Like every other PS3 owner, Killzone 2 got me very excited in the days, weeks, even years up until its release. But in the end was that angst worth it?
After the playing through the single player twice in one day, (once on medium and once on the hardest level), and having since spent my fair share of time on the multiplayer, I’m left feeling a little let down.
Not to the degree that Far Cry 2 let me down. That game was probably the biggest flop in gaming history. Hell, the things they pushed hard as selling points turned out to be the worst parts. The fire sucked, in other words. You would set fire to a tree, and after a minute, the leaves would disappear, but the fire would stay where they had once been. And the open world just meant that it took for ever to get around. But anyway, back to Killzone.
A lot of the things that let me down with Killzone weren't game killers, but there were so many of them, that combined, they added up into something worth mentioning.
First of all, the graphics were supposed to be the best we'd ever seen. And they were, except for the particle effects such as fire, which lacked in detail, and also, if you've played Crysis, you'll know what I mean when I say they aren’t the best ever, only best ever on console.
The single player was too short, too linear, and even too hard. Although I and many others steamed through the game in less than 7 hours, the final mission had very spaced out save points, making it extremely hard to get through to the next save point.
The online has been hailed by many as the best seen in recent years. This simply is not the case. Don’t get me wrong, the online was certainly fun, but there are just as certainly many issues with it. Kill lag plagues the game, as does grenade spamming, and the respawn menu. In Resistance 2, if you'd like to respawn you wait 5 seconds, press X and you respawn, and only if you wish to change kit will you be asked to. In Killzone 2, if you'd like to respawn without re-selecting your kit, then too bad. You have to wait your 10 seconds (too long in such a fast paced game), press X several times, wait for the sluggish controls to wake up, select your kit, change menu screen, and click respawn. Just one question, WHY?
This is not to say the game is bad, the nuclear explosion towards the end was one of the greatest moments I’ve experienced in any game. Both online and single-player are very fun games, and there is enough there to play the campaign at least twice. Graphics and Audio is console leading, and the six-axis controlled sniper-rifle is a joy to use once you get the hang of it.
In summing up, its well worth buying this title if you own a PS3 already, but it isn't worth buying the console just to play this game. I sincerely hope they make a Killzone 3 and 4 even, I just hope they fix the issues with the current multiplayer first.
