We hope you’ll come visit us regularly at Killzone.com.

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 buck for your bang, 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.

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. The bundle is being offered as a “3 for the price of 2″ ($11.99).

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

Seb, MotherH, Downie

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 on the PlayStation Store July 23rd!

For more information visit Killzone.com.

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.

On Tuesday, June July 14th 2009 at 8AM Greenwich Mean Time, Guerrilla Games will release the 10th update for the visceral shooter, Killzone 2.

Patch 1.28 will be 91MB in size (316MB for Asian release) and will be released worldwide simultaneously pending a server update. There will be an anticipated server down-time of about 2 hours while the patch is rolled out and the server updates are completed and tested. The following fixes and features are included in this latest release:

• Feature - Code support for DLC pack III “Napalm & Cordite”. The update will enable players to create games with the newest maps “Suljeva Cliffside” and “Arctower Landing”
• Feature - Code support for DLC to allow the additions of the Flamethrower and the Boltgun to multiplayer.
• Trophies – New trophies added for DLC pack III “Napalm and Cordite”.
• Feature - Detailed information screen when browsing games. Items displayed include: Friendly Fire, Faction Balancing, Custom Weapons and Custom Badges as well as the region, game size, selected maps and allowed Missions and Badges.

• Feature - Higher values for Bodycount mode. Players can now create games with 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 50, 100 and 200 points to increase the time of the mode for 32 player games.
• Feature - Moderators can now create double-points events.
• Fix for persistent squads now working correctly when users using separate Japanese accounts join Friends.
• New loading screens.
• Moderation – Additional powers and functionality for online moderators.
• Fix for Clan Leader leaving his clan before an active Tournament of Clan Challenge.
• Fix for score replication on different clients.
• Fix for a Clan Challenge results displaying a won/lost games as a ‘Draw’.
• Fix for incorrect Tournament timings being displayed for (semi)-final.
• Fix for an empty message pop-up being displayed.
• ‘High Precision Mode’ now defaulting when requested.
• Fix for stuttering audio on the Asian version.
• Fix for network error displayed when trying to log in with another users account.
• Fix to reduce network traffic and improve performance.
• Fix for occasionally being displayed an empty background when ‘Join Friend’ via Communications tab.
• Exploit – Pyrrhus Rise map boundary fix.
• Exploit – Radec Academy collision fix to prevent players being revived inside a pillar and using it to their advantage.
• Cosmetic fix for Medic Gun visual effects.
• Cosmetic fix for Search & Retrieve object being cloaked by the Scout.
• Cosmetic fix for Scouts body remaining cloaked after being mortally wounded (i.e. headshot).
• Gameplay – Damage from Sentry bots tweaked back on request of the community.
• Collection of minor code fixes.

For the latest new content, news and all things Killzone, visit www.Killzone.com which will also reflect the changes made to the game such as being able to view Battle Replays of games played out on the new maps or being able to use the new settings to create Clan Challenges or Tournaments. Further features and fixes to www.Killzone.com include:

• Feature - Tournaments – Full tournament functionality enabled once again.
• Feature - Upcoming Tournaments are now displayed in a clan’s calendar.
• Feature - Upcoming Tournaments are now displayed in My Killzone upcoming events.
• Feature - Upcoming Tournaments are now displayed in clan communication center.
• Feature - Tournament and Clan Challenge support for DLC Pack III “Napalm & Cordite”.
• Feature - Additions of sounds in Battle Replays.
• Feature - Additional animations in Battle Replays.
• PlayStation®3 landing page updated.
• Higher selectable Bodycount values when creating Tournaments or Clan Challenges via www.Killzone.com.
• Various bug-fixes and minor updates.

With the release of the second Killzone 2 downloadable content pack “Flash & Thunder” on PlayStation Store today, we have been able to uncover Helghast documentation on their movements in the newest maps: Southern Hills and Beachhead. These two maps might be familiar to veterans of the first Killzone on PS2, but they have been completely reworked and re-imagined to suit the PLAYSTATION 3 experience. With that in mind, here’s a report from the frontlines on how to survive the Southern Hills and nuclear attack!

Helghast Field Manual 15: Surviving the Southern Hills

The treacherous ISA forces have resorted to using nuclear devices in their futile efforts to invade our beloved home-planet of Helghan. This cowardly act will not go unpunished and the Helghast High Command training corps has prepared a field manual to ensure its loyal soldiers do not die in vain. Read the below carefully as it could be the difference between your survival of a nuclear attack and turning into a burning corpse.

1. When you hear the siren, drop whatever you are doing. Just run like heck. A live soldier is a lot more useful to the Helghan Empire than a scorched, smoking one. You’ll only have a couple of seconds to get to cover, so don’t waste any time.
2. Science be damned! Just Duck & Cover! If you see the nuke going off the in the distance, simply ensure that you have a roof above your head. You don’t even have to close the windows or anything. Anyone caught outside will be turned into a something resembling jerky.
3. If you spawn in your base and hear the sirens going off, just stay where you are and the let the folks outside deal with the problems. You’ll be much quicker off the mark once the dust settles.
4. Sentry Bots and Sentry Turrets are not immune to the devastating power of the nuke. Don’t leave them sitting outside, or they will turn into burning chunks like anything else. Place Sentry turrets inside to ensure their safety and they will cut off the enemies path to shelter.
5. If you are inside, watch the doorways for enemies ducking inside to safety. Or even better, mow them down with an emplaced machine gun before they get anywhere near. That’ll teach ‘em to run like dogs!
6. Out in the open? Any base can be a safe spot from the impending nuclear annihilation. If you find yourself far from home, just go duck into the enemies’ base. Your chances of survival will be higher than out in the open.
7. The Bots in Killzone 2 do have a sense of self-preservation and when that siren sounds, they will try to save themselves as much as any living player. Follow them for the closest safe-spot, but make sure no sneaky ISA scum are hiding in there in the first place.
8. Repaired ammo boxes and Emplaced MG’s will not be destroyed by the blast, so you won’t have to repair them again.
9. Assassination targets! If the siren goes off, get to cover. I repeat, run like hell. Nothing worse than successfully defending the target and having it turned into smithereens before your very eyes and not being able to do anything about it.
10. If all else fails, climb up the ladder to the roof of the central base to get a good view of the explosion in the east. It might cause you a fiery death, but damn it the explosion is too sexy not to look at in all of its splendor.

Keep these tips in mind when the ISA Cruisers launch their gutless assault on our beloved planet and you might just survive another day.

All hail Visari!

Master Sergeant Downie
5th Helghast Training Corps
Pyrrhus Rise

For a Q&A on the Flash & Thunder DLC pack, visit www.killzone.com here:

Many of you have been asking when we would have a ‘Snipe the dev’ event again like we had with Killzone 1 and Killzone: Liberation, and let me tell you that time is NOW!

Well, tomorrow anyway. Close enough. At 10:00AM Pacific on Tuesday, May 5 we are holding a “Guerrilla Warfare” event on the US servers to celebrate the release of our first DLC Pack: “Steel & Titanium,” and to generally kick some ass. I have assembled the most battle-hardened and skillful developers at Guerrilla Games to go onto the servers and take you through our two newest maps: “Wasteland Bullet” and “Vekta Cruiser,” now available on the Playstation Store.

The developers at Guerrilla Games will be hosting some “Official games,” which some of you will be able to join with passwords provided by the staff here at PlayStation.Blog. If you join those games, we’ll take you on a tour of the new levels, talk about their development and generally hang out. To receive the password and find out the room names, you’ll have to follow the PlayStation.Blog Twitter account: twitter.com/sonyplaystation. There will be plenty of Guerrillas roaming the servers too, picking fights and generally acting as target practice. Also, we will be holding a similar event on the EU servers very shortly after, so no need to all flood over.

So, to recap:

WHAT: Play two of the newest Killzone 2 maps online with Guerrilla Games.

WHEN: Games start at 10AM Pacific / 1PM Eastern tomorrow, May 5.

WHERE: “Official” Guerrilla-hosted Killzone 2 games (US only)

HOW: Check twitter.com/sonyplaystation at 9:30AM Pacific / 12:30PM Eastern for passwords to the official games.

So see you tomorrow, and if you see a [GG] tag in front of the name of a passing enemy, say hi to him before blowing his brains out and tea-bagging him. He’ll appreciate it more that way.

Seb “motherh” Downie

PS: Voting for the Golden Joysticks has opened and us being a bunch of attention-seeking media-whores, we always like to see our names in lights, so take a minute and vote for Killzone 2 for the ‘Multiplayer Game of the Year,’ Playstation GOTY, Soundtrack OTY and Ultimate GOTY here. Thanks a lot!