Hype, hype and
more hype. I can barely remember the last time the gaming industry had so much
hype in one year. The year 2004 could well go down as the year that more hype
was generated about the games being released than any other year. It’s amazing
with the games being released in 2004 that any game can live up to the hype that
surrounds it. While the hype for Killzone might not have been as loud as it was
a year ago, there was still a large amount of buzz surrounding the game.
Killzone was supposed to be the PS2’s answer to Halo and push the PS2 to its
limits in terms of graphics and gameplay. As gamers have learned so far this
year, not every game lives up to its hype but sometimes we are still left with
entertaining games that shouldn’t be overlooked.
The story of
Killzone revolves around the struggle between the ISA and the Helghast. The
Helghast have always felt themselves to be the shunned and forgotten race when
compared to the members of the ISA. The Helghast’s have finally had enough and
launch an attack against the ISA. It’s up to you to stop the Helghast at any
cost and save what is left of the ISA before the Helghast take over.
The game is set in
a futuristic setting with a very grim, dirty and destructive view of the world
around you. The Helghast have destroyed almost everything in their path and the
world is in ruin because of the battles being waged. The majority of the stages
depict the world in this horrible manner with bullet holes populating everywhere
and large areas being blown to pieces. The game’s graphics even have a grainy
tone to help represent the horrors of the war. This definitely helps set the
tone and mood of the game nicely by making sure everything isn’t presented in
bright, vivid colors but in dark, brooding tones.
The game plays out
similar to other First Person Shooters but with a dash of scripted events with a
mixture of freedom of movement. It seems the majority of FPS games rely on the
scripted events during the game to set the action and story during the game.
Killzone is no different with the majority of the game playing out during the
scripted events. For example early in the game you have to defend a bunker from
the invading Helghast and your character is restricted to movement inside of the
bunker. So during this part of the game, Killzone is following a linear and
scripted path to keep the game moving and keep the player involved in the game.
But during later missions your limits are lifted somewhat and the entire stage
is now available for exploration. Now this doesn’t mean the game still doesn’t
follow certain scripted events but it at least gives the players more freedom to
try and finish the missions/objectives in different ways.
Before the game
was ever released one of the biggest focus of hype surrounded the graphics.
Gamers were blown away by how amazing the graphics looked on the screenshots
released. Killzone was the game to push the PS2 to the limit in terms of
graphics. That is a true statement but I think the PS2 still needed some help
because the game doesn’t run as smooth as the screen shots indicate. You will
notice the game engine popping up parts of the scenery around you at a moments
notice. The textures of the characters in the game will change several times
while you’re moving near them. The framerate is also slower compared to other
FPS games, probably close to the 30 FPS but with some drops in the 20s when the
action gets intense. But the graphics aren’t a complete waste because the
overall look of the game is well done with the gritty look of the entire game.
I think the developers pushed the PS2 too much or needed more time to work out
the kinks on the game engine. After you play the game for a while you really
won’t notice the problems with the graphics. In fact the graphics have a more
polished look to them than the preview version I played earlier this year.
The game includes
several different multiplayer modes as well, which can be played offline or
online. The multiplayer mode online will allow up to 16 players to play in a
game at one time. The game includes 6 different gameplay modes in multiplayer,
Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Domination, Supply Drop, Assault and Defend and
Destroy. Besides the multiplayer mode the game even includes 4 different
characters that you can use during the game. You start off the game with one
character and unlock the other 3 characters as you finish different stages.
After you’ve beat the game you can then play through the different stages with
the other characters to find areas that you didn’t have access to earlier.
In the end
Killzone is a game that doesn’t live up to the hype but it does offer a nice
package for PS2 owners. This isn’t a Halo killer but then again this isn’t a
Halo type of game. It’s a first person shooter but it is a different type of
game than Halo. Halo has enough hype to worry about and Killzone could very
well fill in the gaps for some gamers. It’s a game that might be rough around
the edges but it still gives gamers plenty of entertainment.
Gameplay 7.9
As I mentioned
earlier this is a FPS (First Person Shooter) which is something the Dual Shock
controller for the PS2 was almost designed for. You control your characters
with the two analog sticks and first with the shoulder buttons. The controls
are smooth and responsive at all times. The AI of the enemies would range from
down right stupid to amazingly intelligent. But I really believe the AI has
more to do with how certain events are scripted then to actual intelligence of
the computer-controlled characters.
For example during
several stages you run in a group of Helghast soldiers that will run straight
towards you. So you can open fire on the soldiers and the majority of the
soldiers would just keep running to you. But other sections of the game where
the enemy is already hiding from you then some of these characters would have
the accuracy of Olympic winning marksman. I would even run into fire from the
enemy even though I was hiding in a bush or behind some type of scenery. After
a while most of the stages did feel the same with the same type of events
happening: The initial rush of soldiers and then the challenge of the skilled
enemies that will take cover and wait for open shots.
I found the best
approach to the game was to take it slow and steady and wait for the events to
unfold. Rushing into a battle was usually the wrong course of action. Even
after you unlock the extra characters they never seem to help you during the
game. The other characters would always be behind you telling you what to do or
to watch out. But you can’t control the other characters during the game and
most of the time you had no idea what they were doing during the game.
Graphics 8.0
This isn’t a fast
paced FPS game. If you take this into consideration then you can probably add a
half a point to the graphics score when you first play the game. But even if
you don’t, you will get use to the slower pace after a while, which fits the
game nicely. If the developers had the game running at a faster pace, I’m sure
the graphics would have been even choppier and uglier. The overall look of the
game was well done with look of the game matching the plot exactly. The grime
and grit of the graphics were a nice touch as well, which adds to the atmosphere
as well. The framerate was steady during most of the game but would take a hit
during some heavy fighting. I also noticed that the graphics on some of the
latter stages were smoother and more polished than the earlier stages.
The majority of
the stages look fantastic with a ton of detail during most of the areas.
However you will run into some areas were some of the textures of the walls and
other surroundings look very bare and basic. But then the next stage will look
astonishing, so it’s a game of hit and miss. Sometimes the graphics are
incredible, while other times the graphics could use another pass by the
artist. The graphics for the characters during the game were a mixed bag as
well. During the first person view the animation of the enemies and your guns
were well done. But once a character would die then the textures of the
character would sometimes change instantly while standing nearby. For example
if I were standing to the left of a character I would see all of the details of
the texture, from the blood to the details of his armor. But if I moved to the
right the textures would change and I wouldn’t be able to see the blood or the
details of the armor.
Sound 7.6
The first item I
noticed about the sound and music was the music playing during the game menus.
I loved the music since it’s based on an orchestra score and it sounds amazing.
It was a great score and fit the overall tone of the game. The sound effects
for the different weapons in the game came across loud and clear. However many
of the gun sound effects sounded similar to each other, except for the larger,
heavier weapons. The voice acting of the characters in the game were well done,
especially during the cut scenes. But I did notice a ton of repetition of the
voices during the stages, especially with the Helghast phrases. After a few
stages the repetition and phrases got old quickly.
Difficulty
Medium
Mark my words now;
take it slow in this game. Even if you are a FPS freak, this game’s difficulty
can get to you but only if you’re reckless. Taking it slow during the game will
help alleviate the difficulty of some of the harder AI moments in the game. If
you see a bunch of Helghast coming towards you, fire off a grenade or look for
cover. What I noticed in the game was the computer would use the least expected
way out of a situation frequently. For example some of the weapons have a
secondary fire option that fires a powerful blast that can cause some serious
damage. It’s a nice feature to use to take out an enemy with one hit, but it’s
a feature the enemy can and will use. The game allows you to select the
difficulty from easy, normal and difficult.
Concept 7.7
A futuristic FPS
shooter isn’t a fresh idea in the gaming world. However the idea and the
storyline was well done in Killzone. It probably won’t win any awards for
originality but it’s enough to keep gamers entertained. The way the game plays
out has been done before but Killzone tries to keep it fresh by including online
play and including some stingy AI. The ability to play the game as one of four
different characters is a nice touch and something that isn’t done that often.
Killzone offers enough but it doesn’t include anything that I would consider
genre breaking or defining.
Multiplayer
8.0
The developers
obviously had online multiplayer in mind for Killzone but didn’t forget about
offline as well. The online and offline multiplayer modes include 6 different
modes: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Assault, Defend and Destroy, Supply Drop and
Domination. Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch are you standard FPS deathmatch
games where you run around and kill as many opponents as you can. Assault is
where the two opposing forces (Helghast and ISA) compete against each other to
defend an objective from the other side. Defend and Destroy is almost the same
as Assault but each side having the same goal of defending an objective. Supply
Drop is where each side competes against each other to determine who can capture
the most supplies. Each supply is a key object that is located on the maps.
Domination is where each side fights to capture key locations on the map in
order to take control of the battlefield. The side that controls all of the key
locations wins the game. Up to 16 players can play in an online match and voice
chat is also supported (but the game is broadband only, sorry dialup users).
The game plays
almost the same in the multiplayer mode as it does in the single player mode,
but with more freedom to run around (and blow people up). This is where the
game engine has a little problem keeping up because the game feels slow during
the multiplayer games (online or offline). The slow frame rate and pace of the
game can make the game feel as if it’s running on low batteries. The pace of
the multiplayer game will probably take some getting use to, especially for FPS
veterans. Also there was still an occasion where I was unable to connect to an
online game. Hopefully this was just a minor issue but it’s been an issue ever
since I tried the online beta test months ago.
Overall 7.8
In closing it’s
hard for anything, be it a game, a movie or an album, to ever live to enormous
hype. Killzone might not live up to the initial hype that was generated but
it’s still an entertaining game. The solid controls, good graphics, and solid
gameplay make up a respectable game that PS2 owners should try out. But the
repetitive sound effects, slow frame rate and occasionally texture problems with
the game engine will have some gamers looking for something else. What I found
really interesting was the fact that I wanted to play the game. I didn’t want
to stop playing, which is usually a sign of a solid game. Sometimes it’s hard
to believe that this game was even released for PS2 but then again it makes me
wonder about the future. What if Killzone is a franchise that keeps going and
is released for the PS3? What type of hype could we generate for that version
of Killzone? Hmm…………….
