Killzone 2: Metacritic score so far-97

[SensesFail]

It will drop, they always do, especially when 3 of the 4 reviews are PlayStation reviewers..

Playstation Official Magazine (US)-100
Playstation Official Magazine (AUS)-100
Playstation Official Magazine (UK)-90

very true, metacritic always has some bs reviews on there. i was thinking about pointing out that 3 of the 4 were playstation magazine but i realized the lowest score (90 is pretty bad for a AAA game thats supposed to blow competetion away) was giving by psmag uk.

 

[Bio]

Metacritic does not have BS reviews. The real crime are the people who treat Metacritic like it's the only thing that matters, or that their list of "credible sources" are the only credible sources to exist on the internet. The only accreditted sources on Metacritic that have reviewed Killzone 2 might be mostly PlayStation-focused ones so far, but that does not mean they aren't legitimate or unprofessional.

If it makes any of you here sleep better at night until February, here is the total rundown of Killzone reviews and scores thus far (Taken from the excellent PS3Forums.com message board. If you want full links and scans, go there):

GamePro - 5/5

Spoiler

It took a long time for Killzone 2 to finally come out, but after diving head first into the game, there's no doubt in my mind that it lives up to the hype and is a must-play for FPS fans. [Mar 2009, p.70]

RivalSoul.com - 10 out of 10

Hobby Consolas (Spain) - 9.4/10

OPM Netherlands - 91/100

Level (Sweden) - 8/10 from author, 9/10 from editor

Spoiler

Yo guys, here comes Swedish Levels review on Killzone 2. I'm not going to translate it all because of time, but here are some pics and translated quotes. The guy who made the review gave it an 8, the editor gave it a 9.

The list below is not something put together by the review. But quotes taken from different parts of the article and in its context I have labeled them as pro or con.

Pros:
"This is a game that you can show in a store for 10 minutes and make everyone who sees it be convinced in the brilliance of the Playstation 3 hardware."

"Killzone 2 is so hard and destructed, it makes the meat mountains of Gears of War 2 fade at its side."

"Impossible to not be impressed by the polished production value"

"The technically best looking game game ever made. Not even Metal Gear Solid 4 could simulate war as good as Killzone 2, the best FPS since Call of Duty 4".

Cons:
"The problem is that Killzone 2 after long stretches is the same sequence, over and over again."

"the weapons recoil is as irritating as believable"

"Killzone 2 borrows a lot of its ideas from Call of duty series. What Guerrilla has missed is the big variation that the series has."

"Killzone 2 is entertaining but it feels excerpt and not as fantastic"

"Killzone 2 online is team oriented and focused, its not something you can jump into and get entertained by"

"Killzone 2 is not a new Halo, Super Mario or a Gears of War. Killzone 2 has not really shown us something we have not seen before"

"Killzone's online mode risks being to hard and uncompromising for an audience of the Halo 3 magnitude."

Official Playstation Magazine Australia - 10/10

Spoiler

Another 10/10 review from our OPM here in Australia, thought i'll get this review up on the net with all the other scans, this game is shaping up to be a Monster!!!

Spanish Official PlayStation Magazine - 9.5/10

576 KByte (Hungary) - 9.7/10

Spoiler

My review was released also last Thursday

576 KByte (Hungary)
Killzone 2 review

Graphics: 5 (out of 5)
Playability: 5 (out of 5)
Lasting Appeal: 4 (out of 5)
Music / sounds: 5 (out of 5)

Overall: 9.7 (out of 10)

"Killzone 2 is one of the most gorgeous and atmospheric FPS ever released, surprassing easily everything the PS3 has to offer. It's easily one of the best games of 2009. What will happen with the franchise in the future? We hope that it will be successful, reaching heights of happines never reached before and bringing a real conclusion to the unfinished saga. When and how it will happen? Only God knows - he likes to be called Guerilla Games nowdays"

GamePlay Magazine (Croatia) - 20/20

Spoiler

Exactly four years ago, in the 25th issue of game play was the review of Killzone 1. And it had almost the same title, and the review went like this: "Our final verdict:Killzone is one of the finest FPS ever seen on the PS2 and one of top 10 shooters ever. And one of the best games this year". Four years later we are at the end of a long wait,that began at the summer 2005, when sony began showing the most famous trailer for a game ever-which started the very long throwing of rocks and sticks on itself, PS3 console and Guerilla Games. Nobody then believed that the trailer shown was actually achievable in real time,and that a game can even look that good,and run on the PS3. Now at the end of the road we can paraphrase the review of killzone and say: Killzone 2 is the best FPS seen on the next gen consoles, and one of the top 5 shooters ever.And is surely one of the best games this year, although the year has calendar wise-just started.

KZ2 begins its story by the arrival of ISA troops on Helgan, the birth planet of the Helghasta, hoping the invasion will stop the attacks on the peaceful Vekta. What in the beginning seems like a hunt of a handful of special forces on the Helgan leader Visari, will become a real SF human drama with action elements which four years later after the first game again reinvents the genre and raises the bar unthinkably high.

Just as it was the case with the first game, the highest achievement of Killzone 2 isn't the incredible graphics,unreal sound,incredible game play or the general level of technical polish in the game. The biggest quality of KZ2 is the atmosphere of the game,wrapped around a very interesting story that the shows that the line between video games and movies has shrunk considerably. As it shows that you cant look at KZ2 as a ordinary FPS, but more as a video drama which happens in the future,inspired by the present time, and played through phenomenally animated scopes of over twenty weapons that KZ2 brings.

There is something that needs to be said at the beginning of this review, and that is that KZ2 cant match the almost 30 hour campaign of KZ1. KZ2 will last about 10 hours-depending on the difficulty-but i must admit i have never lived through this kind of 10 hours.Without exaggeration i can say that absolutely every minute in the game is worthy of spending-from the first moment you docked the entrance to Phrryus, all the way to the final battle in the centre of the dark and terrifying Visari throne.

The atmosphere of the game is unique, unforgettable and filled with exceptionally recognizable designer and graphical style which in motion looks simply unbelievable.With all due respect to all other games-thinking most about the wonderful and megalomaniac Crysis-Killzone 2 is currently the absolute winner in the category of visual beauty and graphical reach. Of course Crysis on a high end PC will look more "real", yet despite the effort of the genius from Crytek it simply cant match the overall artistic quality of Killzone 2. Which needs to be seen to be believed. Because movement as it is, is one of the most fascinating things in the game, since 99% of the time in the game you will be moving. The animation of walking, looking, hiding, aiming, reloading weapons, climbing, running, jumping, falling and all other little things you will do-including an animated screen when you are being hit-it bay far contributes to the overall movie like gaming. Of course the animation are just a part of the overall artistic/graphical style, filled with diverse lighting, effects of lights, particles and fire in real time and exceptionally detailed environment in which the sky and atmosphere conditions always take a very important place. Dozens of time you will get killed because you were looking at the surrounding environment-and you will not be sorry at all.

That is all matched by a richly and almost perfectly produced multi channel sound(especially the ultimate support for 7.1 systems), with epic orchestral music and excellent voice acting. Even the dialogue in Killzone 2 excels, because it manages to characterize each of the protagonist, and by doing so suck you in the so many times mentioned atmosphere.

On the technical side, Killzone 2 is simply flawless. Only on a few ocassions you can notice a slight stopping of the game between loading sections inside the chapter, but it is forgotten the next second.The graphical engine of the game shows its excellence especially at the end of the adventure, in the chaotic and crazy battles in the heart of city, when you will be fighting with your teammates against the swarm of helghan chargers and
officers. In the overwhelming chaos you will not even notice all the real time rendering that is going on, and how smooth and flawless it runs-and those are the moments where Killzone 2 shines the most.

In the story mode you lead a specialist of the ISA forces named Sev(at the end you will find out that his last name is the same as one of the best AC Milan strikers of all time)in a operation to take the helghan throne, and capture the leader of helghan, the infamous chancelor Visari. In the adventure you are joined by fellow fighters Natko, Garza and Rico, with whom you will be spending some of the most unforgettable moments in the FPS genre ever. As a game filled strongly with drama, Killzone 2 will give you a couple of surprises, and at the end set a strong foundation for a sequel-which might happen a lot sooner than we hope for. And after the 10-12 hour single player campaign, you will unlock the mythical elite difficulty, which can be even be hardly compared to the veteran one in Cod 4(almost impossible).

The game keeps the statistic information all the time-and it enables direct upload to the ranking system on the official site-it is to be expected that many players will try to pass the game on elite-to the ones that do we congratulate in advance.Even if you dont try the elite, i am sure sure everyone will try to go through the campaign once more.One of the lesser reasons will be to search for all the hidden helghast markings or bags with documents-for which you unlock trophies or parts of story on the official site-but in the end you will do it for the entire experience, for which the incredible AI of the helghast is responsible.

Ridiculously critized two years ago, AI is one of the best and most convincing in the genre. Starting with the ordinary foot soldiers with which you will be fighting at the beginning, althrough the armored specials, to the fearsome officers of Helghan which will atack you in squads, and will not shy from atacking you with knives. Enemy soldiers cooperate, hide, blind fire, run at you when you are reloading. It is exactly that type of AI that is the second most valuable trait of the game, only second to the planet Helghan because the entire time you spend there you will feel vulnerable and afraid-and we remember that from the first game. Another evidence of the persuasiveness of the AI is the skirmish mode, which in essence is the "multiplayer without the multiplayer", in which it is possible to play the basic war zone mode of multiplayer with bots. Whether the friendly or the enemy AI, it is equally impressive and one begins to think that Guerilla put skirmish to show of its effort and reach in programing the part which is usually the weakest in most FPS(and not only FPS).

Have a nice day-is the same title of the last section of our review of the first game from 2004 is intentional, because it best describes what is waiting for you at the end february. Put aside all minor flaws,as ocasionaly seeing your teammates getting stuck in front of your scope when you expect it the least, and all other tiny mistakes, which will be filling the headlines over the course of weeks and months.

When we played Killzone 1 four years ago, it seems we were one of the rare people that actually finished it on hard, and played through with all the characters(in Killzone 2 you lead only one character, but it makes up for it phenomenal MP)and gave it a well deserved high score.And today in 2009 if were to look for a big fault in Killzone 2, then we can only think of one-the fact it is a PS3 exclusive Without any intention of going into debate whether the X360 could run the Killzone 2 engine, or would Killzone remain the same experience on Wii, and due to specific controls of the PS3 controller, how would the PC players adjust it to the mouse and keyboard.

The biggest shame is that only the owners of the PS3,will be able to experience Killzone 2. The owners of every other console will not get the chance to play and enjoy Killzone 2-which goes far beyond the impressive screenshots and the far more impressive trailers available on the internet. Because of all of that we give Killzone 2 the score it deserves, which is not exaggerated at all. In this case it is truly a masterpiece of the genre,that has been in the making for many years, with incredible effort and no compromise. So i am glad we got a pure breed heir of the first game,which realy shows what next gen means. Welcome to Kiilzone for a second time,have a nice day.AR

Score 20/20

MEGamers - 9.9/10

Spoiler

Truth is, all my life I’ve been an ardent PC gamer that scoffed at inferior FPS experiences on the console. My colleagues always teased me for being a hardcore PC fanatic (fancy name for “fanboy”). It’s a given fact that PC gamers are much harder to please in terms of quality or gameplay and hence, console FPS ports are always a disappointment. Throughout the years, being an extremist that I am, console games like Halo 3 only managed a “hmmmm”, while few others like Resistance 2 and Gears of War 2 never went beyond the “meh” factor. After the recent buzz and hype behind Sony’s upcoming FPS, I decided to sit down and spend some quality time with the game and I cannot deny the truth… Killzone 2 has made me a believer!





Killzone 2 sees you take the role of Thomas Sev of the ISA, tasked with a nightmarish war on a planet called “Helgan”, home to a populace of ****** off half-humans called “Helghast”. For those wondering, Killzone 2 is not merely a shoot-em-up title involving big guns and brutal enemies. The game’s story runs deep and the enemies you’re fighting against have a long and sorrowful past of torture and repression. The first thing that becomes apparent when you land on Helgan is the beauty of distruction - A rigid, temporal wasteland that’s bathed in decay and looms in dust. The atmosphere is so thrilling and exotically crafted in such a way that you can almost feel that debris in your lungs. And you immediately start questioning the logic behind invading a hell hole. Once you’re done drooling at the realistic bunch of pixels pouring out of the screen, you will be introduced to your enemies – A marching callous fleet of beady red eyes. The subtle “pop” that Killzone 2 starts with only grows in amplitude as the game progresses, and all the digital chaos never seems to diminish throughout the game. You’ll be fighting alongside your AI controlled squad members and in almost every firefight, your team-mates act convincingly like human partners unlike other war games where you had a dozen AI team-mates that only manage to peek from their cover and shoot at blank infinity while you did most of the killing. Killzone 2 vastly depends on timed sequential events that lead to another set of objectives, be it blowing up a bridge or releasing a platform. The movements are fluid and the controls are smooth, making it “feel” real unlike Resistance 2 that had controls that made it feel more ”analog”.

Apart from your team mates, the Helghast can prove to be quite a formidable lot using cover effectively when needed while sometimes running crazy at you for a vicious melee attack. Though, you will be fighting in squads for the most part, you will sometimes be left to fend for yourself; that along with being tasked to revive squad mates make for a primordial war scene. Sev is able to wield one primary weapon in addition to a secondary pistol. From assault rifles to highly powerful bolt guns, Killzone 2 packs a plethora of firepower at your disposal. Enemies react differently depending on the type of ammunition used and the body part targeted – like, they knock back or go limp when shot in the face or you can make them fall forward by shooting the knees. While the game itself offers little in the way of being open-end, players can still access a playground of vast landscapes which makes roaming about much easier. At one point in the game, we encountered a heavy – a huge hunkering mass of armor that makes Marcus Fenix look like Mickey Mouse. Some of the boss battles can be hard & challenging and mostly involve a hidden technique to bringing down the enemy. Though the combat has turned out to be incredibly fun, we couldn’t help but be a little disappointed with knife kills. Sticking a knife through the Helghast did not feel as gratifying as a COD4 knife kill. While COD4 delivered a satisfying stab, Killzone 2 was more on the side of monotonous slashes.





To further raise the bar, Guerrilla Games has perfectly executed the use of Sixaxis motion controls for completing objectives like setting charges, turning valves or even steadying a zoomed-in sniper rifle, which brings us to our most loved level in the game where you’d be stalked by caped, hunch-back enemy snipers able to render themselves completely invisible in a venue that looks like a ravaged industrial graveyard. Couple that with their near fatal accuracy and gripping music, it produced one of the best gaming moments we have experienced in a video-game so far. If you thought Call of Duty 4 was amazing, you’ll find Killzone 2 to be electrifying!

As much as we loved Killzone 2’s absorbing single-player campaign, the meat of this title lies in its amazing multiplayer component. The game incorporates a class-based system where scoring kills and completing objectives will get you moving up the ladder. From Saboteurs to scouts, each class offers a different flavor of gameplay and much more when you take into account the ability to mix and match different classes into an amalgam of destruction. Though the multiplayer is reminiscent of Team Fortress 2, the game takes it one step further and offers an intense “on-your-toes” action. Packing in a vast array of weapons and classes, Killzone 2 proves to be the epitome of fiery fragdom offering hours of fun long after you’re done with the story mode. What really made us raise our brows is “Warzone”, a continuously shifting battlefield with different game-types chained into one EPIC online fragfest! Another welcome addition is the clan system that allows you to better network with you friends and organize tournaments albeit using an in-game system of “cash” to place bets. Combine that with a 32-player supported match and you have yourself a healthy dose of mindless violence. We can “cautiously” confirm to the fact that, with an extensive range of game types and an intricate clan system, Killzone 2 blasphemously trumps over Call of Duty games in terms of gameplay and replayability.





Graphically, Killzone 2 is the BEST looking game on a console so far. With its myriad post-processing effects and textures running on the screen, it’s apparent that the game is in a league of its own. Every little detail has been given attention like the sparks flying off when bullet meets metal or the intricately crafted gun models. To further up the ante, sand bags can no longer be used as fortresses and columns crumble realistically when introduced to a grenade. Your battle scarred rifle and the superbly rendered anarchy keep reminding you of a war far away from home. This is one of the few games that made us “believe” that we were engulfed in a war and it can only be witnessed when playing the game for yourself. Apart from the load times, the game ran smoothly throughout our session and didn’t stutter even during intense firefights or explosions. The environment is composed brilliantly with chaos always riding on your coat-tails. Reload animations are indulging and character physics is downright AWESOME! While baddies feel like a moving set of polygons in many games, Killzone 2 manages to make the characters appear like fully “stuffed” dudes instead of just a hollow image.

In-game audio is equally as good as the visuals this game packs. For those lucky enough to have a 5.1 surround system will experience a new dimension of audio fidelity. You’ll be able to hear every individual clank of expelled bullet casings while the rear audio channels keep you engrossed with choice epithets from your team mates. Though Sev is not too fond of talking, we can’t really complain at the lack of character dialogues. Besides, this game more than makes up for it in terms of environmental havoc and plentiful explosions.





At the end of the day, logic predicts that a game with an intense single-player campaign and a killer multiplayer element is a win-win situation in anyone's book. To be honest, Killzone 2’s secret ingredient is the fluidity in gameplay that we have come to enjoy more than its graphical prowess or jaw-dropping visuals. And that’s what games have always been about… We're surprised to see Killzone 2 blows our expectations out of the water with a memorable SP campaign and a stellar MP component. To put it short, this game makes Gears of War 2 look like a high school attempt at gaming and that is a HUGE compliment!

OPM UK - 9/10

Swedish site GP - 4/5

Spoiler

Swedish site GP has published what appears to be the first online review of Killzone 2, and has awarded the game 4 out of 5.

The reviewer sums things up thus:
[Translated from Swedish] The controls are good and the environments feel natural, raw and uncouth and that’s where Killzone 2 succeeds compared to many other shooters; it feels more personal, it’s easier to identify with your character and to feel connected with your teammates. Co-op is noticeably missing, which is odd, and Killzone 2 isn’t doing much new with the genre but it is great enough to succeed without launching for the Christmas Sales Period.

Killzone 2 is released exclusively on PlayStation 3 at the end of February.
Thanks, disc.

Update: The review has now been removed due to what is thought to be a breach of embargo.

OPM U.S. - 5/5

 

[Bliss]

Someone did there homework lol

 

[SensesFail]

what i meant by bs reviews is theres always 1 or 2 reviews on a AAA game that are really low
~example~
Halo 3, im not the biggest halo fan but i can recognize a great game when i see one. the lowest score is a 7 because the guy who reviewed it didnt think it was epic enough. most people would call bs on that.

reviews are personal opinions of ONE reviewer, everyone at playstation mag didnt get to gether and decide to give it 10/10.

 

[Bio]

Someone did there homework lol

I'm hardcore like that.

Actually, though, I browse that board anyway, so I already knew about the thread I ripped info from before I checked out this thread.

EDIT: IGN has spoken (IGN US: 9.4, IGN UK: 9.0). Many people seem to like what they have to say, so I thought I'd just throw that out.

 

[SensesFail]

I'm hardcore like that.

Actually, though, I browse that board anyway, so I already knew about the thread I ripped info from before I checked out this thread.

EDIT: IGN has spoken (IGN US: 9.4, IGN UK: 9.0). Many people seem to like what they have to say, so I thought I'd just throw that out.

thanks, IGN is a great review site. i go by them and GameTrailers mostly.

 

[T3kNi9e]

This is gonna be my first game purchase in months and I probably won't be getting anything else for a good little while.

 

[bruceleroy]

After purchasing and playing the hell out of Metroid Prime 3, COD4, and COD:WAW within the past year, I'm all FPSd out. I don't know how you don't get tired of FPS games unless all you like are FPS games. I'll probably purchase Killzone 2 or the Conduit later later.

 

[elopez994]

FPS games do get boring after a while.

 

[T3kNi9e]

They do if that's all you buy. But me I don't... The last FPS I bought was Halo 3 which was last year, Gears of War 2 in November if you want to count that. Then in between if their are no top notch games that come out I buy older used games like Crackdown, KOTOR, etc. My brother bought Saints Row 2 for PS3, Bully for 360 and even Indigo Prophecy. So yea that's one reason why im not all FPS'd out. Gotta be diverse ya know. Oh yea and of course I also played Fable II.

 

[Deanis]

Ah sooo keen for this game!

Its looking awesome.

Any idea when a demo/beta will be out?

 

[Byuakuya]

Ah sooo keen for this game!

Its looking awesome.

Any idea when a demo/beta will be out?

I remember reading somewhere that a public demo is to be released on the 5th of February.

I am not sure if it is the definite date, but I hope so.

 

[Bliss]

Yea February 5 in Europe. But in the US at the same time, but only to those partaking in GameStop's pre-order deal. And if you dont partake then we have to wait till February 26th :/

 

[Big_League_Slugger]

I got the demo code from gamestop. Feb. 5th is all most here. I'll be sure to post my opinion.

 

[Jay61]

To be honest, as a new PS3 owner, I'm not looking forward to this in anyway...it looks lovely, sure, but it looks pretty generic...

Probably do a Halo 3 and buy it for the multiplayer when its a bit cheaper though.