Released in 2004, Killzone is the first game released by developer Guerrilla. Early on billed as a "Halo killer" for the PS2, much hype surrounded its release. Regrettably, Killzone is remembered for all the wrong reasons. It may not kill the Haloz but its presentation and story alone are worth a play through.
With Killzone 2 arriving within a month, and me being impatient for its arrival, I decided it prudent to play the first in the series. Initially it was slow to pick up and enjoy but the characters, story, and overall universe pulled me in. Ambitious, describes this title well. Clearly, this is a game filled with ideas but limited by technology and execution. As a freshman effort by Guerrilla, good job.
I believe as a reader of game reviews sometimes it is easy to lose focus of what is most important: fun. This is the merit I will base my score.
Graphics:
Killzone is a good representation of the graphical prowess of the PS2. The environments are huge, the character models are quite detailed and the world is believable. Initially it was hard on the eyes, but only because I'm used to playing on "current gen" consoles. Give it a chance. I must warn you there are certain parts of the game that stutter and have poor viewing distances. In other words, expect fog. If your outside, get used to it:-p The Helghan are visually great enemies to fight and fun to bring down. The CGI parts of the game really look great and immerse you in the world. Play with a component cable and widescreen turned on for extra graphical umph.
Sound:
The music is ominous, boding and well done. The voice work is excellent and the high production values are evident in this respect. If there is one complaint I will throw out there are the Helghan voice overs. Initially they got the job done just fine...however every encounter they say the exact same thing. If anything it makes you want to kill them even more! :-)
Gameplay:
Killzone is a functional FPS. I can imagine that hype made the game somewhat disappointing for some but I enjoyed what it had to offer. Make no mistake, its not going to wow you but helps progress the game. The game is all about small arms combat and its fun while it lasts. My only warning is don't expect the enemies to be smart: they're not. Fortunately most of the battle sequences are scripted so AI isn't a big deal. I was surprised that my squad was somewhat decent in disposing of enemies. The controls are solid and combat is mostly fluid. Expect the framerate to mess with your shooting a little bit. Otherwise, it feels good to mow down Helghan. Refreshingly there are four characters to choose from. Jan Templar is your typical soldier, able and willing to get the job done. He packs an assault rifle which is a good all around weapon. Shadow Lugar is a spy with zoom SMG and heat vision googles; good for range. Rico Velasquez is a minigun packing bad ass; very good close and medium range. Last but not least is Gregor Hakha, whom is Half-Helghan and a spy; he traditionally sports the Helghan combat rifle which is excellent for close and far shooting. Outside of the weapons I listed, you aren't going to find too many more. This wasn't a problem for me, but maybe for others.
Story:
The story for me was the main draw in the game. Your actions have consequence which are believable unlike many recent games. The game is brimming with detail; a great effort was put into making the story flow and believable. The characters are interesting and make you care about what they're going to say or do next cut scene. The progression of story is aided mostly by CGI, which is excellent and really sets the mood of every level/chapter. While some of the dialogue may be cheesy its entertaining to say the least. The story is reminiscent of World War 1 and 2 politics and war...except set in the future. The Helghast are very much the Nazi's and the ISA are the Allied forces. The twist is that the Helghast are no longer human after being subjected to the hard world they come to inhabitant. Without giving anything else away, Killzone is a great filler for anyone interested in the world of Killzone.
Online:
I didn't extensively play online however I know there are still people that play it. In my online bout of Warzone (aka multiplayer) I played team deathmatch. The match was very quick and fun; definitely not COD, but fun. If you happen to jump online, know that you will get pwned. These guys are die hard fans and will frag you within seconds. If I played a bit more, perhaps I would have fared better...perhaps...
Fun Factory:
My fun was tied in part to the story and excellent production values of Killzone. The universe is believable and well thought out; I wouldn't mind a novel. The game play is not the most memorable although it is functional. I had a lot of fun gunning down Helghan. They are excellent enemies; proof is fact that I didn't mind fighting only 3-4 enemy types (correct me if I'm wrong). If you don't expect much and can get over "last gen" visuals you might come away impressed like I did. I purchased the game for $8 used on half.com and definitely got my money's worth of game play. On normal I clocked in 12 hours. If anything, I believe the first game will help me enjoy the second. I was letting hype get the best of me for the upcoming sequel. I believe I am much more realistic about my expectations now, for the better. Killzone is a reminder to never let hype color your expectations but rather appreciate a game for its own merits. I enjoyed Killzone and hope the review helped you make a decision to play it. :-)
Now, with most games these days, live service included, comes the inclusion of microtransactions. In Helldiver 2's case, these come in the form of Warbonds and the superstore. Some of them were a hit, others were a miss. But one of the superstore items that have sparked interest is the Killzone set. While this is nice, this would have much better served as a warbond. Putting it in the superstore comes off as greedy, but that's an issue for another video. More to the point, the Killzone franchise fanbase had taken note, and it sparked renewed interest in wanting the series to be revived.
lol well, as fans we'd naturally say that (yes myself included).
But given some of the complaints the series garnered over the years when it was available is why we asked it it was deserved
I think it does. A complete reboot would be ideal with a better story and main protagonist. I love the asthetic of the Killzone universe, along with the premise of Earth warring with another planet of humanoid beings, and Earth possibly being the antagonists. They just need to develop a good main protagonist and have better writing. A Killzone reboot in the latest version of the Decima engine would be incredible.
If it makes dollars it makes sense, that’s how these decisions are made.
Clearly Sony or whoever makes this decision isn’t convinced Killzone would sell enough to support the cost of development. They also have a hit with Horizon that isn’t going anywhere anytime soon and prints money.
considering the time we live in, it would more than likely get a VR option to replace the move support
Not unless they come up with some amazing marketing campaign otherwise it will just perform as bad as Halo these days.
Killzone and Horizon Zero Dawn composer Joris de Man would like PlayStation to make a remaster trilogy, but not a new game.
Id like a remaster trilogy and the ps vita version remastered as well. It should also have killzone 2 multiplayer
Yes make them start with KZ2 multiplayer remake as standalone!! I would play the carp out of it.
Knowing Sony and how the Uncharted remasters shipped without their MP components they'll likely do the same with Killzone.
Then there's no point in remastering it imo. KZ2's MP was the best thing about Killzone.
I'd day one a remaster trilogy I'd even day one a remaster trilogy or Resistance as well.
I'm glad they stopped making Killzone before people started saying "mid," so I am spared seeing all the braindead "Killzone is actually mid" takes that people inevitably would have offered up in lieu of legitimate analysis.
They were mid, tbh. Just the best Sony put out in the 1st person/exclusive department.
I don't know about that. They weren't the greatest shooters out there, sure, but nothing even came close to the atmosphere of 2 and 3. The feeling of weight, the animations, the style, the multiplayer and the trophies made it one hell of a game. All shooters are in essence point and shoot, but few make you feel the way Killzone made you feel while doing it.
They will cast a woman on one of the lead roles, just like how they did it in the past, but toda's nerds will find an excuse to be angry about it.
It should be a crime that they didn't put out a version of part 2 that supports their VR headset. A no-brainer...
Arrowhead is now giving away its second load of crossover cosmetics for free.
I would really like a remastered killzone trilogy on ps5. I wouldn't mind even just a killzone 2 remake or remastered with multiplayer but I think it's time for sony to revisit the franchise and do something big.
KZ2 was and still is masterclass.
KZ3 was great too but KZ2 had a better multi.
SF was not as great but solid game still.
We just want KZ2 remake!
@cacabunga
Don't leave out that Vita game (Mercenaries?). That game was phenomenal. I rank it between KZ2 and 3.
Acknowledging the current trends of Sony, I would say if they were to make a new Killzone, they would probably remake it into WokeZone😂
The isometric game on PSP was a blast too. Had a really solid feel to it. Hope that gets a release on PS Plus Premium.
Begging for remastered games is just so lame... Killzone was mid. Nothing more. Make new stuff.
Killzone 2 was INSANE when it came out. The look/graphics were so far ahead of everything else at the time and the story and gameplay were top tier. It still looks better than a lot of games that release now.
Hmmm...
I never played the game, but my friend really liked it. I'm excited for KZ2, so maybe I'll try out this one between now and the end of Feb.
For A second I thought you were reviewing KZ2.
I've never played the first one, and doubt I will. But I want to watch the video play through of it at least.
I played the first one and the game was to much for the ps2. The game chugged like craaaaaaaazy.
Solid review. The game wasn't bad by any means, but my main complaint was more the idiotic AI, and some of the levels weren't laid out in the best manner. Don't get me started on the helghast and their same five comments when you attack them, which got annoying.
Minus those complaints the game was solid, just felt a bit rushed out the door. The graphics were great (a few framerate issues but thats because they pushed the ps2 to it's peak), game play, sound, and story(great stuff). Multi-player was entertaining and fun as well.
you know what i would love?
if GG remade the original for PS3 with KZ2 level graphics and no slowdown... only glitches and technical issues marred the first game... other than that it was an intense and gritty shooter, just like it's successor
Sony should put it on PSN at least so people can get to grips with the series