Editor's Note: I was talking to a buddy online about the recent Killzone 2 demo, take in mind this friend of mine is a massive Xbox 360 fanboy, and to my surprise he loved the Killzone 2 demo. I asked him to write up an article detailing his experience with the upcoming PS3 exclusive, that opinion/editorial is below:
Killzone 2 has been in development for approximately 5 years, and judging by the strength of the demo it was worth the wait and is shaping up to be the true saving grace of the PS3. The demo that exploded onto the European marketplace this past Thursday has incorporated into it a very sleek menu system that is very fitting with the style of the game itself. A nice touch to the games loading screen is a HD image of the scenery featured in different maps that can be tilted and turned in a 3-Dimentional fashion by using the PS3s Sixaxis controller system. This demo has convinced us to go out and purchase a Playstation 3 immediately, which will compliment the Xbox 360's in our gaming cabinets quite nicely, especially with a game like Killzone 2.
The demo itself is set at the very beginning of the full games campaign mode, where your character “Sev” an ISA soldier and his team mates including “Garza” and “Rico” crash land onto the planet Helghan. Landing approximately 200m short of their Landing Zone they are thrown directly into a heated battle taking place on a planet consumed by all out war. After a short yet very pretty cut scene of the crash landing the team must fight their way through a beach and a warehouse to the original LZ. Although the demo is short (about 10 – 15min of play time) it is packed full of staggeringly realistic experiences which will leave you speechless and wanting to play over and over again, at one point a man right next to me in the advance was blown across the beach and another man had been set on fire by some kind of explosive, after about 10 seconds I realised that I had just completely stopped in the middle of a warzone in complete awe of these events and the hectic battle going on around me and had to collect myself and continue on the advance toward the enemy. This opening scene also showcases the amazing graphical advances which have shattered boundaries which previous FPS games have merely pushed month by month since the start of this gaming generation, truly showing what the Playstation 3 really has to offer when pushed to what we can only imagine are its limits.
Once the beautiful cut scene ends and you are thrown into the deep end of this fierce battle against the Helghast it plays similar to most modern top-notch First Person Shooters but with the little differences that FPS games have been needing for a long time, such as intelligent enemy A.I., a first person cover system and realistic animations such as the many different animations that occur when a Helghan soldier is gunned down and falls to the ground dead. In fact the many small differences, which we as gamers have been craving, are what really separates this game from previous shooters, the only disappointing similarity is the lame jokes and corny dialogue.
The chaotic environment really leaves you with a feeling of participation in this war as wherever you look there are different actions taking place whether it be dying team mates, explosions, shrapnel flying past your face or collapsing buildings...and believe me that list is by no means exhaustive. The A.I. on both sides is for once very intelligent; your teammates will take cover in strategic positions and fend for themselves, which sometimes leaves you feeling as if you’re playing a co-op game with other humans. The intelligence of the enemy A.I. really shines through as the fearless Helghast constantly advance towards you implementing complex and coordinated flanking manoeuvres with their team mates, they will also attempt to distract you with grenade blasts to cover their swift approaches onto your teams position.
There are 5 weapons that you can find and use during the course of the demo each as deadly as the last and each with their own strengths and weaknesses in different types of combat. The 2 assault rifles are the M82-G which is the standard rifle for all ISA infantrymen, the M82-G looks to be modelled off the M4 assault rifle but with a bullpup design. The standard assault rifle for the Helghan forces is the STA-52 LAR, there are also the M4 Revolver which is the standard ISA side arm and the Helghast STA 14 which closely resembles the M14 semi-automatic rifle. Last but not least is the M80, an ISA rocket launcher with devastating effects on any man or structure on the receiving end of its rocket propelled round.
Killzone will become most certainly a game to be remembered, taking a huge step up and demolishing most boundaries set by previous FPS games and showing the true power and potential of the Playstation 3. The retail version of the game hits stores in Europe and North America on the 27th of February 2009, expect a full review/feature later this month as we think this is a game all gamers should play, it's that good.
👍
Can't wait 
was due for release.
