Two new multiplayer maps for PlayStation Vita shooter Killzone Mercenary will be released for free in early 2014, SCEE has announced. The new maps will form a part of Update 5, a "big" update that includes the maps, an offline 'Botzone' mode and new 'Guerrila Warfare' modes.

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We recently opened up enrolment for the Killzone: Mercenary Public Limited Multiplayer Beta on PlayStation Vita to give you a chance to get involved. We’re excited to announce that this phase of the Beta is now LIVE. The Public Limited Beta phase is used to collect feedback from you, but is limited in size to make sure the servers are gradually tested in preparation for Open Betas and the full launch.

Killzone: Mercenary will launch for the PlayStation Vita in North America on September 10th and across Europe on September 13th, 2013.

Sign-ups for the Killzone: Mercenary closed beta start today! Enter for a chance to be selected as one of the few participants in the exclusive multiplayer closed beta. Candidates have until 2:00PM PDT on Wednesday, July 17th to sign up for the public’s first look at Mercenary’s impressive multiplayer package. If chosen to participate, you will receive an email with directions on how to get started.

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Killzone: Mercenary is an upcoming first-person shooter for the PlayStation Vita. Developed by Guerrilla Cambridge, it is the second hand-held title in the Killzone series of video games, and fifth overall. In a Q&A, discover all you need to know about the game, along with details of the game's single and multiplayer modes.

Q. How long has Killzone Mercenary been in development?

A. We started quite a while ago with a relatively narrow team utilizing the KZ3 engine and all tools associated to the Vita. Once that was done, we ramped up and started fully developing Killzone: Mercenary. The timeframes are similar to the previous Killzone titles.

Q. How big is the team working on KZM?

A. The core team in Cambridge is about 60 people, and we have some people in Amsterdam leveraging the existing knowledge of the Killzone franchise and the technology behind it.

Q. Will there be a special edition? What are plans for DLC?

A. There are no plans at this time.

Q. Will there be a multiplayer Public Beta?

A. Yes, more details following at a later date.

Q. Which of the Vita’s unique features does KZM use?

A. Most importantly the twin sticks for shooter controls, and its processing power to produce console-quality visuals. Secondary are touch controls for brutal melee and various actions like swapping weapons, changing zoom level of your radar, etc., and tilt for precise sniper aim.

Q. What is Mercenary about?

A.You play as a mercenary, a new faction in the Killzone universe. Every action earns you money, the more skilled you play the more money you earn. You have a single bank account so anything you earn/buy in SP you have in MP and vice versa. You can spend your money at an arms dealer called blackjack on weapons and gear and fully customize your player character to match your play style Every encounter in the game supports the way you prefer to play; guns blazing or stealth. We have adjusted the AI to respond and behave intelligently. Also what is cool about not belonging to the ISA or HGH is that we will have you play on BOTH sides.

Q. What can you tells us more about the art?

A. The entire art team was really excited about having a handheld platform that could show off the KZ3 engine to its full extent. We wouldn’t have to make any sacrifices to get to the quality our artists want to work to. At the same time it was very nice to be able to return to some of the locations of the previous games in the franchise. Some of those we’re from the days of the PlayStation 2 and the PSP, now we could finally make those how we always imagined them without having to tone down our vision because of limitations in the hardware.

Q. How many missions and how long to complete?

A. Killzone: Mercenary features 9 single player missions, each takes 30 to 60 minutes to complete (varies by player skill), so about 6 to 9 hours for a straight play-through of the game.

Q. Are there different difficulty settings?

A. Each mission is playable on 3 different difficulty settings, with increasing difficulty offering a greater financial reward for completion of the mission.

Q. What about replayability?

A. On completion of the initial play-through of a given mission, 3 mission challenge modes become unlocked. The mission challenge modes add an additional layer of objectives for the player to complete when they replay the mission, encouraging different play styles.

Q. Does Mercenary have multiplayer?

A. The multiplayer experience has been designed to provide a fast paced experience with maps tailored for eight players. Killzone Mercenary will provide the player with a diverse range of weapons, grenades, armour, and special VAN-Guard devices with which the player can customize their multiplayer load-out slots. This customization supports the tactical element of the game; will you armor yourself up and go in like a tank, or take a more precise approach and assassinate enemies stealthily?

As with the single player experience the special VAN-Guard weapons charge as you earn money, in multiplayer we add to this through the deployment of supply capsules. These devices are fired into the environment with a fully charged VAN-Guard weapon, if you can get to it before anyone else it can be a game changer. The supply pods therefore become dynamic hotspots on the map keeping the action moving.

Every day we track the rate at which players are earning money, in turn we award everyone in thecommunity with a rank which we present as a valor card. The valor card plays a key role in multiplayer where players drop their card upon their death. Dropped valor cards can be collected, earning the player money and adding the card to the player’s collection. If you can complete a suit or the whole deck, then major rewards are give

In most cases, an image says more than words ever can. That’s particularly true with these brand new Killzone: Mercenary screenshots. We could type out a mini-dissertation explaining why the PlayStation Vita exclusive is shaping up to be the best looking handheld game ever released, but we don’t really need to. One look at these embedded images, and you should be able to see that all for yourself.

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Sony Computer Entertainment has moved the Killzone Mercenary release date forward in Europe and North America. The PS Vita shooter will now release on September 4 in Europe, September 6 in the UK and on September 10 in North America.

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We sat down with Piers Jackson, who’s leading development at Guerrilla Cambridge (the same team responsible for the exemplary LittleBigPlanet PSP), to find out more about the game, with particular attention paid to its generous single player campaign.

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Killzone: Mercenary is looking to deliver the full FPS experience on Vita, packing six multiplayer maps and three modes. Patrick Garratt gets helghasty deathmatchy.

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Sony plans to finally take the wraps of Killzone: Mercenary later this week. Asked about the game in the comments section of the EU PlayStation Blog over the weekend, the site’s manager confirmed: “We’ll be talking more about KZ:M next week, so I’ll leave you hanging for now!”

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