Publisher: SCEA

Developer: Guerrilla

Release Date: 2/27/2009

Available Exclusively On

Killzone 2 is such irony because everyone bashed the first game back in 2004, claiming it was a failed “Halo Killer” and trying to be Sony’s proprietary FPS since Microsoft had Halo and Nintendo had Metroid Prime. Now that 5 years have rolled around, Killzone 2 is considered one of the best FPS games ever made, is winning multiple games of the year awards as we speak, was made the best-looking game of all time (during its release), and looked 100 times better than Halo 3. Not only that, but back in 2005, everyone criticized the game for being pre-rendered because no one thought this kind of stuff could be done on a game console. Even in terms of multiplayer, Killzone 2 really impresses with a strong ranking system, squads, voice chat, clans, and the works.

The weakest part of Killzone 2 may be its story and characters. Instead of playing as Templar like in the first game, you play as Sev and fight alongside a squad of three: Garza, Natko, and Rico (the only ones from the original game). The war against the Helghast isn’t over, so the only option is to storm the Visari Palace and take Visari down once and for all while fighting against a cruel general hell bent on getting the ISA’s nuke codes.

Not only is the game lacking a solid story and characters, it is also very short. You can beat the game in about 6–8 hours, depending on your playstyle, so it will leave you wanting way more. One thing that impressed me a lot was the clever level design. The levels make you really think about your strategy on how to attack enemies, and this includes the weapons as well. Each one is unique and can only be used in certain situations, and there is a smorgasbord of them to boot. You have flamethrowers, rocket launchers, shotguns, and other sorts. Each weapon feels powerful and packs a good punch, especially when your shotgun takes off ahead at point-blank. You can mount turrets and even drive vehicles at a couple of points. Now, when it comes to Sixaxis Control, the game uses it very poorly in only three ways. You can turn valves, set charges, and move the loading screen hologram around. It was not very exciting, and I was expecting some pretty good use out of it with an epic game like Killzone 2.

If you have an HDTV, the game will blow your mind visually and audibly thanks to its impressive next-gen showcase. The graphics are amazing, with super-high-res textures that have never been seen before. This stuff looks like pre-rendered next-gen graphics, but in real-time. While the game doesn’t have much color, that is okay because there is a distinct art style. There is a lot of ambiance on top of all this that makes you feel like you are on a war-torn planet fighting for your race.

If there is one thing I absolutely love about this game, it is the Helghast design. They are such cool characters with creepy, glowing red eyes, raspy voices that are only heard through gas masks, and strange British accents. The gritty art style is great and really fits this type of game, despite everyone complaining about next-gen games not having enough color.

The multiplayer is the meat of the game, with up to 32 players on each map, and everything gets really insane really fast. It takes a while to get the hang of how everything is done and the fast pace. When I first went online, I died about 100 times before I even made my first kill, and no, I don’t suck. After you get the hang of everything, it becomes super addictive and fun. There are plenty of modes, from team deathmatch to search and destroy to even a king of the hill type game. For people who just got a PS3 for Christmas, Killzone 2 is something to really show off to your friends, and with great multiplayer, you can expect lots of hours playing this great next-gen gem.