E3 2008: Killzone 2 Hands on
posted:
7/18/2008 1:35:00 PM
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E3 2008
Killzone 2, as it is now, is not at the same level the controversial trailer was a few years ago..but it's close. I'd even say that the version of the game I played this week (in pre-Alpha) is actually a step above what Sony showed off last year. I'll even go as far as to say it might be the best looking FPS game on any platform (although I did not get a chance to see Far Cry 2 or the new Crysis game this week).
Outside of the gorgeous graphics the game plays as your standard two weapon first person shooter. In my short time with the game I got a distinct Call of Duty 4 vibe as the game does a decent job of making you feel like you're a part of something bigger. This is done through interactions with the rest of your squad and by moving you through a fairly linear path in the game. The game does have some destructible environments which is nice but they aren't quite at the same level as Battlefield:Bad Company or Red Faction: Guerrilla.
The mission I played had me taking out a Helghast controled bridge by blowing up a conveniently located ammo dump on the bridge with a rocket launcher. It's a little trickier than it sounds as several Helghast troops have you pinned down. After dying a few times I finally was able to break through to the next part of the map which was taking out a squadron of troops before finding out that me and a buddy were going to have to take out a control room so that the convoy could advance. Along the way you shoot more bad guys and blow a lot of stuff up in very pretty ways. I'm not complaining here but what I saw wasn't exactly genre definning, it just looks and plays really well.
Controls are tight and familiar to anyone who's played a FPS on the PS3 and thankfully the folks at Guerrilla have been able to resist the temptation to add a lot of SIXAXIS tom foolery to the game. From our interview with Kyle Shubel (below) I did glean that they are adding some motion control areas such as opening doors but for the most part the control scheme is standard fare.
Multiplayer is still an enigma but Guerilla is promising big things. As it stands right now I think Killzone 2 has the potential to be the next Call of Duty 4 as you quickly get sucked into the world of the game. I guess we'll find out when the game ships in February 2009.
Outside of the gorgeous graphics the game plays as your standard two weapon first person shooter. In my short time with the game I got a distinct Call of Duty 4 vibe as the game does a decent job of making you feel like you're a part of something bigger. This is done through interactions with the rest of your squad and by moving you through a fairly linear path in the game. The game does have some destructible environments which is nice but they aren't quite at the same level as Battlefield:Bad Company or Red Faction: Guerrilla.
The mission I played had me taking out a Helghast controled bridge by blowing up a conveniently located ammo dump on the bridge with a rocket launcher. It's a little trickier than it sounds as several Helghast troops have you pinned down. After dying a few times I finally was able to break through to the next part of the map which was taking out a squadron of troops before finding out that me and a buddy were going to have to take out a control room so that the convoy could advance. Along the way you shoot more bad guys and blow a lot of stuff up in very pretty ways. I'm not complaining here but what I saw wasn't exactly genre definning, it just looks and plays really well.
Controls are tight and familiar to anyone who's played a FPS on the PS3 and thankfully the folks at Guerrilla have been able to resist the temptation to add a lot of SIXAXIS tom foolery to the game. From our interview with Kyle Shubel (below) I did glean that they are adding some motion control areas such as opening doors but for the most part the control scheme is standard fare.
Multiplayer is still an enigma but Guerilla is promising big things. As it stands right now I think Killzone 2 has the potential to be the next Call of Duty 4 as you quickly get sucked into the world of the game. I guess we'll find out when the game ships in February 2009.
