Killzone (PS2)

I am in my thirties and have been gaming since i was a kid and the FPS is my favourite gaming genre. I have the XBox, PS2 and a rather dusty Game cube and the pinnacle of the FPS is shared in my opinion between was the original doom and Half Life. (Ihave not played Doom 3 or HL2 as my PC is nowhere near up to spec).

I have read loads of reviews for both Halo2 and Killzone and whilst Halo 2 has consistenly scored 10 out of 10, Killzone has been unfairly been scored 7's and 8's. I believe that the reviews of Killzone have been overly harsh and far too lenient on Halo 2!!!

Of course Halo 1 and 2 are great games and every gamer should experience them. However, playing Halo 2 recently seemed a very shallow experience in comparison to that of Killzone. The storyline was the most amatuer, puerile nonsense i have had to play though in a very long time and whole experience seemed - well kind of empty. The game is obviously very polished, apart from the awful cut scenes, however it really does not offer a great deal of depth in terms of gameplay and atmosphere. When playing on line, the shallow gameplay design is even more exaggerated. Live games require little strategy or team work and in most battles, success is simply determined by who has the most powerful weapon. Thats not to say that Halo 2 does not have some outstanding elements. The AI is awesome and there are some genuinely breathtaking sequences, however to consistently give it 10 out 10 seems an exaggerated score to me.

Killzone on the other hand, is the most atmospheric, engaging and gritty FPS i have played since the original Half Life. Furthermore, i believe that Killzone is one of the most innovative FPS games available on any console. Most reviewers don't agree with me on this point. However, i believe that the outstanding visual style and overall design provides a truly unique gaming experience that no other game matches. Killzone exudes atmosphere and tension in all areas.

The Helgast are truly intimidating enemies and are the best designed adversaries since the stormtroopers of the original Star Wars. Taking a whole encampment of them out with nothing more than a stealthy approach and an assassins knife is one of the most exhilarating gaming experiences i have had. Believe me, these are the best melee attacks of any FPS so far.

The plot and cut scenes are truly engaging,providing a reasonable, low key story set against a huge and escalating conflict.

I knew Killzone was a masterpiece as i embarked upon the first level. However, the sense of awe continued throughout. OK, so the levels are very linear and there are plenty of staged events, but think to yourself, is this really a bad thing when this approach is implemented so perfectly? Reviewers in the gaming press don't seem to agree. I don't think that they are taking into account the fact that this is a PS2 game and the hardware is now - well lets just say - getting on a bit.

Anyway to finish off, Killzone beats Halo 2 in so many areas that it has totally restored my faith in the good old PS2. Ultimately though, it's a matter of taste - If you are just after a quick arcadey blast, then Halo is for you. If, on the other hand, you like engaging atmospheric games like Rainbow six and Ghost recon, then check out Killzone, and you could be in for one of the best gaming experiences to date.

Cheers for reading.


Honest Review of a Solid Shooter   December 8, 2004
33 out of 41 found this review helpful

I remember first hearing of Killzone through Edge magazine in August 2003; the front cover of that issue bore the image of two Helghast soldiers, underwritted by the tagline 'Halo for the PS2?'. This, in my oppinion killed Killzone right from the off, as by getting an exclusive report on the unheard-of game, Edge made sure that it got talked about, but by using this tagline, it also made sure that people expected too much from it. Considering that Edge is supposed to be the magazine choice for the more astute gamer, this was a very stupid move on their behalf.

Anyway, I digress. Killzone is not Halo, was never intended to be a Halo clone and should not be compared to it. So for the reviewer who gave it 3 stars as a comparison to Halo, your point was point-less. Killzone is a first person shooter in it's own right, and more to the point it is an FPS on the PS2, which is why it garnered so much hype in the first place.

First off, gameplay; this is where people became disheartened at playing Killzone, as compared to the polish of the visuals and sound design, it feels rather less accomplished. Each level follows an almost entirely linear path, consisting of a move, shoot, move, shoot, objective based dynamic. Said objectives are usually very basic, such as reaching an area, and extra objectives are often added on the fly; but they are never more taxing than finding a button to press or eliminating a certain enemy. So the level progression dynamic is fairly basic, which is what a lot of reviews are picking up on. However, I believe that they have missed the point. Killzone is a wargame, albeit a futuristic one, and therefore is all about the fighting; soldiers serve a purpose, which is not to solve abstract puzzles, they are there to fight and take ground, eliminating any resistance they encounter. Fortunately, in this repsect Killzone succeeds, most impressively.

The combat just feels right. The exceptionally well-designed weapons feel real, and feel like they really could hurt you. Whether slitting throats with the knife, blasting Helghast up close with a shotgun, mowing down troops with a machine gun or blowing up armoured targets with a rocket launcher, each weapon feels like it truly serves a purpose, and the combination of superb sound design and unparalleled particle effects make it feel like you are involved in the fighting. Add on top of that the fact that you have four playable characters to choose from, each of which alters the level flow in some way or another, and you are presented with more futuristic combat than you can shake a stick-grenade at. OK, so certain things, such as the presence of enemy vehicles could have been made more dramatic and purposeful through better scripting, and it never quite feels like you're in the midst of a planetary war, more a series of skirmishes; but at the end of the day, the game is still great fun to play. The only concern I share with the average reviews is the enemy AI, which at times disappoints, with enemies turning their back on you in the midst of a firefight and continuing to run at you whilst you pelt them with fire.

Controls wise, Killzone works a treat, as the button configuration seems well tailored to aid you in the combat, whilst never getting you into trouble through illogical, or awkward assignment. The analogue movement speed is satisfactory, only occasionally proving troublesome when the framerate drops below the norm.

Now onto what put the game in the spotlight to start with - the visuals. I say visuals rather than graphics, as Killzone is not just beautiful because of the way it is rendered; it succeeds through some incredible design. Take the Helghast for instance, they look awesome. The glowing orange eyes, perfectly offset from the dark uniform makes them the definition of menacing. Combine this with some awesome weapon design, and some of the most believable sci-fi environments ever devised in game and you have a stylistic masterpiece. Then combine this with the fact that the artists at Guerilla were able to take this vision and translate it pixel-perfectly onto the weakest of the current generation consoles, and you have one visually stunning game. OK, so the framerate suffers slightly due to this, but the fact is that it really doesn't matter that much; nothing else on the PS2 looks this good, and I gladly accept the odd dip in framerate, considering that gameplay is hardly affected. Similarly, the LOD issues (with textures 'popping' in) are hardly worth mentioning, and besides PC gamers have had to put up with this for years.

The particle effects systems used to for smoke, flames and atmospheric effects are also superb and way above anything seen previously on the PS2.

The sound design is similarly brilliant, from the brutal sounds of the guns, to the immersive ambient effects that really put you in the scene. The cutscene music is also fantastic, coming across as a hybrid between Star Wars and Starship Troopers, perfectly complementing the on-screen action.

So overall, Killzone succeeds as a game. It's fun to play and striking to watch, minor niggles aside. Where it falls down is in not living up to the hype and over-expectations that were heavily put upon it from the off, due in no small part to Edge. However, this is hardly the fault of the game, or the developers; games are created to a strict schedule and set of criteria, and once the process is initiated it is very difficult to deviate if your product is to be released on schedule. Therefore, rather than criticise, I think people should applaud Guerilla for what they have managed to achieve in a relatively short period of time, as Killzone is a game that boasts both fun gameplay and better graphics than anything else on the Playstation 2.


Its nothing revolutionary but.......   November 5, 2004
32 out of 44 found this review helpful

Its nothing revolutionary but....

Killzone is an enjoyable game. it is one of those games that will keep you hooked on till the last minute [i am speaking about they storyline]. What is a good FPS without a good story?

without giving much away [from the story point of view] Killzone takes place in the near future. teh universe is at war with itself and three groups/races are fighting for power. i must say the storyline is a strong selling point of the game. the story is mostly told through voice messages that you recieve while playing, and highly detailed CG cutscenes. trust me when i say you will think that you are watching a movie.

the game also has a multiplayer mode. yep, for two players on the same console and online. the 2 [there is also 4 plyers but i havent tried it out] player mode is rather fun, it has the usual, deathmatch, etc. sadly, theres no co-op mode. the online play is good although i did experienced some lag.

graphics: the game has been artistically designed and will provide for some sweet visuals. there are high-res textures [and low-res]. the character animation is great. the guns look great. lighting and water effects are mind blowing. CG is amazing [cutscenes]. but, there is MINIMAL LAG. very little. almost not noticable.

sound: sound is also at its stellar best. it does its best to create an atmosphere. each gun sounds different and powerful.

Gameplay: the usual FPS joysticks are for movement and looking around. triangle throws bomb. r1 to shoot. and also some more enhancements.

overall this game is great. its really good. not the Halo killer that it was hyped up to be but a must-buy for FPS lovers.


A Solid Shooter   December 18, 2004
24 out of 27 found this review helpful

I remember first hearing of Killzone through Edge magazine in August 2003; the front cover of that issue bore the image of two Helghast soldiers, underwritted by the tagline 'Halo for the PS2?'. This, in my oppinion killed Killzone right from the off, as by getting an exclusive report on the unheard-of game, Edge made sure that it got talked about, but by using this tagline, it also made sure that people expected too much from it. Considering that Edge is supposed to be the magazine choice for the more astute gamer, this was a very stupid move on their behalf.

Anyway, I digress. Killzone is not Halo, was never intended to be a Halo clone and should not be compared to it. So for the reviewer who gave it 3 stars as a comparison to Halo, your point was point-less. Killzone is a first person shooter in it's own right, and more to the point it is an FPS on the PS2, which is why it garnered so much hype in the first place.

First off, gameplay; this is where people became disheartened at playing Killzone, as compared to the polish of the visuals and sound design, it feels rather less accomplished. Each level follows an almost entirely linear path, consisting of a move, shoot, move, shoot, objective based dynamic. Said objectives are usually very basic, such as reaching an area, and extra objectives are often added on the fly; but they are never more taxing than finding a button to press or eliminating a certain enemy. So the level progression dynamic is fairly basic, which is what a lot of reviews are picking up on. However, I believe that they have missed the point. Killzone is a wargame, albeit a futuristic one, and therefore is all about the fighting; soldiers serve a purpose, which is not to solve abstract puzzles, they are there to fight and take ground, eliminating any resistance they encounter. Fortunately, in this repsect Killzone succeeds, most impressively.

The combat just feels right. The exceptionally well-designed weapons feel real, and feel like they really could hurt you. Whether slitting throats with the knife, blasting Helghast up close with a shotgun, mowing down troops with a machine gun or blowing up armoured targets with a rocket launcher, each weapon feels like it truly serves a purpose, and the combination of superb sound design and unparalleled particle effects make it feel like you are involved in the fighting. Add on top of that the fact that you have four playable characters to choose from, each of which alters the level flow in some way or another, and you are presented with more futuristic combat than you can shake a stick-grenade at. OK, so certain things, such as the presence of enemy vehicles could have been made more dramatic and purposeful through better scripting, and it never quite feels like you're in the midst of a planetary war, more a series of skirmishes; but at the end of the day, the game is still great fun to play. The only concern I share with the average reviews is the enemy AI, which at times disappoints, with enemies turning their back on you in the midst of a firefight and continuing to run at you whilst you pelt them with fire.

Controls wise, Killzone works a treat, as the button configuration seems well tailored to aid you in the combat, whilst never getting you into trouble through illogical, or awkward assignment. The analogue movement speed is satisfactory, only occasionally proving troublesome when the framerate drops below the norm.

Now onto what put the game in the spotlight to start with - the visuals. I say visuals rather than graphics, as Killzone is not just beautiful because of the way it is rendered; it succeeds through some incredible design. Take the Helghast for instance, they look awesome. The glowing orange eyes, perfectly offset from the dark uniform makes them the definition of menacing. Combine this with some awesome weapon design, and some of the most believable sci-fi environments ever devised in game and you have a stylistic masterpiece. Then combine this with the fact that the artists at Guerilla were able to take this vision and translate it pixel-perfectly onto the weakest of the current generation consoles, and you have one visually stunning game. OK, so the framerate suffers slightly due to this, but the fact is that it really doesn't matter that much; nothing else on the PS2 looks this good, and I gladly accept the odd dip in framerate, considering that gameplay is hardly affected. Similarly, the LOD issues (with textures 'popping' in) are hardly worth mentioning, and besides PC gamers have had to put up with this for years.

The particle effects systems used to for smoke, flames and atmospheric effects are also superb and way above anything seen previously on the PS2.

The sound design is similarly brilliant, from the brutal sounds of the guns, to the immersive ambient effects that really put you in the scene. The cutscene music is also fantastic, coming across as a hybrid between Star Wars and Starship Troopers, perfectly complementing the on-screen action.

So overall, Killzone succeeds as a game. It's fun to play and striking to watch, minor niggles aside. Where it falls down is in not living up to the hype and over-expectations that were heavily put upon it from the off, due in no small part to Edge. However, this is hardly the fault of the game, or the developers; games are created to a strict schedule and set of criteria, and once the process is initiated it is very difficult to deviate if your product is to be released on schedule. Therefore, rather than criticise, I think people should applaud Guerilla for what they have managed to achieve in a relatively short period of time, as Killzone is a game that boasts both fun gameplay and better graphics than anything else on the Playstation 2.


THIS IS NOT HALO...ITS KILLZONE YOU MUPPETS!!   January 3, 2005
John Shonfield (English in Brussels)
17 out of 19 found this review helpful

There are some you out there that really need to get out more. This game is called Killzone and its a very good, top quality shoot em up.. nothing more. I suppose it is similar to Halo but then again its a FPS so what do you expect?? Like there are some dorks about saying Call Of Duty is just a Medal of Honor rip off...what are you people on? Of course it is...any kind of WW2 shooter is gonna be like MOH.. and the missions will all be similar.. or perhaps you would like software companies to re-write history so the missions are different..leave that to the Americans.. they love re-writing history ;-)

All in all this is a great game and will give you hours of good fun. Plenty of mindless violence and blowing stuff up.. GET SOME!! The graphics are really good, the weapons are great, the story is interesting and after a while you get to choose from 4 characters for the missions. This is a top game... so dont listen to all these wallys saying its Halo or whatever... its a FPS and its dead good.

Can you stop the Helgast??? Grab your gat soldier.. and lets see if you are a man or a mouse!! Nuff Said!