E-Mail This Article to a Friend In the Zone Not quite a Halo killer, Killzone succeeds on its own terms BY JIM MURRAY
	Killzone Published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Developed by Guerrilla Games. For PlayStation 2. Rated M for Mature.

One of my favorite things in life is when I enjoy something immensely even though the general public says it sucks. Movies like Unbreakable and video games like The Getaway and that old Star Wars fighter, Masters of the Teras Kasi, were slammed by critics, but remain some of my all-time favorites.

Well, it’s happened again with Killzone, the new military-themed first-person shooter for the PS2. This highly-anticipated title has been rumored all year to be the PS2’s answer to Halo. Some fools have even gone so far as to call it a "Halo killer." A Halo killer it ain't; however, Killzone doesn’t deserve the mediocre reviews it has been receiving from many industry magazines and web sites.

Killzone’s single-player campaign is set in the near future and revolves around a conflict between forces that are still loyal to Earth (these are the "good guys" known as the ISA) and an evil separatist faction who call themselves the Helghast. Now that you know the clichéd storyline, let’s get to the meat of the game.

The really cool thing about Killzone that separates it from other FPS games is the squad-based aspect – meaning that as the player, you have the chance to control not just one, but four different characters, each with his own abilities and strengths (think "fat guy=strong," "skinny guy=fast").

I’m also happy to report that your squad’s AI is very well-programmed. I never felt like I had to worry about commanding them or looking after them, which was important because the fighting is very intense at times and it’s good to know your homies got your back. Many other web sites complained (loudly) that your teammates' AI was as dumb as a stump; one even went so far as to call it "worse than SOCOM 1’s AI." And that’s about as bad is it gets, folks. Honestly, I don’t know what the hell these reviewers are talking about; I never once had a problem.

Moving on, Killzone has got some nice graphics and textures, great control (although it could feel a bit tighter), a very easy learning curve, amazing warlike sound effects (on par with the Medal Of Honor series, in my opinion), surprisingly great voice acting (the characters are believable), and most importantly, it really feels like being on a battlefield. (Um, not that I'd actually know.)

It feels so much like a real war because Guerrilla, the developer of Killzone, based its level design on real 20th-century conflicts. For example, the game’s first level is inspired by the trench warfare of World War I, where you’ll be maneuvering your team from foxhole to foxhole trying not to get killed. It’s intense – mud and bullets are flying all over the place – and I even found myself ducking while playing this game on the couch. (Yeah, I’m a dork.)

The single-player campaign is also pretty tough. It took me about 13 hours to finish the game, but they were 13 hard-fought hours. Now, you may be thinking, "Thirteen hours? That’s nothing!" Well, listen up: Killzone gives you your money’s worth. In order to see everything the game has got to offer, you’ve got to play as the other characters in the game, which opens up new routes through the levels, and offers different weapons as well. All in all, the single-player version of Killzone offers a gamer around 35 hours of playing time. Not bad for 50 bucks!

What about the on-line play? It's a mixed bag. The on-line play really requires you and your teammates to work together or else you’ll get smoked. The gameplay is fast and frantic, and there’s all of the typical on-line fare like "Capture the flag" and "Last man standing" modes. The maps for on-line play are pretty good, not too small, but I found the textures and graphics not as crisp as in the single-player campaigns. In addition, there was a lot of pop-up, and it seemed like the frame rate dropped a notch. Don’t get me wrong: it doesn’t make Killzone on-line unplayable, it just seems like development wasn’t quite finished. Also, once a match ends, it kicks you back into the lobby, and you’ve got to choose a new room or make another one. Frankly, that’s a big pain in the ass and just shouldn’t have happened. When all is said and done, the multiplayer on-line version of Killzone is pretty damn fun, but it leaves a little to be desired.

In closing, I was pleasantly surprised by Killzone, especially because I was expecting a mess after reading all of the less-than-stellar reviews. It’s easily the best FPS on the PS2; at the very least, rent it. And if you own only a PS2 and won't be getting Halo 2 this season, go buy it now. Trust me, this is a solid title.

Score: 9.0 (out of 10)