Killzone 2

The PS3 has had a tough time in the past years. With great titles coming out on the platform and failing to do much for the console it was a worry that Killzone 2 would be another over hyped experience that is easily forgettable. Let me tell you now that is far from the case.

The story follows Alpha squad. Your character Sergeant "Sev" Sevchenko, is accompanied by Rico, Garza and Natko. The more interesting thing about these characters is that they are not amazing heroes that are sent into save the world. Instead the game feels like you are part of the ISA and are just a small part in a much bigger war. So they are sent in along with the rest of the ISA to conquer Helghan and capture the evil dictator of the Helghast called Visari. During the invasion the Helghast develop a new weapon that harnesses the fierce electrical storms that engulfs Helghan. Visari’s commander Radec also has a plan but I won’t go into much detail, except by saying that he is a kick ass character. The story for the most part is pretty basic good verses evil but the way it makes you feel like a tiny part in the war is something which most FPS campaigns fail to do. The campaign for this game can be done between 6-8 hours but that is not a bad thing. It has a lot of interesting and diverse set pieces which keeps the game interesting and not just kill, kill, kill. For example you will take control of a Mech suit, tanks and an anit-air turret. Also the ending leaves it open but concludes the story well enough for you to be satisfied.

There are your basic array of weapons that you can find throughout the game like shotguns, grenade launchers, rocket launchers, assault rifles, sniper rifles etc but the chances are you will always come back to the standard ISA Assault Rifle. However there are points in the game when you will be able to take control of much bigger weapons. The best of these is the lightening gun which shoots out a wave of electricity and kills everything that touches it. Also it has infinite ammo so this is really a God Gun.

The controls for the game are solid granted it does take a while to get used to them, but once you have they feel tight. The aiming may feel like you are missing all the time but give it time. The pacing and difficulty also varies. Sometimes you will be racing through levels while other times you will have to be taking it more slowly using the cover mechanics that are in place. Talking about the cover in the game it is fantastic. Not many FPS’ work cover into the game but Killzone 2 does this brilliantly. Best of all it does not feel like there are just cover points all around the levels, plus the addition of destructible environments keeps you on your toes. The six-axis controls are also put to good use. Firstly when sniping you have to keep your controller steady to keep a steady shot. Then placing a bomb, you are to twist the controller to plant the charge, this is also true when turning handles and finally it moves the 3D loading screens.

One of the biggest things about Killzone 2 is its graphics. Now I don’t have to say much except they are the best on the PS3 to date, especially the lighting and shadows. Character models look great bar a couple and textures are high for the most part. The sound also lives up to the graphics. All gunshots, explosions, tanks, voice acting and music in the game fit. The screams of comrades falling around you while explosions and guns fire really gives you a sense of war. Overall the presentation is without fault except the occasional long loading times in missions, where sometimes I thought it had frozen.

Shockingly one of best parts of Killzone 2 is its multiplayer. Now to date the PS3 has not had a good run with the multiplayer side of their games. Killzone 2 however changes that. There are your five basic game modes but instead of separating them, they have been all thrown into one called Warzone. This includes Assassination, Search & Retrieve, Search & Destroy, Bodycount and Capture & Hold. Throughout the match you will get about 5 five minutes on each game mode then it will switch to the next and so on until a team has won five rounds or whatever the host has set it to be. The ranking system is also quite clever. It does not give you all the classes at the start instead you have to work towards them by obviously killing and completing the relevant objectives. throughout ranking up you will unlock new weapons, skills and classes. Then each class has two badges to earn, Primary which gives you the basics of your class and Secondary which gives you an extra skill which can be swapped to create your own classes in the game. The multiplayer matches are very team based and because of the strong ranking system in place everyone seems to work together. There are eight maps in total and it supports up to 32 players. There is also a well build clan system in place where you can set up clan matches etc. All in all the multiplayer delivers the single player experience, minus the option to take cover and makes it more intense and addictive.


The question many of you are probably asking now is, has Killzone 2 lived up to the hype. Simply put yes. This game has built a very fun and intense single player but has actual single hope on the PS3's online side. The presentation of the game has lived up to expectations and all I can say is if you have a PS3 buy this game.