Killzone: Mercenary Arrives Sooner Than Expected

Positive news about an upcoming, big-name release for Sony’s Vita handheld? We’re as shocked as you are.

Generally speaking, when word trickles down through the industry that a game has received a new official release date, it’s almost always due to some sort of production delay. In those cases where a game is actually bumped forward on the schedule, we’re pleasantly surprised. And in those rare cases when this positive news concerns a Vita game? Well, we can’t really remember that ever happening before. We aren’t sure how to feel.

Here’s the situation: The Vita’s upcoming Killzone: Mercenary, the latest entry in Sony’s flagship shooter franchise, was initially slated to hit retail on September 17, 2013. That seemed a perfectly reasonable launch date, at first. Then Rockstar Games had to go and reveal its release date for Grand Theft Auto V, which just so happens to also fall on September 17. Realizing that no one is going to be paying any attention to other games when that date rolls around, Sony has wisely decided to change the release date of Killzone: Mercenary to September 10. Probably a wise move.

Using this new release date as an excuse to detail the game’s various pre-order bonuses, Sony’s official PlayStation.blog has a rundown of what you can expect to earn by dropping cash on the game prior to its release. To wit:

Players who pre-order Killzone: Mercenary will receive “Blackjack’s Briefcase,” a reward for their early support that affords them an early edge in both the game’s competitive online multiplayer and extensive Campaign mode. It includes:

Double XP Boost
Get out ahead of the pack! Start the 48-hour clock with this special access code and all contracts, bonuses and payoffs earn you twice the normal XP for two straight days!

In-Game Cash Bonus
Start the game and go straight to the armory! With this bonus payout, you’ll have enough Vektan Cash to pick up a new weapon before you even step foot on the battlefield.

Further, those of you who live in the US and pre-order Killzone: Mercenary at Gamestop will be granted access to the M224-A1 Light Machine Gun, which the .blog describes as “a powerhouse weapon of the ISA, the M224-A1 carries more than enough ammo to get the job done at the cost of accuracy.” So, pretty much exactly what you’d expect from an oversized, fully automatic machine gun in a largely standard virtual shooter.

Quick survey: How many of you are intrigued by this news? More specifically, how many of you are intrigued by the parts about Killzone: Mercenary? Despite its new release date it’s hard to imagine this Vita title (and every other game released in September) not being overshadowed by Grand Theft Auto V.

Source: PlayStation.blog