BalekFekete
Shared on Tue, 02/24/2009 - 10:28With the release just a few short days away, I know a large majority of the PS3-owning 2o2p population are anxiously awaiting the release of Killzone 2. As a result of some good information off the PSN boards, and a serving of impatience on my part, I've had a copy of the EU version since last Wednesday. Since that time, I've put the game through its offline paces and can happily report that the campaign alone is well worth the price of admission. Multiplayer servers do not go live until tomorrow, so the following 'review' is only based on the offline components - campaign and Skirmish modes.
The campaign story picks up after the previous iterations of the series left off, but now the ISA is taking the fight to the Hellghast, invading their home world in an attempt to end the war once and for all. As we all know from history, nobody fights harder than when they are defending their home turf, and this remains true for the Hellghast. The action starts off fast and fierce after a short intro sequence, trusting the player right into a Normandy-sequel setting that most of us will immediately recognize as the game's demo. From there, the players progress through various interior and exterior locations in a search for the leader of the Hellghast army with sights aimed on ending him, and the resistance, with one bullet. It's nothing that we haven't seen in countless sci-fi action movies, from Starship Troopers to Aliens, so don't expect an Oscar-winning screenplay. However, the marines act like space marines (including more profanity than I think I've heard in any game - so mute those TVs with the kiddies around!), so it's all good. Kill, kill, kill - that's all the you need to know. I won't spoil any more of the plot and ending with details, but know that true to any successful IP, this one is ripe for Killzone 3 which does nothing but make me smile.
From a production value, the game is polished to a gleaming shine. The graphics are outstanding, some of the best we have ever seen in a video game to date. The animations of both the characters, the Hellghast, and the environment are awesome. One item I noticed again and again were the flags and banners throughout the game. Rather than copies of each other just moving in a set pattern, they are unique resources in the game behaving dynamically to the environment. It makes you feel like the world is alive. The sound, provided you have a decent surround system, is also stunning. The music sets the proper mood for each battle, and the gunfire, explosions, and reactions from the men is spot on. After finishing the game, I have never felt like I was interacting with a movie more so than with Killzone 2.
One area that has been criticized from the demo is the controls, more specifically the floatiness (yes, that's a word...and if it's not, it should be) you experience in movement, aiming, and shooting. The direct word from the developers is that it is intentional so that the player gets a feeling of weight and substance to both their character and the environment you are moving through. You have inertia just like any physical body, so you don't turn on a dime. Your gun has weight, so when you stop moving your analog stick, your gun won't come to a sudden stop but instead track to a stop. Whatever you want to call it, it is what it is, and it won't change. It is something we as players simply need to understand and adapt to. It does make precise aiming more difficult at first, but with some playing with sensitivity settings, I was able to find the sweet spot between acceleration and control that worked for me. It's different, no question, but it doesn't detract from the overall experience at the end of the day.
Finally, a quick few words on the Skirmish mode of the game. I played through several Warzone games with a room full of 15 bots, ranging from Recruit to Elite expertise. On a difficulty range, Recruit do a good job at representing a totally inexperienced player. They move slowly, stop frequently, and rarely look for cover. They react slowly to your presence, but aren't target dummies either. Eventually they'll shoot back, and miss most of the time. However, on the flip side of the spectrum, Elite bots are Terminators on steroids. They have radar built into their skulls and shoot on rails. If you stop, you die. If you try and flank one and get even remotely close, they'll spin and put a bullet in your brainpan. Ultimately, I suspect the Veteran level bot will provide the best challenge without being overly frustrating for most people, myself included. For the maps...they are huge, they are detailed, and they are gorgeous. It will take quite some time to really 'learn' the levels, but each is diverse enough that I suspect we won't tire of them quickly. New maps are prime for DLC, and if GG lives up to what they shipped, we're in for a real treat for months, if not years, to come.
If you're on the fence, print out a copy of this review, hand it to the nearest stranger to you, and have them heave it at your skull. Any owner of a PS3 owes it to themselves to get this game if they are all but the most staunch hater of the FPS genre. Anyone else will be rewarded to the best game the console has seen yet.
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Comments
Submitted by corbin_dallas on Tue, 02/24/2009 - 22:41
Submitted by BlowMonkey on Tue, 02/24/2009 - 10:37