Earlier this week we released the third DLC pack for Killzone 3, ‘From The Ashes’, as well as a DLC Bundle containing all three DLC packs which you can find here. Of course there’s only one way to celebrate this momentous occasion: organize a Triple XP Weekend!

You read that right – from Friday, June 24 at 17:00 PM UK time, until Monday, June 27 at 9:00 AM UK time, all XP earned in Killzone 3′s multiplayer matches will be tripled. So whether you’re exploring new DLC maps or just re-acquainting yourself with the stock maps, you’ll rank up faster than ever!

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Last week we posted preview videos of the first two maps from “From The Ashes”, the third DLC pack for Killzone 3. Today we’re offering preview videos of the other two maps included with the pack: Tharsis Depot and Radec Academy. If these names sound familiar, it’s because they’re re-imagined and revamped versions of the beloved Killzone 2 maps.

The first preview video features Tharsis Depot, a Guerrilla Warfare map for 16 Players based on the Killzone 2 classic. After incurring damage during the ISA invasion of Helghan, the depot has been converted to process nuclear Petrusite. The Helghast made extensive use of jetpacks to facilitate the reconstruction process, but the harsh conditions resulting from the damage still made it a grueling endeavor. The ISA have locked their sights on Tharsis Depot now that it’s back in full-scale production, and this time they intend to finish the job they started.

To give you a sense of what’s changed, this video shows comparisons of the original and the new version:

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Hello everyone,

We’re happy to present a live action short that takes place before the events of the Killzone games. Some of you may have read the back story on Killzone.com and found out about the origins of the Helghast, the start of the war, etc. We’ve been looking for ways to add a personal touch to this back story. We found a team that was able to transform it into a live action short, which tells the story of two friends from different backgrounds, who are separated and become increasingly alienated from one another.

In the short, we listen in on video communications between the two friends, one on Vekta and one recently exiled to Helghan.

We hope you enjoy this small glimpse into what life was like before the war started in Killzone!

Thanks,

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Hi everyone! Guerrilla art director Jan-Bart van Beek here, with an interesting bit of news for the hardcore Killzone fans among you.

I was recently asked to contribute to a new volume in Ballistic Publishing’s line of digital artist master class books, titled d’artiste: Character Modeling 3. The request surprised me a little at first, because I’m not a character artist myself; I’m a director of character artists. As my job title implies, I direct other artists in the creation of assets for the Killzone franchise, making sure their output is consistent with the gritty, ‘hard sci-fi’ look for which our games are known.

However, I soon realized this would be a good opportunity to share my unique vantage point overlooking the entire character creation pipeline at Guerrilla. The resulting chapter has become a rather comprehensive overview of the character creation process used for Killzone 2. Taking Rico Velasquez and the Helghast Sniper as examples, the book walks the reader through every step of their development – starting with the rough initial ideas, and ending with their finalized in-game models. Along the way, various tools and techniques used at Guerrilla are explained in detail.

In addition to the chapter on Killzone 2, d’artiste: Character Modeling 3 also covers the works of Giovanni Nakpil and Cesar Dacol Jr., both renowned character modelers for major Hollywood productions such as Pirates of the Caribbean and 300. Their contributions to the book are nothing short of breathtaking, and I was extremely honored to see my name featured on the cover alongside theirs.

In short, if you’re a budding character artist or just a hardcore Killzone fan who’d like to know how characters are created at Guerrilla, d’artiste: Character Modeling 3 is a book worth tracking down. It’s the sort of resource I wish I’d had when I just started my career in the games industry. You can preview the entire book on the Ballistic Publishing website, or purchase it from their store in both limited and slipcased editions.

Publishing Information
ISBN #: Limited Edition: 978-1-921002-66-3 / Slip cased: 978-1-921002-67-0
Pages: 208 pages (Slipcased) / 208 pages (Limited Edition)
Authors: Cesar Dacol Jr, Jan-Bart van Beek, Giovanni Nakpil
Publishers: Daniel Wade, Mark Snoswell

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Hey All!

It has been a exciting week at Guerrilla Games with the release of the third DLC map pack “Napalm & Cordite”, the release of patch 1.29, the latest update to www.killzone.com, the announcement of the “Map Pack Bundle” and the opening of “Our World” an art exhibition here in the Netherlands based around the visually creative process of making the Killzone 2 universe and those that inhabit it.

So to celebrate all this we have decided to give back to the folks who have supported us through thick and thin since the release of Killzone 2: You. The most attractive and charismatic fans any video-game can have. (Yes, flattery won’t get me anywhere) And what better way to thank ones loyal fans than with POINTS!

This weekend from Friday at 17:30 GMT till Monday morning at 09:00, any games created will give extra XP points to let you guys rank up quicker and unlock those Badges and climb up the Leaderboard.

That way you get more bang for your buck, more meat on your sandwich, more points for your prizes, more sauce on your fries, more … okay I think you get it.

A Win will earn you a 2.5 multiplier and a Loss will still grant you the normal multiplier for a Win: 1.5. This applies only to individual points, not Clan Valor and will be available in all regions during this time.

We hope all those coming new to Killzone 2 and the veterans alike will take part in this celebration and make sure to keep an eye out for people with [GG] in front of their handles. We’ll be rocking the new DLC this weekend too.

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