Killzone Preview

Hype, hype, hype.  Few games that I can remember have had as much hype as Killzone for Playstation 2.  Ever since Halo was released for the Xbox, PS2 gamers have been waiting for their own quality First Person Shooter.  But the game couldn’t be as good as Halo, no it had to be better, it had to be a Halo killer.  For those that are unfamiliar with the “killer” jargon let me explain.  Whenever a title is released that raises the bar and sets new standards for gameplay, someone is supposed to come along and make a better game.  This game, or games, is labeled the (insert game title here) killer.  It’s supposed to be bigger and better in every way.  Few games ever reach this lofty goal. 

Well Killzone has been mentioned as a Halo killer for a while now.  It’s supposed to offer better gameplay, better graphics and make everyone forget about Halo.   As you can read in my other preview for Killzone (http://ps2.gamezone.com/gzreviews/p22738.htm) this isn’t a Halo killer.  Killzone is a different type of game than Halo and really shouldn’t be compared to Halo at all.  But there is one area in Killzone that wasn’t in Halo, an online mode.  So you can say that Killzone is a Halo killer because it features an online mode that Xbox fans were screaming about for years, at least until Halo 2 was announced.  GameZone was lucky enough to participate in the beta testing of the online functions of Killzone for PS2.  Keep reading to find out how Killzone stacks up.

There are six different online modes available within Killzone: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Assault, Defend and Destroy, Supply Drop and Domination.  Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch are your standard FPS deathmatch games where you run around and kill as many opponents as you can.  Assault is where the two opposing forces (Helghast and ISA) compete against each other to defend an objective from the other side.  Defend and Destroy is almost the same as Assault but each side having the same goal of defending an objective.  Supply Drop is where each side competes against each other to determine who can capture the most supplies.  Each supply is a key object that is located on the maps.  Domination is where each side fights to capture key locations on the map in order to take control of the battlefield.  The side that controls all of the key locations wins the game.   All of these modes sounded great, but there was a small problem: almost everyone played Deathmatch or Team Deathmatch during the beta.

My guess as to why everyone was playing Deathmatch or Team Deathmatch is because all of the gameplay modes feel the same.  It was hard to tell the difference between an Assault game and a Supply Drop game when actually in the game.  I was running around looking for a supply and all I could find was the other gamers trying to take me out.  There wasn’t a clear sense of direction with the other gameplay modes during the beta.  Of course you can probably attribute the reason because this is a beta test and the game wasn’t complete.  So I can’t fault the majority of the gamers for sticking with the Deathmatch modes.

Since everyone was playing Deathmatch this is where I spent the majority of my time playing online.  As I mentioned in the other preview, Killzone is not a fast FPS and this applied during the online game.  I never felt as if I was really running while playing the game, in fact it felt as if I was walking most of the time.  The controls are standard FPS where you control the movements of your character with the analog sticks.  The R1 and R2 buttons are the primary and secondary fire buttons with L1 controlling grenades and L2 lets you crouch down.  The game controlled fine during the beta with the controls being tight and responsive even while online with 16 other players.  A couple of issues that hampered gameplay online were a problem with the servers registering hits properly and changing weapons.  The hit problem would happen when a player is shooting an opponent but the opponent wasn’t registering as much damage as they should.  This issue should be corrected when the retail version is released. 

The other issue with the gameplay has to do with changing weapons and the graphics of the game.   Right when the action would get hot and heavy I was either reloading my gun or having to change to another weapon.   Every time I did this I wasn’t able to see part of the screen and left myself open to attack.  Now I understand that if you’re reloading or changing weapons that you should be prepared to run and dodge from the other players.  But what seemed to me as the biggest issue with this were the graphics, I couldn’t see a large portion of the screen because of the weapons.  This created a sense of me being removed from the game temporarily while I reloaded or changed weapons. 

The rest of the graphics in the game ranged from outstanding to OK.  Some of the stages in the game looked incredible with a very dark and gritty look to the graphics.  The graphics seemed washed out in some areas but this fit the mood of the game very well.  The character animations were well done except for when I died.  My character would sometimes fall between the stage and sometimes the textures on my character would randomly change after I died as well.  I only noticed this when I died.  The framerate was solid but seemed very slow at times.   Maybe it had to do with lag or being a beta test but the game seemed just a little slower during the online modes.  For FPS junkies this might be a big issue but it’s something that I forgot about after a few minutes.  The graphics for the guns were amazing with each weapon being very detailed.  The guns would range from a standard pistol to rocket launchers.  

In closing the Killzone online beta test was a great opportunity to try out Killzone with players from all over the country.  Even though I mentioned several issues with the game I still had a blast playing the game.  The sound effects, graphics and weapons are excellent and create a great atmosphere to this game.  I was surprised though just by the lack of players actually playing the beta.  Beta testing is always tricky because you’re responsible for not just playing the game but finding problems that need to be corrected.  The number of players started off very strong at first but dwindled as the beta kept going. This won’t be a problem when the full version is released 'cause I’m sure everyone will be jumping online right away.  Just don’t expect a revolutionary piece of gaming that will balance your checkbook, do your homework and cook you dinner. 

There’s nothing like getting online with 16 other players and just blowing the crap out of each other.  The full version will support up to 16 players in a game and with voice chat (broadband only). I had a blast with the game and I expect others to have just as much fun.  It’s not Halo but then again what other games are?  Killzone is Killzone and the comparisons should end there.  I hope to see you online when the game is released later this year.