Killzone 2 is the first must have FPS of the year!
I was aware of the hype going into this game. I can say with confidence it has certainly lived up to it. This is an absolutely fantastic FPS experience that has already provided me with several fun hours, and many more to come.
The story takes you to the Helghan planet where the ISA intends to over throw emperor Visari who initiated the attack on the Vektan planet in the first Killzone.
This is pretty much all the story you get in Killzone 2. The paper thin story comes with very little character development, so you hardly care about any of them. It tries to inject some emotion late in the game, but by then you’re not going to suddenly feel any connection with your squad.
Right off the bat you are thrust into a warzone and expected to stay alive while fending off waves of red-eyed enemies. The enemy AI is excellent, using cover effectively, or flanking you when the opportunity arises. The Helghast are by no means “pushovers”, you’ll want to be constantly paying attention to what’s going on around you.
On top of solid game play the game has unquestionably the most beautiful “ugly” graphics out there. The Helghan planet is a wasteland, and they make the wasteland look as believable as I could ever imagine. Movement felt extremely smooth and I never encountered any frame rate drops or slowdown. Every model and texture looked phenomenal and really helped immerse me in their world.
I have a few nitpicky issues with the single player. When loading creeps up, it stutters the game play. It can really detach you from the enthralling experience when you encounter what feels like a CD skip. Aside from the thin character development and story, there isn’t a ton of game play variety. You’ll occasionally be met with a vehicle section but for the most part you are just shooting wave after wave of similar looking Helghast. Don’t get me wrong though; it’s still extremely satisfying killing off those waves in between the brief vehicle sections. Also, there is no co-op at all…
The real piece that makes Killzone 2 a truly outstanding game is the online multiplayer. It’s the first game in a long time to recreate the intensity that made Call of Duty 4 so amazing. As you play you will earn experience points that will earn you ranks. As you rank up, you unlock new weapons or classes. Also you will earn badges for performing certain tasks or playing well. Get enough of a certain badge and you will earn a medal. This medal will give you a permanent boost such as more ammo when you spawn or earn more points for completing tasks. So even if you reach the maximum rank, there are still many more rewards to earn.
The class system also adds plenty of depth. Classes also have their own specific badges to earn which gain bonuses for each class. You could revive your wounded team mates with the medic class or disguise yourself as the enemy as the saboteur class. Also there is full in game clan support allowing you to setup clan matches from within the game, participate in tournaments, and also track your ranking with valor points.
Despite its very minor flaws, the campaign is an overall entertaining experience with a good amount of challenge that will take you about 8 or 9 hours to complete. The multiplayer will be the reason you come back to this game with its addictive fine tuned game play and jaw-dropping visuals. If you own a PS3 you owe it to yourself to at the very least rent Killzone 2.
