Killzone 2

Been playing Killzone 2 here of late, and I have to say it's pretty impressive. Superb graphics and gameplay, along with better AI.

But nothing is perfect. Not being able to truly blind fire from cover, as the AI does, is something of a let down. The lack of secondary fire modes on the weapons is also a black mark in my book. The single player campaign is too damned short, even if the story was actually pretty well done. However, I was expecting that long before I read the first reviews before actual release. Everything revolves around cooking up a first rate online play experience these days. Single player, story driven campaigns take a distant third, if even that.

But overall, it's a GREAT game. And well deserving of the high score it gets in the reviews. Shit, just the part of storming Vasari palace in a nuclear hell alone is enough to justify a high score.

One thing does bug me in relation to the storyline: The watered down capabilities of ISA and Helghast military forces. In the first Killzone (PS2), "secondary fire" weapon modes and high tech, "high horsepower" gear was the name of the game. The Helghast hover vehicles and Rico's nasty chaingun/anti-tank rocket system are two such examples. If you are going to assault, or defend, a high stakes target like Helghan, you would expect the best gear available, right? I suppose that they just wanted to pay homage to Killzone: Liberation (it was part of the Vekta story arc, after all), and make room for cool new toys (like that flamethrower, which is fucking awesome). I really have no real gripe with Guerilla's choices. It just seems a bit weird.

In any case, Killzone 2 will keep yours truly amused for a long time.