Killzone 2 hype began during E3 2005 when Sony first unveiled their infamous teaser trailer. Everyone believed it was CG and rightfully so. A week later former SCEA vice-president Phil Harrison stated that in fact, all the games shown at E3 2005 were done to PS3 specs. Since then the hype machine started growing bigger and bigger and many believed it would be Sony’s answer to Microsoft franchises Halo and Gears Of War. Has KZ2 delivered on all promises?
Killzone 2 starts where Killzone: Liberation ends, but thankfully you don’t need to know the back story to figure out what is going on. You’re placed in the shoes of Tomas “Sev” Sevchenko. Sev is a battle hardened sergeant first class who fought in 7 campaigns alongside his best friend Corporal Dante Garza. Sev and Dante are picked to serve alongside Sergeant Rico Valasquez and Corporal Shawn Natko in Alpha squad. Alpha squad is given the job to spearhead the Helgan invasion by Colonel Jan Templar from Killzone. The invasion doesn’t go as planned and a mysterious weapon takes out half of the ISA’s ship before they even land. From there the story continues along the lines of trying to capture the Helgan leader scholar Visari, so the war between the Helgan and the ISA would end. There are some interesting plot twists along the path to Visari. These twists add to a story which without them would of ended up just an ok story with little emotion. Overall the story is solid and the ending strongly hints of a Killzone 3 , but don’t expect that “can’t put the controller down” feeling you get with a Half-Life or a BioShock
There is no doubt that this is the best looking game ever made on a console to date, if anyone disagrees they obviously haven’t played. The engine that Guerilla developed seems to handle everything amazingly. The character models, weather effects, lighting effects, shooting effects, basically every effect you can think of, no game can do it better. There are some places where the textures are sub par to the standard Killzone set, but you have to be looking for them to notice.
The controls were the topic of much controversy and I made sure to play the game with and without the patch to see if there was any difference. Without the patch the controls were sluggish, but some people enjoyed this and said it added realism. The people who didn’t like the controls made it very clear, clear enough that Guerilla made a patch. Aside from the sluggish or smooth movement the cover system is a flaw I don’t hear anyone talk about. The cover system just doesn’t work, with the buttons you can choose to set as cover. If L1 was an option the system would work well, anyone who has played Rainbow Six Vegas can attest to that. Sixaxis controls feel forced in, there is absolutely no need for them, how come you can’t turn a valve with your analog stick or place D-charges? Apart from my gripes the rest of the gameplay is well executed.
The multiplayer is what will be bringing you back to Killzone. Imagine if Call of Duty and Team Fortress 2 had a baby and it came out in the middle of the road of both. What I mean by that is the ranking system doesn’t have the depth of Call of Duty 4 and the class system doesn’t have the depth of Team Fortress 2, but it ends up giving you the same gratification. The maps in any multiplayer game either make it or break it, Killzone 2 definitely makes it. The 8 multiplayer maps you will experience will blow you away. The level design is just brilliant, there’s just enough horizontal and vertical to make many different points of attack. Killzone’s online is made of MLG material and as soon they wake up and put PS3’s in there circuits this will be the game to play.
This game is definitely Playstation’s new flagship FPS (Resistance? who?) and is a must buy for every FPS fan who has a PS3. If you have a 360 this might very well be the game to push you to get a PS3. Killzone 2 has the formula to make a great FPS but its shortcomings (story, controls) keeps it from getting an SS and makes it an S.
I can’t believe this only got an A. It would have received an SS from me. Only two games I know of are worthy of SS and tha’ts COD4 and KZ2.
I agree Tor… SS!!!
spencer, i guess when i called you a fanboy, during warzone 35 in MiRc, i was on to something.lol
i blame you torrence, i knew this review was gonna be fucked up if you didn’t do it. first of all it has poor grammer e.g. “These twists add to a story which without them would of ended up…” instead of “These twists add to a story, which without them would HAVE ended up…”
and after what i can only describe as a poorly written review, he goes on to say “If you have a 360 this might very well be the game to push you to get a PS3.” and then gives the game essentially a B/C grade due to poor controls and a bad story. lame. i’m very disappointed.:(
Killzone 2 is amazing.
No video review?
Actually an A is equivalent to 85-89 range, S =90-94 and SS= 95-100. Maybe Spencer didn’t know that.
I HATE game reviews. HATE THEM!
nice review SpennyT good job i can’t wait to pick up a PS3 someday and playing this one.
Only a A!! I thought that this game was amazing and it defiantly deserves an SS. I thought coming from the Bit Bag and all the praise it got it would have at least got a higher rating. Another thing is when you review you have to think about what the people will like and for me I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the controls and to drop the score by 15 percent!!! is unbelievable. Well lets hope we have a better reviewer next time.
PS. This is the biggest upset that I got in a long time!
Ok lemme start.
@ jmd749- Are you really going to complain that I put of instead of have? I’m sorry that it bothered you, but yes you are right it should of been have. I did not give the game a b/c grade i gave it a FUCKING A which in my mind was a 90%.
@YODA-Thanks man!
@ Deathmammoth- When you write a review it is your opinion, not those of others. You seem like your one of the guys who goes to ign just to look at the reviews and complain about them same goes for jmd749
@Dragonwarrior- I will be getting a good custom PC soon to make video reviews!
Later!
Welcome to The Bitbag Spenny!
WOOOOOOO!! Please don’t even compare me to the RIGZ at IGN / Gamespot okay. Also I think you should learn your scoring system before you write a review.
A= 85-89 and S =90-94
and you wrote “A which in my mind was a 90%.” actually S is a 90 %.
Also please don’t take offense to what I wrote it is just a difference of opinion and when you post on here insulting JMD and I it is very unprofessional. Thanks
@Deathmammoth- “Only a A!! I thought that this game was amazing and it defiantly deserves an SS. I thought coming from the Bit Bag and all the praise it got it would have at least got a higher rating. Another thing is when you review you have to think about what the people will like and for me I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the controls and to drop the score by 15 percent!!! is unbelievable. Well lets hope we have a better reviewer next time.”
That comment is a comment found on many ign reviews! That all I am stating! Unprofessional!?! It would be unprofessional if I called you a derogatory name , me stating that from your comment it looks as if you are like the ign commenters is not unprofessional. If you were insulted by that am sorry maybe you should rethink your view on reviews.
@everybody- Don’t get me wrong this game is great, but story and controls are a big deal for me and the game just didn’t cut it. I will update the score to S since It means 90% to 95%
Later
Oh great, a review by a guy that doesn’t even know the grading scale? Too much. Torrence, didn’t you confer with this guy prior to posting his review? You act like you’re shocked about the score but you said nothing goes on here without your approval.
The score itself isn’t a big deal IMO. What I can’t stand is how people have to find a way to knock KZ2. Not bioshock or Half Life huh? Why not just say it’s not Halo either. Maybe not COD4.
360 games get judged on their own merit and PS3 games get judged compared to the best of a genre. You knocked it for story and controls? Okay.
Story: I sometimes wonder if I’m the only person in the world that goes into an action movie expecting…good action! A great story is a plus, but so long as the story isn’t bad and the action is great, I’ll walk away pleased. Why is it that people have to knock KZ2 for giving us just that. The story wasn’t Bioshock but so what? It’s a different type of experience altogether.
Controls: Torrence, and others, loved the original control set. I think they liked how unique the controls made the game feel. The controls were patched to allievate the concerns. It’s not COD4 type accuracy, but it’s not meant to be. If you play the game enough, you realize that you can’t play this game like you would COD4. You can’t.
Good review spencer i don’t know i actually liked the story i actually felt like each character expressed themselves differently and showed emotions. I liked Garza and at first i hated Natko, i felt for Rico and what he’s been through… I thought that your review was solid it could have done without the “There are some places where the textures are sub par to the standard Killzone set, but you have to be looking for them to notice.” comment. You say you’d have to be looking for them we’re you? or did you just sort of notice them? It doesn’t matter i just felt it didn’t add to the review
We have disagreements with the controls i am one of those seemingly few who loved the controls the way they were i think the FPS genre lately has been force fed a bunch of twitch type shooters with ultra responsive games and the more stiffer controls ticked a lot of people off… I don’t think you can blame Killzone for wanting to change the feel of the game as it was trying to immerse the gamer in a more realistic game. I also had absolutely no issues with the covers system but it’s okay i don’t mind that you do/don’t like it at least you didn’t bash it like others who couldn’t adapt…
The multiplayer is just addicting to me last Saturday and Friday i was on from 11pm – 5:30am straight. I like it that you don’t have to play every mode in MP but you can set up your own room or join one where it’s only bodycount or one that is bodycount and propaganda.
There is nothing wrong with the controls
Ive hit a wall in Killzone….. Ive ranked up…. and dont see too much of a point to play it… I still play for some fun… but I duno…
Anyway… most of the medals are pointless… who cares about point multipliers that they give you if your has been maxed….
I dont care about leaderboard ranks because they only favor the people who have too much time on their hands and play the game on a constant basis….
So basically I look at the game and wonder what I’m trying to achieve now?
I wish they would have tossed in some type of presige system… it owuld have added some value to the ranks… I dont even mean getting rid of your weapons and starting from scratch… just more special rank medals after you have unlocked you classes… you know something to work towards….
It has come to my attention that many of the complains about this article are due to the commenter not agreeing with the reviewer. Let’s back it up here for a second. When a reviewer writes a review, he or she writes it based on THEIR experiences and THEIR opinions. A review is not supposed to be a summary of what the general public thinks of the game/movie/book, etc.
Just because you don’t agree on what is being said, doesn’t make it a bad review.
@Lifendz – The games story doesn’t have that ohh snap I need to keep playing feel a half-life or bioshock has, is what I said. I didn’t compare the overall game to those to and I didn’t use Halo or cod4 cause thier stories don’t have that same feeling for me.
@ Da_Dios- I added that to show graphically its not perfect all around but its not a major deal. Thanks for your positive comment!
@ Lazyboy- Thats an opinion.
@Chad- Exactly!
Later
Not a bad review, I didn’t agree with a part of it, but at any rate, could you all put the grading scale up with your reviews, if you don’t mind? At first, I didn’t know why people were complaining about an ‘A’ grade… and “S” or “SS” threw me off when I read about it.
Agreed with the graphics, having played Crysis myself… the final product didn’t look as good as the trailer, and while K2 looked technically ‘inferior’ the polish and particle effects are so well done that it was an overall better looking game than Crysis.
I don’t think Alpha squad actually spearheaded the Helgan invasion since they took orders from Narville, but I would say they were part of the spearhead that invaded Helgan.
I agree that the plot twists added to the story well, but I kinda disagree that it wasn’t a “can’t put down” type of game, but it’s your opinion, and I respect that.
I disagree with the controls (almost) totally, though; the cover system works really well, try the default or alternate one, I think, if you’re having problems. I agree that the controls don’t work for cover when you try to fluidly zoom in and out using the sniper rifle from cover. That was not done well whereas they could have put the zoom on R3. The weight for the weapons will be emulated on other games, mark my words: making a heavier gun move slower gives small arms a chance against higher caliber weapons, which balances gameplay, and will keep the game from being a “shotgun” game… but again, it’s your opinion so it’s all good.
Finally, your assessment of the story confuses me: in your review, you said the story was “solid” but in your last paragraph you said the story was a liability (shortcoming, to be precise).
I would say the story was great, but the character treatment was it’s shortcoming, as you didn’t get time to get to know all of the main characters in the story enough to invest an emotional attachment to them, nor why Rico acted to erratically. In that, you need to know the backstory from the first Killzone. Rico hates all Helghast, except Hakka. Rico’s first squad was eliminated by the helghast in the Vektan war earlier; this is why he reacts as he does during certain times in the story when he references to avenging other soldiers.
Also, if no one noticed…
…The voice actor who player Hakka was also the voice actor for Radec… and you actually never see Radec’s face. Hakka had a brother, but it was never revealed if he was a twin or not, although General Lente said he had his brother executed, but Lente and Hakka hated each other because of Viscari’s rise to power in exchange for the soul of their people.
…Radec also mad a statement “didn’t I kill all of you yet?” which was odd, since he would’ve had to have known the relationship between Templar, Hakka, Rico, and Luger.
… When you play on the “trooper” or below setting, the reticule never stops going red on Radec, which could me he never actually… well, you know.
…Someone also said Luger was lurking around somewhere, although I’ve never seen her, but I think they’re confusing the cloaked soldier with Luger; and she was a Ninja-like character who didn’t use cloaking technology, so I’m taking it with a grain of salt… seeing that she and Rico didn’t get along, I doubt if she got anywhere near him if she didn’t have to, since they also threatened each other’s lives over Hakka in the first game. But she was also a person of duty, so if it was her duty, she would’ve done it. But still, no. I don’t think so… although there is a “Shadow Marshall” badge in the multiplayer.
Anyways, like a said before, not a bad review.
@pixel- The story was solid not great imo so it knocked it down a bit. Hope that clears up the confusion for you.
@Spencer
the controller are too heavy for you
ok ok
little Spencer wants auto aim
how about auto lock
how about auto head shots
would that make it better for you
let me call my mommy and ask her 2 wash my clothes
@chase- What is your problem!?! No I don’t want auto aim or any of that crap. I had a problem with the cover system not so much the sluggishness, but Yes i do perfer the new smoother controls! Grow the fuck up please and go to your home (N4G).
An interesting review, thanks for that and in response here’s a few of my thoughts on KZ2:
1. Storyline.
Average due to a few reasons. Firstly, the story never drew me in to care about any of the characters in the game. There was no emotional pull which in my mind which is important in a really outstanding game.
Secondly, no plot twists or “oh shit” moments that really made me sit back in my chair in shock or awe (another sign of a truly great game).
Thirdly, the ending was, in my opinion, not epic enough for a game like KZ2. For me, battling through the Inner Courtyard felt really epic and gave me the feeling that the game was building up to a grand finale. Unfortunately it was more of a damp squid and felt really rushed when the credits rolled.
Some may argue that first and foremost this is a FPS game and the story is not important but a true FPS genre-defining game would have to include a killer storyline and KZ2 just doesn’t have it.
Score: B
2. Graphics.
Outstanding and, as of writing, unsurpassed in any game that I’ve played on any platform (gaming since 1982). Looks better than Crysis and plays better. Guerilla have a sweet engine on their hands, no question about that and an impressive indicator that developers are starting to really harness some of the raw power of the PS3.
Score: A+
3. Sound.
Top notch. Although let down by a less than stellar storyline I felt that the voice acting was solid and really added to the frantic feel to the campaign as did the excellent sound effects. Radec’s voice, especially, is epic both in the campaign and multiplayer as he screeches encouragement and berates you when you fail. He just has one of those voices that whenever you hear it you know that’s Radec and that’s KZ2 and that will stay with me forever.
Score: A
4. Controls.
Really and truly I am a PC FPS gamer having played since Doom, Quake, RTCW, SOF2 etc and spent over 10 years in various competitive FPS leagues so I’ve played with a lot of FPS engines and control schemes. In addition to that KZ2 was the game that made me buy a PS3 and I’ve had to learn to use the PS3 controller by playing KZ2 (having been using the keyboard/mouse combo for ever).
KZ2 feels different and unique in the way movement is portrayed. It has a solidity and realism to it that many other FPS games simply do not have or fail at trying to achieve irregardless of platform. It is not a true tactical game or a twitch shooter but a mix of both worlds and Guerilla have done a great job with the controls to give a unique feel and experience. The cover system used in the campaign serves a purpose and serves it well. Maybe some work could be done on improving the “shooting from cover” aspect but overall it’s a welcome addition and one that needs to be used to proceed through the campaign.
A unique feel is critical to any great game. Great games are great because they are different and when you pick up KZ2 it just feels different to any other FPS you will have played. There is a slight learning curve but if I can slip into the top 10% on week one having never used a PS3 controller before then it can’t be that hard to master. The feel of KZ2 sets it apart in my mind from the vast majority of shooters and true FPS aficionados will appreciate and treasure that fact.
Score: A
5. Multiplayer
Great. I’ve only just finished the campaign this week (and unlocked all the campaign trophies barring the elite one which is halfway through) because of the multiplayer component of KZ2. With my gaming background and having tried the Halo franchise on XBOX360 I was a firm believer that FPS games just didn’t work that well on consoles and that the MP aspect of console versions was weak compared to PC.
That being said KZ2 has a very strong MP component . The release maps are very good and cater for a nice mix of playstyles. The ranking system is addictive, relevant and most importantly enjoyable to play through . There are tons of ribbons to unlock, achievements to obtain and various ability combos to use with your class. Not only that but KZ2 has the iconic Saboteur class which allows the player to steal an opponent’s identity and infiltrate enemy ranks (excellent during Assassination). Add to that an excellent squad system (allowing players to spawn on the leader and with their own voice channel) and there is certainly a very new and fresh feel to KZ2 MP.
Whilst the MP is clearly designed with clans in mind there is one drawback that I have come across while playing which affects non-clan games and players. The limited pool of turrets, spawn points and such for each side means that if you really enjoy playing the engineer class, for example, you may feel somewhat useless if there are too many engineers on your team and you cannot use a turret yourself until one belonging to someone else is destroyed. That mechanic is fine for clan matches, in the interests of balance, but could be frustrating for some players in public play. Overall there’s many, many hours of online fragging enjoyment to be had online with KZ2 MP.
Score: A
KZ2 was the reason that I bought a PS3 and I am happy to say I’m really, really glad that I did. In my opinion, when everything is considered, it is the best FPS I’ve ever played. It falls just short being a truly genre-defining game for me mostly because of the storyline shortcomings but just about everything else is done better in KZ2 than anything I’ve seen before. A definite system seller and a real boost to PS3 owners for future offerings on the system.
LOL @ spencer it just so funny you telling chase to grow up and your avatar has the thumbs up shit is hilarious Torrence avatar is fucking hilarious too he leaves a positive comment and his avatar is flipping us the bird at the same time. ROFLMAO
On a serious note hey Torrence did we leave Beta 2.1 or something i noticed that since yesterday i wasn’t able to add any points to a comment… Did you remove it on purpose? Just wondering…
@Spencer
go get a real 1080p tv
that tube tv is making you cover system sluggishness
@ Da_Dios- LOL yha it is pretty funny.
@chase- Are you for real man? First of all a t.v doesn’t make the controls sluggish or not and for your information I have a very good T.V a 32inch Sharp Aquos full 1080p. Why do you come to thebitbag you are the exact opposite of what the site is about!!!!
@Spencer
why so serious
just joking around
lol
and no im not opposite of what the site is about!
if you say something there always going to be people
who Agree and Disagree
@Spencer
the controller are too heavy for you
ok ok
little Spencer wants auto aim
how about auto lock
how about auto head shots
would that make it better for you
let me call my mommy and ask her 2 wash my clothes
@chase- It is hard to see the humor in that cause i don’t know you so I will take anything you say seriously unless there is lols and rofls and j/k’s b/w
lets this right
let me call my mommy and ask her 2 wash my clothes
that should have been the give away
know me or not
just loosing up
by the way your lcd sucks (LOL)
Don’t take Chase serious Spencer. It’s that simple. I get bombarded sometimes too. I think people are challenging me and I’m always up to it. I still haven’t answered Darkwarrior about why I chose the i7.
thank torrence
tell him
good coverage @ DGC tor
LOL @ torrence yeah Dragon waiting for that one.
Also i see you added the thumbs up/down feature very cool but when i click on it nothing happens… I may be complaining about as your implementing it so pardon if that’s the case
Okay, I think Spencer and I started out on the wrong foot. Let me Explain when I said
“Another thing is when you review you have to think about what the people will like”
It is like if you are reviewing an RTS and you personally HATE RTS’s you aren’t going to give the game a bad score just because you personally hate them; You are going to give it a score that best represents the game. Like with the controls just because you don’t like them doesn’t mean their is something wrong with them. But yes after fully understanding what you meant by “When you write a review it is your opinion, not those of others” I can totally agree with that.
Also thanks for the score change, because when I first read the score I was SHOCKED at the 85% and when I read the review, I was like how did it lose 15% because you didn’t like the story and controls when most of the article you were praising the game. I am sorry if I offended you in anyway and I really do apologize. Thanks again
Ok Spence; I get where you are coming from… like I said before though; it’s your opinion, so I wouldn’t worry too much if people disagree with yours.
P.S.
I know I didn’t make it clear, but when I said
“Agreed with the graphics, having played Crysis myself… the final product didn’t look as good as the trailer, and while K2 looked technically ‘inferior’ the polish and particle effects are so well done that it was an overall better looking game than Crysis.”
I was refering to Crysis not looking as good as it’s trailer. Killzone 2 actually exceeded it’s trailer: which I refused to believe until I got the game in my hands.
I mean to me, Lair still is the best looking and most technically advanced game overall on both consoles, but Killzone impressed me more with it’s relevant technical aspects versus Lair’s power.
Gears 2 is currently my overall favorite game on the 360, probably because the first Gears blew just about every game out of the water graphically when it came out. The gameplay didn’t “wow” me as much because I’ve seen it before from kill.switch… plus the Whole look and feel of Gears comes right from Warhammer 40,000 from the overly thick weaponry, to the extra-padded battle armor, to the chainsaw gun (not only does WH40K have chainswords, but I think I’ve even seen a chainsaw-gun from either a company-affiliated with WH or a fan site).
@deathmammoth- I know what you are saying, but to me the cover system just didn’t work well with the button options you were given, so it lost some points. I wasn’t offended don’t worry.
@pixel-
@Spencer
i have no beef with you
killzone2 sucks lol, yea that’s right i said it….
wtf are u gonna do about it?
@gameraxis
lol
Some of you guys attack like this review is fact, its a opinion. not everybody is going to have the same likes or dis likes. For one I personally love the sixaxis for turning the valves it felt like i was realy turning a valve in real life. The cover system and the controls are perfect you just have to get use to them like every other game thats all. I agree with Torrence i would have gave the game a SS but thats just my opinion not yours, and no one can say or do anything to change that.
@gameraxis
lmfao oh shit that was funny
@Torrence
when are you going to get another Killzone 2 bitbag game going because I think it better for all of us if it wasnt after the Warzone lol people got to get there sleepy. it could be Killzone Thursdays or something like that.
@BLoodY n GriM
i agree with you
@ Torrence,, Your right. You’ve yet to prove anything we have ever argued about. Ive been right just about damn near everything. Even the shit we talked about in Warzone 5. Yea I was one of the first guest on your show, also known as DA SHREDDER. I said that COD5 will be the most played game , and guess what? It still is. You said,, no no no, Gears will stomp COD5, and anything else that comes. Is that game even in the top 5 on Live? Major Nelson said it wasn’t so I guess I will just listen to him.
BTW, I emailed you asked to join your Clan in Killlzone, but I got no reply. No big deal considering your not even in the same league as me. Have any of you even reached max rank yet? Ive been maxed since the first week. It was really easy. I know you are busy and all even though you didn’t get to go to GDC. Maybe you got some time to get good?
P.S. Dont get upset, Im totally fucking with you. Also, Im waiting eagerly for your reply about the i7. Get to work.
@ Spencer Thompson: i’m glad to see that at least the score was adjusted. as an editor i would have expected you to know your scoring system better than myself and others, but hey, everyone makes mistakes i guess.
“You seem like your one of the guys who goes to ign just to look at the reviews and complain about them same goes for jmd749″ don’t sound like a presumptuous git, because someone thinks your review wasn’t good. what the fuck do you know about my review reading habits? and don’t take what people say about your reviews so personally.
and torrence, you sure act two faced with your comments at times. first you say “I can’t believe this only got an A. It would have received an SS from me.” then you go on to say “I HATE game reviews. HATE THEM!” and then “Welcome to The Bitbag Spenny!
” as to suggest that the criticisms towards his review are invalid. of course i don’t expect you to berate one of your fellow editors, but at the same time it’s in no-one’s interest to act like nothing’s wrong. afterall, why would you have made a first comment like you did?!
anyways, much love to the bitbag.
@ dragonWarrior
Yeah bro those were some pretty bold claims back then i was think more that cod4 and cod5 would be in to much competition to de-throne Gears 2. But you were right so props to ya!
@ torrence (his very first comment)
what about zelda: twilight princess? isnt that a game this gen that deserves SS?
oh wait, you didnt play that game.
TY Dios.