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Killzone_Series :: Killzone :: Killzone_PS3
 

Killzone is a first-person shooter for the PlayStation 2 game console. Developed by Guerrilla Games (who previously made Nam '67), and dubbed the "Halo Killer". It was released on November 2, 2004. Upon the game's release, many reviewers and gamers thought that the final result proved ultimately underwhelming. However, the game has gained a fan following, and has become something of a cult classic. Two follow-ups are currently in production, Liberation for the PlayStation Portable and Killzone PS3 for the upcoming PlayStation 3.

Introduction

Killzone is a First-person shooter game made exclusively for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It gained a great deal of hype in June, 2003 when video game websites began releasing previews and rumors about the game. Most fans of Sony's second-generation console had been waiting for a game to top Microsoft's Combat Evolved, which has been released for its Xbox gaming system. Halo was a huge success, and was the best-selling Xbox game at the time, which led to PlayStation fans to dub Killzone the "Halo Killer" This label was intensified later in 2004 when the Official PlayStation Magazine (OPM) in the United States published an issue with a lengthy article on Killzone. The issue was wrapped in plastic which read "Halo Killer."

Storyline

The game is set in an era of planetary colonization where the Helghast Empire has recovered from its defeat in the First Helghan War and launched a blitzkrieg against the outer ISA colony planet Vekta. Vekta's defense platforms fail during the initial assault, allowing the Helghast to land swarms of soldiers onto the surface. This makes it all the more difficult for the outnumbered ISA forces.

The Helghast are the descendants of humans who colonized the planet Helghan many generations ago. The planet's harsh environment forced the Helghast to adapt and mutate so much that they can no longer be considered human. They are stronger, faster and more resilient than their cousins, and possessed of a burning hatred for humanity, but, save for a small number of half-breed Helghast, they require a gas mask and air tank with air similar to the planet Helghast's atmosphere. Vekta's only hope rests with an elite squad of four soldiers who will become heroes.

The player takes control of ISA Squad leader Jan Templar, fighting off the Helghast invasion. Templar and his men are called back to the base for reassignment, and are promptly sent to find the ISA operative Hakha and the key in his possession.

During the course of the game, the player also takes control of several other characters, such as a special operations agent, a Helghast defector, and a heavy weapons specialist.

Weapons

ISA Weapons

  • M4 Handgun - Very accurate close range pistol. Surprsingly powerful, two or three well placed shots can kill any target. Can be truly deadly in the hands of a master.

  • M-82 Assault Rifle - This is the deafault weapon for Templar and most of the NPC ISA soldiers in the game. It has a slower fire rate than the Helghast Assault Rifle, but it is both more powerful and accurate. It has a grenade launcher as it's secondary fire. It also has a strong recoil in it's primary fire, making it kick upward after every shot. Very effective medium to long range weapon.

  • Shotgun - Very powerful close range wepon. Primary fire fires one shell, secondary fires two. Almost ineffective at long range.

  • M66-SD Silenced Submachine Gun - This is Luger's default weapon. It is a fully automatic (and loud) weapon with very little recoil in it's primary fire, and a deadly, single shot silenced sniper weapon in it's secondary fire. It has an impressive scope and is incredibly accurate, making this the ultimate stealth ops weapon. The primary fire eats the 30 round clip away in seconds, so the secondary fire is reccomended in order to conserve the limited amout of ammunition found for this weapon.

  • M327 Grenade Launcher - This large, bulky grenade launcher carries six grenades at a time, and fires them via a revolving chamber. The primary fire makes the grenades explode upon impact, while the secondary fire makes the grenade a proximity mine of sorts, launching the shell, but only exploding when a hostile comes too close.

  • Bazooka - Shoulder mounted anti-tank rocket launcher. It can only carry one rocket at a time, making the user have to reload after every shot. The primary fire shoots a highly destructive anti-tank missle in a straight line. Secondary allows the user to make use of the laser-targeting system on the bazooka, allowing for more accurate and direct shots, allowing the user to take control of the rocket's desitination. Due to it's large bulk, it makes the wielder move much slower.

  • Chaingun - This is the default weapon for Rico. It has the fastest fire rate of all guns in the game and is higly destructive, but is also highly inaccurate. It never needs to reload, but can overheat. It also has an anti-tank missle launcher as it's secondary fire. Due to it's large bulk, it makes the wielder move much slower. Best fired in short burts due to it's high inaccuracy.

Helshast Weapons

  • IvP-18 Tropov Combat Pistol - The Helghast pistol fires a tree round burst in it's primary fire, and a more accurate single round in it's secondary fire.

  • StA-52 LAR Assault Rifle - The signature weapon of the Helghan Army, this assault rifle is incredibly dangerous at close range. It fires faster and has a larger clip size than the ISA M-82, but is very inaccruate, making it a challenge to use in long range battles. It is more suited to short to mid range battles. The secondary fire fires a single, but deadly, shotgun shell, making this weapon even more devasting at close range. It also has a better firing range the ISA Shotgun. The shotgun, however, must reloaded after every shot is fired, and can leave the user vulnerable. Another downside to the gun is it's capability to become jammed. This usually happens if the user is trying to fire the primary or secondary fire whilst reloading the shotgun attachment. Smart soldiers will fire a few shots, then take cover with this weapon. It is also Hakha's default wepon. As a result of his Helghan heritage and upbringing, Hakha can weild the Helghast weapons with more accuracy than his squadmates, as well as hold more ammunition for them.

  • StA-3 Stova S.A.W. Light Machinegun - The Helghast response to the ISA Chaingun. A very powerful, fast firing, highly inaccurate gun, this S.A.W. (squad assault weapon) is usually carried by Heghast heavy troopers. Best fired in short bursts due to it's high inaccuracy.

  • StA-52 SLAR Sniper Rifle - The only "official" sniper rifle in the game. Slow fire rate with highly accurate and powerful bullets. The long range scope makes this weapon very useful if cover can be found.

  • SiSKia Squad Cannon - An anti-tank weapon, this gun fires one anti-tank missle as it's primary fire, and two as it's secondary fire. Due to it's large bulk, it makes the wielder move much slower.

  • Grenade Pistol - A handgun that fires grendades. It fires one shell at a time, exploding upon impact. Works just like a flare gun.

  • Rocket Launcher - This rocket launcher is the Helghast response to the ISA Bazooka and carries up to three rockets at a time, not just one. It fires a single rocket as it's primary fire, and all three rockets as it's secondary. Due to it's large bulk, it makes the wielder move much slower.

  • Laser Designator (Campaign Mode Only) - The Helghan Laser Designator is a hand-held, barely man portable, laser tracker, which sends a direct visual feed into a HUD-equipped helmet. The Laser Designator is used to "paint" targets for artillery strikes. The Laser Designator is best used against large towers, bunkers, gun emplacements, and motorcades.

Other Weapons

  • Hunting Knife/M32 Combat Knife (Both in Campaign Mode Only) - The knives are very deadly and difficult weapons to use. Deadly because they almost always give you a one hit kill. Difficult because you have to sneak up on an opponent to kill them.

  • HE Frag Grenade - The only grenades found in the game. Highly destructive, they almost always give the user a one hit kill. The user can either throw the grenades away instantly, or let it "cook" for a few seconds in order for there to be little to no escape time for the intended target.

Game development

Dutch based Guerrilla Games, formerly known as Lost Boys Games, developed this game and caught Sony's eye. The gaming company showed Sony a demonstration of a first-person shooter that they were currently developing for Windows. Sony was impressed by the game and made a deal with Guerrilla to develop Killzone exclusively for the PlayStation 2. Sony then commissioned award-winning sci-fi author Joe Dever to develop the storyline and contribute to the game design.

Making the switch from programming for the PC to the PlayStation was not an easy task. Guerrilla spent two years learning the programming techniques of the console while they were still in pre-production. In 2001, Killzone was ready to be created.

The public knew little about Killzone, but as information started to leak out about the game hype started to grow. A single blurry scan of a VHS was posted in a British video game magazine, and eventually made its way onto the internet.

When Killzone was officially announced, expectations for the game were very high. On release, rumours of online cooperative play and hard disk support were proven untrue. The game received mostly average reviews but was a commercial success, with Guerrila staff members confirming the game had sold a million copies "a few times over".[http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?board.id=killzone&message.id=77144&view=by_date_ascending&page=64

Reaction

There are many severe problems with Killzone: It includes inconsistent and sometimes nonexistent AI, occasional bugs resulting in random game crashes, bad frame-rates, peculiar LOD (level of detail) system, repetition of the same voices, short draw distance, and sloppy death animations. The game mostly received only average reviews. On the positive side, Killzone was admired for its sound effects, its soundtrack and the presentation of a gritty war zone. It was also credited for its unique art design.

Game reviews

  • PSM: 9.5 out of 10
  • 1UP: 8 out of 10
  • G4: 4 out of 5
  • GameBiz: 76 out of 100
  • Game Informer: 7.5 out of 10
  • IGN: 7.5 out of 10
  • EGM: 7.5 out of 10
  • Gamespot: 6.9 out of 10
  • Edge: 6 out of 10
  • Gamespy: 6 out of 10
(The average review score is 72.7%)

In recent months, Killzone has been added to the Playstation 2's greatest hits library been dropped in price to $19.95. As a result, the game has sold very well due to its massive pre-release "Halo Killer" hype and large advertising budget.

Future Killzone titles

Just before the original game was released in late 2004, a sequel was announced that was to be a PlayStation 2 game. But ever since Sony showed the PlayStation 3 Killzone demo at the 2005 E3 in Los Angeles, rumors became rampant that the sequel will be developed as a next generation game instead.

Sony has recently announced an acquisition of Guerilla games and that the company is working on Killzone games for the PSP and PS3. Developers at the official forums of Killzone have confirmed that no additional PS2 title is in development. *

Killzone: Liberation (PSP) has being designed from the ground up as a handheld title, eschewing the first-person shooter format of the PS2 and PS3 titles in favour of a third-person perspective. Liberation takes place two months after the events of the original Killzone in the familiar postapocalyptic battle zone of southern Vetka. Players will take up various futuristic arms against the Helghast and their maniacal leader, Metrac, as Templar, one of the playable characters from the original.

The storyline for Killzone PS3 may involve either mop-up operations following the first game, the second wave involving the reinforcements from both Earth and Helghan, a prequel showing the story of the first Helghan war as it seems from the Sony Press conference trailer the game takes place on Helghan itself, or an attack of Helghan during the current Helghan War, a retaliation of sorts. It is thusfar unclear whether or not any of the characters from the first game will be involved.

External links

2004 computer and video games | Killzone | PlayStation 2 games

Killzone | Killzone

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Killzone".

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