by
Ted Kritsonis
Faze
Video Game Editor
There were members of the gaming press who
dubbed Killzone the “Halo killer,” which is terribly
unfair since the developers probably never intended for it
to be anything like Halo. Although Killzone is a typical sci-fi
shooter, it has an interesting story and elements of its gameplay
work well most of the time.
The cutscenes are very well done and do a
great job of setting the stage for each chapter of the story,
and certain influences from past wars, especially World War
II, are made fairly obvious. For starters, the opening cutscene
showing a mysterious leader addressing thousands of troops
neatly lined up in rows is highly reminiscent of the type
of spectacles Adolf Hitler and the Nazis put on in the 1930s
(the 1934 Nuremberg rally comes to mind).
The
basis of the story in Killzone is that humans have colonized
other planets in the Milky Way, but a splinter group called
the Helghast have always been on the sidelines, and moved
from Earth to forge a new society. But after a decade of bulking
up their armed forces and living in squalid conditions, the
Helghast decide to launch a full-out invasion of Earth and
claim it for themselves. As Jan Templar, you’re part
of the ISA (International Strategic Arms), and as I’m
sure you can guess, your job is to help stop the invaders
in their tracks. Your small squad eventually adds a female
sniper and a Helghast deserter, and you have the option of
playing as any of these characters for each mission as the
game progresses.
The opening levels take you right into the
front lines where the Helghast are trying to advance and overrun
your position in the trenches. From there, you fight in war-torn
cities, the jungle and even snow-capped mountains. While the
levels are beautifully designed, they are also incredibly
linear, isolating you into a set path of movement. A game
like Killzone, which emphasizes that an invasion of epic proportions
is going on, would’ve been far better if the levels
were much more of an open concept. As is, you’ll probably
feel a little constrained as to where you can and can’t
go. Another nagging issue throughout the game is the way backgrounds
fill in as you move closer to them. I literally walked into
a tree once because of this.
Since
the massive invasion is the constant backdrop of the story,
seeing some huge battles would’ve been a huge plus for
this game. Instead, we get a situation where you run from
one skirmish to the next, killing small squads of Helghast
before moving on and repeating the same process in the next
mission.
Helghast troops sound like a bunch of demonic
thugs in this game, and you wouldn’t know they were
such a formidable fighting force with how they refuse to fire
at you when in their sights. The AI in this game is less than
stellar, especially among your allies. The Helghast will at
least get tougher as the game goes on, and though your squad
can be capable, other allies you come across are not as reliable.
It was also very odd to see that ISA troops never wore helmets.
All the Helghast would have to do is shoot for the heads of
ISA soldiers and it would be over, but then I guess there
wouldn’t be a game to play.
The single player campaign is a little choppy
thanks to AI and design issues, but the online game is much
smoother. You’ve got your typical deathmatches and other
standard multiplayer games. You won’t get much in terms
of stats, but it is a basic online multiplayer shooting game,
and that should be enough for the casual gamer.
As
much as some things could’ve been better, Killzone is
still a fun game to play and the premise behind it works as
a great story. The visuals are nicely done with excellent
cutscenes and cool environments, and the gameplay has a short
learning curve. But with all that said, Killzone still lacks
the polish that would’ve made it a much bigger hit than
it will ever be, which is disappointing because the potential
was obviously there for bigger and better things. |
Publisher:
Sony
Computer Entertainment
Developer:
Guerrilla Games
Platform:
PS2
Rating:
7/10
|
