SHOE: Killzone first exploded onto the scene with an Internet movie trailer that showed promise of a first-person shooter that would blow away all others, including, possibly, Xbox’s cash cow, Halo. Big guns, sci-fi-movie action, amazing graphics...the stage and hype were set. So let’s get this out of the way now: Killzone is not a “Halo killer.” A couple more months in the development Crock-Pot might’ve done it, but as it is now, the game only gives you a taste of what could’ve been.

The opening cinema sets the game up nicely. The helghast, a separatist race of highly developed sourpusses led by a half-Hitler, half–Star Wars Emperor visionary, decide to launch a surprise attack and invade the ISA, a federation of human colonies. It’s epic and exciting, but the technology just ain’t there for this one.

Killzone looks fantastic—it has vast war-torn environments, badass guns, a dark and somber mood that fits the vibe of death and destruction well—until it starts moving. The choppy, sluggish action spoils the sense of immersion the developers did such a great job of creating otherwise.

But for PS2 owners all SOCOMed out, Killzone provides a kill-rific alternative. Well, not really kill-rific...maybe more kill-decent. The presentation (cut-scenes, music, menus) is top-notch, and when you look up into the gray skies to see enemy helghast rappelling down from a drop ship, you know you’re in for an action-packed, cinematic experience. If only this game ran as smoothly as SOCOM II or Metal Gear Solid 3.... Well, there’s always next time (predictably, the ending sets up a Killzone 2).

The online play is equally rough. Everything’s just as choppy and sluggish here, but the more I played, the more it grew on me, and after about a week of learning the maps and weapons, I was looking forward to the next session. I can’t say that about most online games these days....

MARK: Shoe is right—a Halo killer Killzone ain’t, though it’s easy to see why the comparison was made. Sony’s shooter has the familiar sci-fi setting, low weapon-carry limit, one-button anytime grenade, severely limited number of enemies (the tougher ones are called “Elites,” if you can believe it), and even the repeating level bits.

It also has some of the PS2’s best graphics yet. The environments are huge, with large open courtyards, rolling hills, detailed buildings, and convincing plant life. Of course, Killzone pays for its good looks—the game never runs really smoothly, and at times it’s bad enough to affect aiming, an annoyance furthered by the game’s many imprecise weapons.

Luckily, you’re usually too concerned with other things to notice: Enemies are smart enough (ducking behind cover, setting the occasional ambush) to keep you on your toes, and a few of the levels get super intense. Fellow soldiers fighting alongside you, enemy troop carriers moving in, grenades blowing up all around—at its best, Killzone surpasses even the Medal of Honor series at creating the feeling of a huge war raging all around you.

The four playable characters are another nice touch. They vary enough (despite a stealth element that never really takes off) to allow two different ways to play: slowly and methodically, or all-out guns a’ blazin’. Plus, their different personalities, though at times cliché, kept me interested in Killzone’s story.

Multiplayer is surprisingly robust—plenty of good maps and modes, so-so bots (hey, better than nothing!), a high player limit, and some fun guns. The superslow grenade and reload animations are a mistake, as are the differences between the two teams (which gives one side the advantage on some maps), but it’s still the best thing to happen to the PS2 online since SOCOM II.

GMR—ANDREW: Sorry to repeat what the other guys are saying, but Killzone is either A) two years ahead of its time, or B) on the wrong hardware. The PS2, bless its little heart, just cannot do consistent justice to the game’s ambitious design. For certain other genres, choppy visuals, dense fog, and distracting graphical glitches are excusable, just as long as they don’t affect gameplay. But for first-person shooters, where a fast response and accurate aim is of paramount concern, you need a game that runs smoothly at least 90 percent of the time. All it takes is one attempt to use the horrendous sniper rifle to see that Killzone can’t deliver.

Technical difficulties aside, Killzone’s overall design is actually very solid: The visual motif is incredibly well conceived (think WWII if it happened 50 years from now), the story and characters are interesting, and even though it’s totally linear, the single-player campaign puts you in some very cool scenarios and firefights. The only big problem is that the helghast troops are profoundly stupid, and it seems that to compensate they have unfairly accurate aim and can withstand ungodly amounts of direct fire. They can take over 200 rounds, including multiple headshots, before going down.

Killzone is good; it’s still playable, and quite fun online...but thanks to unfortunate timing, it’s not what it should have been. The inevit-able Killzone 2 on PS3 ought to be something special. P

The verdicts (out of 10)

Shoe 7.5

Mark 8.0

Andrew 7.0

Publisher: Sony CEA

Developer: Guerrilla

Players: 1-2 (2-16 online, broadband only)

ESRB: Mature

www.playstation.com

Good: Fantastic presentation gets you all gung ho for action

Bad: The action’s rough and unpolished

Overly Animated: Cocking/reloading guns, throwing grenades...

ISA vs. Helghast

In general, ISA characters are slightly more accurate with ISA weapons, and helghast shoot straighter with helghast guns (next page). And ISA arms are more accurate to begin with, while the helghast’s equivalents have more ammo per clip (key, because the reload animations can take damn near forever—try reloading a shotgun for a test of patience). Here are a few weapons that you should pay attention to in multiplayer matches.

Pistol

Don’t rule this li’l guy out just cause he’s small. He’s accurate at long ranges, kinda like Halo 1’s pistol....

Shotgun

The best short-range weapon, bar none. Secondary fire is a two-shell human body liquefier.

Templar Assault Rifle

Your default ISA gun. Comes with an empty grenade launcher. Find ammo for it, fast!

Chain Gun

Speed-fire insanity with 800-round clips (which equals fewer reloading animations). Plus rockets.

Grenade Launcher

For players with lousy aim. Secondary fire shoots proximity mines—great for setting traps.

Missile Launcher

Sit still and laser guide missiles to your target, but sitting ducks tend to, you know...die.

Machine Pistol

Three-round bursts, but go for the more accurate single shots with secondary fire.

Assault Rifle

Awful accuracy, but the attached shotgun, while slooow to reload, can cause a world of hurt.

Light Machine Gun

Looks cool, but neither accurate nor versatile. But looking cool is important, too.

Battle Pistol

Don’t accidentally pass this ugly duckling by. It doesn’t just shoot bullets; it shoots bullets that go BOOM.

Squad Cannon

Another boom launcher. But it reloads fast, which means more boom for your buck.

Missile Launcher

Secondary fire shoots three missiles. Do you really want that many? Yes. Yes you do.

It’s All in the Details

Killzone is funny about what it decides to be good at. For example, shoot a water cooler and you’ll get the most realistic water-cooler-being-shot reaction ever seen in a videogame—the jug flies in the air and there are perfect boingy sound effects. Yet, shoot a lightbulb, floor lamp, plant, ashtray, piece of paper...anything besides a water cooler (or vending machine)—nothing happens. Guess the developers have a thing for water coolers, especially since the second level has one every 10 feet, in just about every room and hallway of an office building. Those are some thirsty folks working there.

Copyright © 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Electronic Gaming Monthly.