Crimson Red Against Every Shade Of Grey Imaginable

After a brief interruption to our usual service, I've managed to find the time to get a brief bit of gaming done. Seeing as I downloaded it when it came out a week ago, I felt that it was finally time to play through and share some thoughts on the Killzone 2 demo.

So lets address the first thing that will have struck you about this game whether you've played it or just seen screenshot or video. The visuals. When you look at them in the sense that it gives a realistic view of an industrial warehouse style setting, yes, it is incredible how many shades of grey Guerrilla have managed to squeeze out of the PS3. This may sound like a negative (and I'm aware very cliched) thing to say, but I think that it does do a positive turn for the game, namely the series baddies; the Helghast. Their menacing anime-Nazi style outfits with their dark black clothing and glowing orange eyes really do stand out against the everyday backgrounds of industrial anywhere. As the title of this blood implies, this also means that the frequent sprays of blood that escape your enemies bullet wounds are a stark contrast to your surroundings. Onto the other important side of the visuals, the graphics themselves. I know that there has been a lot of hype surrounding the graphical marvels that Sony have prophesied this game will bring. Whilst I don't want to put down what I think is an essential part of the games identity, I think that the setting makes it difficult to see the true potential of the games graphics, at least in the demo. Hopefully the end product will have more variety and allow the good graphics to shine through. At least what is on show isn't too much of a disappointment when compared to the trailer first shown at E3 way back in 2005.

The sound is amazing on the game too. I really feel that my puny speakers aren't doing the game justice. It feels like you need a decent surround sound system with a very beefy sub woofer to get the most out of the audio. Beyond the expected sounds of war, the brief dialogue you hear is pretty entertaining, if you get too close to a Helghast, you will hear them start to taunt you. It really sucks you in.

The only issue I feel so far is the control. It feels very, very slow. I know we've been spoilt in recent years by games with exemplary FPS control, such as the mighty Call of Duty 4, but I can't help that feel that this, the game intended to be a flag ship title for PS3 shouldn't feel this way. You feel ever so slightly as though you're fighting against the controls when moving or aiming, as if you were driving an old Ford Fiesta with no suspension left. Surely the controls of a fast paced FPS should be tight and concise, just like the aforementioned Call of Duty 4. Maybe this is because this is a demo code, but I can't help but feel that this is something that wont be cleared up by release day.

Apart from that, the level design on the section I played felt pretty solid, the route you were supposed to take seemed relevantly obvious, although in the first encounter with the Helghast in which you are supposed to blow up a bridge, it did take me a while to work out why they wouldn't stop coming. A minor complaint, but level design is difficult to judge with only one small section of the game to play.

Killzone 2 seems to be a pretty decent game from the brief glimpse you're given by the demo, however I can't help but feel that as was with the first game back on PS2, the game itself wont actually live up to the hype. I sincerely hope it does, the PS3 could really do with another jewel in its crown.