Killzone Mercenary Beta - They did it.

[Korten12]

They really did it. Good job on you Guerrilla games. You made a fully working First Person Shooter on the vita and it feels great. It doesn't feel like a toned down Killzone, it feels like the full fledge game.

Not only that it but it looks great. While it does look dated in some areas, in other it actually surpasses Killzone 2. Although to be fair, the particle effects look much better in KZ2 and I was suprised that there appears to be AA as the game is crisp and not blurry.

The FPS is also very stable, sometimes it may drop down to 27 or 28 but most of the time it stays at a nice 30 fps.

The Open Beta only has one map (which is weird since I heard the closed beta had more but maybe they want to work on them) but it's a pretty good map that allows for long ranged gameplay and close quarters. It's kind of sad it's only 4 v 4 but it's rare that it feels empty.

Anyway for those also in the open beta (that for some reason opened tonight instead of tomorrow), what do you think?

Edit: I have a beta key extra. If you want it just be the first person to quote me.

 

[-Seraph-]

Sadly I am not a PS+ user, nor did I get a beta code Gonna have to wait until the 27th for the open beta before I get a chance to play it seems. Been following the games development, and everything shown so far looked good, and has only been reaffirmed by my friends as I enviously listened to them playing it during party chat....

I really do like its approach to unlocking content, with currency being shared between single and multi-player. I fucking hate this unlock bullshit that has infested FPS games, but this is a modest concession allowing me to get the things I want before jumping into MP. I'm hoping the game gets some DLC maps down the line for extended playability and hell who knows, maybe new game modes. The 4v4 doesn't bother me as it's still a handheld game and 4v4 seems fine, especially if the maps are properly tailored to that unit cap.

So yea, looking forward to trying it out. And recently there has been some rumor of a CoD: Ghosts game coming to the Vita as well via a leak on one of gamestops european branches. Most likely not being handled by the previous people who made the las one so there is potential there if it turns out to be true.

Can't wait to see what Sony has in store for their gamescom conference. *crosses fingers for Gravity Rush 2 and new Dissidia game*

 

[J Tyran]

Good, I was gonna try it but I am not that great at FPS on the Vita so it wouldn't be much fun for me. I am glad there is going to finally be a good AAA shooter for the Vita.

How well does the screen swiping for melee and things work?

 

[ToastiestZombie]

Hmm, I have PS+ and I can't seem to find it on the Vita Store. Is there a code or something?

 

[J Tyran]

Hmm, I have PS+ and I can't seem to find it on the Vita Store. Is there a code or something?

Its not on the store, I think you either have to wait for an invite or apply via your PSN account. Check your spam/promotion inbox because you might have been invited already.

 

[Korten12]

Hmm, I have PS+ and I can't seem to find it on the Vita Store. Is there a code or something?

There is early access this week I believe for PS+ and then everyone can download the open beta next week.

 

[Skops]

Happy to hear this, I have been wondering where this title has disappeared to for the last year. Good to know that the time is not going waste. I've always appreciated Guerrilla Games Killzone series, despite the first one being a bit of a snore, the rest of the franchise is consistant in top quality. For some reason, for the exception of Killzone 1&2, their games always seem to fall under the radar. Liberation is probably one of the top 10 games in the PSPs library, at least in my opinion.

I hope Mercenary gets them some much deserved attention. Probaly not though considering how much people overlook Vita titles.

 

[Josiah Benedict]

I'm really enjoying the beta. I've noticed that not everyone catches how to hack or interrogate, which is important in the 5 stage warzone mode that the beta has. I've been impressed with the graphics and responsiveness. The swipe to assassinate is a little awkward, but actually feels pretty good after a few tries. The menu touchscreens and hacking mini game all feel really tactile. I have a hard time getting into a match, but once I'm in a lobby it holds up pretty well, a bit of lag from time to time, but nothing severe. I wish it was easier to get in at the start, but that's my biggest complaint, besides the hacking/interrogation learning curve, which I'm sure would be fixed by playing the campaign.

 

[The White Hunter]

They really did it. Good job on you Guerrilla games.

Guerilla Cambridge you mean. It's not the main studio, but yes they did an excellent job on this one it seems.

Now we just have to wait and see if the other maps are good, the campaign is good and the multiplayer holds up over time and maintains a userbase.

Oh and see if they can fix the shitty connection issues. out of 10 games this evening I only stayed connected for 1. It's not my connection either, I followed all of their crappy advice, I can only assume it's because P2P hates anybody with a good connection.

 

[The White Hunter]

I'm really enjoying the beta. I've noticed that not everyone catches how to hack or interrogate, which is important in the 5 stage warzone mode that the beta has. I've been impressed with the graphics and responsiveness. The swipe to assassinate is a little awkward, but actually feels pretty good after a few tries. The menu touchscreens and hacking mini game all feel really tactile. I have a hard time getting into a match, but once I'm in a lobby it holds up pretty well, a bit of lag from time to time, but nothing severe. I wish it was easier to get in at the start, but that's my biggest complaint, besides the hacking/interrogation learning curve, which I'm sure would be fixed by playing the campaign.

Those things people don't catch on to would be helped if the explanation was present in the digital manual, or anywhere really, but they aren't. Thankfully the internet answered my questions for me.

I'm glad this has come out well though, maybe now Sony will keep good studios on handheld titles!

 

[Korten12]

I'm really enjoying the beta. I've noticed that not everyone catches how to hack or interrogate, which is important in the 5 stage warzone mode that the beta has. I've been impressed with the graphics and responsiveness. The swipe to assassinate is a little awkward, but actually feels pretty good after a few tries. The menu touchscreens and hacking mini game all feel really tactile. I have a hard time getting into a match, but once I'm in a lobby it holds up pretty well, a bit of lag from time to time, but nothing severe. I wish it was easier to get in at the start, but that's my biggest complaint, besides the hacking/interrogation learning curve, which I'm sure would be fixed by playing the campaign.

Those things people don't catch on to would be helped if the explanation was present in the digital manual, or anywhere really, but they aren't. Thankfully the internet answered my questions for me.

I'm glad this has come out well though, maybe now Sony will keep good studios on handheld titles!

Honestly I have found the hacking to be pretty damn easy. At first I was confused but as soon as you figure it out you can do it in seconds. But I will admit, I do hope some people keep having trouble because free kills.

 

[The White Hunter]

I'm really enjoying the beta. I've noticed that not everyone catches how to hack or interrogate, which is important in the 5 stage warzone mode that the beta has. I've been impressed with the graphics and responsiveness. The swipe to assassinate is a little awkward, but actually feels pretty good after a few tries. The menu touchscreens and hacking mini game all feel really tactile. I have a hard time getting into a match, but once I'm in a lobby it holds up pretty well, a bit of lag from time to time, but nothing severe. I wish it was easier to get in at the start, but that's my biggest complaint, besides the hacking/interrogation learning curve, which I'm sure would be fixed by playing the campaign.

Those things people don't catch on to would be helped if the explanation was present in the digital manual, or anywhere really, but they aren't. Thankfully the internet answered my questions for me.

I'm glad this has come out well though, maybe now Sony will keep good studios on handheld titles!

Honestly I have found the hacking to be pretty damn easy. At first I was confused but as soon as you figure it out you can do it in seconds. But I will admit, I do hope some people keep having trouble because free kills.

Yeah it's pretty easy once you figure out the little puzzle. When it first comes up it's not exactly intuitive, I thought you'd drag and drop to complete the shape shown, when really you tap the part then tap the middle. I can now do it in under 2 seconds and be away with my VANguard.

As for interrogation that too could be better explained, shoot the guys body then melee him on the floor. Pesky for a headshot enthusiast like myself but easily managed with a shotgun and some sneaking.

I've really enjoyed my time with it and did manage to get a couple of stable games in last night, but connection issues were persistent and did somewhat dampen my enjoyment. It really is a very fun title, if the rest of the maps are designed as well as these and they hammer out the connectivity issues we have a winner.

I love how the map is designed so you see a glimpse of a player through some debris, or a crack in the wall, right across the map. Makes it quicker to find people and helps keep the gameplay fast paced.

Also thank god there's no fucking infiltrators to backstab me all the time.