GamerNode: Reviews - Killzone 2

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• Killzone 2
• PlayStation 3
• Guerrila
• SCEA
• February 27th, 2009

Gameplay wise, Killzone 2 puts the emphasis on taking intelligent cover, much like Gears of War -- except it's in first person. Almost all battles later on (or on higher difficulties) will require you to utilize cover. If you don't take cover when you're under fire, the enemy is going to exploit that and kill you in a spectacular-looking way. Likewise, when the enemy sees you they'll hightail it to the nearest cover in order to survive.

The enemy AI is easily one of the highlights of the game. It's not dynamic like Left 4 Dead, but it's a lot better than the AI in games like Gears of War 2, Halo 3, and Resistance 2. Not only will enemy units regularly take cover, but if you're entrenched in the same spot for too long they'll lob grenades or flank you to make you move out of safety so their fellow troops can mow you down. Likewise, if you try to hit them with a grenade or flank them, they'll counter you and move to a new location. The constant moving and assessing of the AI makes each scene of battle hectic, and even in the first level you'll likely end up dying a few times if you bump the difficulty up.

Your team's AI is also smart, but not quite on the level of enemies. In most stages, you'll be accompanied by several friendly soldiers who will fire at the enemy, take cover, and do all of the normal things. Unfortunately, they don't seem as intelligent as the Helghast, and the instances where my own side would lay down covering fire or lob grenades were far fewer than when the Helghast would do so. As most people know, despite the fact that you're almost always surrounded by friendly troops there's absolutely no co-op to speak of. I'm not faulting the game for a lack of co-op; rather, I wish that it were present (and wondering why it isn't) so that there would be a better reason to play through the campaign again. The campaign will take between 7-10 hours to beat depending on your skill, and going back to find all of the hidden items or unlock all the trophies will certainly extend that, but being able to play through with a friend would have been a great addition, especially since your ally AI doesn't seem as intelligent as the enemy's.

Thankfully, the online multiplayer that's offered is fun and will give you plenty to do with your friends. (As long as they're not in the same room with you.) There aren't as many modes available as there are in a lot of more recent titles, but the expected modes (Death match, CTF, etc.) are all present, and with up to 32 players in each match they're a larger scale than most other console shooters.

Warzone is the unique offering in the multiplayer arena, and it's a class-based online mode that allows players to begin as a basic soldier, improve their military rank, and then specialize their character by combining aspects of the online character classes, allowing you to create your own unique type of character. If you want to heal, but also want to use sentries or snipe, by playing, winning, and earning points you can ultimately build a character to suit your playstyle and needs.

Many people wanted Killzone 2 to be the greatest game on the PS3. In the end, it's not quite good enough to claim that title. The good news, though, is that the game was much better than I thought it would be, and in my opinion it's still easily one of the top 5 games on the console. The single player campaign may be on the short(er) side, but the entire journey is action-packed and adrenaline pumping without any noticeable downtime. And the multiplayer may not offer all of the different modes some gamers are used to, but Warzone's unique customization capabilities offset that nicely.

If you own a PS3 and enjoy FPS titles, Killzone 2 is a must-buy. It's not the best game on the PS3, but it is the best FPS, and unless your expectations of it were ridiculously high you're not going to be disappointed.

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