March 3rd, 2009 at 5:01 pm - by Fallback



The highly anticipated first person shooter Killzone 2 is finally here and yes it was worth the wait. The game is gritty, immersive and action packed. Does this new PlayStation 3 exclusive stack up to other great FPS games like Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4?

Presentation

Gritty, detailed, and immersive are words I would use to describe the presentation of Killzone 2. It's not just hype, it is one of the best looking games I have seen thus far. The game is rich with textures and details and gritty but not bland. There are tons of subtle details like water dripping in a corridor or broken tiles and so forth that helps to draw you into the game. The superb graphics are backed up by graphical effects that immerse you in the action. The way the screen moves when there are explosions nearby and that jarring camera shake helps to pull you into the action.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

The presentation from start to finish is unique and creative. The loading screens with its faux 3D effects and motion control down to the interlaced menu effects gives Killzone 2 a unique aesthetic and set it apart from the pack. It avoids being a generic shooter and that's something games like Resistance 2 seemed to have suffered from to a certain degree. The set pieces and stages are really well designed. You are taken vertically and horizontally. You will find yourself not only going straight ahead but also fighting your way to the top of buildings and such. The bottom line is that the graphics and presentation is top notch.





Sound

The game has great voice acting and while others may not approve I loved the obscenity laced dialog. The cuss words in the dialog add a level of realism and maturity to the game. This is a personal preference. I just cant see soldiers being politically correct and not cursing when shit is blowing the fuck up all around them. Give me a break. The music at the beginning of the game sounds very Star Wars like but fits and any music during the game takes a back seat to what I like to call the soundtrack of the combat itself. The sound of the enemy's and your comrades and the general sounds of the gunfire and explosions is top notch. Surround sound is in full effect in this game and those with surround system can take full advantage. There are also great chat related sound features in the multiplayer modes.


Multiplayer

Some people will certainly get more enjoyment out of the multiplayer modes of Killzone 2. This is no slight on the overall game because the multiplayer modes kick ass. The best features of many popular multiplayer first person shooters were cleverly put in Killzone 2 to its benefit. For example the proximity chat feature that's in Socom: Confrontation is now in Killzone 2. Proximity chat is basically a feature that allows anyone in your proximity to hear your conversation. An enemy that is creeping up nearby to your squad will hear you chat if they are close. Just as in "real life" how someone would hear you on the phone if they are in the same room or within earshot. Its a great touch and adds to the multiplayer experience. You can "squad up" with teammates to create your own team based private chat channels.



Killzone 2 has its own perks type system similar to the one in Call of Duty: World at War. As you play the multiplayer modes you gain experience points and such that take you to higher ranks and unlocks weapons and character customization options. This adds to the "crack factor" in the multiplayer modes because you will want to play more to see what you can unlock.



The multiplayer itself is very fun. The cover system found in the single player game is omitted in the multiplayer modes. I guess if the cover system was added to the multiplayer it would slow down the action considerably. You can choose single game types though the variety of the Killzone 2 multiplayer shines in the playlist format where you go from a death match, to assassination, to capture the flag type games one after the other in succession. It works really well and the multiplayer is robust enough to keep you coming back.


Fun Factor and Playability

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Killzone 2 is fun and an all around great experience that at times feels like "playing" a movie. You do feel like your part of a huge war at times and the scale of the battles really comes across adding excitement and tension to the experience. The story is not groundbreaking but the fact that you can replay any specific area you beat is great in terms of replayability and great for going back to get trophy's. The charachters have weight or heft to them and the pace of the game is somewhere in between a Gears of War and a Call of Duty game. Each of the guns you can pick up have a different feel and guns in general are in abundance so the fact that you can only hold one primary weapon in addition to the pistol doesn't matter much. The animations and rag doll physics of the kill animations adds to the fun factor. The inclusion of documents you can find for trophy's and shields to destroy (if you can find them) reminds you that its a game. Killzone 2 does not take itself too seriously. There seems to be a slight bit of humor in the fact that you can shoot off the Helghast's helmets to reveal their bald heads. These elements remind you that your in it for the fun and its all well executed.

Verdict

Killzone 2 is a top notch first person shooter and a great game. Its worth the price simply because the multiplayer is so strong. You do not even need to qualify it by saying its the best on the "PlayStation 3" because the fact of the matter is that it is among the best on any system. If you happen to have Resistance 2 then you may want to trade it in for Killzone 2. If you like first person shooters and have a Playtsation 3 then go get this game.