Killzone

"If you're not sure just what it is you do in this game..."

... then read this. I've always been a fan of First Person Shooters, especially ones where I can go online and whoop international ass whenever I want, but I can also play by myself in a story full of mayhem and explosions. Killzone gives me everything I asked for. Sure, it isn't perfect, but you'd be hard pressed finding a game this good and this cheap - why do you think it's Platinum?

GRAPHICS: 9/10

This game is visually stunning. Everything looks real, right down to the flowers on the ground, or the bullet holes in the walls. The faces and bodies could do with some work, but as I said, it's not perfect. They've put a lot of work in to making the game look authentic - that is, making the environments look like they really are a war zone - with things like barbed wire fences, dead bodies just lying there - you can't get much better than this in an FPS. Also, this is one of the few games where PAL users can switch to NTSC.

As for the technical side of things, although it may be on the PS2, you do get good output from this game. I have Component Cables, but I'm sure it looks awesome on normal AV input cables too. When in a really intense battle, I hardly noticed any lag, on PAL nor NTSC. You will get a steady frame rate, but it may lag when things really heat up, perhaps on online more than anywhere else. Other than that, absolutely stunning.

SOUND: 9/10

Again, really good. Sound, though it may seem silly, is important in FPS games - you need to know where the guy is that you need to shoot! But Killzone goes further than that. In this game, you are usually able to tell not only where you are being shot at from, but what weapon they have as well - very helpful.

That said, each weapon sounds unique, but realistic at the same time. You can hear battles between the enemy and your comrades in the distance, and the enemy yelling "DIE!!!!!!!" at you. Speaking of voice acting, it's alright, but there are a few characters who could "get in to the spirit" a bit more - some of the voices are empty, lacking depth. Also, there is a really annoying glitch where just after you start a level, the game might repeat a sound over and over again until you start the next level - not even quitting the game fixes the stupid bud. But despite that, very impressive.

GAMEPLAY: 9/10

If you've played other FPS games before, you'll know what to expect, and you'll get what you pay fore, let me assure you. You can play as one of four people in a team of four, trying to eliminate your enemy, the Helghast. The Helghast were originally a group of human settlers who went to the planet Helghan to settle there. The harsh climate there made the humans weaker at first, but eventually they grew stronger than their normal human relatives. They also begin to hate the humans, and even though they have recovered from their loss to the ISA (your side) in the First Helghan War, they are now back 10 years later for revenge. They have rapidly increased their military capabilities, and have now invaded the ISA base of Vekta.

This game, thought it is mostly a normal FPS, is a good one. There are a large variety of weapons to choose from, and each of the four characters you can play as have their own strengths, weaknesses and weapons, and it gives you more choice in how you go about beating the game. There are 11 levels, and three difficulty levels, so you have a long lasting game that isn't too easy or too hard.

But that;'s only half the story - there are also Battlefields, the multiplayer section of Killzone. Here you can either play with a buddy in split screen, or go online and play against other players all over the world. As for modes, there are 6 of them, and 8 different battlefields to play them on - you've got the casual all out Deathmatch obviously (in both "every man for himself" and "team play"), and and four other modes: Assault, Domination, Supply and Defend and Destroy. It's hard to get sick of the game quickly, so you'll have a game to play for months!

OVERALL: 9/10

If you're in to FPS games, a definite buy. If you're new to the genre, or just want something to play for a week or two, rent it - it's not worth it unless you're in for the long haul. Both single play and multiplayer are thoroughly enjoyable, so I personally recommended this game to anyone in need of a good old fashioned modern firefight.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/18/08

Game Release: Killzone (Platinum) (EU, 06/10/05)