Teamspeed Gaming Review: Killzone 2 http://www.bcopping.com/kz21.jpg TITLE | KILLZONE 2 PLATFORM | PLAYSTATION 3 GENRE | FIRST PERSON SHOOTER DEVELOPER| GUERRILLA GAMES PUBLISHER | SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT RELEASE DATES | EUROPE FEB 25 | USA FEB 27 | JAPAN APRIL 23 RATINGS | PEGI: 18+ | ESRB: M (Mature) | OFLC: M (Mature) | BBFC: 18 METACRITIC | UNIVERSAL ACCLAIM SKU | Standard Edition Only PREORDER BONUS BESTBUY Exclusive PS3 Killzone 2 Theme AMAZON Exclusive Killzone 2 Character Costumes for HOME GAMES.ES KILLZONE 2 Tin Case EBGAMES Singleplayer Demo February 5th* GAMESTOP Singleplayer Demo February 5th* EBGAMES (Australia) Exclusive Killzone 2 Tin Case PLAY (Europe) Exclusive PS3 Killzone 2 theme GAMECRAZY Exclusive Killzone 2 t-shirt. SHOPTO (Europe) Steel Cover *Singleplayer demo will release Feb 26th to all on the PS Store and Feb 5th for EBGames and Gamestop pre-orders (demo codes is being handed out now). In Europe the singleplayer demo will release to all on the PS Store on Feb 5th. Demo consists of two first sections in Corinth River (level 1). Landing and warehouse (tutorial basically). GENERAL STORY OUTLINE Get ready to take on the full strength of the Helghast war machine from a dramatic first-person perspective with Killzone 2 for the PS3. From Amsterdam based Guerrilla Games, this much anticipated follow-up to Killzone for PS2 and Killzone: Liberation for PSP drops you right into the boots of the battle hardened special forces soldier Sev. Two years after the Helghast assault on Vekta, the ISA are taking the fight to Helghan. Their goal: to capture the Helghast leader, Emperor Visari, and bring the Helghast war machine to a halt. You assume the role of Sev, a battle-hardened veteran and a member of the special forces unit known as the Legion. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.bcopping.com/kz22.jpg GENERAL
CAMPAIGN
http://www.bcopping.com/kz23.jpg WARZONE | Online Multiplayer Up to 32 Players Warzone is not only the overall name for Killzone 2's online multiplayer mode, it's a feature that embed a variety of game types. It's all about getting you into tailor built games and then keeping you there. Unlike other shooters, you don't exit a map in this title to change the gametype. Warzone smoothly shifts between different goals of play within the very same fight. It may start out with bodycount but after a while you get orders shouted at you to plant propaganda speakers in the oppositions area. If you succeed at this you might suddenly find yourself as the assassination target of the opposing force. For each different gametype and objective thrown at you there's a point to obtain, the faction with the most points in the end is declared victorious in the Warzone. Winners enjoy the sweet reward of a 50% XP bonus not to mention the glory. Matches are therefor epic in size and dangerously addictive, you will wish for this to be the standard in all competitive games. The competitive mode revolves around a deep class based system. As you earn XP and various ribbons, more and more classes and abilities as well as weapons gets unlocked for you to use. Each class has both a primary ability as well as a secondary ability (refered to as badges within the game). When you have two or more classes at your disposal you may choose to combine them into a hybrid class. For example, an Engineers primary badge ability is to deploy automated Turret stations that pepper the enemy with lead. At the same time you wish to directly aid your team mates. A good choice then would be the Medics secondary badge ability which is throwing health packs (bags of blood). By combining these skillsets you now create yourself a new hybrid class which is the Engineer Medic. Within a team you may also set up Squads consisiting of four players. HUD indicators will pop up showing the status of those team members and you may converse with them freely for better on-foot planning. In Killzone 2's online multiplayer you can quickly choose to join the battles your friends are fighting, there's no down time. Speaking of friends, Killzone 2 delivers the most hefty and in-depth clan and tournament geared competitive mode in any console game. Clans support up to 64 members (that means up to four full teams under one roof). The game comes with a fully built in tournament system, there's no need to artificially arrange this outside of the game as it's hard coded straight into the experience. You may also arrange matches via Killzone.com. Any tournament ladder may support as many as 128 clans at anytime. Each new clan starts out with 100 Valor points. Before each clan match you may bet Valor points on your team. The winner takes all robbing the competition of theirs. If you think multiplayer wins and losses in other shooters have been an emotional affair you haven't seen anything yet. Online drama in Killzone 2 will reach new heights, ultra sweet victories and truly bitter tear defeats. Your honor is at stake. This is all on top of the downright brilliant gameplay and audiovisual feast that Killzone 2 delivers, the game will leave a hefty footprint in the competitive landscape. SKIRMISH For players who aren't interested in competing with other players or for folks without an online connection. Same feature set as Warzone (minus community aspect). Supports 1 player and up to 15 A.I controlled Bots that uses the same abilities a human player enjoys. Bots can be set to four different difficulty settings. Just like Warzone mode you will grow in rank over time earning new classes, weapons and abilities. If your Warzone (online) rank is higher the Skirmish (offline) rank will be updated to that level of progress (but not visa versa). TO SUM IT UP WARZONE
5 GAMEPLAY TYPES
CLANS Each clan supports up to 64 members which is four full teams. Valor Points
Tournaments Built in toolset that supports 128 clans per ladder, tournaments started by individual users. Clan can only be active in one tournament at a time. Squads Create squads when in a game for up to four players. Better communication as well HUD indicators showing their status. Bots Not enough players? You only want to play with close friends? Add A.I controlled bots to online matches. Takes use of the same abilities a human player enjoys and comes with four difficulty settings. Rewards
32 Players
XMB music plugin
Killzone.com
CLASSES 6 classes with a primary badge ability and a secondary badge ability each (+ Rifleman base class). You can combine a primary badge ability and a secondary badge ability to create a hybrid class. The classes are: http://www.bcopping.com/kz24.jpg The default multiplayer character is assigned when no primary badge is selected. A secondary badge may still be added. Riflemen can start with most weapons, except for the specialized ones. http://www.bcopping.com/kz25.jpg Primary badge ability: Revives downed team mates. Secondary badge ability: Throws a health pack, which can be picked up by other players. http://www.bcopping.com/kz26.jpg Primary badge ability: Sets up an automated turret which targets the enemy. Secondary badge ability: Repairs ammunition dispensers, mounted guns, and automated turrets. http://www.bcopping.com/kz27.jpg Primary badge ability: Throws a coloured smoke grenade, which serves as a spawn point. Secondary badge ability: Requests air support from a sentry bot which targets the enemy. http://www.bcopping.com/kz28.jpg Primary badge ability: Dons heavy armour twice as strong as normal. Secondary badge ability: Temporarily boosts running speed. http://www.bcopping.com/kz29.jpg Primary badge ability: Assumes the disguise of a randomly selected enemy player. Secondary badge ability: Throws a sticky, proximity-activated C-4 charge. http://www.bcopping.com/kz210.jpg Primary badge ability: Uses a cloaking suit to become near-invisible. Secondary badge ability: Tags all on-screen enemy players with a hidden marker, which broadcasts their coordinates to team mates. *Some of these classes enjoy specialized weapons. http://www.bcopping.com/kz211.jpg http://www.bcopping.com/kz212.jpg Sergeant 1st Class Tomas Sevchenko Having served less than a full term before retiring, Sev was drawn back into military life by the invasion of his homeworld, Vekta. After distinguishing himself during the fighting there, Sev was promoted and assigned as Rico's second in command. http://www.bcopping.com/kz213.jpg Master Sergeant Rico Velasquez This dedicated career soldier has gone off the rails following the death of his squad at the hands of the Helghast and the survivor's guilt that followed it. Rico's frustration with the rules and regs of Army life is tempered by his respect of CO Colonel Templar. http://www.bcopping.com/kz214.jpg Lance Corporal Dante Garza Abandoning his privileged upbringing to join the Army, Dante Garza has never looked back. Hiding his education with quips and profanity, he lets his marksmanship and engineering skill speak for him. http://www.bcopping.com/kz215.jpg Corporal Shawn Natko Undisciplined, disorganised and lazy - these words have all been used to describe Shawn Natko. Another career soldier, Natko has fought with Rico in the past, where he displayed courage, toughness and aggression in equal measure. Along with death and taxes, the only sure thing is that Natko will bitch about wherever he is and whatever he's doing. SCREENSHOTS http://www.bcopping.com/kz216.jpg http://www.bcopping.com/kz217.jpg http://www.bcopping.com/kz218.jpg http://www.bcopping.com/kz219.jpg http://www.bcopping.com/kz220.jpg http://www.bcopping.com/kz221.jpg http://www.bcopping.com/kz222.jpg http://www.bcopping.com/kz223.jpg http://www.bcopping.com/kz224.jpg http://www.bcopping.com/kz225.jpg |
Finally the review! For a game that was born into public consciousness as a mirage of graphical achievement and grew upon an obscure vocabulary of rendering techniques, it strikes me as odd that, as I try to pinpoint the one thing that makes Killzone 2 standout in the crowded FPS space, aesthetic considerations don't even come up as possible options. In fact, despite the onslaught of eye candy unleashed by Guerrilla's latest, where it delivers is what ultimately matters the most: pure trigger-happy joy. Some might say that Killzone 2 does nothing new, putting you in the shoes of an ordinary trooper engaged in just another "against odds" situation, pushed on a route of common objectives with a largely abused selection of weapons as a means to a end. Seen that, done that. But really, this is just a consequence of how little the basic mechanics of the FPS have changed in the years since its very conception. We are so accustomed to how an FPS plays we expect it to evolve outside of its core. There is nothing wrong with this way of thinking, but it is clearly not the thinking that moved Guerrilla Games. While I wouldn't call Killzone 2 revolutionary (only time is credited to deliver such an acknowledgment), it's clearly different in the way it emulates physical presence in a virtual space and rethinks the whole shooting process. You do still move with a stick, aim with another and shoot with a shoulder button, but a clever management of camera movement, reaction times and animation routines brings an unusual degree of physicality to the action. Your brain might initially reject this, but once it clicks you stop feeling like you are a hovering crosshair on the screen and realize you are actually aiming. As a consequence of this learning process, every kill feels like a real accomplishment. Those kills might be hard-earned at first, but by the end your survival is a true testament of your developed skills. By no means should we call Killzone 2 controls "realistic" (as unrealistic constrains and concessions do still apply), but they do reinforce the impression of being there more than the realistic graphics themselves. And this is all a result of a development process executed with the a dual stick controller in mind. While years of FPS development on consoles have led to optimal translations of the mouse and keyboard lexicon to the controller language, Killzone 2 natively speaks the latter, to the point of being unable to fit the former without losing what makes it special. Besides the uniqueness of the interface and the immersion it brings, Killzone 2 excels in delivering ever-changing always-engaging combat dynamics. The tactical thinking stimulated by juxtaposition of its cover mechanics with the brilliant foe's AI is deeply stressed by the clever and varied level design, ranging from linear, horizontal shooting ranges to complex war zones with menacing verticality. While most shooters provide a clear indication of where the enemies are, and which options you have in order to deal with them, most of the time Killzone 2 isn't as welcoming, punishing those who concentrate on the first target in sight without a proper understanding of their surroundings. Basically, running ahead waiting for the game to put enemies in your line of sight usually leads you right into a shit storm. Despite the risk of feeling "gamey", Killzone 2 isn't afraid to impose limitations to the otherwise free AI. Nor to decide whether or not enemy numbers should be finite or infinite. Yes, there are situations where the Helghast hold their ground and don't attempt any flanking maneuver. Yes, there are situations where they behave with such bravery as to run towards you holding just a knife. And yes, there are situations (3, to be precise) where the flood of red eyes doesn't stop until you step on the notorious invisible trigger. But they all serve the purpose a given section was designed for, creating situations impossible otherwise. Awesome situations at that. In a sense, despite the whole realism vibe you might get from looking at Killzone 2, it's still fundamentally an entertainment machine carefully designed to explore as much of the possibilities allowed by its core mechanics as possible. Despite its bosses, heavy armored special foes, tanks, mech and turret sections, it succeeds in getting the most out of the simple joy of shooting, without abusing the memorable set-pieces to keep you interested. This is not a sign of little imagination but rather one of focus. And it is indeed thanks to this very focus that Killzone 2 is such a replayable rollercoaster of a shooter too. The Helghast themselves are like toys designed to entertain. Both their emergent behavior and their reaction to bullets stimulates experimentation, to the point of turning failure into an welcome occasion to try something different. Also, the higher the difficulty level you choose, the more the game asks for new tactics to be formulated, changing significantly the whole approach to the game. Linear progression becomes more problematic, and you are forced to be more subtle. The time you are allowed to stay behind cover is reduced by the increasing damage of the grenades tossed at you. Downed Helghast might stand up and rejoin the fight if not filled with another dose of lead before concentrating on someone else. The increased physical resistance of the Helghast creates a great deal of tactical consequences too, from using grenades as luring devices (more than killing ones) to turning headshots into a very precious achievement. Lastly, your AI-driven companions become an increasing useful presence. Looking at their behavior helps in arranging "passive" flanking maneuvers and having them by your side can save your life more times than you'll be willing to admit. Killzone 2 truly does deliver in areas very few expected it would considering its the technical achievement that is so immediately apparent. As surprised as you will be over the polish of the single player campaign the multiplayer portion of the package surprises even more. Its class-unlocking ranking system allows for a rich collection of extra abilities to be progressively introduced to the player, acting as both a by-practice tutorial and a rewarding system. As you unlock new abilities and weapons, so do the others, and the game around you changes significantly. Built upon the strong shooting core of the campaign mode (albeit missing the cover system), the online, team based warfare is terribly addicting. By allowing the 5 rather standard game modes to be played as randomly selected missions of a whole match, the unique, seamless solution called Warzone does wonders in keeping players on their toes. On the organization side of the spectrum, the in-game clan challenging system and tournaments editor should assure a healthy community by removing the need to resort to outside systems for arranging matches. Same with the Valor system and the in-game clan leaderboard it allows to compose and update automatically. The great level design of the campaign mode is mirrored in the 8 maps, intricate arenas of various sizes and complexity with about the same degree of visual and aural quality appreciated in the solo adventure. Final answer: Buy it, it's awesome! TeamSpeed Approved! |
Amazingly detailed review thanks ! |
Although I don't own a PS3 I love the review! :) |
Originally Posted by strebo
(Post 241830)
Although I don't own a PS3 I love the review! :) |
What would be your rating on a 1-10 scale? |
That gets a big HOT DAYUM! |
I wish all of those pictures on the bottom were what it actually looks like, but it is still impressive nonetheless. Thanks for the awesome review! |
Woah! I really wish I had a PS3 right now... |
Originally Posted by Dynamic
(Post 242235)
I wish all of those pictures on the bottom were what it actually looks like, but it is still impressive nonetheless. Thanks for the awesome review! One cool thing I noticed last night, when you shoot bullets into water even the spray that comes up is affected by the wind. Then I fired some more and even the shell casings from your gun get picked up by the wind. Same with grenades, their trajectory will change. Lots of cool bits. |
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