So About the Knack and Killzone Quick Looks...

Both games look pants and I have both pre orderd with my ps4 :( and it dosnt come out here until the 29th !

I really don't think you would be any less unhappy than you are now if Brad were playing.

I look at it as interchangeable complaining. It's not really about whose playing, it's about certain people not getting whatever weird confirmation they need from a quick look. You would think people who are so sold on a game, or know a lot more about it than the crew does, wouldn't even need a quick look. I don't need any of the guys to play a game well to show it off. I just need them to show it off. Jeff playing Killzone flawlessly wouldn't change the poor A.I. for example. Likewise, his quality of play doesn't make the game look any less gorgeous. Perhaps it limits how well they show off the gameplay itself, but are we really expecting Killzone to break the shooter mold?

(Not directing this post at you at all, just using your quote to compliment my point)

Does the game work? 6/10

Is it pretty? 8/10

Is it from a big publisher? 9/10

Is it from a well-known developer? 10/10

Consider giving it a Game of the Year award.

Something has gone wrong here...

I was quite surprised by the difficulty of Knack in this quicklook and that was only normal. I do not think it is a good game but a difficult one.

@cabbages: Cancel the pre-order...mate?

I feel like everyone a while ago was saying "reviewers should be using the whole scale, reviews in general are too high, reviewers don't give a shit about innovation", etc etc. Now that some sites seem to be doing so (especially Polygon) people get all up in arms.

When they review a game 6/10 they aren't saying it is broken. If people would read the review they would know that (when a game is actually broken, they give it like a 1-3 score).

It's hilarious to me. People don't even know what they want. Either that or it brought out a different group of people to complain. Probably the latter I guess.

@artisanbreads: I'd like if everyone would just ditch scores. I know that would never in a million years happen but... it would be nice and stifle a whole lot of this console wars garbage before it even began.

GiantBomb just shot themselves in the foot.

I don't know how much the rest of you know about Quick Looks (I'm an expert), but honor and shame are huge parts of it. It's not like it is an Endurance Run where you can become successful by just being Vinny. If you screw a game over in a Quick Look, you bring shame to yourself, and the only way to get rid of that shame is repentance.

What this means is the GiantBomb public, after hearing about this, is not going to want to purchase Knack, nor will they purchase Killzone: Shadow Fall. This is HUGE. You can laugh all you want, but Giantbomb has misinformed an entire fanbase with this move.

GiantBomb, publicly apologize and take a quicker look at Knack and Killzone: Shadow Fall or you can kiss Sony's paychecks goodbye.

Unfortunately, you are correct. I feel bad for a lot of gamers, who make no mistake he represents, who play everything on easy and rush through everything without seemingly having any enjoyment whatsoever. I know its his life and job, but in all reality guy needs a serious vacation from the whole thing.

Who cares?

I don't know, the games (besides Resogun) have all seem extremely mediocre to me so far. Like newer-gen launch games should be I guess.

To be honest, Jeff always looks like he's bored with videogames. "Damnit, Gamespot was supposed to be just a summer gig!"

Agreed. But some people seem to let review scores dictate their real life mood or something so I'm not sure we are dealing with reasonable people. Maybe it would help.

(The same goes for Quick Looks apparently and some of these people already pre-ordered the games... sick)

hahah what are you a psychologist? He played the games and one was a shooter that sure looks like a shooter (and Jeff shot stuff in it) and the other one was a game where you hit things and move around. What was he supposed to do differently? If you're looking for someone to talk in a chipper tone over video games Jeff has never been your guy. And if you are looking for a developer demo there are probably ones to watch on youtube that really try to sell you hard on the games.

Jeff doesn't play every game on easy. He didn't play either of these games on easy. What in the world...

Well I gotta admit when I was watching Jeff play Killzone I did constantly think "cmon use the shield ability Jeff!" but to each his own I guess.

The thing about Quick Looks is that it seems hard to talk and be good at the game at the same time especially in a game like Knack that seems rather punishing, I know to sometimes take these Quick Looks with a grain of salt especially when it is obvious they're being distracted and thus dying as a result. Of course a distracted Jeff getting frustrated at dying in a Quick Look isn't helpful which is why reviews will ultimately be better at giving a final opinion on a game.

knack is ok i heart there is some interesting bonus stuff more elements vampire knack i heard also the co-op is good adition to the game

i wonder if you turn the dificulty up in killzone if the ai is better

Cut them some slack. They're still getting used to the new office.

I was hoping for more in Knack but what i saw it didnt seem like an atrocious game at all, just repetitive and something that doesnt scream next gen. Killzone looks good multiplayer wise, and i always find the main campaigns to be entertaining so im sure ill enjoy it enough. The only reason i got the ps4 was the overflowing love for Infamous and alot of other playstation devs/franchises. I've already bought mine Killzone, Knack, AC4 from Target and am looking forward to trying them out myself...its not like i had a ton of options anyway since im not a big sports fan (love me some hockey games though)

I think the abnormal amount of focus on these games, due to the fact that they are launch titles is the reason we are seeing these exaggerated scores. I recon the highest amounts of traffic come from either a high score or a really low score, anything between won't preform as well for these websites.

My Take:

Knack is a launch-game-ass-launch-game, nothing crazy new but neither is it terribly offensive.

Killzone is a Killzone game, very pretty and plays like Killzone... if you don't like Killzone you wont like Killzone. Arthur Gies dosen't like Killzone so he gave it a low score, Dale North likes Killzone so he gave it a high score. That's all it is.

Killzone.

I guess Jeff just didn't have a knack for the gameplay.

I thought killzone looked pretty good actually. It has a nice sci-fi setting which I happen to really like. Also the guns look like futuristic weapons, unlike say Syndicate which had a scifi setting but boring-ass "modern warfare" weapon models.

Depending on how the multiplayer holds up it could be a pretty decent package.

So... you would want it to take even longer to get through a section, either through aimless "exploration" and dicking around, or many, many more frustrating an easily avoidable deaths?

Those were some rough playthroughs but it's not like I would have liked those games more if he was playing like a pro

Watching Shu Yoshida playing these launch games, Knack and Resogun in particular, on his Twitch stream has been the best part of all this lead-up to launch tomorrow.

Seriously, go back to IGN.

So because one reviewer gave a mediocre game a bad score that means that Knack is probably good because you liked Bloodrayne and both games said hard in the review? Okay pal.

Plenty of games harder than Knack have gotten good reviews without having a massive hype train.

I decided to go out and buy Killzone after watching the quick look. I've never played a Killzone game before but I liked the setting enough and it's been so long since I played a console FPS that why not. Plus I'm real interested in the multiplayer.

Knack seemed colorful and light, so I'll play it when it goes on PS Plus in a year or two.

It's Giant Bomb. The Gb crew does things the way they want and that's why we love'em. :D

As far as the games, they looked like perfectly serviceable launch games to me. I'll definitely be playing through them.

Unless it becomes a cult favorite among players I doubt you'll see it on PS+ ever considering the Metacritic mauling it's gotten from the media.

They both looked like the same kind of boring games that I've seen and avoided before. Mediocrity is not impressive even on new hardware.

After watching all of these videos and reviews on Knack, I'm still stoked to play it. It just reminds me of the old school PS1 days and who didn't love Crash and Spyro? Killzone on the other hand just looks like another bland shooter, but only some time playing will help with that feeling.

Knack looked boring and not at all interesting to me. Killzone just looked like more of the same stuff we have been getting for the last few years just it looked a little better. Don't feel like Im missing out by not getting a PS4 at launch.

@fushichou187:

I hate you right now.

I sat through both incredibly boring hours. Knack looks like barely a 1 star game. Killzone maybe a generous 3.

@trafalgarlaw: You forgot about the developers! Hundreds of people worked furiously to put out these games. By playing them badly GB is disrespecting their efforts and potentially putting their jobs at risk and damaging further entries in a franchise.

Think about it: Valkyria Chronicles was quicklooked on GB, never got an actual next gen sequel. Mirror's Edge, same thing. The reason Half Life 3 is taking so long? GB fucking about in Valve games. This can't be a coincidence.

@fredchuckdave: 2013's 1989 GOTY to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on NES

@trafalgarlaw: They all just bought up the shares in Sony because the price plummeted when the QL was released!

Except that it's nothing like Crash or Spyro. Knack doesn't attempt humour, has no charm, and barely any personality. Plus the gameplay is nothing like those games.

The closest comparison would be God of War if you took out upgrades, magic, puzzles, different weapons, boobs, and an interesting setting.

Eh, in the end, what really matters is what you think about the game. Both Killzone and Knack have been getting quite polarizing reviews. When I watched the quick looks, though I don't think Jeff did great, there were some problems with the game that I saw beyond that.

Can anyone show me proof of Knack's supposed platforming? It just looks like a bland brawler to me.

And maybe demand an apology too ;)

If you spend enough time on the Giant Bomb forums, most people who complain about certain Quick Looks or reviews are rarely surprises. I'll let you read between the lines on that one.

Killzone looked as generic as it always is and knack looked uninspired.

I don't really care how they play the games. I'm not one to whine about people who play video games online not playing like I would while giving commentary.

As someone who isn't getting either console, at least for awhile, neither of these quicklooks did anything to alter my stance. Killzone has never really appealed to me, and this one hasn't done anything to make me rethink that. That and as someone who tends to like the story in games, the moment i heard they blew up the helghast planet, then gave them half of their planet, and built a giant berlin wall, I was pretty much ready to move on. Knack looked like a really dull game, that frankly didn't look amazing to me graphically. Knack appears to be the very definition of a launch game, only I am surprised it is a first party one.

All that said, Jeff did nothing wrong in these, and the need for those invested in these games and systems to need to have their purchases justified are amazing. Even if they gushed over these games, talked up every potentially good feature and minimized the bad, eventually you will play them yourself. Does Jeff giving you a nod of acknowledgment in your choice of games and system as the right one somehow transform these games in some dramatic way? Would it play better for you? Will it play worse now?

They're writers, not professional gamers. I find it hard to judge how they're playing a game. I didn't watch the PS4 quicklooks yet, because I want to experience the games for myself. I'm aware of the reviews for the games, but I'm sure I'll have fun anyway. I haven't played console games in years, so I'm excited even for shitty launch titles. The multiplatform stuff seems better than any of the exclusives on either platform.

I watch quicklooks for laughs and entertainment first. We're all humans with different preferences. Jeff not liking a game that I want to like doesn't bother me. I respect his opinion and I think he's one of the best review writers out right now. I often don't share the same opinions, but I don't ever think "he played it wrong or doesn't want to like it."

I enjoy Killzone games. I didn't buy Knack though. I've been on the fence for a while.

I think people were just hoping for something more. It's been a long time since the last launch and we desperately want to be excited about something. Unfortunately, while Knack and Killzone are competent, they don't offer anything new. This may be unfair, but it is the truth.

I don't think it's just that these games are poorly design, it's more about your willingness to just try it. Like as much as everyone is praising Resogun, I can't help but think of Super Stardust HD. I really want something like Burnout Paradise level of excitement for a game to scream next gen, but even Burnout Paradise recycled settings from Burnout Revenge.

I haven't watched the Knack QL yet but Killzone looked terrible, no matter who's playing.