iDef – eGames ’08 – Killzone 2 BETA Preview

Hidden above the floor of eGames ’08 Sony held something special for those whom upon request ventured into the blackened lair of looming omnipotence. Appropriately veiled, armed with only notepad and pen this hearty attendee was sure to dive straight in for the first public Australian play time of a BETA preview for Killzone 2 on PlayStation 3.

In a room so dark the abundance of companions were unknown (I’m quite sure there were more Sony staff around than guests) two large LCD screens and a projector setup served a suitable plateau for presenters to lay down a brief character and story background with trailers, followed by brief hands on with one of the most luscious FPS experiences to date all within early BETA code. Game time for everyone was short so a lot of viewing was done by myself making it hard to really predict the direction of the story or pick up on most the dialogue, but viewing Killzone 2 most the time was entertaining enough.

Set two years after the events of Killzone the trailers emphasised a stronger focus on story with players assuming the role of a veteran soldier commanding units in an all-out assault on the enemy Helghast. It’s a premise that’s sure to invoke many large scale action scenes with the player on the attacking side and the playable code at the event certainly didn’t let down on that expectation.

The first thing of notice as soon as the game time started was the “BETA Preview” notice permanently stuck over everything as Sony unnecessarily emphasise the early stage of the code as apart from a few minor clipping issues there wasn’t much to hide. Killzone 2 looks amazing, with huge action scenes filled with scenery forming a constantly enthralling environment proving very immersive at a continually smooth frame rate.

Drop ships buzz overhead as explosions and gun fire is heard off in the distance, the multimedia capabilities of Killzone 2 really exemplify professional production values in not only sound but many effects such as lighting being a true shine in the presentation of Killzone 2. With more high res textures and shiny PS3 effects than you could shake a Sixaxis at the lighting shows further attention to detail right down to bursts of light from gun fire sparks emitting a glow on point-blank enemies.

Just like the “BETA Preview” notice, the odd clipping issue and rare low quality texture (one specifically, the on-screen blood splatter effect was obviously yet to be improved) were easily shrugged aside against excellent AI as enemies weaved from cover to cover, flanking team mates and juggling grenades around as I picked the right spot to cover and pick off foes only to be forced back out and around as the battle evolved.

The weapons seemed to be a pretty standard stock of the FPS variety, grenades being a useful and fun tool with some strategic nades able to take down multiple enemies and show off some impressive physics in action.

The view and play time with BETA Preview Code for Killzone 2 was enough to leave me very confident in the eventual success when the game hits in February 2009. The game itself is definitely up to scratch in the next gen department, showing off the PS3′s capabilities quite well so story and progression are going to be the main concerns for Killzone 2. While what I played was definitely a solid FPS I didn’t see much of the story in-game or anything too unique to hold up for an 8 hour+ experience plus some pretty generic weaponry and sci-fi gun toting.

Although at this point I’d say it’s practically worth a play through for the visuals alone.