Review: Killzone 2 - Technically brilliant, and yet...

Mike Bantick
Thursday, 19 February 2009 10:41

Entertainment

It's exclusive to the PS3, it looks stunning, it plays well and it will shift some units.  Killzone 2 is almost upon us and the beautiful brown and grey world we inhabit will be torn asunder by a violent rage, unleashed when fan-boi attacks fan-boi.

Helghast is not exactly an ideal holiday destination.  With its obvious issues with the environment, such as choking atmosphere, constant lightning storms and unrelenting wind-storms, it's not likely to be high on a travel-agents list of shop front offers.

Killzone 2
	Developer	Guerrilla Games
	Publisher	Sony
	Rating	MA15+
PS3

Any wonder then that in Killzone – the original – that the Helghan chose to invade the relatively luxurious abode of the ISA (Interplanetary Strategic Alliance).

Well now it is 15-All in the lawn tennis game of interplanetary invasion, with the ISA launching a counter attack upon the not-so-good people of Helghast.  Though the Helghans are not so un-suspecting as many invasionees tend to be.

Oh no- the dictator like Visari, his right hand man Radec, various Helghan troops and defences will spoil the day for ISA, and in particular Alpha squad as it attempts to extract revenge.

As Sergeant 1st class Tomas “Sev” Sevchenko the player must crush the Helghan defences and ultimately duke it out with the top-dogs of the regime.  A task easier to type out than to perform.

Technically it is pretty hard to knock Killzone 2.  The game draws upon a number of recent sources as inspiration for what amounts to a satisfying shooter experience.  The end package looks and sounds terrific, truly Sony will be able to trumpet Killzone 2 as a showcase example of the PS3's technical abilities.

The grimy Gears of War setting is a step up visually from the Xbox 360 exclusive, and even though the brown, grey and blood red pixels get the lion-share of a workout, the game is a wonder to behold.  Its just a little too bad that Helghan doesn't have a couple of jungles, or sea-side resorts with major military installations to be invaded.

The ruined city and blasted landscapes do get a little samey to battle across by games-end.

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