Killzone 2 is a solid Sci-fi First Person Shooter, and is definitely one of the most improved sequels ever.
Killzone... The original PS2 game was released in 2004 and before release the term 'halo-killer' was continuously used. Unfortunately, it did not live up to the massive hype it had due the bugs and major framerate and AI problems, so whatever promises made by Guerrilla were not fulfilled. Yep, it turned it to be a major disappointment.
Killzone 2 was first announced with one whopping trailer at E3 2005 and it made nearly everyone surprised. Oh right, it was probably only because of the mouth-watering visuals at the time. Well, anticipation was definitely there and grew as 32-player online battles, a cover system, slick animations and several other things ( like realistic weapon accuracy) were announced and finally delivered during the game's February launch date- it definitely is one of the most improved sequels to a video game ever.
Story? Well, umm you play as Sergeant Sevchenko (nicknamed as Sev); a member of earth's ISA (Interplanetary Strategic Alliance) and it takes place 2 years after the events of the first game, this time on the Helghast's planet called Helghan. Sev is occupied by teammates Rico (aka the douchebag...), Garza and Natko, and together they form Alpha squad. Their objective is simple and it means war. There are some few twists and turns and some cinematics are definitely great, and the ending calls for another sequel. It's the average story for the FPS genre i.e. forgettable at most points, but what really is disturbing is the mostly poor dialogue (some of it is fine) filled with unnecessary swearing throughout, apparently done to make the game feel 'mature'. Oh and Rico will be remembered as one of the worst characters, ever.
I was glad that I finished giving a brief analysis of the game's storyline and characters, but like most shooters they do not matter. What does matter are the game play mechanics, and Killzone 2 has some well complemented ones. One thing any usual FPS player will notice the first time they play Killzone is the controls. Yes, disappointingly many players do not like these unique slow and more realistic controls, especially when compared to a fast-paced game, like the famous Call of Duty series. In my opinion, a find that these controls as no setback to the game and give it a totally different feel compared to other shooters.
In addition, every weapon seems similar to the controls. Accuracy is much more realistic and you simply cannot jump and fire expecting to get a clear headshot so easily. The infamous trick, 'bunny-hopping' is non-existent in Killzone 2 as it cannot be done due to the more realistic jump the character can perform. As for accuracy, any shooter veteran will need to get used to the accuracy of the guns and amount of recoil and reload times required to use them. I personally like these small adjustments of Killzone 2, and the controls definitely give the game a different feel and approach compared to nearly every other FPS title.
Weapons are weapons, and the variety in Killzone 2 is rather comparable to Halo. Thank god that there isn't about a trillion of variants for an assault rifle (*cough* COD *cough*). Some weapons you'll get to use in the game are; the usual assault rifle (A M82 specifically, the same one from the first game), a shotgun, sniper rifle, a magnum revolver, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, grenades and so on. As this is a sci-fi FPS like Halo, expect to see many unique futuristic weapons, and yes without spoilers, they are great and are well worth trying out.
You can also use melee in Killzone 2, tapping the left directional button will allow the player to quickly dash out the knife for a close kill. Grenades can be used by selecting the directional buttons as well. The other grenade variant is an electromagnetic object which can either stun enemies or kill them if the range is dangerously close.
Now, the one massive thing which I really like about the game is the enemy variety. This is poorly implemented in many other shooters, whereas you continuously shoot and kill the exact same enemy over and over again in games like- yes yet again- Call of Duty. In total, Killzone 2 has about 14 infantry enemy soldiers and each of these enemies are highly detailed in both design (check the concept art of the game if you want) and ability. This also means each of these infantry types are suited to different weapons and ranks, like those normal soldiers who have the standard assault rifle, cloaked experts in sniping, quick moving ones with close range weapons like the shotgun and combat knife etc.
Another thing Killzone 2 has which most other shooters do not are boss fights- and they are definitely not bad. In addition to the 14 infantry enemies, you will find at certain points facing a unique enemy with different, more powerful weapons and the method of defeating these foes is unique (in terms of FPSs at least). The boss fights are well paced and most of the action is not bad at all. However, higher difficulties also mean that in points of being killed, the player may have to fight through the exact same part due to restarting, which can be tiresome as some certain fights are extremely long (There's a point near end-game with a massive 45 min gunfight. Seriously)
After having a good time experiencing 10 of the game's singleplayer levels and getting used to the rather unique controls, the online is where players would head next (Unless they skip the campaign initially of course). Yes, like other conventional FPSs, online is the main component which is the most fun. Is Killzone 2's online any unique? Well, not really, but it is still a fun experience
The ranking system in Killzone 2 is through the use of points and the names of military ranks like corporal and sergeant. You start off as private and climb up the ladder through playing through various game types in different maps, and whether you win or lose, the points you gain in each match is independent and valuable only to you. There is a 1.5 win bonus, and luck does depend whether or not you are on the winning team or not. It took me 12 hours to get to the general rank, which warrants a gold trophy and a new class available (more on this later). The ranks after General are there to obtain with no real reason other than to get a new icon, similar to the Prestige mode in Call Of Duty 4.
Starting off in online, you may choose only the standard equipment soldier (pistol and an assault rifle) and may join the Helghast side or the ISA side. During play, there's a convenient AI commander who briefs the player in game what the objective is and what status the team is in, which is nice for beginners trying to get a hang of all the game types. Killzone 2 has the normal CTF and Team death match game types, as well as some others which are also present in most other multiplayer shooters.
In search and destroy, one team attacks the others base and ensures that a bomb is planted to score, while the other defends. The team with the most points wins. Assassination is another game type in which a randomly selected player is chosen in one side of the team, and the other team must try and take the chosen player down within a time limit. If they fail, the chosen target's team receives the point. Then, the sides swap and the next randomly chosen player is on the other team. In a 32 player match, this game type is also dependent on luck as a beginner may be selected, who does not have any idea what is going on, thus gets killed very early on. Though, thanks to the game's great matchmaking system (explained later) this issue isn't very bad. The final game type is search and retrieve, which as the title suggests, both teams try to collect Intel and return it to their side.
Now, the thing a really liked about Killzone 2's multiplayer is the matchmaking system. If you have just starting trying out online, it is recommended you do this as you otherwise may be fighting higher levelled players who both have better experience and equipment then you have. The matchmaking option can easily allow players with a similar skill level battle together, whilst others with a higher level are restricted from joining. Compared to other online shooters, it seems very unfair jumping into multiplayer for the first time and getting yourself killed as you are playing against others with a much better experience with the game than yourself.
As said before, as the player earns points and receives new badges when certain requirements are met (which may also unlock more trophies) they will eventually be able to play as other classes, for example a scout is equipped with a cloak for camouflage and a sniper rifle, and an engineer who can build automatic turrets in specific positions for strategic fighting. Though this may be a good or a bad thing, the sniper rifle can only be used when the player is at a rather high level, which I think is an OK idea as it balances out the difficulty. Some other examples of classes unlockable are the medic and assault, which can heal players if they are injured within a 10 second limit, while the latter can run faster temporarily and has more health than the other classes.
Personally, the worst thing about Killzone 2's online is that there is no standard death match game type, whatsoever. This is rather quite embarrassing for a game which is in the seventh generation of video games where old classics like Doom had the simple but fun game type back in 1993.
In result, apart from the total lack of a standard death match game type, Killzone 2's multiplayer is rewarding thanks to the ranking system, fair and accessible for beginners with the convenient matchmaking and at its' core, very entertaining and worth trying out. The 32 player matches do not suffer from lag in most cases, and it is neat to see a console FPS with the ability to support 32 players online, without any major issues in most cases or in least- mine.
The very first trailer was anticipated solely because of the graphics, during E3 2005 whereas many technical demos were made by developers with the PS3 development kit such as Final Fantasy VII, and Metal Gear Solid 4 (Well, it came TGS of the same year). Killzone 2 was a surprise, with the rather negative appeal of the first game, it seemed as the visuals where the only thing which could bring hope to its' success (back then).
Now, even though the visuals are not as good as the first trailer was and considering that trailer was made by the PS3 development kit, in which the footage was made in CGI, Killzone 2 still looks amazing. From the lightning to fluid animation, there is not much wrong with the visuals as a whole. Character detail and polygon count makes the characters look realistic as they are (perhaps the only reason for remembering them) whilst the weapons have the recoil and vibration realism bringing feedback as they are used. Sci-Fi weapons are also sub-standard but still great and the projectiles fired on enemies or objects can be seen after being used, resulting in a game with a good physics system.
Furthermore, though the story in the game is mostly uninteresting, the cinematics easily make up for it, which leaves a rather decent ending with the use of dramatic background music and the sense that it is war- dark and gruesome. The art direction follows the same trend, expect to see many black colours and a dark muddy look everywhere. Though some see this as a bad point; it is understandable as Guerrilla has made the theme of the game match the art direction. Thankfully, there are some both indoor and outdoor environments, and players later on will see more light in a exceptionally well designed desert in which sand and dust particles can be seen with detail.
In addition, Killzone 2 maintains a constant 30 frames per second throughout most of the experience, both online and off. Minor framerate problems are very rare and are the usual response after a massive explosion or something similar. Overall, arguably the main reason for anticipation, Killzone 2 delivers on its amazing visuals.
To compliment and blend together with some good cinematic cutscenes, the soundtrack is definitely not bad. The game's theme tune, is at least what I think is very similar to what to expect from something like Star Wars. In addition, the game's major fire fights will be more dramatic thanks not only to the visuals, but as well as the well paced background soundtrack.
On the other hand, even though the voice acting is passable, the dialogue is simply pathetic. Simply adding a lot of swearing and 'cool' language to a game to make it feel 'mature' is not a thing I like, though, as mentioned before, during multiplayer matches the briefing given in voice work for specific game types is very convenient. In contrast the sound effects from all the various types of weapons as well as the fictional ones are what you would come to expect from a first person shooter, and in result, Killzone 2 does a good job with the audio.
Killzone 2's campaign clocks in around 8 hours on the first playthrough, and of course depending on which difficulty you may play it on. In addition, that time may be extended if a player is keen in getting all of the optional intel and shooting down the Helghast symbols which both unlock a trophy each. As for online, I had a great time playing and trying to earn the various ribbons (such as get 10 kills with the pistol in 8 games to unlock the revolver as a sidearm) as well as the nice and beginner friendly ranking system. In all, I found myself playing online for around 15 hours before going into another game, and will most likely go back to it soon.
The original Killzone was the standard mediocre sci-fi FPS, while its' sequel is probably one of the most improved sequels ever made. The complaints regarding the game are mostly about the 'sluggish' controls, which simply do not bother me as it gives the game an unique feel. Oddly, many players especially the Playstation fans disliked the game a few months after the release, despite great reviews and heavy anticipation, and I definitely do not agree with those who think so. Killzone 2 is now a budget game with the Greatest Hits/ Platinum range and is definitely worth trying out if you like your First Person Shooters.
Summary
Pros:
- Amazing visuals and cinematics are just as good
- Decent, fitting background soundtrack
- 32 player online battles
- Many enemy types in the campaign
- Pretty good boss fights for a FPS
- Unique controls and supposedly realistic recoil effects from weapons
- Matchmaking system is great
Cons:
- Forgettable characters and story. 'Rico' is also one of the worst characters in anything, ever.
- Bad dialogue filled with unnecessary swearing
- No standard death match online
- Nothing new for the genre
Presentation: Apart from characters, story and script (this is an FPS after all) everything else is done pretty well. Having a few differences are easy to see and are good for giving its' own unique feel – 85%
Visuals: Spectacular lightning, great cinematics and smooth animations from the detailed characters. A few environments prevent the perfect score, but nevertheless, still superb. -95%
Audio: Passable voice acting with bad dialogue. However, the background music is done decently and the convenient briefings with voice overs at the start of joining an online game are convenient. Standard sound effects from weapons -80%
Gameplay: Unique controls, good enemy variety and many neat weapons highlight the campaign. 8 well designed initial maps as well as the 6 game types are delivered just as good. -87.5%
Replayability: The 10 campaign levels clock in about 8 hours on normal, while getting to the General Rank in online to unlock most of the classes takes around 12 hours. Of course this depends on skill and whether or not you like the online better than other FPSs.-80%
Opinion tilt: Much better than the first game and rather became underrated a few months after release being overshadowed by Call Of Duty 4. Worth trying out if you are a FPS fan. -85%
Overall 85%