Killzone 2, light years ahead of its predecessor contains unbelievable visuals and combat; it's an amazing shooter.
In 2005, a trailer for Killzone 2 was unleashed upon the world. It blew the media away, and thus the Killzone 2 watch began. While originally thought to be game footage, the controversial trailer was actually a computer generated trailer. When true footage was released, any doubt of the games graphics evaporated there. Arguably even better than the 2005 trailer, Killzone's groundbreaking visuals are a sight to behold.
Considerably darker and more gritty than the controversial trailer, Killzone 2 uses a thoroughly gray and brown palette. Lighting and environmental effects are brilliant. Planet Helghan is heavily affected by its climate. Violent winds beat at the walls of the buildings and tear cloth coverings by the seams. Worse still, is the constant and beautiful lightning storms that quake the ground. Heavily textured architectural details are everywhere, and the lighting pierces market squares and sandy fields with a fervent glow. To say that Helghan is gorgeous and gritty is an understatement. Helghan has had a large effect on its residents as well. Character models are exquisite, with incredibly realistic movement and facial features. The Doom trooper-esque Helghast are appropriately menacing. Their trademark glowing red eyes sear through the landscape.
As a shooter, Killzone 2 has players engaging in vicious combat. So intense is this combat, one rarely has enough time to stop by and see the sights in Helghan; a beautiful realized, but brutal planet. Gun animation and graphics is undoubtedly the greatest in any game to date. Lens flare is perfect, and the reactions are fluid as can be. Arterial spray covers the screen with a well placed shot. A large variety of weapons are available to choose from, from the standard ISA M82 assault rifle and the Helghast StA-52 assault rifles to the rocket launcher and lightning gun; one of the most powerful weapons ever seen in a shooter. These weapons are extremely satisfying to use, adding a massive amount of fun to the singleplayer and multiplayer components. Only one of these may be used at one time however, with a handgun sidearm and combat knife always at your hip.
Killzone 2 offers a well-paced campaign that keeps players in the thick of the ISA and Helghan conflict. Jan Templar, hero of the first two Killzone games, has been promoted to a position of giving orders upon an ISA cruiser ship. This introduces a new protagonist to the mixture; Sergeant Tomas Sevchenko. As member of Alpha Squad, "Sev" is on the front line assault force as the ISA takes the fight to the Helghast home planet of Helghan. Joined by squad mates Garza, Natko and squad leader Rico, (whose unquenchable bloodlust has no bounds). From the get-go, Sev and his team are thrown into a cluster of conflict.
Unfortunately like in the first Killzone, there is some left to be desired in the storytelling. While the plot background is actually pretty good, it's rather tedious to need to read up on websites to get the extent of the narrative, (something that should really be in the game). Throughout the game, character conflict and interaction is mostly left to profanity and how to get from point A to point B. Later in the game, Guerrilla tries to make players care about the characters, but it falls a little flat. While the storytelling may lack in depth, the campaign's action is anything but. In about eight-to-ten hours, Killzone 2 pacts an insurmountable amount of action.
The thrilling firefights are perfectly done. There is a certain feel of "heaviness" to the gameplay. A small amount of controller lag makes Killzone 2 feel realistic, with each step feeling like it hits the ground. This takes a while to get used to twitch-shooter players, but works very well once you get used to it. Bullets affect enemies like never before. Yes, it obviously still drains the Helghast of their blood, but a bullet collision system has been implemented. The force of a round will propel an enemy in the given direction. A cover-based system similar to Quantum of Solace or Rainbow Six Vegas is present, with one distinct difference. Instead of changing to third-person perspective upon cover, Sev stays in first person view at all times. This greatly assists difficulty and the illusion that the player is in Sevchenko's shoes. Helghast intelligence is vast; they utilize cover as much as Sev does, and in groups will attempt to flank him and move him into the open. Killzone 2 uses a regenerative system in single-player similar to that of the Call of Duty games.
This along with the brilliant Helghast AI forces players to use cover well, and take accurate pot-shots. Friendly AI is noticeably not as advanced as the enemies. They may run into Sev's line of fire and use cover poorly from time to time. However they're far from dumb; you never get the feeling that they're useless and you're fighting the war by yourself. They certainly help in fighting back the Helghast march, and in many cases you'd be lost without them. Mini-boss battles, like the several variations of 'heavies' is one of them. These heavily steel armored behemoths are unphased by bullets, and require special tactics to take down. They also provide cover fire in the most dire of places.
Killzone 2 action-packed campaign offers a few set pieces to mix up the action. Turret sequences, a tank and a mech battle are used in a few occasions to change the course of battle. They never feel out of place, are well designed and most importantly, make players feel like they are heavily directing the flow of battle. The Mech fight in particular, feels incredibly authentic. Enemy fire that hits gradually damages the vehicles shields, and peppers the sights with bullet holes. These fights are very well done, and will make you thirst for more.
To accompany regular action and special sequences in the campaign are great boss battles. Battles against powerful Helghast vehicles and petrusite wielders to Colonel Radec, a Helghast champion second to Scolar Visari (voiced brilliantly by Brain Cox), leader of the Helghast people. The Radec fight in particular, is one of the most difficult and time consuming fights in recent memory, (you get a trophy for defeating him in less than twenty minutes!). In an epic uphill battle to Visari's palace, a fight reminiscent to the storming of the German parliament in World War II, Sev will need to utilize his cover, movement, strategy and shooting skills to the max.
To tag along with the great single-player, Killzone 2 comes with an awesome multi-player to boot. Easily the greatest class-based multi-player since Battlefield 2, players must work on a team to win the wars. This adds a heavy dynamic to the game, an overall mix of the best qualities from Battlefield 2, Team Fortress and Call of Duty. The regenerative health and cover system are removed. This is where the classes come in. Seven are available, from a simple solider to a medic and sniper class, there are plenty forms tailored to a specific type of play. Soldier is available from the start, while the others as well as additional weapons are unlocked through rank advancement.
Full squad and clan support is available, with heavily interactive clan betting systems. Despite this, the most memorable part of Killzone 2's multi-player is the system used. Teams are split on eight exceptional maps. They are flexible enough to tailor to any size of warfare, up to 32 players. Well guarded, fix-spawn points virtually eliminate spawn camping issues that are present in other games, such as Call of Duty. The multi-player modes themselves offer surprises with the standard modes of Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and Capture and Hold. Up to five modes are available in one game, and the transition is unbelievably seamless. With little breathing room in between, an accomplished or failed objective will change on the fly, giving a chance to increase the lead, or even out the fight. All this is done with minimal online lag and issues.
Additional features flesh out the experience, the squad support helps coordinate attacks with ease, and the clan support lets clans challenge each other for a said amount of points. It easily allows team to set up matches or tournaments. And the well integrated match-making system will never pit a newbie clan against a hardcore one. Solo matches will also pit players of equal rank against one another, so newer players down the line may have an easier time to attune their skills. For lone-wolf's, or entire clans, Killzone 2 is an ideal place for a smooth and brutal online experience.
Killzone 2 is easily the most improved sequel in recent memory. What Killzone wanted tried to accomplish and failed, Killzone 2 excelled. You will have to wait for a theoretical Killzone 3 to wrap up the narrative however. Killzone 2's visuals are some of the best to be seen yet, but it is no slouch by any means in terms of action. The tense, frantic and especially fun single-player and multi-player modes are a wonderful justification of that 2005 trailer. Together with Insomniac Games, Guerrilla's Killzone 2 Insomniac's Resistance 2 now form a huge one-two shooter punch for the PlayStation 3.