The perceived malevolence of the Helghast comes to bear fruit in battles that occur through the course of the 10-mission single player campaign. Enemies are extremely smart, taking cover and employing clever tactics that force you to respond in kind. Helghast soldiers react to your actions realistically, refusing to come up from cover when fired upon and taking opportunities to rush you for a melee blow or keeping their distance in order to fire off a rocket or sniper rifle. The higher the level of difficulty, the more impressive these tactics become; even on the easiest setting, though, you can note their sophisticated behavior. Variety among the types of Helghast you encounter keep things fresh too. Each new level brings a new threat, whether it’s the arrival of deadly snipers, hulking heavies, or powerful rocket troopers.

Combined with a compelling arsenal of weapons and superb level design, Killzone 2 provides some of the most polished action of any game in the genre. The variety in Helghast units is matched with equal diversity in environments: beaches gray from the ashes of battle, the choking confines of a mining camp, the dilapidated underbelly of the capitol's shanties. Great weapons further that diversity, ranging from you default revolver and basic frag grenades to rocket launchers, assault and sniper rifles, and experimental firearms. One of the coolest weapons of any game is locked away deep inside the campaign, rewarded for beating one of the game's few bosses. There are even sections that have you manning a tank and maneuvering a mech.

After you've completed the campaign, the game offers more action with its carefully crafted multiplayer. Taking elements from successful online shooters like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Battlefield: Bad Company, the game lays out a system of upgrades and classes that reward you for every match and encourage extended play. Huge maps support a maximum of 32 players, although they are scalable down to smaller parties. Not all of the supported game types are winners, but Body Count and Assassination are definitely worth the price of admission. The team-based approach to multiplayer encourages cooperative play as much as competitive fury; moreover, it prevents players from being left completely behind as is often the case in individually competitive game types. Many of the awards, classes, and weapons come with steep experience requirements, which in turn demand a bit too much time. At least that time is well spent.

Because it successfully brings together a compelling single player campaign and fully realized multiplayer experience, Killzone 2 emerges as a new benchmark for the shooter genre. This is a game that leverages an atmospheric presentation and superb game design for something memorable and lasting. To quibble about a lack of cooperative play through the campaign or the omission of some other feature is to miss the point: Killzone 2 is meant to be a carefully laid out epic. It is a must-have game, a brilliant start for the year, and among the best games of this generation.

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