Yeah, sometimes the AI is stupid and sometimes the game doesn't move as fast as some people would like. But to me, KILLZONE is FPS (first person shooter) GOLD. It reminds me of the first TENCHU game. People said it was rough and unpolished, but it turned out to be one of the most amazing gameplay experiences I've ever had. The TENCHU series went downhill from there with analog controls and never lived up to the original. So don't wait for the second KILLZONE hoping there will be big improvements. You may be missing out. Don't listen to professional or jaded Amazon critics. People are just too picky. There are too many game geeks who don't like certain games because they don't live up to the expectations of some other game. Be fair. I don't care if KILLZONE is a HALO killer. IT'S NOT. And I don't care if this game pushes the PS2 to the limits of the hardware. IT DOES. To me, it's all about the gameplay. And I haven't been this immersed in a FPS since playing MEDAL OF HONOR FRONTLINE. THIS GAME SMOKES AND IT LOOKS HEAVY METAL PSYCHO!! BUT BE PREPARED TO DIE A FEW TIMES.
I still play FRONTLINE so it took me a little time to get a handle on the controls. All movement for KILLZONE, like RED FACTION, is done via both analog sticks including side-to-side movement, which is actually more intuitive than the shoulder buttons utilized by FRONTLINE. After some practice with the controls all hell broke loose and those Helghast troops were dropping like flies. Occasionally I throw a grenade when I mean to sidestep enemy fire. Oops. One of the BEST features is the SENSITIVITY SETTING for X and Y axis, or up-and-down and side-to-side movement, which can be adjusted ingame in the ADVANCED SETTINGS during PAUSE. When I first started playing I had to set the SENSITIVITY very low, but as my learning curve improved I continued to raise the SENSITIVITY during gameplay. VERY NICE. ADVANCED SETTINGS are not in the MAIN MENU and are not fully explained in the MANUAL. For example: I turned ON the AUTO-CENTER feature in the ADVANCED SETTINGS and I assumed it was for auto-targeting. If it is, it doesn't work as I didn't notice any difference when it was turned OFF. Maybe another reviewer can enlighten me about this feature.
Some complained about the reloading and grenade tossing animations being too slow and wrong for the game. It's realistic and part of the strategy. And it looks awesome. There's even a counter on grenades for when you're cooking one up. The AUTO-RELOAD feature can be turned OFF and reloading should be done while you are running or in a defilade position. And, if you take a lot of enemy fire your HEALTH BAR respawns after time.
Some complained about the SNIPER RIFLE being too hard to aim. Again, it's realistic and requires a steady hand. Don't forget, like I did, to use the upward directional button after pressing R3 to FULLY ZOOM in on your target. It makes it much easier to get that KILLSHOT. Some of the STANDARD weapons also have a ZOOM feature with a press of the R3 button. It can be a little disorienting switching between ZOOM and NORMAL VIEW, but once you get used to it, it's a welcome feature.
SOME SINGLE PLAYERS MAY WORRY about the ONLINE feature eating up a big portion of the gameplay. NEVER FEAR. KILLZONE GIVES YOU A LOT OF BANG FOR YOUR BUCK. The single player CAMPAIGN contains 11 HUGE levels that you can revisit at anytime after completion. (However, you'll lose your game in progress on a level if you go back.) The multiplayer BATTLEFIELDS contain 6 TEAM ARENAS that can be played ONLINE or OFFLINE, alone or with a friend. If you don't have a friend to play with or you have a friend who spends every waking hour playing and continually frags your sorry behind, every ARENA can be adjusted and played solo with AI bots, spawning, time limits, and more, depending on your skill level. You can also play as ISA goodguys or HELGHAN badboys. Nice, because the different factions use different weapons. So, you can pick-up, sample, and use them all. Even if you don't play ONLINE. (However, you can't play as Helghast in the CAMPAIGN mode.) PERFECT FOR THE CASUAL OR HARDCORE GAMER. Perfect for me, because I'm an older gamer and most of my friends are married with children and don't play video games. Suckers!! THANKS, GUERRILLA. I WAS WORRIED THERE FOR A MINUTE. GROWN MEN SHOULDN'T BE HAVING THIS MUCH FUN. (One of my older friends came by to check out the game and we ended up playing for 6 straight hours.)
THE GRAPHICS ARE AMAZING. While answering a phone call, after just starting this game, I was watching the DEMOS on the MAIN MENU (I never pause my 41" SONY XBR TV ingame for long periods of time for fear of phosphor burn on my tube), and sat there slack-jawed. The graphics almost looked CELL-SHADED. INCREDIBLE. LIKE A HEAVY METAL OR ANIME CARTOON.
Also includes a WIDESCREEN SETTING, DTS PRO LOGIC, and full CONTROLLER CUSTOMIZATION. SWEET.
MOST PARENTS DON'T CARE, BUT HERE'S A WARNING: KILLZONE IS LOADED WITH FOUL LANGUAGE, ALTHOUGH THE VIOLENCE IS NOT GRAPHIC. THE BLOOD IS VERY SUBDUED. NO EXPLODING HEADS OR DISMEMBERED LIMBS. SO ACT ACCORDINGLY. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO LIKE THAT SORT OF THING: BUMMER. MAYBE NEXT TIME.
IF YOU LOVE FPS's, THIS IS A MUST HAVE. I DON'T HAVE BROADBAND, SO BE SURE AND READ OTHER REVIEWS FOR ONLINE PLAY. KILLZONE WILL MAKE A GREAT HOLIDAY GIFT FOR THAT HARD-TO-BUY-FOR KILLER ON YOUR LIST. ENJOY. Killzone
I along with probably 10 thousand others are beta testing this game right now, and I'm here to tell you it kicks butt. It's been dubbed the "Halo-Killer", but that name doesn't do it justice. It's simply not comparable to Halo. Killzone is a FPS, which I'm sure you already know the storyline so I won't get into that. The weapons range from regular handguns to machine guns to missle launchers. When you fire off any of these there's this realism to it, the sound, the kick of the gun, it's just brilliant. This game is very gritty. The colors aren't bright and obnoxious, they actually make you feel like you're in a possible warzone. The control is tight, comparable to other FPS.
The one thing me and many others have commented about already is how severly addictive this game is. Get online, join an ISA team or Helghast team and just try to put the controller down. Wether you're in a deathmatch or another form of play, you simply can't stop playing. So good. I'll definitely pick this up when it comes for PS2, and I advise you do the same if your a FPS gamer.'
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