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#1
Mar 15, 2009, 06:17 AM
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Killzone 2
Type: First Person Shooter Genre: Sci-Fi Release Date: February 2009 Developer: Guerilla Games Publisher: Sony Platform: PS3 Exclusive Players: Single player campaign and various Multi-player modes Rating: M (Mature) Highs: Incredible Graphics, fantastic Sound effects, excellent soundtrack, polished Mechanics, Smart AI, Intense combat, and Deep Multiplayer Modes Lows: Thin plot line, sub-par voice acting, overuse of explicit languages. The Story: Several hundred years in the future humans have colonized a number of planets in several nearby star systems. One such system went under the control of the Helghan Corporation. The system consisted of two planets, one a lush and fertile world called Veckta, and another, rich in minerals and energy resources, with a very harsh climate. As part of settlement of a civil war, the earth central government seizes control of Veckta. Those not wanting to live under Earth rule flee to the other world and rename it Helghan. Helghan is a harsh place with high ambient radiation. Most of the settlers die quickly, but the survivors adapt and mutate, ultimately becoming the “Helghast” Over time the Helghast come to be lead by a Hitler-like dictator called Scolari Visari. Visari is able to use the resources of Helghan to build a heavily equipped war machine. In the first Killzone, the Helghast launch a massive invasion of Veckta. In that game your task was to repel the invasion and save Veckta. Several years Visari is continuing to threaten Veckta and Earth under the mechanism of the ISA (international space agency) has decided that Visari needs to be removed and the Helghast need to be put down once and for all. This sets up Killzone 2. As sergeant Sevchenko (“Sev”) you will be part of an invasion of Helghan in a mission to apprehend Visari. You are told the Helghast are a broken people and that resistance would be minimal. You arrive to find out this is not true; Visari and the Helghast are not going to go quietly. ISA forces encounter stiff resistance. The Game play: Killzone 2 is a largely traditional FPS that sports some very polished mechanics. The controls are easy to learn and customize. The inputs are highly responsive. One of the better ideas is a dedicated “cover” button that allows you to “blind fire” around obstacles. Like most modern FPSs, there are no “health boxes” or medkits, lying around, you have to find cover and stay until you “heal” Though this game has a Sci-fi setting the weapons are rather conventional. They include assault rifles, Sniper Rifles, RPGs, shotguns, SMGs, flame throwers and an electric arc gun (very nasty) There are a couple of grenade types as well. The reloads are quick with each one. The game play itself hits a high level of intensity and stays that way throughout the game. There is little time to catch your breath. The Helghast are a tough and very smart opponent. When confronted with superior numbers a lone Helghast will retreat and return with reinforcements, they will also flank, bait and effectively use cover. The Helghast will make you work for every foot of ground. If you are a novice to FPS, stick with the “easy” mode, this game was made for the “hard core” Fortunately for you, your “buddy” AI is just as good, laying down cover fire as you advance and helping you take down tough Helghast such as the “Heavy” and most importantly, they stay out of your line of fire (at last) Occasionally the FPS play is broken up with piloting vehicles such as tanks and an exo-frame (that one was a lot of fun). Also there are various mounted weapons to use as well. The online multiplayer is excellent with a variety of match types. Battles are smooth and intense. Again if you are a novice, stay away, the players on here are real hard core and pro level gamers. The arenas are massive and there is plenty of room to maneuver. The game has both competitive and cooperative modes. Sights and Sounds: Killzone 2 sports a truly spectacular presentation. The game opens with a breathtaking CG movie that in some ways surpasses Pixar films such as Cars and Wall-E. The in-game visuals are also fantastic with highly detailed environments, great character models, fantastic lighting and particle effects. This is easily one of the very best looking games on the market and a bench mark on PS3. Because Guerilla Games choose not to have an install, the game periodically freezes for a second or so in between large areas, to up-load; it is a mild annoyance but not a major issue. Thanks to the “Havok” physics engine, death animations are also excellent. Everything in the environment is affected by gun fire, and some the explosions are truly spectacular, with massive buildings collapsing, dust and all. My favorite level, visually, is one that takes place atop a huge moving flatbed cargo train. Since this is a PS3 exclusive, the game is developed in 7.1 surround sound and it is marvelous when cranked up. If putting this on a high def TV with the home theatre cranked up does not make you feel like you are in the middle of a war, nothing will! Gun fire, ricocheting bullets, explosions, screaming soldiers, are all handled adeptly, The soundtrack is a fully orchestrated score that would be at home in a 150 million dollar action film. The music is very well matched in tone and pitched to the action and at moments is truly heart pumping, especially at the final battle. Great job here! The only real let down is the voice acting, while the two major villains (Visari and his right hand man, Radec) are quite good, the rest of the characters are rather generic. This is too bad really since the visuals show off character emotion. Also one of the characters: Rico, uses way too much fowl language. I understand soldiers in battle using the occasional F-Bomb, but this feels excessive, forced and unnatural. FPSs are not in general known for good acting, but this puts some tarnish on an otherwise wonderful package. Kids Corner: This game is extremely violent, with a lot of killing and bloodshed. There is also LOTS of rough language here (lots and lots of the F and MF words) So I would recommend not getting this one for the little ones. In Summary: Killzone 2 is a definite blockbuster for PS3, huge production values and superior game play truly show off what Sony’s big black box can do in the hands of the right developers. For those who have a PS3 and like FPSs this one is a must buy! Below is the intro and opening moments of the game: |
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