Killzone 2 (2009 Video Game) User Reviews

Visually stunning, shaky start

[stevinmarshall · 9/10 · 2 March 2009]

I picked this up on day of release, being quite enthusiastic after thoroughly enjoying the original on the PS2. However, since playing the original I have become a devoted Xbox360 fan and have been heavily playing titles like COD4, Halo, Bioshock etc.

When I first fired up Killzone 2 on my PS3 - only the 5th game I have ever played on it - I was initially stunned by the visuals. The opening cinematic really gets your expectations up. Stunningly rendered and awesome to behold, I became increasingly agitated with the game-play. The targeting was difficult and the FPS character movement made me feel seasick. Ever the optimist (or just insanely bloody-minded) I kept at it, hoping that my persistence would pay off.

It did! In spades. The first 2 levels are nothing special in terms of game-play (notable exception - the tank is more fun than the one in Halo 3, not to mention more powerful, more weapons a a LOT faster) but after that, the game really comes into its own.

The enemies are relentless and just keep coming. Some of the coolest weapons outside the Gears Of War franchise and epic battlefields.

Also returning are the simple "spray-and-pray" levels where you and some friends, either online or on split-screen, can simply mow down wave after wave of attacking Hellghast bots. The online multi-player may just be the best one on any game available on this platform, with enough variety to keep you coming back for more.

Killzone 2 may not be the greatest FPS of all time, but with the ferociousness of Call Of Duty 4 and the visuals that out-stun Bioshock, it's a strong contender for the title!

One of the best shooters I have ever played.

[Flyer78 · 9/10 · 23 June 2009]

When I first bought Killzone 2 about a week and a half ago, just after the lagging issue was fixed and started playing it, I didn't like it at first, and I felt sure I was going to end up regretting getting the game. The gameplay was bad, and the controls felt awkward. But then I changed the controls to the Alternate 2 setting, where the controls are very similar to that of Call of Duty 4, and I have had a blast ever since.

There have been many complaints about the targeting in this game, but I find it to be fine. Not as good as Call of Duty 4, but it's very good. Of course it's not going to target the enemies for you. That makes the game much too easy. You need to use your own accuracy and gun down the enemies with precision.

Another thing I think people overlook in this game is the element of strategy. All the guns are unique in their own way. For example, the standard M82 Assault Rifle is great for zooming on enemies, the STA52 Assault Rifle fires stronger than the M82 but zooming is not as good. The LS13 Shotgun can kill enemies with one well placed shot to the chest or head region, but reloading takes ages. There are also lots of other weapons to choose from including a flamethrower and the ever-fun Boltgun. So to condense it all, you have to think about what guns you are choosing, because you can't carry two primary weapons at once. Only one primary gun and one secondary gun in your pistol.

This game also has a great cover system, and it also falls into the element of strategy. You have to pick your spots when in a shootout, and you have to find the best angle to flank them from. If you take cover behind a wall on the side, the enemy will often flank you and get at close range with you, especially on the higher difficulty settings. So you have to watch out from all directions at all times.

All the characters are unique and you either love them or hate them. The loudmouthed Natko was always my favorite, but Rico was rather annoying at times. Evelyn was cool as well, and Radec and Visari were both good villains. I would have liked to see them exposed more throughout the story, though.

My biggest complain with this game is turning. When an enemy is attacking you from behind or from the side and you have to turn to shoot them down, your character turn very slowly, and this gives the enemy time to fire more while you turn around, and often times, kill you before you can even face them. When they flank you from behind, it takes a full second to turn around 180 degrees, and this is very frustrating by the time you reach the later missions.

But if you can battle through the slow turning, which isn't a HUGE issue, and you don't mind lots of foul language, you have a very enjoyable game in Killzone 2.

The best FPS franchise on the PS3.

[DustinRahksi · 8/10 · 13 March 2013]

The day I bought Killzone 2 I wondered if it was worth getting over the Fallout 3 collectors edition, well the game had blown my mind right out of the gate. Unfortunatryl I never got that collectors edition. It may have been the best FPS released at that time, I was glad to own a PS3.

The Game: Lets start with the presentation. Back when this was released it had the best graphics possible, I was stunned at the dark and gritty environments, it looked incredible. The sound design was better than any other fps I could think, both this and Killzone 3 have the best sound for any shooter, period. The soundtrack is easily in the top ten best original scores for video games, it is still incredible to listen to till this day. I personally think this game looks and sounds better than Uncharted 2 which came out the same year.

Game play: People like to complain about the sluggish controls, I personally like it, it gives the game it's own unique feel. I think there is around ten guns to use throughout the single player campaign, the electricity gun you get in the refinery was pretty fun to use. I like the Helghast weapons more than the ISA ones. My biggest complaint is that L1 is mêlée, I would have preferred it to be R3, but instead aiming down the sights is R3.

The campaign: I've played between 25 and 30 hours on the single player story, yeah I enjoyed it that much. I personally hated the mission on the ISA ship, the rest was great. The urban combat was about as good as it could get in a video game, take note other developers this is how you do it. It definitely still holds it's own, it felt more realistic than Killzone 3. Killzone 3 had too many goofy action scenes, it just felt weird, like how Dead Space three just feels weird. I didn't play the multi-player enough to review it. The skirmish game mode was really fun, I played a lot of that.

Killzone 2 is definitely a must play shooter, it's a cut above most of the kid friendly garbage we get for shooters today.

The Best PS3 Game - Outstanding!

[djdaners · 10/10 · 30 June 2009]

This is, by far, one of THE BEST fps I have EVER played full stop. The campaign is fantastic with a wide range of weapons to use and interesting maps and characters, and online is just nuts! There are a range of multiplayer modes and classes to choose from. There are also many maps to have a go at and are designed for every class. Even if you are not such a hardcore gamer, you will love this game. And considering you can get it as cheap as fifty dollars on eBay, it's just criminal if you don't go on and buy it. Honestly, this game is the Halo 3 of PS3, it gives COD:4 a good run for it's money also. Just do yourself a favour and maximize your PS3 experience of buying it. Now.

IGN's Killzone 2 Review! (I did not write this!)

[scottgamingninja · 10/10 · 21 August 2009]

The single-player experience is a truly enjoyable campaign across the Helghast home world that will test your skills, particularly on the higher difficulty levels, and the game simply looks phenomenal for a console shooter. But perhaps the strongest segment of the game is the extremely deep multiplayer, which gives seven basic classes with which you can create your own customized super-soldier after performing your class-specific duties. Not only did Guerrilla achieve a milestone of delivering a great exclusive title for Sony's PS3, it delivered one of the better shooters to come along in a long time. Get your hands on this game.

PRESENTATION - 10/10 Everything from the first entrance onto the battlefield to the last cut scene creates a hectic, fun and fast-paced thrill ride through a warzone where each step you take could be your last.

GRAPHICS - 10/10 Phenomenal visuals prove that Guerrilla either met or surpassed that infamous E3 trailer. Some technical issues hold it back from being a completely flawless masterpiece.

SOUND - 9/10 7.1 channel sound captures every nuance of the battlefield from gunshots to screams along with a great soundtrack. Weakly delivered, curse-filled dialog (sans Brian Cox) could have been done better.

GAMEPLAY - 9/10 You'll have to get used to the firearms as well as the AI on both sides. More turret and vehicle sections would've been great, but outside of that, the single-player campaign is fun to play through.

LASTING APPEAL - 10/10 Multiplayer is extremely deep and has the added bonus of an offline skirmish mode. This is where you'll spend the majority of your time once the credits roll.

OVERALL - 10/10

What An Amazingly, Breathtaking, Fun, Kick-Ass Game!!!!

[PolDancer87 · 10/10 · 13 March 2009]

I have to say that this is a really fun and enjoyable game. I'm not a huge fan of the fps games, but I've been waiting for this one ever since I saw the very first trailer back in 2005 I think it was. This game has just about everything that an fps game should have, I think, because once again, I'm not that familiar with the genre. I've only played Halo 1 & 2 (not mine, just my buddies and I didn't like them at all), 007: Goldeneye (Best FPS EVER!!!!), Resistance 1 & 2 (only own no. 2 which is amazing, but I've played 1 which is good), Call of Duty 3 & 4 (own both; 3 for PS2, and 4 for PS3; Modern Warfare is great, but I'm to slow at it LOL), Battlefield 2 & Bad Company (loved Bad Company more and it's amazing to blow stuff up), Black (amazing), etc. You get my point that I'm trying to make. I'm not that great at them, but that doesn't mean that I can't have fun with them. And Killzone 2 is that kind of game where I can just jump in at anytime and blow up whatever I want. The best part about it are the vehicles, though short, but fun as all HELL, especially when you get to be in that robot thing and just go crazy on the Higs. The story is lacking, as they pull things from other war/action films and use clichéd lines such as "Don't die on me yet," "it's cold..." (mind you I'm paraphrasing there, but you get the idea). The music is catchy as I often hum it when there's nobody around of course LOL. I think that they could have done a bit more work on the menu design, not that there's anything wrong with it, because it is cool, it's just that the colours remind me of MGS 2 with the grays and red. I don't know, maybe it's just me. Oh yeah, I forgot to talk about the sound, which is pretty F UCKING AMAZING!!!! I have my PS3 hooked up to my surround sound and my big screen TV and oh my God. The visuals are pretty breathtaking, which is weird because it's about an apocalyptic war where a lot of people die... duh... obviously... but it's still visually stunning and almost life like in a way. Now I haven't played that much of online because well... I suck at it, but from what I've seen it's just as great as the campaign, if not better. You can pretty much read about the online play on any other game review website such as ign, or just watch it on youtube. Anyways my overall score for this kick-ass game is a solid 10/10 stars as it's not only for the hardcore fans out there of the fps genre, but for everyone too. You just pick up and go basically.

kill, kill, kill... kill

[naturalborndirector · 10/10 · 19 July 2009]

Finished it on Veteran. Started on Elite, but gave up. I need to take care of my nerves and make my doctor happy. No aiming reticle? That's too much for me. And they don't miss on Elite, ever, not even once. Apparently, they know how to raise super-soldiers at Radec Academy.

Anyways, this is not a game, this is something else, some unidentified new phenomena.

The looks: you haven't seen anything like this before. At 720p physics are so realistic, sometimes you actually get scared and call for your mom. It is unbelievably real, you can forget GTA, what is done here marks a new high for realistic video game graphics. You can shoot the Helghast soldier 25 times and every hit will have a different effect visually, depending on which body part you hit, from what distance and using which weapon. It looks almost too real to be a video game. The character physics are revolutionary. The rush of excitement you get from killing is intimidating, with every other kill, you want more and you will get your fill, make no mistake about that, spilling blood has never looked so real, beware of bad jolts. You will kill and kill and kill until your dreams will turn into nightmares haunted by the mutants with gas masks and illuminating eyes. Never before has a soldier design been so breathtaking, startling and beautiful. It will get stuck in your head forever like a Mona Lisa smile. So the atmosphere is properly set up: astounding character physics, thrilling character design. What about the environment? Guess what, it is just as remarkable, planet Helghan looks like it was created by a God on coke. Different relief, different landscapes, different patterns, different weather, different architecture, different civilization, even storms are different and fascinating. Visari Palace looks like it was built by Helghast Gaudi. I would like to live in one of those.

Gameplay: OK, boys and girls, this is a first person shooter warfare simulation, so basically this is about military combat, and what makes this combat ultra super mega exciting is that enemy is smarter than Beth Ostrosky and Tila Tequila taken together. The level of Artificial Intelligence is so advanced that the strange thoughts start crossing your mind: There Is No Spoon!? Their tactics are impeccable: force concentration, perimeter defense, force dispersal, false maneuvering, urban warfare etc. They actually react to your actions adequately, you make your move, they make theirs. This is not simply about shooting up bunch of troops, this is about intelligent warfare. Gameplay is pretty much astonishing, perfectly blending indoor positioning fights with urban guerrilla warfare with open field artillery combat. Sometimes you get to move around rooms and take out enemies one by one, and sometimes you get to be assaulted by never-ending streak of enemy soldiers where your finger stays on the trigger until you run out of ammo or kill every one of them.

Sound: absolutely amazing, the sound of shots is mind-blowing, listen and enjoy. Especially in intense battles with lot if different kinds of weapons firing at the same time, yeah, there's a shot, then a swishing as bullet cuts the air and then the hit. Triple delight. The orchestra music is great, written and performed exclusively for this game, perfectly matches the atmosphere.

Story: I don't really care about the story in this game.

KILLZONE 2 is about gaming experience, about the actual process of playing. You can't really describe it with the words, you have to experience it yourself. This game amazes me with its high profile technical achievements and its sheer gaming excitement. KILLZONE 2 is an absolute technical masterpiece, a game which takes a joy of virtual killing to a completely new level. Kill.

A great technical achievement. That's all.

[theinternetiscrazy · 6/10 · 12 February 2010]

Killzone 2. Where to start? in terms of technical achievement, it's unbeatable. The setup is revealed in a pretty impressive cinematic that has you pumped up and ready to take the fight to the "Helghast" - essentially intergalactic British Nazis led by fascist dictator Brian Cox and his lapdog, a smarmy git of a general who, upon speaking for the first time, will have you thinking "ooh that's thingy, what's he from again?"!

You start the game by waking up, bleary-eyed in your bunk aboard a fairly impressive spaceship at the start of yet another D-day recreation (only THIS TIME your in a spaceship and THIS time the landing craft are hovering impractical transport craft things and THIS TIME the Nazi's aren't actually Nazis, they just LOOK like future-Nazis) where the game does it's level best to impress you. As you follow your squad-mate through it's corridors, the graphics and atmosphere dazzle you immediately -the planet below looks natural and the sight of space cruisers bearing down on the hostile world below is almost breathtaking. Every detailed surface is polished and well-designed, and put through filters that make you feel like you're looking through a genuine pair of human eyeballs. This, combined with the controls and movement - which do take some getting used to - gives you an unparallelled feeling of immersion that shooters nowadays sorely lack. Your average COD fan is going to have a few problems adjusting here, as the somewhat sluggish, weighty movements of the player character and the incredibly tough, bullet-resistant Helghast mix with other game play elements to create a challenge that requires a bit more thought and skill than simple fast reflexes and an itchy trigger finger. The fights are fantastic and tactics come into play far more than in most modern-day cinematic shooters. The player can expect to be surrounded by hostile forces. Once again, a COD fan will have difficulties here, as the foes in this game will not simply run out and shoot like moving targets with guns attached, but will take cover often, distract, flank, and suppress you and your allies, making for a unique challenge. When I played through this, I was impressed as I moved through the game and eagerly did battle with any Helghast that stood in my way. But as much fun as I had with this,there is a crippling problem with this game.

As soon as you meet your squad mates (specifically Shaun Natco, voiced by Noah lee Margotts) you instantly feel like killing every last one of them for being a million times more unlikeable than any of your enemies. it doesn't stop there, either: he story has literally zero bite, giving you no reason to care. Luckily, a game can still be driven along by the atmosphere and game play itself, and this is where Killzone exceeds, so a shooter fan can have a good deal of fun with it. But how did the people behind this game end up putting so much effort into the graphics, controls and atmosphere without a single one of them thinking "oh, hang on, we forgot the coherent plot and the likable characters and the motivations behind their actions and any reason for the player to give a damn about what's going on"?

So that's Killzone 2, then. The story continues being barely a faint glimmer of motivation and reason behind the characters and events, the characters themselves, with the exception of perhaps Pertwee's Radec and Marshall's Templar, are unlikeable and 1-dimensional. I honestly became more attached to the faceless legions of generic cannon-fodder allies that were destined to die in various detailed and realistic ways, at least THOSE guys were helpful, kept their heads down and acted like real people. They, unlike the characters I was supposed to give a damn about, were mercifully freed from the idiocy of whoever wrote the story for this. Killzone 2's ambition is marred by it's failure to nail a fundamental aspect of a good game - good writing. I've heard people defend this by saying that it's "just a game" but you can look at plenty of other titles, many of them much older than this, if you want an example of a great game with great writing driving it along. Killzone 2 could have been so much more, it's intriguing premise of humanity fighting a mutated version of itself and the story of how this came to be are explained in a few brief sentences during loading screens, as well as character back stories. God, if they had this material, why didn't they actually USE it? Sure, the game play is a lot of fun, the graphics are impressive and the atmosphere immerses you, but when there's no REASON for it all, then how can the developers expect us to really get involved?

Oh, and, um, the multilayer is kinda fun. Yeah. not much to say on that.

...

Another take, perhaps?

[VozAlta · 9/10 · 7 March 2009]

Truth is I got a bit disappointed as well when I got my hands on Killzone 2 when it came out. We all expected tight controls and flawless online-gaming from what we've read in previews and articles. Long story short: expectations were too high.

However, as of today a patch has come out fixing the dodgy aiming and Killzone 2 now much resemble what most of us have been playing for the past year. It's a kick-ass game. Forget your demo-experience, you cried out your prayers and Guerilla listened and blessed.

That needed to be said first of all.

What Killzone 2 is: is a gritty, dark and extremely detailed first-person shooter with an intense campaign and a rewarding multiplayer experience. It's nothing new but a classic action shooter with the proper ingredients. Very macho, not very subtle. It's basically war on another world between what we'd recon as human outcasts and an retalliation force. It's very cruel and graphic, but above all it's a damn good shooter.

Very cool game

[overcranked · 6/10 · 15 July 2009]

Killzone 2 was finally released February 2009 and was long awaited by just about all PlayStation 3 owners. It is the third installment in the Killzone franchise. The first game, Killzone was released on the PlayStation 2 and Killzone: Liberation was later released for the PlayStation Portable. Killzone 2 continues the story of the first two games having you fight as the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance against the Helghasts. This time however you take the fight to the Helghast and invade their planet, Helghan. Your goal is to stop the Helghast war machine by capturing the Helghast leader, Scolar Visari, and making him answer for his crimes.

You start the assault on Helghan from an ISA cruiser stationed high in the clouds above the planet. Your squad joins countless others that are launched from the cruiser toward Helghan. Once landed you are immediately in the fight taking on Helghast soldiers from behind walls and above on walkways and bridges. The controls were a little odd for me, but there are plenty of ways to configure them. After getting the controls to my usual layout, I began my assault. The Helghast are not a wimpy race though and it takes plenty of rounds to take one down. Even aiming for a headshot doesn't mean you are taking down that soldier. It took me on average two or three shots to the head to take one down. The first shot pops their helmet off and then depending on the level of damage he has already taken you may have to hit his head another two times. This was the most frustrating part for me, but I got used to it pretty quickly.

The Helghast are also skilled on the battlefield. They react as you would expect them to; ducking behind walls to avoid your bullets and waiting until it's all clear to come back out. They also scatter from grenades and try to flank you and your teammates. You and the ISA however aren't quite as skilled. I found my biggest disappointment in this game was the cover system. You could "attach yourself to cover," but this didn't mean you'd actually hide behind anything. I found that sometimes he wouldn't attach to cover, sometimes he would, but I'd still be getting hit and all the while your teammates are telling you to find some cover. You teammates don't follow their own advice however. Towards the end of the game my teammate would end up running into the open and be cut down quickly by enemy fire and yell for me to come save him. When he wasn't getting killed he was shooting at enemies and doing what seemed like no damage. They are mainly there for distraction; any killing you want done you have to do yourself.

OK, AI is hard to create, but you did it with the enemy why not do it with the good guys too? Aside from that the story was decent and the landscape and characters were beautifully done, even if they aren't in the full resolution of 1080p. The scripting wasn't bad for a video game, but the timing and triggering of the conversation was slow and low pauses happened in the middle of conversations and sometimes the dialogue would be cut off before they finished their sentence.

This game was fun though and the multiplayer maps are very well designed so that each team has a balanced area to work with. If you like FPS and want a short campaign to play through before you go pop the top of your friends online then I highly recommend this game. If you aren't an online gamer then I still think you should try this time, but don't buy it just go rent it. I give Killzone 2 three downed teammates out of five.

Written by Sam for www.overcranked.net