Killzone is a strong brand in the PlayStation universe. It was a huge system seller when Killzone 2 came out for the PS3. I was expecting the same excitement for Shadow Fall. It’s been argued that Shadow Fall is not really a sequel as it’s not a numbered entry in the series and I get that. However, there is an expectation for this brand, especially if it’s going to be a launch title. This title was one of their arguments for getting a PS4 over the XBone right?

My favorite thing about the Killzone franchise is it’s corridor shooter style. Yes it had areas that were open environments but the core gameplay, to me, was a corridor shooter and I like that. It’s the reason I like F.E.A.R., Wolfenstein and Resistance so much. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed most of Shadow Fall but a lot of my anticipation while playing it was looking forward to the next area to see if it would be more like the Killzone I know and love.

A few areas were similar but overall it was a much different experience. In that way the game left me disappointed. I enjoyed the experience and understand their thinking in developing a “different” kind of Killzone to set off a new console, I just wish it wasn’t such a stark difference. There is something to be said about playing it a little safe for a big new console launch.

I’m being a big vague with my overall dissatisfaction with the game and that is not on purpose, it’s actually because I don’t really know why I didn’t fully enjoy the game. There was just something about it that overall left me feeling “blah” about the experience.

All that aside, I felt it was a fun game overall and enjoyed my time with it the second time I played it. The first run through was just filled with too much “Uh….is this Killzone?” for me to really immerse myself in it I think. So I decided to play it through a second time a few months later and completely enjoyed it. So maybe the game didn’t quite miss the point so much as I missed the point or psyched myself out, but I still blame the game a bit for that.

If you have not played the game yet I would suggest doing so, it’s a good shooter and has dropped in price since launch. I think I saw it new for about $30 the other day. It’s worth that. But if you are expecting more of the same, be ready to be surprised.