Killzone 2

I’ve played through 28% of the singleplayer campaign on Veteran difficulty and three hours online. Statistics thanks to the excellent Killzone.com. So not all that much into it yet, but I’m liking it so far.

The reason I haven’t played more is that it’s so intensive. I like the feeling of the combat in the campaign, as you really need to fight for every inch and push as hard as you can to make headway. Some encounters I’ve replayed dozens of times to get through, and it’s something I’ve longed for ever since playing the original Halo on Legendary. Killzone’s combat is not as refined, but it’s good – and crucially, not frustrating. (Save for the goddamn RPG troopers.)

But after an hour and probably an encounter or two cleared, I’m feeling short of breath and overexcited. That’s when the multiplayer experience, dubbed Warzone, comes in. I usually find online games rather too exciting, but with Killzone, it’s the other way around. It feels like a blend of Battlefield with its 32 player games and Call Of Duty (4) Modern Warfare with its tight, quick games.

There are three things I really like about Warzone.

First is the scale of things. Console online has not really done 32 player games before, or at least I haven’t come across any, and that just feels so much busier and more interesting than what I’ve used to.

Second is the game mode – there is just one, and it rotates different goals during the match, typically every five minutes. It keeps the player base focused, in one place and the action dynamic. So you go from search and destroy to defending against assassination to capturing and holding areas.

Third is the progression mechanic. You get points for playing well and those points give you rank. Rank gives you benefits. I have my sights set on some of the goodies coming down the line – I have a goal beyond winning this round. This is just critical for me to enjoy an online game. My time has to go toward something.

What I don’t like is that it looks like that if the connection is broken or I have to stop playing during a match (which can take half an hour), I’m not getting any of my accumulated points. Surely they should update the points right away, only counting the multipliers and ribbons at the end of the match.

Also, the unlockables rewarded for collecting Helghan intel in the campaign? Pretty cool stuff. Propaganda poster, wildlife guide, food preparation guide, mask maintenance instructions and papercraft thus far. The only lame item is the strategy guide excerpt.