Killzone 2
Killzone 2 was first officially announced by Sony at E3 2005 with its first gameplay footage shown only two years later at E3 2007. It was released between 25 to 27 February 2009 under the genre of first-person shooter, tactical and action with an ESRB ration of M for Mature. Killzone 2 is developed by Guerilla Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PS3. It is the third instalment in the Killzone franchise that began on the PlayStation 2 with Killzone which was succeeded later on by Killzone: Liberation on the PlayStation Portable. Except for vehicular combat, the game is presented entirely from a first person perspective, featuring a “lean and peek” cover system which allows players to take cover behind objects and then pop out to fire at enemies. Even this “lean and peek” mechanic stays in the first person’s view at all times. At two points in the game, Sev, the main character, is given the opportunity to pilot a tank and an exoskeleton respectively. In terms of weapons, many classic weapons and vehicles from the previous Killzone instalments make a return, including the M82-G and the StA-52 LAR. There is also a Sixaxis motion control feature that is utilized in performing certain actions such as turning a valve, arming an explosive charge and sniping. In addition to the single player campaign, Killzone 2 also has a multiplayer component entitled Warzone, also developed by Guerilla Games. It is class-based, allowing players to choose a class of characters out of a total of seven which is specialized for a specific role to better suit the player’s needs in battle. Player are also allows to mix and match two of the classes according to their playing styles, with the ability to switch upon death.
Reviews
Killzone 2 offers an exciting campaign and terrific competitive online play that set new standards in subtle but significant ways. It features groundbreaking visuals to well-crafted multiplayer maps all of which make its meagre attempts at storytelling excusable. Although Killzone 2 has a wide variety of weaponry, it does not really have that many different kinds of enemies for you to encounter as you fight your way across the war-torn landscaped of the planet Helghan. Similar to the original Killzone, enemies will consist mostly of Helghast soldiers with an assortment of factors in the sequel hold tedium at bay. Additional features include the option to join other teammates in a squad a la Battlefield 2 and Enemy Territory allowing you to coordinate attack with ease. There is also full support for clans and clan challenges to schedule clan matches and tournaments.
“Killzone 2 is actually the third chapter in the series, following the original PS2 shooter and Killzone: Liberation, a third-person action title on the PSP. While players don’t need to have played either one of those games to understand what’s going on in Killzone 2, fans of the franchise will see connections between the three games with familiar characters popping up and events being referenced. The basic thrust of the story takes place after the events of Liberation, where the ISA has finally gotten tired of being invaded and attacked on its world of Vekta. While the relative success of repelling the Helghast has worked, the ISA has decided to take the fight back to Emperor Visari. Believing that the Helghast spirit has been broken by their losses on Vekta, the ISA launches a “revenge” invasion against the world of Helghan with the goal of capturing Visari and forcing the Helghast to stand down. Of course, the ISA quickly discovers that this is not the case at all, and as the soldiers discover that the Helghast spirit is just as fierce on their home world than ever before, they also that discover the Helghast have new weapons to unleash on their foes.” (IGN, 2009)
