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we need proper updates for those cjakes. they need to be in the op.
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Mar 23, 2018 18:59
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I think those beans are called wax beans?
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Mar 24, 2018 01:18
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Blind Sally posted:we need proper updates for those cjakes. they need to be in the op.       
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Mar 24, 2018 01:35
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nice
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Mar 24, 2018 01:50
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It would have been funny if you had the same visari gimmick as in KZ2 and you had to fit those two intermissions in there
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Mar 24, 2018 01:55
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HardDiskD posted:It would have been funny if you had the same visari gimmick as in KZ2 and you had to fit those two intermissions in there It's funny, I was looking over the old Killzone 1 table of contents--and sweet Jesus is that one a mess--and I kind of kicked myself because I could have had Visari on the intro slice for this one just to complete the hat trick of "Visari looking into the camera like a loving nutter" shot trifecta across all through games.
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Mar 24, 2018 02:14
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Mar 24, 2018 02:21
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My people, sons and daughters of Helghan... Peekaboo.
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Mar 24, 2018 03:14
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painedforever posted:Hell, almost forgot about this one. I've edited some of the names, fixed some of the spellings. Still a week to go! Let's try to keep the thread alive. CJacobs posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uU-tBIG4-U CJacobs posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cfUGdg-Rgc
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Mar 24, 2018 05:11
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Mar 24, 2018 06:20
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nine-gear crow posted:It's funny, I was looking over the old Killzone 1 table of contents--and sweet Jesus is that one a mess--and I kind of kicked myself because I could have had Visari on the intro slice for this one just to complete the hat trick of "Visari looking into the camera like a loving nutter" shot trifecta across all through games. It's not too late to change yet! And I think it's a nice contrast if you have three Visari looking like a nutter then suddenly statue Visari looking all thoughtful and poo poo. It's like poetry, it rhymes. Except it's the opposite.
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Mar 24, 2018 23:54
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As we wait and pray for more Shadow Fall and maybe Mercenary, I've embarked on another ill-advised quest, helping Artix and co. tackle Final Fantasy Type-0, the most shockingly Killzone of all Final Fantasies thus far. So if you're hard up for more war crimes, check it out. Because gently caress me, are there a LOT of war crimes in Type-0. I'm not making that up.
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Mar 26, 2018 03:13
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FF Type-0 came up in the Nier: Automata thread and apparently the premise is pretty much "What if Yoko Taro directed a Final Fantasy game?", though I don't know much more than that.
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Mar 26, 2018 04:54
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HardDiskD posted:FF Type-0 came up in the Nier: Automata thread and apparently the premise is pretty much "What if Yoko Taro directed a Final Fantasy game?", though I don't know much more than that. You're not wrong, not by a long shot. It's somewhere in the sweet spot between Yoko Taro and Paul Verhoeven with its abrupt and casual disregard, almost hatred, for human life.
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Mar 26, 2018 04:58
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The summons in FF Type 0 are awkward as gently caress to use, Bahamut especially.
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Mar 26, 2018 06:28
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What even is this thread anymore and why are my sides reaching escape velocity?
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Mar 28, 2018 20:25
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painedforever posted:Hell, almost forgot about this one. I've edited some of the names, fixed some of the spellings. Still a week to go! Let's try to keep the thread alive. nine-gear crow posted:Oh, is it time for this yet?
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Mar 30, 2018 12:39
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Mar 30, 2018 13:12
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It was wax beans again.
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Mar 30, 2018 17:14
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Woo, so I've been released from jail and everything is back to normal. First chapter of Mercenary is recorded, so it' looks like things are gonna work out for this thread. Mercenary has officially gone from "definitely maybe" to "welp, looks like we're loving doing this."
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Apr 8, 2018 22:02
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But I don't know if CJacobs has cleaned his room yet!
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Apr 8, 2018 22:10
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that's in episode 52!
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Apr 8, 2018 22:40
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Blind Sally posted:Woo, so I've been released from jail and everything is back to normal. First chapter of Mercenary is recorded, so it' looks like things are gonna work out for this thread. Mercenary has officially gone from "definitely maybe" to "welp, looks like we're loving doing this." The jail thing wasn't a joke?
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Apr 8, 2018 23:05
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Monocled Falcon posted:The jail thing wasn't a joke? He's Canadian, iirc, so jail is quite different in Canadia. It's more like a brief rehab-y time out.
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Apr 8, 2018 23:13
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Don't do the war crime if you can't do the time, a Killzone story
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Apr 8, 2018 23:20
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naked jail was definitely a joke
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Apr 8, 2018 23:25
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Also more good news, we've not got at least 3 videos worth of content lined up and recorded for Shadow Fall, so hopefully once all my packing is done for the move at the end of the month I can find some time to get everything edited and posts done up for them. So the LP is slowly getting back on track on both fronts.
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Apr 8, 2018 23:37
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Blind Sally posted:naked jail was definitely a joke And Trudeau said he'd fix it, just another one of Justin's broken promises.
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Apr 8, 2018 23:48
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Apr 10, 2018 08:27
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Apr 10, 2018 11:02
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A question for the ages, one that will never see an answer.
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Apr 10, 2018 11:21
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Apr 10, 2018 11:33
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A miserable pile of secrets.
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Apr 11, 2018 13:37
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iospace posted:A miserable pile of secrets. And dirty jokes.
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Apr 11, 2018 17:53
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White Coke posted:And dirty jokes. Just dick jokes, everywhere.
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Apr 11, 2018 18:12
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 This is it. Welcome to the best Killzone, available only for the best console, the PS Vita TV, the King of all Consoles. This is the Killzone where they throw away all pretext of revenge and honour and let you play as an rear end in a top hat mercenary who wants to make lots of sweet blood money. In Mercenary, you fight the Helghast or the ISA depending on whoever is paying you the most or whoever is less pissed off at you. This game has you gleefully racking up dollars with each headshot and using it to buy bigger and more monstrous weapons that defy the Geneva Conventions. Buy yourself a backpack full of homing missiles, a remote-controlled Cerebral Bore, and a pocket drone. Be the most murderous, douche-baggy James Bond that ever existed. Oh, and did I forget to mention that you get to play as a soldier from the most badass of Killzone planets? That's right, you get to play as some fucker from Earth. This specific fucker right here:  Aaron Danner, Earthman Supreme. Look at this rear end in a top hat. Look at his stupid hat and his dumb facial hair. He has the worst tribal sleeve tattoos and always wears sunglasses.  This guy. This Corey Hart wanna be motherfucking silent-protagonist PMC scumbag is who we get to play in Killzone: Mercenary. And you know what? He's the best protagonist we're ever gonna get in a Killzone game. So welcome. Welcome to--  oh poo poo, gently caress, whoops, i meant--  As usual, quick look at the intro before we get into any gameplay or commentary. Mercenary, whether you like it or not, does its story-telling in a VERY different way than all the other Killzones. As you watch the brief intro, which is essentially a retelling of Killzone 1 and the events leading up to from the perspective of a history YouTube channel, it's important to keep in mind what you're really looking at:  Killzone: Merc is played on a PS Vita. And yes, I know how that sounds, but I mean the Vita is acknowledged in the in-game universe to an extent. When you are in the game's menu, when you are looking up achievements or selecting a mission, when you are watching briefing information like this video here, you are watching on this thing on Danner's arm right here:  This is your Vanguard device. This allows Danner to communicate with the world, whether that's cashing in at the end of a mission, buying sweet crap, or taking orders from his boss. Danner is a silent protagonist, the only one in the Killzone universe thus far, so you the player are expected to project onto this piece of poo poo. Will you be the altruistic mercenary who manages to do the right thing despite being a parasite? Or will you be a right proper scumbag, only doing things because it makes you money and is morbidly fun? Mercenary does a good job of handling the silent protagonist thing, in my opinion, but I'll let you decide for yourselves as the game plays out. What's important to remember while we go through this LP is that this is on a PS Vita TV, so the touchpad extras that Guerrilla threw in to make you feel like you were actually interacting with Danner's wrist communicator are somewhat lost in translation. Take your very first action of the game for example. A finger print scanner appears on the screen. On a real Vita, you'd have to touch it yourself, starting the game with YOUR first official act as Aaron Danner. In the Vita TV, this is accomplished with a "Press X" prompt. Ah well. If you can, keep an eye out for Danner's left hand when it appears on screen. You'll see the in-game pause menu idling on the Vanguard. It's good.  The game won't actually start until you complete the scan. Your first act of the game is acknowledging that you are Aaron Danner. Or I should say, you "scan" your finger and discover that you are Aaron Danner. Surprise!  The intro is a brief history of the lead up to the First Extrasolar War right up through the events of Killzone 1 to Killzone: Liberation. Yeah, you remember Liberation? Mercenary does!  Though I bemoan the loss of actual cutscenes in this game, I do enjoy that these info dump videos are filled with lots of little background details. They're the real blink and you'll miss them kind of details, and though I've played this game a dozen times, I'm still finding out little things. Take this shot of Alpha Centauri, for example. It lists the names of planets in the system besides Vekta and Helghan. Of note, there's Epictetus, Aeschylus, and Mefitis. Epictetus was a Greek Stoic philosopher. One of his tenets was that all external events and happenings are beyond our control. Things happen and you just gotta accept it. However, he was a stoic that felt that virtue was in and of itself sufficient for happiness, so hey, no matter what happens, as long as remain responsible for your own actions and lead a virtuous life, you should be alright. His planet is on the Vekta side. Mefitis was the Samnite god of foul-smelling gases of the earth. In English, the adjective "mephitic" means "noxious", "poisonous", or "offensive in odour". This planet is also on the Vektan side, so you decide what they're trying to say  Aeschylus was another ancient Greek. He was a playwright and is often considered the "father of tragedy". He was pretty prolific, but only a few of his plays survive today. Humanity's understanding of the genre begins with his works. His planet is on the Helghan side. I'll be honest, aside from a passing knowledge of stoicism and Aeschylus' influence, I'm not super familiar with any of these figures, so if anyone has anymore to add, please feel free!  Vektan's moons are named Fortune and Hope because of course they are.  Anyways, once the narrative kicks in, it's a pretty bare-bones retelling of the history of the conflict. A lot of detail and nuance that was in that lore website Guerrilla used to have online gets lost in favour of giving just the major story beats. Which makes sense. Aaron Danner is a merc and really doesn't need to know THAT much as long as he knows who to shoot to get sweet headshot cash bonuses. And obviously, you don't want to alienate new players with too much story overload. We do know that this whole "asserting colonial independence" thing is kinda glossing over how the Helghan Corporation wanted to play it. Remember, outside of Alpha Centauri, Earth's colonies were even further away. To reach any of those places (like, presumably, Gyre), it was important to stop at Alpha Centauri where infrastructure was set up to refuel their ships. The Heghan Corporation wanted to tax the hell out of anyone using this service so that they could set themselves up as a dominant power. To briefly re-cap what was covered back in our Killzone 2 LP, the EarthGov saw what the Helghan Corporation was up to and put a stop to it before they could go full Weyland-Yutani. Say what you will about EarthGov's draconian measures, but when it comes to saving the human race from soulless profit-seeking corporations, they at least had that right. But anyways, so yeah, the CEOs of  The next series of events zoom through the rise of Visari, tensions between Helghan and Vektan, all culminating in the Vektan invasion which kicks off the events of Killzone 1. Not much to say here, though I do appreciate the timeline at the bottom of the screen keeping track of the approximate date and the video clips from previous games that anchor Mercenary into the great Killzone Universe. For point of reference, Mercenary will span Liberation's timeline through most of Killzone 2. Oh, and we get our first glimpse of a new non-Danner character, Sepp Harkin. He is the Vektan ambassador to Helghan. We'll see how that works out for him later on in the game.  This is a nice callback to Killzone: Libeation. Those of you who played it (besides myself, I'm looking at you, crow) will remember Rayhoven as one of the key locations of the game, being where the Red Dust nuke was created by Evelyn Batton. Those of you who paid particularly close attention to the lore of Liberation (once again, crow, you're the only one I'm looking at), may also recognize Diortem City as one of those background detail throw away names from the map printed on the back of the Liberation box art:  Just to make sure we're all keeping track, the events of Killzone 1 take place in Northern Vekta, where Vekta City itself is. Thus, Shadow Fall also takes place in Northern Vekta. Liberation and Mercenary, the portable games, are both in Southern Vekta.  We get a call-back to Liberation's big bad, Armin Metrac, here as well as meet his subordinate and our primary Helghast antogonist, Vyktor Kratek. Unlike most Helghast who follow the whole fascist space Nazi aesthetic, Kratek has gone hog-wild with the Saturday Morning cartoon super villain look, what with the weird-rear end robot skull head mask. I don't know what his loving deal is, but Kratek is ridiculous caricature and seems to be loving every bit of it. I can't help but imagine other Helghast leaders giving him a bit of a wide berth because he takes his job a little too seriously. Anyways, robot skull head guy here briefly outlines for the viewer one of the core Helghast tenets: reclaim what was rightfully theirs. I can almost hear Visari... Almost immediately afterward, we get the Vektan point of view for comparison:  We've been through this before, but to recap, while the Helghast are technically trying to reclaim territory that was once their's long ago, this really is a bullshit war of aggression on Visari's part and is basically another move to try and assert power and superiority, ultimately, over Earth. The original goal of the invasion ended with using the ISA Orbital Space Defense Platform to destroy Earth's fleets, blockade them from their outer colonies, and force them into submission, leaving the population of Earth to starve to death while Helghan set up a hegemony over all colonies. Admiral Grey is just calling it as she sees it and the writing is on the walls. Sadly, with her capture, the ISA forces in Southern Vekta are in disarray, so this is where Phantom Talon Corp steps in. It's going to become a recurring theme throughout this game that the militaries of Vekta and Helghan are not competent enough to get something of critical importance done, so Earth PMCs wind up getting called in to finish the job. Again, I don't know how you want to read it, but hey, there's where we are.  And here we meet Anders Benoit, the owner and operator of Phantom Talon Corp, the third faction in the game, and Danner's employer. His attitude towards the war is somewhat less nuanced than either Kratek or Grey.  We're gonna get riiiiiiich!!   Aaran Danner was born on Earth to John and Marie Danner, and has a younger sister named Petra. His father had a job as a mineral trader which led to the family travelling around Alpha Centauri quite a bit during Danner's childhood. Sadly, his dad died in a black market deal gone wrong, leaving the teenage Danner to be the breadwinner for his mother and sister. After being caught up in black market trading himself and surviving a few run ins with the law (an assault case brought against him was dismissed), he joined the UCA still in his teens, possibly to avoid gambling debts. He wound up serving in conflicts between Earth and its middle colonies, such as in the Beta Hydri system. After a failed peace-keeping mission in 2351, termed the "Procyon Incident", Danner was dishonourably discharged from the UCA. With few options left for him, he signed on with Anders Benoit to work at Phantom Talon Corp. Considering that Danner is trained by the UCA, the most powerful army in the known universe, his training puts his skills and abilities above your common ISA and Helghast soldiers. Keep that in mind going through this game. It's not just that Aaran Danner is the protagonist, and thus a badass because he's in the player's hands, but he's on paper in-game better trained than the forces he's against. Hella yeah!  Colonel Vyktor Kratek Voiced by Nicholas Boulton, who beyond doing "Additonal Helghast Voices" in previous Killzones, did a lot of voicework for Bioware's Mass Effect and Dragon Age series. Kratek will be the main face of the Helghast throughout Mercenary.  ISA Admiral Alex Grey was born into a military family and grew up striving to prove herself to her father and brothers. Top of her class in the Navy Academy, she wound up being appointed First Lieutenant on an ISA crusier, Solar Wind, where she went on to serve with distinction in a number of campaigns, including Delta Pavonis and Omicron Eridani, and also negotiated an end to the Arcturus Insurrection (isn't Killzone fluff great?). She saw the Second Extrasolar War on the horizon and tried to diffuse it diplomatically by sending Sepp Harkin to Helghan as Vekta's ambassador--though as we know, this gesture ultimately failed. She was in charge of the defense of Diortem, and compared to the defenses of Northern Vekta under General Vaughton, she was initially far more successful. Though as Metrac was turned loose on Southern Vekta, those defense too fell before the massed wave infantry tactics over time. Grey shares that same weird authority role that Admiral Orlock does in Killzone 3, where she's in charge of the navy and yet is charge of ISA ground forces. But hey, with Vaughton dead and the other generals, Adams and Stratson, being horrible traitors, I guess the besieged ISA need to take whatever leader they can get. Voiced by Lucy Newman-Williams, who has done a number of small roles on shows like Doctor Who and Red Dwarf, as well as films like London Has Fallen.  Anders Benoit is another fellow Earthman. Like Danner, he was enlisted in the UCA. Unlike Danner, he was also special forces. After decades of service, he left it to become a mercenary. Alongside his fellow businessman and ex-UCA soldier, Olive Adamska, they formed the Phantom Talon Corp. Their close ties to the UCA allowed them to recruit many ex-soldiers into the PMC, as well as secure lucrative contracts on Earth. When Phantom Talon Corp became involved in corporate and colonial disputes, they wound up selling themselves to this highest bidder. While this was on point for Benoit's character, it rankled the patriotic Adamska and drove a wedge between the two. The problem solved itself when Adamska was killed in action under mysterious circumstances, leaving Benoit to be sole operator of PTC. Voiced by Corey Johnson, who did voice work for ISA soldiers in Killzone 2, and has also done a lot of work in bit roles for films, such as Hellboy, Kingsman: Secret Service, and Ex Machina. Benoit is also one of the characters who appears in the live action trailer.  Phantom Talon Corp is the biggest private military contractor currently operating in human space. Run by Anders Benoit, it has a reputation for having the best fighting force money can by, especially considering many of its soldiers are ex-UCA trained. Their slogan, "War is Our Business", is an accurate one. Phantom Talon Corp has no strong loyalty to any government or organization besides itself. Benoit, a former mercenary himself before taking control of PTC, is driven entirely by money and his brothers in arms. The Vekta-Helghan conflict is a lucrative opportunity, one that Benoit will take full advantage of, offering PTC soldiers to the highest bidder, be they Helghast or ISA. Other PMCs exist in the Killzone universe, aside from PTC. Skull Knight Enterprises is a group closely affiliated with the Helghast, often contracted to provide logistical support and intelligence. Eclipse Forces are an anti-UCN group who look to throw their support in with rebels to stir colonial unrest, making their money off of anti-Earth sentiment. We won't be crossing paths with other PMC groups, but I always like to see that care continues to be put into Killzone lore to add little details like this in the background. Also, I like that the talons in the logo are bullets.  Sepp Harkin is the Vektan ambassador to Helghan. He was sent at the behest of Admiral Grey to try and maintain peaceful relations between the two planets, but was unsuccessful in his negotiations. Unlike most Vektans, Sepp is pretty sympathetic towards your average Helghast and genuinely wants peace between the nations. Unlike most Vektans, his wife is also Helghast, so that probably helps matters. Sepp is responsible for getting the warning out to the ISA of Admiral Grey's kidnapping and location. His information has been relayed to Phantom Talon Corp who have been contracted by the ISA to retrieve Grey.   Larger shot of final Aaran Danner design.  Alternative Danners.  Danner early designs.  Danner in-game model. Also...  This is one of the few times we'll see reference to Jan Templar in this game. If you go back and check video, you can confirm for yourself that it's him fighting on the front lines of the invasion in Killzone 1.  You were not a big enough monster to survive the K I L L Z O N E.(It's also pretty funny, because the video is listed as "Defence of Diortem", but Templar 100% was fighting in and around Vekta City at that time.)
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Apr 18, 2018 04:40
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On a scale of 'the ship's name is ROANOKE' to 'I'm sure they survive to the end of the game  ' how bad an idea is naming your moons 'Fortune' and 'Hope'? But I do appreciate them putting some thought into the naming situation.Kratak seems like a cool dude, despite looking like he's huffing he own farts 24/7. Blind Sally posted:Oh, and we get our first glimpse of a new non-Danner character, Sepp Harkin. He is the Vektan ambassador to Helghan. We'll see how that works out for him later on in the game. Obviously he lives and comes out relatively unscathed, right? He looks like a winner!
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Apr 18, 2018 05:41
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value-brand cereal posted:Obviously he lives and comes out relatively unscathed, right? He looks like a winner! Obviously. I mean why else would he have no voice actor listed?
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Apr 18, 2018 05:53
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Maybe he got a vacation to Gyre.
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Apr 18, 2018 05:56
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nine-gear crow posted:Obviously. I mean why else would he have no voice actor listed? Exactly! They're playing with your expectations! Man, these video games are truly Art. HardDiskD posted:Maybe he got a vacation to Gyre. True. Much like animes, video games also have the standard 'Beach Planet with Babes in Bikinis [or Studs in Speedos!]' episode that usually gets censored in odd ways.
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Apr 18, 2018 06:05
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