Derrick
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- Joined
- Nov 22, 2010
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If you own a PS3 and have been jealously resenting Xbox 360 owners for Gears of War, then Killzone 2 is what you have been waiting for.
When Guerrilla unveiled their target video for KillZone 2 back in 2005, the gaming community stood still. The video looked like any regular CG sequence; with the exception that it was projected in-game footage.
So, does it live up to 4 years of media hype? Is it the best looking console game released to date? Is it worth buying a PS3 for?
Let’s start with the first and most important question:
Is it fun?
We can almost guarantee that you will have fun playing KillZone 2.
Is it compelling to the point of being addictive? No. Is it the kind of game you are likely to find yourself thinking about while sitting in an Economics Lecture or behind the wheel of your car on the way in to work on Monday morning? No. It is simply the kind of game that you will be happy to fire up for an hour or two of mindless action packed gun play every now and then.
The majority of the gameplay consists of the duck-and-cover, peak-and-shoot style action that was made famous in Gears of War. There are however a healthy variety of different tasks and encounters that help keep things interesting. Like for example, the chance to operate two different vehicles along the way (a tank and a mech) as well as different set pieces that require different tactics and weapon choices (such as the sniper rifle or grenade launcher).
The AI is one of the highlights of KillZone 2. Enemies will dive for cover, provide suppression fire for each other, lob grenades and generally employ fairly advanced tactics in the battle against the human marines.
The majority of the game is played alongside an AI controlled friendly soldier. The team dynamic works well, with gameplay being noticeably easier and more fluid when working actively with your partner, as opposed to treating it like a regular single player campaign. A highlight was manipulating certain tactics to flank the Helgast troopers, giving the game a level of depth and fulfillment it is otherwise lacking.
The variety of weaponry in KillZone 2 could have been expanded on, with the majority of weapons falling into the generic-assault rifle category. There are however some decent alternatives that mix things up quite nicely.
As is becoming increasingly popular with modern FPSs, KillZone 2 lacks a health bar. This is not a bad thing nor do we see it as a good thing. Like the Call of Duty series, the player will die if they take too much damage in a short period of time. Simply duck behind a wall for a few seconds in order to regenerate, and you are good to go.
While this is not realistic, it is no less believable than the concept of stumbling into a generic health pack and using it to instantly repair that gaping hole in your chest. Most importantly, the system works, and it keeps things moving without being too forgiving.
Graphics, physics and sound
To be honest, it is not as good looking as we expected it to be.
It is undoubtedly a very slick exterior, however, the locations all look alike, giving the game a sense of sameness throughout, which essentially ties in with KillZone 2’s Achilles heel - It plays it safe and lacks imagination.
The character animations are very tight, with realistic facial reconstructions and detailed armor plating and weapon designs. To be frank, in game character rendering has never looked better.
The game also feels very good, with an excellent physics engine holding things together. Guns recoil and react with a realistic sense of force. Explosions will shake the ground causing your movement to stagger and your controller to vibrate, actually making it difficult to aim.
The sound is also a standout feature of the game, if you can forgive the ridiculous amount of swearing. The use of adult language is abused, it’s that simple. It lacks impact and almost feels like a 50 cent video shoot at times. The sounds effects are brilliant though, with mighty bassy grumblings pushing the force of every explosion deep into the player’s chest. The guns will rattle off with unique and convincing vigor and the earth will groan with unyielding realism.
The music was also well selected. Deep orchestral compositions help set the tone for what is ultimately a fairly epic single player campaign.
Conclusion
KillZone 2 is a technical masterpiece that unfortunately lacks imagination. It does however make up for this short coming with a solid action packed thrill ride that is not likely to disappoint anybody with realistic expectations.
If you own a PS3 and have been jealously resenting Xbox 360 owners for Gears of War, then Killzone 2 is what you have been waiting for.
When Guerrilla unveiled their target video for KillZone 2 back in 2005, the gaming community stood still. The video looked like any regular CG sequence; with the exception that it was projected in-game footage.
So, does it live up to 4 years of media hype? Is it the best looking console game released to date? Is it worth buying a PS3 for?
Let’s start with the first and most important question:
Is it fun?
We can almost guarantee that you will have fun playing KillZone 2.
Is it compelling to the point of being addictive? No. Is it the kind of game you are likely to find yourself thinking about while sitting in an Economics Lecture or behind the wheel of your car on the way in to work on Monday morning? No. It is simply the kind of game that you will be happy to fire up for an hour or two of mindless action packed gun play every now and then.
The majority of the gameplay consists of the duck-and-cover, peak-and-shoot style action that was made famous in Gears of War. There are however a healthy variety of different tasks and encounters that help keep things interesting. Like for example, the chance to operate two different vehicles along the way (a tank and a mech) as well as different set pieces that require different tactics and weapon choices (such as the sniper rifle or grenade launcher).
The AI is one of the highlights of KillZone 2. Enemies will dive for cover, provide suppression fire for each other, lob grenades and generally employ fairly advanced tactics in the battle against the human marines.
The majority of the game is played alongside an AI controlled friendly soldier. The team dynamic works well, with gameplay being noticeably easier and more fluid when working actively with your partner, as opposed to treating it like a regular single player campaign. A highlight was manipulating certain tactics to flank the Helgast troopers, giving the game a level of depth and fulfillment it is otherwise lacking.
The variety of weaponry in KillZone 2 could have been expanded on, with the majority of weapons falling into the generic-assault rifle category. There are however some decent alternatives that mix things up quite nicely.
As is becoming increasingly popular with modern FPSs, KillZone 2 lacks a health bar. This is not a bad thing nor do we see it as a good thing. Like the Call of Duty series, the player will die if they take too much damage in a short period of time. Simply duck behind a wall for a few seconds in order to regenerate, and you are good to go.
While this is not realistic, it is no less believable than the concept of stumbling into a generic health pack and using it to instantly repair that gaping hole in your chest. Most importantly, the system works, and it keeps things moving without being too forgiving.
Graphics, physics and sound
To be honest, it is not as good looking as we expected it to be.
It is undoubtedly a very slick exterior, however, the locations all look alike, giving the game a sense of sameness throughout, which essentially ties in with KillZone 2’s Achilles heel - It plays it safe and lacks imagination.
The character animations are very tight, with realistic facial reconstructions and detailed armor plating and weapon designs. To be frank, in game character rendering has never looked better.
The game also feels very good, with an excellent physics engine holding things together. Guns recoil and react with a realistic sense of force. Explosions will shake the ground causing your movement to stagger and your controller to vibrate, actually making it difficult to aim.
The sound is also a standout feature of the game, if you can forgive the ridiculous amount of swearing. The use of adult language is abused, it’s that simple. It lacks impact and almost feels like a 50 cent video shoot at times. The sounds effects are brilliant though, with mighty bassy grumblings pushing the force of every explosion deep into the player’s chest. The guns will rattle off with unique and convincing vigor and the earth will groan with unyielding realism.
The music was also well selected. Deep orchestral compositions help set the tone for what is ultimately a fairly epic single player campaign.
Conclusion
KillZone 2 is a technical masterpiece that unfortunately lacks imagination. It does however make up for this short coming with a solid action packed thrill ride that is not likely to disappoint anybody with realistic expectations.
If you own a PS3 and have been jealously resenting Xbox 360 owners for Gears of War, then Killzone 2 is what you have been waiting for.