The big question going into KILLZONE 2’s launch was whether or not the development team over at Guerrilla could finally deliver that “Halo-Killer” experience that they promised half a decade ago. Sure, the first Killzone was a half decent game but it’s hardly a franchise name synonymous with ‘quality’. The original KILLZONE came out for the Playstation 2 back in 2004 and was hyped to be that system’s “Halo Killer”, when in reality it ended up being nothing more than a typical FPS with a lacklustre narrative and severe technical issues due to the Playstation 2’s capability. One thing however, was abundantly clear all those years back was that their (Guerrilla’s) aspirations seemed to overlook the hardware available to them as they shot for the moon and only managed to end up in Denver. This time around though, Guerrilla has the hardware to backup their talent and have no excuses holding them back from truly delivering that “Halo Killer” as promised years ago. Enter, KILLZONE 2.
This time around you’re continuing the war against the Helghast by taking the battle to their home world of Helghan, a world built on industry and war. Or so we assume. There’s very little in the way of actual narrative before dropping you into the action. It’s a war, the soldiers with the glowing red eyes are the enemies, and the guys who are swearing and yelling are your comrades in battle. At the beginning of the game you’re given a fairly lengthy introduction by the leader of the Helghast (voiced by Brian Cox of X-Men 2 and Super Troopers fame) which paints a broad picture of the looming threat that the ISA (the good guys) pose to their way of life. It’s a fantastic way to start the game off as it gives you a brief look at what war propaganda looks like from the Helghast’s prospective and hammers the notion of their unwillingness to accept the ISA’s presence on their planet. Sadly after that initial introduction you’ll be left alone with nothing more than a handful of expletives and missions that can be broken down to getting from Point A to Point B as your storytelling tools.
So the Helghast are pissed. You are after all attacking their home planet and destroying their beautiful…or rather, drab colourless world. That is to say that you won’t find much in the way of beauty while you’re visiting Helghan as around every bend you’re greeted with concrete, steel and a sky that never seems to see the light of day. Throughout the entirety of the game’s campaign you’re placed into numerous high octane set-piece battles that rely heavily upon a cover system and precise aim. Run & gun Rambo style strategy just won’t do as you’ll quickly be shredded by enemy fire if you throw caution to the wind and go in guns’a'blazing. The combat itself leans more towards ranged combat than close quarters as you’re better off ducking behind cover and taking pot-shots at the Higs’ (Helghast) heads and tossing a few well placed grenades than you are running around with a shotgun as you’ll soon find yourself overwhelmed with Hig soldiers if you follow the latter path. The shooting mechanics are tight and more importantly unique as everything you do in KZ 2 has a sense of weight and momentum to it which definitely takes some time to adapt to if you’re used to playing Halo 3 or CoD World At War. It definitely lends itself well in KZ 2 though as it helps define the combat as its own and helps it stand out when compared to all the other shooters out there in this FPS-heavy market. A few vehicle based missions are tossed in throughout the game as well as some genuinely nifty uses for the Six-Axis controller but for the most part you’ll be waging your way through wave after wave of Helghast soldiers. The unique combat also puts an intense twist into the online multiplayer mode as you’re given the ability to play with up to 32 total players but with the gameplay stressing strategic shooting while maintaining the size of a frantic online battle I found that the combat broke down into much more intimate encounters with a heavy amount of skill needed to win the individual battles you’ll encounter during a match leaving the gun-happy rabbit hopping bouncers by the wayside (thankfully). This is THE online shooter for the Playstation 3. No doubt about it. The gameplay is strategic, intense, balances skill and accessibility and is most importantly – just pure fun. Which is just another reason why Sony really needs to get their collective heads out of their asses with the Playstation’s online model. KZ 2’s online gameplay is fantastic yet its structure is completely unremarkable. There’s no real technical issues that hold it back or damper it’s fun, but it definitely has not reached it’s true potential when it comes to matchmaking (or better said, lack of).
On the audio side of things, there’s definitely some bias shown towards players that are lucky enough to have surround sound systems set up as you’ll encounter on more than one occasion certain scenarios that are almost entirely built upon the use of 5.1 surround sound, which is a tad rude but the end result is outstanding. The sounds of the battlefield have never been clearer nor more impactful than what you’ll find in KILLZONE 2. Guerrilla definitely uses the audio to benefit the gameplay which isn’t done nearly enough in this genre of games and it should be commended as the immersion level soars if you’re surrounded by the snap & whistle of bullets whizzing by your head only to then have a grenade go off just to your right as a friendly is sniped down just to your left. It’s intense and it’s fantastic.
Naturally not to be out-done by the audio, the visuals would have even Woody and Buzz Lightyear asking their bedroom partner’s to sign NDA’s ala Dave Chappelle. We’ve all seen the E3 trailer from years past, and up until the actual release this past month it was still debated whether or not the in-game visuals would live up to the lofty expectations set by the gigantic hype machine. The answer is simply and astoundingly yes. This is the prettiest shooter on the market, bar none. The combat has such a quick pace to it that you’re sadly never given a chance to stand still and breath in the scope of what’s on the screen in front of you without comprising your cover – but a death or two is an affordable price for just a few glimpses of how beautiful something as ugly as Helghan can be. You’ll occasionally run into small screen-tearing issues and an odd texture or two that isn’t up to snuff but they’re all easily forgivable when you look at the game as a whole.
In the end, KZ 2 won’t be remembered for delivering that truly iconic and everlasting impact on the genre that we saw Halo achieve, though I doubt if that is even possible anymore. It did however achieve what it set out to do. Guerrilla has put out one hell of a game that every Playstation 3 action loving owner should get their hands on. The game has clear narrative issues as after the initial five minutes there isn’t a single reason (story-wise) to continue the fight for the rest of the campaign only to be slapped in the face in the final 45 minutes with scenes that strive to pull some sort of emotional reaction from its audience only to fail horrifically. Yet, the gameplay itself is the only reason you’ll ever need to play and thoroughly enjoy KILLZONE 2. It’s quite simply a game that shouldn’t be missed.