Munkeh111

User Score
9.4

Presentation - 9.5
Gameplay - 9.0
Value - 9.5

Remember that E3 2005 CGI trailer that started this hype? It looks better than that, much better. Killzone 2 is simply the best looking game of this generation, just nipping the crown from Uncharted. The character models looking incredible, the detail on the guns are phenominal and the smoke effects are simply unbeliable. There may be 1 or 2 muddy textures, but make no mistake, this game look unbelievable.

Having fought off the Helgast attack on Vetka in Killzone and Killzone Liberation (the PSP game), the ISA are now taking the fight to the Helghast, launching an attack on the capital city of Phyrus in order to arrest Visari, the iconic leader of the Helghast. You play the surprisingly short Sev of Alpha squad, and you and the squad will of course be the ones to fight in all the major battles. The story is not that great, with some of the voice acting being weak, with the notable exception of Brian Cox as Visari, and the characters are not that great. If there is 1 area that this game needs to improve in it is that. I never really cared about the characters in the same way I did in Uncharted or Mass Effect, with the exception of Templar, the hero of the first Killzone games.

The gunplay is slower than that of most other games, your movements have more weight, so you won't be spinning around like in Call of Duty. It adds a much more tactical element to the game. This is enhanced by the first person cover system, from where you can lean and peak to take out the Helghast. Though the system is good, I personally prefered the Rainbow Six Vegas system, and they should have taken the tactical feeling to the next level. This is certainly not a run and gunner, but if it is truly going to be a more strategic game, then more additions to be made, like the ways you can direct your squad in other games, as here they just feel like cannon fodder, as they contribute little. The enemy AI is much better, with them flushing you out with grenades, and forcing you to work hard to defeat them.

The gameplay is varied with a level taking place in an exoskeleton, some tank sections and a level set on an ISA crusier which sees you taking control of ones of the ship's weapons. These all do a good job at breaking up the very intense firefights.

Most of the time, you will find yourselves up against the iconic Helghan grunt, but the enemies do change through the game, with quicker and more agile enemies popping up near the end. There are also several good boss fights through the game which can be tough, but enjoyable. It does a good job of varying the gameplay.

Aside from the lack of any squad controls, 1 other slight problem is the fact that you can only carry 1 main weapon at a time. It works fine in a game like Uncharted, where your pistol is actually your best weapon, but here you will need to be picking up rocket launchers and the addition of another slot would have been greatly appriechiated.

Of course one of the most important parts of the game is the multiplayer. With the single player campaign only clocking in just over 6 hours for me, multiplayer is going to be the main area where you will spend your time, and it is great. The game supports up to 32 players across 8 maps (with more coming as DLC), and its main feature is the class system. This allows you to play as 1 of 7 classes with different abilities. These are unlocked as you level up, and then you can also level up the classes. You level up just by getting experience points, but to level up the classses you have to get medals. These are awarded for completing a certain objective, depending on your class, so if you are a medic, you have to heal a certain number of people in a round to get your medal, and then you have to repeat 8 times. Leveling up the class allows you to unlock a secondary ability, then levelling that up allows you to combine that badge (ability) with other classes, allowing you to mix and match. It is a really deep system that allows to play in your own chosen style, and though it does take some time to level up, it is really worthwhile.

The multiplayer game mode is called Warzone, and the difference here is that instead of just having team deathmatch, most games include all the different game modes, and you switch between them on the fly. It stops one game mode getting dull, and it is great fun. All these game modes give you the chance to gain medals, by doing things like capturing the flag twice in a round, and once you get 8 of these, you gain more points in that game mode. The multiplayer works incredibly well, with very little lag. It does lack a party system, but other than that, it is fantastic.

The list of trophies is very varied. It presents you with the standard trophies for progression, collectibles and the like, but also more interesting ones, such as getting 3 headshots in a row with the same clip of your revolver, and it also encourages you to try all of the weapons. There are also tricky ones such as completing every level without dieing. There are many multiplayer trophies, with most of them being for getting all the medals, but there are also trophies for being in the top 10, 5, 3 or 1% of the leadboards for that week. It is good list, and will certainly take a while to beat, and does not seem like it will become that frustrating.

Killzone 2 is a great game. The graphics are the best of this generation. The gameplay is very good, but I wished they had gone all the way to making it a strategic shooter giving you control over your AI buddies, and the cover system does work well. Multiplayer is also fantastic, and will keep you coming back for a long time. Some might complain that the controls are slower than those of Call of Duty 4, but it is a slower paced game, and though it does take some time to get used it, the end result is great, and a must have for any FPS fan.