Killzone 2
(PS3; $59.99; Rated M for Blood/Gore/Intense Violence/Strong Language; www.killzone.com)
‘Killzone,’ which was supposed to be the PlayStation’s answer to the Xbox’s ‘Halo,’ put up a pretty good firefight when it was initially released, but it ultimately ran out of ammo and got taken down by critics and fans for being mediocre and easily-forgettable.
In an attempt to make things more memorable, Sony released “footage” of ‘Killzone 2′ when it made the announcement of the PS3. Along with touting the incredible hardware of the system at E3 2005, Sony showed clips from upcoming games, including ‘Killzone 2′ that looked more amazing than anything anyone had seen in a video game. The intensity of the firefights, the detail in the faces- it all seemed too good to be true.
And it was, because none of the footage on that reel came from an actual game.
Instead, Sony hired computer animators to make mock-ups of what Sony wanted the games to look like. None of the footage shown was real, although Sony passed it off as being so. Later, Sony would admit that the reel was “target rendered” and, although not actual game footage, showed what the PS3 was graphically capable of in terms of a video game.
That set expectations for ‘Killzone 2′ astronomically high, put enormous pressure on developer Guerrilla Games, and most assumed that the final product of ‘Killzone 2′ would fall far short of that “target render.”
Granted, ‘Killzone 2′ was delayed over and over again, and development has taken over four years, but ‘Killzone 2′ is finally released. Can it compare to that notorious preview, or give the Xbox’s shooters “Halo” and “Gears of War” a run for its money?
Undoubtedly, and then some.
‘Killzone 2′ is one of the best shooters out there. It’s better than ‘Halo 3′ in terms of its single-player campaign, and is just as enjoyable as ‘Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare’ in terms of its multiplayer.
The single-player storyline sees you as roughneck in the most testosterone-laden, foul-mouthed military squad this side of Marcus Fenix and the rest of Delta Squad from “Gears of War.” Taking the fight to the sci-fi fascist world of Helghan, players will fight the Helghast on their own turf. This includes mostly charred or ashen landscapes which not only helps explain why the Helghast have to wear their heavy, ominous respirators, but also why they are in such a bad mood.
Though the gameplay isn’t quite up to the “target render” of 2005, Guerilla did a pretty fantastic job of coming pretty darn close. This is by far one of the best looking games to date, and the incredible cutscenes and sweeping orchestral score only support what is a superbly cinematic experience throughout.
If anything, the PS3’s Dualshock controller is the most awkward thing about playing ‘Killzone 2.’ For a guy that’s become so accustomed to the Xbox’s elegant controller for first-person shooters, the Dualshock just seems to feel off. Even tweaking the controls to better suit my Xbox experience, the PS3’s controller just doesn’t do it for me. For PS3 natives, I’m sure this won’t be a problem, but for someone that prefers the 360 controller, I wish I could use that instead of the Dualshock.
Multiplayer, in its implementation, is better than ‘Halo 3′ and ‘Call of Duty 4′ and makes for a very fun experience. Though the both have a far-superior party and matchmaking system, ‘Halo’ and ‘COD4′ are limited in playing one type of game per match. ‘Killzone 2′ makes for a very enjoyable multiplayer experience as all gametypes are covered in a single play-session. The game objectives in mulitplayer will shift throughout the match, moving from straight-up Deathmatch, to King of the Hill, and Escort-type missions. Each mission-type has a goal number or time limit that whenever each is reached, the match switches to the next mission-type. I enjoyed this type of play more, as half of my play-time was not spent sitting in a lobby waiting for a game to start.
Instead I spent my time… you know… playing a game.
The only downside to ‘Killzone’s’ experience-based system for unlocking classes and weapons is that there was too much time in between achieving another skill or weapon, unlike “COD4,” the pioneer of this system, which seems to constantly reward you every 30-40 minutes of play.
As a result, I went back and started playing “COD4″ again, and boy that’s a fun game!
Nevertheless, the PS3 has its top-tier shooter, and anyone with the system is right in picking it up.