matter that much to justify all-new hardware? You can read the entire report below. Like I've said, it's very technical - it's aimed at helping other PS4 developers - but if you're into this stuff, check it out. Killzone: Shadow Fall Report [Guerilla Games]

#watchthis I've seen quite a few fan films in my time, but this one blows most out of the water. It's not surprising to learn that it took the team two years to make this 14-minute beast. More »

Everyone's favorite yellow-eyed flunkies are returning to the PlayStation 3, albeit this time in a re-release of their greatest hits. Yes, Killzone's 1-3 - which aren't places, but games - are getting boxed and bundled for the PlayStation 3 as "Killzone Trilogy," arriving this October. The first of the three games is even getting an HD makeover for its re-release, and all the multiplayer content for the latter two games is included in the package.

The whole shebang will run $39.99/€49.99/£40.84 when it arrives on October 23 in the US and October 24 in Europe. Head past the break for all the specifics on those bonus maps.

Today marks the release of Killzone 3's multiplayer as a free, standalone product. To celebrate this occasion and mark the game's first anniversary, Sony will turn up the juice this weekend with a double XP event.

Dubbed Killzone 3 Multiplayer, the free standalone product features the Guerrilla Warfare, Warzone and Operations game modes, including all launch and DLC maps from Killzone 3 proper. Players are free to partake until they attain Sergeant I rank. To continue past then, you'll have to pony up $15.

Double XP kicks off on Friday at 8am PT and lasts until 2am PT on Monday. Those playing the free version of Killzone 3 multiplayer will not earn double XP this weekend.

To celebrate Killzone 3’s first anniversary, we’re releasing a standalone version of the game’s online component on PlayStation Store today. Dubbed “Killzone 3 Multiplayer,” it includes the Guerrilla Warfare, Warzone, and Operations game modes, as well as the original Killzone 3 maps and all Killzone 3 DLC maps. Best of all, it’s free to try – you can play any of the maps and modes until you reach the rank of Sergeant I.

If you want to keep playing, attain higher ranks, and earn any of Killzone 3 Multiplayer’s four exclusive new Trophies, you can unlock the full version for only $15. Doing so will net you a 24-hour double XP bonus, three free unlock points, the ability to set up clans and custom games, and access to the Botzone mode to help hone your combat skills.

For those who already own Killzone 3 (or decide to purchase the full version of Killzone 3 Multiplayer), we have another anniversary treat: this weekend will be Double XP Weekend! Starting on Friday, March 2 at 8:00am Pacific time, and lasting until Monday, March 5 at 2:00am Pacific time, all XP earned in online Killzone 3 matches will be doubled. The trial version of Killzone 3 Multiplayer is excluded from the Double XP Weekend, of course – we wouldn’t want you to hit that Sergeant I rank too quickly!

And as a reminder, if you enjoy playing this trial multiplayer demo and also want to experience the game’s exciting single-player campaign, you can always purchase the full version of Killzone 3 on Blu-ray at retailers.

#killzone3 This week, Sony announced a new experiment in free-to-play gaming coming to the Playstation Network, in their most recent Blogcast podcast. More »

Next week, you'll be able to get into Killzone 3's multiplayer without having to deal with all the cruft of the rest of the game. As revealed on the latest PlayStation Blogcast podcast, a standalone Killzone 3 multiplayer download will be available on PSN.

The mode will be a free download this Tuesday -- with a level cap. When you hit the cap, if you want to continue leveling up, you'll be able to pay $14.99 for the "full" multiplayer experience. By then, you'll know whether you want to continue playing, without having to pay a cent for the education.

Sony has revealed that Killzone 3's multiplayer will be offered as a free standalone download on PlayStation Network...

Guerrilla Games co-founder Arjan Brussee is leaving the Killzone to explore the Dead Space of Visceral Games. In an email obtained by Control-Online, the studio founder tells staff it's been "a great ride" and he hopes to find new personal challenges at Electronic Arts in San Francisco.

Brussee had been the development director at the studio since its founding in 2004, overseeing production of Shellshock Nam '67 and the entire Killzone series, including Killzone: Liberation for PSP. Guerrilla will live on, as it's currently developing a new Killzone and a new IP.

Brussee's LinkedIn has yet to be updated, and we've reached out to Guerrilla for confirmation.

#fineart It's funny, considering Killzone 2 was so bleak, Killzone 3 remains one of, if not the best-looking game on the PS3, an explosion of vibrant colours and, amazingly given the franchise, style. More »

The latest issue of Edge Magazine (via CVG) reveals that Killzone developer Guerrilla Games is working on -- what else? -- a new installment in its PS3-exclusive shooter franchise. Actually, "what else" may not be a fair question to posit: The studio is still working on the new IP announced at GDC Europe last August, which is being spearheaded by Killzone game director Mathijs de Jonge.

The identity of the new franchise isn't known, though studio founder Adrian Smith explained that members of the Killzone team will be lending their support throughout the game's development. We think the appearance of red-eyed antagonists is a lock.

We’re now two weeks into the release of UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception and you’re all part of the Fortune Hunters’ Club now, right? If so, awesome because we have a gift this week for you! If you’re not, you can still sign up and it’s a terrific deal at $24.99. As a member you’ll be getting a total savings of 45% off the seven multiplayer packs (three character skin packs, four map packs) that will be released for UNCHARTED 3. This membership includes all currently available and upcoming DLC packs for UNCHARTED 3 as well as an exclusive Fortune Hunters’ Club theme that will let you know when new UNCHARTED 3 DLC hits right from the XMB of your PS3.

Today the PlayStation Store will be loaded with a new DLC pack for your multiplayer adventures with Drake and crew. Load your AK47, grab your Para 9, equip your favorite boosters and kickbacks and get ready to take the fight to the Helghast. Killzone 3 skins are coming for UNCHARTED 3 and suddenly your buddy who liked to play multiplayer as Elena all the time might not look so friendly anymore.

This week’s pack grants you exclusive Killzone 3 skins for your in-game avatar. You’ll get the Capture Trooper multiplayer character skin:

ISA helmet for your customizable character:

and the Helghast Helmet for your customizable character:

This pack is new bonus content on top of the three character skins packs you’ve already received if you’re a member of the Fortune Hunters’ Club. And as a member of the Fortune Hunters’ Club, you’ll be getting this Killzone 3 content for free. That’s right, nada. If you’re not, well, you’ll have to pony up $1.49 for these exclusive in-game Killzone 3 items.

After the Helghast invasion, what’s next? Start planning new multiplayer strategies as we are working on a collection of maps entitled “Flashback Map Pack #1” We’ll have more information for you soon, but we wanted to give you an early look at our next UNCHARTED 3 DLC project. So, if you’re a Fortune Hunters’ Club member, this will be your first map pack. Here’s a sneak peek of what some of those maps will look like…can you name the maps?

We’ll have full details about all the coming DLC content being released right here on the PlayStation.Blog very soon. This week it’s time to get your Helghast on, Fortune Hunters. See you online!

A couple of days ago, our very own Anthony Gallegos posted his impressions of the From the Ashes DLC map pack released this past Tuesday for Killzone 3. The DLC totes four new maps, and will run gamers $4.99...

Earlier this week we released the third DLC pack for Killzone 3, “From The Ashes,” as well as a DLC bundle containing all three DLC packs. Of course there’s only one way to celebrate this momentous occasion — organize a Triple XP Weekend!

You read that right – from Friday, June 24 at 9:00AM Pacific Time, until Monday, June 27 at 9:00AM, all XP earned in Killzone 3’s multiplayer matches will be tripled. So whether you’re exploring new DLC maps or just re-acquainting yourself with the stock maps, you’ll rank up faster than ever!

#fineart The Killzone series may be mired in darkness and a convoluted storyline, but one thing that always keeps me coming back to the games is their industrial design. More »

Virgin Gaming wants to give you up to $10,000! There's a catch, though ... if you want to rescue that loot from Sir Richard Branson's cavernous coffers, you first have to prove your dominance in the field of Killzone 3.

Qualifying rounds for the "Killzone 3 Edge Challenge" open June 27 for the team-based tournament, with $10K up for grabs by the winning team at the end of the six-week event. In addition, weekly stat-based weekly challenges will be posted on Virgin Gaming's site, with their cash prizes. The first challenge: get the most kills!

All told, Virgin is giving away $40,000 in this tournament, which is a promotional partnership between Virgin Gaming, Sony, and, nonsensically enough, Edge shave gel. Do you even shoot one uncovered face in Killzone 3? How do you know how close a Helghast's shave is?

Killzone 3 has always been a single-player series for me, but for countless others it's all about multiplayer. Guerilla knows how to cater to those players, introducing new maps quite regularly. The latest DLC, titled "From the Ashes," includes four new maps and is well worth $4.99 if you're looking for fresh arenas to battle in...

Hey guys, we know you’ve been waiting for full details on the massive Get Your EDGE $40,000 KZ3 Challenge taking place on VirginGaming.com. Well, we can finally share those details with you today. Here’s what the battlefield will look like…

The qualifying round of this 3v3 tournament opens up next Monday, June 27th and will run for six weeks. The top 32 teams at the end of the Qualifying Round will move on to the elimination phase where the last team standing will take home a whopping $10,000 in cold hard cash. And that’s just for starters, as the top 20 teams will also get a nice payday once the dust settles. But wait, there’s more!

In addition to the main team-based leaderboard, you can also score some extra cash in a series of individual stat-based weekly challenges. Here’s how it works: Each week, check VirginGaming.com/kz3 to find out what the EDGE Shave Gel Weekly Challenge is. During your qualifying matches, you’ll want to keep the weekly challenge in mind and try to not only win the match, but rank at the top of the EDGE Shave Gel Weekly Challenge leaderboard. We’re keeping it simple for the first week: The player with the most kills at the end of week one is going to end up $800 richer.

So, there you have it – a total of $40,000 is on the line, including chances to earn some bonus cash with the weekly challenges. We know you’re itching to get in on this action, so head on over to VirginGaming.com/kz3 to register for a free Virgin Gaming account. You’ll also find full tournament details, rules, and other great content including Virgin Gaming’s first Skill Building video for the Get Your EDGE KZ3 $40,000 Challenge, brought to you by EDGE Shave Gel.

Stay sharp!

The PlayStation Store has been updated, and that means Killzone 3's "From the Ashes" map pack is ready for you to download. For $4.99, you get four multiplayer maps -- two of which are classic arenas -- but only saps pay for stuff, right? Below, you'll find flythrough videos for each map, and throughout the day, we'll be posting 10 one-time use codes that you can use to download the map pack for free. Once someone redeems one, they're gone...

Recently we posted preview videos of ‘From The Ashes’, the third DLC map pack for Killzone 3. Consisting of two new maps and two re-imagined Killzone 2 ‘retro’ maps, “From The Ashes” will hit the PlayStation Store later today for just $4.99.

If you’re still on the fence about ‘From The Ashes’, check out our ass-kicking video montage that shows all four maps in glorious action.

But that’s not all! Newcomers to Killzone 3 will be interested to learn that we’re also releasing a DLC Bundle Pack including the Retro Pack, the Steel Rain Pack and the From The Ashes Pack – eight maps total – for just $9.99. There’s never been a better time to join Killzone 3’s online multiplayer arena, so grab a map pack and jump in!

Last week we posted preview videos of the first two maps from “From The Ashes”, the third DLC pack for Killzone 3. Today we’re offering preview videos of the other two maps included with the pack: Tharsis Depot and Radec Academy. If these names sound familiar, it’s because they’re re-imagined and revamped versions of the beloved Killzone 2 maps.

The first preview video features Tharsis Depot, a Guerrilla Warfare map for 16 players based on the Killzone 2 classic. After incurring damage during the ISA invasion of Helghan, the depot has been converted to process nuclear Petrusite. The Helghast made extensive use of jetpacks to facilitate the reconstruction process, but the harsh conditions resulting from the damage still made it a grueling endeavor. The ISA have locked their sights on Tharsis Depot now that it’s back in full-scale production, and this time they intend to finish the job they started.

To give you a sense of what’s changed, this video shows comparisons of the original and the new version:

The second video shows the new version of Radec Academy, a Warzone map for 24 players. Devastated by the ongoing struggle between ISA and Helghast forces, the once-proud Radec Academy is now a ruinous shell of its former self. Although the soul of the Academy remains intact, the compound has suffered greatly, with strewn rubble and emplaced StA-3 miniguns serving as grim reminders of the fierce battles fought in the area. As the ISA forces once again push into the Academy compound, attempting to scavenge a downed MAWLR, the Helghast troops hastily fortify their defenses within its perimeter.

And this video shows comparisons of the original and the new Radec Academy:

DLC Pack 3 “From The Ashes” contains four maps and will be available from the PlayStation Store on Tuesday, June 21st for $4.99. Newcomers to Killzone 3 will be interested to learn that we’re also releasing a DLC Bundle Pack including the Retro Pack, the Steel Rain Pack and the From The Ashes Pack for just $9.99. Stay tuned to Killzone.com [LINK] and the official PlayStation.Blog, because we’ll have a montage trailer for From the Ashes Pack for you soon!

Sony and Guerrilla Games have revealed a bit of the content included in Killzone 3's upcoming "From the Ashes" DLC, a four-map pack which will arrive on the PSN this coming Tuesday for $4.99. The pack is divided into two Warzone maps, including the deadly, deactivated Lente Missile Base; and two Guerrilla Warfare battlegrounds, such as the Mobile Factory, a gargantuan vehicle pulled from the game's single-player campaign. Check out videos of these two maps after the jump.

If you haven't grabbed any of the shooter's post-launch DLC, you can also grab the new maps in the aptly named Bundle Pack, which also includes the four maps from the Steel Rain and Retro Packs for a cool $9.99. Just try to comprehend that value: For a ten-spot, you get eight extra Killzones for your Killzone 3.

Today we’re offering a first look at two new maps from the upcoming DLC map pack for Killzone 3, “From The Ashes.” Consisting of two Guerrilla Warfare maps and two Warzone maps, From The Ashes will reinvigorate your Killzone 3 online experience with environments both fresh and familiar.

First up is a preview video of Lente Missile Base, a Warzone map for 24 players set inside an abandoned missile base at the edge of the Kaznan Jungle. One of many outdated defense facilities abandoned after the discovery of nuclear Petrusite, Lente Base is slowly being reclaimed by Helghan’s strange plant life. But when warring ISA and Helghast forces stumble across the remains of the facility, they find that most of its systems are still operational. As both factions vie for control of the base, the facility begins firing its missiles – frying anyone caught in the underground exhaust vents…

The second preview video features Mobile Factory, a Guerrilla Warfare map for 16 players set aboard one of the largest vehicles from the single player campaign. Part resource production facility, part moving fortress, the Mobile Factory is a strategic asset that both factions desperately want to seize control of. Combatants need to watch their step, however, as a single mistake can cause them to plummet into the heavy duty scrap metal shredders at the bottom of the facility. Those looking to do some shredding of their own will be able to wield one of two portable miniguns found in the Mobile Factory.

DLC Pack 3 “From The Ashes” will be available from the PlayStation Store on Tuesday, June 21st for $4.99. But that’s not all! Those of you new to Killzone 3 will be interested to learn that we’re simultaneously releasing the DLC Bundle Pack. As the name implies, this pack bundles the Retro Pack, the Steel Rain Pack AND the From The Ashes Pack – a total of eight maps – for the low, low price of just $9.99. Stay tuned to Killzone.com and the official PlayStation.Blog, because we’ll be posting preview videos of the other two maps in From the Ashes Pack soon.

If last week's video game industry festivities filled you with an unquenchable thirst to buy more video games, you should turn your unhealthy impulses towards Amazon. For a limited time, the retailer's offering buy one, get one-half off on a beefy list of 186 titles across various platforms.

In part one of our look at the origins of the PlayStation Move sharp shooter, we saw how the peripheral began life as a side project at Guerrilla. In the second part, we learn how the Guerrilla team received valuable help from their friends at Zipper Interactive.

Guerrilla’s proposal for a Move-based peripheral was sent to SCE Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida and the Sony Product Design group, who circulated it among other studios for input. The proposal met with very enthusiastic reactions. “When we saw the foam-board-and-duct-tape mockup, we were like ‘Cool, let’s make that!’” Sony Product Design Manager Ennin Huang recalls.

It wasn’t long before Guerrilla was contacted by developers from other shooters like SOCOM 4, Time Crisis: Razing Storm and Dead Space: Extraction. Zipper Interactive Game Director Seth Luisi, who’d already been looking into a PlayStation Move-based control scheme for SOCOM 4, took a particular interest in the project. “Seth strongly felt that a gun peripheral could bring an additional level of immersion and realism to the table,” Guerrilla Game Director Mathijs de Jonge says. “Like Killzone 3, SOCOM 4 was still in its early stages, so the timing made sense for him as well.”

With each iteration, the design evolved away from the StA-11.

The Zipper team suggested several highly useful additions to the gun peripheral design. “For instance, they wanted players to be able to reload without taking their hands off the navigation controller,” Mathijs explains. “This could be solved by adding pump-action mechanism to the fore grip. Also, they noted that many tactical shooters, including SOCOM 4, featured weapons with multiple modes of fire, which would require the inclusion of a fire selector switch.”

With basic shape and functionality hammered out, the gun peripheral entered the prototyping phase. “Every six weeks, a new plastic gun peripheral would arrive from China for us and the team at Zipper to comment on,” Guerrilla Lead Concept Designer (and resident weapons expert) Roy Postma says. “And with each iteration, you could see the design come into its own more. The style of the weapon became more neutral, less Killzone-specific.”

Enhancements included a more ergonomic angle for the fore grip, an adjustable and collapsible stock instead of the foldable one, and overall weight reductions to facilitate prolonged play. “Sadly, some features fell by the wayside during this process,” Roy says. “We originally wanted to have an ammo counter display above the stock, but it just proved too costly.”

The color of the weapon changed too, evolving from the gunmetal grays of the original design, to a jet black version, to the more neutral grays of the final product. “From a legal and marketing perspective we had to impose some constraints,” Ennin says. “The black version looked menacing, but would have violated most countries’ gun laws.” Even the first grey prototypes proved difficult to get through customs, as Mathijs found after a demonstration at a conference.

Meanwhile, the teams at Guerrilla and Zipper experimented with Move control systems for their respective games, figuring out sensible settings for dead zone, aim assistance and controller sensitivity. “Initially we wanted to map a lot of in-game actions to player gestures as well,” Mathijs says, “but that turned out to interfere with player aim too much. So we restricted it to short, simple movements like thrusting the gun peripheral to perform a melee.”

The final production prototype in all its glory.

The gun peripheral went into full production in the run-up to Killzone 3’s launch. Early hands-on reports of the device – now dubbed the PlayStation Move sharp shooter – were almost unanimously positive, with many reporters expressing pleasant surprise at how solid and natural the peripheral felt during play.

“In terms of control methods, nothing feels more natural than the sheer simplicity of ‘Point, Aim, Shoot’”, Ennin says. Mathijs concurs: “The peripheral made Killzone 3 immediately accessible to people who had never played a Killzone title before. Some reporters even stated that they preferred to play Killzone 3 with the sharp shooter instead of the DualShock 3, because they felt more immersed. That was a huge compliment for us.”
But it wasn’t until the week before Killzone 3’s release that Mathijs realized his other goal for the sharp shooter had also been achieved. “I was watching the PlayStation commercial for Killzone 3 and the sharp shooter and I suddenly realized, you know what – Kevin Butler looks absolutely badass holding that thing! That’s when I knew we’d fully achieved what we set out to do.”

The sharp shooter is available now as a standalone accessory and as part of the SOCOM 4 Full Deployment Edition.

In part one of our look at the origins of the PlayStation Move sharp shooter, we saw how the peripheral began life as a side project at Guerrilla. In the second part, we learn how the Guerrilla team received valuable help from their friends at Zipper Interactive.

Guerrilla’s proposal for a Move-based peripheral was sent to SCE Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida and the Sony Product Design group, who circulated it among other studios for input. The proposal met with very enthusiastic reactions. “When we saw the foam-board-and-duct-tape mockup, we were like ‘Cool, let’s make that!’” Sony Product Design Manager Ennin Huang recalls.

It wasn’t long before Guerrilla was contacted by developers from other shooters like SOCOM 4, Time Crisis: Razing Storm and Dead Space: Extraction. Zipper Interactive Game Director Seth Luisi, who’d already been looking into a PlayStation Move-based control scheme for SOCOM 4, took a particular interest in the project. “Seth strongly felt that a gun peripheral could bring an additional level of immersion and realism to the table,” Guerrilla Game Director Mathijs de Jonge says. “Like Killzone 3, SOCOM 4 was still in its early stages, so the timing made sense for him as well.”

With each iteration, the design evolved away from the StA-11.

The Zipper team suggested several highly useful additions to the gun peripheral design. “For instance, they wanted players to be able to reload without taking their hands off the navigation controller,” Mathijs explains. “This could be solved by adding pump-action mechanism to the fore grip. Also, they noted that many tactical shooters, including SOCOM 4, featured weapons with multiple modes of fire, which would require the inclusion of a fire selector switch.”

With basic shape and functionality hammered out, the gun peripheral entered the prototyping phase. “Every six weeks, a new plastic gun peripheral would arrive from China for us and the team at Zipper to comment on,” Guerrilla Lead Concept Designer (and resident weapons expert) Roy Postma says. “And with each iteration, you could see the design come into its own more. The style of the weapon became more neutral, less Killzone-specific.”

Enhancements included a more ergonomic angle for the fore grip, an adjustable and collapsible stock instead of the foldable one, and overall weight reductions to facilitate prolonged play. “Sadly, some features fell by the wayside during this process,” Roy says. “We originally wanted to have an ammo counter display above the stock, but it just proved too costly.”

The color of the weapon changed too, evolving from the gunmetal grays of the original design, to a jet black version, to the more neutral grays of the final product. “From a legal and marketing perspective we had to impose some constraints,” Ennin says. “The black version looked menacing, but would have violated most countries’ gun laws.” Even the first grey prototypes proved difficult to get through customs, as Mathijs found after a demonstration at a conference.

Meanwhile, the teams at Guerrilla and Zipper experimented with Move control systems for their respective games, figuring out sensible settings for dead zone, aim assistance and controller sensitivity. “Initially we wanted to map a lot of in-game actions to player gestures as well,” Mathijs says, “but that turned out to interfere with player aim too much. So we restricted it to short, simple movements like thrusting the gun peripheral to perform a melee.”

The final production prototype in all its glory.

The gun peripheral went into full production in the run-up to Killzone 3’s launch. Early hands-on reports of the device – now dubbed the PlayStation Move sharp shooter – were almost unanimously positive, with many reporters expressing pleasant surprise at how solid and natural the peripheral felt during play.

“In terms of control methods, nothing feels more natural than the sheer simplicity of ‘Point, Aim, Shoot’”, Ennin says. Mathijs concurs: “The peripheral made Killzone 3 immediately accessible to people who had never played a Killzone title before. Some reporters even stated that they preferred to play Killzone 3 with the sharp shooter instead of the DualShock 3, because they felt more immersed. That was a huge compliment for us.”
But it wasn’t until the week before Killzone 3’s release that Mathijs realized his other goal for the sharp shooter had also been achieved. “I was watching the PlayStation commercial for Killzone 3 and the sharp shooter and I suddenly realized, you know what – Kevin Butler looks absolutely badass holding that thing! That’s when I knew we’d fully achieved what we set out to do.”

The sharp shooter is available now as a standalone accessory and as part of the SOCOM 4 Full Deployment Edition.

By now you’ve probably read a thing or two about the PlayStation Move sharp shooter – like the fact that it has a digital trigger, a pump-action grip, and an authentic form factor. But did you know that it originally started life as a side project for Killzone 3’s game director? In this two-part article, we look at the origins of the sharp shooter and the people behind it.

It all began with a Helghast soldier using a PlayStation Move controller.

“We were at a game convention where the PlayStation Move was being demonstrated,” Guerrilla Games Director Mathijs de Jonge recalls. “We had several Helghast performers walking the show floor, and one of them decided to have a go at the PlayStation Move demo booth.”

For Mathijs, the image of a big, intimidating Helghast soldier waving about an innocuous game peripheral just felt off. “I could scarcely imagine him playing a game like Killzone that way,” Mathijs says. “He looked like he should be holding something resembling a weapon – something with a little oomph to it. A peripheral that not only played well, but looked cool at the same time.”

The event got Mathijs thinking about an add-on for the PlayStation Move. “We’d toyed with the idea of designing a Killzone-themed gun peripheral before,” Mathijs says, “but with the introduction of the PlayStation Move, that idea suddenly seemed a lot more feasible. The timing was right as well, because development on Killzone 3 was still in its early stages.”

Early mockups consisted of kitbashed gun peripherals from other platforms.

Mathijs voiced his idea at a Director’s Panel, where Sony Product Design Manager Ennin Huang was also in attendance. Having worked with the SOCOM team on the first Bluetooth headset for PlayStation 3, Ennin was heavily involved with the development of PlayStation peripherals. “After the panel, Ennin approached us and said he very much liked the idea of a solid, realistic-looking Move add-on,” Mathijs says. “He advised us to put together an official proposal and submit it to the Product Design team.”

For his proposal, Mathijs enlisted the help of Guerrilla Lead Concept Designer (and resident weapons expert) Roy Postma. “Mathijs wanted to design a gun peripheral that could represent the majority of firearms in Killzone 3,” Roy says. “We chose the Helghast StA-11 SMG as our starting point: like most weapons in the game it requires two hands to operate, but at the same time it’s quite compact.”

The first mockup housed the navigation controller in the rear grip.

Using foam board, duct tape and pieces of gun peripherals from several different platforms, Mathijs and Roy then constructed a mockup roughly approximating the StA-11’s size and shape. The mockup housed the navigation controller in the rear grip and the Move controller in the barrel, while a trigger mechanism in the fore grip connected to the Move’s T-button. This setup, however, proved impractical.

“When you play Killzone 3 on a DualShock 3 controller, you move around with your left thumb and fire with your right index finger,” Roy explains. “Our first mockup had it the other way around, making the setup somewhat awkward for right-handed people. So I went back to the drawing board to design a clip/fore grip that could house the navigation controller. I also moved the firing trigger back to the rear grip, where it normally resides on an StA-11.”

Guerrilla CEO Hermen Hulst tries out the revised mockup.

Instead of relying on a complicated (and possibly error-prone) physical pass-through mechanism to bridge the distance to the Move’s T-button, the trigger could simply be wired up to the Move’s extension connector digitally. This solution allowed Roy to add additional buttons to the body of the peripheral, saving players from having to reach for the Move controller in the barrel whenever they wanted to reload or swap weapons.

In the meantime, Mathijs worked on the proposal document, outlining the type of user experience he had in mind for the gun peripheral. “I wanted players to experience a sense of joy as soon as they picked up the peripheral,” Mathijs says. “It not only had to look cool and authentic, I also wanted it to feel like a weapon. It had to enhance the overall experience of playing a shooter on the PlayStation 3.”

Check back next week for the second part of sharp shooter Origins, in which the Guerrilla team gets help from their friends at Zipper Interactive!

After giving PSN proper resuscitation last Sunday, Sony has detailed plenty of measures to win back the loyalty of potentially lost players. This weekend, Killzone 3 players get something more than the sheer pleasure of being able to play a video game online again: double experience until Monday, May 23 at 3AM EST.

Cryptically, the post concludes there is "even more" to be announced "at a later date." By "even more" we imagine Sony means "even more freebies" and by "at a later date" we imagine -- well, actually, that last one's pretty cut and dry now, isn't it?

Now that Killzone 3 players can get online and kill each other once again, Guerrilla Games and Sony gives them incentive to do so in the form of a double XP weekend running now through 10AM UK time Monday morning. More »