Killzone 2 Reviewed [Archive]

Taustin Powers

Jan 20, 2009, 03:30 AM

By the Official Playstation Magazine UK. Scans here:

http://personalgaming.blogspot.com/2009/01/killzone-2-opm-uk-review-scans.html

9/10.

Good to see the official mag still pointing out some flaws and not just giving it the obligatory 10/10.

First metacritic scores are coming in as well. So far we have a 90/100 (see above), a 100/100 (official ps magazine US ;) ), and a 99/100 (MEGamers).

As much as I have been telling myself "I DO NOT NEED YET ANOTHER FPS!", this is starting to look mighty tempting. Damn. Maybe I will pick it up after I beat Bioshock, Far Cry 2, and the Orange Box. :eek:

MacRumorUser

Jan 20, 2009, 03:53 AM

spyker3292

Jan 20, 2009, 07:40 AM

My friend pre-ordered 2 copies (don't ask me why...) so I'll be sure to try out the demo next month with his extra code! :D

gloss

Jan 20, 2009, 07:58 AM

I'll wait until Edge & GAMESTM review the game for an accurate and realistic viewpoint.

I don't trust official magazines, and haven't done so in a long long time.

But...Edge?

I'm a Eurogamer fan, m'self. I've found their reviews line up eerily well with my own opinions.

sikkinixx

Jan 20, 2009, 08:20 AM

I'll wait until Edge & GAMESTM review the game for an accurate and realistic viewpoint.

I don't trust official magazines, and haven't done so in a long long time.

Judging from previews I expect the game to get 8 or 9 out of 10 and similar percentage wise.

But 100/100 from Official PS US, that's just ridiculous :rolleyes:

I have the game on pre-order anyway.... :)

Games like GTA 4 and MGS 4 got a crap ton of 5/5, 10/10, 100/100 though. Just people freaking out over hype.

That said, Killzone is supposed to be the purdiest game yet and the action is supposed to be quite good albeit with different controls than we are all used to. I know a few people in the beta and they were throughly impressed. Maybe it can be a 9+ game.

edit: and that review from OPM UK? holly balls they cant write wurth a dam. "You're just a cog in the blood-slick war machine" :p

Dagless

Jan 20, 2009, 08:39 AM

You're actually listening to an Official Magazine for reviews :eek:

Between this and The Conduit it does look like I might be swayed into console FPS's again. Just it's not a good idea to listen to "official" mag reviews is all.

sikkinixx

Jan 20, 2009, 08:47 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN1bkvxvlCs&fmt=18

The purdy CG opening movie + first few minutes of the game for any who are interested. Cheesy but neat.

MacRumorUser

Jan 20, 2009, 08:49 AM

But...Edge?

I'm a Eurogamer fan, m'self. I've found their reviews line up eerily well with my own opinions.

I like Edge magazine, generally they don't give easy review scores.

This month for example

Rolando - 7/10
Rise of the Argonauts - 3/10
Mushroom Men - 6/10
Destroy all Humans - 3/10
Skate 2 - 7/10

etc....

But yes I do actually like Eurogamer UK (online) as likewise I can often find myself agreeing with their review scores, though at times they can be a too forgiving or generous...

Fable 2 : Knothole Island (expansion) was awarded a mighty 10/10, which seems far too generous and yet the latest Prince of Persia only got an average 6/10 from Eurogamer. Whereas Edge gave it an 8/10 and I personally think that's more realistic score for that game.

2nyRiggz

Jan 20, 2009, 10:26 AM

I'm sorry but people talking about "less credibility" because its a official magazines should check out the other scores they give PS exclusive games.....OPM is harsh and they bash the *beep* out of exclusives.

This isn't the only review the game has gotten....apparently other euro mags have given it the same or a little less score as OPM. I've played the games multiplayer part before and I can tell you the game feels good.

Like I always say.....don't rely on reviews too much because its just someones opinion.

Bless

ChrisN

Jan 20, 2009, 05:55 PM

Looks cool, maybe when I get a ps3 I'll pick it up.

ChrisN

stainlessliquid

Jan 21, 2009, 03:58 PM

Eurogamer has to be the most inconsistent reviewer there is, I dont know what you guys see in them. Theres no rhyme or reason to them giving a game an abnormally high score or abnormally low score, its like theyll do crazy scores just for the publicity.

Killzone 2 is obviously going to be a quality game though so I doubt it will score under 9 and most places (well Eurogamer might give it a 6 just for ***** and giggles). It looks much better than the first one which was rather mediocre. Its the only console FPS Im actually looking foward to.

evan g

Jan 25, 2009, 11:13 PM

I preordered, so I should get a demo pretty soon here. Nowadays it's hard to rely on review sites these days, what with everyone being a little bias (not to mention GameRadar click here (http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=14379309&postcount=15861) to figure out what I mean).

Hopefully Killzone 2 will live up to everything it was supposed to be, sales be damned! :D

2nyRiggz

Jan 29, 2009, 11:56 AM

I think I've said it that this game would be good(because I actually played the thing) but for the people that "wait on non-euro, non-PS3, credible, famous web sites" review then here you go.....enjoy.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/949/949161p1.html

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/killzone-2-review?page=3

There are others that reviewed it and gave it around the same score

Knock another one down as "killzowned" now as gamers we can enjoy another good game instead of bickering about who has the better exclusives(not that we do it on this site but I'm truly tired of the fanboy nonsense when I'm trying to get my daily gaming news)

Bless

spyker3292

Jan 29, 2009, 03:37 PM

Yay, IGN loves it :D.

sikkinixx

Jan 29, 2009, 06:24 PM

Yay, IGN loves it :D.

The same IGN who gave GTA IV a 10.0 and called it "Oscar worthy writing"? :rolleyes: that means soooooooo much

Dagless

Jan 29, 2009, 07:44 PM

The same IGN who gave GTA IV a 10.0 and called it "Oscar worthy writing"? :rolleyes: that means soooooooo much

Beat me to it :D
No doubt KZ2 is a great game, I just wish these devs would add in keyboard and mouse support. Especially on the PS3!

:o At least with MS there was a smidgen of a chance it'd be ported to the PC. The option wudda been appreciated, is all :o

sikkinixx

Jan 29, 2009, 09:56 PM

I'm not dissing the game, I'll be there day one buying it for sure but IGN? Ugh...

e²Studios

Jan 29, 2009, 10:43 PM

I won't be buying this game...

I got it for free ner ner

spyker3292

Jan 29, 2009, 11:52 PM

I'm not dissing the game, I'll be there day one buying it for sure but IGN? Ugh...

I hate review sites, but it's always nice to see nice reviews on games I want.

sikkinixx

Jan 30, 2009, 08:53 AM

I won't be buying this game...

I got it for free ner ner

*coughjerkcough*

wwooden

Jan 30, 2009, 02:06 PM

I've been looking for a new FPS to get, I think this may just be it. Since switching over to the PS3 from a 360, I definitely haven't found a FPS that has captured me like Halo or Gears did; I'm hoping this is the one.

evan g

Jan 30, 2009, 10:47 PM

I think the thing that made this one so good, was that the devs would post "Ask the Dev" threads on the Playstation boards and they would get all this feedback for what people found interesting in a game. The sixaxis sniping? That was an idea on the boards back in 2007, just for fun. And now it works great.

sikkinixx

Feb 2, 2009, 10:11 AM

http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps3/killzone2

95/100 so far at least. Looking good. Wired just gave it a 9/10 as well (sadly it wasn't Koller).

Maybe this can actually be the game for Sony that does really well. LBP had the same (actually better) acclaim and it has done well, but not amazing like Sorny needs. Killzone is a more easy to digest "zOmG!11one!! s00t t3H n@z!5!!" kind of game.

2nyRiggz

Feb 2, 2009, 01:04 PM

"zOmG!11one!! s00t t3H n@z!5!!"

I'm already seeing it now.....damn fanboys killing the fun out of the games

"tH3 gEarz iz b3sT!!!"

and the response...

"zOmG1!one!!? t3H kiLlZon3 2 iz dE b3ztEst!!!!111!1trwo....nooobz!!1"

Bless

sikkinixx

Feb 2, 2009, 02:18 PM

I'm already seeing it now.....damn fanboys killing the fun out of the games

"tH3 gEarz iz b3sT!!!"

and the response...

"zOmG1!one!!? t3H kiLlZon3 2 iz dE b3ztEst!!!!111!1trwo....nooobz!!1"

Bless

bUt !t5 F[_]n 2 t@|k l!k3 d1s!

Chic0

Feb 3, 2009, 12:39 PM

any idea if/when demo will become available on PS Store?

sikkinixx

Feb 3, 2009, 04:36 PM

this week.

MacRumorUser

Feb 3, 2009, 04:48 PM

Thursday I believe :)

sikkinixx

Feb 3, 2009, 06:10 PM

NA PSN'rs don;t get it until the 26th unless you have the Gamestop pre-order code I believe. Load of crap. Oh well, just download it with my Europe account.

spyker3292

Feb 3, 2009, 07:22 PM

NA PSN'rs don;t get it until the 26th unless you have the Gamestop pre-order code I believe. Load of crap. Oh well, just download it with my Europe account.

Is it coming out in Japan/Australia this week too? Those are the only foreign accounts I've got. But if I can ever get a hold of my friend (who's always busy) he'll give me his extra code.

Taustin Powers

Feb 4, 2009, 07:56 AM

94/100 based on 37 Reviews. It's doing pretty well!

http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps3/killzone2

sikkinixx

Feb 4, 2009, 08:55 AM

metacritic screwed up 1up's number rating. An "A" isn't 100%, an "A+" would be :eek: TEH METACRITIC IS WRONGZ! OH NO! OH CAN WE ALL JUDGE GAMES?! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO :p:D

2nyRiggz

Feb 4, 2009, 08:57 AM

^You're silly...I lol'd:)

Well now that the review are all about in(the ones people think are credible) now only thing left is to get this game in our hands and judge it for ourselves.

The real question is will I see you guys online?

Bless

Chic0

Feb 5, 2009, 02:12 PM

..is available on PS Store. Grabbing it now :cool::D

sikkinixx

Feb 5, 2009, 02:31 PM

stainlessliquid

Feb 5, 2009, 02:43 PM

Is it coming out in Japan/Australia this week too? Those are the only foreign accounts I've got. But if I can ever get a hold of my friend (who's always busy) he'll give me his extra code.

whats stopping you from making another account?

Saladinos

Feb 5, 2009, 02:57 PM

whats stopping you from making another account?

Seriously. I live in the UK, but as far as Sony know, I have a flat in the Pentagon and another in Sony's own headquarters in Minato, Tokoyo.

MacRumorUser

Feb 5, 2009, 04:24 PM

Taking fricking forever to download for me here.... :(

2nyRiggz

Feb 5, 2009, 05:17 PM

I downloaded the demo in 45mins. For the guys looking for a COD4 arcade type shooter will be disappointed...this is a R6V/GRAW type game AND I LOVE IT.

Alternative type two controls work perfectly for the COD fans. The aiming will take some getting use to. I enjoyed the demo and I'm not going to nitpick about if the rock was textured perfectly but there were some check points hiccups.

One thing I didn't like much was I rather have a snap to iron sights instead of the toggle...just my preference though.

Damn A.I is smarter than I thought....who told them to duck and cover when I injure them!

Bless

fiercetiger224

Feb 5, 2009, 05:27 PM

For whatever reason, it only took me 15 mins to download from the UK PSN Store in the US. :D Much faster than I expected!

But the demo is pretty much what I expected: so much **** going on at once. The AI is really good too, and enemies actually take cover and move to different spots! I've played through the SHORT ASS demo twice, and it's a different experience each time thanks to the AI. It keeps it fresh and new to some degree.

As for the graphics, AMAZING. Not quite Crysis, but very amazing for a console title. I've never seen lighting so dramatic in a console title, not to mention how well they make the "first person" view feel. You feel like you're actually the person walking around, and not just "sliding" across like in some FPS games. Also, the recoil on the weapons adds incredible depth to shooting and aiming. Feels very very realistic. Particle effects are amazing, not to mention the scale of how much **** is being rendered on screen. There is some slight issue of pop-ins here and there, but it doesn't affect the gameplay in any way.

Controls do take a little getting used to after playing Resistance and COD4 so much. They came of nature to me the second time I played the demo though, although I hope they add a button map feature in the final game.

e²Studios

Feb 5, 2009, 06:22 PM

sikkinixx

Feb 5, 2009, 06:44 PM

I'll be there on day one to kill you, don't worry! :D

He talks big 2ny but we all know edward ain't got nutin.

edit: i downloaded the demo from the UK store... following in the 2009 trend, the controls suck. The zoom needs to be on a shoulder button, and NOT be locked but mapping it to L1 sucks because L2 needs to be HELD to stay in cover. Annoying. But other than that, I like it a lot. Looks fantastic, guns feel good, explosions are nice. Happy to buy it soon.

MacRumorUser

Feb 6, 2009, 03:17 AM

It's very pretty..... I think it both looks better and plays smoother than Crysis (well on my rig :D) which is some feat when a nvidia 7800 derivative, Cell CPU and 512mb ram, can outperform a quad core processor, 8 GB ram and a 8800GTS.

My only criticism, the first person perspective seems 'very close' if you get me. Your peripheral vision seems very small, oh and those wibbly wobbly load screens are nausea inducing and I'm surprised it got past the epileptic seizure testing...

Chic0

Feb 6, 2009, 06:57 AM

He talks big 2ny but we all know edward ain't got nutin.

edit: i downloaded the demo from the UK store... following in the 2009 trend, the controls suck. The zoom needs to be on a shoulder button, and NOT be locked but mapping it to L1 sucks because L2 needs to be HELD to stay in cover. Annoying. But other than that, I like it a lot. Looks fantastic, guns feel good, explosions are nice. Happy to buy it soon.

Yeah but you can change the control configuration

sikkinixx

Feb 6, 2009, 08:19 AM

Yeah but you can change the control configuration

I know, but none of them are how I want it. I wish they had allowed you to fully map your own controller. Why in this day and age we STILL don't have that in every single game is beyond me.

stainlessliquid

Feb 6, 2009, 10:42 AM

I played a little before coming to work this morning. It seemed pretty good for a console FPS, I didnt get totally jacked like I did in Resistance since it seems to be slower paced and I really suck at FPS aiming with a controller. The artists did a great job on this game, its definitely the gears for PS3.

Not sure if I'll buy it yet, its still a console FPS after all. It beats the snot out of RE5 at least.

spyker3292

Feb 6, 2009, 03:38 PM

I've been loving the demo, played it twice already. Some nice demos this month. RE5, KZ2, and Halo Wars. Didn't try Halo Wars (screwed up my XBL account setup, can't download M demos), but the others are great!

Scratch that, I was getting a ton of errors and just expected it was because I have a "minor" account. Halo Wars is good, but it's not Starcraft :\.

MacRumorUser

Feb 6, 2009, 03:43 PM

Nice that it supports 1080p too :)

Just wish all PS3 games did.. either by scaling or natively. It's a pain in the arse having to manually change HDMI settings each time dependent on the game your playing..

Taustin Powers

Feb 6, 2009, 06:42 PM

Just played the demo, and I pretty much got what I expected. It looks very pretty and plays well, but in the end it's just another FPS. I'll very likely pass on that one for the time being.

P-Worm

Feb 6, 2009, 11:35 PM

I can't find the demo on the PSN store. Am I missing something?

P-Worm

e²Studios

Feb 7, 2009, 03:25 AM

I can't find the demo on the PSN store. Am I missing something?

P-Worm

You need a code, its a closed demo. GameStop is giving them away with pre-orders.

P-Worm

Feb 7, 2009, 10:15 AM

You need a code, its a closed demo. GameStop is giving them away with pre-orders.

Boo. Are they going to have a free one when the game actually comes out?

P-Worm

fiercetiger224

Feb 7, 2009, 10:23 AM

Boo. Are they going to have a free one when the game actually comes out?

P-Worm

Yes, but the day before the game comes out. If you REALLY want to play the demo, you can create a UK PSN account, and have access to the demo in the UK store. Instructions on how to do it are readily available by searching google. All you have to do is find a white pages equivalent for the UK, search for a common name, and use that address for your location. It's easy, and only took me less than 5 mins to get an account up and running. :D

I forgot to grab my demo code from Gamestop, so I just decided to create an account and download it. For a 1.2 GB file, it took me less than 15 mins to down from UK store in the US! :eek:

NoSmokingBandit

Feb 7, 2009, 10:29 AM

I gave the demo a run through yesterday. It was pretty nice, but the controls are completely different than what i like. I hate clicking a stick to zoom in, id rather have that on the left shoulder buttons like Resistance.
The game was pretty though, and everything felt 'real'. The player felt like he had weight to him and doesnt jump 5 feet straight up. Im looking forward to the release.

spyker3292

Feb 7, 2009, 10:46 PM

evan g

Feb 7, 2009, 11:56 PM

I can't find the demo on the PSN store. Am I missing something?

P-Worm

The demo was only in the EU store. To get it in NA you had to 1) Pre-order from GameStop or 2) Make an EU account.

I pre-ordered it before I even knew about it being on the EU store.

As for what I thought, I liked it very much. Controls... worked fine if you put it all down on paper. I'm looking forward to learning these instead of hammering the devs to make the controls more like COD or Resistance.

Chone

Feb 8, 2009, 12:01 AM

The demo was only in the EU store. To get it in NA you had to 1) Pre-order from GameStop or 2) Make an EU account.

I pre-ordered it before I even knew about it being on the EU store.

As for what I thought, I liked it very much. Controls... worked fine if you put it all down on paper. I'm looking forward to learning these instead of hammering the devs to make the controls more like COD or Resistance.

I hadn't realized EU didn't need a code for it, I'm happily downloading the demo now :)

Soulstorm

Feb 8, 2009, 07:31 AM

Played the demo yesterday. That game is really good. It;s the first time I think that the camera movement in an fps contributes so much in the immersion of the game.

evan g

Feb 8, 2009, 05:26 PM

I hadn't realized EU didn't need a code for it, I'm happily downloading the demo now :)

Lucky dogs. :)

Played the demo yesterday. That game is really good. It;s the first time I think that the camera movement in an fps contributes so much in the immersion of the game.

It's definitely a game that either follows the guidelines correctly or sets a new standard altogether. I can't wait for the 27th. Or the 26th for those of you in Europe. :D

Chone

Feb 8, 2009, 07:52 PM

I just finished the demo, it's short but sweet. The graphics are pretty nice , they depend a lot on blur to have that cinematic impact but they work for me so no complaints though I do feel they have been a bit over hyped, I don't think it's the best looking game ever, not even on console, they are great, without the blur they would be good.

I definitely noticed the lag and "heavyness" of the movement but it didn't bother me particularly, even CoD4 feels sluggish for me with a gamepad (compared to mouse/keyboard) so I liked how Killzone 2 made the sluggishness a "feature" of sorts, it's pretty immersive actually and feels quite natural, I also LOVE how good the pistol feels, well placed shots to the head are both effective and satisfying.

The cover system seems like very little at first but it makes things much more fluid, also, everything feels heavy and powerful, when the enemies die (I think they are called helghast, sorry I'm a killzone noob) it's almost as if you can feel the weight of their body crashing full-force against the floor, same with pretty much everything else (grenades, explosions, etc) it's hard to explain.

I think I'm definitely buying Killzone 2, I don't know, it's the first console shooter where I feel the gamepad isn't holding me back but is actually part of the experience, similar to RE5's clunky controls, it's hard to explain but oh man, KZ2 is the real deal :) and that means a lot to ME considering I'm a huge PC fps fan.

NoSmokingBandit

Feb 8, 2009, 08:30 PM

Everything about the demo is ace. I poked around the controls and found one that worked perfectly for me, the graphics are amazing, even when you get really close to walls, the blur is just enough to make it seem real, but not too much as to get in the way...
The voice acting/script leaves a bit to be desired, but once you play games like Drakes Fortune and MGS4 all other games sound terrible, lol.

The only major complaint i have is that you cannot (or at least i have not figured it out, which is likely) toggle crouch. You have to hold down the button to crouch, which makes going behind cover a bit of a chore.

The demo was short, but it left all of us wanting more, so it did its job. I cant wait until it comes in the mail. Its going to be great.

spaceballl

Feb 9, 2009, 02:51 AM

I don't want the demo... I just can't wait for the full version :D. SO EXCITED!!!

carlosbutler

Feb 10, 2009, 03:06 PM

some of the reviews (100/100) are a bit over the top. mainly because they have rated it higher than Half Life 2, and even though that is old, well very old, its still the best game i have ever played - way better than GTA:SA (yes, i ignored GTA IV, got bored even though i finished it). so yes HL2 was the best game, until the KZ2 demo. I could not believe it. it was just amazing and in the bit just before the end of the demo, the warehouse, i somehow managed to blow up 5 or 6 barrels and it just looked amazing. and then i got pissed off because after downloading 1.3GB it was like a 4 minute demo. but what a demo. heck i would have even paid for it (in moderation, £1 maybe:p)