Knowing about Killzone for some time, and knowing that it has been called Sony’s “Halo killer”, it’s only natural that players expect certain things. That said, it’s obvious that Killzone has a lot to live up to, whether or not it can be considered fair.

Killzone isn’t a Halo killer, but it’s a damn good game nonetheless. In fact, it’s definitely one of the PS2’s definitive shooters, thanks to solid controls, some interesting mechanics, fun weapons, decent storyline, and excellent online play.



What makes Killzone unique is its ability to play as four different characters, each with abilities that cause the player to run through the game differently. Although cliché, the characters are different enough to warrant several different plays of select levels. You have your all-around guy, Templar, whom you start the game with, and he can use virtually any weapon and is fairly speedy enough to get the job done, whatever it may be; the stealthy agent Luger, who can move silently, crawl through narrow tunnels, and even has access to thermal vision,and can stealth kill opponents; Rico, the heavy weapons specialist, who can’t move very fast (even when sprinting) and can’t leap over short walls, but carries a gun so devastating that it hardly matters (and you can shoot rockets with it!); and finally there’s Hahka, a Helghast defector who can move through Helghast traps undetected and can also reprogram enemy drone bots. No matter which agent you play as, the level progresses a bit differently, though the differences aren’t as big as you’d expect. Sometimes there is a branching path, often leading to a weapon unattainable by the rest of your squad. More often than not though, you are simply treated to a different way through the level, which admittedly, is more than many shooters offer in terms of level design.

This variety comes much needed though, as Killzone is a highly scripted shooter. Events and enemy ambushes happen on cue, not on their own. And in most cases, those situations come at the same time. For example, you’ll have a shootout with a handful of enemies, and after you clear the area, you’ll run for a few steps before you stumble onto the next bunch. Enemies often load into the game after you scour a specific area too, so just because you thoroughly explored a structure doesn’t mean that an enemy won’t appear there just as you leave, because more than likely, it will. And while it can throw you off guard, thereby keeping the tension high, it defeats the purpose of any sort of exploration within the level.

Killzone is a lengthy adventure, and though it’s pretty exciting going solo, the addition of co-op play would’ve been nice, especially considering that there are four characters to choose from. Your squad mates go with you on your travels throughout the game, but even though there are moments when they show some intelligence, they spend most of their time watching you fight, which can be frustrating when you’re getting bombarded by enemies. Oddly, they are impervious to any and all damage, except when you’re controlling them.

At times though, enemy AI can be very smart, lobbing grenades when they see you but they aren’t in range for a firefight. They often lead you into ambushes, and they know how to use their guns. But some Helghast soldiers still find their way into the middle of a fire fight and just stand in place, refusing to take cover, making the AI seem more hit-and-miss than it really is, which is a shame.



While the controls are fairly ergonomic, melee attacks can only be done via the Action button when you are close enough to an enemy. Jumping over obstacles are done the same way, and it’s annoying most of the time, seeing as how many of the levels are set up with plenty of debris for you to either leap over or walk around. In many cases walking around the obstacles is the time saver as waiting for the leap icon to appear before a barrier is just plain irritating. Furthermore, some things can be leaped over and others can’t, despite looking like or being the exact same thing.

Online play is a blast, and Killzone comes with a bevy of modes to play in, including the standard deathmatch and team deathmatch modes. There is Supply Drop, a capture the flag-style game where you and your teammates must locate supply drops in the battlefield and take them back to your base for points. The Assault mode is fun as well, where you must destroy your enemy’s generators, and each team takes turn every round going from offense to defense. Defend and Destroy is an Assault variant where both teams have generators and each have to destroy the others while defending their own. And finally, Domination is basically two teams fighting over control of key switches on the battlefield. Up to 16 players can join in these games, which offer full headset support and other community options. More content is promised for the future as well; a good thing, since Killzone only comes with 8 multiplayer maps packed in.

Offline multiplayer is fun too. Though limited to just two players, you can fill each game and map with up to 14 bots (15 if you play by yourself).

In terms of talking weapons, which makes first-person shooters so fun to play, Killzone thankfully come packed full of ferocious firearms that range from good to awesome. Even the simple combat knife can be fun to use, and each of the guns comes with the necessary oomph when firing off round after round, which proves critical to the game’s feel. There are 27 weapons in all. 21 of them range from pistols to shotguns, machine guns and grenade launchers; 5 different kinds of gun emplacements, and disappointingly, only one type of hand grenade. To the good though, it's worth noting that most of the game's weapons feature secondary firing features.

Graphically, Killzone is a sight to behold, sporting some of the PS2’s best texture detailing in both the models and the environments. At times, the graphics are incredible, looking better than most shooters on competing platforms. The gritty, war-torn atmosphere is more present in the visuals than anywhere else in the game, and the gorgeous environments are teeming with life and substance. The jungle environments in particular, look sensational, with the most realistically drawn vegetation in a shooter yet. The effects are astounding as well, most especially in the smoke effects that spray from explosions. They dissipate slowly, and remnants of the explosions hang in the air for several moments after the blast.

Unfortunately, the framerate doesn’t stay consistent, and even its smoothest runs can be a choppy affair, though the game is always playable. All of the detail crammed into the game also results in a fairly short draw distance, especially on the outside jungle levels. In these instances, you’re simply cloaked in fog. Sometimes texture details will pop into view (especially on character models) just as you close in on them, and the environments are peppered with a few visible seams, but the problem isn’t significant, and in some cases, barely noticeable.



The sound department sports some epic musical scores that, despite sounding a bit familiar at times, nevertheless get the job done. The music matches the feel of the battlegrounds, whether you’re quietly sneaking down a dimly-lit hallway or raging through a chaotic battle in a war-torn cityscape. The voice-overs are equally well done, though the predictable character personalities show themselves in the script, making the story a bit cliché, despite being more than good enough to keep things rolling along.

Killzone is a great single- and multiplayer shooter – so good that it could easily be the best entry in the genre for PS2 owners. A few more months of polish could’ve been just what the game needed to truly reach the level of greatness that players hoped for though. As it stands, Killzone is an exciting game; one that just barely missed the bulls eye, but is well on its way to being a groundbreaking shooter franchise.







Article By: Brendon Hivner