Killzone 2 – Reviewed – PS3

From time to time you’ll also have to engage in vehicle combat, and each of these machines handles in a unique and interesting way. From tanks to jeeps to hulking mechs, each vehicle in the game is fun to use in its own way and has its own combat characteristic and strategies.

Once you’re done with the superb single player mode, you’ll probably want to play Killzone 2 online to check out its interesting lineup of multiplayer modes. Up to 32 players can compete online in a variety of team-based modes which allow you to defend bases, capture bases, assassinate key enemy targets, and so on. Even more interesting is that there are a variety of different classes for players to choose from, each of which has special abilities which can be earned as the player is promoted through the ranks. Also, for those players who can’t get online, Killzone 2 features full-bot support for all multiplayer modes, allowing players without internet connections to experience the joys of multiplayer in some form. The bots are every bit as intelligent as the enemies in the main game, so you can expect a decent challenge from them.

Visually, Killzone 2 is absolutely stunning. Most interested gamers around the world, whether they were optimists or pessimists, were waiting with baited breath to see if Killzone 2 could actually live up to the visual standard of the trailers, which were hard to believe at the time. To be honest though, as time went by, we began to see exactly what the current consoles are capable of, and the thought that Guerrilla might actually be able to pull this off became easier and easier to believe. Still, it did appear that Killzone 2 would be one of the best looking games ever at its release, so did they manage it? The answer to that is a big round “Yes!” with a very necessary exclamation mark in there. For a long time, Xbox 360 owners have had bragging rights about the power of their machine in the form of Gears of War, and now Gears of War 2, which are superb-looking, brag-worthy games beyond a doubt. But even though the PS3 got a sexy game of its own, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, for some odd reason it never seemed to have the oomph to stand up to Gears. Well, take heart all you PS3 fanboys, your bragging papers have finally arrived, gift wrapped and gilded in gold leaf. Killzone 2 is every bit as good looking as we had hoped, if not more so.

The characters are intricately modeled, perfectly textured, and convincingly animated down to the last detail. Your allies all have their own distinct appearance, even though they’re wearing the same uniform, and the textures on their faces and their facial animations very realistic, and convincing enough to avoid the uncanny valley. The Helghast troopers feature a very cool design, and they look like a bunch of real badasses in their chunky armour and their closed helmets with the glowing red visors. To make things even better, these troopers react and recoil to every bullet and explosion with an almost endless variety of different animations, so much so that you’ll probably feel like you’ve killed a unique soldier every time. They also have an astounding amount of different attack animations, and they’re not stupid enough to stick their heads out of cover in the same place twice. Sometimes you’ll even encounter a Helghast trooper lying on the ground when popping out of cover, just to throw you off. It’s amazing.

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Last Updated: February 5, 2009