Tried this out for maybe an hour tonight and didn't really like it. I'm sure part of it is that I just kept thinking how much better it would be with a keyboard and mouse.

I found the visuals to be really overblown and the constant bloom and lens flares kind of drive me nuts and make it hard to pick out enemies. It's like JJ Abrams was trying to give me Lasik surgery.

Also, pretty annoying that using the spotting radar doesn't highlight enemies that are not behind things, since they're just as hard to see out in the open.

Overall, I had the most fun when I was being stealthy and trying to stab everybody, but that seems like the wrong way to be playing a first-person shooter like this? At the very least it seemed like it would take me forever to actually make any progress.

At least JJ Abrams knows how to keep the lens flares out of the action.

You can definitely run around stabbing people, just realize that you're going to get spotted so don't be afraid to get into a firefight. The game gives some leeway if you get into a fight to kill enemies. It also really helps if you disable alarms since the number and strength of enemies that get called in from alarms are quite overwhelming.

There's a basic cover system in the game. If you crouch behind a chest high wall or some boxes, you'll see your weapon be pulled back. Then, if you aim down sights, you'll rise up from behind cover just enough to shoot over, furthermore, if you look up and down you'll stand up and down enough to see over the object you're covering behind.

It's also so strange to play a console shooter without any kind of aim assist. It takes a some time getting used to for sure.

Tried this out for maybe an hour tonight and didn't really like it. I'm sure part of it is that I just kept thinking how much better it would be with a keyboard and mouse.

I found the visuals to be really overblown and the constant bloom and lens flares kind of drive me nuts and make it hard to pick out enemies. It's like JJ Abrams was trying to give me Lasik surgery.

Also, pretty annoying that using the spotting radar doesn't highlight enemies that are not behind things, since they're just as hard to see out in the open.

Overall, I had the most fun when I was being stealthy and trying to stab everybody, but that seems like the wrong way to be playing a first-person shooter like this? At the very least it seemed like it would take me forever to actually make any progress.

Agree lots of lens effects and that it's hard to see enemies. I was expecting them to stay marked even when not obscured by some object.

I hadn't read a word of preview coverage for Shadow Fall, so I was expecting it to be another linear set piece linear shooter just like the last two. The first level is actually built more like the old N64 game Goldeneye, dropping you on the edge of a fairly open map with an objective and leaving you to find your own way around. At one point, it even gives you two waypoints on opposite sides of the map and lets you tackle them in whichever order you like.

They've also done a good job of making you feel like a covert agent rather than a front-line soldier. Killzone has never been about playing as a bullet sponge, but the character in Shadow Fall feels particularly outmatched in straight-up fire fights. He's very good at silent takedowns however, and he's got a robot buddy who can act as a turret, a emergency shield, or zipline tether for making your way around. It gives the game a much different flavor -- one of observing guard movements, knifing stragglers, and setting up ambushes to even the odds.

One thing I really like about KZSF is that a lot of the mechanics give you leeway to do crazier stuff, whereas prior Killzones you kind of sat behind cover all the time and fired at the shooting gallery.

Now, you have the drone which you can use preemptively to cause chaos with its various attacks, defensively to shoot from behind its shield. But the best thing is that if you really want to just go crazy and dive into a firefight, if you have the drone ready and an adrenaline pack, you can revive yourself after being killed, and the drone still helps clear out guys around your body before reviving.

I still perma-die in a lot of places where I'm not prepared, but I think all the changes to Shadow Fall make a far better game than its predecessors, even if it still suffers from that Killzone jank.

Story and proper pacing for that story is iffy. GG really can't write worth crap and the way they implemented the characters and animation is a waste of those actors they hired.

Several times I found myself hitting the crouch button cause I thought well that I was crouching...but glad to see I'm not alone in having that sense of being lower than normal to the ground.

Ditto.

They need a UI crouch (not crotch) indicator. The cover system in general needs better feedback. The weapon moving into a different position is the only way to tell. During The Patriot level I was constantly running around in crouch (or not in crouch when I wanted to be) because of the height + lack of crouch indicator.

Early game tip: The Owl's shield mode can make fights in the forest much easier when you're caught out in the open. I didn't figure this out until later in the game. You can just stand behind the blue shield and fire away.

I think I must be playing this game entirely wrong, but I'm not sure why or how. I've tried playing that forest level probably a dozen times and every single time it feels like once I'm spotted I might as well just give up and die so I can restart back at the last checkpoint. Until I got to the point where it saved my checkpoint in the middle of a firefight so I just had to start the whole thing over again.

I think I must be playing this game entirely wrong, but I'm not sure why or how. I've tried playing that forest level probably a dozen times and every single time it feels like once I'm spotted I might as well just give up and die so I can restart back at the last checkpoint. Until I got to the point where it saved my checkpoint in the middle of a firefight so I just had to start the whole thing over again.

If they trigger an alarm you have to tell OWL to turn it off. If you don't let them trigger the alarms at all then it becomes much easier.

On a side note I beat the game this morning. Graphically the 2nd to last level is amazing, easily the best looking FPS I've ever played.

The story is a bit of a mess though, it almost seems like they cut parts of the story out, my guess is they had more levels with more storyline, but they got cut to make the launch date.

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" And they are a strong and frightening force, impervious to, and immunized against, the feeble lance of mere reason." Isaac Asimov

I think I must be playing this game entirely wrong, but I'm not sure why or how. I've tried playing that forest level probably a dozen times and every single time it feels like once I'm spotted I might as well just give up and die so I can restart back at the last checkpoint. Until I got to the point where it saved my checkpoint in the middle of a firefight so I just had to start the whole thing over again.

That's exactly how I was feeling at that point. I had to change my approach. Some of these may help:- This is mostly a stealth level where overt direct action will trigger alarms with endless waves of bad guys, or attract the attention of multiple snipers- Use the Owl to disable security terminals- Don't play like Halo or other run and gun shooters. This was hard for me since I just finished Halo 4- Use the shield ability on your Owl if you get in a tough spot- Crouching next to things can sometimes put you in cover- Use the right d pad ability that highlights bad guys through terrain and walls...often- Try and avoid the interlocking sniper towers when moving to the 2 different objectives, you don't have to engage them- On the far "right side" of the map facing the direction where you start the level (the landing pad bunker and big statue are the opposite direction) is the place to make your way up to one of the objectives. Right near the water. You can avoid a lot of the bad guys by going around stuff and heading to this spot. You can even sprint to it if you need to.

The good news is that I haven't encountered another level like that...so far.

I think the main problem with that level was that enemies seemed to spot you very easily. It felt a lot like a Far Cry 1/Crysis 1 kind of level, but wasn't as forgiving with letting you get in position. I find that often when I use the sonar guys pop up from places where it seems I should have spotted them.

Make sure to pick up some of the other guns to use, by the way. I love the sounds.

Yeah, I'm playing the level completely like a stealth level, which is why it feels so incongruous when I get spotted and then surrounded by enemies (half of whom I can't see because of the overblown lighting).

I creep along behind rocks, I use the spotting mechanic constantly, I try to stab everybody, but it seems like inevitably I reach some point where there is some guard I can't take out stealthily, or somebody spots me through a bush, or trying to stab somebody uses the butt of my gun instead, or some other dumb thing and then it all goes to shit.

And when I send my Owl to disable the alarms before taking out all the guards he always gets spotted which just starts a firefight and invalidates the whole point of taking out the alarm.

I really like the stealth part, I just hate the punishing inconsistency.

Is there a good list off all the guns for the classes and their plus/minuses? I need to figure out what I want to take on my turret building support. Think I'm using the Strova which is kind of an LMG.

Yeah, I'm playing the level completely like a stealth level, which is why it feels so incongruous when I get spotted and then surrounded by enemies (half of whom I can't see because of the overblown lighting).

I creep along behind rocks, I use the spotting mechanic constantly, I try to stab everybody, but it seems like inevitably I reach some point where there is some guard I can't take out stealthily, or somebody spots me through a bush, or trying to stab somebody uses the butt of my gun instead, or some other dumb thing and then it all goes to shit.

And when I send my Owl to disable the alarms before taking out all the guards he always gets spotted which just starts a firefight and invalidates the whole point of taking out the alarm.

I really like the stealth part, I just hate the punishing inconsistency.

The good news is that most of the rest of the game features indoor or dark levels, so the overblown lighting really isn't much of an issue after that initial level. BUT there are some really hard parts in this game, even on normal difficulty. The last two levels in particular can be challenging.

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" And they are a strong and frightening force, impervious to, and immunized against, the feeble lance of mere reason." Isaac Asimov

One pointer I can give is to use the alt fire mode on the main machine gun. It turns it into a long range shotgun with a scope. I used that on the outdoor levels from long range and had no problems at all. The tower guys can be taken out one at a time with that thing. Hit down on the D-pad to enter alt fire mode.

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" And they are a strong and frightening force, impervious to, and immunized against, the feeble lance of mere reason." Isaac Asimov

One pointer I can give is to use the alt fire mode on the main machine gun. It turns it into a long range shotgun with a scope. I used that on the outdoor levels from long range and had no problems at all. The tower guys can be taken out one at a time with that thing. Hit down on the D-pad to enter alt fire mode.

is that the one you have to charge? I liked it, but with the long time to charge and the fact it chews up ammo, I really wish they had made it stealthy. yeah, it's a rail gun (based on the fact you have to charge it) but it would at least make the lone ranger a lot more survivable. or give you a suppressor for the SMG at a cost of fire rate or damage.

I got through the first forest level just fine but missed on the prompts when the first patrol came looking into their observation tower. I did stealth stabby mode at the hill-top encampment though. fun and very easy with the scanner. just remember not to ping them with it.

Don't be afraid to constantly send out the drone in attack mode. In fact, once you send it out in attack mode, you can keep having it move around by hitting the deploy button until it's damaged enough to be recalled.

When you're in an alarm situation, just having it stall one angle of attack can be incredibly important.