This review contains spoilers
So after a while of playing through the Resistance series, I decided that I would go through the Killzone series (and continue my edgy mid 2000s shooter thing with maybe Gears of War sometime after I beat this series) and since I beat Killzone 2 recently I figured why not review the first game in the Killzone series. But first I want to say, I got this version from the Killzone Collection on PS3, which is on the same disc as Killzone 2, and platinumed it in half a month? If you want a tip for platinuming this game somewhat easily, since you have to play it on the hardest difficulty, the PS2 cheats still work so use the Powerful Weapons cheat and you can kill most things in one shot.
https://www.ign.com/wikis/killzone/PS2_Cheats
Now I'll start with this, Killzone was created by Guerilla Games straight after Shellshock: 'Nam 67 and since then it's only stuck to two series under Sony Interactive: Killzone and Horizon. You can kind of tell that this is one of Guerilla's first BIG games because fucking Jesus Christ it's janky. On the upside it has an interesting sort of world and I enjoy the idea of paralleling actual history into the lore of the world in game (like I believe in Level 6 there's actually a D-Day reference where you and other ISA fight against Helghast landing on a beach and storming it). On the other hand, there are times where it just feels...iffy gameplay wise. What do these two points have in common? For one interesting thing, another thing kinda comes in and smacks you in the head. It has a lot of interesting things, like the world is interesting, graphically it's somewhat solid (though that grey filter goddamn), and I like how they split the campaign into four characters (though only two play somewhat differently).
The story basically is this: there's a traitor in the ISA who sold out your planet to the facist Helghast faction, and what you have to do is follow Jan Templar, Shadow Marshall Luger, Heavy Weapons guy Rico, and undercover operative Hakha to do...something? I don't remember a lot but that's the main gist.
Now playing as Templar and Hakha are the same fundamentally, except Templar is an ISA commando shooter guy and Hakha is a Helghast undercover agent commando shooter guy. The second most interesting of the bunch is Rico, the heavy shooter guy who has a big ass gun you can use to mow down people. The most interesting person you can play as is Luger, who is more stealth based, can crawl into certain spaces, etc. Not that it totally matters because it all boils down to shooting people that are in your way, it's just with each campaign you just have certain alterations and paths (ex. Two campaigns you have to go one way to avoid lasers, another campaign there are no lasers), and each campaign starts where they start in the story (ex. Templar is the very beginning, Luger starts from Chapter 3 I believe, Rico on Chapter 4 and Hakha on Chapter 5). The main difference between them at the end is how they respond to the the hammy traitor general's speech (Hakha's being my favorite because it's kind of a comparison on the fact they're both traitors to their side).
Graphically, Guerilla's always been kind of a powerhouse in that, that's their strength. Great graphics, gameplay hit or miss, and the world is hit or miss. Like this game looks fine for 2004 (though the comparisons to Halo are sorely mistaken, this isn't even trying to reach Halo's thing like Haze or Resistance: Fall of Man sort of did), other than the grey filter of which I got tired of. And overtime they've gotten better, I mean look at Killzone 1 compared to Killzone 2 (which looks fuckin good, minus the grey filter) and then compare that to Horizon which is Fucking gorgeous. Though bringing in my last super positive point is that it has an interesting world and lore, even if the story is simple and shoulder shrug worthy.
The gun combat is the basic stuff, you shoot people, they go BAHHHHHH and they fall to the ground in comic ragdoll form. Though when I played it, I remember it feeling kinda iffy, like it lacked a punch with most weapons and sometimes even a bit spongey and the bullet spread is all over the place. Also the alternate fire modes are always nice, can't usually complain about those. Off the top of my head at this moment writing this review, that's all I really remember off the top of my head?
Point being it's a rough game, you can tell Guerilla was just kind of starting out making these games. Honestly, just please keep this in mind going through with this game. If you're curious about it go for it, though do yourself a favor: Please don't compare this to Halo. It's not Halo, it never was. Just think of it as a first person shooter, a somewhat generic feeling one but still. And what I will say is that if you're not feeling it, that's fine. Killzone 2 is also on PS3 and that might be better for you to start in (and for god's sake unless your a masochist, ignore Liberation).
https://www.ign.com/wikis/killzone/PS2_Cheats
Now I'll start with this, Killzone was created by Guerilla Games straight after Shellshock: 'Nam 67 and since then it's only stuck to two series under Sony Interactive: Killzone and Horizon. You can kind of tell that this is one of Guerilla's first BIG games because fucking Jesus Christ it's janky. On the upside it has an interesting sort of world and I enjoy the idea of paralleling actual history into the lore of the world in game (like I believe in Level 6 there's actually a D-Day reference where you and other ISA fight against Helghast landing on a beach and storming it). On the other hand, there are times where it just feels...iffy gameplay wise. What do these two points have in common? For one interesting thing, another thing kinda comes in and smacks you in the head. It has a lot of interesting things, like the world is interesting, graphically it's somewhat solid (though that grey filter goddamn), and I like how they split the campaign into four characters (though only two play somewhat differently).
The story basically is this: there's a traitor in the ISA who sold out your planet to the facist Helghast faction, and what you have to do is follow Jan Templar, Shadow Marshall Luger, Heavy Weapons guy Rico, and undercover operative Hakha to do...something? I don't remember a lot but that's the main gist.
Now playing as Templar and Hakha are the same fundamentally, except Templar is an ISA commando shooter guy and Hakha is a Helghast undercover agent commando shooter guy. The second most interesting of the bunch is Rico, the heavy shooter guy who has a big ass gun you can use to mow down people. The most interesting person you can play as is Luger, who is more stealth based, can crawl into certain spaces, etc. Not that it totally matters because it all boils down to shooting people that are in your way, it's just with each campaign you just have certain alterations and paths (ex. Two campaigns you have to go one way to avoid lasers, another campaign there are no lasers), and each campaign starts where they start in the story (ex. Templar is the very beginning, Luger starts from Chapter 3 I believe, Rico on Chapter 4 and Hakha on Chapter 5). The main difference between them at the end is how they respond to the the hammy traitor general's speech (Hakha's being my favorite because it's kind of a comparison on the fact they're both traitors to their side).
Graphically, Guerilla's always been kind of a powerhouse in that, that's their strength. Great graphics, gameplay hit or miss, and the world is hit or miss. Like this game looks fine for 2004 (though the comparisons to Halo are sorely mistaken, this isn't even trying to reach Halo's thing like Haze or Resistance: Fall of Man sort of did), other than the grey filter of which I got tired of. And overtime they've gotten better, I mean look at Killzone 1 compared to Killzone 2 (which looks fuckin good, minus the grey filter) and then compare that to Horizon which is Fucking gorgeous. Though bringing in my last super positive point is that it has an interesting world and lore, even if the story is simple and shoulder shrug worthy.
The gun combat is the basic stuff, you shoot people, they go BAHHHHHH and they fall to the ground in comic ragdoll form. Though when I played it, I remember it feeling kinda iffy, like it lacked a punch with most weapons and sometimes even a bit spongey and the bullet spread is all over the place. Also the alternate fire modes are always nice, can't usually complain about those. Off the top of my head at this moment writing this review, that's all I really remember off the top of my head?
Point being it's a rough game, you can tell Guerilla was just kind of starting out making these games. Honestly, just please keep this in mind going through with this game. If you're curious about it go for it, though do yourself a favor: Please don't compare this to Halo. It's not Halo, it never was. Just think of it as a first person shooter, a somewhat generic feeling one but still. And what I will say is that if you're not feeling it, that's fine. Killzone 2 is also on PS3 and that might be better for you to start in (and for god's sake unless your a masochist, ignore Liberation).