GDC 07: Killzone Update

[CrazzyMan]

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/770/770996p1.html March 7, 2007 - As a "special thanks" for the media that attended his pre-GDC conference last night, Sony Computer Entertainment's President of Worldwide Studios, Phil Harrison unveiled the first in-game footage of Killzone ever seen. However, we did see it with a few caveats. "Please remember that we're showing you this footage as an example of our technology," stated Harrison before running the b-roll. "Keep that in mind when looking at it and don't think of it as looking at the game directly." The technology that Phil was referring to is "PlayStation Edge," a new advanced graphics tool that's meant to simplify PS3 development. The package comes complete with RSX performance analyzer and GCMReplay. Following his brief statements, the footage played on multiple HD screens and showed off both ISA and Helghast soldiers blasting the bejesus of each other. The best way to describe how the aftermath looked is that it's "BLACK" for the next generation. There was a high level of destructibility as the bullets flew, and some seemingly-purposeful moments of slowdown (as in bullet-time, not a technical hitch). http://ps3.qj.net/Killzone-2-showcases-PlayStation-Edge-tools-at-GDC/pg/49/aid/85287 This latest video snippet, while not as spot-on detailed or as fluid as E3 2005's Killzone 2 gameplay trailer, still carried stunning visuals to showcase the game's performance as it ran on the PlayStation Edge developer's kit - the tools set that Sony previously announced to be unveiled in the ongoing GDC. PlayStation Edge was previously described as "a set of cutting edge technologies" and "specialized systems that demonstrate best practices of SPU and RSX utilization." The new Killzone 2 video consisted of heavy urban battles among ISA and Helghast troops, which equates to plenty of gunfire, explosions debris, dirt, dust - all meant not to showcase the game, as Phil explained, but to showcase the technology the PlayStation Edge tools would offer to video game developers. Phil Harrison: more Killzone 2 at E3. And the cherry on this sweet deal? The clip ends with an enigmatic "E3" logo below video's closing screen, with Harrison saying "You can expect to see much more in July." There you have it. Game developers who found themselves wowed by the video are being promised such potential via the new Edge tool, which will be handed out to the studios for free. http://kotaku.com/gaming/ps3/gdc07-we-saw-the-real-killzone-last-night-242405.php It seems nobody knows how to listen these days. The demo was for Edge, not Killzone. Edge is new, how they moved Killzone to a new platform so quickly is something developers should be picking up on. They didn't start the game on Edge, but now its there, and the gameplay and engine is nearly complete. From here until E3 is eye-candy time. Stop looking at the pretty and start looking at what makes the game fun, this is EXACTLY what Sony is trying to show you, but everybody is constantly hung up on how 'good' it looks.