The Thrill of Killzone 2.
Killzone 2 is an intriguing game, in that it has not tried to blind-side its fans into thinking it is something which it is not. At its core, Killzone is just another sci-fi shooter in which the story can be brushed aside and forgotten, it playing very little into what it is you, as your character, should be doing; shooting your rifle in every which way, but behind. Most importantly, you will be playing it online, thus negating the need for a compelling story.
The characters, who are wholly un-relatable, provide – at best – comedic moments, but as I implied, if you are looking for a deep and intriguing story you really ought to be playing something else.
It is the scope of which you battle, then, which sets Killzone apart from its competitors. You will very rarely find yourself in a position to remain calm for long, with enemy AI good-enough to adapt to where it is you are, and then crush you. Likewise, with pieces of the environment splintering and flying by your eyes, positions that you do find will be ever changing.
To accompany this never ending barrage of action, Killzone implements a unique cover system that – if my memory serves me correctly – has never been done in a first person shooter before. Thankfully, as per-usual in war-zones, there is an abundance of obstacles that can provide adequate cover for several seconds at a time, as previously mentioned. This cover system, for better or for worse, is not used in online game-play though, preventing a ‘camping’ aspect of the game which is non-existent in the campaign mode.
Graphically, to say the least, this game is unparalleled. You can take that for what it is, a lot of people will complain that the game is just shades of the old shooter spectrum of brown and grey, but for an industrial planet which has been scarred with warfare, it conveys its purpose well. To truly sum it up in words is impossible, or near to impossible as it can be, because to truly appreciate what Killzone brings not just to the PlayStation, but to gaming itself, you have to witness it.
Although, on my play through, I found aiming to be, at best, awkward. Having your controller sensitivity set at default provides a fast way to learn a lesson in making sure you clear rooms before advancing. Lowering it, the sensitivity, from there seems unthinkable, and so the only way to go is up, and yet that still does not provide the speed with which I would like to rotate. At the least, everyone is on the same boat with this matter, and your online experience is not hindered in the slightest – in fact, when you are desperately trying to complete objectives, you will most likely forget that said problem is even present.
Whilst online, the game-modes — of which there are many — will change at a predetermined interval, drastically changing the way in which you, and your team, protects objectives and the map itself. It is here, online, where Killzone comes into its own.
To sum up, I loved the idea Killzone represents – and Resistance: Fall of Man tried to convey with its online mechanics – with the way in which it conveys large scaled and chaotic battles, and the implementation of a class system similar to Team Fortress 2 will surely do the game no harm in the long-run.
Is this game a five-out-of-five, a perfect-ten? Perhaps. Though, Killzone will forever be marred with the misconception that she is a Halo killer, which in turn will result in ratings never truly giving the game the credit it most likely deserves in a public forum. However, I can say, with some confidence, that if this is the beginning of things to come, in terms of first person shooters, then it is no bad thing by any stretch of the imagination.
That said, it is as near to perfect as a shooter can be, taking the great aspects of good games across the board and delivering them in one title. PS3 owners who have not played this game, or dislike it, would need to have a very good reason as to why. It is a good – honest – game, and that is all that really matters.
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Killzone 2 is developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, available only on Sony PlayStation 3 from 27th February.
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