Why Didn't Killzone 3 Sell Better? (Gamerlive.tv)

In its latest editorial, Gamerlive.tv ponders why Killzone 3 didn't sell as well as many expected. There are many factors to consider...

[fr0sty]

Because it's a space marine FPS released into a market flooded with space marine FPS's, which had a story that was generic at best, acting that was generic at best, and gameplay that was repetitive just like the last one. Don't get me wrong, KZ3 has points where it shines, such as multiplayer, but other than that it's just another run of the mill space marine shooter. When it's going up against the likes of Gears and Halo, it just didn't bring enough to the table to compete. I was curious why they bothered making it honestly, I got so bored with the repetition of shooting wave after wave of faceless red-eyed enemy clones in KZ2 that I never even bothered to finish it. Got to the last boss and just lost interest. The story didn't entertain me enough to even care to know what happens when you killed him.

GG made a pretty graphics engine... if they put half as much effort into the story and gameplay, they would have had a AAA blockbuster on their hands (much like Crytek's games). In their defense, few games get the feel of shooting a gun as correct as the killzone games do. The gunplay and graphics are top notch, while the rest lags behind. And the cheesy voice acting that seems like 12 year old wrote it, forced foul language and all, just killed it for me. Not to mention Rico's annoying ass.

[Warprincess116]

Um... it not 2007 anymore. I don't know where you see a market of marine FPS's. Everything is modern now. KZ3 was a good game. It was really fun and the graphics were amazing. Multiplayer was way better than KZ2. Overall the game was just perfect. So stop trolling.

[longcat]

I'm not paying $60 for an fps anymore...too many of them quite frankly, and i get bored of multiplayer quickly

[fr0sty]

Gears of War and Halo 3/ODST/Reach/4 dominate the space marine market... My point is that KZ didn't bring enough to the table to really compete against these games (not saying they're in direct competition being that they're console exclusives, but that is the standard that the killzone games will be measured against anyway).

And since when does expressing a valid opinion = trolling? Go back to your corner and cry you butthurt fanboy. I'm one of Sony's strongest supporters, but I'm not so blinded by brand loyalty that I don't call a game for it's weaknesses just because it's on my system of choice.

[TheDivine]

It was a fun game, co-op was decent but it was 5 hrs long, needed either 4 player co-op or a full 2 screens not little blocks, needed online co-op, slitscreen multiplayer exc. It was pretty and fun but really lacking in content not to mention it was buggy and unfinished. Truth is most ps3 owners bought black ops instead.

[killerhog]

killzone 3 lacked compared to killzone 2. the damage is a bit inconsistent, the servers are a bit unstable (at least this past week it was), the online felt downgraded (there was way more guerrilla could of done), and lets not forget the absence of custom games, then the inclusion of a useless custom game.

see warprince this is why people are starting to hate fanboys, regardless of their console choice. Im a ps3 fan (but i do respect other consoles), and im also a killzone fan, but when you write shit like that i cant help but wanna strangle you.

stop trying to trick yourself into believing things are fine and perfect because you are a fan. cause if thats the case then you arent helping the game and only keeping it broken. true fans admit and state flaws

P.S is still doesnt get old when you call other people a troll

[thugbob]

Killzone 2 is better than Killzone 3 that is why. Killzone 3 is not perfect at all warprincess. Killzone 3 is average and a disappointment because it tried to copy Call of Duty like Cryrsis did. Killzone 3 was not unique. Killzone 2 remains the best PS3 exclusive shooter. Killzone 4 might take that title some day, but Killzone 3 is definitely part of the failure list of First Person Shooters of the crowed 2011 year.

[bloodybutcher]

kz3 is an ok game,im not saying i didnt enjoy playing it.but both sp and especially mp are better in kz2.only thing i really like on kz3 is Operations mode.but even here GG screwed up,i mean 3 maps?

[darksied]

I'd like to disagree with you on that. Killzone 3 was NOT a perfect game. I didn't play the single player much (played a few levels, got bored, and left it) so that be better, but the multiplayer was, to put it kindly, dated. The graphics were the only area where the game excelled.

I kept hearing all this talk about how Killzone 3 was so much superior to Killzone 2 and all that; that the beta fixed and changed so many things for the better, that this game was going to be THE shooter to play. One of the problems, though, is that the game felt like it was 5 years old when it came out. Everything was unbalanced, broken, and buggy. Anyone who played it early, you should know what I'm talking about. Then inexcusable errors, like the DLC map rotation one ... ugh. I don't like Activision one bit, but Black Ops for ps3 was far superior in my opinion, and I don't even like that game that much. Only NOW after all the patches, did they fix some of those issues and it's playable to a better extent.

That's just my opinion though. I don't know why it didn't sell better; probably because the market is flooded with shooters and people know they're going to buy the next Call of Duty, so they're saving their money.

[JBaby343]

I gotta agree with killerhog and thugbob. I thought Killzone 2 was much more enjoyable. The only thing I didn't like in KZ2 was Rico's mouth. Otherwise I thought the level design was better, the dark and gritty look was better, and I liked the MP better as well. Killzone 3 actually disappointed me because they tried to make it too much like COD and Crysis. They lost the Helghan edge in the atmospherics and lights. I even liked Killzone 2 more in the 2007 trailer that all the jealous haters referred to as "grayzone" and "blackzone" than I did the release version. That was ominous and Helghan-like. Killzone 3 for all its technical capabilities fell short in many other areas.

[SilentNegotiator]

Is it "Pretend Killzone 3 Sold Poorly Day"?

1.6 million is SOOOOO horrible.
.....glad I could be a part of the festivities.

[Washington-Capitals]

I thought fanboys didnt care about sales, so why do you have to defend killzone? LOL

Reason it didnt sell well? Its a niche game, doesn't appeal to everyone like a call of duty or battlefield. Only certain players will enjoy kz3 controls/gameplay/mp etc.

[rexbolt]

since when are u allowed to speak on this site? ur the troll miss i have one buuble and still aint banned yet kinda weird lol and he means future /sifi just stop coomenting on here

[Gawdl3y]

Killzone 2 was a superior game to Killzone 3 when it comes to multiplayer. So much was stripped out and dumbed down in Killzone 3, that it feels like KZ2 and KZ3 should have their numbers swapped.

I was REALLY looking forward to KZ3. Then they kept saying that they were going to make the game more accessible, which worried me. The game finally came out, and there were no public custom ranked matches, a stupid spawn grenade replacement, terrible spawn camping, unbalanced guns, laggy games, way-too-low player health, and just overall noob-friendliness. Needless to say, I was disappointed after I played for a while.

Don't get me wrong, the multiplayer is still fun, and great for a few hours every once in a while, but it didn't last me nearly as long as KZ2 did, and doesn't compare to what KZ2 accomplished.

When it comes to campaign mode, though, KZ3 was a huge improvement, IMO. There was much more variety than there was in KZ2's campaign, and they vastly improved your teammate's AI, while still keeping the enemy AI clever and challenging.

[kza]

NOOB KZ2 is MUCH better than KZ3. They changed KZ3 controls because of people like u!!

[afterMoth]

KZ2 is a much better game. KZ3 had 1 and repeat 1 amazing level with the snow and the ocean and jet pack. The rest was boring and generic feeling and the level designes weren't close to the greatness of KZ2.

[RedDead]

Beta turned me off it, gameplay changed for the worse.

[zero_gamer]

Why is the game perfect? Oh wait, it is a SONY PlayStation 3 game of course! Everything SONY does is so revolutionary and perfect. Saying otherwise is just pure trolling.

[gamingdroid]

I was thinking of getting the super uber edition of KZ3, since it is on sale... but changed my mine. Saved me $50-60 guys.

I will do a rental one of these days instead or pick it up when it hits the bargain bin....

[Gray-Fox-Type0]

Graphics are amazing, but graphics alone don't sell a game. But I agree the whole generic feel of the game doesn't do the graphics justice. Talking about the story and characters and voice acting.

[ShoryukenII]

Stahl, Orlock and Visari have great voice actors. Radec in Killzone 2 was great to listen to as well. If Killzone 4 wants to replicate Killzone 2's success. They should make it not suck and let us play as Helghast with a separate online co-op campaign and a lot more Operations. Guerilla Warfare must be removed.

[WANNAGETHIGH]

I know this article is flawed as u cant compare the 2year life time sales of killzone 2 to 6months of killzone 3 but im gonna admit kz3 sucked...I prefere killzone2 over 3....In kz3 the guns just feel light and the gun sounds r not as good as kz2..KZ2 graphics r kinda of better in some areas,The jungle level in kz3 is just saturated with colours and sometimes online u cant c a player....And the online is a campers paradise...U get a marksman thats invinsible with a automatic pistol and even when he kills or shoot he stays invisible and dose not show on ur radar.....I can easily get 30kills and 5 deaths doing that which i have tried b4 and it worked.

[Peaceful_Jelly]

Poor reputation and marketing. That's my take.

Reputation killed Sega and in the same way it killed Killzone since the beginning. I played Killzone 2 and 3 and based on what I have played and the things I have read on the other similar article I just can believe some of the atrocities some people are saying. Killzone has crap graphics, Killzone is generic, Killzone has crap gameplay?

- I don't know what game those guys played but Killzone graphics are absolutely magnificent. I even dare to say that there's no better looking game on consoles right now. Rage is the only game that has a good chance of surpassing it.

http://www.lensoftruth.com/...

http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

- Killzone has a really unique art-style and setting. And how can I prove that this is not an opinion but a fact? Just by looking any Killzone screen-shot you can tell right away what game it is even when you haven't even played it yet. Unlike something like Crysis 2 where you remove the nano-suite and you would think you're playing a COD game or something.

http://images.eurogamer.net...

With 3D on and off, almost no difference in aliasing : http://images.eurogamer.net...

- Gameplay is the only point debatable here. While some think that KZ2 weighty feel make the gameplay unique others think that the lag ruins it. Then we have some people saying KZ3 was an improvement while other doesn't like the COD feel. But Killzone 3 is not a bad game by any means. I really don't know how people can say that it sucks and this is coming from someone that doesn't even like FPS games.

[Ju]

I actually agree with you but clicked the wrong button...

[otherZinc]

1. Killzone is average.
2. Killzone is very scripted.
3. Killzone enemy AI is average.
4. Killzone campaign co-op online, where is it?
5. Killzone vehicle control is scripted.
6. Killzone is nothing special at all.

Don't say its advertising or anything, people hype this game through the roof. Killzone started as a Halo killer & killed nothing.

Killzone has had 3 iterations to generate interest & didn't succeed at retail. There are no excuses, Killzone is a very average series, period.

[KonaBro]

Killzone is one of the best FPS series in the last few generations. The only reason it doesn't do so well is because it has to compete with casual juggernaut Call of Duty. The "Halo Killer" moniker was never started by Guerrilla Games, it was the media so get your facts straight. Halo never made a difference because it was on the 360 and Xbox but put CoD in the equation and even Microsoft has to pay Activision money and attention over their treasured Halo franchise. Stop trolling.

[JBaby343]

otherzinc you're argument failed right at "Killzone enemy AI is average." I know you must not have even played this game. While #'s 1 & 6 are complete opinions and KZ3 has #4, everyone pretty much agrees that KZ 2 & 3 have some of the best AI ever in a shooting game.

Problem is it is more of a niche game and not a noob-friendly shoot-em-up like COD and Halo series. It's not to say that those games are somehow garbage they are just different and their style appeals more to the masses.

[M-A-R-S-H-A-L-L]

You can also say that about the Call of Duty series but pick on Killzone 3 why don't you.

[likedamaster]

@JBaby343

"...otherzinc you're argument failed right at "Killzone enemy AI is average." "

If you compare it to other games' AI like, for example Fear 3, KZ3 falls really short.

[Biggest]

You named one game. Go ahead and compare it to other FPS games. Killzone 2 and 3 have superior AI.

[JMyers]

Are you nuts? Do you even know of the Killzone Universe and history? The story is by far better than "the biggest selling shooter of all time" (yes COD).

KZ is not style and looks over substance, its both. The story is concrete, and the online is varied and yet unique. Secondly, with all the shooters out there KZ offers an experience unmatched by others.

KZ3 was a weaker game yes. Made simplier by people who couldn't handle the controls, it was CODderised by people like you, who seem content with broken gameplay and no innovation. KZ2 and KZ3 are different games. That online makes its a step up from most shooters. GG are not scared of trying new ideas, and bring in new fans. The only thing wrong with KZ 2 was Rico. This was fixed in 3, some thought the game was too different, while others thought it was a breath of fresh air.

Anyways, go autoaim and run on flat levels and pay for expensive maps, medicore gameplay, unbalanced online, and an overall broken rehash. I'll stick to Killzone. A game thast not afraid to try new things, and looks great while doing it.

I guess sales means a good quality experience...?

[Doletskaya]

You mean its backstory, not the story in the campaign. I played through both KZ2 and KZ3 campaigns, and I must admit that both stories especially KZ3 are extremely generic and uninteresting. Not to mention that the main characters in KZ3 are just some of the most boring in the FPSs that have over 80 on metacritic.

And multiplayer is far superior on KZ2 than on KZ3. GG wasted too much time and resources on the controls and removing stuff from KZ2 mp, which was unnecessary. More importantly, they didn't nearly add enough interesting features to make KZ3 mp fresh and fun for KZ2 veterans.

KZ3's sales weren't bad, but there's no way in its lifetime that it will outsell KZ2.

[chidori666]

because killzone 3 is a rushed game!

[hiredhelp]

Not being ablle to create your own lobby. like kz2 were you can scroll threw them was a let down but im not supprised as now it seems more devs taken the cheap easy route of matchmaking.
socom confrontation, socom 4 now machmaking
kz2 host create your own lobby now matchmaking
modnation racers was region locked servers now open.

sorry had to get that off my chest just fedup corp bosses in companys that make millions on each game inc downloadable content they cant be assed to give us the gamers a stable server.

[mayberry]

Some of what you said, I agree with. but you fail to mention everything kz3 gets "right"! Way more than "gunplay" and "graphics". A.I., 7.1 surrond sound- let alone the improved sound effects in game!improved grenade effects and sound, more weapons, bullet physics, lighting, multiplayer, on and on. killzone 3 is just a "niche" game, for a discerning gamer that wants more than halo-cod.

[Knushwood Butt]

Basically, what perfectAssGirlGamer said.

Why are the sales of KZ3 being compared to the lifetime sales of KZ2?

[pixelsword]

flamebait, pure and simple.

[Pixel_Pusher]

"VG Charts reported"

another garbage article with the same sh***y source = vgchartz

[Anon1974]

Yeah, this was already failed once. Report this. Just a flamebait article based on vgchartz nonsense.

Here was the other.

http://n4g.com/news/799170/...

This is clearly a duplicate.

[kingdoms]

PS3 exclusives are nothing more than tech demos. PS3 exclusives often have last generation gameplay design and poorly implemented gameplay mechanics.

Killzone isn't fun and has no lasting appeal. I still have the bad taste of KZ2 in my mouth. I purchased KZ2 and beat it on launch day and 3 days later traded it in. Played KZ2 multiplayer once and it was rubbish. I hated fighting the lag and hit point system on a controller that's already bad enough for FPS.

[GamerPS360]

"PS3 exclusives are nothing more than tech demos. PS3 exclusives often have last generation gameplay design and poorly implemented gameplay mechanics."

I am not fan of Killzone, Halo, Gears, Uncharted. I don't like any of them. so, does that make PS3 and 360 exclusives are garbage. Oh, COD series is piece of junk, if you ask me. :)

By the way, Demon Souls "ps3 exclusive" is so far the best game, I have ever played this generation.

[Kungfue]

LOL!!!!

from what you said sounds like your talking about 360 exclusive to me.

[rexbolt]

though i agree with u in some point please dont bring up halo that game is bad... u can litterly go though more then half the game without shooting a bullet litterly u can bash ur way thrugh all the baddies septt eh bigger ones lol and its soo slow and floaty and outerspacy and weird and soooo kiddy it makes telly tubies seem for adults halo is way to kiddy its disturing

[mendicant]

Translation: I've never played a Halo game.

[mendicant]

What you said is complete crap.

[P_Bomb]

@Fr0sty
How is it going up against Gears, the last Gears was 3-something year ago? Gears has nothing to do with anything on the PS3.

If you got to the last boss before losing interest, that's actually a compliment.

Soon as you brought up Crytek, I stopped reading. Game #101 in NYC with a Supersoldier difficulty I literally walked through invisible. Takes cajones to diss KZ2's last boss when Crysis 2 didn't even have a last boss.

[hamburger123]

Because maybe Sony has too much exclusives lol

[mendicant]

Then perhaps they should stop spreading so thin and focus.

[skrug]

@fr0sty
"Because it's a space marine FPS released into a market flooded with space marine FPS's,..."

"Gears of War and Halo 3/ODST/Reach/4 dominate the space marine market... "

You said FPS.. GeOW is not FPS...

And then you go on to list 4 games that are from the same series... and 1 is not even out any time soon..

[showtimefolks]

3 days in a row yeh yeh for some reason people think selling 1.6 million copies in 5 months is not as good as KZ2 selling 2.6 million lifetime

let it go move on there are more games coming out

dues ex
rage
resistance 3

will be my next FPS shooters

only this gen where a game gen 8.5 means its a bad game and where if a game doesn't sell 10 million copies its a bad thing

[M-Easy]

Why does this dumb opinion piece exists? Because some other idiot opinion piece made it seem like KZ3 not out selling the entire life sales of KZ2 in under 5 months was some sort of catastrophe. In an industry where < 5% of all games sell under a million copies I'd say KZ3 did and is doing damn well.

[Knushwood Butt]

Yeah, this.

[NYC_Gamer]

not many people were interested in killzone 3

[SuperLupe]

Have to admit I didnt feel much hype anywhere on the net for KZ3, maybe just a bit on N4G but thats pretty much it.

[Mottsy]

How many different ways are they going to try and save this topic. We seen it already.
lets get original here news people.
http://n4g.com/news/799170/...

[zinkabassy]

I would like to sell around 2 millions of my game in 4 months,..
Yes please.

[Silly gameAr]

Seems like this article is trying to ride the coattails of that other article. it sold 1.6 mill in 4 months. I'm sure GG wouldn't mind if it sold 4 mill, but that's not to shabby.

Chill out articles like these. They draw too many trolls that just love to have a reason to throw some cheap shots at the series, no matter how unfounded.

[maniacmayhem]

They changed a lot of things in the multi from KZ2. Instead of changing they should have just improved.

I also felt the story in Kz3 was a little weak.

[JohnApocalypse]

Did Sony gain profit on this game is the real question for me?

[jriquelme_paraguay]

because is an KZ2, without the good things...

[MOTY]

"Number three- the competition. Along with COD: Black Ops and EA's Medal of Honor, Sony also had to contend with a day-one release that came out right alongside Killzone 3- Epic Games' Bulletstorm. Even though it was a completely unique experience compared to Guerrilla Games' effort, its arcade scoring system, wickedly wild gameplay (let's face it, the Leash is still fun after all these months) and ridiculous atmosphere (where else can someone call you "Dicktits"?) no doubt attracted several players. In a time when players could only buy so many games with their budget, many probably turned to Epic Games for reliable shooting thrills. A shame, really, as Killzone 3 has longer lasting gameplay options than Bulletstorm -- not to mention versus multiplayer. (Bulletstorm only has co-op.)"

- But I thought that the only reason why PS3 exclusives don't sell as well as MS exclusives was because there are so many more exclusives on the PS3 than there is on the 360 and so the sales are lower due to consumers buying other exclusives that are on the PS3. Since when are multiplats considered competition to PS3 exclusives and contribute to low sales for exclusives?

"But don't fret. The game will probably gain some followers once the price drops, or when it joins the Greatest Hits line-up, with some extra maps thrown in for good measure. Good. The bigger the audience for this game, the better. It deserves it."

- But I thought Sales don't matter? Why would a game with such a small online community be better to play online with more sales causing the online community to be bigger and more diverse with talent and skills?

[maniacmayhem]

You hit the nail right on the head. Hilarious when you think about it right?

Ps3 "eggslusives" don't sell because the ps3 has so many...

There is so much that is so wrong with that statement. First of all, not all of the ps3 "essluxives" came out on the same day in the same week so how does that make any sense at all?
how can these exxxlusives compete with each other?

The fact is they dont, they compete with 3rd party titles and mostly multiplat games.

[Ju]

They really brought up Bulletstorm? Because KZ3 sold more than Bullestorm on 360 and PS3 combined. Guess it ain't quite right what they are sayin.

[Active Reload]

How many Sony exclusives came out in that month? Did people have to buy all of them except KZ3?

[NukaCola]

Dunno. KZ3 came out the same day as Bulletstorm and KZ3 sold better than BS did on PS3.

[Mr Tretton]

Slow news day, eh?

[Yangus]

Simple,boring-Cool visuals,but boring-

[dangert12]

I believe I'm a hardened killzone 2 fan not the best out there certainly not,

I brought killzone 3 because of my love for killzone 2 were killzone 2 had two floors (latency and controls) kz3 fixed them but then there was a host more problems and alot less features, and lack of common sense

Killzone 2 is very well balanced the balance in killzone 3 is a hot mess,

some levels on kz3 where to small to be having invisible players or infiltrators with your teams colours on also they delay when putting your curses on these players sometimes leads to your death

Putting armor as an unlock and throwing you in games with better ranked players...thats just stupid

I spawned inside a tree like 4-5 times and had to kill myself to get back out =/

me and my friend also call killzone 3 rainbow land
apart from the level thats on a slant it does not look like a war was happening kz2 was dark gritty you could almost taste the war

stat tracking and clan features are better in kz2 aswell

here's my killzone 3 stats

http://www.killzone.com/kz3...

i was saving the sabetuer and sniper for last as i believe there unfairly the best two by miles but got bored of the game trying to max out the medic

oh i got this on release day put in 23 hours or so and stoped playing after 2 weeks

[showtimefolks]

while people look at KZ2 sales as lifetime sales and say it did better yet in 5 months KZ3 has sold 1.6-1.7 million so the way i look at it within an year it will surpass KZ2's numbers

as someone who has been with KZ series since KZ1 i say say KZ3 is the best game in the series. They fixed everything that was wrong with KZ2 and most of the reviewers agree with that

I never expected KZ3 to do 10 million on one console with so many different kind of games the only game on PS brand that will surpass that number again and again is the GT series everything else is under 5 million and uncharted 3 should do between 5-7 million

[HaVoK308]

Why didn't it sell well? The answer is simple. Sony fanboys just talk about games...they do not buy them or play them.

Like KZ2 I bought KZ3 and like the previous game I was disappointed. But at least I bought it. Something no fanboy does.

[Active Reload]

It's good to hear that. I'm glad you're truly supporting Sony and it's devs instead of just talking about it. I can do nothing but respect that.

[Mr Tretton]

uh, I'm pretty sure those fanboys buy those games. Sony fanboys are rabid about PS3 exclusives. They may be fanboys but they are the main ones buying those games day 1 and then defending the game to the grave, I think you got it completely backwards.

Internet fanboys of anything are realistically a pretty small number compared to the mainstream masses (whom aren't buying KZ). I guarentee you most PS3 owners and gamers in general don't even know what Killzone is. And if you mentioned it to them their first response would probably be 'is it on Xbox?'

[dangert12]

Its true sony are the worst advetisers out of the three console owners if the fanboys ain't buy the exclusives who is? lol

[ZombieAssassin]

Because the Multiplayer sucks compared to Kz2 and everyone who was a Kz2 player knew it from the BETA. It's not terrible and IMO better than CoD but Kz2 is miles ahead.

[dangert12]

what he said ^

[CGI-Quality]

How misinformed we are today. This makes two of these articles in under 12 hours.

Like the last pointless article, this one seems to not understand KZ2's sales rate in conjunction to Killzone 3's. KZ2 did NOT sell 2 million copies in just over 4 months. Killzone 3 (using VG Chartz as the source) has been selling at a higher rate than KZ2 since it's 3rd week on the market. I don't know what these "journalists" are seeking today (as it's obviously a slow news day given the date), but at least attempt to be accurate.

[Raven_Nomad]

Sony and GG put too much emphasis on Move and 3-D for Killzone 3. They tried disparately to lure in the more casual crowd by getting rid of the weighted controls but all that did was alienate the true Killzone fans.

Also I have to admit the voice acting and story/characters are all pretty generic/boring. Hard to get into a game when the characters don't appeal to you.

[Foxgod]

Wow, all the hate for killzone in here, what happened?

[MOTY]

Killzone 3 was released and didn't live up to the over the top Sony Fanboy hype that was found on this site.

[baodeus]

true, but i think u given sony fanboy too much credit. They may be the dominant factor on n4g, but out side, they are well small fries. If they are responsible for a large chunk of game sell, u wouldn't see CoD on ps3 killing every ps3 exclusives right now.

[dinkeldinkse]

Guerrilla Games essentially told their fanbase to fuck off and casualized KZ3 to bring in crybabies.

I got to hand it to Guerrilla, they did it a great job at pissing off their core fanbase(most of us have been fans since the first Killzone).

[BeastlyRig]

I just like the snow flurries.. Best Ever!

[qwertyz]

pre rendered snow flurries you mean ? PC FTW!!!

[Mayle]

I missed the online leaderboard trophies. It was so much fun geting that top 1% one

[maxmill]

Boring as hell

[Lazy_Sunday]

Man, drama articles. Killzone 3 is doing almost the same as Killzone 2, much like Gears 1 to Gears 2. Even comparing sales data using something that you should loosely trust like VGChartz will show you that the unit sales are just off by about 50k difference.

[JeffGUNZ]

Gears 2 wasn't even close to Gears 1. Gears 2 was such a god awful mess. Gears 1 was the most addicting and balanced game I have played (up till that point and time). EPIC tried to cater to the casuals and ruined Gears 2. Luckily, they have redeemed themselves and the Gears 3 Beta was truly amazing.

[jdfoster00]

Because it's not been out as long?

[ATiElite]

KZ3 is stuck on 1.6 million, maybe cost GG $15 million to make, so $30 x 1,600,000 = 48 mil so Sony got $33 million in profit. Not bad but $25 million of that will get eaten up to make GG next I.P. so not a lot of profit left to bank roll.

Sony's Exclusives although grand and great games have not been putting up Halo numbers. Sure GT5 GOW3 UC2 have done over 3 mill but all the rest are 1.5 million and stalling. Great production quality, lots of Kevin Butler commercials but only 1.5 million. PS3 owners simply are not buying games at the rate of 360 and PC owners.

A PC title would only have to sale 900k to make that same profit so I say let GG bring Killzone to the PC because KZ is obviously no longer the PS3 flagship title especially with BC2 and COD outselling KZ3 with BF3 waiting to do 2 million on the PS3 day 1.

With Piracy, Used Games, and Game Rentals all that green grass and huge cash that developers flocked to the consoles for isn't really there. The PS3 is just not doing the numbers that the X360 is doing in software sales so maybe it's time Sony let some of those Exclusive studios make some money on the PC and maybe even the Xbox360.

Let's face it, Console Exclusives are dying. The 360 only has a few but yet they are very healthy sellers while the PS3 has a ton but really only a few do big sales. Meanwhile inFamous 2 is on it's 3rd week and has just past 500K and sold 60K last week while Black Ops is doing 40k a week on the PS3 even after 8 months while KZ3 is just dead.

The Numbers don't lie, PS3 fanboys will disagree but it's obvious they are not putting their money where their mouth is. The Witcher 2 PC is around 3 million with an upcoming 360 release. Maybe CD Projekt Red saw the low sales potential of the PS3 and said "It's not worth it".

[NYC_Gamer]

the truth is PS3 owners on game forums may buy the exclusives but the average owner on the street doesnt...they are busy buying multiplat software.

[Silly gameAr]

Predictable comments from the usual. You guys can make believe that PS3 exclusives are all hype and don't sale well all you want, but if that was the truth, why would Sony even bother.

Most have sold on this one platform then a lot of hyped multiplat titles that were released in the last couple of years. Are you people really going to say that a million+ copies of a game being sold on one platform is a bad thing?

Then I read a comment like ATi's and I can't help but wonder what world this guy and the people that agree with him are living in.

Anyway, happy 4th, and happy gaming.

[death2smoochie]

The real truth is multi-platform games will always sell better for the most part overall because more multi-platform games are released for any given console than exclusive games.

Almost 85% of games released in a calender year are multi-platform games.
How many exclusive full retail games are released during that same time period?
At the most 10 if that...if we are lucky.
Multi-platform games in that same time period can easily top that by a minimum of 10 times that amount.
Just take a look at the release calender for 2011 and 2012 to see this fully.

If people claim as some have on N4G.COM that they only buy EXCLUSIVE games for their respective console, then you most likely only purchase up to 10 games a year then.
That makes for some pretty boring gaming if you ask me...

[rob6021]

The witcher 2 is on 360 first because MS paid for it, there's not much more to it than that.

A PC title would only have to sell 900k to make the same profit? You do realize Sony owns GG so they pay no royalties to the console manufacturer. Then you add in the fact console games sell for $10 more a piece, how does a PC title need to only sell 900k to match 1.6mil? The PC does not sell games better than the PS3, that's the truth.

You're omitting Uncharted 1, LBP, MGS4, GT5 prologue, resistance 1, motorstorm 1 they all crossed 3 mil. Sony is not as doomed as you make it seem.

[ATiElite]

1st party 3rd party doesn't matter.

The Publisher sales the game to Best Buy, Game Stop, Wal-mart etc. for no more than $30. then the store sales the game to you for $60 thus making their $30 back plus $30 profit. When a game stops selling and the price drops to $30 the store is just trying to get rid of them and NOT order anymore.

Now some greatest hits platinum hits whatever are sold to the store for like $10 $15 and then they sale them to you for $20 $30.

Now KZ2 2.66 million sold, lets do the math

2,660,000 x $30 = $79,800,000 Nice...but
minus $35 to $40 million for Development cost.
minus $$$ for those Kevin Butler commercials
so I'll say minus $35 million Dev budget and minus $5 million for commercials

So that's $79.8 mill minus $40 million = $39,800,000. Now according to you no royalties of licensing fees but i'm sure another $15 to $20 of this went towards KZ3 leaving Sony with $15 to $19 million to bank roll.

Minecraft, No commercials No publisher No stores cause it sold digitally from it's website has sold 2,800,000 copies at $15 a piece which = $42,000,000 and It cost less than $500k to make. So that's $40 million to bank roll. see the difference?

Motorstorm LBP had sequels that didn't sale half of what the first did while UC and GT PS3 sequels did better than the first. while MGS4 made around $157 million (now those are Halo Numbers).

No Sony isn't Doomed yet but some of their franchises may need to go elsewhere to cash in. Also the PC doesn't need to sell more games than the PS3 even though it does. The PC has a different way to make cash that the consoles will adopt very soon...Digital Distribution (gets rid of the middle man) and micro-transactions allow games to make money all day long and subscription based gaming which is why World of warcraft pulls in anywhere from $50 to 120 million dollars a month. Rift makes $22 million a month. Even a game like Eve online has been making 8 million dollars a month for 7 years.

[4D]

UC1, LBP, MGS4, RFOM, Motorstorm were all bundled games to inflate sales. Plus several of them also did a greatest hits promotion. The point that AtiElite is trying to make I think is that PS3 exclusives don't sell 1-2 million in their first week like a Wii/360 exclusive will. The second point being that KZ3 sales have really stagnated as of late so the hopes of the game selling over 3 million aren't very high. As this rate getting over 2 million will be tough...

[bloodybutcher]

According to T.Golob or whatever his name is,guy from cd project,witcher2 is being developed for x360 first because it is easier to port from pc to x,they also have ppl who already worked on MS products and they are looking for developer who will hel th to port it to port it to ps3.

[blackburn10]

Once again Sony is in the spotlight for no apparent reason. Why didn't Homefront, Brink and Bulletstorm, the games everyone boasted and hyped would be the greastest do better? Why doesn't anyone ask that? BS across 3 platforms couldn't even cross the 1 million mark. But lets pick on the PS3 exclusive as per usual. Big surprise.

Strange how we Sony owners are always too busy buying third party games to buy exclusives but it's alway the 360 owners who buy more of them then us when you get the numbers.Strange.

[mendicant]

Those games are not mentioned because they aren't part of the original topic. Shoulda, coulda, woulda and crying about being "picked" on doesn't change anything.

I haven't played Brink but Homefront wasn't very good and Bulletstorm was better than KZ3. It was more fun it was funny and actually had a better story. I'm talking about the story in the actual game, not going online to read GG's back story.

[blackburn10]

I am sorry once you said the $hit known as Bulletstorm was better then KZ3 I stopped taking you seriously. You can put down KZ3 all you like but BS was junk.And you though BS had a better story then KZ3? Okay now I know your making up stuff. And the reason I mentioned the other games is because it is seems natural to point out a Sony exclusive launch problems then any other game. BS's sales were pathetic after everyone boasted what a great game it would be and it fell flat on its face. But you barely see any articles pointing that out do you?

[MARNEY]

Because the ignored their community, beta testers, & all common sense. Hiring the guy that did mercenaries2 didn't help either...

[jc48573]

too many FPS.

[Clarence]

I at first thought KZ3 was better than KZ2 but its not. It's a great game but the more I played it I realized it's not. It feels like a downgrade from KZ2. GG changed the game to fit COD players.

I liked the heavy feel in KZ2 as well as the ability to combine badges. Also the menus in KZ2 are much better.

Bring on BF3.

[falout]

Because it sucked.

[SilverSlug]

I liked the beta. I might pick it up soon.

[beast242tru]

imo i think almost 2 million in about 4 months aint too bad sony really sucks @ advertising so thats one of the reasons when gears or halo is about to launch we see commercials everywhere on every station with ps3 exclusives hardly any commercials ps3 owners are more on mature side the older crowd so they are spending thier own hard earned cash and hav lots of games 2 play with the 360 its alot of kids on thier spending there parents money and halo and gears is all they got besides multi plats so yeah

[XRider]

It's a boring game with pretty graphics.

[blink3020]

Because it wasn't that good of a game. Enough said.

[GoldPS3]

I'm really getting sick of people saying Sony suck at advertising. I think Sony advertise very well. GT5 sold over 6m and it had the same amount of ads like KZ3. How much ads do KZ3 needed then to sell more? I think most people just wasn't into KZ3. 90% of gamers are brainwashed by COD. To them COD is everything and if another FPS doesn't play like COD, then it sucks to them.

[IHateYouFanboys]

it didnt sell because of Killzone 2, thats all there is to it.

Killzone 2 left a VERY bad taste in a large percentage of its buyers mouths, mine included. i LOVED killzone on the PS2, one of my favourite games despite its many flaws. i picked up the limited edition killzone 2 on day 1, and within 2 minutes of playing i was disappointed. the input lag completely killed that game for me. not the "weighty" controls - Bad Company 2 has even "weightier" controls and i have no problem with that - but the actual 200ms delay from when i press ANY button and when that action happens on screen.

after I read that the input lag had been reduced to regular game levels, i happily pre-ordered Killzone 3 and bought it on release. the campaign wasnt very good, the multiplayer was unbalanced, but i still enjoy it. easily my most played PS3 game until my PS3 got the YLOD the other day.

but not everyone gets on the internet and reads about games. most people just would have assumed that Killzone 3 has the same control problems as Killzone 2, and the same rubbish storyline where every second word is F#$k, and as such they just wouldnt buy it.

if a sequel doesnt sell well, its generally because the game preceding it wasnt well received. as the old saying goes: fool me once, shame on you......fool me twice, shame on me. GG fooled many people once, and they werent going to let it happen again.

which is a shame, because Killzone 3 is better than Killzone 2 in every way apart from some graphical effects that were toned down so that they could run on the CPU instead of the GPU (depth of field, volumetric lighting, motion blur).

[gypsygib]

I have both PS3 and 360 but all my friends who have a PS3 only are cheap - they chose it mostly for the free online, and only play 1 or 2 games all year (Mostly BFBC2/COD and NHL or some other sports game in MP).

Sad truth is, I think PS3 attracts more cost conscious gamers who are less willing to buy a new game every month or two.

[Achemki]

Wow, so many crybabies under one roof it's deafening. I'd LOVE to know what "better" FPS's some of you have been buying/playing this year that are better playing/selling than KZ3. There are none. Crysis, Bulletstorm, Homefront, Duke Nukem, Operation Flashpoint, Fear?! That's the competition? Don't make me laugh. Seriously. Play some of Killzone's peers and then we'll compare notes on what defines broken/buggy/boring/bad. I mean, really. Really. FFS Bulletstorm doesn't even have proper multiplayer. Let's not put the cart before the horse.

[rexbolt]

cus we already played this game 10000 times with diffrent names lol

[g5bay]

killzone 3 is best fps, the best games have low sales its underground not mainstream. Sony can make it sell like 6-10mil with 100 million campaign. Killzone 3 is not generic games like cod,moh,bfbc,and bf3 are generic they use morden weapons its all bout advertising not the game it self

[Mikeyy]

I own Killzone 3 and just don't play it anymore... The campain is something you beat once, theres no reason to play it again, and the Online just gets boring and irretating. Invisible Snipers, and People that can mime your team mates and even turn themselves "friendly" with you, only to shove a knife in your throat, even though you DID clearly check to make sure the room was clean. His perk makes him legit look like an ally.

KZ 3 online is just bullshit. thats why it failed.

[A7XEric]

Because it was just Killzone 2.5

I enjoyed KZ3, but any time a AAA sequel gets pumped out under 2 years running on the same engine as its predecessor, you know you're gonna be treading in familiar territory.

[P_Bomb]

That's irrelevant. The highest rated AAA series in recent years do sequels every 2 years on average. From Mass Effect/LBP/Uncharted/Assassins Creed/Batman/BioShock/inFamous /Halo/Fable/Forza...to one-a-years like COD & Battlefield.

@Mikey
That just sounds newbie that an Infiltrator killed you and it haunts you to this day. You can see through his disguise with your reticle color, or with a Tactician's perk. I sense a lot of fairweather gamers in this thread.

[A7XEric]

Halo actually has main releases every 3 years with brand new tech (while other teams have handled the spin-off/side story games in between).

And just use one of your examples you provided. Bioshock 2 came out about a year and a half after the first game, running on the same tech, and was largely just bioshock 1.5, hence most reviews only being in the 80% range.

One reason Killzone 2 was so great is because of the large gap in between it and the first title. Ignoring the obvious graphical leap to the PS3, Killzone 2 was a fucking great shooter and one reason it felt like that was because of the time it had to advance the series in between installments. Killzone 3 didn't simply have that time. With shorter development time, that means less time to prototype new ideas, less time to improve your tech, etc.

[P_Bomb]

Halo has been sub-HD all gen'. New tech? LensofTruth did an analysis between Halo Reach and the much older Resistance 2 and Resistance 2 beat it hands down performance wise http://www.lensoftruth.com/... . If anything, Bungie don't get nearly enough scrutiny for tech that can't even beat games from 2008 and online co-op that won't even work on the new 4GB Slims.

The Halo brand has also had 4 games since 2007, teams notwithstanding. COD is COD and is expected to sell/deliver whether it's IW, Treyarch or now Sledgehammer. Splinter Cell Pandora Tommorrow and Double Agent weren't sub stories because they were Ubi Shanghai and not Montreal. Vice City and San Andreas weren't even numbered like GTA3 and GTA4 yet they're arguably the 2 best games in the series.

BioShock came out in Aug 2007 and BioShock 2 in Feb 2010. That 2.5 years, not 1.5. BioShock 2 also had an 88% average. That's closer to 90 territory than 80. Conversely there are games with very long development cycles (Duke Nukem, Gran Turismo 5) that score lower than yearly franchises like Battlefield and Need for Speed or the aforementioned BioShock 2. I guess my point is, there's no perfect formula yet. *shrugs*

[leonlion]

"The mechanics work slightly differently than most first-person shooters (especially with the use of SIXAXIS motions, such as turning wheels), but that's not to say the controls were broken."

Because in COD you can sprint at 35 kph while aiming down the sights of an rpg and leap 50 meters and kill someone with one stab of a knife

[MachoMoustachio]

Killzone 3 was one of the highest-selling games so far this year. What the fuck is this article talking about?

[Darkfiber]

Because it's Killzone 2 with jetpacks.

[sam2236]

Because it's Killzone 2.5 with snow and jetpacks.

[joab777]

its simple...bulletstorm and the gears beta. It was released w k3 for this purpose. And sonys marketing was abismal for this game. k2 was grittier because of ita difficulty, its trophy difficulty and the raw multi nature. It appealed more to hardcore gamers. But, in sheer quality, k3 was a better game. Unfortunately like so many, someone decided it was better to strip it down. They didnt understand the core fanbase and thought it would help sales.

[keith-ps3]

they were ok but no fucking half life

[monkeyfox]

because they released too many too quickly. It became like COD4, MW2, BlackOps etc. People arent stupid at the end of the day. When something becomes less about the art/creativity/fun and more about the money.. the public can tell ya know..

[Sandworm79]

One answer. PSjb especially outside the US. Killzone 3 and black ops were amongst the most backed up games after custom firmwares on the ps3 hit.