Killzone 2 tries hard to defy the competition but some how misses that mark, but what it is, will keep you to the end.
Killzone 2 is possibly what I would describe as a typical shooter. A story that is a lot of hero stuff and not a lot to it, but it is a tried and true formula that will always be there for shooters to come.
The game inter-splices the action with the cut scenes very well and the cut scenes use in engine rather than pre-rendered. But the visuals are only the start of it. But I will stay on the visuals. Brilliant, the colour (though not a lot of it) is realistic, the dust and smoke that seems very realistic when in the midst of a fire fight, the lighting effects not just from the various light sources and fire the firing of the guns. These let off a believable light that can make the screen a little intense sometimes if playing in a darkened room. These are up there with some of the best graphics I have seen to date on a console.
Gameplay is standard for a shooter, but the action scenes and the cut scenes are well placed and the action flows very well. You don't feel like you can travel very far without encountering enemies and there is lot of them. I was fighting a lot of foot soldiers but they had some more difficult baddies thrown in for good measure and it never ever felt repetitive due to the excellent enemy AI. I was able to configure the control to more my tastes which gives this some additional points.
Audio is where this game shines. If you have the right setup with DTS turned on, it is loud and realistic. The explosions are felt as well as heard, the sounds of bullets hitting the various surfaces, and environmental effects are used very well across all channels. But where the audio really shows its down is in some of the more difficult battles where you are unable to always keep an eye on your enemy but the great spatial separation enables an extra sense to be employed to aide in the game. Fear not, if you don't have DTS the Dolby Digital sound tracks is almost as good. It doesn't feel like it rumbles as much but the sound from each channels is crisp and you can never miss a cue either.
The story is really a means to an end. The voice acting though the lines are sometimes very forgettable they are delivered very well. They kept in character and certainly were believably portrayed. People complained about the language at times and it does get a little crass from time to time I felt it never detracted from the game and I never had a problem with it Brian Cox as Visari was a great choice, the voice was strong and he is a damn fine actor to boot which gave the story that much needed credibility.
All in all, Killzone 2 is more than just an off the shelf shooter. It does have great game play, good sense of action, brilliant sound and just looks fantastic. As said the story serves the purpose but it will not be winning any awards, but thankfully the voice acting keeps it from being almost cliche. Now, it would be a bargain and if you have a PS3 and enjoy the shooters I would recommend this game. By far a very fun game and will rid you of a solid 10-12 hours of play time, but you won't regret your purchase.