In the course of this series, we’ve talked about the impact of social hooks in the form of trophies, hardware revisions in the form of the Slim model and new control peripherals thanks to Move’s debut. But we haven’t yet touched on the primary reason many of us invested in this generation of PlayStation: the games.
Killzone 2 arrived at a pivotal moment for the PlayStation 3. The game had been a kind of anchor for what people expected from the PS3 since that famous E3 target video all the way back in 2005. That video was stunning and it truly raised expectations for what this new generation of consoles could do. It would be two years before we saw any gameplay from Guerrilla’s first person masterpiece and again, it looked stunning – even though it was obviously not as perfect as the target video.
More than eighteen months after that first gameplay footage was shown at E3 in 2007, in February 2009, Killzone 2 was released to an expectant fan base around the world. It rarely disappointed.
Killzone 2 took place entirely on Helghan, home world of the Helghast. It adroitly walked the line between great FPS action and an intriguing sci-fi plot with a hefty backstory. With Killzone 2, Sony had a countermeasure to Halo. Killzone wasn’t the same kind of game but it provided the same sort of setting, albeit in a more subtle way, more grounded in modern realism.
That heavy grounding in realism works beautifully for science fiction. Killzone 2 exhibits the same visible thread from the present to the future that makes science fiction classics like Alien so compelling. In that distant and fantastical future, we can see elements of the present. We identify and realise that it’s the same reality, just a different time and place. Not everyone was so enamoured with the realistic elements of the game though. The slow movement and heavy weaponry was one of the main causes for complaint around the the game’s launch but a patch provided some relief and also allowed for optional control changes to make it feel more familiar to fans of different FPS series.
Killzone 2, more than any other PS3 exclusive game, before or since, seemed to get everything just right. It looked fantastic, had a great campaign set in a deep and immersive universe of fiction and it was marketed perfectly at a time when Sony’s marketing was generally a little bit slow to arrive or bizarrely off message. And then there was the multiplayer.
There’s no use in pretending that the PlayStation 3 is anywhere like as popular as its main competitor for online gaming. But Killzone 2 showed that it was possible to provide perhaps the best multiplayer experience of this generation on Sony’s platform. It was so perfectly tuned, with some really excellent game mode that took place on some of the best multiplayer map design yet seen. The clan system is still sadly unmatched, anywhere.
With reviews that averaged out around the ninety per cent mark and DLC releases providing plenty of reasons to return to the game, Killzone 2 was a great success. So much so that it still feels like the high point for the PlayStation 3. That’s not to say that game series like Uncharted and Gran Turismo, not to mention the innovation of the PlayStation Network, aren’t exceptionally good. But Killzone 2 felt like a perfect storm, not even matched by its own sequel two years later.
colmshan1990
I still haven’t beaten Killzone 2.
Should probably give it a bash over the summer.
Have to disagree though- surely Uncharted 2 beats Killzone 2?
Taylor Made
Story wise uncharted is better but visually graphics & online K2 is far better than uncharted
Kronik76
Visually, in my opinion, Uncharted 2 kicks Killzone 2’s arse any day of the week! KZ2’s colouring seemed awfully bland.
Andrewww
Bland…? That’s like saying the movie Alien isn’t as colourful as Indiana Jones. It’s just the way it looks on Helghan… ;o)
colossalblue
I would say that the script writing is better in Uncharted but the universe of Killzone is massive and only fractionally in the games. They wrote a huge history for it all.
As for visually, Uncharted is probably marginally better for fidelity but Killzone’s design is much more iconic. The Helghast are more iconic than Drake – which makes them easier to lodge firmly in the annals of history. Much more so than generichandsomemanface Nate Drake.
colmshan1990
Go to Uncharted 2, climb that hotel and look across the city once more and tell me Killzone looks better.
It simply does not.
And Uncharted 3 raised the bar (although not by nearly as much) again. Probably prefer Uncharted 2 to it slightly, the story was tighter.
And while the Killzone universe is massive, in my opinion (and probably most gamers) if it’s not in the game, it doesn’t count.
It’s still bigger than Uncharted, but it’s hardly Elder Scrolls stuff.
Kamokazi-UK
Still haven’t gotten round to completing this…finished Killzone 3 however.
LTG Davey
Resistance games may come and go but Killzone reigns forever :)
Roynaldo
There are some games I play a few times because I love them. Then there is Killzone 2. Probably the one single game that has consumed the most of my time…. and that was thanks to TSA.
Andrewww
I perfectly agree with you and with the article. I love Killzone 2 and probably played it most of all games on my ps3, and still keep going back to it. And that trophy where you needed to be within the top 1% of all players online for a week was pretty intensive… :o)
Roynaldo
I didnt find it that hard. A few hours a day which i thoroughly enjoyed with the likes of spooferbarnabas, maneorix, FruitofDoom (aka Mr Coffee), pOOpinFlames, Radboud, Yogh Wayne and Vandix. Most of which you dont see often around these parts of the internet anymore but all top guys.
Some of the greatest gaming experiences of my life were with this game and this group of people (and others in the clan).
Roynaldo
infact fuck it… im gonna play it this afternoon so i can try and redo the elite campaign i lost due to Ylod.
MrCoffeeUK
They were indeed golden days, yet to be beaten tbh. Even my time on Halo doesn’t amount to a 1/3 of the time I played Killzone online with you guys!
Maneorix – damn SMG! Everytime!
Yogh_Wayne – the medic that was always there to save your bacon
PoopInFlames – pretty much the life of the party and usually drinking whiskey whilst putting holes in everyone.
Radboud and Vandix – both amazing team players adapting to any role.
Matty1209 – C4 expert and always keen on the explosive side of things.
You Roy were very much into taking the clan as far as it could go, really pushing to get the best out of the social side of things and putting a lot of time into the game / clan – which paid off nicely.
Matty
Loved Killzone 2 playing online with the clan. Was a great laugh every time we played wish killzone 3 had gone the same way.
pOOpInFlames
Amen old comrades. We had some GREAT times and I sure drank alot of whiskey…still do.
Here’s to the goo old days lads! Cheers!!!
Roynaldo
il never forget that day you watched a clan match and i took out their whole team while defending S&D to win the match. From that moment on I was an officer :)
Also i thought i developed into a pretty neat tactician, always on the spot with the spawn ready for the next round before anyone else. Such good days.
Big man hug for poop. The dream team :)
maneorix
This game will rank as my joint (next to CS (+2000hrs)) ever favourite multiplayer experience, playing with you guys was just, awesome. I very much doubt any new multiplayer game could ever match it, the blend of action and tactics was spot on. It had a few hitches here and there, but our bootcamps were a time to behold. I’ll never forget. I have high hopes for KZ4, may it bring back the glory days.
Vandix
Can’t say more than what’s already said. Cheers…
And let’s hope KZ4 brings back the glory days.
parryman
Still hoping for a HD remake of the original.
colmshan1990
Yes.
Bring back that split-screen mode!
Glorious fun was had with that game on PS2 in my house.
bowie
Killzone 2 cemented Guerrilla as one of my favourite developers. It is a brilliant game and I think the universe they created is far more believable and more interesting than many other sci-fi games that get praised for their story and world building.
I am trying to find the time to play through Killzone 1 at the moment. It is the only one I have not played. I am struggling a little with the sniper rifle controls so if they fixed that in a HD remake I would definitely buy Killzone 1 a second time. With any luck by the time I finish Killzone Liberation will be compatible with the Vita.
Taylor Made
This is my fav shooter game along with K3 but k2 controls was pain, I got used to them then went & played another game came back & I forgot the controls it was pain also the last boss took the pee to beat but yes this game changed ps3
Omac_brother
This was a great moment. Those glowing red eyes in glorious HD up on the screen, that transport dropping out of the sky… it was great.
hol
I’m glad I’m not the only one who hasn’t finished this yet ;)
As for the controls, love the weightyness of kz2, it felt right, real, unlike the competition. The mp game is absolutely superb though, superior to 3 IMHO
SpikeyMikey23
ahh loved KZ2. It was this site that got me worked up. I knew nothing of Killzone before lurking here. Went and pre-ordered it after 3 days of lurking here.
Brilliant Game. Bought Killzone for the PS2 before 3 came out but not played it yet, was hoping that HD remake would re-appear!
E3 daily store update perhaps? Thank god payday is on the 6th!
Jakster123x
I loved KZ2 and felt that the overall look and tone of the game was actually better than the infamous target render.
MayContainEvil
I absolutely loved this game, one of my top FPS’s for sure. So atmospheric and the story carries the action so well.