This sequel to the highly disappointing PS2 Game makes up for it's predecessor with a must-play PS3 shooter experience.
"Wait...there's no jump button?"
Needless to say, the rest of the game followed suit. And when I first heard of the sequel in development, I waited with baited breath for KILLZONE 2. However, I am happy to say that KILLZONE 2 makes up for the flaws in it's predecessor and leaves the player wanting more...online or off.
It would be reckless of me to begin this review without talking about KILLZONE 2's amazing visuals. The game looks better than any other shooter ever made (take that, CRYSIS!). Gunfire sparks and smokes, explosions burst and flame, reflection textures are something to truly behold and the environments and player models are extraordinarily detailed. Everything in the game looks like it was tended to with loving care for detail by the design team. It all fits together to make a fabulous atmosphere. Dark clouds soar overhead, thunder and lightning crackle through the landscape and all that makes for truly exciting and intense firefights.
The sound design follows suit. I tried to find reoccuring sounds during gameplay and only found two or three that repeated. Every gunshot, hit and explosion sound completely unique depending on your location, position and enemy you choose to fill with your chosen boomstick. The voice acting is also superb. Everything from groans of pain to your comrades screaming for you to "stop f*&cking around!", KILLZONE 2's sound design grabs you and never lets go.
That said, let's move on to the more crucial elements...
The game's story is fairly easy to follow...in the fact that it really doesn't have one. It's simply a mission based shooter with small bits of plot interwoven throughout to make a cohesive plot. It's a little simple, but it allows for you to never overanalyze what's going on and an excuse to kill a lot of enemies. There's nothing worse than a game that makes me sympathize with the bad guys. You play as a new character to the franchise, known as Sev. You join Alpa Squad and make your way to the enemies main fortress to topple their dictator and win the war. Pretty simple, but effective nonetheless.
The gameplay in KILLZONE 2 is a bit of a mixed bag in terms of a shooter. All of the weapons (the bolt gun is particularly fun) are well realized and easy to control, however the axis sensitivity is EXCRUCIATINGLY heavy and makes for slow turning and response time when fighting a large number of enemies. It also doesn't help that your enemies happen to be super-intelligent. They throw frags when you take cover with pinpoint accuracy. They hide behind cover for minutes on end so you wait for the perfect shot (the longest I got was 5 minutes) and they're incredibly aggressive in close combat (think "Big Daddies"), however it does give a very realistic translation of what real combat would be like. It's not a cakewalk, it's hard stuff. So, in truth, it pulls you further into the game's world and makes you want to get that much better and play it more.
The online component for KILLZONE 2 is where the game truly excels. Your standard match types are all present and accounted for (Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag etc.) with the inclusion of WARZONE, a new type of online match that changes rules during play. You may start the match in Capture the Flag rules, but after five minutes, the rules change to DEATHMATCH. It's a great change of pace, because it allows you to never get comfortable and gamers that prefer different match types have to rise to excel in matches they might not be so good at. It's an excellent addition.
KILLZONE 2 is THE shooter to own on the PS3. If you're looking for a "Halo Killer" you may need to wait a bit more, but for those of you lacking a 360 and wanting an amazing FPS war-combat shooter...look no further. Buy this Game.