Killzone 2

Reviewed by:
Gerasimos Manolatos

Price: $59.99

The Skinny: Looking to capitalize on their repulsion of the invading Helghast army from planet Vekta, humans are striking back at the heart of the opposition's operations in Helghan. You assume the role of war veteran Sev and lead a group of rag-tag soldiers through the treacherous warzone.

The Good: The original Killzone was a PS2 shooter with little flair and a story that nobody cared about. But Sony would have none of that with their highly-ancticipated, much-touted sequel. They promised massive multiplayer support. They promised violence. They promised you'd soil your pants once you saw the graphics. And, to a certain degree, they delivered. Sure, there are a ton of solid shooters set in the theater of war—Gears of War 2 and Call of Duty 4, to name a couple—but K2 offers a very fleshed-out version of interplanetary warfare that is hard to pull yourself away from. The controls do take a few minutes to get used to—aiming and crouching stray from traditional button placements—but every bullet and explosion has a satisfying payoff. (We just wish some of the cooler weapons weren't shoe-horned near the end of the game.) Lastly, you really won't find a better looking video game.

The Bad: While the singleplayer campaign (a five to 10 hour affair, depending on difficulty) attempts to make you want to care about the protagonists, you don't really get much personality out of them except that they are all angry soldiers until they're killed. The multiplayer alone is genuinely worth the admission, but if you're hoping to log-in and start firing on all cylinders, you'll be slightly disappointed. Your rank is broken down by experience levels and classes that limit the kind of guns and abilities available. You'll just have to stick to the two standard assault rifles for a bit—approximately a few hours of gameplay—to progress higher.

Maxim Tip: After you complete a game, you can log-on to Killzone.com and see a 2-D topdown representation of everything that happened during the last match, allowing you to strategize for your next match, or see how much you suck.

Buy, Rent, or Disembowel: If you've been calling your PS3 just a Blu-ray player, this game will change your mind. Buy it. Love it.

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