Nina

Nina theme by Paja

Download: Nina.p3t

Nina Theme
(1 background)

Nina may refer to:

Acronyms[edit]

Geography[edit]

  • Nina, Estonia, a village in Alatskivi Parish, Tartu County, Estonia
  • Nina, Mozambique, a village in the Ancuabe District of Cabo Delgado Province in northern Mozambique

United States[edit]

Arts, entertainment, and media[edit]

Films[edit]

Music[edit]

Groups[edit]

Classical music[edit]

Albums[edit]

Songs[edit]

Other arts, entertainments, and media[edit]

People with the mononym[edit]

Other uses[edit]

See also[edit]

Orihime Inoue

Orihime Inoue theme by –Voldo–

Download: OrihimeInoue.p3t

Orihime Inoue Theme
(4 backgrounds HD, 6 SD)

Orihime Inoue
Bleach character
Orihime Inoue as illustrated by Tite Kubo
First appearanceBleach chapter 2: "Starter" (2001)
Created byTite Kubo
Portrayed byErina Mano
Voiced byJapanese
Yuki Matsuoka[1]
English
Stephanie Sheh[2]
In-universe information
GenderFemale
FamilySora Inoue (brother, deceased)
SpouseIchigo Kurosaki
ChildrenKazui Kurosaki (son)
RelativesIsshin Kurosaki (father-in-law)
Masaki Kurosaki (mother-in-law, deceased)
Yuzu Kurosaki (sister-in-law)
Karin Kurosaki (sister-in-law)
NationalityJapanese

Orihime Inoue[Jp. 1] is a fictional character in the Japanese manga series Bleach and its anime adaptation created by Tite Kubo. She is one of Ichigo Kurosaki's friends. Like the many other characters in the series, she quickly develops powers of her own after Ichigo becomes a Soul Reaper. Throughout the series, Orihime learns about Ichigo's duty as a Soul Reaper and accompanies him when they go to the Soul Society to save Rukia Kuchiki, and is depicted as Ichigo's wife in the epilogue.

Besides the manga series, Orihime appears in other media, including the anime series, anime films, video games and rock musicals. She has been fairly popular among readers of the manga since her introduction, having ranked within the top 10 or the top 20 in all of the characters popularity polls of the series. Additionally, various pieces of merchandising have been developed based on her appearance such as figurines and key chains. Publications from manga, anime and other media have also commented on her character with most praising her traits and development.

In the anime adaptation, Orihime is voiced by Yuki Matsuoka in Japanese. In the English dub, she is voiced by Stephanie Sheh. In the 2018 live-action film Bleach, she is portrayed by Japanese actress and singer Erina Mano.

Concept and creation[edit]

Along with Ichigo, Orihime has the hardest face to draw according to Kubo. Due to her importance in the manga, Kubo wanted more practice drawing her so that it would be easier to do so.[3] When Kubo was asked to make a cover with a female character during Christmas, Kubo initially thought of using Rukia Kuchiki; However, he later changed to use Orihime as he thought she was more suitable for such a role.[4] She becomes the true female lead for the rest of the Bleach franchise after the second anime season/manga arc, which was recognized when her character depth and importance raised drastically after she came back from the Soul Society and started to become a prominent plot device for Ichigo's character development and for the story itself, consequently Orihime was featured along with female leads from other Weekly Shōnen Jump series on a special Shonen Jump cover.[5] Stephanie Sheh, Orihime's English voice actress, found her to be a "tricky" character as she noted a challenge to find a balance with her voice as although she sometimes seems ditzy, in other times she is very strong.[6]

In Bleach JET interview, Kubo initially have Orihime’s power around horn and tail.[7]

Character outline[edit]

Orihime is politely kind. She comes off as naïve and rather clueless, which is at odds with her exceptionally high marks in school.[8][9] Her cooking style can be described as very bad, disgusting, or more often strange to the point that aside from Rangiku Matsumoto, no one would think it delectable, and is one of the running jokes in the series.[10][11] Orihime has a tendency to rush into situations without thinking, sometimes leading to embarrassing or even dangerous consequences. She tends to have an overactive imagination and gets carried away thinking of implausible scenarios, such as initially fantasizing a date with Ichigo, later ending into her becoming a boxing champion prior to being shot.[12] Her hair is worn long in honor of the promise Tatsuki Arisawa once made to protect her.[13]

Orihime experiences most feelings,[14][15] which leads her to be jealous of the relationship that Ichigo and Rukia Kuchiki share despite her friendship and admiration of both of them.[16] Through her expanding role in the manga, Orihime was happier and goofier at the start of the series, but later arcs deal with her feelings of inadequacy and inner turmoils.[16] Orihime lives by herself in Karakura Town, where the story takes place, and is supported by her distant aunt provided that she continuously obtain good marks in school, which she does. She and her brother Sora were raised by parents who treated them poorly. When Sora turned eighteen, he ran away with Orihime, who was three years old, and raised her since. For nine years, the siblings lived in harmony, until Sora died in a car accident.[17]

Appearances[edit]

In Bleach[edit]

Shun Shun Rikka

Orihime first appears in Bleach pilot chapter that Kubo submitted to Weekly Shōnen Jump.[18] She is a teenager who attends Karakura High School and Ichigo's friend. After Ichigo gains the powers of a Soul Reaper, his interactions with Orihime begin to have unforeseen side effects. Orihime become spiritually aware after being saved by Ichigo from Acidwire, her late brother turned into a hollow.[19][20] The hollow attacks Karakura High School, but Orihime uses her own power Shun Shun Rikka to save Tatsuki Arisawa. After Rukia Kuchiki is taken back to the Soul Society to be executed, Orihime joins Ichigo with Uryū Ishida, Yasutora Sado and Yoruichi Shihoin, in an effort to save her.[21] Upon arriving there, their group is split up, and Orihime wanders the city with Uryū.[22] Later on, Orihime is captured by Makizō Aramaki, a Soul Reaper of the 11th division, but is later freed by captain Kenpachi Zaraki.[23][24] After Rukia is saved by Ichigo, the group returns to the human world.[25]

Orihime joins the others when they deal with the Bount in anime-only episodes. Afterwards, arrancar begin to invade Karakura Town. During a battle with the Espada Yammy, the attack component of Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka is destroyed, making her not helping in the next battles. After sitting on the sidelines for the second arrancar invasion, Orihime has Tsubaki restored by Hachigen Ushōda, and Orihime goes to the Soul Society to train for the next attack.[26] While traveling between the two realms, she meets Ulquiorra Cifer, who threatens to kill Ichigo and her friends, unless she agrees to go to Hueco Mundo.[27] Orihime leaves and heads to Hueco Mundo.[15] There, Orihime meets Sōsuke Aizen, a former Soul Reaper and current leader of the Arrancar. Aizen explains that he intends to use Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka to restore the Hōgyoku (崩玉, "breakdown sphere"), though she decides to use her powers to destroy the Orb instead. Before she can act on her plans, Ichigo and a group of others arrive in Hueco Mundo to save her.[28] When Ichigo is defeated while facing Ulquiorra, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, wanting to battle Ichigo at full strength, frees Orihime from her confinements so that she can heal him.[29] Ichigo battles with Grimmjow and ultimately claims victory.[29] They are then attacked by Nnoitora Jiruga, but after Nnoitora's death at the hands of Kenpachi, Orihime is captured once again.[30] Ichigo rushes to her location, and engages Ulquiorra in battle, but is once again defeated.[31] During the aftermath, she discovers that Ichigo is transformed into a new hollow and he mortally hurts Ulquiorra.[32] Ulquiorra starts to turn into ashes as he asks Orihime if she is afraid of him.[33] Orihime, after saying that he is not frightening, tries to reach his hand but Ulquiorra finally disappears.[33] As Ichigo returns to the world of the living, Orihime remains behind to heal Uryū.[34]

After Aizen's arrest, Orihime spends her normal life, until Uryū is attacked by a human with supernatural powers.[35] It turns out that Tsukishima attacked Uryū, and his subordinate Shishigawara, and Tsukishima stabs her with his Fullbring before leaving.[36] Later, it is revealed that Tsukishima's power has altered her memories.[37] Later, Orihime and her friends went to Hueco Mundo to fight off the Wandenreich, a group of Quincys seeking to destroy the Soul Society led by their leader Yhwach.[38] Orihime and the others fight them off and liberate Hueco Mundo from one of the Wandenreich's high-ranked officers Quilge Opie. Later, Ichigo finds out that the Wandenreich are attacking the Soul Society. When Ichigo gets overwhelmed, Orihime saves him. Ten years after the war, Orihime marries Ichigo and has a son, Kazui Kurosaki.

In other media[edit]

Her character has gained additional popularity even among non-fans thanks to a short looped animation of Orihime twirling a leek (specifically, a negi, or Welsh onion) played to "Ievan Polkka". Known as the Loituma Girl, the five frames used in the flash cartoon were taken from the second episode in the anime.[39] Orihime appears in the Bleach: Memories of Nobody, Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion and Bleach: Hell Verse, albeit in a minor role.[40][41] She also appears in the Bleach video games such as Heat the Soul as a playable character.[42] Orihime also stars alongside Rukia Kuchiki in the Bleach Beat Collection Season 2 with solo song "La La La" and duet song "Holy Fight."[43] In the 2018 live-action film Bleach, Orihime is played by Japanese actress and singer Erina Mano.[44]

Reception[edit]

Stephanie Sheh provides the voice of Orihime in the English dub.

Popularity[edit]

At the first Seiyu Awards in March 2007, Yuki Matsuoka was one of the winners in the category "Best Actresses in supporting roles" for her role as Orihime.[45] The character of Orihime has been well received by readers from the manga, appearing at No. 5 in the first characters popularity poll.[46] She did not appear in the top ten from the second (having ranked 12th), but returned in the two followings; in the 3rd poll she ranked 10th, and was 8th in the most recent, surpassing Izuru Kira by 123 votes.[47][48][49] Various types of merchandising have been released based on Orihime's character such as plush, key chains and figurines.[50][51][52] Pins based on her hair clips have also been released for cosplaying.[53]

Critical response[edit]

Various publications for manga, anime and other media have commented on Orihime's character, adding praise to her traits and development. Mania Entertainment writer Jarred Pine liked Orihime's development in the first volume of the manga as her encounter with the hollow from her brother added "more dimension" to her character rather than her portray of a "big-breasted bimbo" in which she was initially introduced.[54] Although Carlo Santos from Anime News Network (ANN) found her character to be stereotypical due to the way she uses her powers, he noted that (like each character) she was very interesting due to the personality she has.[55] D. F. Smith from IGN complained on Orihime's appearances when she joins her friends to rescue Rukia Kuchiki since most of them were only comical and they were very repetitive.[56] Stephanie Sheh was praised as one of the best voice actors from Viz Media's dub by Carl Kimlinger from ANN.[57] Carlos Alexandre from popcultureshock.com also praised Sheh's work, noting that she makes a good interpretation from Orihime's character.[58] In an Anime News Network poll, Orihime was voted as the fourth worst cook in anime.[59]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Japanese: 井上 織姫, Hepburn: Inoue Orihime

References[edit]

  1. ^ TV Tokyo, Dentsu, Studio Pierrot (October 12, 2004). "死神のお仕事". Bleach. Episode 2. TV Tokyo.
  2. ^ TV Tokyo, Dentsu, Studio Pierrot (September 15, 2006). "A Shinigami's Work". Bleach. Episode 2. Cartoon Network.
  3. ^ Weekly Shonen Jump interview, year 2004, issue 42
  4. ^ Kubo, Tite (2008). The Art of Bleach. Viz Media. ISBN 978-1-4215-1884-8.
  5. ^ "Gathering of Heroines". Weekly Shonen Jump 2006-36+37: Cover.
  6. ^ Bleach Uncut Season 1 Box Set; Behind the scenes of Bleach (DVD). Viz Media. October 30, 2007.
  7. ^ https://twitter.com/SunHime_/status/1460035987288039425
  8. ^ Kubo, Tite (2005). "Chapter 35". Bleach, Volume 5. Viz Media. ISBN 1-59116-445-1.
  9. ^ Kubo, Tite (2005). "Chapter 119". Bleach, Volume 14. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-0612-2.
  10. ^ Kubo, Tite (2004). "Chapter 3". Bleach, Volume 1. Viz Media. ISBN 1-59116-441-9.
  11. ^ Kubo, Tite (2008). "Chapter 200". Bleach, Volume 23. Viz Media. ISBN 978-1-4215-1541-0.
  12. ^ Kubo, Tite (2004). "Chapter 4". Bleach, Volume 1. Viz Media. ISBN 1-59116-441-9.
  13. ^ Kubo, Tite (2005). "Chapter 41". Bleach, Volume 5. Viz Media. ISBN 1-59116-445-1.
  14. ^ Kubo, Tite (2004). "Chapter 2". Bleach, Volume 1. Viz Media. ISBN 1-59116-441-9.
  15. ^ a b Kubo, Tite (2009). "Chapter 235". Bleach, Volume 27. Viz Media. ISBN 978-1-4215-2385-9.
  16. ^ a b Kubo, Tite (2008). "Chapter 199". Bleach, Volume 23. Viz Media. ISBN 978-1-4215-1541-0.
  17. ^ Kubo, Tite (2004). "Chapter 6". Bleach, Volume 1. Viz Media. ISBN 1-59116-441-9.
  18. ^ Kubo, Tite (2006). Bleach: Official Character Book SOULs. Shueisha. ISBN 4-08-874079-3.
  19. ^ Kubo, Tite (2005). "Chapter 44". Bleach, Volume 6. Viz Media. ISBN 1-59116-728-0.
  20. ^ Kubo, Tite (2005). "Chapter 42". Bleach, Volume 5. Viz Media. ISBN 1-59116-445-1.
  21. ^ Kubo, Tite (2005). "Chapter 70". Bleach, Volume 8. Viz Media. ISBN 1-59116-872-4.
  22. ^ Kubo, Tite (2005). "Chapter 86". Bleach, Volume 10. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-0081-7.
  23. ^ Kubo, Tite (2006). "Chapter 137". Bleach, Volume 16. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-0614-9.
  24. ^ Kubo, Tite (2005). "Chapter 122". Bleach, Volume 14. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-0612-2.
  25. ^ Kubo, Tite (2007). "Chapter 181". Bleach, Volume 21. Viz Media. ISBN 978-1-4215-1165-8.
  26. ^ Kubo, Tite (2009). "Chapter 228". Bleach, Volume 26. Viz Media.

    Vista Ultimate #2

    Vista Ultimate theme by Dino Brown

    Download: VistaUltimate_2.p3t

    Vista Ultimate Theme 2
    (3 backgrounds)

Chairs

Chairs theme by Sim24

Download: Chairs.p3t

Chairs Theme
(6 backgrounds)

Redirect to:

Nice1

Nice1 theme by Sim24

Download: Nice1.p3t

Nice1 Theme
(6 backgrounds)

P3T Unpacker v0.12
Copyright (c) 2007. Anoop Menon

This program unpacks Playstation 3 Theme files (.p3t) so that you can touch-up an existing theme to your likings or use a certain wallpaper from it (as many themes have multiple). But remember, if you use content from another theme and release it, be sure to give credit!

Download for Windows: p3textractor.zip

Instructions:

Download p3textractor.zip from above. Extract the files to a folder with a program such as WinZip or WinRAR. Now there are multiple ways to extract the theme.

The first way is to simply open the p3t file with p3textractor.exe. If you don’t know how to do this, right click the p3t file and select Open With. Alternatively, open the p3t file and it will ask you to select a program to open with. Click Browse and find p3textractor.exe from where you previously extracted it to. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename]. After that, all you need to do for any future p3t files is open them and it will extract.

The second way is very simple. Just drag the p3t file to p3textractor.exe. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename].

For the third way, first put the p3t file you want to extract into the same folder as p3textractor.exe. Open CMD and browse to the folder with p3extractor.exe. Enter the following:
p3textractor filename.p3t [destination path]Replace filename with the name of the p3t file, and replace [destination path] with the name of the folder you want the files to be extracted to. A destination path is not required. By default it will extract to extracted.filename.

Angels

Angels theme by Sim24

Download: Angels.p3t

Angels Theme
(7 backgrounds)

Redirect to:

Bikes1

Bikes1 theme by Sim24

Download: Bikes1.p3t

Bikes1 Theme
(6 backgrounds)

P3T Unpacker v0.12
Copyright (c) 2007. Anoop Menon

This program unpacks Playstation 3 Theme files (.p3t) so that you can touch-up an existing theme to your likings or use a certain wallpaper from it (as many themes have multiple). But remember, if you use content from another theme and release it, be sure to give credit!

Download for Windows: p3textractor.zip

Instructions:

Download p3textractor.zip from above. Extract the files to a folder with a program such as WinZip or WinRAR. Now there are multiple ways to extract the theme.

The first way is to simply open the p3t file with p3textractor.exe. If you don’t know how to do this, right click the p3t file and select Open With. Alternatively, open the p3t file and it will ask you to select a program to open with. Click Browse and find p3textractor.exe from where you previously extracted it to. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename]. After that, all you need to do for any future p3t files is open them and it will extract.

The second way is very simple. Just drag the p3t file to p3textractor.exe. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename].

For the third way, first put the p3t file you want to extract into the same folder as p3textractor.exe. Open CMD and browse to the folder with p3extractor.exe. Enter the following:
p3textractor filename.p3t [destination path]Replace filename with the name of the p3t file, and replace [destination path] with the name of the folder you want the files to be extracted to. A destination path is not required. By default it will extract to extracted.filename.

Killzone 2 #4

Killzone 2 theme by Clcassar

Download: Killzone2_4.p3t

Killzone 2 Theme 4
(7 backgrounds)

Killzone 2
Developer(s)Guerrilla Games
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
Director(s)Mathijs de Jonge
Designer(s)Neil Alphonso
Programmer(s)Michiel van der Leeuw
Artist(s)Jan-Bart van Beek
Bas Uterwijk
Composer(s)Joris de Man
SeriesKillzone
Platform(s)PlayStation 3
Release
  • AU: February 26, 2009
  • NA: February 27, 2009
  • EU: February 27, 2009
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Killzone 2 is a 2009 first-person shooter developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the second main installment in the Killzone series, following 2004's Killzone.

Similar to its predecessor, Killzone 2 takes place in the 24th century and chronicles the war between two human factions; the Vektans, and the Helghast. The game takes place two years after the events of Killzone and follows protagonist Tomas "Sev" Sevchenko as he and his unit battle the Helghast as the Vektans invade Helghan. The protagonist of Killzone and Killzone: Liberation, Cpt./Col. Jan Templar, returns in a supporting role, along with Rico Velasquez. Killzone 2 is played from a first-person view and allows the player to use a variety of weapons. It was released worldwide in February 2009.

Killzone 2 was widely anticipated prior to its release. It was critically acclaimed by critics and fans, who praised it as a superior title to the original Killzone. Additional praise was given to the game's visuals, action, multiplayer modes, soundtrack and atmosphere, although criticism was directed at the narrative. The game's critical and commercial success led to a sequel, Killzone 3, which was released in February 2011.

The official servers for Killzone 2 and Killzone 3 were shut down in March 2018. However, in 2021, a game preservation group called PSONE restored most of the game's online capability on their own set of servers.

Gameplay[edit]

Campaign[edit]

Killzone 2 at E3 2007

The game is presented almost entirely from a first person perspective, aside from vehicular combat. Killzone 2 features a "lean and peek" cover system which allows the player to take cover behind an object and then pop out to fire at enemies. The "lean and peek" mechanic stays in first-person view at all times. It is also possible for the player to pilot vehicles at two points in the game: a tank and an exoskeleton. Many classic weapons and vehicles from previous Killzone installments return, such as the M82-G and the StA-52 LAR.[citation needed] The Sixaxis motion control feature is also utilized in performing certain actions such as turning a valve, arming an explosive charge and sniping.

Multiplayer[edit]

Warzone, the title of the online multiplayer component of Killzone 2 has been developed by Guerrilla Games in conjunction with the game's single-player campaign.[citation needed] The online multiplayer gameplay is class-based, meaning the player can choose a class of character which is specialized for a specific role to better suit the player's needs in battle. There are 7 classes in total, in which the player can mix and match a main and sub ability according to their playing style, and can switch abilities upon death. There are 15 weapons available to the player, most of which cannot be used until the player reaches a certain rank. Two of these weapons are secondary firearms, and a further two weapons, the Boltgun and Flamethrower, are exclusive to the downloadable maps "Suljeva Cliffside" and "Arctower Landing".

Players play as either the ISA or Helghast, with a few gameplay differences. The character model and respawn points, and the "lean and peek" cover systems were removed. Each class levels up with experience gained from killing enemies or completing mission objectives. With enough experience, players unlock new weapons and skills, as well as a new class. Each class has two badges, the Primary badge selects the class and their specified skill. The secondary badge has an extra skill for the specified class but can be swapped to create own custom class.

Warzone plays out through dynamic matches where multiple game types are played in a single round. The game does not reset between game types, instead flowing between them, with the winning team determined by who wins the most modes. The game ships with five different game types including Assassination, Search & Retrieve, Search & Destroy, Bodycount and Capture & Hold.[1] Online matches can connect 2 to 32 players, and they can group into six squads of up to four players. If an online match does not have a full 32 players, computer-generated "bots" can be added in to create bigger teams (but only in an unranked match). Killzone 2 also offers a clan system, which allows clans of up to 64 players to compete for "Valor Points", an in-game currency that clans can use to bet on tournaments.

Players can also play offline against AIs with Skirmish mode and unranked online multiplayer, but there is no offline multiplayer mode for splitscreen players.

Eight multiplayer maps are included on disc at release,[2] but Guerrilla has released more maps as downloadable content. 6 more maps have been added to multiplayer since release via downloadable content purchasable from the PlayStation Store.

Plot[edit]

Two years after the attempted Helghast invasion of Vekta, an ISA fleet led by Colonel Jan Templar is sent to attack Pyrrhus, the capital city of Helghan, with the goal of deposing and arresting Emperor Scolar Visari on charges of war crimes. Among the ISA units taking part in the attack is Alpha Squad, led by Jan's old comrade Ricardo "Rico" Velasquez. Sergeant Tomas "Sev" Sevchenko, a veteran of the ISA "Legion" battalion, is assigned to serve as his second-in-command.

Tasked with securing Pyrrhus against the fierce resistance of the Helghan Second Army, the team quickly discovers that the Helghast are well prepared for an invasion. Using Helghan's harsh environment to their advantage, they have developed new weapons and equipment, none of which the ISA has ever seen before. Furthermore, the planet's fog-like atmosphere, gritty deserts, and constant storms pose almost as much of a threat to the invaders as the enemy themselves.

Story[edit]

Led by Jan's flagship, the New Sun, the ISA bombard Pyrrhus as cover for a massive ground assault on the city. Despite stiff resistance from well-armed Helghast divisions, they steadily advance towards the Imperial Palace, ultimately capturing both Visari Square and the Helghan Military Academy. Just as the main convoy is set to attack the palace, Colonel Mael Radec, commander of the Second Army, activates a network of arc towers hidden beneath Pyrrhus, killing hundreds of ISA soldiers and breaking their momentum.

Dante Garza, a member of Alpha Squad and close friend of Tomas's, retrieves a piece of a destroyed tower and sends it to ISA researcher Evelyn Batton, who learns that the towers are powered by Petrusite, a mineral capable of generating and channeling electricity. She also identifies an old mining outpost on the outskirts of Pyrrhus where the Helghast have been secretly extracting it for military use.

While working to restore the outpost's communication antenna, Tomas and Rico are separated from the rest of Alpha Squad, allowing Radec's men to capture them. The two fight their way through the refinery where the captives were taken, stumbling upon an interrogation overseen by Radec himself. Oddly enough, he demands that Evelyn give him the launch codes to a set of stolen nuclear warheads in Helghast custody. Rico loses his temper and surprises Radec, saving the captives but leaving Garza mortally wounded when one of Radec's men Rico kills discharges his weapon and Garza is shot in the process. Blaming him for his friend's death, Tomas and the squad return to the New Sun.

Before Garza can be properly mourned, an elite Helghast battalion led by Radec mounts a surprise attack on the fleet, boarding or destroying several ships including the Sun. The ship's crew manages to evacuate, but Radec reaches the bridge, mortally wounds Jan and executes Evelyn, downloading the codes before they can be deleted. With the last of his strength and before succumbing to his wounds, Jan maneuvers the ship to crash into the center of Helghan's Petrusite distribution grid, causing it to explode and disrupt the arc network.

Seizing the opportunity, the survivors attempt to regroup, only to witness Visari detonate the warheads over Pyrrhus, destroying it and killing both the entire population and most of the remaining ISA forces.

With ISA captain Jason Narville leading an offensive on the remnants of the Second Army, Alpha Squad breaches the palace, where they encounter Radec and the imperial guard. After a pitched battle, the wounded commander and his men commit mass suicide out of disgrace, clearing the way to Visari's throne room.

As Tomas moves to arrest him, Visari gloats that he has still won, as the Helghast are now united against the ISA, and without him, they cannot be stopped. Overcome with guilt and wanting revenge for Templar and Garza's deaths, Rico kills him on the spot.

Weary from fighting, Tomas exits the palace and sits on the steps. Above him, a large armada belonging to the Helghan First Army begins its attack on what is left of the ISA invasion force.

Development[edit]

At E3 2005, Killzone 2 was debuted with a trailer depicting soldiers landing in a hostile war-zone on Helghan and fighting Helghast forces. Critics in the media argued that the trailer shown at the trade show did not show actual gameplay footage, as its high level of visual detail has been argued to be impossible to render in real-time on the PlayStation 3 and the audio mix of the trailer was slightly delayed. SCEA's Vice President, Jack Tretton, stated that the footage of Killzone 2, that was believed to be pre-rendered, "is real gameplay everybody's seeing out there".[3] Several days later, Phil Harrison, SCE Europe's Vice President of Development, stated in an interview that all of the footage of PlayStation 3 games at E3 2005 were "running off video" which was "done to PS3 spec".[4] Further interviews eventually revealed the trailer was indeed a "target render", a prerendered video showing the developer's goals for the finished product.[5]

At the Game Developers Conference in 2007, a Killzone 2 teaser was shown behind closed doors, and was never released to the public. It featured various battles, destructible environments, and lighting effects among others.[6] Killzone 2 was shown to a panel of journalists at a special pre-E3 2007 event in Culver City, California, and then the next day to the public at Sony's E3 press conference.[7] An in-game trailer showing real-time gameplay of Killzone 2 was also released,[8] along with several videos of extended gameplay.[9] A number of media outlets since E3, such as the BBC, have referred to Killzone 2 as being "one of the most cinematic and immersive games ever produced on a console".[10] At the Leipzig Games Convention in 2007, Killzone 2 was presented in playable form to the media. It was the same demo level as shown at E3 2007, although journalists were allowed to play it hands-on.[11] At Sony's PlayStation Day 2008, the first level in Killzone 2's single-player campaign was presented, named "Corinth River".[12]

Michal Valient, a Senior Programmer at Guerrilla Games, presented details of their Killzone 2 proprietary game engine at a Developers Conference in July 2007.[13] As with many other titles published by SCE, including LittleBigPlanet and Infamous, Killzone 2 uses a deferred shading engine which enables far greater control over the game's characteristic lighting palette, while maximising processor throughput and limiting shader complexity. Other games to use similar approaches include Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto IV and GSC Game World's S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl. However, this approach does create some additional problems, notably with respect to anti-aliasing and transparencies. The former was solved using a MSAA Quincunx (multisample anti-aliasing) solution, and the latter by the addition of a standard forward rendering path. The game's graphics were universally praised by critics.[14]

The animation was done in Maya 8.5 with some motion capture animations tweaked in MotionBuilder. 3D artists, animators and level designers used Maya as their production environment, which is unusual considering that most 3D games are produced using 3ds max. A large library of custom Maya tools and scripts was created to support these different disciplines.[15] Tools like "Hyperion", a lightmap rendering software, were used in place of Maya's viewport rendering software. In-game animation was assisted with another tool they created called "AnimationBlender" and particle effects were edited using a tool called "Particle Editor". They also created a tool called "ColorTweaker", which gave them the possibility to do color correction on the PS3 in real-time.[15]

Most of the animation was done using motion capture with some animations, reload animations for example, done by hand. Facial animation was done using blendshapes with bones for the jaw and the eyes. Lead tech artist, Paulus Bannink, explains that "The main reason for going with blendshapes was the relative ease with which they can be transferred to different faces, it would also provide a more artist friendly way of editing the facial animation rig.".[15] The cut scene facial animation was done using marker motion capture. In game dialog was done generically using MotionBuilder after audio files were plugged in. The game was developed not only by artists in Amsterdam, but also by people living in New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Korea, the UK and the US. The data files, gigabytes in size, were sent over the internet.[15]

Killzone 2's budget was originally US$20 million but rose to US$40–45 million at the end of the development, with a team of 120.[16][17][18][19]

Soundtrack[edit]

Killzone 2 (Original Soundtrack from the Video Game)
Soundtrack album by
ReleasedOctober 19, 2009
GenreOrchestral, Video game soundtrack
Length1:14:22

The score to Killzone 2 was composed by Joris de Man, who scored 60 minutes of in-game music and 30-minutes of live orchestral score for the game, recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, with the Nimrod Studio Orchestra.[20] The score was produced and mixed by Rich Aitken, regular mix partner for Joris de Man and Marc Canham, at Nimrod Productions.

Killzone 2 (Original Soundtrack from the Video Game)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Opening - Birth of War (Retribution)"Joris de Man3:40
2."The Second Helghan March (Helghan Forever)"Joris de Man2:21
3."Battle Preparations"Joris de Man1:33
4."Bridge is Down"Joris de Man1:47
5."Ambush"Joris de Man2:23
6."Protecting the Convoy"Joris de Man3:14
7."Flight into Blood Meridian"Joris de Man0:45
8."Fight Your Way Through"Joris de Man3:21
9."Heavy Resistance"Joris de Man1:32
10."An Unexpected Guest"Joris de Man0:58
11."The Police Station"Joris de Man2:33
12."Resistance on the Bridge"Joris de Man0:53
13."Taking the Bridge"Joris de Man3:03
14."Petrusite Revealed"Joris de Man0:56
15."The Academy"Joris de Man3:21
16."Fight the A.T.A.C."Joris de Man1:59
17."A Day of Mourning"Joris de Man2:36
18."Suljeva"Joris de Man3:12
19."Next Stop Tharsis Refinery"Joris de Man2:26
20."Question Time with Radec"Joris de Man1:18
21."Dante Garza RIP"Joris de Man1:58
22."Going Up"Joris de Man2:07
23."Templar's Last Stand"Joris de Man3:45
24."The Exoskeleton"Joris de Man3:38
25."Nuked"Joris de Man1:53
26."Radec's Personal Guards"Joris de Man3:10
27."Visari's Lament"Joris de Man4:41
28."End Credits Suite"Joris de Man8:07
29."Fight the A.T.A.C. (Remix)"Joris de Man1:12

Release[edit]

Beta access was given to a select number of North American and European PlayStation Network subscribers. The beta consisted of three online multiplayer maps; "Blood Gracht" (small), "Radec Academy" (medium) and "Salamun Market" (large), with unlockable ranks and character classes ("badges"). Beta testers had their own statistics and have the ability to enter clan competitions. Beta access was private and thus could not be shared with other PlayStation Network accounts. Also, beta testers are tied with Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. by a non-disclosure agreement; therefore they were not allowed to reveal contents of the beta experience. A technical demo of one of Killzone 2's TV commercials, known as the "Bullet" trailer, was released on the PlayStation Store on April 2, 2009.[21] The demo features the commercial itself, the ability to shift camera angles and film speed, and several commentaries from key development staff at Guerrilla Games.

On February 5, 2009, SCEE released a single player demo of Killzone 2 on the European/Oceanic PlayStation Store.[22] The demo includes the first two sections of 'Corinth River' (the first level of the game) as well as the tutorial sequence from the final game.[23] A demo card, granting access to a Killzone 2 demo was also offered to US gamers who pre-ordered the game at GameStop. The US demo was also made available to those customers on February 5. In the North American version of PlayStation Home, if users found an avatar dressed in a Helghast costume, the avatar with the Helghast costume would give that user a code for the demo. This occurred on February 16.[24] On February 26, the demo was made available for download from the PlayStation Store in North America.

The servers for Killzone 2 and Killzone 3 were shut down on March 29, 2018. They have since been offline and can no longer be played online.[25]

PlayStation Home[edit]

In the North American version of PlayStation Home, if users pre-ordered Killzone 2 from Amazon.com, users received free male and female I.S.A. and Helghast uniforms for their avatar.[26] In the European version of PlayStation Home, if users participated in the "Killzone AM" event that took place on Saturday March 28, 2009, at 11 am CET for one full round, the Home Managers gave the participants a code for the Killzone 2 uniforms. Requirement was that users had to have a United Kingdom PSN account.[27] For a limited time in Japanese Home, users received an I.S.A. uniform for watching the Killzone 2 trailer and answering a questionnaire. To get the Helghast uniform in Japan, users had to do a pre-order. In Home's shopping complex, there are fourteen — seven for male and seven for female — Killzone 2 themed shirts available for purchase as well as the Helghast Tactician uniform. A costume for Radec was released on March 4, 2010, to the European Home and has been released in the North American.

Guerrilla Games have released a Killzone 2 themed apartment called the "Visari Throne Room" for Home. The Visari Throne Room apartment is based on the throne room inside Visari's Palace from the final mission of Killzone 2. For the Visari Throne Room, there are five pieces of furniture based on actual palace furnishings from Killzone 2: two types of Visari-style chairs, an administrative desk, a plant container with authentic Helghan vegetation, and a freestanding painting which portrays an important moment in the colonial history of the Helghast. The Visari Throne Room and matching furniture were made available to the European Home on July 2, 2009,[28] the North American on August 27, 2009,[29] and the Asian[30] and Japanese Home on October 9, 2009.[31]

Downloadable content[edit]

On April 10, 2009[32] Hermen Hulst, Managing Director from Guerrilla Games announced on GameTrailers TV[citation needed] that Killzone 2 would get a DLC map pack named "Steel & Titanium" which would contain two new maps called Wasteland Bullet and Vekta Cruiser. With new gameplay elements and strategic twists.[33][34] The first DLC map pack was released on Thursday, April 30.[34][35] Hulst stated that the next Killzone 2 DLC map pack that they were releasing would have a 'Retro Vibe' to it.[citation needed]

The second map pack was officially announced on May 20, 2009 as "Flash and Thunder", and features two maps previously seen in Killzone called "Beach Head" and "The Southern Hills". Both maps followed the first map pack by bringing new gameplay elements and strategic twists; Beach Head, the wide open battlefield, with rain-filled trenches, and Southern Hills with its intermittent nuke explosion. It was released on June 11, 2009.[36] Both map packs have twelve trophies that go along with them, six for each map.

On July 10 the third map pack was officially announced, even though Sony stated that there were no plans for a third pack. The DLC "Napalm and Cordite" was released on July 23, 2009, it contained two new maps "Suljeva Cliffside" and "Arctower Landing", in addition to the maps the Flamethrower and the Boltgun both from singleplayer made their debut in multiplayer.[37] The Flamethrower is found in the Suljeva Cliffside map and the Boltgun is found in the Arctower Landing map. A multiplayer map pack bundle was also released to coincide with the release of Napalm and Cordite, containing all six maps from the DLC packs, for the price of four maps.[38] The downloadable content pack three has eight trophies that go along with it, four for each map which are for the new weapons. With the fifth anniversary of the original Killzone taking place, the map pack "Flash & Thunder" was reduced in price in North America and Europe.

Reception[edit]