For a four-star game, theres a lot broken in Killzone 2. The acting is appalling for starters, with a shitstorm of two-bit actors hamming their way through the story and rotting any sense of immersion. The lack of a co-operative mode something the developers promise will be corrected with a download post-launch is also criminal as fighting alongside companions is one of the solo games main draws, and theres a nagging sense of déjà vu throughout as the interplanetary plot feels like every other futuristic blaster youve played in recent months.
But as an exercise in mood and thrills, Killzone 2 is superb. Staged on a grey, industrial alien planet, the ramshackle buildings, ruined factories and hastily erected barriers are a refreshing change from the fanciful worlds of other space-age blasters, every inch of the game world bursting with detail and making every skirmish genuinely gripping. And with AI-controlled companions who fight like real people and add colour and depth to the plot, Killzone 2 may not be the killer game it promised to be, but its still worth owning a PS3 just to play it.