Killzone 2 DLC Impressions - Steel & Titanium Pack
The Steel & Titanium Pack delivers two new multiplayer maps for Killzone 2 for the price of $5.99. The new maps, Wasteland Bullet and Vekta Cruiser, take place on a pair of speeding freight trains and a massive airship, respectively. While both maps nail the chaotic, war-torn atmosphere of Killzone...
The Steel & Titanium Pack delivers two new multiplayer maps for Killzone 2 for the price of $5.99. The new maps, Wasteland Bullet and Vekta Cruiser, take place on a pair of speeding freight trains and a massive airship, respectively. While both maps nail the chaotic, war-torn atmosphere of Killzone 2, they are a bit more constricted than most of the other multiplayer maps. Each one is full of long corridors and small to midsize rooms that encourage intense, close-range firefights and prolonged battles for key chokepoints. The action is fast and furious, but it also feels a bit strategically limited due to the smaller layouts. A few unique touches help flesh things out, and jumping between trains in Wasteland Bullet is a thrill in and of itself. With a handful of new trophies to round it out, the Steel & Titanium Pack is a no-brainer for folks who still play Killzone 2 online regularly. If you haven't gone back to Helghan in a while and want a more detailed analysis of the pack, read on.
Of the two forms of transit featured in Steel & Titanium, the two trains of Wasteland Bullet are definitely the more exciting. These trains are constantly traveling at high speeds, and the lighting in the level can change dramatically as you speed in and out of tunnels across the smoky, barren wastes. Though the trains run consistently parallel to each other, there aren't any bridges connecting them, so you'll have to jump between them to strategically navigate the map. There are a number of clearly designated platforms to jump from, but every so often the trains pass large metal columns that zip down the gap with deadly speed. Get clipped by one of these, or miss your jump, and you're dead. Because there are only a few of these platforms throughout the level, they are strategically important areas that often see significant traffic and can occasionally become hotly contested chokepoints. Scouting up the gap to see your opponents streaming over to your side of the train can be a handy tactic, and it looks really cool to boot.
As expected, the map is laid out in two long and narrow rectangles. Massive engine assemblies and control hubs at opposite ends of the trains serve as base spawn points. Moving toward the center, each team crosses an open freight storage platform that houses the target areas for the search-and-destroy missions. These matches often boil down to fierce chokepoint battles as enemies try to leap over the gap or stream in through the narrow doors that lead to the central interior sections. These two-story sections are crisscrossed with walkways and stairs that make for some tactical multilevel interior encounters, and they provide access to the roof of the train. Up on the roof, you can look down on the open freight platforms (a great firing position during search-and-destroy missions), and capable engineers can repair the busted turret and wreak havoc. It's a dangerous position, though, because the trains will often pass overhead obstacles that can kill you instantly if you are poorly positioned. Knowing your routes through this level is essential, because Wasteland Bullet is full of chokepoints that enemies can easily clog up. The high-speed trains and short-range combat make for some intense action, but the claustrophobic feel will likely make you yearn for some wide-open spaces.
You'll get a glimpse of those spaces in Vekta Cruiser, but you won't get to stretch out much. This massive airship offers views of the scorched, cloudy sky, but you're stuck battling it out in the interior. The two decks center around a massive circular reactor, but though you can sort of see through it to spot enemy movements, projectiles will not pass through. The stage is laid out in a rectangle. The bow and stern are the farthest points from each other, so naturally they house the base spawn areas. Right out of the spawn areas are open two-story rooms where fierce search-and-destroy conflicts play out. Grated stairs and walkways allow you to shoot players above and below you, and the many entrances and open layout make these areas a bustling hive of death.
Heading toward the middle of the ship, you'll encounter the large reactor and engage in some longer-range firefights. Capture-and-hold battles get pretty heated here, but this central area tends to be more of a pass-through to other points of interest. There are long flanking hallways on either side of the ship, and this is where things get downright nasty. These narrow corridors again feature grated walkways, and one side of the ship has been massively damaged and has some cool-looking iron wreckage. There are many entrance points to these areas, which means they are a favorite route for traversing the ship. Again, the enclosed spaces of Vekta Cruiser make it a great venue for fierce close-range battles, but not much else.
The clean gray metals of the ISA cruiser contrast nicely with the gritty greens and blacks of the Helghast train, providing great aesthetic backgrounds for battle. Steel & Titanium does add some new spice to the pot of Killzone 2 multiplayer (and a bunch of new map-specific trophies to boot). Those whose tastes veer away from tight spaces and confined conflicts may not want to bother purchasing them, as there is still plenty of action to be found elsewhere. Still, the exciting train environment and the novelty of new killing grounds should appeal to most players. Those who haven't played in a while may even find that the claustrophobic Steel & Titanium battles will reawaken their desire to revisit the original set of maps, which are still some of the best around.
**Ed. Note: The original text of this entry included comments about glitches relating to a specific trophy and a secondary ability. These were determined to be unrelated to the Steel & Titanium pack, and the comments were removed.
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