Review: Killzone: Liberation (PSP)

The original Killzone was a victim of the hyperbole built up by publisher and media alike. The Playstation 2 was crying out for a decent first person shooter and Killzone was the game to finally fill the void. Unfortunately some basic flaws were clearly evident, but two years on, Gamestyle can still recall the strong character designs, apocalyptic environment (nicely taken up by Gears of War) and the depraved enemy. Easily a missed opportunity, and a developer that must do better.

Killzone: Liberation picks up only a few weeks after the climax of the Playstation 2 storyline, providing an opportunity to continue the struggle against the Helghast. There is a new general to overcome, and environments and dangers seen in its older sibling. The build up is good, with strong presentation evident once again, and this certainly increases the anticipation factor, especially as Liberation features some familiar faces. Shamefully, this interest peaks all too soon, as when the actual game itself begins, a wave of disappointment hits.

The most evident change for Killzone devotees is the switch to a third person viewpoint. This is a good development decision, as first person handheld releases are notoriously difficult to pull off - even on such a strong format as the PSP. Instead, the third person viewpoint is more of a staggered Gauntlet affair and its implementation causes problems, and lots of them.

The top down approach firstly removes any strong design element, as you are so far removed from the action and characters. In addition, the world of Killzone is a gritty, gothic, nuclear wasteland, where the colour schemes are set between grey and black. From a distance, everything blends into one another; more so than with the first person viewpoint.

All of this could have been overcome with the implementation of a targeting or lock-on system. Instead Guerrilla have gone old-school in their approach, producing a shoot anywhere alternative, with bullet streams conveniently left on display, as they fly across the screen. It feels as if you are in the middle of an old arcade, playing a typical Gradius or Radiant Silvergun clone - except that the game isn't designed to support such an approach. The Helghast seek cover, and keep on coming, with their confidence well placed, as they are extremely hard to kill, when you can hit them.

Liberation is also unforgiving, partially because of the viewpoint and targeting. The consistent death of your character is inevitable, as the war of attrition continues indefinitely. To try and assist a subsiding approach, Guerrilla has also included vehicle combat, puzzles and mini-games. You also have the opportunity to earn credits to purchase even better firearms. Gamestyle would have expected a country under threat to support its soldiers, and not expect them to empty their pockets in defence of their country.

There are moments of enjoyment to be had in Liberation but these are too few to justify the annoyance of constantly dying. Controlling your squad is implemented well enough and will prove useful in overcoming the ramped up difficulty. As with all games, we appreciate a challenge, but the odds must be fair. There is the sneaky suspicion that Liberation has ramped up the difficult to camouflage the undersized main mode.

Players can look elsewhere as the game does support other options, with the only single player one being various challenges. While not on a par with Metal Gear Solid, they certainly add some variety and fun to the constant death strain the main mode provides. And with others nearby, you can also play through the game co-operatively, or take out your frustrations with the adequate death match and capture the flag modes.

So in conclusion, it is a surprise to see many of the same mistakes of the original Killzone being repeated in Liberation, albeit on a new format with a new viewpoint. Despite the annoying difficulty, the most frustrating aspect is that you fully appreciate the potential for a decent Killzone game. Whether or not Guerrilla can do it with its third attempt on the Playstation 3 remains to be seen, but the sands of time have almost run dry.

Rating: 5 / 10

Words by Jason Julier