Killzone 2 – Reviewed – PS3

The environments are equally important, and they’ve been crafted with a loving attention to detail seldom seen in even the best games out there. The environments are intricate, the textures are high in resolution with plenty of cool shaders on them, and to make things even better, almost everything reacts to combat in some way. To aid the sense of immersion the game brings with it, the developers have gone out of their way to make sure that the actions of the players and the enemies have noticeable consequences. We’re not just talking about the standard textured bullet holes that appear on the walls, no, in Killzone 2, a lot of the walls will actually crumble in chunks as they’re shot, eventually leaving gaping holes or piles of rubble – this affects your cover too, by the way, so watch out. There are also cans on the floor, shelves, tables and chairs which can be knocked around, and boarded up areas which can be smashed. Hell, one time we even shot an old arm chair, just to see what would happen, and were amazed when each bullet caused a cloud of feathers to fly out from the hapless piece of furniture.

One thing which many reviewers tend to forget when raving about a game’s graphical prowess is the lighting, which is a real pity, because Killzone 2 features some of the most technically impressive and cinematically apt lighting in a videogame to date. I personally think that the only game that can stand up to this lighting is Dead Space. At any one time, Killzone 2 has an incredible number of dynamic, shadow-casting lights all over the place. And these are not just a bunch of randomly placed lights to impress technophiles, every light has been placed so as to further the experience and promote the creepy, visceral atmosphere of planet Helghan in every way.

And of course, where would a game of this nature be without some beefy sound to immerse players in the war-zone experience? Killzone 2 features 7.1 Surround Sound, which is exactly what audio of this quality deserves. Quiet moments just don’t exist in Killzone 2. Even during those atmospheric sections when you’re sneaking around underground in the dark, you can still faintly hear the sounds of war raging in the distance. When you’re in the thick of it, though, the effect is room-shaking and almost deafening at times – but not at the expense of clarity or quality. In Killzone 2, every bullet, every footstep, every death scream only serves to heighten your sense of immersion in the visceral, adrenaline-charged battlefield the game is. If there were only one complaint I could level at it, it would be that some of the voice cast gave a little less than the stellar performance this game rightfully deserved, but it’s a minor issue.

All in all, it should take most players roughly 10 hours to get through the single player mode of Killzone 2, which is actually a pretty good game time for a shooter in this day and age, especially when you consider that the entire experience was lovingly hand-crafted from beginning to end to be as engaging as possible. This play time could be generously extended if you plan to chase the trophies for shooting all of the hidden emblems and completing the higher difficulty setting, which is unlocked after your first play-through. Then there are the multiplayer modes which are bound to add countless hours of play value to that, making Killzone 2 an incredibly appealing package.

Honestly, there’s a lot more to be said about this game, and we could go into intricate detail about everything, but the review has gone on long enough. To sum it all up, Killzone 2 is a superb experience from beginning to end. The shooting gameplay is slick, well-controlled and paced just right, and the graphics, sound, and presentation cooperate with the gameplay to create an immensely immersive package. Killzone 2 also clocks in with a decent play time and features a set of appealing multiplayer modes (with bots) to make the game well worth the purchase.

Scoring
Gameplay: 9.0
As slick as the best shooters out there, with great performance to boot.

Presentation: 9.5
Gorgeous graphics and top-notch artistic direction combine to create one of the best looking games around.

Sound: 9.5
Your ears will surrender as they’re assaulted by the most convincing battle ambience you’ve ever heard.

Value: 9.0
10 hours of play is a good amount for a shooter, coupled with the trophies you can chase and the almost indefinite appeal of the multiplayer modes.

Overall: 9.3
Whether you’re looking for a technical showcase or a genuinely superb shooter, you’ll find both in Killzone 2.

Last Updated: February 5, 2009