Virgin Media: Killzone 2 Review

Bringing a building to its knees with a turret; nailing a gas canister and watching it spiral out of control; pinning a Helghast to a wall with the bolt gun and watching him writhe in agony; letting rip with the superb flamethrower; watching hundreds of bullets whiz and ping, sending chunks of concrete flying off of pillars and exposing electrical cabling underneath; marvelling at the most stunning, eye-catching war torn backgrounds and skylines your gaming eyes ever did see, makes Killzone 2 the best looking game ever made - a jaw dropping graphical showcase from start to finish.

[frayer]

This review gets two thumbs up. Killzone 2 exceeds all preconceptions and expectations we had of Guerrilla. Sony believed and they delivered.

[Tarasque]

I think they must have got a copy with fixed controls and stable framerates.

[Lifendz]

But I think we're all in agreement that the game is going to be great. Day one for practically every PS3 owner on N4G.

[bassturd]

...where's gamespots review already. Use an excuse to say they gotta play online with real people on the servers. Yet they don't do this with any other game.

[Danja]

umm Sony didn't give them a review copy..they are waiting on it to hit retail too play it..XD

all jokes aside...they are probably trying to nit-pick to find a fault to deduct points...who cares ne ways...this game will be great Gamespot will give this game nuttin lower than a 9/10....

[bassturd]

just wanting another review site that I actually know of instead of all these random sites and magazines that I would never care what they reviewed a game to begin with.

IGN is my number 1 review site to look at. I guess followed by Gamespot. Then I look at Gametrailers to laugh at their comments on PS3 exclusives.

[TheRealSpy]

you guys act like there is some sinister reason for them to wait. they say they wanna give ppl the best review they can, and that seems to be what they are doing. they didn't get first review, so there is no more prestige in being early...so why not be accurate?

i don't get the shifty eyes and the weird accusations. they'll review it when they review it. then you can accuse them of being bought out by MS or whatever you're implying.

seems to me kz2 has a pretty involved multiplayer system, and it takes dozens of hours to progress, so maybe they want to focus more on that aspect. seems logical to me.

[shysun]

They didn't do that with any other games...EVER!! If they did it with gears2 it would have gotten an 8.5(highest) for the messed up MP!

[TheRealSpy]

i definitely agree with you about gears multiplayer. and i would give it a much lower score because if you go back and play gears 1...it's like they took a step backwards. gears 1 feels like a much more polished game when compared to gears 2. and i think everyone agrees gears 1 had some major flaws.

how you make a sequel and still have all the original flaws plus tons more is beyond me.

but to be fair, when they reviewed gears, they didn't do it on live where there were hosts. they did it on closed networks where everyone has the same effectiveness. i bet in hindsight a lot of those reviews would be reduced. i still love gears 1 though.

but if we're going to call out gears 2 to be penalized for having a buggy as hell multiplayer (which i agree with), don't you think we should also be seeing more penalties against kz2 for lack of a co-op. i am buying killzone, but i have my doubts about the purchase. if there was a co-op mode, it would be a no-brainer. THEY BETTER PATCH IT SOON (if they do at all *crosses fingers*)!!

[spectyre]

"but if we're going to call out gears 2 to be penalized for having a buggy as hell multiplayer (which i agree with), don't you think we should also be seeing more penalties against kz2 for lack of a co-op."

I can't really see penalizing a game for some thing that isn't included. If they included co-op, and it was broken, then yes. Guerilla has been up front about not having co-op so you know you are not getting it in the box. Reviewers should score the game for what it is, not what they think it should be.

I'm sure we will get a bunch of whiners complaining about no co-op DLC starting around the middle of March. If it does come and we are charged for it, they will whine about it not being free and it should have been included with the original release. Some gamers seem to have an hyperactive sense of entitlement.

[TheRealSpy]

i'm not trying to take anything away from kz2. it will be a good game for what it is offering obviously. but that doesn't mean you only focus on what a game has. when we do reviews of other products, cars, appliances, anything actually, the entire review system is based on comparisons. what makes a game a 9? well it's better than games that were given an 8. or at least, in a perfect world. so you absolutely factor in things that aren't there. an FPS at this stage in the game should definitely have a co-op. and even if it's not a necessity, it adds 10x fun factor to the campaign. it gives it replay value, and experiencing the story for the first time with a friend is always more fun than alone. that's why ppl goto the movies, goto concerts, etc... people like sharing experiences.

i know you intentionally focused on one part of my entire statement because you will go out of your way to criticize anyone who might find a few tiny faults with this game. and i'm sure you probably think MS gave me a check to say those things or that i'm a 360 fanboy because i found a flaw in killzone. but i think i've pretty much given killzone a ton of praise, and simply said it should have co-op, it would make it more fun and justify it's good scores a little more.

for you to find fault with that makes you seem a little fanboyish. this isn't about entitlement, this is about standards. and with many games like halo and left 4 dead offering 4 player co op. and resistance offering an 8 player separate campaign, don't you think GG, after 4 years, could have afforded to find time to give us at least a 2 player co op? and if the answer is no, fine. it'll still be a good game. but if it was there, everyone (except you apparently) would be happier, and therefore, it would be better (better game = better review).

OH, and of course they can't charge for co-op. that'd be a good way to lose support real quick. but you're right. it's unlikely we'll ever see it anyway. was just wishful thinking.

[LazyDevs]

Trying to nitpick, no reason for that when the controls and FPS are so f@cked it isn't funny.

[spectyre]

First off, I am not a butt-hurt fanboy that defends KZ2 when it is criticized. Check my rather sparse comment history. I only own a PS3 so unlike most users on N4G, I will not comment on the 360 because I have no frame of reference.

There is no co-op in Killzone 2. There is no split screen in the game either. If you have a problem with either of these facts, do not buy the game.

Left 4 Dead offered 4 player co-op? How is the single player? How are the graphics? Shouldn't the review score for L4D reflect last gen graphics and tacked on single player? No? People bought it and found it a thouroughly enjoyable experience even though it had its shortcomings. A game like SOCOM Confrontation got terrible reviews becaus the multiplayer was broken... rightly so because it is mp only.

The point I am trying to make is I know what I am getting when I plunk my $60 down for KZ2. I wouldn't order chicken w/ mashed potatoes at a restaraunt and complain because I didn't get french fries too.

[bassturd]

haha lol...next day I look at this comment and I'm being attacked by 360 fanboys. Funny stuff.

Get a life you f*cking idiots. Where did I make the accusation that Gamestop was gonna give Killzone a low score. Dear god you are pathetic.

[Dark General]

Probably the best Killzone 2 review i've read out of the lot of them. Besides the spoilers that i had to carefully dodge it was pretty informative and i enjoyed reading it quite a bit. I could have cared less if it had a score attached to it or not.

[Ichiryoka]

In short, they're bastards who don't pop their heads out of cover just so you can whack-a-mole them on the head. If you try run and gun in Killzone 2 you're going to get your ass handed to you. You need to think. THIS IS NOT MINDLESS VIOLENCE, JUST... WAR.

[LazyDevs]

Well actually i ran threw the whole demo just knifing everyone that i could and didn't die.

[Dark General]

I didn't use the knife. The demo was pretty easy for me. The Helghasts only took a couple of shots to drop. I actually wish they took my shots to kill because they were dropping like flies. Even basing my assumptions off of the short demo it pretty much met my expectations. Not a mindblowing experience and not terrible. But fun and entrenching. I'm looking forward to the multiplayer the most to be honest.

[BMS84]

I like this part

"The sheer OMG!-ness of the experience makes Killzone 2 worth buying a PS3 for. And, given how much they cost, that's one hell of a compliment."

Why is the score N/A?

[Ashton]

put the score in

[GamerPS360]

when did VIRGIN MOBILE start to review games ??
/ virgin media reminds me of virgin mobile.

[Re-versed]

''Two years into the console's life cycle, the undoubted graphical potential of the machine has been realised - Killzone 2 unleashes the power of the PS3 - nothing on any console comes close. ''

So true...

[Kleptic]

i'm too lazy to read the full virgin media review...but it says that?...the second half of that quote is identical to what is put on the demo in the ballet of death video at the end...only quoted from Play magazine iirc...not virgin media...

whatever...the game is awesome...we all know that...so just buy it an play...

[LazyDevs]

Yeah if it was so true there would be a constant framerate. Instead of going from 50-60 then dropping to 30-40 in a instant,or maybe even lower it hurts my eyes.

[redsquad]

Seeing as how KZ2 is only 30fps to start with, I guess you've got your 'facts' mixed up.

[Bathyj]

Killzone doesn't have to innovate. Havent you seen the TV ad.

Killzone is simply War, Perfected.

[Skadoosh]

So what's the total average of this game? Anybody know?

[Sir Ken_Kutaragi]

;-P
;-P
;-P
;-P
;-P
FEEL THE POWER OF PS3!!!;)

[thereapersson]

5 more days until gamers experience this masterpiece!

w00000t!!!!

[thereapersson]

Okay, so I didn't specify 5 more days for the US.

The disagrees are still laughable though. Probably the same people who took two of my bubbles over the last couple days because they're cowards.

[Sevir04]

See you were right Gamers will experience this in 5 days, dual console owning gamers, PS3 fanboys and simple gamers who choose to own a PS3 alone, they will all enjoy KZ2, but the xbox fankids lol!!! they disagreed because they'll hate it and never like it and never play it. they wont own it.

[Karum]

Virgin Media sell cable TV/Phone services and are an ISP...never knew they reviewed games lol.

Overall the guy seems impressed with the game since there are comments like "The sheer OMG!-ness of the experience makes Killzone 2 worth buying a PS3 for. And, given how much they cost, that's one hell of a compliment."

He finds what are faults in his opinion too which is fair enough but no matter how good or bad the review, Virgin Media wouldn't be on my list of go to sites to read a game review.

[thereapersson]

I think that stands up even more considering the fact you could really call this a "casual game reviewer", since they aren't a dedicated gaming media outlet.

[maverick1191]

killzone 2 = War Perfected

[AshleyRiot]

I picked up a copy a few days ago at my local Meijers out here in Cincinnati. Been playing it non stop splitting time between SP and Skirmish. War perfected hits the nail on the head. Not only in the SP but wait until you guys try the Skirmish mode and see the different classes at work. It's awesome. I think the MP maps are going to amaze some if not most of you. IMO they are the best I seen in any game. Not only looks but the layouts and atmosphere that brings them to life it's all sic and something I've never seen before. I'm still excited as ever because servers go live on the 27th. See you guys in the warzone.

[HolyOrangeCows]

Aww, crud. The fanboys are going to love this. :P

Killzone 2 is awesome. Deal with it fanboys.

[Tryst]

How on earth could EDGE even justify giving this a 7/10...?!?!

[Trebius]

Lost a lot of credibility and potential subscribers. Whenever you hear the name EDGE in the gaming community you associate it with that 1 bad review they gave.

It's fair to say that it's an opinion, and it shouldn't be argued...but even ones opinion can be silly or misguided.

I cant imagine how they could've given that a 7 and the new Rez evil Wii game an 8 lol...

[Viatrophy]

Since when did Virgin Media review games? Never seen one from there before...

[bioshock]

i played it and its super...ma fav level is visari square, and soluman bridge.....

[BaSeBaLlKiD721]

Call of Duty 4: Modern Combat?

*facepalm*

[eagle21]

Feb. 27

[y0haN]

How appropriate that they do game reviews, literally Virgin Media ;).

[BMS84]

You 'll get a lot of disagrees, i think the more Killzone 2 is coming good in the news , the more haters it attracts:) Jealousy? of some 360 fanboys ? ;)

[Ozzyb]

Great review... but I'm not surprised. I think Virgin is a respectable company and I expected an unbiased opinion before clicking the link.

[xenovis]

Looks like the Virgin review noticed the controls as well:

"Controls, which will perhaps prove to be more of a deal-breaking factor than any other for some gamers. At first, the controls feel terrible. There's an almost sluggish feel; a tiny but noticeable delay between pressing a direction with the Sixaxis thumb sticks and the shifting of the targeting reticule. "

I wish that GG would make the Multiplayer "feel" a configureable option in SinglePlayer. I would love to play through the Singleplayer campaign without the terrible delay.

[gameman]

the game is the best not like the rest i just want to c how much it will sell day 1