[PS3] Killzone 2

Introduction

This is the sequel to Killzone which wasn't a very big game, but from the release of Killzone 2 in February 2009, the sales for the first has flew up. Ever since the first trailer of this game it has looked amazing, boasting online play, excellent graphics and an amazing story. After the trailer this game got a huge fanbase and some huge hype too, and this game really doesn't dissapoint!



Single Player

The single player of Killzone 2 is fabulous, boasting nearly 40 hours of play, over 12 different guns to use and over 6 different types of enemies. Sporting nearly 10 levels and a mass trophy system, this game is certainly one of the greatest to be made so far for PlayStation 3. The environments are very after killing everyone in the previous area so it does get a bit tedious after a while. The level designs are linear, you can't go exploring very far and the next area can only be unlocked by killing X amount of enemies.

The story follows up from Killzone, where an alien race (although very human like in form) named Helghast came to take over the earth, Killzone 2 however, takes you too their home planet, Helghan, where you are part of a squad (the ISA) which is trying to take control of their planet and ultimately capture Scolar Visari.

Not to drop any spoilers, but the ending pretty much screams sequel.

The story is also very varied, you destroy giant lightning guns, defend areas from wave after wave of enemies, rip apart the enemy in a tank and battle against some of the most heavily armored enemies you will ever face. This is what particularly appeals to me. Being able to ride in a tank, crawl through sewers and take down red eyed enemies feels amazing. The AI is also outstanding, none of the running into walls over and over like some other games.



Multiplayer

The online multiplayer could have been thought out a bit more as you have the basic ranking system still from many other online FPS games before it. One good aspect of Killzone 2's online is the class system, having a Medic, Engineer, Scout, Tactician, Assault, Saboteur and Riflemen to choose from is brilliant, with each class having their own special powers such as a Medic (obviously) being able to heal people, a Saboteur being able to disguise as an enemy and then flank them from behind or even a Scout to become nearly invisible.

I have one main problem with the multiplayer and that is that it may have online but it doesn't have local play which isn't good these days, people may like to play online but we cannot forget where multiplayer first started, in the home! The online multiplayer has around 12-16 maps (depending if you bought the extra DLC Map Pack) to play on, ranging from large desert like area's to a medium sized looking oil rig (by the looks) and then also to a large city with many different path ways to the enemy.



Gameplay

The controls are a bit confusing at first but you do have the option to change them to an alternative (most people prefer similar controls to Call Of Duty). . The first few levels ultimately require you to bring down one of the Helghast's lightning guns, which is very tricky when you have to shoot down 2 lightning canisters whilst being shot at by the enemy. The AI characters themselves play a heavy role with teamwork, this becomes pretty obvious on the very first level as you have to take down about 20+ Helghans with only around 6-8 people on your team.

The character that you play (Sev) is a member of a team of around 7 or 8 people, during some levels you usually get paired up with Garza (one of your best friends) and if your not with him then its either your own team or another for a small amount of time. You usually get sent down different alleyways with Garza to get around the enemies and shoot from behind or take out enemies along the way to support your other team members. This kind of team work would also apply to the online multiplayer too, if you dont work as a team, you will be shot down like a dog.



Graphics And Sound

The graphics are stunning, certainly some of the best for Q1 of 2009, the explosions are believable and immerse yourself right into the game. Stituating explosions, lightining, sandstorms, gun fire, rain and hail (and mainly any other extreme weather forecast you can think of) will have you drooling for more! one of the main problems though is the environments they have created, some people would have expected that with graphics this good would have supported the fact of nearly complete allowance of annhialation of your environment to kill your enemy whereas the game throws in a few red oil drums that will explode when shot.

The sound quality is just as good, and the voice acting really allows you to hear how the characters feel. With 20+ people doing voice acting for different characters you get a sense for how many characters are actually on your side (or on the enemies if the case may be) trying to conquer the planet. The one problem i encountered was when playing a video in single player mode, the frame rate dropped a an ever so slight bit when it had a voice playing (it might have been just my game). One more problem is that the enemies only have one voice recorded for them, just saying different things which does spoil it a bit as you feel that if your side has voice variety then why shouldn't your enemies?



Overall

This game is brilliant and at the moment is definitely in a class of its own for PlayStation FPS games. This game raises the bar past extraordinary and is a must have for any FPS fan, and well, even for any PlayStation 3 owner.

+ Brilliant Story.
+ Amazing Graphics.
+ Outstanding Sound.
+ Stunning online Play.

- No Local Play.
- Same Basic Ranking System.
- The Environment Lacks Major Destruction.
- Framerate Drop When Voices Play In A Video.
- Same Voice For The Enemy

Buy.

I thought that the first one sucked but this one looks pretty cool.
When I do get a PS3 (Which will be like in 2010/11) I will buy most likely this.

This is a very poor quality review.

You briefed over the single player, didn't explain anything about the characters or the storyline, in fact you didn't mention the word Helghast or Helghan throughout the whole review.

You didn't cover what the sound effects were like, what the soundtrack to the game was like, and barely glanced at the voice acting.

You didn't cover the graphics, which are arguably the greatest this gen, the character models or anything important.

This review is less than 500 words and if it isn't bought up to scratch within the next few days I'm afraid I will have to remove it.

Originally Posted by Maul

This is a very poor quality review.

You briefed over the single player, didn't explain anything about the characters or the storyline, in fact you didn't mention the word Helghast or Helghan throughout the whole review.

You didn't cover what the sound effects were like, what the soundtrack to the game was like, and barely glanced at the voice acting.

You didn't cover the graphics, which are arguably the greatest this gen, the character models or anything important.

This review is less than 500 words and if it isn't bought up to scratch within the next few days I'm afraid I will have to remove it.

I'd have to agree.
What happened to your nice revies?
Your reviews used to be insane!

meh, remove it if you so wish, ill do it another day when i can be arsed to do it properly.

Tristar's review was better (there's a sentence I never thought I'd say), no offense.

Originally Posted by Maul

This is a very poor quality review.

You briefed over the single player, didn't explain anything about the characters or the storyline, in fact you didn't mention the word Helghast or Helghan throughout the whole review.

You didn't cover what the sound effects were like, what the soundtrack to the game was like, and barely glanced at the voice acting.

You didn't cover the graphics, which are arguably the greatest this gen, the character models or anything important.

This review is less than 500 words and if it isn't bought up to scratch within the next few days I'm afraid I will have to remove it.

And if that happens I'll just write one.

I SOOOOOO want this.
But, I'm poor as dirt and aiming for Soul Calibur IV atm.

ok, iv brought it up to scratch now (atleast i think i have) so have another read maul

It's still very brief and doesn't cover most of the key details.

such as?