Home Gaming Killzone 2 delayed, no in-game XMB mentioned?

Killzone 2 delayed, no in-game XMB mentioned?

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So these are the two biggest stories coming out of the EU PlayStation day.

The much anticipated in-game XMB was not mentioned at all even though Sony knows it is a highly anticipated feature. Honestly I feel this one thing is the biggest reason why Xbox Live is still the superior online service and is not currently being challenged by PSN. I don’t expect Microsoft to even contemplate dropping the price of Xbox Live until Sony manage to get close to it’s integration ability.

The other big thing is that Killzone 2 has been delayed, again and again and again. Now it is planned for an early 2009 release which makes us think that it just isn’t good enough to compete with it’s poor (money) neighbour Resistance 2 or Gears 2 from the Xbox 360. The delay has only been announced for Europe but I expect it to roll over to the rest of the planet in the next week or two.

Maybe Sony should go and ask for their money back as it looks like Killzone 2 is going to be as disappointing as Killzone 1.

In better news a new PS3 exclusive, Mirror’s Edge, was shown and it looks very nice indeed, LBP has only been delayed by an extra month, Motorstorm 2 was previewed, an awesome (EU only) GT comp was announced and a new Buzz was demonstrated…

To be honest I am disappointed, I wanted in-game XMB and some big news, unless I have misread the official press release or the GameSpot coverage there was nothing big.

The press day ended off with everyone being told that this is only the tip of the iceberg but I lost faith in veiled promises from Sony a while ago. Show me what the community is demanding. in-game XMB, Home and LBP…

Killzone 2, LittleBigPlanet delayed at EU PlayStation Day – PlayStation 3 News at GameSpot

Last Updated: May 7, 2008

32 Comments

  1. JimBob

    May 7, 2008 at 07:49

    There was never any official release date confirmed for Killzone 2. If Micorosoft announces at E3 that Alan Wake will only come out in 2009, (which will happen) will that mean the game was ‘delayed’?

    Sony has already said that in-game XMB will come out during summer – if there is nothing more to add, then why would they talk about it at this press conference?

    Still, I was hoping for more news. They’ve got so many games like Heavy Rain and Infamous that we’ve heard nothing about for years.

    Mirror’s Edge isn’t an exclusive, BTW.

    Reply

  2. LazySAGamer

    May 7, 2008 at 08:31

    I thought Sony had pulled out a big one with Mirror’s Edge…. oh well…

    And I don’t buy your story on there is nothing else to add to in-game XMB… it is the most requested feature. At least mention it…

    ANd Killzone 2 was apparently dated
    http://www.lazygamer.co.za/ps3/killzone-2-lbp-and-resistance-2-dated/

    Reply

  3. Evilredzombie

    May 7, 2008 at 09:55

    I dont care much for kill zone, however no date on XMB makes me want to create my own killzone! 👿

    Evilredzombie’s last blog post..Win awesome Gamer Gear and a copy of Lost Odyssey

    Reply

  4. doobiwan

    May 7, 2008 at 10:03

    Technically yes AW would be, as Kim Shane is quotes as saying it’s 2008. Just to be pedantic 😉

    The in game XMB thing intrigues me technically. If developers have up to now been allocated “full resources” on the PS3, adding in game XMB now, surely takes away from that and could impact the performance of games not designed with that in mind, ie, anything released up till now? I suspect that’s the hurdle, I’m sure they’ll get around it.

    Reply

  5. PaasHaas

    May 7, 2008 at 10:08

    I think that was a perfectly positive event.
    The news that WAS released was pretty good but that was sadly only mentioned in 1 sentence in the article… people will never be happy I guess

    Reply

  6. LazySAGamer

    May 7, 2008 at 10:38

    I am not sure which news you found to be pretty good to be honest?

    Motorstorm 2 was announced and shown but we know this is going to be good.

    LBP was delayed, Home wasn’t announced and Resistance 2 was dated previously.

    A comp for the EU guys only doesn’t affect us and Buzz is a party game that the Wii has cornered. I really think it was a disappointing press event and am more than happy for you to point out some really good things from it.

    Reply

  7. CHase

    May 7, 2008 at 10:40

    The big news was more PS3’s have been sold in Europe than Xbox 360’s with a 16 month handicap 🙂

    Reply

  8. kabraal

    May 7, 2008 at 10:50

    Well yeah, not that much news but a lot has been going on behind the scenes I assume. Like the demo of R2 released to some lucky press group. Nothing mentioned about if that happened or not. Hopefully Sony is holding some things up their sleeves. Remember that next week (friday?) is the US PS3 day. I doubt whether they’ll let out the juicy details just yet. Lets wait and see…

    Reply

  9. Fox1

    May 7, 2008 at 11:06

    Sony’s big news was that the PS3 overtook the 360 in sales in Europe. They never provide any bar chart to prove this though. 😯

    Maybe killzone ran out of cash because they wasted a lot of money on CG movie houses touching up their videos 🙄

    Reply

  10. LazySAGamer

    May 7, 2008 at 11:17

    I remember posting about that a while back… please hold….

    Finally
    http://www.lazygamer.co.za/xbox-360/ps3-breaks-12-million-5-months-ahead-of-360/

    Reply

  11. kabraal

    May 7, 2008 at 11:31

    As for the in game XMB, it kind of falls into the same category as the BD profile 2.0 update and the DTS-HD update. Both these features, and in specific the DTS update where in high demand with thousands of petitions, requests and flames on AV forums. All you ever heard was rumors that these updates might be coming “some time in 2008”. There really was never anything concrete from Sony and no real pre releases press info or dates. Then, all of a sudden, in a space of a week, both were added with 2 firmware updates. I do believe that they are probably having some technical difficulty with it the in game XMB. But the rumors are there and I do believe Sony already assured us that they are working on it. At the end of the day, don’t expect a Hollywood style press conference with George Clooney, Brad Pitt and 12 half naked ladies when they announce it. Expect the quite dull “PS3 Firmware Update Available” when you switch on your PS3 on a boring Sunday late afternoon…

    Reply

  12. PaasHaas

    May 7, 2008 at 11:45

    New resistance info was interisting, explaining how the 60 player online will function and theres vidoes out of it being played.

    You may not care but I liked the Motorstorm info even tho we “Know its going to be good” same as they not mentioning ingame xmb even tho we know its coming…

    Stunning looking new killzone footage including gameplay (and afaik it has NOT been delayed multiple times)

    Mirrors Edge was pretty hot new info

    LBP delayed 1 month… ye thats a big negative it does however “confirm” that it is coming and relatively on track.

    Home was just recently delayed even further why would they want to talk about that?

    Other news are also nice even tho it does not directly relate to us

    Not exactly mindblowing news but nothing that needs to looked at with the amount of negativity of this article imho

    Reply

  13. LazySAGamer

    May 7, 2008 at 12:25

    I honestly thought the Killzone 2 gameplay video’s were terrible, but I didn’t want to be branded a fanboy again. It was also meant to be a launch title and we are now how long into the lifespan of the PS3? So don’t tell me it hasn’t been delayed.

    In your defensive posting you pointed out nothing nice apart from new Resistance Info and Motorstorm. We have reported in Mirrors Edge already in another posting.

    I really think this was a disappointing showing from Sony. Maybe I expected to much?

    Reply

  14. kabraal

    May 7, 2008 at 12:33

    Learn to use google and VGChartz 😕

    Anyway, I’ll go into fanboy mode now. You can bookmark this thread for future reference. By this time next year, the PS3 will outsell the xbox in all areas. It will be the lead game design platform. It will produce superior games. And you will have a PS3…

    Goodday

    Reply

  15. PaasHaas

    May 7, 2008 at 13:10

    Well I dunno, afaik Killzone never claimed to be a launch title (maybe it just happend to long ago) even tho they did show it way to early imho.

    Even tho you did a seperate Mirrors edge article you cant simply disregard it and claim “nothing good” came from the event in this article.

    I think sony has learned not give info out too early unless they want people in a uproar because they dont “deliver” like this article.
    Cant really blame them.

    Im not sure what you or other people are expecting, not sure if sony claimed there was going to be huge announcements but it was pretty much what I expected, Some news on a few upcoming games ( good or bad ) new trailers/footage/impressions from media and few extra bits of stuff.

    Reply

  16. JimBob

    May 7, 2008 at 13:46

    The rumour is that they will be using hard drive caching to get around memory issues for in-game XMB.

    Reply

  17. JimBob

    May 7, 2008 at 13:50

    KZ2 has only ever been tenatively dated, not given a firm, written-in-blood release date.

    I’m not surprised by this news, though. I didn’t think it was very unlikely that they’d want to put SOCOM, KZ2 and Resistance 2 out so close to each other, especially when there will also be big third-party FPS games for Christmas.

    Reply

  18. SlippyMadFrog

    May 7, 2008 at 13:51

    Please note that VGChartz are ESTIMATIONS 😕

    “It will produce superior games”
    still waiting after everybody told me to wait for 2008

    “you will have a PS3”
    Thats maybe true but because of the exclusives, not because of the supposedly “superior” games 😕

    Reply

  19. SlippyMadFrog

    May 7, 2008 at 13:54

    Don’t believe everything Sony promises you…

    Reply

  20. Ruslan

    May 7, 2008 at 14:01

    Wow… somehow folks still believe in what Sony says. Who cares how consoles are sold? Its the attachment rate that brings money to the console makers. Tsk tsk.

    Reply

  21. Jinja

    May 7, 2008 at 14:20

    Killzone 2 footage is Beautiful…

    I apologise for anything I have ever said against KZ 2.

    Jinja’s last blog post..How Not To Pick Up Women

    Reply

  22. kabraal

    May 7, 2008 at 14:25

    Eh Slippy, wasn’t that the point of my post. I suggest you read it again. I never said to believe “anything Sony tells you.” I said they haven’t promised anything wrt in game xmb (except that they are looking into it), nor will they. If it happens, then it will happen without any big pre annoucement or press conferences. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. Just like they never promised anything wrt the other two “popular” updates? They DTS update was a pretty significant update for the audiophiles. But they made no promises and no real big fuss about it’s release. It just happend and imo, if in game xmb will come it’ll come without Sony inviting to whole world for cheese and wine celebrations.

    Reply

  23. Fox1

    May 7, 2008 at 14:52

    I will never buy a PS3 as long as its so expensive. I can get equally good games on a console that costs R1999 😆

    And Vgchartz is not the most accurate site. Anyway, SA falls under Europe and the 360 is way more common here ➡ I’m a fanboy too 😎

    Reply

  24. SlippyMadFrog

    May 7, 2008 at 15:25

    No, the point of your post was saying that Sony will not make a big announcement when the implement in game XMB. I responded to: “But the rumors are there and I do believe Sony already assured us that they are working on it”

    Anywho, I do believe there are much more gamers waiting for in game XMB than audiophiles. Did you catch the latest sales figures for blu-ray disks? At least the rumor that everyone is using the PS3 as a blu-ray player is put to rest.

    Reply

  25. doobiwan

    May 7, 2008 at 15:33

    What’s interesting with the European and “other” stats on VG Charts, (http://www.vgchartz.com/ehweekly.php) is that it’s an English thing. If you look at the per region stats, the 360 typically edges out or ties with the PS3 in the English regions (US, UK, AU) and gets nailed in the latin countries. I suspect it’s as much an anti-US thing as it is anti Microsoft specifically.

    What’s more interesting to me is looking at ‘Other’ specifically, it encompasses a lot of developing regions like India, China, Korea, the Middle east and dear old us. I’m thinking they’re specifically the price sensitive markets.

    Reply

  26. kabraal

    May 7, 2008 at 16:40

    “Working or in” or “It’ll be released on the 11 Apr 2008 in firmware 2.4” is two totally different things. Anyhow, read it as you like.

    Reply

  27. kabraal

    May 7, 2008 at 16:41

    hmmm, meant “working on it”

    Reply

  28. kabraal

    May 7, 2008 at 16:42

    Damnit don’t quote VG charts! It’s only “estimations” and we may not use it! 🙄

    Reply

  29. doobiwan

    May 7, 2008 at 17:29

    lol 😉

    true, they’re still really colourful and pretty and stuff!

    On killzone, so far videogamer and gamespot both have previews up which say pretty much what I expected:”Pretty, grey but just plain meh”.

    Reply

  30. kabraal

    May 7, 2008 at 17:51

    That was some tong in cheek. I quoted VG earlier and got dismissed for doing it but I believe it’s a valid source to quote. Best we have atm…

    I’ve said it on other forums as well. I have much higher expectations for the like’s of Resistance 2, especially when comparing the history of insomniac vs guerrilla. I (as a PS3 owner) just don’t get the whole killzone thing. If it wasn’t for that fake E3 ’05 video, everyone would have long since forgotten about it. I suppose there are still people around with fainted hopes that it might deliver, but I doubt it. There are better games with better potential for both PS3 and 360 on the horizon.

    Reply

  31. doobiwan

    May 8, 2008 at 00:03

    I totally agree. I suspect it’s because guerrilla is being wholly funded by Sony to the tune of $40 million to deliver a tech demo, as was the case with KZ1. Insomniac on the other hand build games for the love of playing them.

    I think Kaz is going to rue his words again after his “shooters platform” comment today.

    Reply

  32. JimBob

    May 8, 2008 at 09:31

    To be honest, I’ve never really been hyped about this game but this footage has changed my mind a bit:

    http://www.jeux-france.com/news26836_images-et-video-killzone-2.html

    The animations are amazing, the effects are great and it looks like there’s a lot going on. AI seems much improved.

    Still, FPS games stand and fall on co-op and multi-player these days, and they have yet to show off any of that stuff. You get the odd really special single-player campaign like CoD4, but really that’s not where it’s at.

    Reply

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