Killzone 2 for PlayStation 3 Reviews by Gamers

There was a lot of hype surrounding Killzone 2, and while the visuals live up to what was promised, the gameplay isn't as perfect. Weapons carry some serious firepower and "heft" with each shot which really lets you "feel" the power. The gritty war torn planet is amazing to look at if you take the time to stop and look around. Enemy AI is at genius levels when playing on the harder settings- They will outsmart you time and time again. While the story isnt as impressive as some other shooters, you'll be so caught up in the non-stop action, that it doesnt really matter. Hit detection is indredible- it seems as if each death has its own unique movements.
On the negative side- The controls are a little sluggish, which will take some time to get used to. It was a huge problem for me,and is the reason Im not giving it a 10/10. Sluggish controls, combined with the challenge of the game can make for some frustrating moments. On the easier difficulty settings, if you find you're being over run, you can simply run up to an enemy and stab them. As smart as they are, they are powerless against a madman running with a knife.
I liked the multiple settings for the button layout. Im more comfortable with Call of Duty 4's settings and, lucky for me, there was a layout that was nearly the same thing. (Setting = Alternate 2)

The multiplayer is where this game really shines though. It has a deep ranking system that blows Call of Duty 4 out of the water. You have the option of creating your own four-man squad within your team, and can respawn near your squad leader so youre never a step behind.

This game lived up to all of the hype- visually. If you have the patience for the sluggish controls then you will not be disappointed.This is the best looking shooter on any console, period and well worth your money!

This game has truly amazing graphics, huge levels, cool guns, interesting story, and just the right amount of difficutly. There's only one thing keeping it from being one of the best FPS games ever.

CONTROLS!

Unfortunately if you're used to the flawless Call of Duty control scheme, Killzone 2 might have you pulling your hair out every once in awhile. They feel clunky and it's hard to be precise (just wait till you use the sniper rifle). The inability to map your buttons really hurts as well, and I can't figure out why a state-of-the-art PS3 game doesn't have this option. You'll get used to them after awhile, but it never feels quite right.

Definitely worth a spot in your queue though!

The graphics of Killzone2 are simply spectacular, words cannot describe how good this game looks (I’ve tried, I rewrote this sentence 20 times and gave up) best graphics I’ve ever seen. Very realistic visuals and physics. The motion capture blended with the physics engine makes every enemy fall uniquely and realistically, and when you miss your target the environment either crumbles, explodes, or sends sparks and dust flying to the point of not being able to see your enemy cause there it too much debris in the air. FPS cover system is wonderful, similar to Rainbow6.

The campaign/story was well done, shares many common themes with other FPS games, nothing new but not bad (I had fun), voice acting could have been a little beter. But after all the game was produced in Europe where English might not be the first language. No major acting complaints. (acting was on par with Gears of War, plenty of poorly written lines, campy, tough-guy soldiers speaking)

Controls were bit sluggish at first but thankfully the game allows you the freedom to customize the control sensitivity and layout (took me a day to figure out my controller settings).

Only bad thing I will point out is the unbalanced difficulty level at end of game. I played every level on Veteran difficulty except for the last part of the last level The only reason I gave this game a 9 instead of a 10 is because of the frustrating "boss fight". If I had to describe the last fight in one word it could best be described as "infuriating" way too hard. ( I can’t image how hard it would be on Elite difficulty, nevertheless I simply restarted the last checkpoint at Trooper diffuculty and finished the story) Only other complaints about the game are too trivial to even mention.

Multiplayer is fantastic, ranking/class system well done and will keep me playing for a long time.

Killazone2 is a must own PS3 title and deserves a score of 9 of 10

Killzone 2 came first into my Q even through I put it as my 4th game, I had mixed thoughts about this game. Will it be cool? Will it have lag? I was wrong. It's story mode deserve a 7.5/10, but the online gameplay is amazing. For starters, it addicting, addicting, and oh, ADDICTING! Just the online by itself gets a 9/10. About 8 maps in the game, plus 6 more including DLC packs. Over 20 weapons, each one with it pros and cons, plus 2 new weapons, the boltgun, and the flamethrower, from the "Napalm and Cordite" pack. When you play online, or offline your character feels heavy, unlike in COD4. Overall, it worth checking out such a great game!

Killzone 2 has loads of great aspects but falls short where it counts to many times to be considered one of the "great" first person shooters.

If you played the first killzone you already know that the story is very generic, there's a lot going on apparently but all you are every really told is "Hey bad guys want this planet! Fight them!" So on and so on, The story is generic nothing special but no real holes in the plot to make you angry at the same time. (7/10)

From the very moment this game starts one thing is made very clear, you're experience with this game is going to be pretty, VERY pretty. From the char. models to the guns to environment, to blood details, to little corners in building you feel like exploring. Its pretty, no one will be upset with the graphics (10/10)

Sound is amazing, not much more to be said there...its a shooter so theirs guns, explosions, different sounds for how close a rocket passes over your head, different sounds depending what you are walking on...Sounds great and its what you expect from a big budget game like Killzone2 (10/10)

The controls to me is what knocks this game out of greatness down to average. It's funny to because I have been trying to think of ways as to why the controls were bad but I can't put my finger on it...There's auto aim or aim assist which is fine, I have been playing fps's for years and that has never bothered me before but this game, if you were within 10 feet of an enemy it seemed like a coin flip who would kill who first because I had such a hard time actually shooting him. No, I didn't have this problem because I'm bad at the game, you just gotta take my word on that it truly feels "wrong" when the game comes to aiming which obviously is a huge part of the game. (4/10)

little to no enemy variance so if you don't mind killing the same mindless drone over and over the great graphics and fun lvl design should be more than enough to let you enjoy this game for 1 play through (side note, F bombs galore)

Killzone 2 is by far the best game I've played on ps3 so far. It is absolutely amazing and I love it! The games starts with you just awaking from a nice nap on a starship and the next thing you know you are in the middle of a battle between the ISA and the mighty Helghast. You must battle your way around the city and complete objectives. Like taking out certain posts or helping out your ISA buddies being torn to shreds. The campaign is very action oriented and fast-paced and there are plenty of Helghast to gun down. But the campaign will only take about 8-10 hours which is somewhat shorter than what I expected. With how long they've been making this game you would think it would be the longest game in history. But with all the action on the battlefield you won't be thinking about the length of the game, trust me. You will probably be thinking more about what you want to do to the huge Helghast soldier that just came out in front of you with a very bug gun. The campaign is also surprisingly cover-based, if you run out in the open, guns blazing, you will die. This is very different than that of the first but it is a very good thing, it goes along with this game's sense of realistic controls. The controls make you feel like you are actually carrying a lot of gear and a heavy gun. They take a while to get used to, but once you are used to them you will agree that they are far superior than that of any shooter. But if you are playing or plan on playing online then you may want to turn the sensitivity way up in the main menu options because the realistic feeling controls also make your guy turn very slowly, and if you have ever played online before, you know this will be the death of you. Speaking of online, it is by far the best online set up I have ever played on. There are so many little details that make it so amazing. Like how you can choose a game with certain missions, like Body Count and Assassination and games can even have all the missions in one. -10 out of 10-

Killzone2 offers a very good FPS experience. The weapons are very advanced and powerful. I love the heat seeking grenades and the shotgun for close combat. I think the graphics in high def are really nice. I really like the controller configuations and the use of the movement sensors when opening valves and setting explosives. A few problems that I have. It should not take a whole clip from an SMG to down a drone solider. I guess that is why the weapons caches and ammo dumps are every few feet. There is no tutorial which I would have liked being new to the Killzone title. All in all though it is a really good game.

Many reviews said you didn't need to play Killzone 1 to play Killzone 2 and they were right (I watched someone play through the walkthrough to get the back story). There isn't much tie in to the previous stories.

Like every other review has stated, this game is gorgeous, but has a huge flaw, the controls. The default controls the developer selected were horrid. There's no way you could zoom, cover, and aim with their default controls. So many people complained about this in the beta, and I just can't believe it still went through like this. Thankfully you can customize the controls to be similar to any other FPS shooter game out there, but there's still an issue with the sensitivity. The developers wanted to add more realism to the game so the guns are weighted differently which is very difficult to get used to. I played with the sensitivity settings all through the game couldn't find one that worked for me.

There's huge glitches here, you'd barely move the controls and the crosshairs wouldn't move, but then you move it a bit more and it's all over the map. Aiming was a HUGE chore and killed the entire experience for me. I think the PS3 controller is to blame for part of it (I never have really liked it compared to the Xbox 360), but most of the blame is on the developers. I get that they wanted realism, but just play the game you'll understand that it's wrong.

I own both an Xbox 360 and a PS3 and have played many FPS on the hardest difficulty setting and playing this game on easy was NOT a cakewalk.

This game would be in my top 5 if it wasn't for these controls.

Here's where the game was successful. It's gorgeous, performs well with minimal loading (screen freezes occasionally to load, but it isn't a big deal). The sound was done very well.

What seperates it from the rest is the enemy AI is very intelligent. They aren't cheap but they are smart. They'll wait until you stop shooting to run, they'll flank, etc. Lastly, they "immersed" you in war.

If you are a graphics hound, this is the game to get. Nothing shows off the PS3 quite like this game. Even the mist in the air is beautiful to look at. The enemy AI in this game is also a step up from what you see in other games. They won't sit in one spot and pop up, but will roll and dive into cover. You need to find cover ala Gears of War or Uncharted in order to succeed. To top that all off, the animations of the enemy are the best I've ever seen. In one area, I shot a guard off a balcony only to have him fall from the balcony and get his leg caught between the bars. He hung there swaying back and forth... it was pretty amazing. Another guard came charging at me, dove and did a forward roll and popped up with a knife in hand (I removed his head after that :) ). Speaking of removing heads, get a headshot and their helmet will blow off, then a few more bullets and the rest goes with the helmet.

So why isn't this game a 10? As an FPS, this game is very average. The story has been rehashed time and time again. In fact, I barely recall the story and I finished it last night. The different chapters do the expected FPS - a tank battle, warehouse fighting, outdoor fighting. Nothing too stunning or memorable.

The difficulty is about par for an FPS. The last chapter can be tough and the boss battle at the end was somewhat frustrating. It relied a bit on luck as if you are caught reloading at the wrong time it is lights out (don't want to spoil it though).

This game is highly recommended if you are into FPS's. It is also something you should experience just to see the beauty and great work put into the game.

I haven't gone online with it, so seek out other reviews for that portion.

this game is sweet every moment is action packed the details the framrate all top of the line the a.i. is very smart i remeber i was peaking over a guard rail and there was a helgast soilder below so i went into cover cause a helgast from across the building was shoting a rpg so when i came back out of cover looking to take the helgast soilder from below he was gone all of sudden i heard this messed up breathing i turned around that same helagst soilder climed at least 8 storys to come get me i was like holy craaaa p thats sick the storys is amazing multiplayer is great its like fps shoter meets mmo on the multiplayer you build your stats up and you get medals that increase your rate of fire on guns your speed your runing your accuracy by the way uncheck 720P in your display settings so you can get lost in 1080p goodness and thats about it it looks beautiful it plays amazing the sixaxsis is used to the t and once you start playing you will forget about the outside world lol thankyou and enjoy

Not many games I've played in my many years playing video games (since the Atari 2600 days) have had those "WOW" moments. You know what I mean, like the first time you played God of War and you faced Poseidon on the top of the ship. You knew you were in for a wild ride. Killzone2 had many of those such moments. Sure, I could bore you with common review phrases praising the tight control, the kind that rivals CallofDuty-MC, the beautiful detail in the graphics, the addictive Online multiplayer (that gives you the option to play with others of like skill), and the impressive audio. All that is true. But, when you cut your thumb trying to be a chef two days earlier (you know, the "one inch smiley-face cut on the bottom tip of your thumb that wouldn't stop bleeding" kind) and you can't put the controller down, even though you are in pain and bleeding through 3 bandaids...that's when you know you are playing an awesome game.

I could only only choose between a rating of 9 or 10, but if I had more choices, 9.5 would be a more acurate rating. Not revolutionary, but a must have for any action/shooter fans.

Killzone 2 is far from your average first person shooter, besides the amazing visuals that don't give in throughout the whole game, the gameplay flows like water and really makes you feel like your really pulling the trigger. The unique control system also helps you break away from your average shooter because it will take time to get use too, and practice makes perfect. The hit system is aboustlety insane in campaign mode, theres nothing like unloading a clip into a helghast soldier and watching him have a standing seizure, and even better online when a full 32 player game is in session and a imation of actual war is being performed on your tv screen. Theres nothing like looking over and seeing 3 of your teamates blow away one helghast soldier, because each shot makes the victim twitch a certain way. The best example I can give of the hit system and online play is a personnal experiance, me and two other guys were storming in during a Search and Destory mission (mission objectives change throughout a match online) and we took out two guys from behind, a thrid guy came out and we took him down, as he was falling (the game's gurantee is no two kills will ever look the same) another one of my teamates came up with a shotgun and shot him again, the already dead player's head violently snapped back and smashed into the ground, bounced off and was stuck in a twisted and bloody postion. You can always tell when someone is getting owned online because of how each hit as a mist of blood fly out, so mutiple people on one person just looks sick. This game is truly amazing in everyway and shows the PS3's amazing online capablity

It needs to be said: Killzone 2 has by far the worst loading times you'll ever encounter in a videogame. It takes a whole thirty seconds and sometimes more to load a single level, and even then the load times don't end.

You'll go from one battlefield to the next only to be stopped midway by a hidden loading screen which actually makes your game look like it freezes or glitches. There was one instance where it looked like the game glitched and my squad and I couldn't press on, but it was only because it was loading a scripted event where enemies plow through a particular building.

And even when the game actually lets you play, you quickly realize that Killzone 2 is one of the most mundane shooters to ever grasp a console. The biggest loss is the controls. Even with the Precision Aiming option (available through download), there's a half second pause between hitting the control stick and your character actually aiming. Precise aiming is almost impossible because of this, and you'll have a better chance shooting enemies while firing from the hip. Then there's the forced cover system, a system that has you holding the crouch button to hug a wall or obstacle. It sounds bad written down, and it's bad in gameplay. Half the time it kicks in when you don't want it to and vice versa.

Lastly, the presentation. It looked impressive about four years ago when it was announced, but today looks like Call of Duty 4 with all the color taken out while running at half the frame rate. The acting is worse, as your captain sounds like a white guy who lost his teeth trying pathetically hard to be black, and everyone says the worst one liners that WILL make you cringe. One instance had guys talking about their 'mommy's sandwiches,' then there was one part where we were to storm into the office of the enemy's general, and, despite the danger, our captain kicks the door down and decides to about face to say something stupid to us.

It's not funny, believable, or fun. Get a different FPS.

Killzone 2 is by far one of the best looking games of all time, so let me just get that out of the way. I mean it's impossible not be amazed by the games beauty. But amazing graphics don't make a great game and Killzone 2 suffers from issues that keep in the realm of the descent shooter when it tries to be great.

The Good:
Killzone 2 delivers some great shooting action. If you're looking for a shooter with some intense action than Killzone 2 delivers.

The sound effects are amazing. Every gun, every footstep, ect. sounds amazing. Some of the best sound I've ever heard.

Mutliplayer has a ton of content.

The Bad:

Killzone 2 has very heavy controlls, and fans used to Call of Duty or Medal of Honor will likely not enjoy this.

The campaign has some great action but most of the levels look very similar. Similar in a bad way. Mostly colorless buildings and boring set pieces.

The campaign is mostly ground combat, which is a bad thing in this case, there are 2 missions where you use a vehicle. Even then the vehicle sections don't last long.

Also killzone 2 lacks weapns. Not a lot of variety in the guns. Near th end you get and electricity gun but its only one time.

Overall: Killzone 2 is a descent shooter. It has some great actin, graphics, and sound but the stale campaign and bland mutiplayer make it a rental rather than a purchase.

Like the rest of PS3 nation, I eagerly awaited Killzone 2 and thought that the game would live up to the hype based on early reviews. First, the game is visually stunning. There is simply nothing like it out there. Pair this game with a big screen HDTV and you're golden. But, there is a catch and it's a big one.

The Controls.

The controls are fine as long as you are in a firefight with one or two enemies on screen, but when flanked with more than 3 you really start to see how cumbersome the controls are (which is the normal case). It feels slow, and at times sluggish. While your trying to fight the controls and aim your reticule to the next target, your already dead. I understand the developers wanted to present a more realistic approach to the FPS genre, but should it be at the cost of game play?

Ironically, I traded in BF:Bad Company for this game and had a more enjoyable experience with it than Killzone 2 (single player and multiplayer minus the ranking in K2). This was all due to the controls.

Maybe its because I'm getting old and just don't have the high amount of time and patience it takes to become acclimated. If your like me, and can't spend alot of time and patience this game requires then maybe it is not for you. Just stick to COD4.

Killzone's presentation is outstanding, and the audio is top-notch. I appreciate the game's physics and engrossing atmosphere, but if the game play doesn't live to the presentation then, in my opinion, there is no reason to be continually frustrated with the controls and game play.

I use the alternate 2 method of control because I don't want to re-learn what I'm comfortable with. The problem with alt 2 is the cover scheme works terrible with it.

I just wish the controls were more like COD 4 or even Bad Company (which had fantastic controls). If that were true I would have rated K2 a 10 and called it a revelation.

All PS3 owners should play this game. If you can overcome the huge control issues then good for you.

It was the last months of ps2 b4 ps3 came i rented the original killzone never even heard of the game just rented it bcuz the cover looked cool IVE BEEN HOOKED EVER SINCE! killzone 2 is a great game story line is off the hook graphics are great though i think it could be a lil better but still awesome, gameplay...THE BEST!!! i love how the camera sHakes and moves with the action as guns and bombs are going off and the story line...can it get any better!!!! all i can say GO AND PLAY IT!!!!! AND KEEP THE KILLZONE SAGA COMING!!

Good game, Great storyline.
Pros: Tons of guys to kill, weapon accuracy is a must and headshots will kill YOU immediately as well as killing the other guy, the pistol has unlinited ammo so if you have any FPS skill you will never have to run about and collect ammo from area to area. Smooth graphics

Cons: Some people may find the language to be EXTREMELY strong, they throw F-bombs about every cutsscene (this does not Bother me but for those of you who have children... well this could be a con) Even the easiest mode can be extremely difficult for inexperianced players (ie the last boss area is quite annoying with the RPGS) and lastly MOST of the trophies for this game are online... not too many online players for this game these days so it will be a hard platinum for you. AI is a little weak and very predictable, but they offset this with thier innate ability to get headshots on you with RPGS (this can be a little frustrating)

Overall this is a fun game and would definately recommend.

I'm at the end of the campaign on normal difficulty and I have to say it's probably the worst FPS I've ever played. The story is great, but it just entirely lacks in the gameplay department. The kill detection system is horrible. I have to resort to the run up real fast and start spraying method 9 times out of 10.
Sniping is pitiful being that the only sniper is bolt action (It's like 2500 AD for god's sake) and the enemies have nonsensical moving patterns.
The flamethrower is a disgrace to flamethrowers everywhere. You have to literally point it at the person and fire it in order for it to register; you can't start spraying and then run your aim over them.
The weapon system in general sucks. You HAVE to have only a main gun and a pistol. This main gun changes whenever you pick up a different weapon. So, if I pick up a missile launcher, I then have to use it immediately and then pick up my main weapon again. It wouldn't be bad if the pistol was worth anything, but it fires slowly and only holds 6 shots in a clip.
Crouching is terrible. They tried to incorporate a GoW/Army of Two style cover system where you have to hold crouch and you slide up against a wall. This is terrible because it automatically pulls you against a wall if you are crouching near one. This is very inconvenient if you try to sight an enemy and then pop out and shoot him by strafing to the side.

The controls are probably the games biggest and foremost flaw. Melee is done in two ways; with a knife and with your gun. They both do the SAME thing. The knife is on the left directional pad so you have to stop moving to pull it out. L1 is used for your gun melee while it should be your zoom. The worst thing is that O or B on 360 is "Use" so basically they took the most optimal melee button and said "Hey let's make it worthless!" The layout can only be altered slightly as well.

They tried to copy GoW and did so horribly.

i rented this game with high expectations and im happy they were almost all met this game rox. the single player is action packed and i mean action packed there's never a dull moment or a time when your not getting shot at. one of the things that kill a game for me is a single player with bad squad ai. which this game has very good ai not perfect but they make you feel like a team. every level is beautiful the graphics in general are beautiful. the guns are great and most of them pack a huge punch. i love the cover system and how you feel like your in a real war zone. the multiplayer is fun plus unlocks make you want to keep playing the game. the biggest issue i had with this game is sometimes the load times seem awkwar,. they can be glitchy at times and they sometimes cut out sound bits of dialog. overall a master piece for a fps i must own it.

I have both systems. Killzone 2 is an average at best fps. After playing L4d, Orange Box, Bioshock, and COD MW this game simply isn't up to par with it's peers. Fairly lame enemy AI, controls feel a touch sluggish, level/weapon/character design feels average, and the environment, pacing, and level timeline feel extremely linear.

This reminds me of Resistance 1. I think they both received really good ratings simply because people were shocked that a PS3 exclusive exists.

Played 2 hours and sent it back.

OHHHHH and what is up with all the choppiness and stalls? It happened ALLLLLL the time!!

I was quite excited for the release of this game, but when i came to play it finally with my gamefly rent...i was extremely disappointed. Yes it has nice graphics, a lot of detail, and various weapon choices, BUT i still did not enjoy the fact that when running around it seems like your gun is 600 pounds. Everything went slow, accuracy of the guns is pathetic, grenades are weak, and the story line was simple and predictable. Not as good as i hoped, 5/10

Killzone 2 will be the game of the year for the PS3, the game is perfect, the last time I had this much fun was with COD 4. The only problem I had with killzone 2 was the cover system, I was hoping the cover system would be like rainbow 6. But other than that buy a copy before they run out.

This game reminds me of...well, no other game really. Maybe Killzone 1? This game is EXACTLY what an FPS shooter needs to be. The first two missions alone beat the heckl out of any campaign on Call of Duty, SOCOM, or any type of campaign involving a storyline and a gun. I could not put down the controller the minute a started playing. My PS3 actually "overheated" from being on for so long.

Let me summarize:
Campaign - amazing
Online - great
Visuals - epic

You cannot go wrong in picking this game up. At all.

Why are you still reading this? Go play Killzone!

After finishing the fight the only thing that really comes to mind is how just how substandard killzone 2 really is. Nothing, nothing in this game feels even the slightest bit original or new. I can deal with the mushy controls, and the cavalcade of other annoying things this game serves up. But for come on guys drop the Bothers in Arms melodrama that just drenches this game. It's forced and pathetically inept. you're fighting space Nazis who are lead by uncle fester and evidently darth vader. And a not insubstantial number of soldiers apprently took speech lessons from cobra commander, as they actually hiss at you.

Also can we as a people agree to never put boss fights in first person shooters ever again. The mechanics simply don't lend themselves to boss fights that are anything but a terrific mess. And oh boy does killzone 2 further that view. They are frustrating and long to boot. And consist almost entierley of you getting blindsidded and killed. Fun!

The levels are boring, though some of the set pieces are alright. Though the levels seems awfully derivitive at times. I'm not saying gears has a monopoly on train levels but the one in killzone 2 could be its brother. the cover system feels unreliable and mapping the iron sights to R3 doesn't work plain and simple. I underestand that the ps3 triggers are problematic but map it to L1. Especially since non ironsight firing seems to have the effectivness or hurling wet nooddles. Over all not a great game, not even a good game. It's functional (aside from the broken boss fights) but fails to live up to it's compitition in every way.