After years of hype and drama Guerrilla Games dropped Killzone 2 onto shelves February 26th 2009. Hyped as the best looking console game to date many doubted it could live up to it’s lofty goals. For a while there it looked like Killzone 2 might fall short, as release crept closer and closer the polish really started to make the title shine. While falling short of the amazing CG footage shown at E3 so many years ago, the game looks stunning none the less. Killzone 2 has lived up to the hype. Never have mutant space Nazis ever looked so good.

This time around in the Killzone franchise you take the battle to the Helgast. Having defeated the Helgan menace before, the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance (ISA) thought it would be a walk in the park to take the Helgan homeworld. Turns out the Helgast have learned to harness the power of their planet’s freak lightning storms, making them a much more difficult foe on their home turf. For a full plot synopsis you can head over to the Killzone 2 wiki.

Right off the bat you can tell a lot of effort was put into Killzone 2. The start menu is reminiscent of the Fallout 3 slide show load screens and in between level loading you are treated to 3D pictures that you can tilt with the sixaxis. The controller issues that were present in the demo have been address with controller sensitivity sliders in the menu options. There has also has been a patch issued to address some online bugs and exploits. For the most part Killzone 2 is a highly polished title that is worth a gamers hard earned dollars. However it is not a game that will match every gamers tastes.

Physics: 10/10

The physics in this game are amazing. There is simply no other way to put it, you can really tell Guerrilla Games took the time to make sure no physics glitches pulled you out of the immersion. Concrete blasts off of walls and ricochets off of nearby objects. Corpses do not suffer from dancing limb syndrome, and none flew through the air or contorted unrealistically. Of the very very few physics glitch found, none could be repeated constantly.

Graphics: 10/10

This is of really no surprise. For two plus years the most hyped feature of this game was it’s graphics. While it falls short of the spectacular CG shown at E3 oh so many years ago the game is stunning none the less. Textures look good as you approach, and the lighting in the game is nothing short of breath taking. Usually HornyMelon.com gives out a 9 for any title that doesn’t output at 1080p but Killzone 2 simply looks too amazing to penalize for one minor missed detail.

Controls: 9/10

Like most shooters on consoles the button mapping is a little odd. Crouch and Sprint are both mapped to the L3. One is a press the other is a hold, and typical of such a layout a short sprint to cover is registered as a crouch. Thankfully the sight and movement control lag has been mitigated by a sensitivity option in the menu. While the timing is still a little off you won’t be noticing it by the second level in the game.

Sound: 9/10

The sound is in this game is beautiful. From electrical arcs to missiles launching the sound in this game is top notch. The rubble breaks with a convincing crack, and rounds ricochet convincingly. The one issue here is the cliche voice work. The characters blend in with every other “tough as nails” space marine from any other game. Guerrilla Games seems to have chosen the same route as Epic with UT3. To put as many swear words into one conversation as possible. Is it realistic? Probably, but while they are downplaying the gore of war, they could have dropped a few less F-bombs. Another issue that crops up, is the games ability to switch between person to person communication, and over the radio communication. It isn’t exactly smooth and sometimes the conversation will drop completely.

A.I: 10/10

This is the first shooter to come through the office that hasn’t had an AI that was simple to out think. The enemy will scatter when a grenade lands at their feet, they will fall back to a better position should they lose cover or become overwhelmed. The one way we found to defeat the enemy is to use line of sight instead of the cover system. If you simply block enemy fire with a wall they don’t seem to register you the same as if you had actually taken cover by it. They also seem to go to sorts if you flank them. The one thing that will have you cursing the gods is the AI of your team mate. He doesn’t seem to be able to take cover on his own. He will follow behind you like a loyal dog often getting in the way of any back peddling or retreat.

Story: 6/10

This is the one area where Killzone 2 falls apart. It was like they spent millions making sure every piece of rubble reacted in the appropriate manner and looked as realistic as possible, and let the interns sort out the story. Through the first half of the game you are doing the over used objective of protecting the convoy, and the characters are as forgettable as their lines. Then you have the name, Halgast, which is as cringe worthy as the “Necromongers” from Chronicles of Riddick. Whoever origionally thought up the idea that combining two evil sounding names into one uber evil sounding name needs to dragged out into the parking lot and beat. The thing that keeps bothering me about the story is the dress of the troops and the manner of government. It is very Nazish. Not only that, they are on another planet that is mutating them. Mutant Space Nazis…*groan*

Gameplay: 10/10

The enjoyment you get out of playing the game over shadows any short coming in the story. The levels are well made and offer you multiple paths to navigate. The guns are kind of boring in the beginning offering different versions of highly inaccurate assault weapons, but by the middle of the game your options open up to some truly entertaining weaponry. The multiplayer is definitely where this title shines in terms of game play. It’s quick and easy to drop into a match and the levels are well balanced offering you several avenues of play. Most importantly the servers are full of people to match your skills against. Without an install, the game has an annoying hiccup every so often as it loads the next section of the level.

Environment: 8/10

While the game takes place in the future there is very little that makes that obvious. Much of it looks very modern day. From the weapons, to the manner of dress, to the WW2 era enemies. Very little distinguishes Helgan from planet earth, save the occasional lightning spewing spire. This isn’t to say the other worldliness isn’t done well it’s just that there isn’t a whole lot of it. Guerrilla Games has done a good job combining lighting, sound, and action ti make a convincing warzone.

Conclusion:

Killzone 2 looks, sounds, and plays amazing. If you like tactile shooters you simply cannot pass on Killzone 2. However if you like run and gun games, like Resistance, or environment and story driven titles, like Bioshock, then Killzone 2 may not be the game for you. One thing is clear this title shows the true potential of the PS3 platform. If you would like to pick up the game and support HornyMelon.com at the same time click on the box art below to get your copy of Killzone 2 with free shipping.