Killzone 2

The day I bought Killzone 2 I wondered if it was worth getting over the Fallout 3 collectors edition, well the game had blown my mind right out of the gate. Unfortunatryl I never got that collectors edition. It may have been the best FPS released at that time, I was glad to own a PS3.

The Game: Lets start with the presentation. Back when this was released it had the best graphics possible, I was stunned at the dark and gritty environments, it looked incredible. The sound design was better than any other fps I could think, both this and Killzone 3 have the best sound for any shooter, period. The soundtrack is easily in the top ten best original scores for video games, it is still incredible to listen to till this day. I personally think this game looks and sounds better than Uncharted 2 which came out the same year.

Game play: People like to complain about the sluggish controls, I personally like it, it gives the game it's own unique feel. I think there is around ten guns to use throughout the single player campaign, the electricity gun you get in the refinery was pretty fun to use. I like the Helghast weapons more than the ISA ones. My biggest complaint is that L1 is mêlée, I would have preferred it to be R3, but instead aiming down the sights is R3.

The campaign: I've played between 25 and 30 hours on the single player story, yeah I enjoyed it that much. I personally hated the mission on the ISA ship, the rest was great. The urban combat was about as good as it could get in a video game, take note other developers this is how you do it. It definitely still holds it's own, it felt more realistic than Killzone 3. Killzone 3 had too many goofy action scenes, it just felt weird, like how Dead Space three just feels weird. I didn't play the multi-player enough to review it. The skirmish game mode was really fun, I played a lot of that.

Killzone 2 is definitely a must play shooter, it's a cut above most of the kid friendly garbage we get for shooters today.

This is, by far, one of THE BEST fps I have EVER played full stop. The campaign is fantastic with a wide range of weapons to use and interesting maps and characters, and online is just nuts! There are a range of multiplayer modes and classes to choose from. There are also many maps to have a go at and are designed for every class. Even if you are not such a hardcore gamer, you will love this game. And considering you can get it as cheap as fifty dollars on eBay, it's just criminal if you don't go on and buy it. Honestly, this game is the Halo 3 of PS3, it gives COD:4 a good run for it's money also. Just do yourself a favour and maximize your PS3 experience of buying it. Now.

Truth is I got a bit disappointed as well when I got my hands on Killzone 2 when it came out. We all expected tight controls and flawless online-gaming from what we've read in previews and articles. Long story short: expectations were too high.

However, as of today a patch has come out fixing the dodgy aiming and Killzone 2 now much resemble what most of us have been playing for the past year. It's a kick-ass game. Forget your demo-experience, you cried out your prayers and Guerilla listened and blessed.

That needed to be said first of all.

What Killzone 2 is: is a gritty, dark and extremely detailed first-person shooter with an intense campaign and a rewarding multiplayer experience. It's nothing new but a classic action shooter with the proper ingredients. Very macho, not very subtle. It's basically war on another world between what we'd recon as human outcasts and an retalliation force. It's very cruel and graphic, but above all it's a damn good shooter.

Killzone 2. Where to start? in terms of technical achievement, it's unbeatable. The setup is revealed in a pretty impressive cinematic that has you pumped up and ready to take the fight to the "Helghast" - essentially intergalactic British Nazis led by fascist dictator Brian Cox and his lapdog, a smarmy git of a general who, upon speaking for the first time, will have you thinking "ooh that's thingy, what's he from again?"!

You start the game by waking up, bleary-eyed in your bunk aboard a fairly impressive spaceship at the start of yet another D-day recreation (only THIS TIME your in a spaceship and THIS time the landing craft are hovering impractical transport craft things and THIS TIME the Nazi's aren't actually Nazis, they just LOOK like future-Nazis) where the game does it's level best to impress you. As you follow your squad-mate through it's corridors, the graphics and atmosphere dazzle you immediately -the planet below looks natural and the sight of space cruisers bearing down on the hostile world below is almost breathtaking. Every detailed surface is polished and well-designed, and put through filters that make you feel like you're looking through a genuine pair of human eyeballs. This, combined with the controls and movement - which do take some getting used to - gives you an unparallelled feeling of immersion that shooters nowadays sorely lack. Your average COD fan is going to have a few problems adjusting here, as the somewhat sluggish, weighty movements of the player character and the incredibly tough, bullet-resistant Helghast mix with other game play elements to create a challenge that requires a bit more thought and skill than simple fast reflexes and an itchy trigger finger. The fights are fantastic and tactics come into play far more than in most modern-day cinematic shooters. The player can expect to be surrounded by hostile forces. Once again, a COD fan will have difficulties here, as the foes in this game will not simply run out and shoot like moving targets with guns attached, but will take cover often, distract, flank, and suppress you and your allies, making for a unique challenge. When I played through this, I was impressed as I moved through the game and eagerly did battle with any Helghast that stood in my way. But as much fun as I had with this,there is a crippling problem with this game.

As soon as you meet your squad mates (specifically Shaun Natco, voiced by Noah lee Margotts) you instantly feel like killing every last one of them for being a million times more unlikeable than any of your enemies. it doesn't stop there, either: he story has literally zero bite, giving you no reason to care. Luckily, a game can still be driven along by the atmosphere and game play itself, and this is where Killzone exceeds, so a shooter fan can have a good deal of fun with it. But how did the people behind this game end up putting so much effort into the graphics, controls and atmosphere without a single one of them thinking "oh, hang on, we forgot the coherent plot and the likable characters and the motivations behind their actions and any reason for the player to give a damn about what's going on"?

So that's Killzone 2, then. The story continues being barely a faint glimmer of motivation and reason behind the characters and events, the characters themselves, with the exception of perhaps Pertwee's Radec and Marshall's Templar, are unlikeable and 1-dimensional. I honestly became more attached to the faceless legions of generic cannon-fodder allies that were destined to die in various detailed and realistic ways, at least THOSE guys were helpful, kept their heads down and acted like real people. They, unlike the characters I was supposed to give a damn about, were mercifully freed from the idiocy of whoever wrote the story for this. Killzone 2's ambition is marred by it's failure to nail a fundamental aspect of a good game - good writing. I've heard people defend this by saying that it's "just a game" but you can look at plenty of other titles, many of them much older than this, if you want an example of a great game with great writing driving it along. Killzone 2 could have been so much more, it's intriguing premise of humanity fighting a mutated version of itself and the story of how this came to be are explained in a few brief sentences during loading screens, as well as character back stories. God, if they had this material, why didn't they actually USE it? Sure, the game play is a lot of fun, the graphics are impressive and the atmosphere immerses you, but when there's no REASON for it all, then how can the developers expect us to really get involved?

Oh, and, um, the multilayer is kinda fun. Yeah. not much to say on that.

...

When the trailer for Killzone 2 dropped in 2005, it looked so stunning that many believed it couldn't be real-time gameplay. After the truth came out that it was prerendered, fans waited patiently for about 3½ years to see what the actual game would look like. When the gameplay finally hit, I was pleasantly surprised. It may not have been as jaw-dropping as that original footage, but it still looked fantastic. So, naturally, I preordered it and dove into the action on release day. Overall, it was a good experience that really met many of the expectations built up over those years.

The story picks up two years after the Helghast's failed invasion of Vekta. Players follow Colonel Jan Templar and his team as they set out to attack Pyrrhus, the Helghast capital. Their mission? Capture Emperor Scolar Visari for war crimes. What you might think would be an easy task, of course, turns into a challenging adventure filled with intense battles.

As a first-person shooter, Killzone 2 definitely delivers on the military action. The gameplay is linear, guiding you and your squad through the hostile streets of Helghan while you face off against various enemy soldiers. The action is scripted much like the single-player campaigns seen in Call of Duty. At times, I found myself getting pumped up, feeling that adrenaline rush as I fought my way through waves of enemies. I made the rookie mistake of tackling the game on hard mode, hoping to make it last longer, but it turned into a frustrating experience with enemies constantly spamming grenades. Trust me, stick with normal difficulty for a more enjoyable experience. The levels themselves are well-designed, taking you to different environments like bridges, moving trains, and secret labs to keep things fresh.

One of the standout features of Killzone 2 is its incredible lineup of weapons. The gun designs are rugged and tough, evoking a sense of heavy industry and brute force. They may not bring anything new in terms of capabilities, but their design and sound are top-notch. Each weapon feels powerful, and I genuinely enjoyed every moment I spent using them. The graphics are impressive even by today's standards. You'll face enemies with different weapon classes who work together and can take a good number of hits. The soundtrack deserves a shout-out as well; the quality matches what you'd find in a blockbuster movie, and I still find myself humming the main theme occasionally.

Visually, the levels feature gritty industrial designs mixed with fascist architecture, propaganda posters, and statues, giving it a distinct atmosphere. The voice acting is solid throughout, especially Brian Cox as the ruthless ruler of the Helghans.

As for the story, it's serviceable but doesn't bring any major twists. I struggled to remember many character details beyond their short hair and mohawks. But that's fine because, in a game like this, the action takes precedence over character development.

Killzone 2 offers about 8-9 hours of non-stop action, and although there's also a multiplayer component, I mostly stuck to the single-player campaign since that's more my style.

In conclusion, I truly hope the Killzone franchise makes a comeback. It's always been at the cutting edge of what consoles can achieve, and Killzone 2 is a testament to that legacy. It's a gritty, thrilling experience that promises an adrenaline rush with each firefight.