UGO: Killzone 2 Review

Killzone 2 is a tale of two cities. There's the campaign, which is a fine but forgettable jaunt through a series of FPS clichés. And then there's the multiplayer, which is a slick, addictive experience that's not to be missed. In the end it just depends on what you're looking for.

[Timberland2K9]

B+ thats like a 8.5 bull there hating hard because they praise COD

Killzone 2's looking like its gonna drop to about 9.2 or possibally 1
sad to hear

haters its still the best fps now

[MegaMohsi]

Actually, there are plenty of high scores incoming to match anything under AAA so I can see this game ending up 93-94 unless it starts getting more perfect scores

[Chris399]

Sad, but true. I love all the praise on one hand, followed up by petty criticisms. The number of comparisons to Gears and Halo in all the material that I've read over the past few days, are hilarious as well.

What was Halo critiqued against? The graphics and story, by most reviewers standards, were clean but unimpressive. The multi-player was fun. Does this somehow amount to gaming perfection at almost every NA media outlet?

Hardly. The hype and marketing surrounding the title, on the other hand, was definitely a "10".

People are just bitter that GG actually came through on their promise to deliver a cinematic, war-opera. They didn't claim to re-invent the wheel, though they did impliment some interesting features - more realistic weight/ physics and weapon handling to name a few.

All that aside, most of the critics in this industry are unethical, unprofessional bloggers who fancy themselves journalists with no real credibility to back up their talk. They're no different than you or I, except that someone has seen fit to give them a wider audience to voice their nonsense.

So their opinions don't matter to me anyhow.

P.S. I think Heavenly Sword and Folklore were awesome. Oh, and I liked Bullet Witch too. Critics be damned.

[BlindMonkey]

Obviously its omega4 thats submitting this article....

[gaffyh]

"There's the campaign, which is a fine but forgettable jaunt through a series of FPS clichés." - Wtf is wrong with these reviewers, every FPS out, apart from Portal, is a series of FPS cliches, but they don't get criticised for it.

F***ing biased reviewers, I know the score is good, but saying stuff like that is and giving a good score is an underhanded insult imo.

[thor]

They are simply giving their opinion. Unfortunately, their opinion has been swayed in the negative direction because of the hype. Had this game come out of the blue, it would be praised no end. Had it come out before CoD4, it would have been praised no end. That's why I prefer reviews not to give a score. Based on what I've heard, the mechanics of the game are fundamentally more FUN than CoD4. And in that way, it is a better game than CoD4. But because it's come out later, and because of the hype, the bar's been raised since then, really, really high.

[Mindboggle]

GUYS !!! Put down the pitchforks its just some loser on a blog. (Ugo has a blogging feature). UGOs official review is yet to come. This wont get added to the metacritic score.

Typical Omega4 to post crap as news

[Sayai jin]

You guys crack me up, you are getting upset over a B+ review. I know everyone that supports this game wants to see the best reviews come out.
Is a B+ score really gonna stop you from buying this game. It will not stop me. It is receiving pretty solid and consistent scores. It is shaping up to be a huge hit.

For those of you that are saying it is a Bias site or that you never heard of this site before. Well if they would have gave it a A or A+ would it have been bias then? There are a lot of off the wall site posting reviews and most of them have been AAA.

@Chris399-Why would the American media want to stop this game from doing well? GG is an American company. There is not a conspiracy against Sony in America. Sure you have rabid fanboys out there in the media, but they are not the majority. You did exactly what you said bothered you, you mentioned Halo when talking about KZ2. KZ2 will stand on it's own. If they were made by the same company I could understand comparing them. Gears is a 3rd person shooter so...Good to see that you stand by your own opinion though.

For all others reading, the only opinion that matters should be your own.

[sak500]

What haters? Whoever other than the N4g sony lovers plays and gives it less than 9.999 score is automatically hater. If you are in love with your console that's another thing, people outside your bubble actually have lives and are not living for video games.

Whats so special about this fps? Good looking thats it? People are playing it and reviewing it. It will get bad score also so no need to jump off the bridge, its a game.

[SL1M DADDY]

Regardless of how good or bad the scores are for games like KZ2, I follow my own instincts and rent or in the case of KZ2, I buy it then go with my own opinion. Reviews these days are a loss and in most cases are the scorn of games that should and deserve far more recognition than they receive. Not to mention that in some cases, games that don't deserve it get more attention than they should.

[Chris399]

Your belief that rabid fanboys are a MINORITY in the gaming media is asinine.

The majority of the gaming media are composed of people without a journalistic background or an understanding of a code of ethics. Our entire media is composed of opinion pieces, and everyone has a preference. Most writers are too inept/ inexperienced to report without a bias or without revealing their own.

Almost every review of KZ2 has mentioned Halo and/ or Gears - you'd be hard pressed to find one that DOESN'T. I'm not creating these references out of thin air, nor putting them into word of mouth circulation. The MEDIA IS.

Oh, and further compounding your ignorance, GG is a EUROPEAN BASED COMPANY. They're from Amsterdam, Texas... Just kidding! Amsterdam is in Holland (more formally known as "The Netherlands"; geography is your friend.

[Sayai jin]

@Chris399- No need for name calling or hostility. I thought I read some where that GG was US based, So I was incorrect.

Like I mentioned before fanboys do exist in the media, but they are the minority. They usually post in blogs, but are not isolated to just that. Media, what is media. Until this gen the gaming media were mostly professional. Now a days you have every Tom, &ick, and Harry calling the self media. So do not get the the two confused. True the internet has given everyone a voice, so there are those out there. If your theory that there Fanboy journalist are out there than unbiased journalist, then you would have very skewed reviews and so forth. Now opinions will vary. You said it yourself, bloggers. They are not media, but do have a voice.

Gears and Halo has been mentioned in reviews and compared over and over. Do you know why. Some of the media is playing on the fanboy following of both systems to insure their site/article gets a huge amounts of hits. Hell this whole gen has been this way.

Geography, is everyone friend. I know where Amsterdam is. I have been there numerous times, since now I live in Germany. I have traveled the world from the US, Japan, China, Russia, Spain, South America, Australia, New Zealand, etc so these place are more than just locations on the map.

Oh, So the American media has a conspiracy against either Sony and/or GG, right? Then the same would go for MS against the rest of the World's media. No.

[Chris399]

In no other news media outlet would a blog have voice or access to the inner workings of their industry.

For example, I'm sure that there were a lot of political advocates with blogs who weren't able to attend the private Obama press summit. Despite their overwhelming excitement, these people were just not qualified enough to be present. They aren't better or worse than anyone else, just not in possession of the necessary journalistic skills/ experience.

The majority of our media (gaming) is composed of hobbyists - like you and I. These people do not have journalism or even English degrees. Do you need a degree to be a journalist? Certainly not. Should you have experience in writing articles, working with the press and exercising integrity? Of course. Would a degree in journalism and/ or English help? Certainly, usually that sort of training carries with it a wealth of experience from personal ethics to decorum to proper interviewing practices.

In the end, it's great that these "journalists" like games, but does that make them qualified to broadcast their opinion?

I, myself, am chatty and outspoken and have written small published works before; yet I do not feel qualified to call myself a journalist nor to post my opinions anywhere except for here. I have the sense to know that just because I enjoy something I AM NOT NECESSARILY TRAINED OR COMPETENT ENOUGH TO DO SO PROFESSIONALLY. (Not yelling, just stressing a point, as there is no "italics" option :) )

Anyhow, I'm not going to continue to argue semantics. The general consensus is that aside from a few reputable news agencies, the majority of the gaming press is saturated with juvenile, blog-spun, fan-boy fueled articles and bickering over frame-rates, AA and install times.

In comparison to the mainstream media - which is a ridiculous circus in and of itself - the gaming media is an absolute joke.

Sheesh, that was long. Opinions are fun, we all have different ones :) Respect to you and whatever you choose to believe.

Cheers,
- C

[SAiOSiN]

last time i checked b+ is an 89. accoridng to metacritic its an 83

[Sasanova]

aaah so its inbetween...which would make it an A...so why not just give it A

[DeZimatoR]

Yep...

[M-Easy]

Never heard of them anyway.

[Daigoji_Gai]

The new 1up? No, we are still UGO.

Cheers ;)

[SupaPlaya]

That review just made me do a 360 (use your imagination what that meant)

Wow, all that negatives and no points off... The fact that match making is broken... Just look at how many points SOCOM got knocked off for having server issues. Speechless. I'm sure Gears 2 is a great game, but having all these issues and giving it an A+ is like Obama giving free passes to all the senators that fail to pay their taxes (until now of course). WTF is up with the double standard. And this guy is getting paid for this? Get the hell out.

Do these "journalists" have any real world education? Degree requirements? Code of ethics? I'm sure bias like this exists for any platform/brand, it's no wonder why there are so many bitter fanboys out there. Reviews like this certainly doesn't help.

[XtreemGamer]

The best FPS,that is no question...

[happyface]

seems to be getting worse reviews than Halo 3

Glad to see Halo is still king

[Mindboggle]

Uh Halo hasnt been the king since COD4 came out

[Rise Of The Bad Guy]

UGO aka 1up,trying to be the bad ass of the class.

It's a good thing I filtered out the scum/the majority of the American press,all the reviews I'm seeing are AAA.

[Daigoji_Gai]

Just an opinion from one of our writers, no need to call us scum. ;)

Cheers.

[DutyCalls]

the american press has a real credibility issue
is not just the reviews, what about the eternal dooms articles for anything Sony related?
little kids with keyboards and access to the internet is what they are

[Mr Fancy Pants]

Killzowned!

[MassErect2]

B+?

OVERRATED

[Rims]

silly little man.

[sugard0]

It must be over 9! The scores go from A+ to F- right? So B+ must be 8.8 or something.

[sugard0]

Daigoji_Gai what do you think B+ would be in a 10/10 scoreboard? Redeem yourself as this seems pretty flamebait being as though you keep commenting and make sure this N4G article stays alive.

[Stryfeno2]

Good score but not good enough. For 5 yrs in the works KZ2 should not be getting any lower than an A- IMO.

[dukadork2]

you're drooling

[Mr Fancy Pants]

What do you expect? Killzone 2 isn't a multiplat tittle nor an X360 exclusive... But Killzone 2 certainly proved something. The PS3's more powerful than the box. Now we can forget about that aspect and start debating about the online and other things don't you think?

PS3's the most powerful console this gen. -fact

Besides, more recognized websites like GamePro and IGN already scored KillZone 2 with scores above 9...

[DavidMacDougall]

Too Human 10 years in the works < Killzone 2 5 years

[StrikingDmc4]

how would this prove ps3 is more powerful than the box name one game on the 360 that has been worked on the 360 for over 3 yrs ill tell u none

[cereal_killa]

TooHuman, Alan Wake, and not sure about Splinter Cell but I bet thats about a little over 3 years.

[gambare]

liek teh 10 year development flop named Infinite undiscovery? those kind of games flop because are 360 exclusives IMO

[StrikingDmc4]

too human wasnt developed on the 360 for over 3 yrs and alan wake was also not developed on the 360 for over 3 years

[Rims]

He must love haloz in 640p.

[The Judderman]

Im onto really online much fot multiplayer but am still interested in the campaign.
If the demo is good then it will still probably get my cash.

[DutyCalls]

must have had an orgasm when he saw this article
pathetic loser

[DarK-SilV]

I am still waiting for gamespot review,I think they will give it a 9

[Dark General]

This is about what i was expecting to read. A average single player with a great online component. The picture is starting to come together on Killzone 2 reviews. Basically everyone loves the multiplayer. Some people like the single player while others think it's nothing too special.

[zaz12]

it is 94 on metacritics, the 8s are not included till now so it will go down.

but who cares IGN,Eurogamer and even gamedaily gave it 9 and above and thats good.

[Sir Ken_Kutaragi]

A+/A+ ;)

[tudors]

I would love to see a game like Half life use the KZ2 engine, Half Life is a AAA franchise, KZ2 may not be on the same level gameplay wise but if KZ2 was on the scale of Half Life with the RPG element and with all it's technical achievments then you have a serious game on your hands,not saying it isn't already but I would love to see KZ2 take the FPS/RPG route.

[Yomiro]

it's obvious from the outset that Guerrilla Games never intended for its sequel to reinvent the FPS wheel.

However, considering the worth of a lengthy campaign offering genuine challenge, thrilling local multiplayer with A.I. bots, and a layered online multiplayer component that's likely to be PSN's main point of attraction for the foreseeable future, it's clear Killzone 2 has taken the ever-so popular wheel, slapped a gorgeous chrome rim on it, drastically reduced its tyre profile, and applied a sense of balance never before felt on a wheel. Why then would anyone want to reinvent the wheel when the damn wheel never looked so good or rolled so well?

[BrianC6234]

Those UGO clowns must be Xbots or something. This review is horrible. I see they found a way to give Halo 3 all A's.

[Ldubbz]

Oh no! UGO didnt give out a perfect score to a game that nobody has played yet! THOSE BASTARDS!!!

Some of u need to lighten up. Its funny how the crap swings both ways...with Halo 3, there were plenty of bad reviews, not to mention a complete snubbing from many GOTY awards. And this is a game that just sold over 9 million copies in little over a year.

So now we have K2, which besides being quite the looker, doesnt seem to do anything very different from the other major shooters out there. Not saying whether thats bad or good, but I fail to see how people should get so wrapped up in a game that is all hype; its a sequel to a 5-year old shooter that was forgettable. So of course this game has plenty to prove.

Its not a Gears, Halo, or COD. All proven franchises that have pushed forward shooters on consoles from the outset, and have all sold millions of copies in the process. Though so many of u claim to LOVE this game, you haven't actually played it. So just chill....

[Omega6]

Oh look that fahg Omega4 who stole my name put that up.
what a homo, got a lot a spare time eh?

[dawq112]

So they gave gears 2 and halo 3 an A, but killzone 2 a B+.
This is bull.