The Seven Cardinal Sins
Group: Bronze Member
Posts: 60
Member No.: 50
Joined: 18-June 06
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Title: Killzone™
Publisher: SCEA
Genre/Category: Shooter - 1st Person
System: PlayStation®2
Number of Players: 1-2
Number of Multitap Players: 1-2
Online: Yes, Broadband only
Release Date: 10/2004
Introduction:
To answer the question you're probably wondering: no, this game is not really a Halo killer. Made by Guerrilla, Killzone was deemed a Halo killer what seems aeons ago by those who first viewed the trailer to the game. Finally, after waiting and anticipating, it becomes clear that there is little resemblance between Killzone and the popular sci-fi game on the X-Box. It's a shame that this game got the title of Halo killer, because now everyone will compare it to Halo instead of judging it on its own merits. Enough with idle analogies, let's get on with the review!
Story:
With an opening cinematic that would be more at home as a trailer at your local movie theater, Killzone quickly draws one into the story of two races at war. Not just any movie trailer either; this would be that special one that somehow manages to leave you with more to talk about than the movie that's on your ticket stub. An eerie and suspenseful score even accompany the beginning. Set in the future, the opening tells what has happened in the past and what will now happen in the present. It seems a group known as the Helghast left their home planet on an "exodus for freedom" generations ago, and have now returned to their former home world to kick some ass for revenge. A charismatic, if somewhat psycho, leader of the Helghast narrates the history and present happenings in a booming speech at a podium in front of his obedient, orange-eyed army. Once the cinematic closes, however, the plot and story pretty much end with it. Everything goes downhill when you actually start to play the game. Instead of interesting revelations and plot points, you get the mediocre goop that's been done before in the copious amount of war movies of yesteryear. Essentially the story becomes: the Helghast are attacking; go here and fight them off. Good story and plot are put on the back burner for so long that they go from simmering and stewing to luke warm.
Gameplay:
~Single player~
Killzone is a FPS (first person shooter). As you would expect from any FPS, you basically run around killing what's trying to kill you--the Helghast. You play through the game as members of the human organization dedicated to stopping the attacks-- the ISA. Put in war-combat situations, the ISA team must survive the onslaught of Helghast attacks and accomplish the goals given to them. There are almost a dozen levels, each level split up into several immense areas. What the game excels at is the raw feeling of war, more so then any other game I've played. All the commotion and shooting make the game believable and give you the chaos of war. It sometimes looks as though a soldier, in the heat of battle, is holding a video camera to capture the true atmosphere of war. Not only is the game long, but it provides a good amount of replay value because of the diverse choice of characters at your disposal. Starting out, there is only access to one team member: Templar. After completing a few levels, you attain three more playable characters. Like being stealthy? Then go with Lugar, a female clad all in black with goggles to help see in the dark. Stealth not your style, are you in it for the big guns? If so, then Rico's your man. Each member specializes in a different art of war, which allows for some customization of gameplay. Whoever you don't choose will go along with you for support during the firefights and missions. Regrettably, all of game's cleverness and assets are overshadowed by the pitfalls the game suffers from.
Armor on Helghan must be made by wizards, because the stuff the Helghast wear is nearly impossible to penetrate, no matter how many bullets you're sending their way. Expect some outrageous battles to take place because of the sheer amount of bullets the Helghast can withstand. Sometimes not even head shots are enough to bring these mothers down. To top it all off, your character will go down as soon as you even hear a gun firing-- as soon as you even see a gun firing. Well, maybe it's not that bad, but you do die a lot more swiftly than your foes. Luckily, your life does regenerate quickly over time. Don't let this fact fool you, though; your character is always on the verge of death, even if your life meter is totally full. As if this wasn't bad enough, the Helghans have uncanny aim, even from far away. Every Helghast is a sniper: no matter how far away they might seem, they can still pelt you with bullets. Often times I found myself sneaking through an area only to find myself getting shot at from an unknown source. So, after taking a look around and seeing that nobody was in sight, I go marching on. It was only after continuing and being shot at again did I realize the truth-- that the soldier who fired on me was leagues away from my position. No, it wasn't because he was using a sniper rifle, the guy just had that unreal of an aim.
Another problem is that checkpoints within areas are few and far between. Since the game chooses to stack battle after intense battle on top of one another with no break or checkpoint in between, count on having to replay and redo lots of assaults. Making it through a tough battle, getting blown away just a bit farther down the road, then realizing you'll have to do everything over again does not equal fun. I've heard some complain about the amount of time it takes to reload your gun, but it's not as bad as some people make it out to be. Yes, it does take longer than other FPS games to watch the animation of your guy reloading his gun and it is annoying, but it won't take away from your Killzone experience much. What is more annoying, however, is the lack of a jump button. Though jumping over obstacles isn't necessary to complete the game, being able to jump would have helped out in several places. Last, and in this case, least is the fact that your "missions" aren't really missions at all. Killzone has a screen to view your current objectives, but every goal is so vague and general that it might as well not even be called a goal at all. For instance, one level has you playing through a park. Your mission? To "transverse the park." Let me get this straight. In a area where I'm at the park, my goal is to transverse it? Who would have thought? Good thing they told me, I would never have thought of that on my own. Almost all goals in the game are like this. If Gurrilla made a Mario game, it wouldn't surprise me to see "save the princess" as a listed goal.
~Online/ Multi-player modes:~
In these days, online capabilities are a must for a FPS. Doubtlessly, abundant amounts of those interested in this game want it for online purposes alone. Good news: Killzone online is fast and easy to get into. Make sure you have some time on your hands; because once you make your first venture to the online world you'll be hooked. Hours flew by while I was absorbed in online play. Don't worry if you've never been online before, Killzone's setup is easy to understand. Do plan on getting your ass handed to you when first starting out, however, because the guys online are good.
With six ways to play, there is plenty to do. The six modes are deathmatch, team deathmatch, supply drop, domination, assault, and defend & destroy. Deathmatch is the basic kill everybody as much as you can game, while team deathmatch is the elementary kill as many people from the other team scenario. Supply drop has you fetching supply packages and bringing them back to your base. Domination plays like a king of the hill type game as you try and control different areas on the map. Defend and destroy plays just as the name implies-- you try and defend your team's generators while destroying the other team's generators. Assault is like defend and destroy, except that only one team has generators to defend while the other team must destroy them or face a loss.
Although I was hoping for more, there are eight maps you can play on. From a sandy beach to an ice cold canyon, the maps are a nice size and look magnificent. Unfortunately, there are only a couple thousand users online (a small number for an online game). While there are few players, it does make for a nice small community. Once you learn your way around, you'll be able to fully appreciate the competent ranking system, buddy list, and stats page. For those wondering-- rejoice, this game does support the headset device! In fact, Killzone online is setup much like Socom II in terms of how you actually join a game. Also like Socom, online supports up to sixteen people in a game. Unlike Socom, the weapons are simply scattered around the map, free for the taking. Also, usually games are respawn (you come back to life after you die and get right back into the action). Opponents still take a lot of shots, but it feels more equal than compared with single player mode. A word of caution: online save files take up lots of space, so make sure your memory card is up to the challenge before delving into the online universe. Multi-player mode gives you the same options as online, except you play with a second player and bots instead of other Killzone owners around the world. The bots make silly mistakes and are fodder for you. Once you've had a taste of online, you won't want to go back to multi-player. I consider multi-player a warm-up before playing with the big boys online.
Graphics:
Bravo, bravo Guerrilla-- I applaud your effort on how much time you must have spent making the visuals what they are, it really shows. The faces and bodies of everyone-- smooth and detailed. The environments-- clear and beautiful. No part of the game is overlooked graphics wise. This is one of the best looking games on the PS2. I once was playing multi-player and stopped to examine just how sharp and realistic the grating I was walking over was. Sure, I was a sitting duck and a free kill for my opponents, but I was in awe of just how great the graphics were. Additionally, Killzone uses "rag-doll physics," which cause players to have odd body positions when they die for a more realistic world. Whether this is a good thing or bad thing, I can't decide. If you appreciate good graphics, then you'll find the polish this game has to offer a real treat.
Sound/ Music:
Guns and bullets provide the main sounds of this game. Whizzing bullets flying near your head are distinguishable even when you in a firefight. Each gun sounds slightly different then others. Overall, the sound is just how it should be-- war-like. Throughout the levels there isn't any music to add to the mood, but melodies are not really needed in Killzone. Instead, sounds focus on the action and tactics of the current battle. Helghans will call out orders, which can give you the advantage if you're paying attention. There is voice acting during the scenes in between levels, which adds to your team member's character. Lips are off on the voices. While not as bad as Godzilla, lip syncing is noticeable but doesn't take away from the thin story the game has.
Final Recommendation/ Overall score: 8/10
Killzone has a lot of features to offer but not a lot of people to play with. What could have been a great FPS disappoints because of the lackluster single player game. With online being as small as it is right now, you'll have to think carefully before purchasing this game. Hopefully Killzone for the PS3 will do better and redeem its title- the Halo Killer. I usually play this game from time to time, and indeed did enjoy it, but now I play it to relieve my stress, or because of my online clan. I am a Killzone fan, and hate Halo though, I am just a tough critic.
By, Agar
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