Killzone had a tough start out of the gate, but most of it was because of the ungodly
amount of hype the game received.
Killzone was pretty much guaranteed to deliver an engaging story with solid gameplay, cure
every form of cancer, and right the United States economy.
Ok, maybe it wasn’t that extreme but fans were told that it would turn the PS2 online
around and make it rival Xbox Live.
Now Killzone failed to live up to the hype and wasn’t the Halo killer it was billed
to be but what it is is very good game and probably the best First Person Shooter on
the PS2.
Killzone takes place on the planet Vekta.
The planet is being invaded by the Helghast, a strange military society.
Because their home planet is so toxic, they are forced to wear breathing devices, which
gives them an eerie look.
So you are out to stop the invasion and save your planet.
The story is very basic but what it does is give you a reason to fire your gun.
The shooting is a big part of the game and thankfully it is as solid as can be.
Every gun feels the way you imagine it should, with assault rifle kicking a little to the
grenade launchers causing some real damage.
The shooting is great but that is not what makes Killzone one of the best shooters.
It is the size of the game and also the detailed world it puts you in.
Before each mission begins you select which character you want to be.
You choose the assault rifle grunt Templar, the heavy assault Rico, the stealthy sniper
Lugar, or the balanced half Halghast Hakha.
Choosing either one will give you a very different experience than another, thus making the game
like 4 games in one.
But they don’t do this to just extend the length of the game because it already is pretty
big.
After I got to the point where most shooters end, and I thought I had reach the last mission
only to realize it was just a little over half way done.
This length gives the game the chance to show off some great looking locations.
Instead of the gray and dark urban environments, you will actually get to see jungles, mountains
and even outer space.
And all the locations look great with some of the best graphics on the PS2.
Everything is detailed and lush, with a dark tone, but it really makes you feel like you
are on another planet.
I really only have few complaints with the game.
One is, while the Helghast are a great enemy, with the creepy red eyes and gas masks like
the Russians in Top Gun, they quickly become generic.
This is my complaint, and that is there is not enough enemy variety.
You will be shooting the same Helghast soldiers over and over again, rarely with them having
different equipment.
It gets a little repetitive but not enough to hold the game back.
Also the online is lacking, mostly because there was only one good map.
But this was back was shooters were about the single player for me so it did not hurt
my opinion but today it would be a deal breaker.
With the impossible expectations, Killzone was almost destined to fail before it was
even released.
Sure it didn’t live up to what was promised but that didn’t change the fact that it
was still one of the best PS2 shooters and a great time playing, even today.