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

Rate: (Average: 4.48 out of 5)

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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.

Rate: (Average: 4.53 out of 5)

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Hey all,

Tomorrow our third DLC “Napalm & Cordite” will be released, allowing you to nail or toast your enemies with the addition of the Boltgun and Flamethrower. For those of you that might have only just picked up Killzone 2, or have not jumped on the DLC wagon yet, we’ve got an announcement to make.

Also going live tomorrow is a Bundle of map packs Steel & Titanium, Flash & Thunder and Napalm & Cordite combined. And we are calling it the ‘Map Pack Bundle’, original I know, but it does what it says on the lid.

So enjoy all the destruction and beauty of Killzone 2 Multiplayer DLC with these 6 great maps.

Seb, MotherH, Downie

Rate: (Average: 4.43 out of 5)

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Napalm & Cordite, the new downloadable content pack for Killzone 2, contains two exciting new multiplayer maps: Suljeva Cliffside, which takes place on the rocky outskirts of the Suljeva mining village; and Arctower Landing, which revisits the Arctower defense posts of Blood Meridian. On top of that, the DLC pack allows you to wield a pair of weapons which were previously accessible only through the single player campaign!

Napalm: The VC1 Flamethrower
Found in the Suljeva Cliffside map, the VC1 Flamethrower projects an ignited stream of flammable liquid at high pressure. Consisting of low-octane gasoline and an unidentified component indigenous to Helghan, this form of Napalm is extremely effective for clearing out enemy trenches and bunkers.

Cordite: The Boltgun 4400
Also known as “The Handyman”, the semi-automatic Boltgun 4400 can be picked up in the Arctower Landing map. It uses Cordite to propel metal bolts at an extremely high velocity, often pinning its targets to walls and other objects. In addition, each round contains a time-delayed explosive charge – so if impalement doesn’t finish the target off, the ensuing explosion will.

Napalm & Cordite – an explosive cocktail
Both of these weapons radically alter the Killzone 2 multiplayer dynamic, delivering an experience that’s as fresh as it is intense. If you’re a veteran Killzone 2 online player looking to mix it up, or if you simply liked wielding these weapons in the single player campaign, Napalm & Cordite is your ticket. Look for it in the PlayStation Store from July 23!

For more information visit Killzone.com

Rate: (Average: 4.37 out of 5)

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Hello there PlayStation Blog! It’s good to be back. And it’s even better to be back with some exciting news for you guys. There is a new DLC pack incoming, called Napalm & Cordite. It has flames and bolts will fulfill the wishes of many of our weirdest fans. There will be more info on that next week, for now let’s focus on the patch.

As with any good DLC, it needs a great patch. We’ve been scouring the forums, stopping and interrogating you in the streets and using futuristic mind-reading technology* to find out what you wanted changed in Killzone 2 and have done our best to try and accommodate that with our patches. So it is time for the latest and greatest update to come to Killzone 2, imaginatively titled: Patch 1.28. (How we come up with these snappy names I’ll never know)

So without further ado, here is the official press-release with the list of new features and fixes for you to go through and discuss further. I’ll be hanging around the comments section for a wee while, so feel free to ask any questions you might have regarding the below, or anything Killzone related.

Over and out. Seb “MotherH” Downie

*Futuristic technology comprising mainly of some rope, a hammer and some knee-caps.
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Rate: (Average: 4.45 out of 5)

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