|
KillZone 2 is the highly-anticipated PLAYSTATION3
sequel to the PlayStation2’s KillZone. Having already had a
second outing on the PlayStation Portable, KillZone Liberation,
 KillZone
2 is actually the third release in the series, and was first
unveiled in video format way back at E3 2005.
Two years after the Helghast assault on Vekta, the ISA
is taking the fight to the enemy’s home world of Helghan. The ISA
goal is direct: capture the Helghast leader, Emperor Visari, and
bring the Helghast war machine to a halt. Assuming the role of Sev,
a battle-hardened veteran and a member of the Special Forces unit
known as the Legion, players will lead a group of highly trained
soldiers on a mission to take out the Helghast threat. For Sev and
his squad, the invasion of Helghan is just the beginning. Tasked
with securing Pyrrhus, the Capital City, the team quickly discovers
that the Helghast are a formidable enemy on their home planet. Not
only have they adjusted to the planet’s hostile conditions, they
have also harnessed a source of power they can now use against the
ISA. Sev discovers his squad isn’t just fighting enemy forces –
their fiercest opponent may be the planet itself.
Guerrilla Games is intent on taking the sheen off
Resistance 2, reinforcing KillZone 2 as gamers’
first-place PLAYSTATION3 First-Person Shooter hot-property. A
lengthy presentation may have gone some way towards doing that,
revealing details such as thirty-two player online support, the
online Ranking System and the “KillZone Kommunity”.
Firstly, Senior Online Game Designer Eric Boltjes stated
that the team were hoping the create an online game would everyone
could enjoy, and that could breed it’s own community aspects. From
the off, it was clear this presentation was concentrating on that
online aspect. It was also noted that Guerrilla Games, at present,
has no intentions of implementing a Split-Screen options for any
of the available gameplay modes.
The game features typical match-creation options, and
gets players into the fray very quickly indeed. The Ranking System
takes a cue from
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and the
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six VEGAS series. Featuring twelve Military
Ranks to ascend, forty-six Ribbons and Medals and more than
one-hundred statistic achievements make the grade, before an
extensive Badge System comes into play.
There are six Character Classes available, including
Engineer, Scout and Saboteur. As you play, you unlock further
Character Classes, and
 being
efficient with each will unlock you Badges, which enable special
abilities. Playing as a Medic, the first unlocked Badge will enable
you revive downed comrades, and a second Badge may grant you the
ability to throw Med Packs to allies who are wounded, but not
down-and-out.
The above, in itself, is nothing new. In-fact, recent
releases such as
Battlefield: Bad Company and
Enemy
Territory: QUAKE Wars have similar offerings. However, a new
take on the formula is the ability to mix Character Classes as you
wish. Combining a Medic and Engineer Badge will result in the
Medic-Engineer class, giving you both the ability to heal friends,
and vehicles. At this stage, any two Badges can be combined, and
whichever Badge is selected first will become the Class’s primary
ability. Further to this, the PLAYSTATION3’s Trophy System is, of
course, included in the title.
Player Respawns follow the pattern established by titles such as
Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars. Able to choose your own Respawn
Point after being downed, a difference here is that a Selection
Window opens on the left of the screen, while a real-time display of
the ensuing battle in whichever area selected is displayed on the
right, aiding your choice of placement.
An alarming new development in KillZone 2’s Multi-Player is
that which Boltjes calls “Dynamic Missions”. While certainly
offering a different take on the usual online fare seen with
First-Person Shooters, it’s hoped that this will be an option
available for players to turn on-and-off at will. There are five
types of Mission currently available, and completing one can
automatically begin another - in-game. Capturing a required artefact
may win your Round, but will automatically generate another Mission
for the opposing team, as the game stands. Should the next Mission
be an Assassination Mission, and the target your enemy are now
attacking was the same player that just completed the previous
objective and is standing in the middle of an enemy stronghold, you
can guarantee a Round lost, and some pretty angry gamers.
Currently due for release at the tail-end of the year, with a public
Beta scheduled for just prior to launch, KillZone 2 looks
fantastic. The Single-Player Campaign is chock-full of surprises,
and the online Multi-Player certainly promises depth for those
wishing for an expansive team-based First-Person Shooter on
PLAYSTATION3. The team are also reportedly looking into online
Co-Operative play and Downloadable Content, but nothing was
discussed at the show. |
