An outstanding game and a prime of example of just how powerful the PlayStation 3 really is.
Ok, so let's get the obvious stuff out of the way. Killzone 2 looks beautiful and is comfortably the best looking console game ever made. The graphical fidelity is mind-blowing, right from the gorgeous opening cinematic which very clearly sets the tone for the rest of the game.
The textures and models are very gritty and realistic and the visuals really give you the impression that you're in a filthy battlefield which is being ravaged by warfare. There are a huge amount of particle effects going on as well, from billowing clouds of thick black smoke which blow in the wind, to fire which sends sparks and embers into the air. The smoke in particular is some of the most impressive ever seen, often making it very difficult to see during explosive fire-fights. The lighting is equally stunning with NPCs and the environment casting beautiful shadows.
The most extraordinary thing about the graphics is that the framerate never dips even slightly despite everything that's going on and that really is a compliment to the PS3 hardware as much as it's a compliment to Guerrilla's art team. What everyone wants to know though is how the game holds up against that infamous E3 2005 trailer. I can say that it certainly looks as good as that footage and it often looks much better. It is a truly amazing feat to behold.
I only noticed one problem with the visuals, which was that the lip-synching was a bit strange on occasions, but that's an incredibly small issue when everything else is so awesome. The sound is terrific as well, with extremely intense battlefield sounds and a very well produced orchestral score. The voice acting on the other hand is very basic, except for the Helghast leader, who is performed magnificently by British actor, Brian Cox, who many of you will know as Ward Abbot in the first two Bourne movies.
The story of Killzone 2 very much follows the trend set by the voice acting in that it is very generic. It is paced very similarly to Gears of War and like Gears, you won't really find yourself emotionally invested in what's happening. That said it does a good job of explaining what's going on, especially to people who didn't play the first game.
The graphics might be incredible and the story might be functional, but without great gameplay, this wouldn't be the killer app that the PS3 needs. Thankfully, Killzone 2 delivers this in spades. The shooting and feel of the weapons is very solid and often reminded me of Call of Duty 4, which is no bad thing at all. Where this game really differentiates itself from the FPS crowd is with its movement controls.
Moving in Killzone 2 is designed to convey to the player the sense of being weighed down by a large amount of military gear. Turning in particular takes a lot of getting used to, because you turn faster the longer you hold the stick in a direction, rather than the further you push it (which is the FPS norm). It's a very strange feeling at first, but you'll gradually get used to it and you'll find that it controls just fine. There's also an interesting first person cover system where you remain in first person view while in cover, unlike other FPS titles which have used a third person camera for cover, such as Rainbow Six Vegas and Quantum of Solace. Like many things in the game it's uncomfortable to control at first but works brilliantly once you adapt to it.
In campaign the level design is of an extremely high quality and there's enough variety with the enemies and weapons that the pacing doesn't become awkward. Many of the weapons are very traditional, such as the standard assault rifle with red-dot sight, shotgun and rocket launcher. Killzone 2 certainly has some other outstanding tools of death though, like the Boltgun which can pin enemies to walls (and then explode!), the sniper rifle which requires you to hold the six-axis still to steady your aim and the über-powerful Lightening Gun.
Despite all of the great gameplay and design in the single player campaign, Killzone 2 definitely has its share of issues. After all the great missions throughout the game, the final level is a huge disappointment. It's horribly designed and feels very archaic. Some other weird problems include weapons not carrying over between missions and the initial primary weapons on each level are very random. One wide-open outdoor level actually starts you off with a shotgun, which is just plain stupid.
The pacing of the campaign's action is punctuated by occasional turret sections and a brief section in a tank early on in the game. Neither of these is especially fresh or exciting, but there is one other vehicle section which is truly spectacular, the mech section. You see the mech from the inside and view your characters hands on the controls in first person. The look of this section from inside the huge machine reminded me greatly of the mechs in The Matrix Revolutions. It's extraordinarily immersive as you tower over soldiers and muzzle flashes reflect off your windscreen which becomes scratched and cracked as you take damage. It's the best vehicle section in an FPS for a very long time.
Back on foot, the best parts of the campaign are undoubtedly the large scale battle sequences, where you and a huge squad of soldiers (sometimes upwards of 10) take on waves of increasingly tough Helghast opposition. It captures the chaos of war like no other game, while still providing some tactical depth thanks to some intelligent AI which always seems to find a way to get up close and personal. Killzone 2 is probably the best single player FPS on the current generation of consoles, but co-op would have been a nice extra.
Once you're done with the campaign, which will take somewhere around 8 hours on your first playthrough, there's the online multiplayer to jump into. The core experience of Killzone 2's online matches feels very similar to most other FPS titles released in the last 2 years. Thankfully the progression of each match is a cut above any other console FPS.
When you go online you'll find all the usual deathmatch, CTF, zones, and assault gameplay types, but you don't play them as separate matches. Instead, they are presented to your team as objectives and the team that completes the most objectives wins the match. For example, your objective might be to capture the other team's propaganda speaker (Killzone 2's version of a flag) and the next objective might be to capture and maintain control of certain control points.
The way the different gameplay modes contribute to one overall score on the map helps to create a sensation of the ebb and flow of a battle. You might not be great at a particular game-type but there's always a different one right around the corner, so you never feel like you're not contributing to your team's success. Also of note is the fantastic map design which really helps the dynamic of the online game. There are a variety of open and closed spaces, with a huge assortment of high vantage points to get the drop on enemies and the map layouts often funnel players in just the right directions to create intense battle sequences.
The multiplayer is certainly innovative and it's an awful lot of fun to play. However, it isn't as complete an online package as Halo 3 and co-ordination can be difficult because so few PS3 owners are using headsets. Still, with all of that said, Killzone 2 is the best online FPS since Call of Duty 4.
Overall, Killzone 2 is an outstanding game and a prime of example of just how powerful the PlayStation 3 really is. Is it the definitive killer app for Sony's machine? In my opinion Metal Gear Solid 4 still has the edge in that area, but if you own a PS3 this should be a must-have game for you. If you don't own a PS3 then this is yet another reason that you should consider buying one.