Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Guerrilla Games
Genre: FPS
Release date: Available now
Review by: Andrew Clark

Killzone 2 is one of the most anticipated PS3 games released so far. The “too-bad-it-wasn’t-true” E3 ’05 trailer might’ve been spun a bit too much, but after the smoke cleared, even after the first “real” screenshots were released, the hype machine continued chugging along like some gargantuan generator, hardly scathed. So it’s here now, and I have it. Perhaps I should just break out the Seal of Excellence and get it over with.

I hear it smells like Nikola Tesla’s attic on Helghan. Lightning everywhere; dark, ozone-laced clouds hanging heavily in the sky. This planet is designed to feel inhospitable. The Interplanetary Strategic Alliance, victim in the first KZ, has launched a counterattack, dropping ships, soldiers and armaments on the race of Schutzstaffel-like militants called the Helghast. You play as Sev, just another cog in the machine that’s been hastily dropped behind enemy lines with his squad, and tasked with not dying too quickly.

KZ2 is a run-and-gun affair, or, rather, a run-and-hide affair. This is a shooter with a whole lotta action goin’ on. Taking your eyes off the screen or dropping cover for an itch or a drink feels like an irresponsible act when the scales of planetary conflict rest in your hands. A decent compliment of guns (including a more-than-awesome pistol) is at your disposal, and some tank driving and emplaced gun fun are included as well. Yet what really solidifies KZ2 and keeps it from being “just another cog” is the Hollywood-esque presentation. Oh, yeah, and the retinal-caving graphics.

Eerie, red-eyed enemies stare at me like intergalactic stoner Nazis through the dust clouds swirling on the war-torn planet, and each one proves fit to oust the outcasts. This isn’t a defense mission like the first game; it’s more like a suicide mission. You’re going to die a lot, be it by the punishing hail of rockets and gunfire or…well, there are lots of bullets, okay? It wasn’t too much to put me off, though, because the sounds are addictive enough to keep me coming back, and the controls spill blood with their sharpness. (The 32-person multiplayer component doesn’t hurt, either.)

While it’s easy to be captivated by KZ2’s sights and sounds, it’s what’s boiling beneath that makes the difference in an FPS. Helghast are obnoxiously good shots by trade. Either that or there are always enough of them to keep the angles covered. Even when I encountered a few of them, say three or four, not only did they made good shots, they also jumped from cover to cover very quickly. I’m not sure if this is quantity over quality, but my comments during my crusades were split evenly between “Well, that death was my own damn fault” and “How could I have possibly gotten out of there alive?” I think that classifies as pretty good.

Killzone 2 is just a solid game all around. It has great audio and visuals, fun and varied combat, above-average A.I. and a massive multiplayer mode to keep the disc spinning after the campaign is over. There are few notable console exclusives for the PS3, not many of which are shooters, so I’d say this one deserves a spot on every Sony gamer’s shelf.

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Our Recommendation: