Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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59 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Full Campaign Review, 28 Feb 2009
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
Exclusive titles come under the most intense scrutiny. If this were a multi-format release, the majority of players would admire what Guerilla has achieved here. Similarly, if PS3's immediate future didnt rest soley with Killzone 2, expectations would be more realistic. Admittedly the developers havent helped their situation.
The now infamous 2005 video lodged Killzone 2 high on wish lists. Whilst the visuals don't match that remarkable CGI film, it comes respectably close. It is the most attractive game on PS3, and aside from shelling out thousands on a PC capable of running Crysis, it's the prettiest shooter ever made.
The biggest surprise is the fact there's some real substance behind those stunning good looks. Killzone 2 takes the full bodied realism approach to the next level; it feels slow at first, but everything moves deliberately, with weight and purpose. Throwing a grenade, reloading and even movement takes longer than usual. It lends Killzone 2 an element of tension usually absent from shooters, and is much better for it.
The cover system works like a dream; differentiating itself from similar set ups, but remaining intuitive and relaible. Although controls can't be specifically mapped, theres a wide selction of schemes available. Alt 2 moves the gun sight to L1, which is far more instinctive, as Call of Duty addicts will agree.
Movie clips are done with the in-game engine, and are spectacularly directed. Its also impressive that Guerilla has managed to squeeze some new ideas out of the exhausted space marines concept. Somehow, Alpha squads story feels involving and (in places) unpredictable.
Variations in combat are brilliantly done. Controlling an exo-skeleton is a real highlight. Manning a battle cannon to defend the ISA fleet is also superbly handled, both visually and mechanically. Subtle touches, like rotating the loading screen picture, make presentation top notch. Six-axis controls for planting C4, and turning cranks, are also brilliant innovations.
But Killzone 2 isnt perfect. Headshots rarely count, and when overwhelmed, proves frustrating. The game also jerks violently when loading the next section. The optimum HD display is only 720p, which was surprising to find no 1080 options. Not that the visuals need improving. Only being able to carry one weapon (as well as a pistol), can also lead to unintentionally difficult moments. Yet makes combat brutally realistic.
Minor flaws however. This feels like the most exciting, genre defining shooter since Call of Duty 4. It really is that good.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A non-geek's thoughts, 9 Nov 2009
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
I am so non-geek, I don't understand some of the lingo used in many of the other reviews, but my thoughts might just be useful for someone as naïve as me as far as PS3 shooter games are concerned.
OK, here's what I think. It's an excellent game and although I can't mention the specific price it is now fantastic value, an absolute bargain. But after three or four hours I still feel that it's better than I am. That's good of course, no-one wants a game that's too easy, but it does require a fair amount of skill to really get on top of. My main gripe - amd I know this is probably a fault of my own, not the game - is the difficulty in taking aim really quickly. Whenever I have played GT5 Prologue I've always preferred to use the D-pad (sorry if that's the wrong name) rather than the two thumb-sticks (that game offers the choice), I find the D-pad much more accurate for tiny movement inputs while the thumb-sticks - the only option for K2 - I find are more inaccurate and over-sensitive. And I wish I could reverse the polarity of the right thumb-stick, I have as yet to find the forward/up and backward/down combination as intuitive as many others seem to; I've even tried to hold the controller upside down but that means switching hands too, so that didn't help! If there's a way of reversing the north-south polarity, if that's the right word (I did say I don't know the lingo!) then please add a comment below.
I do like the game, it kind of reminds me of Call of Duty as I suppose everyone knows - not the latest one mind you. After a few hours, and in particular after seeing the trailers for the latest Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3), Killzone 2 does seem just slightly 'last year' in overall style but it's still addictive. I got it on the same day as Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3) which while not being quite the same thing I nevertheless found to be instantly preferable (I prefer third-person shooters) and stunningly better on graphics and more intuitive. It might look a little odd that I'm suggesting that it's inferior to two other games - much newer ones though - and I guess I would rate this as 9/10.
As there are more than 200 reviews of Killzone 2 here, there's little point in going through all the features as many other reviewers have already done a great job in that department. I just wanted to post some early thoughts on it, it's definitely a fantastic game and its real attraction right at this moment, nearly a year after its release, is its price: you can't go wrong now.
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Didn't blow me away, 4 Jun 2009
Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars
Every system needs a killer app - an exclusive game so awesome or innovative that people will buy that console just to play it. For the X-Box it was Halo and Gears of War, and for the Wii it was Wii Sports. The PlayStation 3 has been less fortunate. There have been plenty of hopefuls (Resistance: Fall of Man and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune being the most notable examples) but none of them have quite managed to be the system-sellers that Sony desperately need. But they're not ones for giving up easily, so here, ready to take a shot at the title, is Killzone 2.
Set in a future where humanity has begun to colonise the galaxy, Killzone 2 kicks off by throwing you into the role of Tomas "Sev" Sevchenko - an ISA soldier about to take part in the invasion of Helghan, homeworld of the evil Helghast Empire. All good. However, in typical George Bush fashion you've completely underestimated your enemy's strength and willingness to fight. Landing in Helghanistan, its not long before things go awry, leaving you and your small squad of soldiers fighting for your lives against vastly superior Helghast forces.
Killzone 2 is bit of an odd one to review, because I really can't make up my mind whether I love it or hate it. On the one hand, graphics are superb, easily on par with the best the PS3 has to offer. Environments are grim, gritty and oppressive, with ruined buildings, rubble-filled streets, overcast lightning-filled skies and dingy underground bunkers to be cleared out.
All the usual FPS clichés are here. There's the obligatory `turret' sequence where you control a fixed emplaced heavy weapon in a graphically updated version of Space Invaders, an escort mission where you have to babysit some clueless jerk as they walk v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y to their objective, and a `tank' level where you take control of a suit of power armour and spend the next ten minutes turning your enemies into clouds of shredded meat.
Music is atmospheric and emotive, with grand orchestral arrangements lending a welcome air of urgency to important action scenes. The voice acting is also competent enough to make characters sound authentic. And the plot, while a bit on the light side, is at least engaging enough to keep things moving along.
The difficulty curve is certainly challenging enough, by which I mean that I was killed more times than a one-armed monkey trying to complete Call of Duty 4 on Expert. Since I'm neither a retard nor a masochist, I chose the middling difficulty option, but even that was enough to make some sections a struggle. Don't fool yourself - Killzone 2 is one tough game.
But despite this praise, it still feels like there's something missing. Playing Killzone 2 feels a bit like trying to assemble a model Airfix kit with pieces from half a dozen different planes - all the important elements are there, but they just don't fit together properly. And I think I can sum this problem up with three small words - Gears Of War. It tries so hard to emulate this seminal X-Box title that at times it just becomes embarrassing.
It also has its share of legitimate flaws.
Weapons are a sticking point. There are a number of different assault rifles available, but to be honest there's nothing to differentiate them apart from their visual appearance - they all feel, handle and fire pretty much the same. Accuracy is a major issue. I can only assume that the same people who handled Bad Company's weapon physics were brought in for this one, because it's next to impossible to hit anything more than fifteen yards away. This is a particular frustration at times when the odds are stacked against you and there are enemies swarming in from all sides.
From a story point of view, none of the characters come through strongly enough. Obviously this is a first person shooter, not an RPG, but it's hard to care about what's going on when you can't identify with any of the characters.
And although the graphics are top-notch, the game environments are so samey that there's no real sense of progression. If you've seen one dingy bombed-out building or derelict factory, you've seen them all. I know Helghan is meant to be a bleak, windswept world, but jeez guys, throw in a little variation, won't you?
Overall then, I give Killzone 2 a reluctant thumbs up. It's fun but not memorable, entertaining but not engaging, a solid game but not a killer app.
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Suitable for 18 years and over. Not for sale to persons under age 18. By placing an order for this product, you declare that you are 18 years of age or over.
Main character Sev and his squad face an almost impossible mission
You can take control of vehicles in both single and multiplayer modes
Snipers are just one of the basic classes to play as in multiplayer
