Read This Review - Please
Graphics: --
As I've stated before, the graphics are outstanding. The environments look so very good that when in the dark undergrounds, outside, or running through a ruined city, you feel like you're truly walking through. There's so many objects, areas, and such great atmosphere that it feels like you'll never be able to explore it all; even though in reality it's somewhat linear. The lighting and graphical display in this game is easily the best on any console available, period. Even comparable to some PC Games. I wouldn't go so far as to say the graphics are better than Crysis, but this is the first console game that comes close to contending with it.
Gameplay: --
This is where a major con for me is introduced: The aiming mechanics.
Unlike in other games such as Counter-Strike, Halo, Call of Duty, or whatever you'd like to bring up, Killzone 2's aim, sensitivity, and mechanics feel difficult to control. It feels like you're forcing yourself to turn; the sensitivity, even at the highest level, is slow. For some it may be fast enough, but for veterans, it's slow. On top of the X-Y axis sens. is the fact that it does NOT feel smooth. It starts out slow, and then becomes fast; often making it extremely difficult to keep your aim on an enemy or object that's moving in front of you. For some this may not be a problem, but for me, coming from a mouse; something flawlessly smooth, I noticed it dramatically. Even compared to other console FPS's.
I didn't particularly find the gameplay in itself sluggish, as others have mentioned. If anything it is fast paced, but because the game is so realistic in so many areas, it FORCES you to go slowly because of the way they game is made, and because of how your point of view is close to your surroundings. Often the lighting in the game is so real that you have to stand still for a second and actually see what's going on in detail, this is especially true in the underground, darker levels. It's very unique in that area, but often distracting.
In the game, you walk slowly, but run very fast. Because of how the levels are designed, you don't run very often; in multiplayer I'm sure this is different. In campaign, you don't run often; because it's hard to navigate the twists and turns at such a speed, so the battles may often seem slowly paced. It's small things like this that affect how people view the game as a whole.
Overall the gameplay, in my opinion, is done well, with a few flaws that may be actually very big to certain players. It depends on who you are, what kind of gaming background you have, and how you play.
The aiming mechanic I mentioned is not something to detract from the game as a whole, just the biggest personal con for myself.
Sound: --
Sound is what you would expect. The weapons don't have any special sound to them, nothing that would grab your attention, which isn't a negative thing, just a static fact. The commentary is average, typical war-talk and yelling, cursing, and what you would expect from in-game partners that are supposed to be rough and tough. The explosions, and the surroundings in the larger fights and boss battles are fine; there's really no negative points here for me.
Storyline & Characters: --
I haven't played the previous Killzone, so I don't know the specifics of the story. Picking up the game from a cold standpoint, I can understand what's happening, with a few questions here and there, but overall it's pretty basic. The characters are just fine; men from the army: some loud, obnoxious, with only the desire to blow things up. Others are more selective, and you have the woman for your Intel and lab analysis, and commanders, squad leaders, etc. Standard stuff.
The game itself plays very well mechanically speaking on the PS3; I've played the game for hours, left my PS3 idle, and never had a single slowdown or freeze. So far, no game, not even KZ2, has made my PS3 freeze. The game saves and loads fairly fast, and you rarely ever think about anything other than the action you're in.
Multiplayer: --
I'll only briefly touch on the multiplayer; which I haven't played much of. The maps are very large, which can take some getting used to. It may take you some running to get back into the action, but worth it. Maps are gorgeous as expected, and laid out well as far as what I've seen. Could be balance issues, not sure.
Overall Fun Factor: --
This game is well worth the money spent on it. The graphics are unbelievable; the lighting is some of the most realistic I've ever seen, and the gameplay has a very realistic feel to it; things move slower, there's motion blur, and different things that pull you into the game, and forces you to pay attention to be able to get through it.
The gameplay has some issues, like any other game on the market, but these ones are far inferior to some larger issues with other popular games.
Killzone 2 makes the PS3 shine, and it brings out the best in it. Great gameplay, the best graphics you may see for a good while, a half-decent story for an FPS, a campaign that has a good length, a variety in environments, and a wonderful atmosphere, and multiplayer with good potential and replay value.