My First Review- Killzone 2

OK, so before i get going, i do realise that Killzone 2 has been available since February last year. That said, i currently lack the funds to be able to review new games as often as I'd like to. Besides, its never too late to give your opinion on a piece of art. And that's what video games are, another form of art. Lets get on with it!

Killzone 2 (Developed by Guerrilla Games) is a First person shooter, exclusive to the PS3, about two warring factions, the Helghast, and the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance. The game follows on from Killzone and Killzone: Liberation, which help to explain the story of Killzone 2, but they aren't absolutely required

STORY
The player controls Sergeant Tomas "Sev" Sevchenko, a part of Alpha Team, who are deployed behind enemy lines to take the enemy capital. The player soon discovers that the Helghast are more formidable than they've been lead to believe; due in part to the unforgiving Helghan environment.

Storytelling is an important part of gaming, and Killzone 2's story is adequate. If you've played the first Killzone, you'll understand why exactly The ISA is invading Helghan, but if you're new to the series, you'll know that the ISA are the good guys but you wont know why (except that the the enemy soldiers have glowing red eyes and their uniforms are a mix between Darth Vader and Nazi soldiers).

This lack of explanation is by no means a deal breaker. The story that happens while you're on Helghan is in no way bad, it could just use a little background. Im quite sure that the Helghast may be Space Nazi's.... but I'm not 100% on that.

PRESENTATION
This game is presented in a way that makes you feel as if you are caught in a large semi-futuristic conflict. There are grenades exploding all over the place, you're being fired at on all sides and your allies are dying all around you. From the first time your team enters the battle to the final cut scene, the game feels hectic and fast paced; it certainly immerses the player in an unforgiving, violent war zone.

The graphics of Killzone 2 are amazing. The colour scheme may be the same as so many other games out there these days (a mix of boltgun metal grey and rusty brown), but it works. That, along with the particle effects help to create a gloomy, war-torn and miserable environment. The lighting effects are also rather incredible as everything in this game casts some amount of light, from the Helghasts glowing red eyes to the lights from soldiers uniforms.
The look of the game would be perfect if not for some lagging when it wants to load a new area along with some other minor technical issues.

The 7.1 channel sound captures every little aural detail of the battlefield, from the sound of gunshots, to the screams of dying soldiers. Killzone 2 also has a GREAT soundtrack which helps to set the mood of this action-packed game.

The voice acting and dialogue on the other hand is pretty disappointing. It seems like the dialogue is packed full of cursing to cater for younger audiences who actually find it entertaining.
A smaller amount of swearing might have been suitable, its a war, everyone swears. But the frequency of it, coupled with the sub-par deliverance of the lines, was unfortunate.
However, the script is sometimes saved by gems of dialogue; such as Helghast troops gossiping about how some of their squad was executed for "Uniform violations" and your allies constant "Your mom" jokes.

GAMEPLAY
The controls in Killzone 2 are a pretty unusual at first (some may say Craptastic) and they made playing Killzone 2 really awkward for me. Luckily the control layout can be changed to what i would say is the more familiar control scheme for FPS's (the call of duty scheme as i like to call it). After that problem was sorted, playing this game was as natural as any other.

Movement feels as if your character is wearing layers of thick armour, which they are. This adds to the sense of realism in the game, but it takes some getting used to at first. The jumping mechanism is also very cool in how the character seems to crouch, then jump, then crouch again to absorb the impact when he lands. There is also a cover system that is rather effective. If you crouch near a wall or some form of cover, you'll stick to it, allowing you to line up shots from relative safety.

Allied AI and Enemy AI are both good quality in this game. Your allies aren't all Pants on head retarded, although they do need saving quite often if you leave them to fight alone. But at least they'll kill a few enemies before they're down. The enemy AI works frighteningly well too. Playing on the veteran difficulty had them throwing grenades at me to get me out of cover, as well as trying to flank me with shotgun troops. This is in stark contrast to the AI on the easier difficulty settings, where i often saw troops running towards grenades. However this happened only a few times and ONLY in the easier settings.

Guns fire as i would expect them to fire and recoil, like in all shooters, needs to be taken into account. There aren't many different types of guns and all are similar, with little details that set them apart. Most primary guns are fully automatic assault rifles, with the exception of an SMG and a rifle. There are also your standard explosive primary weapons; rocket launchers and grenade launchers.

The game also offers 4 special primary weapons which are, unfortunately, limited to certain levels. These are so much fun to use, its insane.
Basically, you have a sniper rifle and a flame thrower, which are both kind of standard. Then there's the VC5 Arc Gun, which shoots an electric charge at enemies; and the VC21 Boltgun, which is like a giant, super-powered nail gun. I wasted so much time on the Boltgun level just nailing Helghast to walls!

The best thing about the combat in this game (for me) is that shooting a Helghast seems to have some force behind it. Instead of a generic death animation, the enemies respond to shots kinetically, making for some unique enemy deaths, based on what weapon you used and where on the landscape the enemy was.

There are a couple of vehicle segments in the game, and i wont spoil it for anyone who hasn't played this game before. In short, the vehicle sections are fun and i think there should have been more of them, or they should have been made longer.
In these vehicles I felt like I was making a difference in the war and it would have been nice to see more of it.

Guerrilla Games have also utilized the Playstation 3's six-axis motion control feature of the controllers. These don't seem particularly gimmicky as they work well in the context of the game. Turning the controller is used to turn valves or activate bombs by activating lights and it all works extremely well. Possibly my favourite use of the motion controls is when sniping. By keeping the controller as still as possible, your aim becomes steadier, enabling you to have a more precise aim.

REPLAYABILITY
I've been playing this game regularly since i bought it. Whether I'm playing the campaign again to get more trophies, or playing Warzone (The online multiplayer) or Skirmish (Multiplayer for loners against bots).
I haven't experienced as much of the online game as i would have liked too, but what i have experienced, i enjoyed. Games were fast paced and hectic and though Team Deathmatch (known as Body Count) was a part of the mix, there were game modes like Assassination, Search & Retrieve (a bit like capture the flag), Search & Destroy and Capture & Hold.
After extensive Internet issues at my place of residence, i gave up on War zone and decided to try skirmish, and it was actually fun. Just like online, except the bots don't camp and i don't have to put up with annoying chatters.

OVERVIEW
OK, so Killzone 2 may not have the best story or particularly memorable characters but it is an game that's definitely worth a look at, even if you aren't big on FPS. It has stunning visuals and excellent sound effects which can really immerse you in the war torn environment of Helghan. The controls can be a bit awkward, but with some tinkering, they work smoothly, and the game in general is really fun. Which in the end is really the main point, right?

To all who have not yet tried this game, I urge you to check it out! It has its (minor) problems, but it was definitely one of the better games to come out of early 2009.

Leave comments and such to give some constructive criticism =)