Killzone is a first-person and third-person shooter series of video games exclusively
for Sony Computer Entertainment's video game consoles.
The main series and the PlayStation Portable installment were developed by Guerrilla Games,
a subsidiary of SCE, and the PlayStation Vita installment was developed by Guerrilla Cambridge
in the United Kingdom.
Killzone currently consists of six games spanning over the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable,
PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and the PlayStation 4.
The series began on the PlayStation 2 in November 2004 with Killzone, and continued on the PlayStation
Portable in October 2006 with Killzone: Liberation.
Killzone 2 was released for the PlayStation 3 in February 2009, and Killzone 3 was released
in February 2011, also for the PlayStation 3.
Killzone: Mercenary was released for the PlayStation Vita in September 2013, followed by Killzone
Shadow Fall in November 2013, which was a launch title for the PlayStation 4.
Setting
The series is about the galactic war between the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance and
the Helghast.
The Killzone series follows the continuous war between the ISA and Helghast taking place
on both ISA Earth colonies and the planet Helghan, the home planet of the Helghast.
The series has featured four main protagonists: Cpt/Col. Jan Templar, Sgt.
Tomas "Sev" Sevchenko, mercenary Arran Danner, and Shadow Marshal Lucas Kellan.
The main antagonist was originally Helghast Emperor Scolar Visari; his death in Killzone
2 brought about the rise of two new antagonists and the hopeful heirs to Visari's throne in
Killzone 3: Jorhan Stahl and Admiral Orlock.
After Orlock's death and the unknown details of Stahl's death and the destruction of Helghan,
now covered in petrusite, the Helghast now live on Vekta with a giant wall dividing them
from the Vektans.
"The Black Hand", a Helghast paramilitary terrorist group, was formed under Vladko Tyran,
who became an antagonist, along with Lady Hera Visari who has inherited her father's
throne.
By the end of Killzone Shadow Fall, it is revealed that the main antagonist is Stahl,
who managed to survive the events of Killzone 3, but is dispatched by Vektan Security Agency
director Thomas Sinclair.
Gameplay Killzone, Killzone 2, Killzone 3, Killzone:
Mercenary, and Killzone Shadow Fall are first-person shooters.
Killzone: Liberation is presented as a third-person shooter and is the only of that kind in the
series to date.
All games were developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony.
Players in the series can only carry two different weapons at any given time.
Players can either obtain ammo or swap out their current weapons with any weapon dropped
by a downed foe or from those scattered around the various maps.
In Killzone 3, players can carry up to three weapons, with the third weapon spot reserved
for heavy weapons.
Online competitive multi-player features up to 16 players in Killzone, 32 players in Killzone
2, 24 players in Killzone 3 and Shadow Fall, and up to 8 players in Mercenary.
There are various modes of multi-player.
There is an objective based rotation mode, called Warzone, where players play all game
modes one after the other until all modes have been played.
Shadow Fall's game modes in Warzone are slightly different.
Operations is a new mode for Killzone 3 which is a cinematic mini-campaign for the multiplayer
mode.
Killzone 3 also features a classic team deathmatch mode called Guerilla Warfare.
Shadow Fall also has a team deathmatch, simply titled Team Deathmatch.
Killzone and Killzone 3 are the only games in the series to feature offline split-screen
co-op for two players, while Killzone is the only game in the series to feature offline
split-screen multi-player in the Botzone mode.
Liberation features an online co-op campaign as well as a multi-player mode that supports
up to 6 players in ad-hoc and up to 8 players on infrastructure.
Shadow Fall features an online co-op survival mode for up to 4 players, however, it can
only be accessed by purchasing the Season Pass.
Games Main series
Killzone
Killzone was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2004.
The game is set in an era of space colonization where the Helghast Empire has recovered from
its defeat in the First Helghan War and launched a blitzkrieg against the outer Interplanetary
Strategic Alliance colony planet Vekta.
Vekta's orbital Strategic Defense platforms failed during the initial assault, allowing
the Helghast to land swarms of soldiers onto the surface and making it all the more difficult
for the outnumbered ISA forces.
Captain Jan Templar, the main protagonist, and his squad are called back to the base
for reassignment, and are promptly sent to find the ISA operative Hakha and the key in
his possession.
During the course of the game, Templar meets other characters who assist him such as Shadow
Marshal Luger, a heavy weapons specialist Sergeant Rico Velasquez, and Colonel Hakha,
a half-Helghast, half-Human spy.
Killzone 2
Killzone 2 was released for the PlayStation 3 in 2009.
Killzone 2 follows the events of Killzone and Killzone: Liberation, and is set entirely
on the planet Helghan, the home-world of the Helghast who invaded an Interplanetary Strategic
Alliance colony.
Two years after the Helghast assault on Vekta, the ISA has launched an assault on the enemy's
homeworld of Helghan.
The ISA goal is to capture the Helghast leader, Scolar Visari and bring the Helghast war machine
to a halt.
The main protagonists is Sergeant Tomas "Sev" Sevchenko, a battle-hardened veteran of the
special forces unit the "Legion" assigned to Alpha team, who go on a mission to take
out the Helghast threat.
Captain Jan Templar has been promoted to Colonel and is the Fleet Commander of the New Sun,
a Cruiser airship set up in the clouds of Helghan over its capital city, Pyrrhus, preparing
for a final attack.
During the invasion of Helghan, Sev's unit is deployed behind enemy lines to assist the
main invasion force.
Tasked with securing the enemy capital of Pyrrhus, Helghan's first true city, the team
quickly discovers that the Helghast are a more formidable enemy on their home planet.
Not only have they adjusted to Helghan's hostile conditions, they have also harnessed the power
of the freakish lightning storms that always occur on Helghan which they can now use against
the ISA.
A cold, barren, unforgiving world, Helghan provides a ready defense with thick, acidic
air, dust clouds, and violent surgical lightning storms.
Sev discovers his squad is not just fighting enemy forces—their fiercest opponent may
be the planet itself.
Killzone 3
Killzone 3 was released for the PlayStation 3 in 2011 and is the only game in the series
to feature a special edition, support the PlayStation Move, and utilize 3D gaming.
It immediately follows the events of Killzone 2.
Visari, the leader of the Helghast is gone, but the war is far from over.
Helghast forces have mounted a devastating counterattack, prompting the ISA evacuation
of planet Helghan.
As new Helghast battalions appear, armed with more powerful weapons, ISA forces find themselves
outmanned, outgunned and surrounded.
Two new antagonists appear, Jorhan Stahl and Admiral Orlock, who both want to become the
new Autarch of Helghan.
Sev returns as the protagonist with Rico and Narville.
Admiral Orlock eventually becomes the new Autarch due to a circumstantial decision by
the Helghan High Council.
In a final confrontation between Stahl and Orlock, Stahl murders Orlock, however, the
planet Helghan and Stahls ship is nuked by Sev and his team.
However, it revealed that a ship crash landed on Helghan and is greeted by two Helghan soldiers.
Killzone Shadow Fall
Killzone Shadow Fall was released for the PlayStation 4 in November 2013.
It serves as a launch title and features "a new world, a new situation and a new hero."
The game is set nearly 30 years after the events of Killzone 3.
Vektans now live side by side with Helghans, though their portions of the city are divided
by a massive wall that is known as "The Wall".
Helghan citizens are placed and take refuge inside of Vekta, becoming known as Traitors,
since they left their side of The Wall, which was claimed as New Helghan.
The new protagonist, Lucas Kellan, is orphaned when he and his father, Michael, are spotted
with Thomas Sinclair, a Shadow Marshal, who attempts to lead them out of the side that
was being taken by the Helghan forces after the "Terracide" that occurred in Killzone
3.
Kellan's father is shot down by two Helghan soldiers when they are spotted, but Lucas
is saved by Sinclair.
20 years later, Kellan has been brought up by Sinclair and has become the youngest Shadow
Marshal within the Vektan Security Agency, while Sinclair has become Director of the
VSA.
Shadow Mashals are specially trained soldiers, their main mission: to preserve the peace
between the Vektans and Helghast and prevent this from declining.
During his travels between Vekta and across the Wall into New Helghast as he undertakes
missions to deal with possible Helghan threats, he eventually comes to realize that New Helghan
is full of civilians who are innocent.
He also meets a Helghan Intelligence Operative,"Echo",a half-breed who is Chancellor Visari's daughter.
Kellan is imprisoned and tortured when he is caught in New Helghast.
Echo helps him escape to find out that Jorhan Stahl has a "weapon" designed that would annihilate
Vektans and half-breeds, which he considers traitors.
When Kellan is finally in reach to kill Stahl; Stahl is shot in the head from behind.
Kellan turns to see Sinclair, who shoots him in the arm.
Sinclair gives him a small speech about the weapon and the Helghast, moments later, stating
"I tried to protect you, Son".
Within seconds, he plants a bullet into Kellan's brain.
Sinclair is hailed a Hero after killing Kellan and recovering the weapon, Echo, who survived
the impact of the crash, sneaks into Vekta and strategically places herself 100ft across
from the VSA Headquarters, where Sinclair is giving a speech, and assassinates him by
shooting him in the head, preventing another war.
Other games Killzone: Liberation
Killzone: Liberation was released for the PlayStation Portable in 2006.
In Killzone: Liberation, two months after the events of Killzone, the Helghast have
been dealt a hefty blow from the last game, but the war is far from over.
The enemy still controls large parts of the planet Vekta, and though the ISA armies are
fighting hard, they are losing ground.
The rules of war have been cast aside with the sadistic Helghast General, Armin Metrac,
employed by the Helghast Emperor Scolar Visari to use brutal measures in order to seize the
initiative and strengthen his position further.
Jan Templar, returns as the main protagonists on a covert operation to save hostages captured
by Metrac, while ISA troops continue the fight for liberty.
There are 5 "chapters" with 4 levels in which players eliminate the Helghast resistance.
Killzone: Mercenary
Killzone: Mercenary was released for the PlayStation Vita in 2013.
In the game players assume the role of a mercenary who fights alongside either the ISA or Helghast
forces depending on which team hires them.
Killzone Trilogy Killzone Trilogy is a collection of Killzone,
Killzone 2, and Killzone 3 for the PlayStation 3 under Sony's PlayStation Collections line.
The original Killzone has been remastered in HD to support 720p resolution and Trophies.
The collection also includes all DLC maps for Killzone 2 and Killzone 3.
It was released on October 23, 2012 in North America and October 24, 2012 in Europe.
Reception The first Killzone received mixed to positive
reviews from magazines and websites.
PSM stated that Killzone is "Graphically stunning and hits the mark in so many ways, it's baffling;
they promised us we'd experience future war, and we have... and come away shaking."
Other reviewers cited technical problems with Killzone, including inconsistent AI, occasional
bugs, frame-rate issues, distracting graphical glitches, repetition of the same voices, short
draw distance, and an awkward control system.
Critics also complained about the gameplay, with IGN labeling it "underwhelming and mediocre"
and Into Liquid Sky stating that it needs "more refinement".
Sarcastic Gamer's "How to Kill a Brand" criticized Killzone, saying it didn't deserve a sequel.
Killzone: Liberation received IGN's award for Best PSP Offline Multiplayer Game of 2006.
Killzone 2 received critical acclaim upon release with a GameRankings score of 90.56%,
and a Metacritic score of 91/100.
Killzone 3 received positive reviews upon release with a GameRankings score of 86.38%,
and a Metacritic score of 84/100.
The first English review of the game was published by PlayStation Official Magazine, which gave
the game a 9/10.
The review stated "on a visual level, as a 3D breakthrough, this feels like a watershed
moment in a revolution affecting all of gaming".
The review also stated on gameplay terms, "Black Ops is the only [first-person shooter]
on PlayStation 3 that can match this".
The voice acting, however, was criticised as not being perfect, thus lacking "emotive
punch" and the reason for not receiving a perfect 10/10.
References
External links
Official website Killzone Command Center
Killzone Trilogy launch and trailler