E3 2008: Killzone 2 Progress Report
How does this game just keep getting better?
by Greg Miller
July 15, 2008 - The last time I got my hands on Killzone 2, it was during Sony's judges event in Los Angeles and I took Sev up against a ton of Helghast attempting to overtake our convoy. I crash landed, pulled off some sick headshots, fired a rocket launcher, and used Sixaxis to twist a wheel to open a door. All in all, it was a good demo. When I picked up the controller in Sony's Los Angeles Convention Center this afternoon, I was a bit letdown to find out that I'd just be continuing the level I stopped in a few months ago.
Little did I know my socks were about to be knocked off.
The level picks up with Sev and Alpha Team trying to get the convoy through the Corinth River, a hotbed of blown-out buildings and Helghast troops. I did the usual stuff -- marveled at how freaking good the sight and stock of my assault rifle looked, took out some enemies in close quarters, and giggled as I pinged helmets off baddies -- but then an airborne drop ship called an Intruder pulled up alongside Sev and his boys. The driver made small talk and thanked us for our support back there.
The craft then pulled out ahead of us and was shot down by a Helghast ambush.
Not in the face!We surged forth to the only bit of cover available -- a lone outpost on the roof of a nearby building -- and took in the situation. An unknown number of foes were holed up in the side of a bombed out office building. The entire side of the maybe-20-story structure was gone so it was like looking into an ice cube tray filled with warriors hiding behind cover. I made my way from the outpost -- click L3 to run -- and took cover -- L1, baby -- along the edge of the roof. I inched closer to a turret, grabbed the device, and unleashed hell on the building.
The muzzle of the gun began to glow orange as the gun neared its overheating threshold, but I managed to clip a few well-placed red barrels in the rickety structure that set off a chain reaction that brought the building down on top of the baddies. Although I expected the barrels to cause and explosion, the building's demise was a welcome surprise as well as a sight to behold and experience -- the controller rumbled as the neighboring tower went down and slowly the gray fog of dust and concrete slowly rose into the air.
I moved the team forward, and eventually came into what would become the greatest Killzone 2 battle I have ever played. It began like any other checkpoint -- I led Sev straight into a Helghast manning a turret, while using the cover the best I could to peek over and around, and popped the villain in the head. The crew followed me from the elevated catwalk to the ground, which was littered with mounds of smoldering debris, parts of busted buildings, and plenty of areas to hide behind, and the Helghast onslaught began. The first soldier rounded the corner and I managed to take him down with a few rounds to the chest. As I approached the body, I saw the next wave of troops moving on my position. A few dozen yards from my squadmates, I turned and ran to reunite with the crowd. I jumped into a trench and turned around to see our tank moving into position.
Before metal monster could take out the enemy forces, Helghast troops from the catwalks and building ledges above began firing off RPGs and machinegun fire. The tank took on the upper-most bad guys, and I focused on the grunts on the ground. I leapt out of the trench, ran up on the first three guys and unloaded my weapons. The flash of my muzzle, the bodies slowly becoming bullet-ridden, the helmets flying into the air -- it was awesome.
Tanks rock.Then, I saw the other five Helghast guys making a beeline for me. With my gun spent, I hurled a grenade and tried to grab some cover beside the tank. About this time, an RPG got lucky and took out my comrades running the vehicle, and a button prompt popped up on my screen to allow me to take control.
I did.
Now, the tank probably moves exactly like you think. The left stick moves the tank while the right stick changes your point of view. R1 fires your missiles and R2 fires your machine gun. Those are the honest controls, but they don't do the gameplay justice. Once in this tank, a slew of enemies poured onto the catwalk in front of and above me. I drew a bead on the baddies, clicked the right stick to zoom, and pushed down the trigger. The bullets flew across the screen in those long, arching orange shots you've seen in war flicks and made contact. The enemies went limp, threw their arms around, and slumped on the railing and floor.
Some of the survivors took up turrets and RPGs, but when I pulled out of the zoom, I found an enemy tank pulling into the level. I fired off my two missiles in the chute, but one clipped some debris and exploded while the other one missed the mark by a step. As I reloaded the weapon, I rolled the tank the best I could to avoid any direct hits. Still the other tank got a few missiles off and one hit me while the other hit a barren hill and let off a cloud of black smoke. Reloaded, I took aim just as the other tank pulled through the smoke. I got off two direct hits, and I honestly had to stop and stare at the scene on screen -- my troops were battling the enemies in the foreground, in the middle of the frame were two tanks surrounded by black smoke and fiery red explosions, and in the background gray smoke wafted as Helghast forces fired from elevated positions.
It was a thing of beauty, but our demo ended there.
I realize that I'm in the enviable position of getting to paid to play top-shelf games time after time, but sometimes, no matter how good a game is, it can get stale. You get to a point where you don't feel wowed anymore and just want to be done with it. That hasn't happened here. Every time I play it, Killzone 2 finds a different way to ensure that I won't shut up about it.
Come quicker, February 2009.
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