Killzone 2 Review
This time, bring the fight to the Helghast.
by Jeff Haynes
US, January 29, 2009
- Is it possible for the hype of a game to completely fuel both its designers and its fans eagerly awaiting its release? In the case of Guerrilla Games' upcoming Killzone 2, the answer is an emphatic yes; the developers knew that they wanted to meet or surpass the action of the now infamous E3 trailer and have been trying to perfect their anticipated shooter. As far as fans were concerned, they were hoping that Killzone 2 would be the system seller and showcase for the PlayStation 3 -- a game that could conceivably rival that of Halo and Gears of War. Fortunately, the wait is almost over, because Killzone 2 will be released at the end of next month. That might seem a bit far away, but believe me when I say that the wait has been well worth it. Killzone 2 is an outstanding evolution of the franchise, a bullet and adrenaline-fueled rampage against an implacable enemy and a fantastic shooter for the PS3.
Killzone 2 is actually the third chapter in the series, following the original PS2 shooter and Killzone: Liberation, a third-person action title on the PSP. While players don't need to have played either one of those games to understand what's going on in Killzone 2, fans of the franchise will see connections between the three games with familiar characters popping up and events being referenced. The basic thrust of the story takes place after the events of Liberation, where the ISA has finally gotten tired of being invaded and attacked on its world of Vekta. While the relative success of repelling the Helghast has worked, the ISA has decided to take the fight back to Emperor Visari. Believing that the Helghast spirit has been broken by their losses on Vekta, the ISA launches a "revenge" invasion against the world of Helghan with the goal of capturing Visari and forcing the Helghast to stand down. Of course, the ISA quickly discovers that this is not the case at all, and as the soldiers discover that the Helghast spirit is just as fierce on their home world than ever before, they also that discover the Helghast have new weapons to unleash on their foes.
Unlike the previous games, you're not stepping into the boots of Templar, the hero of the first two titles, who's been promoted up the ranks to become a commander of a fleet and his own troops. Instead, you'll take on the Helghast as Sev, part of a four-man team known as Alpha Squad. Led by Rico (who players might remember from the first two games), Sev and his other teammates, Garza and Natko, fight their way across Helghan through ten separate missions that will take you about eight to ten hours to complete. Each mission you embark on has multiple checkpoints and objectives that you'll complete, and these will cover large battles, ambushes, choke points, house to house fighting and even vehicular and turret sequences. Of all the segments, I kind of wish that the vehicles and turrets were expanded because you get a sense of truly affecting and turning the tide of the location that you're in with these weapons at your disposal.
The story of the game is pretty good for what it is. Themes of fascism and militaristic aggression, revenge and the costs of war echo rampantly throughout the entire title. There are a few dips here and there within the story. Rico is just as annoying and unlikable as ever; it's to the point where you can't help but hope that he meets an unsavory end in a sequel. The ending could've also ended on a much stronger note, particularly when compared to the final battle, which can be a serious challenge of your accuracy and ability to handle threats from all sides. When compared to that fight, the decision made at the end of the game is a poor choice -- it's obviously the weaker of two actions that could've driven the franchise forward. However, with that being said, the majority of the plot does an excellent job of driving the action throughout the campaign, which will give you a ton of action, hellish warfare to fight and survive through, and moments that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
You're not in Vekta anymore, Sev.Much of this is driven by the incredible presentation of the title, which makes you feel like you've fallen into the middle of a warzone. Guerrilla has managed to make a technical masterpiece for the system that first-person shooters on the PS3 will be judged by from here on out. Whether it's the insanity of watching soldiers getting immolated by flamethrowers and ripped to shreds by bullets or avoiding the numerous explosions that rock your team's position, you frequently feel as though someone has you in their sights and is just getting ready to pull the trigger. This chaotic sense is only enhanced more by the start of just about every mission, which frequently has a dramatic crash or other striking moment occur before control is given to you. For example, when you crash land in the first level, you're almost given a burst of adrenaline because you've just managed to avoid bodies and the wreckage of a fellow lander that went flying past you. Leaping off that and into the fray really gives you a sense of how short the life expectancy of any soldier in this war is and draws you into the fight in a way that few cutscenes could do.
Of course, there's much more to the visual sense of the game than simply the presentation of the battlefield. Particle effects are rather striking, primarily when an RPG shell goes off and kicks dirt and dust into the air, obscuring your vision for a second as the detritus showers to the ground. Items that are set on fire, like tapestries and other cloth will burn and turn into ash, with wisps of fabric blowing in the wind. Many of the detailed environments, which range from the corrugated siding walls and balconies of Helghast cities to the stone supports of buildings and service areas, are destructible, allowing you to feel the impact of a firefight. The shattered pillars, splintered boxes and other rubble that can dominate a room is a nice touch to the amount of havoc you and the enemy will wreak. The lighting effects within Killzone 2 are incredible, primarily because everything from a Helghast's illuminated eyes to the lights on a soldier's uniform casts some amount of light. The kinetic movements that you get from Helghast troops as you shoot one ensures that each death will be unique and wildly varied based on what you used to eliminate that soldier. The rattle of guns, the screams of the dying, the echo of explosions that are all perfectly done within 7.1 sound, and a soundtrack that's great; it is touches like these that add up to an eye-catching sense of realism, particularly as you move through each location and take out the dozens of Helghast that await you.
Even more creative is the use of the motion sensitivity, which doesn't feel gimmicky in the context of the game actions. Guerrilla obviously spent time thinking about how to best use Sony's motion features, and it shows when it comes down to sequences like turning valves so that your troops can get through gates or setting explosives by tilting the controller to light the fuses on a charge before pulling out the remote detonator. However, perhaps the most astute use is with the sniper rifle, which asks you to hold the controller steady to increase the accuracy of the shot instead of pressing a button to hold your breath. What's great about this is that it also takes into account the action that's going on around you instead of making you immune to the explosions or external pressure, so if a grenade goes off close to you, the concussive blast (and resulting shockwave) will throw off your shot regardless of how little movement you had with the gun. This gives a larger sense of immersion as you're playing the game, and makes it much more challenging to pick off enemies with a string of headshots.
'Scuse me while I shoot this guy.That being said, there are still some technical issues that crop up here and there. There are a number of low resolution shadows that pop up on environments and character models, particularly when they're talking, which can detract from the action that's going on. The same can be said for the texture pop-in that will snap into view, frequently on camera pans of a location. Add to this some of the aliasing and even the grain filters, which give the game depth but are also a double-edged sword because it almost feels like they're overused in some areas. It also is strange to see that for all of the visual attention paid to just about every aspect of the world, there are two elements that you see frequently that look atrocious. The resuscitation beam that you use to revive teammates that have taken too much damage looks horrible – it's almost as if you're projecting an EKG into your friend. Similarly, for as great as the fire looks, the stream of goo that comes out of the flamethrowers in the game looks fugly and fake; it's not nearly as bad looking once it hits a surface.
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