New Killzone 2 downloadable content!

A weekend of online battles

YES, it has finally arrived - the PS3 exclusive Killzone 2 is here!
It's been a long time coming, but I can honestly say it was definitely worth the wait. An epic single-player mode, which really does blur the lines between gaming and movies, as you really do feel like you are in a movie. It really has to be seen to be believed.
And add to that some stunning online gameplay, with giant maps and great team play, and it really is THE best first-person shooter you can buy on any console.
I've spent hours on it this weekend, splitting equally between the single-player and online gaming, and know there will be many months of playing ahead.
A keen friend of mine has been playing it like mad this weekend and sent me an email last night to say he had completed the single-player campaign - but is now planning to start again on a higher difficulty.
Yes, it really is that good.

An early present....

IF ONLY I could get my hands on Killzone 2 before most other gamers.....
Well, it looks like I can! After checking play.com on Sunday night, I did a quick check to see stock and pricing of the much-anticipated game, due out this Friday - and was amazed to see it was in stock and ready to ship!
I checked the forums to see if there was a catch, apparently there wasn't, so I ordered it Monday morning, and early Tuesday checked the order to find it has been posted! Woo hoo!
So hopefully it will arrive Thursday and I can get an extra 24 hours head start on the rest of you!

A tale of two demos

THIS weekend the PlayStation Network has demonstrated quite effectively how game demos should - and should not - be done correctly.
The first to mention is the hugely-anticipated Killzone 2 demo. After downloading it and booting it up, negotiating the start menus (the slight shakey camera-style is a little off-putting), the game started - and absolutely blew me away.
Fantastic graphics, smooth and fluid gameplay, intelligent AI (where the baddies actually run out of the way and hide if you throw a grenade at them) - it was all I had wished and waited for.
Add to that the fact that you can choose different configurations of controls to suit your play - in ways that actually suit different gamers, not just ones that are put in their because they think they should - this demo will definitely shift copies of Killzone 2, including the one I buy.
But, on the other side of the coin, comes - Resident Evil 5.
Again, this was highly anticipated, but once I had downloaded it, I went to the options screen - and it all froze.
I restarted my PS3, booted the demo up again, started the game straight away, got through the first cut scene - and it locked up my console again!
I reset it and deleted the demo! Later that day I went round to a friend's house on whose console it actually worked, to find that, even in these advanced times, you still can't run and shoot at the same time!
Yes, the graphics are impressive, but hasn't gameplayed moved on a bit?
So, thanks for the demos - it has definitely made my mind up on what I will and won't be buying!

To trade, or not to trade....

I'M facing a dilemma at the moment.
As always happens this time of year, cash is in short supply, but as a keen gamer, I don't want to miss out on the latest big releases.
And with just Killzone 2 (a must-have) just weeks away, I'm pondering how I'm going to find the cash to buy it.
Now, my friend has made the bold decision to trade in his copy of Resistance 2 at Gamestation for a £20 credit note.
I have the same game, but am only a third of the way through the game and still enjoy the online aspect - but as has been pointed out to me, will I really play both games?
So, do I trade in a game I still enjoy for one I really want, or do I keep both, and try and find some other way of finding the cash? Ideally I would own both, but I don't think that's an option.
And if I do wait until near the Killzone 2 release, the trade-in value will go down - decisions, decisions.....