Killzone 2



Game Info               

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America               
Developer: Guerrilla               
Genre(s): First-Person Shooter
Platform:  PS3               
Players: 32               
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)               
Release Date: February 27, 2009

Intro:
Providing a bit of backstory and throwing down the gauntlet, the intro to Killzone 2 is so graphically intense that you can literally see the pores and wrinkles on the faces of the characters.  Right away, the futuristic space army theme is set.  Facial animations and recognizable mannerisms make the game even more human and movie-like.  The lighting is exquisite.  By graphics alone, the game draws the player in immediately.  

Getting Going:
Players have a choice of several modes:  Campaign, the story mode of Killzone 2; War Zone, online play; and Skirmish, in which players can fight against bots in any multiplayer setting.  Making full use of the SIXAXIS controller, even load screens appear to be 3D and move along with the controller, altering the view.  However, the first thing your character is told to do is to follow Garza through the ship.  The player is taught to use simple controls through onscreen prompts as they move.  You stop to hear the briefing between the leaders and then....I didn’t know what to do.  The mission reminder said, follow ‘Garza through the ship.’  I thought that was Garza I was looking at and he wasn’t moving.  Finally, I found the button to show me which way to go and followed it.  But, before that, I was wandering aimlessly.

Fun:
Killzone 2 offers a fantastic play experience in the form of real-looking environments and frenetic play.  Players get to dash into the fray in the name of changing mankind.  But, players are still just playing follow-the-leader.  There is no real decision-making here.  And, I got lost five minutes in.  To me, that’s not fun.

Visuals:
Hands down, the visuals are crazy, amazing, stunning and any other words one can think of to say “Wow!”  Every detail has been attended to including the holes and texturing of the vents in the ceiling and your shadow on the floor in front of you.  Lighting even includes the solar spots that are seen on camera as the sun rises or sets.  Bullets create crags in the stone walls.  The places to hide and shoot from are all perfectly themed so that nothing seems out of place and many places are useful for cover.

Sound:
Frenetic, chaotic war sounds abound, but the voice-acting simply falls short.  While subtitles note what is being said, it can be difficult to hear or understand at times.  And, in the middle of the fray, it can be difficult to read, as well.  The enemies often have something to say, but they all sound the same.  This wouldn’t be a problem, except that they all sound like the arch enemy, so it makes you think you’re not far from the big boss. The voices don’t always seem to project from the right place, as in from the person who is talking.  And, while the player character, Sev, is spoken to often, he doesn’t actually seem to speak.  I realize this is a first-person shooter and part of any first person game is allowing the player to take that role.  But, it’s kind of creepy to be the silent one with the gun.  

Intelligence:
Your brother in arms recognizes your shooting ability.  If you are doing well, he tells you to leave some for him.  If you are doing poorly, he asks when you’re going to shoot.  If you’re getting killed, he prompts you to take cover.  And, when you need to do something, he tells you what to do.  The rest of the army fights, as well, so you don’t feel that you are a one man army in a sea of comrades.  The enemies make decisions, come up on you, move to better cover and move to take a better shot.  The AI in Killzone 2 is impressive and very well-done.

Immersion:
Some elements, such as the inability to understand what’s being said or the way the voices seem to come from the wrong places, take the player out of the moment.  However, a game this graphically spectacular, does a great deal to create an immersive environment.  The battle sounds all around certainly add to the ambiance and the camaraderie of the crew makes you care about your team.  This does begin to work against you over time, however.  As your crew gets pinned down, they don’t get killed off.  There is a bond that is forged in the beginning and, of course, with your main helper, but there is no feeling of loss because of that bond.

Win/Lose States:
If you die in battle, you are revived where you died.  There is little or no loss.  Guns and ammo can be picked up throughout the environment.  Trophies are earned for various tasks.  There are optional tasks and collectibles in the environment for other prizes.

Cameras:
The camera offers a full 360 degree view as well as overhead views.  If you look down, you can see your shadow, but not your feet.  The camera swings easily, but not overly so.  In the time that I played, I never ran into a camera glitch such as looking through a wall or being blocked by a nearby object.

Controls:
The controls are not as intuitive as some games.  A few FPS’s that I’ve played have used R2 as the trigger, so I kept using R2 accidentally, which throws the grenades.  The Up arrow guides your way if you don’t know which way to turn and the Triangle switches weapons.  The learning curve is simply a little longer for players of other, similar, games simply because you have to re-learn the configuration.

Ideas:
The graphics are phenomenal, movement is smooth, aiming is perfection.  Players have decisions in the form of picking up weapons and ammo and searching an area, but not much else.  I could find nothing that indicated a lack of design or detail.  But, I also didn’t find anything really new.  The one thing on my wish list is that I wished, with all of the camaraderie, that some of your squadron would die and there would be a sense of loss.  The game was realistic in all other ways, so this would make sense.

Memory:
If war games were my kind of game, I’m sure I’d be glued to Killzone 2.  It’s an outstanding game.