Product Description

Two years after the Helghast assault on Vekta, the ISA are taking the fight to Helghan. Their goal: to capture the Helghast leader, Emperor Visari, and bring the Helghast war machine to a halt. You assume the role of Sev, a battle-hardened veteran and a member of the special forces unit known as the Legion.

For Sev and his squad, the invasion of Helghan is just beginning. Tasked with securing Pyrrhus, the Capital City, they quickly discover that the Helghast are a formidable enemy on their home planet. Not only have they adjusted to the planet's hostile conditions, they have also harnessed a source of power they can now use against the ISA.

Sev and his squad aren't just fighting the enemy forces - their fiercest opponent is the planet itself.

Welcome to Helghan, soldier!

• Experience realistic, highly atmospheric environments that respond dynamically to the violent conditions on Helgha
• Witness the devastating effects of Helghan's climate as it forces you and your enemies to adapt to new tactics
• Face off against fearsome enemies who have learned to wield the hostility of Helghan itself against their opponents
• Operate new and exotic weapons and vehicles, in addition to trusty Killzone classics like the M82-G and the StA-52 LAR

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #147 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2009-09-18
• Platform: PLAYSTATION 3
• Format: Unknown format
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Customer Reviews

Kills One Two
Killzone 2 had a lot to prove; moreso than any game should reasonably have to. The one key genre the PlayStation family has always been lacking in has been the first-person shooter, and ever since its prequel was first unveiled in 2003, it had been unfairly labeled as the 'Halo killer' the console so obviously lacked. However, it was not to be, since the finished game was an enjoyable but unpolished and unrefined effort which required another six months in development to smooth out all the creases. So, Killzone 2 came with excess baggage in the form of roughly half a decade's hype and expectation, not to mention thousands of fanboys' hopes and the chance for Sony to really make a stamp on a genre which has until now largely eluded them.

The most notable gameplay element is how slow and leaden your character Sev feels compared to other FPS. Movement is slow and deliberate, jumps are shallow and realistic, and generally you feel like an encumbered, heavy, battle-ready soldier. Further, like the first game the feeling of inertia pervades throughout, with the sense of motion and place more pronounced than any other FPSs - you sway as you throw grenades; reloads are slow, deliberate and realistic; explosions shake the screen -- it all creates something which feels much more tangible and cohesive than almost any other game in the genre.

Because of this, gameplay is slower than most of its peers, requiring you to stick to cover, chose your targets carefully and flank your enemies. In gameplay terms it's probably closer to Rainbox Six Vegas or Gears of War than most, as progress can be slow and very deliberate, and firefights usually take place from behind cover. Running and gunning will only make you a bullet sponge - particularly since the Helghast are clever & agressive, and will flush you out with grenades and perform their own flanking manoeuvres, and on the harder difficulty levels really test your abilities with some punishing AI.

The weapons are magnificent, looking and sounding like brutal tools of death. Detail on them is tremendously high, showing all manner of intricate functions as the light reflects from polished chrome. The weapons feel realistic, plausible and genuinely dangerous: these guns spit lead, not lazers or plasma. However, this *is* sci-fi after all, so a few small liberties have been taken with some, but for the most part the arsenal feels surprisingly grounded and evoke memories of 2006 release, Black.

The visuals are incredible, and almost certainly the most attractive graphics ever seen in any console game. It's not just the sheer weight of polygons in which Killzone 2 succeeds either; it's the little touches and effects. Dust clouds, water and lens flares have never looked better, and explosions are viciously glorious. Character models are superb; in particular the increasingly iconic look of the Helghast and their trademark glowing red eyes. Thankfully there are more variations on enemies this time around, with clear differences and differing uniforms between the various Helghan ranks, such as standard troopers, snipers and officers.

Complimenting the visuals perfectly is an accomplished soundtrack and superb audio effects, which really help create the feel of a large-scale battle. Friends and foes shout and scream, bullets ping and impact all around and explosions happen on both sides of the field almost continuously; all of which help the firefights feel that much more immersive and involving. The soundtrack is a sweeping orchestral score with a choir in place, and is a very strong soundtrack which sets the scene nicely for the coming conflict.

Unfortunately the script and voicework is considerably less accomplished. The principal characters are all typical military grunts whose personalities don't extend beyond shouting "look out" and various profanities, and it's a shame a bit more effort wasn't put into developing them - in particular squad leader Rico is despicable and foul-mouthed, and you wouldn't mind seeing him meet an unsavoury end. The first game wasn't very good at making you empathise with the characters and this game is unfortunately no better in this regard. Likewise, the plot is interesting but it's never examined in any kind of depth - we never find out why the Helghast invaded Vekta, why they hate the rest of humanity or where this interstellar racial tension came from. It's a shame as the premise is pretty unique - mankind fighting a bitter, dark version of itself - but background on the potentially interesting plot is never explained, which feels like a missed opportunity.

The multiplayer is arguably the focal point of the game, and it has turned out really well. There are five match types to be played (which range from team deathmatch to VIP), with up to 32 players per match. The levels vary from small, intense corridor-based arenas to massive-scale outdoor areas, catering for all manner of weapons across the field. The games are generally fast and furious, however, compared to the Modern Warfares or Battlefields out there, it's a lot slower-paced and tactical, with a strong emphasis on unit types and team work. Servers are always busy, and generally it's one of the best multiplayer games on the console.

Criticisms have been leveled with regard to its lack of originality, which is a fair point. However, if the refinement and polish of existing ideas to create something spectacular (but admittedly at times generic) is your ideal, then this delivers in abundance. The greatest shortcoming is probably its lack of any kind of co-op modes - the fact you are always with at least one AI buddy and many of the tasks revolve around the aspect of more than one person, it feels ideal for online co-op so its omission is a shame. It's not helped that allies' AI seems lesser than your enemies'. Further, hopefully future iterations will boast better scripting and characterisation.

Killzone 2 is a tremendously solid game. It doesn't re-invent the wheel, but Hell; round ones work just fine anyway. Guerrilla Games have actually lived up to the massive potential and delivered one of the best shooters of the last couple of years. It's not perfect and there are a few things which could do with a bit more care for the next game but nonetheless, this is one of the most beautiful, explosive and entertaining shooters of the console generation so far.

Exceeded my expectations
After reading all the reviews, I expted this game to everything I hate about FPS.
A slow moving caracter, Dark decors etc...
However youhave plenty of freedom of movement.
I played for about 30 minutes and was about to drop the remote and leave, but then thought I'll carry on a bit more. I just couldn't stop playing :)
for platinum game price, well worth it.
I never play online as some players live in these virtual worlds and have no chance to enjoy yourself, but the single campaign is brilliant.

Good but not great
Finally moved onto a Playstation 3 and this game came with it. This is the first game I have played on the new console.

First thing I would say to anyone in my position is to make sure you go out and get an HDMI cable for your PS3 as the one thing I can't argue with is the graphics- pretty amazing.

There are however many things that annoy me about this game

1) I feel like I'm being led through a path rather than exploring ways of resolving the fighting on my own initiative. Your constantly being screamed at by one of your squad to either hurry up , take cover or come over here.

2) The game seems to 'catch' occasionally . It's only a minor thing but if the system isn't up to it then make the demands so high? part of the catching is to do with the ongoing loading as you go along to which I offer the same question.
it all feels just the slightest bit buggy and i can't help but feel that lets the game down a bit.

3) The vignette- there's this irritating vignetting effect on the corners of the screen.

4) Weapons selection seems a little pointless and with the exception of some obviously strategically placed rocket launchers to deal with ATAC's I can't see why I would want , for example, swap my fully loaded '82 for a random dead guys '52 with only 45 rounds in it?

5)While the landscapes are very well rendered, most of it is just there as window dressing. You can't really interact with it or explore it. Also , after a while one bombed out dystopian, industrial landscape looks prettymuch like another and I find myself just switching off to it. There isn't a real feeling of where you are on planet Helgast( or whatever )and you just seem to jump from one micro theatre of war another in a very disjointed way whcih, when combined with the patchy storyline, leaves you feeling detached from the game.

6)Swinging weapons around is far, far too slow and if like me you try to do so when in zoom mode, the chances are you will get blasted to bits before you can put a bead on your enemy.

7) The whole FP feel of walking around feels very basic, almost like an early Doom game.

There are however a few redeeming features of this game

1) if having tight combat sitautions where you enjoy a bit of 'spray and pray' then your going to love this one. The gun noises are great, the enviroments hostile and suitably oppressive and the badies go down heavy with much satifying slattering of claret to boot.

2) there's very much a feel of Aliens 2 about the Alpha squad in both dialogue and general feel. If lock n load, modified body armour and a desultory atitude to
authority does it for you then your going to fit in well with the musclebound, iron-jawed, battlescarred grunts.

Conclusion:

Yep, i like this game and can see where it's coming from in the sense that it's a pretty hardcore gunfest but doubt it's depth. Can't have it all I suppose