E3 2013: Killzone: Shadow Fall Hands-On Preview

I was able to watch an extended presentation of Killzone: Shadow Fall on the first day of E3 (check it out here, or check out our recap of E3 Day 1 here,) but I wasn't able to put my own hands on the game until today. This game is more open than any other Killzone title before it, and actually reminded me a lot of the Crysis titles when I got down to it. 

I played the same demo that I watched, utilizing an energy-based sniper rifle, a knife, and my handy O.W.L bot to take out several camps of Helghast soldiers and free a group of POWs trapped beneath a fallen cave entrance. I was able to get a greater idea of how to control the O.W.L by actually putting my hands on the controller. As it turns out, he can be controlled directly by using the PlayStation 4's new touchpad. Swiping up will put the floating bot into attack mode, at which point aiming at an enemy and hitting L2 will sick the O.W.L on them. Swiping down initiates a shield, essential when facing large numbers of enemy forces. Swiping to the left initiates a stun attack, while swiping right brings up the zipline. All of these powers are just a tap of L2 away.

Surprisingly enough, stealth is actually a viable option in the bigger, more sandbox levels that Shadow Fall presents players with. Players cannot cloak like they can in the Crysis games, making sneaking a more high-risk proposition. Like in Far Cry 3, if you are spotted, an enemy will make a beeline for an alarm station. If the enemy is allowed to activate the alarm, enemy dropships will soar in from above and drop off a few waves of reinforcements. I found this out the hard way after botching an attempt at stealth. This was where the shield really came in handy; enemies attacked the O.W.L while I made a quick retreat. Sorry buddy!

The O.W.L can be killed by enemies, at which point it will automatically fly away to seek repairs. This will leave you without its many powers for a few minutes.

Shooting using the PS4's new control sticks felt great, and Shadow Fall still has that sense of weight and momentum that made the shooting feel so great in the last few games. It's more akin to Killzone 3 than 2; the aiming itself is peppy and quick even though the animations for turning and firing convey a solid sense of weight.

I'll have more on Shadow Fall as Autumn approaches, so stay tuned!


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