First Impressions: Killzone 2
posted:
1/27/2009 10:40:00 AM
More On:
Killzone 2
First things first,Killzone 2 looks amazing and raises the bar for graphics in a game. Period, end of discussion. I'm sorry Gears of War 2, it was a nice ride while it lasted but you're now number 2 on the list. Killzone 2 does falls just a few yards short of the pre-rendered footage from the 2005 E3 presentation but it meets and in some places exceeds the graphics that Sony showed off at E3 this year. The level of detail and fidelity raises the bar for the entire industry in terms of realism and quality.
Of course pretty levels wouldn't be anything without solid level design and the game features that in spades. Sure the game is linear but you don't really feel the invisible hand of the designer most of the time as most of the levels have multiple paths through them and there is usually one or more ways to get through a level or approach a problem. While the game is mostly confined spaces and building there are enough wide open spaces to keep the design interesting and to keep you motivated to finish the game.
We've seen pretty graphics and bad gameplay in games before and I semi-expected Killzone 2 to fall down a bit in the gameplay and the controls department. This was a bad assumption on my part as the controls and the plot line are excellent. Those expecting just a pretty face are in for a treat as the game delivers a very action movie like experience (I'm borrowing an analogy from Shawn Sines here). The action is mostly non-stop from the moment you put boots on the ground and for the most part you'll be moving from firefight to firefight with only a few breathers here and there to break things up.
You play Sev, a member of Alpha Squad, an elite member of the ISA army that is invading the Helghast homeworld at the start of the game. Things go south quite quickly when you learn that the Helghast have a secret weapon that allows them to channel the natural resources of the planet as a weapon (somewhere Al Gore is cheering). While the plot of the game is mostly standard fare it’s the interaction with your squad members and the pacing of the game that really shine. The game does follow a few of the standard shooter stereotypes but changes the pace in a few spots to which helped increase my enjoyment of the game. I do wish they had provided a little more history of the back story for those people (like me) who hadn't played the first game or the PSP game as I felt like I was missing a few things. A brief add-on to the start of the game explaining why the two sides were fighting and the events of the first game would really have helped set the table a bit more.
Another thing that really impressed me about Killzone 2 was the excellent new cover system. To take cover you click the L2 button and Sev latches on to the nearest cover or crouches (sometimes both if it’s low cover). To shoot over cover you push the right thumbstick up and he aims around the cover. Moving left or right while in cover strafes you left and right and releasing the thumbstick immediately drops you into relative safety. It takes some getting used to but once you master it you realize the simple genius behind the system as you move from cover to cover. Cover is a bit more natural than in Gears of War 2 as the game doesn't throw up magic cover barriers in all the levels. Jumping also takes a little getting used to as it’s a little floaty, it’s not as floaty as Halo 3 but it does take a little getting used to.
I can’t tell you about the best weapon in the game quite yet but I can tell you that the flamethrower in the game is the best one ever put in a video game. Not only because the fire effects in the game are so fantastic but because of how effective the weapon is. Instead of your straight flame the flamethrower shoots out burning napalm which you can arc over cover, igniting anyone and anything that’s hiding behind it. You don’t get a lot of chances to use it in the game but it’s a ton of fun watching Helghan soldiers running around on fire….bright beautiful fire with corresponding smoke and particle effects.
I played through the game on the Normal setting and the game provided a decent challenge. The AI does a good job of reacting to you and reacting accordingly. There are enough troop variants to keep you interested and each has their own AI tactics so you'll need to assess not only your surroundings but the type of troops within it. Your teammates are useful as they intelligently take cover and actually work with you on taking out Helghast troops. They are semi-mortal though and if one of the other members of your squad goes down you will have to go back to heal them. It happens enough to be realistic but not enough to be annoying.
From what I’ve seen in the game I think Killzone 2 is a game that’s going to wow people. The game isn’t just a pretty face but a complete experience that rivals almost every other FPS on the market. It’s been a while since I’ve played a game that I’ve enjoyed quite this much. I think people are in for a real treat when the game ships next month. Expect a full review next week when the embargo lifts.
Of course pretty levels wouldn't be anything without solid level design and the game features that in spades. Sure the game is linear but you don't really feel the invisible hand of the designer most of the time as most of the levels have multiple paths through them and there is usually one or more ways to get through a level or approach a problem. While the game is mostly confined spaces and building there are enough wide open spaces to keep the design interesting and to keep you motivated to finish the game.
We've seen pretty graphics and bad gameplay in games before and I semi-expected Killzone 2 to fall down a bit in the gameplay and the controls department. This was a bad assumption on my part as the controls and the plot line are excellent. Those expecting just a pretty face are in for a treat as the game delivers a very action movie like experience (I'm borrowing an analogy from Shawn Sines here). The action is mostly non-stop from the moment you put boots on the ground and for the most part you'll be moving from firefight to firefight with only a few breathers here and there to break things up.
You play Sev, a member of Alpha Squad, an elite member of the ISA army that is invading the Helghast homeworld at the start of the game. Things go south quite quickly when you learn that the Helghast have a secret weapon that allows them to channel the natural resources of the planet as a weapon (somewhere Al Gore is cheering). While the plot of the game is mostly standard fare it’s the interaction with your squad members and the pacing of the game that really shine. The game does follow a few of the standard shooter stereotypes but changes the pace in a few spots to which helped increase my enjoyment of the game. I do wish they had provided a little more history of the back story for those people (like me) who hadn't played the first game or the PSP game as I felt like I was missing a few things. A brief add-on to the start of the game explaining why the two sides were fighting and the events of the first game would really have helped set the table a bit more.
Another thing that really impressed me about Killzone 2 was the excellent new cover system. To take cover you click the L2 button and Sev latches on to the nearest cover or crouches (sometimes both if it’s low cover). To shoot over cover you push the right thumbstick up and he aims around the cover. Moving left or right while in cover strafes you left and right and releasing the thumbstick immediately drops you into relative safety. It takes some getting used to but once you master it you realize the simple genius behind the system as you move from cover to cover. Cover is a bit more natural than in Gears of War 2 as the game doesn't throw up magic cover barriers in all the levels. Jumping also takes a little getting used to as it’s a little floaty, it’s not as floaty as Halo 3 but it does take a little getting used to.
I can’t tell you about the best weapon in the game quite yet but I can tell you that the flamethrower in the game is the best one ever put in a video game. Not only because the fire effects in the game are so fantastic but because of how effective the weapon is. Instead of your straight flame the flamethrower shoots out burning napalm which you can arc over cover, igniting anyone and anything that’s hiding behind it. You don’t get a lot of chances to use it in the game but it’s a ton of fun watching Helghan soldiers running around on fire….bright beautiful fire with corresponding smoke and particle effects.
I played through the game on the Normal setting and the game provided a decent challenge. The AI does a good job of reacting to you and reacting accordingly. There are enough troop variants to keep you interested and each has their own AI tactics so you'll need to assess not only your surroundings but the type of troops within it. Your teammates are useful as they intelligently take cover and actually work with you on taking out Helghast troops. They are semi-mortal though and if one of the other members of your squad goes down you will have to go back to heal them. It happens enough to be realistic but not enough to be annoying.
From what I’ve seen in the game I think Killzone 2 is a game that’s going to wow people. The game isn’t just a pretty face but a complete experience that rivals almost every other FPS on the market. It’s been a while since I’ve played a game that I’ve enjoyed quite this much. I think people are in for a real treat when the game ships next month. Expect a full review next week when the embargo lifts.
