KZ2: Pure, Unadulterated Eye Candy
The first Killzone is one of my all time favorite First Person Shooters. Available on the PS2 it went for a very heavy approach to war. You were able to play as 1 of 4 unique soldiers as you fought off the invading hordes of Helghast. It was tonally quite different from other FPS' out at the time and a breath of fresh air in my opinion. Nowadays though gritty, dreary war games are a dime a dozen. So how does Killzone 2 hold up? Read on to find out.
Killzone 2 opens with an all out assault on the plant Helghan. Helghast are the big baddies of the KZ universe and now you're stomping on their turf. The story is generic; you play as the unstoppable one man army Sev. Basically plot points are just mission objectives on your way to capture Vasari (the main bad dude). It works well in the context of the game and fills in the cracks adequately enough. The end was really great though, even if it was just sequel baiting. The story uses rising action to great affect. It builds up to epic proportions then does a sweep kick and knocks you off your feet with this helpless feeling. moments later you're back up again for another rising action and climax.
Lets be honest though, not many people play First Person Shooters for the engaging narrative, they want to shoot things. The first thing you will probably notice is that this game is stunning. Just like the first this game is fistfuls of setting, tone and realism wrapped up in a gritty sci-fi package. Simply put; it is awesome. Now, when it comes to shooting things the major aspect that sets Killzone apart from other First Person franchises is the feel of the gameplay. While basically every FPS goes for a very light and fluid approach Killzone mixes it up by adding something: weight. No, I don't mean you feel like a portly soldier plodding and wheezing across the battle field. You can feel the weight of your gun and equipment as you heft it around corners and through the ruined cities. Guns punch with recoil, enemies drop hard, and movements take effort. It might take some time to get aquatinted with, but in the end it feels very natural and actually helps draw you in.
There is also a cover system that works well enough. If you don't use cover you die, luckily it is abundant and doesn't rely on gimmick. In Quantum of Solace when you pop behind cover the camera shifts from first person to third. It works for Bond but it would have felt awkward here. This game survives on immersion and they never break it.
Helghast: with a name like that how could they not be evil?
I did miss the squad based mechanics of the first game. Here you play as Sev the entire time where in the first you could play as 1 of 4 each with their own unique style. It was a nice distraction and lacking in the sequel despite the fact you're usually with at least one other member of your squad. I doubt they will add this in KZ3 but here's for hoping.
They're currently taking pre-orders for Killzone 3 and I must admit, I'm very tempted to get this day one. However, I remain steadfast the Worlds Worst Critic so I believe I will wait for it to drop down to the delightful $12 I purchased KZ2 (gotta love black friday). So to wrap this up, KZ2 is great game. It is heavy both in the games mechanics and story. The Killzone series is very much a sci-fi retelling of World War II an it works. KZ1 was Pearl Harbor (The Helghast invade the ISA planet Vekta) and in KZ2 you take the fight to them. However, toward the end it strays a bit from the formulaic approach and takes the story in a far more tragic direction. I'm interested to see where this series will go next and glad to say that I made it through this review without any mention of another inferior sci-fi FPS… Turok. ;D
Happy Holidays everyone! I know this article is a bit short but I've just finished several games and I've got to many "games as art" articles on the back burner to focus on really fleshing these Only Slightly Delayed games out. Fear not my loyal readers! I have a surprise coming for my fast approaching 50th entry!
This is actually from KZ1... I just love it because KZ1 has my favorite sniper scope EVER
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