When it comes to sci-fi themed first person shooters, gamers have a lot of options. Be it with a chieftain of masters or a theoretical physicist who looks good in orange, the sub-genre has seen its epics. So how well does Guerilla Games' PS3 exclusive, Killzone 2 hold up against such strong competition?
The answer is very well.
Killzone 2 follows up the events of Killzone for the PS2 and Killzone: Liberation for the PSP. In short, a militant world known as Helghan decided to invade the very Earth-like world of Vetka. The forces of Vetka prove mighty and force the Helghast to retreat to their homeworld. The Interplanetary Strategic Alliance then sends its forces to counter-invade Helghan, putting an end to the Helghast threat once and for all. Which is where the game begins.
The opening movie sets the scene for the conflict.
For starters, the opening scenes are gorgeous. Helghast leader Emperor Scolar Visari is shown delivering an anti-ISA propaganda speech immediately before our protagonist, Sergeant Tomas “Sev” Sevchenko, and his unit drop onto Helghan.
And the drop is what really hooked me in.
As I assume all real soldiers do, the ISA curse like lunchroom ladies. Any form of descriptor, be it adjective or adverb, is replaced with language only suitable for the darkest corners of high school cafeterias. The Helghast on the other hand speak mostly through gunshots, which is pretty effective communication.
Luckily Killzone 2, with its M rating and all, decides to treat gamers like the pale skinned FPS masters they are. The tutorial is perhaps the most simple, to the point, and short training I’ve ever had for a game. Console shooters all hover in the same ballpark control wise and KZ2 gets the basics out of the way quick and dumps you straight into the action.
And there’s action aplenty. The Helghast, a race of former humans who colonized Helghan and have adapted to survive in the harsh environments, are very good at killing. If you’re far away, they can kill you. If you’re up close, they can (and will) make your head ‘splode. A basic rule of thumb: If you can see or shoot at them, they can see and will shoot at you.
This brings us to the AI, which (hats off to Guerrilla) results in some of the most refreshing Nazi-esque folks I’ve ever mowed down with a machine gun. The AI for the most part is almost as challenging as online multiplayer. They will take cover when being fired at, wait for you to reload, and come at you with speed and efficiency. So yeah, the Helghast play it smart. Dolphins with machine guns smart.
While the action is pretty much non-stop throughout, there are a few fire fights specifically that will challenge the skills of any Halo or Call of Duty master. This isn’t Hitler’s Germany and the enemies don’t make George Lucas-esque squeals when hit. The amount of intensity and adrenaline Killzone 2 evokes in its heated shootouts is amazing.
Speaking of killing folks, let’s talk about how you do that. Killzone 2 utilizes a primary weapon, which can consist of a number of heavy firearms, and an always faithful revolver as a secondary. In true FPS fashion you have access to grenades, melee attacks, and even a combat knife.
Weapons are numerous including machine guns of varying strengths, shotties, grenade launchers, RPGs, flamethrowers, sniper rifles, and one swanky electricity gun. Like any good shooter title, head shots are the way to go, but Killzone 2 makes hits anywhere on an enemy feel fantastic as well.
Killzone 2 also makes use of a nifty cover system. It’s not uber clingy like Gears of War and it feels very natural. You can peek over and around objects to see what dangers lie ahead, but remember the rule of thumb from earlier. You know how you love to shoot enemies that take even the slightest peek around a corner? Well the AI takes to peekers like the homeless to soup. Consider yourself warned.
An area that is a bit hit and miss is the inclusion of a few brief Sixaxis scenes. For the most part, these events simply involve turning a valve which is ultimately not adding to the overall experience. That would be the previously mentioned miss. A sleeper hit for Sixaxis controls comes from the setting of D Charges. Rotating the controller to activate charges (albeit a little Hollywood in nature) made me feel like I was that much closer to the action. The Hollywood factor was usually upped by detonating the charges which serve to drop towering structures and buildings.
The fights of Killzone 2 take Sev and company through large Helghan cities and deserted wastelands. The environments alone speak legions more than any narrator could about the Helghast. The structure and layout of their cities and palaces scream elitist military complex and the wastelands allow you to understand why the Helghast have adapted to their tough as nails humanoid state.
While the intensity and brooding atmosphere may be a bit much for some players, Killzone 2 throws you a bone every once in a while. At points where I would feel nearly overwhelmed after narrowly escaping death at the hands of a Helghast onslaught, the game would throw in a turret or mech piloting scene. Both events render the player mostly invincible and allow you to vent some that tension through a quickly increasing body count.
Overall, the story won’t make you cry or anything, but what space themed shooter has succeeded in that department? It’s a story about soldiers on a suicide mission so expect a lot of cursing and explosions. Once again though, I applaud Guerilla for taking something so generic and executing it with a quality that serves to ratchet up the force of the single player campaign. I was perfectly fine with the nearly all alpha male cast necessary for the job at hand. And the game’s closing scenes totally defied the Michael Bay ending I predicted.
Without spoiling too much, suffice it to say that the ending leaves you feeling alone and hopeless. Not what I expected (in a very good way) from a testosterone filled tour of duty.
The single player mode clocks in at about ten hours (for an average FPS person such as myself) but that’s ten of the most intense gaming hours I’ve had in a while. Throw in the harder difficulty levels and you are in for a session of combat that even John Rambo would call in sick for.
So far, Killzone 2’s online multiplayer has been a breath of fresh air for the PS3. All of the matches I have played have been lag free, even the epic 32 player skirmishes. I will remain a tad skeptical of lag issues as more and more people get in on the online action, but as of now Killzone 2 is one of the most pleasing online experiences I’ve had with my PS3.
The online Warzone has all the FPS staples: assassin, body count, defend your base, and capture the flag type modes are readily available. Players can also customize their characters via differing combat classes. Each class has its own skill, which adds a touch of diversity to the otherwise standard affair.
For example, scouts can earn badges that allow them to activate a cloaking device or mark the coordinates of enemy combatants. Saboteurs can wear enemy disguises and set C-4 charges. Other classes include engineers, medics, assaults, and tacticians; all of which add some flare and customization to Killzone’s online mode. Throw in a points based leveling up system and you’ve got one fleshed out online smorgasbord.
Granted, none of this reinvents the wheel, but combining the online aspect with the next gen visuals and solid controls makes for one delightful global experience.
Sony’s also doing a great job of birthing and supporting a Killzone 2 community. From the game’s main menu you can access killzone.com to get your clan on, talk strategy, and see the latest news for the Killzone universe. It’s a smooth setup that really stands out from the typical online Sony experience. And with new maps supposedly on the horizon, this overall package looks to get even sweeter.
The Game:
Despite humble beginnings, the PS3 is finally getting a stable of quality exclusives. Killzone 2 is THE first person shooter for PS3. Sure it’s all been done before, but Guerilla Studios does it so well that it feels like a new experience. So what if the ISA soldiers are required to curse after every adverb? If I were in their shoes, my sneezes would sound like the random cursing of a Kevin Smith film. All that aside, Killzone 2 offers a superbly well done single player experience and one of the best online outings Sony has to offer.
(9.0/10)
The Time:
The single player is surprisingly friendly to gamers with little time to spare. Continuing your campaign later will drop you off at the last checkpoint you crossed versus restarting the entire level. While this is a nice feature, you can still expect to invest some time into advancing through the brutally efficient Helghast.
But if you’re in the mood for a gaming quickie, just hop into the well implemented online mode and go to town. Albeit a morbidly depressing militant town.
(7.0/10)
The Verdict:
I am by no means a die-hard FPS fan, but I had a blast playing Killzone 2. The sheer quality and execution delivered from the first to last bullet fired is everything I could want in a shooter. Guerilla Games does a phenomenal job of taking a near stagnant sub-genre and making it feel like Saving Private Ryan on space crack.
Killzone 2 takes all of the best from FPS titles before it, along with amazing visuals and solid controls, to produce a bullet riddled roller coaster. If you like to shoot things (in the video game sense) and own a PS3, Killzone 2 is a must have title.
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