“God knows that I wanted peace.”
Adolf Hitler, Berlin, Reichstag, May 4th, 1941
Words can often be contradicted by actions. As in the case of Hitler, is push for the perfect world with a race of blonde hair and blue-eyed humans in the form of invasions of countries, the death of millions and the overall war itself, his actions surely go against the statement above.
The bitter taste of war is not sour for all people. If you are in need of evidence to this fact, then do tell me, why are there so many military leaders in the world who threaten the peace of society? Hitler, yes he is but one, however, there are others such as the leaders of Russia, Afghanistan, Korea, Japan, all through the ages, even those of Britain and America, some labelling President Bush as nothing but a power hungry, warmonger. In some cases, raging war is a matter of justice, to bring about the freedom of a nation. Yet, in most scenarios, the main factors that drive death and destruction is the thirst for power and domination.
General Lente, in control of the Helghast forces is such a man, if man is the correct name for his evil being.
“General Lente is the black heart that beats within the Helghast. Despite being an arrogant and fascist man, his passion for the Helghast’s despicable goals is infectious and his men follow him unquestioningly. Although in his late-50’s, this elite officer should not be underestimated both physically and mentally. He is fiercely loyal to the Helghast supreme leader Scolar Visari as will stop at nothing to realise the Helghast’s domination over humanity.”
That, in itself, says it all.
Killzone takes you into a universe that is divided between two main forces. The human race is still in existence, spread out throughout the many galaxies but connected as one in an alliance known as the ISA (Interplanetary Strategic Alliance). Colonisation has been the backbone of growth and discovery throughout the universe, leading to a widespread population of our race.
Although the famous saying goes “Every cloud has a silver lining”, in the case of this game “Every universe has a dark cloud”. Though colonisation has been, as said, vital to the continuation of human life, it has also caused the sorrow of an entire nation. On the planet Helgan, those living there have been mutated and killed by the atmosphere around them and as a result of this, it has brewed within them a cruel and burning hatred towards Earth and the ISA. Due to the radiation exposure, those who have not fallen ill and died, have become stronger and it has created a new breed of hardier men who posses strength and stamina greater than any normal man. Drawing away from contact and reach of the ISA, the Helghast has formed an elite army and concocted plans to destroy the ISA and most of all, Earth in an attempt to have revenge and dominate the universe.
At the start of the game you are thrown right into the middle of the carnage, taking on the dangerous role of Templar, an ISA soldier. Thankfully, you are not left to fend off the entire Helghast forces alone but you soon acquire three more men to create the pitiful and small squadron. Rico is a heavy gunner, with powerful shots and aggressive fighting style, he is most certainly the type to blast you out of a tight spot rather than negotiate around it. Then there is Luger, an assassin who prefers the silent and deadly approach, a touch of delicacy that you will need when playing the game. Finally, your last soldier is Hakha, a traitor to the Helghast forces who aids you in the struggles against the dominant army of darkness.
Although these characters are with you, the AI of the game controls them, getting them to perform all kinds of tasks such as covering you, drawing fire away from you, taking out specific men or posts, etc. This takes away the squadron like element away from the game and it might, at times, seem a bit pointless having them by your side. However, this is most likely going to be frustration more than anything else, as you will want to make the game what it is not, a squadron shooter.
However, even though having your team mates around you is near pointless, you can, at the start of each mission, choose which one of the four you wish to play as. As expected, each of them have all kinds of different strengths and weaknesses. Each of them are pretty self explanatory; Templar is an all-round type of soldier, hardy and able to take most of the beatings he gets; Rico, carrying the beastie gun, is sluggish and slow but he does shoot powerful shots; Luger has the more stealthy approach, with excellent sniper skills and a swift pace of attack and run; finally, Hakha can activate the Helghast technology that is dotted throughout the game and he can also use the enemy weapons that can be collected after pumping one of the pale skinned freaks full of lead.
If you are hoping for a deeply engrossed storyline then you can guess again. Many people have been labelling Killzone of being a copy of Halo or close to it but in terms of depth and plot, there is not much that will have you hanging on the edge of your seat or wanting to hurry onto the next mission to find out what happens next. Dialogue is thin between the characters and you might as well just pick one, most probably Rico and blast your way through each of the missions, blowing up anything that so much as breathes.
Sadly, there is not much that so much as moves let alone breathes. It is something that lets this game down a great deal. Compared to other such vast FPS titles such as Halo or Timesplitters, where the AI is advanced and it is actually a hard task to sneak past enemies or try to shoot them as they hide, dodge or shoot back. The enemies within Killzone very much stand around, stare at walls and wait for the paint to dry. Sometimes you can stand in front of one of them for a long moment before they begin to shoot and call for backup. When they are in motion, it is sometimes hard to catch them, not because of the level of difficulty but because their movements are so odd and out of place. Just when they run they do not seem to have a plan in mind, simply run and shoot is all that is going through their minds and when they roll they do so, so quickly, that when they stand up again you question yourself if they did actually roll! Or even move at all! Though the game can become difficult in areas because of the amount of enemies you have to face or just simply because you take on more damage from being hit, it is certainly not down to the intelligence of the Helghast forces.
Also, Killzone gives the impression that the Helghast have launched an all out assault on the planet but there seems to be no evidence of that. Helghast forces, numerous, vast, invincible and overpowering seem to be no where in sight apart from groups of random troops that need to be taken out. Once your unit has disposed them, you then carry on through the quiet remnants of the planet until you find more enemies that stand in your way. This takes away so many much-needed elements to create the all out war effect. Though the game itself, at points and mostly through the game is very much enjoyable, such a lack of story or drive in the game or even the adrenaline of war can become tedious and repetitive.
Now we get onto the credit, which Killzone very much deserves; the graphics and visuals of the game. When creating a fictitious world, the key factor of it is to make it believable; otherwise there is not point in it at all. Killzone, with its stunning design and look achieves this immensely. Another key factor in creating a perfect fictitious world is for it to be acceptable and relative to those who you are presenting it too. A world that is set on a planet completely different to ours, where everything is completely different to us and our lives, without a single thing being similar in any way to that of our world, then the people you are presenting it too will all imagine different things and comprehend them in different ways. However, the surroundings and graphics of Killzone excel in creating a fictional world that could very much be our own fifty or so years down the line. Such simple things like roads, buildings, transportation have all been thought of in this game and the mechanics and design of them work on the same principles or standards of our own society.
One of the main things that caught my eye was the weaponry. Usually in futuristic games, such as there is in Halo, most of the guns are hyper beams or plasma powered cannons, etc. In Killzone they have continued on with the believable representation and have designed guns that still fire bullets and although they are high powered, rapid firing, sometimes even explosive rounds, it makes the game seem more real and you can connect with it. When you are pumping bullets into the enemy, it feels as though you are firing bullets at the enemy, surging through abandoned and destroyed buildings. Full of explosions, gunfights, enemy invasion and destroyed surroundings, this game has everything in the way of visuals and design that you could hope for in a game.
The sound too is an area in which this game should be used as an example to others. Most of the music has the kind of ‘march’ of war theme to it and finishing it off with a theatrical type of soundtrack, the game becomes an all out FPS epic. Also the sound effects complete the atmosphere with the pumping and whizzing of bullets, explosions of fire, shouts of enemies, the sound of bullet connecting with metal and flesh, it is all there.
Though, returning to the low point at the start of this review, Killzone, although it has amazing graphic design and out standing sound, is full of so many bugs it is unbelievable! Now, in a time and age where computer games are so advanced, it is amazing to see so many hiccups that you do within this game. Character models jar and move stiffly or blur, the surroundings become plain and messed up if they are in the distance or of course too up close. All of this combining with the terrible frame rate that occurs, which can cause much frustration when you find yourself facing one way when before you had been facing another, or an enemy seems to magically dodge your bullet like out of the matrix.
In terms of the game itself and what it offers, there is of course the main mode of play and then once you have completed that, there is the multiplayer option. Here there is the usual kind of matches that are available in most FPS games like deathmatch, team deathmatch, attack and defend, assault, etc. Though, none of these are overly enjoyable, as they are very much like the rest of the game in terms of technical problems and faults.
Depending on the type of game, depends on what is most important. For an RPG, the story element would be most important and needed for the game to be at least enjoyable and to get you involved. For an action game, there would need to be lots of levels full of different terrains and enemies, with different weapons and characters to choose from. With a sports game, the best would be one, say football, which had all of the league teams and players, with the up to date managers and grounds. Of course graphics, sound and gameplay are all important in these too but those, I feel, are most important.
With an FPS game, the most important thing for me is gameplay and the way the game works. Killzone has killed this area of the game considerably and it is for this that it is very much let down. Just as visuals could not save a football game where the players ran about like headless chickens, neither can sound and graphics save Killzone, as the AI, framerate and story are poor and close to terrible.
All in all, it is a game that is based on a theme that has been better mastered by Halo. Though I am not a massive fan of FPS games or Halo, I would rather play and buy that than this, as it has so much more to offer. Killzone is a game that is mostly fun to play, more to laugh at the dumb enemies and things that mess up but it still is a reasonably good game.
My advice is, try before you buy, or, if you do buy it and don’t like it, don’t hesitate to return it post haste (AS IN, STRAIGHT AWAY!). At the end of the day, it is all down to you and how you like it. Try it for yourself.
Tobias Rowe
