Killzone

"Not Perfect But it Gets the Job Done"

Alright I'll admit that I was skeptical at first when I saw all the bashing this game got, but after asking around I was told that this game was in fact pretty good. So I went out to Best Buy with some Christmas cash and bought this game. I can now say that I don't understand how this game could have been rated so poorly on other sites.

Story (6/10)
The story is pretty predictable but it isn't that bad. Truth be told I don't expect a great story from a FPS so if the story is half-way decent it's a pleasant surprise. Lets just say I was pleasantly surprised by this story. It developed the characters, had some witty one-liners and even had a little twist. The game's atmosphere is great it really makes you feel like you are fighting your way through the first days of an invasion.

Graphics (9/10)
Easily some of the best the ps2 has to offer in the FPS department. The cut-scenes look great and the ingame graphics looks top notch as well. Also the weapon detail and reload animations look incredible. Also there's some ragdoll physics which are always fun to watch. Now there were a few glitches and the one you will notice first is that sometimes when you kill an enemy there leg will twitch like crazy. However the only time you will ever notice this is if the last enemy in the area you kill does this, and it does lie still after a second or two. Another thing I didn't like was that the mouths moving while they talk doesn't match what they are saying, but I'll admit that's a little picky.

Sound (8/10)
All the guns noises are there and sound top notch. Everything you shoot sounds like it packs a punch. Also something I liked was all the different noises the bullets make when they hit stuff around you for instance you hear hisses when they hit close and pangs when they are farther away. They also differ depending on what they hit. The voice acting is great and provides for some fun dialogue. Another thing I liked was that there is only music in the cut-scenes the only things you hear in the background ingame is shots, explosions, and yells. It really helps immerse you in the environment. So why the 8/10 because the enemy soldiers say the same stuff all the time and so does your squad and its gets a little grating but its not too bad.

Controls (10/10)
They are fully customizable and I love when a company takes the time to let you do that. Also its not just button mapping you can edit sensitivity as well, its great.

Gameplay (8/10)
The meat of all games lies in the gameplay and this game delivers. This isn't your standard run and gun FPS it requires some tactics. Run into the middle of a firefight and you should expect to come out in a body bag. The enemy soldiers are tough and take a few a hits to go down so it makes for some interesting firefights as you and your squad take cover and fire at an enemy who all take cover and will even try to flank you. They lay down suppressive fire and cover each other; the A.I. is really top notch. Your squads A.I. is also pretty good they won't fire until you do which lets you sneak up on enemies and best of all they can't die so you don't have to worry about one of them going down and you failing a mission. They all carry a different assortment of weapons and skills and you can choose which squad member you want to use at the beginning of the level. You are only allowed to carry 3 weapons which also adds a little to the realism. Also most of the guns have a secondary fire which is a rarity in console FPS and it works well in this game. Grenades are spectacular in this game as well; you have the ability to hold a grenade and "cook" it and throw it so it explodes when you want it to. There is also a little timer that shows how long you cooked the grenade so you don't blow yourself up.
Now for the bad. First off there is no jump button which isn't that big a deal in singleplayer but I really miss it for multiplayer. I like to be able to jump on top of things to surprise passing enemies. Also because there is no jump button the game becomes a little linear. The developers have created a game where there is only one path from point a to point b and often time you will find yourself not able to get by a small area of rubble that could have been easily gotten over had there been a jump button. Thus you are shepherded through the levels, but on the bright side I hate searching around a ton in a FPS so it's not too bad. Another fault this game has is that sometime the A.I. gets predictable and you can also pick them off when they don't take good enough cover.

Replayabilty (7/10)
FPS get replayed because of multiplayer and this game doesn't disappoint. There are over 5 different modes to choose from and there is the ability to add up to 14 bots (with good A.I. I might add) for those of use without a network adapter. The single player is also nice since it lets you replay any level you want and each character has a specific way through the level. But there is no Co-op which is real disappointing.

Rent or Buy
This game is a good buy especially with the fun multiplayer. However if your only looking at single player you could probably finish that in a rental.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/03/05