History has not been good to Killzone: The first game was hailed as the PlayStation 2’s “Halo killer”, but like all other self-proclaimed Halo killers it fell considerably short of that prestigious title. Then Killzone 2 made its first appearance in the infamous CG trailer at E3 2005 to much scrutiny and controversy. Almost four years later, the long-awaited game has finally made its way into eager PS3 owners’ hands.

Gameplay
Killzone 2 doesn’t do anything new with the genre, but what sets it apart from the sea of other first-person shooters currently on the market is its superb execution. My first playthrough clocked in at five hours, four minutes, and 21 seconds. Most people will cry foul at such a short game, but 1) I’m a trained professional hopped up on energy drinks, and 2) I actually prefer Killzone 2’s campaign over almost every other similar game I’ve played in the past few years. It’s tight, and exciting, and doesn’t wear out its welcome. Did anyone complain that Saving Private Ryan was only two hours and 50 minutes?

Combat ranges from intimate to epic-scale, but it

There are plenty of scripted events to give the game a cinematic feel and a number of unscripted surprises. One example is being ordered to shoot at a building full of enemies. Eventually it begins to crumple, and then abruptly collapses into a spectacular mountain of rubble and Helghast corpses to which your teammate appropriate exclaims “Holy shit!” Indeed, the partially destructive environments give the game a very interactive feel, like you’re actually making an impact on the virtual world with every bullet expelled.

Speaking of bullets, the weaponry in Killzone is not necessarily unique, but it does provide adequate means to disposing of Helghast scum. Standard FPS fare like the shotgun, sniper rifle, and assault rifle all make appearances, but elemental alternatives such as the flamethrower and lightning gun keep your arsenal from becoming too familiar. Most importantly though is that each weapon packs a considerable punch; perhaps not as satisfying as Gears of War’s bag of tricks and exploding melons, but more so than most other first-person shooters.

In addition to being able to jump now, Guerilla has also implemented a fairly efficient cover system. Like Rainbow Six Vegas, you can “snap to” walls and other objects to avoid enemy fire, then quickly snap off to unleash a counterstrike or run away from a grenade. On Elite, you will definitely learn to appreciate the simplicity and usefulness of taking cover.

Visuals
Let’s get this out of the way: No, Killzone 2 does not look nearly as good as the 4-year old trailer shown off at E3 2005. That being said, it’s still an absolutely beautiful game. The war-ravaged virtual world of Killzone 2 is a dark and malicious place, giving the art team plenty of opportunity to create some truly stunning set pieces. The Helghast’s ability to harness lightning in their weaponry especially leads to a number of memorable sights that could easily have been ripped from a collection of post-apocalyptic Rembrant paintings.

Water effects + reflections + lightning = yes please.

The most noticeable issue with the graphics (and this will range from super-obnoxious to completely unnoticeable depending on your own personal height) is that the viewpoint is centered at about chest level, meaning your character is roughly a head shorter than everyone else. It’s not really that detrimental to gameplay, but it’s a weird characteristic nonetheless.

Like Mirror’s Edge, Killzone 2 makes the mistake of mixing first-person perspective with third-person cinematics. Games need to pick one and commit, otherwise they end up corrupting the immersion they worked so hard to create in the first place. The third-person perspective also does additional damage to the experience by showing players what an unlikable, throwaway character they’re playing. In fact, Cole, Baird, Marcus, and Dom all four of the main characters are about as generic as military stereotypes come; all they need is a racist drill sergeant voiced by R. Lee Ermy to complete the set. So it is here where Killzone will always fail to achieve Halo killer status, as Microsoft’s faceless cyborg mascot will certainly not be dethroned any time soon by some random redneck with a faux-hawk.

Multiplayer
Killzone 2’s multiplayer is an all-or-nothing attempt at something new. Each match consists of a number of modes you’re familiar with, from Assassination, to King of the Hill, to Team Deathmatch and so on. The victor is the side that wins the most modes in a match, and the variety of objectives keeps things constantly fresh while forcing players to mix up their strategies on the fly for maximum efficiency.

Although the multiplayer mode has tons of potential, it also has some pretty game-breaking deficiencies for me. Most importantly, the controls are not suited for twitch combat. I especially take issue with how slow and useless going into iron sights is, as you’ll most likely be dead before you can take aim. Like too many other similar titles, Killzone 2’s weapons are woefully underpowered (and inexplicably inaccurate). There were more than a few times when I unloaded an entire clip into someone’s back only to have them turn around and pull off a random headshot on me. It’s like everyone is running around with Juggernaut on, and you know how annoying that can be. I just can’t get in to a game where I’m aiming directly at someone and my weapon might as well be shooting blanks.

Headshots are the only way to go.

Once you’ve gained some experience by winning matches and killing other players, you’ll unlock new abilities, weapons, and classes a la Call of Duty 4. This dramatically changes the game from run-and-fun to a more gadget heavy, Team Fortress 2-type experience. Other players will often just build a turret and then run to the other side of the map, which is a little too fire-and-forget for my tastes. Also, if you’re planning on getting into the game, you will be at an extreme disadvantage compared to everyone else.

In a move that is all too rare these days, Killzone 2 features bots for offline skirmishes. On the upper difficulty levels they are fairly competent too, meaning anyone without an internet connection can enjoy a facsimile of the online multiplayer without having to wait for people to join, teams to balance, or maps to cycle so you can finally play the one you want.

Lifespan
The lack of co-op undeniably hurts the campaign, and is probably the game’s most glaring flaw. At any given time the main character is accompanied by at least one—if not all—of his squadmates, meaning the feature could have easily been worked into the game without derailing the narrative. Because of this, the campaign and single-player trophies can be nailed in two playthroughs. That leaves multiplayer to carry the slack in terms of longevity, and luckily that’s exactly what it does. The massive production values and lack of comparable, quality titles means Killzone 2 will be spinning in PS3s for a long time to come, assuming Guerilla delivers some new multiplayer maps sooner rather than later.

Recommendation
If you were disappointed by Resistance 2 and want a quality FPS to do your PS3 justice, buy Killzone 2. If you hated Gears of War 2’s ridiculous story and completely broken online multiplayer and want a game that actually gets both experiences right, buy Killzone 2. If you’ve already raped World at War on Veteran twice and maxed out your prestige, Killzone 2 will provide the next great challenge. Buy it.

Killzone 2
System: PlayStation 3
Developer: Guerilla
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Find: Amazon - Gamefly - Goozex
All reviews are based on retail code unless otherwise noted.

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