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Kojima suggests Killzone 2 controls are rushed photo

Game industry icon Hideo "all cutscenes, all the time" Kojima has suggested that Killzone 2's motion control implementations were rushed, and in doing so has warned his fellow game developers that careful use of such new control schemes is important. After spending some time with the upcoming PS3 exclusive, Kojima reported a less than fluid experience with the Sixaxis:

For some players, motion control will come naturally straight away, but for others it might feel difficult, so the game designer is really now responsible to think about which direction he or she should take. I played Killzone 2 this morning, actually, and it was funny because the FPS control was traditional FPS, but when you come to a door and have to kind of open the latch, you all of a sudden have to use the Sixaxis, and nobody was succeeding. So maybe they were kind of rushing to implement the technical design, which might not be the correct way to do it in that title.

It's certainly nice to see people talking about more than just the graphics, but dodgy Sixaxis controls are not a good sign, especially if nobody was getting them right. It will probably be a little niggle, and one gamers will swiftly adapt to, but Kojima is right to advise caution when using motion controls. Briskly shoehorning them in merely for inclusion's sake is rather silly and can lead to problems like the one Kojima mentions. Just because you have something, doesn't mean you're bound by law to use it. I sometimes miss the days when buttons were enough for developers.


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46 comments | showing # 1 to 46

randombullseye's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 06:21
randombullseye
Just to restate my opinion of motion control: I want it to always be optional.
EternalDeathSlayer's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 06:22
EternalDeathSlayer
I always miss the days when buttons were enough for a developer.

For cereal.
SnakeDude4Life's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 06:26
SnakeDude4Life
OMGFG!!!!!!!!11!one!!!\


Whoever does "Kojima" guy is, he must be a XBOT!

How dare he insult The Great Sony's Kill Zone 2 Or Sony's AWESOME SixAxis.

Go back to M$, you XBOT!!!!!!11!!!!

[/Ssarcasm]
EternalDeathSlayer's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 06:35
EternalDeathSlayer
That sarcasm was completely unwarranted.

Just saying.....
Y0j1mb0's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 06:38
Y0j1mb0
I miss the days when developers would not talk shit about games they weren't involved in to get attention.
SnakeDude4Life's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 06:43
SnakeDude4Life
@Slayer
Isn't most sarcastic remarks unwarranted?

sarcastic
JACK of No Trades's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 06:53
JACK of No Trades
Jimbo

lol, I highly doubt that Kojima wanted attention.
Endstiem's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 06:59
Endstiem
Motion Control certainly has it's place in games like Wario Ware and the like, but I agree.... it should always be optional. I remember trying to play Far Cry on the Wii... besides being a horrid game, it was ridiculous getting to grips with the controls.
Jim Sterling's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 07:01
Jim Sterling
Jimbo:

Seriously, Kojima said it to get attention? Kojima? Somehow I doubt that, mate.
PixelJunky's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 07:15
PixelJunky
@Jim - this is quite the sensationalist title for your piece. He's stating the 0.00001% of gameplay time you have to stop and open a door using sixaxis controls feels a bit rushed or tacked on. He's not saying that the entire control scheme is rushed.

The Killzone devs are trying to break things up in the action and thought this control scheme would help bring you into the game more. God forbid people try new things.
Y0j1mb0's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 07:16
Y0j1mb0
Perhaps the word attention is the wrong word to use but I remember when the only time you used to hear a developer speak was when someone cornered them for an interview about their game.

Nowadays they're all about dropping criticisms about each others works. It seems like an unwritten code of courtesy has been officially discarded ... and for what? If you had an issue with a game I made wouldn't it be easier for you to pick up the phone and tell me personally versus a third party?

If it's not attention garnering then what it is it? Being a prick?
Dr Dtoid's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 07:23
Dr Dtoid
Why don't they understan that sixaxis isn't good?
Demtor's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 07:23
Demtor
What is worse, having to fast tap a button to open anything and everything (Viking:Battle of Asgard) or being forced to use motion controls to crank a handle? I could do without either really. Last I checked, one button presses to open doors can still work very well. It has for the last 10 years.

Your intuitive use of controls on doors isn't really sucking me in to your shitty game, trust me. Its a fucking door, these aren't new to games. If I have to spend more than 2 seconds at a god damned door, its probably not fun.
Jim Sterling's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 07:28
Jim Sterling
Jimbo:

Everything about Kojima suggests he's nothing but a class act. If he talks about another game, it's usually always nice and with the good of the game in mind. He played Killzone 2 and shared his thoughts on it, and used it to highlight a common problem we have at the moment. I don't think he did anything wrong in the slightest.
EternalDeathSlayer's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 07:34
EternalDeathSlayer
You know, he didn't throw the entire game under the bus. He only said he didn't like the motion controls. I agree it's not really his place to say anything, but he didn't really do any harm, and if he's right, hopefully any attention this garners inspires the Killzone dev team to make things right.

So in that case, this could turn out good.
Dr Dtoid's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 07:57
Dr Dtoid
If the just fix the sixaxis everything will be good. I can't even think of one good game with good sixaxis controls.
@ Jim:

Do you know if Mirror's Edge sixaxis is good or not?
bipolar beers's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 07:59
bipolar beers
to this day the best use of motion sensing ive seen on ps3 was in folklore.
Spectreman's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 08:28
Spectreman
* Motion controls in PS3 never works well. I hate every time that a game use it. In Wii is good, most of time, bacause the focus is in that. But in PS3 is like a "well, let´s put the motion here". Poor Lair.
whatisdelicious's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 08:29
whatisdelicious
Kojima really shouldn't have said anything to the press, especially about SIXAXIS controls, or really, controls in general. All he did was tout his own SIXAXIS controls for a really long time, then just kept scaling them back and removing many of them altogether.

Besides, it's just a really low move to talk to the press about a specific game's problems like this, especially when said game is still six months from release. Kojima isn't playing the final build, so the idiot should realize that everything he's playing is rushed.

He should've just talked to the Killzone guys directly, and then if he wanted to make a comment to the press about the state of SIXAXIS controls, he shouldn't call them out personally simply out of respect. They've got enough of a challenge making that game live up to expectations without Hideo fucking Kojima already bashing the game design.
BlackFreefall's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 08:30
BlackFreefall
I think is great that Kojima is giving his two cent about Killzone 2. How many game developers are able to implement the SixAxis control correctly and fluidly into thier games?
Many game developers shun away from the SixAxis. This is the kind of feedback Guerilla needs just so they can tweak every element of the SixAxis if they wish to use it.
covah's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 08:40
covah
@whatisdelicious

wow, someone took offense. This kind of shit happens all the time (others talking about specific games.) Remember when Insomniac said that Super Mario Galaxy copied Ratchet and Clank because it had spherical worlds? Yeah this isn't new.

Anyways, while I don't think Kojima should talking about weird controls, but I think crap sixaxis controls need to be called out. Look at Lair for instance... yeah. What if no one ever said "this game's controls are pure shit"
Professor Pew's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 08:46
Professor Pew
Sounds like something Guerilla would do. Ugh.
The-Excel's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 08:47
The-Excel
"Just because you have something, doesn't mean you're bound by law to use it."
This is something developers just don't get anymore. I noticed this being ignored since the time the DS came out and it doesn't look like things are going to be better any time soon.
whatisdelicious's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 10:08
whatisdelicious
@covah: I don't remember Insomniac saying anything, but if they did, that's just as petty.

The point I'm making is that developers don't need to bash each other's games. It's not another developer's responsibility to call out LAIR's controls, for instance; it's reviewers' and gamers' responsibility.

And in Killzone's specific case, they've already got astronomical expectations to meet, so they don't need this kind of attention on them. Kojima should've been a little more professional and spoke to them confidentially to offer advice on making the SIXAXIS controls more intuitive, and then spoken to the gaming press on the state of SIXAXIS controls without specifically calling Killzone 2 into question.

Finally, beyond all that, he's playing a build of the game that is incomplete and still has about five more months to be worked on. So of course it's rushed. Why would he expect it to be perfect? He should realize the danger of making judgments based on incomplete builds of games.


I'd also just like to mention that I'm not saying any of this out of some blind loyalty to Sony, Guerilla, or Killzone 2. The first one was one of the worst FPSs I've ever played, but this one looks really promising, so all the help they can get would be great.

I just feel that it was really unprofessional and hypocritical for Kojima of all people to be publicly calling out an unfinished game's controls when all of his games have had godawful controls (even MGS4) and flawed game design. To be perfectly honest, I feel like this was a total dick move.
Max Power's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 10:14
Max Power
Just make the doors open by running through them. That's how I do it in real life.
Phantom Spaceman's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 10:53
Phantom Spaceman
After the controls in MGS3, I don't think Kojima has the right to talk about shitty controls ever.
Joe Burling's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 11:00
Joe Burling
MGS4 has some of the worst controls I've played this generation. Remove the splinter, Kojima.
-PL-'s Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 11:05
-PL-
MGS4 felt fine to me, but MGS3... oh my god... MGS3 had the most frustrating controls I've ever put myself through. I'm proud of myself for finishing that game just because it was so painful to play.
brainderailment's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 11:21
brainderailment
Put all the motion controls you want to in a game, I don't care. Just make sure it's OPTIONAL!

Also, I find it funny that Kojima is the one criticizing someone's control scheme. MGS controls were natural before MGS4.

Either way, I think the control scheme for COD4 is really good for an FPS, and I hope the Killzone2 guys copy it for the most part.
TheRemedy's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 11:58
TheRemedy
Wow you guys sure are dicks. For starters, it's a snippet from a much larger interview found at,

http://games.kikizo.com/features/hideo-kojima-interview-2008-p1.asp

Secondly, he's an industry legend offering professional advice. He didn't say "Killzone 2 is shit!" He and several others apparently had a problem with one facet of the game and wanted to shed light on it.

Let's make a deal, when you've created some of the greatest games of all time you can then comment on Kojima's professionalism. But until then, STFU.
Knigge's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 12:00
Knigge
He's also a Japanese developer. So maybe it's just in his blood not to get it.
Emrah's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 12:05
Emrah
I liked Killzones demoed implementation, r1+r2 and turn the controller, it is kind of immersive. And I wanted uncharted to use sixaxis in the wheel turning parts, but they used tap triangle, wiggle stick combo. That sounded bad, I know.
Sharpless's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 12:22
Sharpless
@Yojimbo
Why so defensive? This is Kojima we're talking about. He doesn't need to talk shit. Why is he not entitled to an opinion about a game, just like us? His concern is a valid one. I think most of us are well aware of just how questionable motion control's implementation can often be. I really don't think Sony's quite gotten the hang of it, and it doesn't surprise me at all that Killzone 2 might botch it.
Phantom Spaceman's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 12:26
Phantom Spaceman
Let's make a deal, when you've created some of the greatest games of all time you can then comment on Kojima's professionalism. But until then, STFU.

Replace "greatest" with "most overrated" and you're correct.
stevesan's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 12:28
stevesan
sony...DON'T FUCK THIS UP. I DON'T WANT ANOTHER FUCKING LAIR. GAHHH.
Too Much Coffee Man's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 14:50
Too Much Coffee Man
Motion control in a controller shaped like the wii, that you hold like a wii-mote; that seems natural.

I never found the SixAxis natural. It's always felt awkward & forced.
RWarrior1CO's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 15:35
RWarrior1CO
Heh, and all Kojima did with motion controls was to use it to control how much Old Snake would open the lid of the garbage bins he can hide in. And, uh, something else. I forget what. But really, he hardly made use of it at all.
Emrah's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 18:25
Emrah
Also, pixeljunky is spot on, this is something you'll be doing 0.0001 percent of the time you're playing. No need to exaggarate, it is not like you are using sixaxis for targeting.
-PL-'s Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 20:07
-PL-
Actually... I use the sixaxis all the time when I'm playing Pixeljunk Eden. The downward thrust is extremely useful if you KNOW you're going to miss a jump, and need to go downwards really quick to make the jump. And it works really well, because basically all you have to do is jerk the controller downwards and it works... there's no lame "steering" or anything you have to do.
Cube's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/25/2008 21:19
Cube
Does it really matter?

All FPS on consoles with those damn little analog stick suck balls to control anyway.

you cant improve a control device that already sucks at the hardware level for FPS.
Felixader's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/05/2008 06:25
Felixader
A similar "not fun" problem is going on with quick time events.

Best Example for that is Mercs2.

Althougth i really love that game for it's (really really bugy) action and it's absolutely awesome CoopMode, it absolutly kills the fun when you have to use expanding quicktime events to get into an damn Helicopter and, if you fu.... fail, fall down to the ground where the same Flying machine cuts you to slices with its MG.
Drach's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/29/2008 09:06
Drach
Now let me get this straight.. Kojima says the motion sensing controls are rushed, therefore 25% of you have come out to say that they hated the controls in Metal Gear Solid 3 and 4? Uh.. And you finished these games...
forgive me for being the devils advocate.. but If you pick a game up, and you cannot stand or understand the controls, why are you still playing this game? You should either return the game or let your friend play it. The only reason you would have for finishing a game with controls that you dislike would be what? You ENJOY being tortured. You are a masochist.

As for Metal Gears controls, I always found them as second nature. Always fairly easy to control. I also found each Metal Gear game purchase to be a well spent one.

I often find people bashing these games.. but I honestly call you people out. Did you finish the game? Did you spend all the time with these "horrid controls" to beat the game? If you answer yes then you are contradicting yourself by saying that the controls and game suck, "but I played through the whole thing" Liar.. if the controls are so bad.. you should be UNABLE to complete it. Because that's exactly what "bad controls" eual out to.. you can't finish the game.
It's like me when I buy ZotE expecting everything the metal gear game offered. I was sadly disappointed with Zone of the Enders. I expected more out of Hideo and I was burned by it. that doesn't mean it's a Horrid game, nor does it mean that someone else didn't like it.

These days I won't pass judgment on a game until it's finished, and I've played it beginning to it's end.
But I do agree with some of you.. Saying this to a member of the press seems a bit unprofessional. And I would almost go as far as to say pretentious. But for all we know he hangs out in Amsterdam with the people who are making Killzone 2 helping them with programming and whatnot.

I think Hideo "all cut scenes all the time" Kojima means well.
DemonEyes23's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/02/2009 14:32
DemonEyes23
Agreed activating bombs and whatnot is awkward but i'd also like to add that the implementation of the motion controls during sniping was genius. When you snipe you actually have to steady your hands or risk throwing your shot off. Also if you dare the sixaxis can actually be used to help aim your shots, the motion controls give you a slightly smoother way to aim a tthose hard to hit targets it works so well.
wanderingpixel's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/02/2009 17:02
wanderingpixel
I didn't have a problem with the sixaxis controls. But I can see how some might.
hjd uk's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/03/2009 10:40
hjd uk
Publishers and Hardware lincencers push to have their motion controls in games. The last PS3 title I worked on HAD to have a Sixxaxis motion control input option even though it was unresponsive and not really suited to the type of game.
Superfluous Moniker's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/04/2009 19:08
Superfluous Moniker
Less sound bites and more porting Metal Gear to 360, Kojima.
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