Pre-E3 2008 Killzone 2

June 25, 2008

Killzone 2 first amazed and wowed the PlayStation audience when Sony concluded their PS3 launch announcement at E3 several years ago. Later proven to be a computer generated video that showcased what Sony and Guerrilla Games felt the PlayStation 3 was capable of, we have seen very little from this delayed shooter. While the end product will never be able to live up to the hype that surrounded it during the first showing, PS3 owners will be pleased to know that Killzone 2 is coming along quite nicely and is shaping up to be a nice addition to the platform.

First the bad news. Killzone 2 will not be making an appearance on the PS3 in 2008. Due to the large number of AAA titles from Sony’s First Party, Guerrilla Games will have until February 2009 to put as much polish on Killzone 2 as possible before it ships. Since February is usually a slower time for releases, this should also help generate a few more sales for Killzone 2 as players seek something new to play after the rush of holiday titles.

The fifteen minute demo that has been revealed by Sony and Guerrilla Games showcases the single player aspect of Killzone 2. Players use the R1 button to fire your primary weapon–while R2 will throw a grenade. Players can also swap out their primary weapon as they are allowed to carry two main guns at any time. Gameplay feels largely familiar to Call of Duty 4 and the game should cater to the legions of fans that COD4 has. But the one thing COD never had is Sixaxis control. Killzone 2 will include some Sixaxis elements including the ability to turn the controller around to rotate a wheel.

While it remains to be seen if Guerrilla games will be able to come close to reproducing their infamous announcement trailer, Killzone 2 is looking very nice. But with many months left to fine-tune the code, optimize textures, and attempt to get more out of the PlayStation 3 hardware–anything is possible. From the limited amount of gameplay we have seen, I am eager to get my hands on more. And while it will probably never live up to the hype, if things continue to progress at this level, we may have a shooter as good as Resistance on our hands.