Review - Killzone 2 (single player)

The Halo killer. The Resistance dethroner. The Call of Duty ouster. Some (or maybe just one) of these phrases have been used by the gaming press to prescribe Killzone 2, the latest showcase title on Playstation 3, but does the second zone of killing justify all the hype?

Well, the short answer is mostly yes. Killzone 2 could confidently stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the aforementioned console greats, certainly the best on offer on Sony's platform, but you'd have a job picking it out of a line-up. That said, whilst KZ2 doesn't score highly on originality, it makes up for it in quality. The environments that you'll find yourself battling through are beautifully filthy, the enemies are just the right side of challenging and the weapons are varied and fun to use. That won't assuage the strong feeling of deja-vu, though. One tough-talking, space-buckaroo seems much the same as another these days. Understandable then that folks with access to multiple platforms will expect the controls to behave similarly to that of Messrs. Fenix or Chief. I had no such difficulty, but it's been a while since I last applied space-boot to alien posterior.

The only chance that Killzone 2 has of truly setting itself apart then, is with the story. Sadly, the narrative hints at depth and controversy but actually comes across as superficial. Reading between the lines, and perhaps some of the back story that can be found elsewhere, you might catch glimpses of the true profoundness of the Killzone universe. For the majority of players however, the experience will come across as generic. Direct comparisons with other similar titles are unavoidable and despite favorable outcomes on many counts the last to the buffet table misses out on the cheese-and-pineapple-on-sticks.

Overall I found the single player campaign of Killzone 2 to be an enjoyable experience, if a little short. The graphical and audio quality is excellent and the musical score by Joris de Man is outstanding. The Hellghast's cockney accents were a little odd but it gave them a distinctive character. I'm sure this won't be the last we see of the Killzone universe and I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment.