Killzone 2

Raz Review: "While heavily hyped, KZ2 still delivers a fair amount of what it promises. Fantastic graphics and a hyper-realistic environment combine with a smart AI to make you feel like you're truly on the battlefield.

I haven't messed around much with multiplayer, but I do like the 'rotating' style of multiple mission objectives; which make the multiplayer experience much more like a campaign. Each round can be something different, which keeps you on your toes. Rank ups seem somewhat slow, and require at least a halfway decent team to make any headway. Playing with n00bs isn't likely to score you many points, so the learning curve is a bit harsh for first-timers (especially if you're not accustomed to FPS games).

One major complaint is the controls - as another reviewer put it, it's "like trying to strangle a lobster"; it would've been a lot better if we'd been given a 'toggle/hold' option for the cover system. Rainbow Six had it down pat; Sony should have used it here instead of forcing us to hold down 3 buttons AND use the sticks at the same time.

The voiceovers are decent enough, but the story is somewhat lackluster in scope; as though it were penned by a grunt on the front lines of Helghan who doesn't know much beyond 'go here, shoot that'. The result is we end up not really giving a frak about any of the characters, because none of them is ever developed beyond the level of 'angry soldier', which means our suspension of disbelief goes out the window, and with it, the cinematic experience. It then resembles nothing more than a generic FPS wargame with fantastic visuals.

I was hoping for a lot more - but my complaints aside, KZ2 is still a very decent next-gen shooter, and worth picking up; even if it's just to goggle at the graphics."

Online: Yes
Rated: 7.5/10