| Killzone 2 review (PLAYSTATION 3) |
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| Written by Alexis M. (Rivithed) | |
| Thursday, 19 March 2009 | |
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Killzone 2 [PLATINUM BITHEAD AWARD] - game of the year contender The Summary:
Read the complete Killzone 2 review below.
Killzone 2's opening gameplay sequence is a stark contrast to the dark and dense environment that awaits you below in planet Helghan. The opening takes place in the "New Sun", a slick star cruiser. As you make your way through the ship's clean interior, various pilots and engineers chatter about in preparation for the impending assault. You may just be tempted to eavesdrop on a few of them. To get a richer understanding of what's going on, you should. Your fellow ISA (Interplanetary Strategic Alliance) Alpha Team awaits you for the drop to Helghan, on a mission to detain Scholar Visari, the Helghast's leader. As "Sev", prepare for a harsh welcome to the planet's surface as your dropship crash lands just short of its destination.
Killzone 2 will drown you in the intensity of gunfights, unlike any other FPS game. This isn't about high speed run and gun. It's heavy, sustained firepower. Intense battles place you and your ISA comrades in an opposing firing line against a line of Helghast. The fights are sustained explosive and smoky-filled battles. Gunfights can take place for a while, especially in levels like Visari Square. PLAYSTATION 3 games may have been criticized before for their lack of dense and highly textured environments. Killzone 2 sets an example of how PS3 games can have very rich environments, explosive effects and detailed textures. You can almost smell the smoke.
The whirling sandstorms have a dense feel to them as well. Environments are fairly destructible. One scene will have you taking a structure down completely. It's pretty rewarding to see that. It's always fun to chip away at an opposing Helghast's cover too.
It doesn't get repetitive, as the pacing changes up. There are some parts where you'll be walking through a level and it will feel unnerving and quiet. You know an ambush is coming, but not where or when. Killzone 2's single player campaign will take you through 10 different levels. The levels offer a nice variety of locations. From shanty towns, to dense urban environments with lightning storms, to windy deserts. There's plenty of variety and locations never get dull. Gameplay controls feel solid. When you are behind cover (using L2 button), you can peek around corners using the left stick to take shots. The cover system works great. The Helghast may attempt to blind-fire at you, but you can always take a snipe of their helmet, and head, while they are firing at you. Killzone 2 makes some creative use of the DUALSHOCK 3 controller's motion capabilities. Sometimes you'll be twisting your controller to open a valve or rigging up bombs. The best use of motion controls was a subtle, yet effective one. When zoomed in while using the sniper rifle, you'll need to keep a steady hand for precise shots. It worked great for fine-tuning and added to the tension. Killzone 2's weapons may seem standard fare at first, but there are some unique ones. My favorites were the Bolt Gun and Electricity Gun. The Bolt Gun made for some humorous Helghast impaling. The Electricity Gun reminded me of a grown up version of a toy spark gun. Whir old sparky up and unload it on some Helghast for some lethal lightning chain reactions. The reflections and detail on the various weapons give them a believable solid feel.
Don't go into Killzone expecting long cutscenes and a lot of storyline and character development. It could be argued that there isn't enough build up of the leading villain, Scholar Visari, or Helghast Colonel Radec. Killzone 2 is a gritty sci-fi action shooter. You may have to pick up more on the storyline through other untraditional ways, like the unlockable content (more on that below). Multiplayer modes include some unique game types like "Search and Destroy" (locating and detonating targets), "Search and Retrieve" (find and return various items before time runs out) or a traditional deathmatch type, "Body Count" (go for the most kills). Up to 32 players can compete in online matches. Like the single player mode, multiplayer stats and rankings are tracked. You can also create and join clans. You can always warm up with some 8 vs. 8 bot matches before going into a ranked game. There are 7 different classes you can play as. Connectivity was definitely an issue with some multiplayer matches when I tried to play multiplayer. Hopefully Sony and Guerilla Games will sort it out. It still shows the PlayStation Network has a while to go to catch up with the reliability of the online play. The environmental audio adds to the immersion and grand feeling of Killzone 2. Wind rustling up sand, water dripping, electricity cracking. The 7.1 surround sound and orchestral soundtrack will get you fueled for the firefights and adds an epic feel to the game. One cool new features Killzone 2 brings, which I can't recall being done by any other game, is the unique unlockable content. Once you link up your game to your Killzone.com account, you'll be able to see an exhaustive list of single-player and multiplayer stats. Not only that, but any of the hidden emblems you've shot or briefcases you've found will unlock some unique content to download from Killzone.com. This may include posters, tips, and some very cool Killzone papercraft. Many are PDF downloads. There are 20 different unlockable items. On my first playthrough I found 50%, but I will definitely be going back for more. Hopefully other games will do this. Trophies are cool milestones, but getting actual downloadable stuff adds another layer to the game experience. Load times are fairly quick in between levels, and almost seamless during gameplay. There were several times where I could notice a one second blip. Yes it's short, but when you are running that one second feels like an awkward stutter. At the same time, there is no install of the game. That was a surprise, considering several PLAYSTATION 3 games have required a 5GB install. I honestly was expecting it in Killzone 2 with all it's rich graphics, but there is none. Length-wise, you'll be able to get through the Normal difficulty in just under 10 hours, but it's likely you won't find all the unlockable content. There are 4 different difficulty levels to master. You'll probably want to go through it a second time without much convincing. It deserves at least a second playthrough of the campaign.
[conclusion] Killzone 2 is one of those games that comes around only once every few years. It was put under a microscope after Sony and Guerilla Games set the bar high with the E3 2005 teaser. Guerilla Games has managed to come through in the end. It's one of those high production, popcorn-entertainment games (though you won't have much time to reach for the popcorn). It's tone is that of a dark, visually rich sci-fi setting. Killzone 2 is an essential game to experience on the PLAYSTATION 3. |
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