Few games have ever provoked such polemical reactions upon their revelation as Killzone 2 did in 2005. Jaws hit the floor, and some were certain that the game would propel the PS3 to the top, while others asserted the teaser was merely pre-rendered fabrication. A firestorm raged about the trailer's authenticity, and somehow the fate of Killzone 2 and the PS3 became inexorably linked.
One would think that with Killzone 2's release, the controversy would be over and people could determine for themselves the game's quality. Somehow, the game's availability has made it more of a lightning rod, with Sony supporters on one side feeling vindicated and others denouncing the game as hollow and unoriginal. Whatever Internet debates may remain, one thing is certain: Killzone 2 is already a success.
We once again chatted with Scott Steinberg, VP of Product Marketing at SCEA, to talk about Sony's tent-pole title for early 2009.
Hundreds of thousands of willing ISA recruits
According to the NPD, Killzone 2 was the fifth best selling title overall for the month of February. This made the title the second best selling game on the PS3 during that period. Overall, Killzone 2 ended up selling 323,000 copies during the February period.
"We have exceeded our expectations with Killzone 2 – it shipped on February 27, which means there were only two days reported in the month," said Steinberg. "It also set the record as the most pre-ordered SCEA PS3 title to-date. Our PR metrics to date are also very strong, with a 92 average review score."
While Killzone 2 has gotten a good reception from critics, strong reviews don't automatically lead to strong sales. While the first Killzone saw much more mixed reviews, it did end up selling a couple million copies worldwide. Indications are, however, that Killzone 2 will blow past that mark sooner rather than later.
"Killzone 2 has been the fastest SCEA PS3 title to break the 500,000 unit mark and it's also the highest selling SCEA PS3 title for the first 30 days out of launch," detailed Steinberg. "So far, we are extremely happy with the results."
War never looked so beautiful.
The plot of Killzone 2 continues the conflict between the protagonists of the ISA and the red-goggled Helghast. This time around the heroes are on the offensive, taking the battle to their enemies' home planet of Helghan, giving a dark and foreboding backdrop to the entire game. While the single-player campaign can be finished in under 10 hours, plenty of hidden secrets add incentives to replay the various levels.
"The feedback we've received is that fans are quite happy with how we've extended the Killzone storyline. Of course for those who didn't play Killzone 1 or Killzone: Liberation, Killzone 2's story is very accessible to players that are not familiar with the franchise," commented Steinberg. "We have received some great feedback on the single-player levels and some of the extras do help to provide some variety in the mission structure. Hidden and secret items can be located throughout the single-player campaign and these elements can be used to unlock additional content at Killzone.com and gain items including wallpapers and field journals. This really helps to extend the Killzone experience outside of the [story]."
Reader Comments (2)
You XBot! These are US numbers only. There were 1 million preorders for this game in EU alone before it was released. We all know NA is Microsoft land. Can't expect too many open minded gamers there regarding the PS3.
OMG! A game that took 4 years to build and cost (by some conservative estimates) over 50 million to make (plus ridiculous amounts of marketing) managed to break into the top 5 in it's first month? Shocking! Sorry, but this is flop. Less of a flop than others have been recently, but a flop all the same. On the bright side it does have really amazing GFX.