Killzone: Liberation

"A unique action title that everyone will love until it's over, but it's over too soon."

Killzone: Liberation is the second game to bare the Killzone name, except this time the game is no longer the PS2 "Halo Killer" (turned out to be a rather mediocre shooter), but an exclusive action game for the PSP.

Gameplay 9/10
I personally find that the gameplay itself is brilliant. It's unique, and plays like nothing else out there. People are always crying about innovation, well here you have it folks. There are tons of Halo clones out there, but there is only one Killzone: Liberation. The controls take a little time to get use to, but once you get a hang of things, you'll be immersed in an endless series of tactical battles one after another. The storyline isn't too important, but I really enjoyed the dialogue between the characters, and you really do feel as being a part of this war as the hero character: Templar.

Unlike other games with guns, you're provided with an isometric view of the battlefield, and can thus plan your move just as if it was a strategy game. Most battles have you taking cover, and popping out to spray some bullets every now and then. Later though, you'll have to learn to strafe and shoot on the run in order to take advantage of shooting around corners and dodging attacks. Aiming will likely take the longest to get use to, as you must hold the Right Trigger to get the best aim (press X to shoot), and you cannot move during this time. You must also use this method to aim the good old explosive barrels that you can find in just about every other game ever made. Strafing involves holding the Left Trigger, and you will suddenly stop strafing if the enemy takes cover as you aim him in this way, which gets annoying.

The controls work for the most part, but what truly makes this a memorable experience are the varied encounters you'll find. Everything is very well scripted and planned, and the AI is excellent. You'll often find yourself getting flanked, or grenades coming your way if you sit back too long. The best sequences involve guiding another character. You press Up on the d-pad, and this puts the game in slow motion, as you direct where you want the guy to go. You'll have to watch out for your buddy, as well as yourself in these missions.

As wonderful as the scripted gameplay is, this also unfortunately makes for a rather linear experience that may take some trial and error at times. Not to mention that the game is very short and took me around 4 hours to complete. Fortunately I only played a little bit here and there thanks to the checkpoints scattered nicely throughout each mission.

Graphics 9/10
The graphics in this game are gorgeous! This is about as good as the PSP gets if you ask me. The environments are bursting with details, and the character animations are absolutely top notch. Few games can match Killzone: Liberation in this department.

Sound 8/10
Standard fare all around. I personally enjoyed the dialogue a lot more than I though I would. However, this doesn't break any boundaries, and you'll find better plots in any RPG.

Final Verdict 8/10
Killzone: Liberation turns out to be quite a bit more enjoyable than its friend on the PS2; however, the game is also so short that it can be easily finished in under 4 hours (counting deaths and retries). This makes the game an awesome rental, but nothing something you'll want to purchase and keep for the long haul. Though online multi-player is suppose to be coming in the form of a free downloadable patch, until then, this game will likely sit in the corner after only a couple of days of gaming.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/14/06