Game Review: Killzone 2 for Playstation 3

with Gameplay Video and Image Gallery

You can still hear the thunderous applause erupting from Sony's E3 press conference in 2005 when they unveiled Killzone 2 for the PS3. We watched with wide eyes and gaping jaws as soldiers dropped into an epic science-fiction battle filled with impossibly good looking graphics and feature film quality special effects. The Sony faithful remained hopeful, but more level-headed gamers knew that they had seen this old song and dance before. This preview video was a target render, and the end result would surely look and play much less impressively than this video would have us believe.

Fast forward four years, and we stand mere weeks away from seeing Killzone 2 hit store shelves around the world. Gamers have endured the hype for far too long, after all, the original Killzone was touted as the game to dethrone Halo from the top of the console FPS heap, yet it received a very luke-warm reception from critics and players alike.

While most of you will have to wait until February 27th to get your hands on this greatly anticipated title, I've managed to wrangle a final build from my inside sources and have experienced what Killzone 2 has to offer. After all the talk, does the final product deliver?

The answer is: absolutely. Killzone 2 is an incredibly impressive game. The mechanics are well implemented and refined, the art and atmosphere are remarkable, the A.I. is challenging and entertaining, all the pieces have come together very well.

The first thing you'll notice of course is the breathtaking graphical prowess of Killzone 2. Nothing, I repeat, nothing on consoles can touch the style and quality of what Guerrilla Games has achieved here. Not even Gears of War 2, or anything rendered with the Unreal 3 engine for that matter.

I suppose we have the cell processor to thank for finally delivering on its promise. The only game I've seen that outperforms K2 visually is Crysis on the PC, and to play that game on the highest quality settings you need a computer that pushes the $5,000.00 dollar mark.

The lighting and post-processing effects at work here, including some of the best motion blur I've ever seen, give Killzone 2 a pre-rendered look, leaving you stunned that everything that's happening before your eyes is in real-time. It's an amazing achievement.

What's even more impressive is that all this eye-candy moves at a brisk frame rate that looks like it's locked at 30fps. While I played, I never noticed a dip in frame rate. That's with dozens of NPCs on screen firing weapons, throwing grenades, and performing A.I. intensive routines like taking cover and flanking.

Killzone 2 also features a shocking amount of environment interactivity. Concrete barriers can be blown apart like peanut brittle, building facades come crumbling down before your eyes, every bullet and every grenade changes the look and shape of the world and the level of immersion increases ten-fold because of it.

The first time you dive into the fray in Killzone 2, you'll be surprised by the deliberate pacing of the game. Killzone 2 challenges you to carefully choose your path and to make every bullet count. Reload times are lengthy, and your character moves like a soldier wearing 75 pounds of gear should. The cover system is also very well implemented, enabling you to dip in and out of cover quickly and effectively while squeezing off rounds at your opponents.

While you may feel encouraged to run and gun like you did in the shoes of Master Chief of Halo fame, you'll soon realize that approach is very ineffective.

So does Sony have on their hands the killer-app that can turn the tides of the console war? Well that depends on the community that Killzone 2 builds. The Halo series would never be as successful as it is without Xbox Live and the extensive online multiplayer features that developer Bungie has spent years refining.

What Killzone 2 does offer that Halo 3 can't compete with is a compelling, original, and visually groundbreaking single player experience that raises the bar for first person shooters on consoles. It's a shame that K2 will suffer because of the PS3's lackluster online experience. One can only hope that this game gets the attention and accolades that it truly deserves. While Killzone's past may be dim and sordid, its bright future will raise the PS3 to the heights Sony promised 4 long years ago.

Killzone 2 Screencaps

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