Reviews// Killzone 2

Undoubtedly, the single-player campaign is just a small part of Killzone 2's lure, though calling 15-plus hours of single player campaign gameplay "small" isn't exactly fair. These days, FPS gamers seem to prefer getting their kicks from the multi-player components, and here the game doesn't disappoint. Firstly, I was delighted to find that there's an offline bot-based multi-player mode available.

I'm never happy about being thrown into an online game without first making myself familiar with it. I prefer to have the opportunity to assess and play a map without the pressure of being eviscerated in the crossfire of a "live" online game - that and having a morbid fear of being the inept noob that lets the side down. Thankfully the game's Skirmish mode gives you the option to set up the number of bots, their skill-level and the map you wish to play.

As I say, it was me and another bot for a while, so I could get the lie of the land before upping the game to 15 bots. I soon discovered the depth of that noob ineptitude when, even with bots set to "recruit" level (i.e. the lowest) I was regularly finding myself dead or writhing, mortally wounded. It quickly became evident that in multi-player it takes far fewer hits to die than with in the single player campaign.

In full online multi-player the big guns really come out of the toy box. Once you've earned a few skill points you can start to change your load out and select your class: soldier, engineer, sniper, medic. Given my appalling (lack of) ability to quickly nail down a target, perhaps I'm better suited as an engineer, deploying automated gun turrets and airborne drones? Or maybe I ought to bolster the medic contingent and stick with playing nursey, where I can hotfoot it to mortally wounded team mates and resurrect them before they expire?

I have to say I'm not completely convinced about the mortal wounding aspect. If you're lucky enough not to die, being mortally wounded sees you lying inert while your life counts down from 10. Perhaps there weren't enough medics around to assist, but I found it mostly frustrating, hitting the [X] button while I waited to respawn - just like waiting for an elevator, that button mashing has got to make it arrive faster!

Looking at the multi-player as a whole, it's hard to find fault with what's available - except perhaps the mortal wounding feature. There are two things that aren't available which would really make Killzone 2 the complete package; Firstly, the option to play split-screen. Sometimes it's just the best thing to be able to kick back with a few friends and share in the social experience of a split-screen frag fest - who cares if they can look at your screen? Just have another beer and chill out.

Secondly, co-operative play through the single-player missions. Given that it's played almost entirely with the aid of a computer-controlled character, it seems an opportunity has been blindly missed. Perhaps a wee DLC update might be on the cards?

SPOnG Score 94%
For a game that seemed doomed by its own ostentatious parading, Killzone 2 drops the bomb on other shooters with its eye-bleedingly good visuals. The gameplay packs punches you can almost feel and comes side-armed with a rounded multi-player aspect, cocked and with the safety off. It misses out on a higher score due to its vapid characters spouting forgettable dialogue and the seemingly daft omission of cooperative and split-screen play.