Killzone 2, more like BORE-ZONE... I got nuthin'

I finished the single player campaign of Killzone 2 on default difficulty this past weekend. It was... serviceable. On the one hand, I feel like the game probably shines on a higher difficulty level. On the other hand, I detest how "muddy" the look sensitivity feels and the button configuration. I kept thinking to myself over-and-over that if this game's controls felt as sensitive and right as Call of Duty 4's that I probably would enjoy the game much more than I ended up doing.

The standout positive things that I enjoyed about the game were:

1. Amazing graphics. I remembered being wowed by the initial E3 trailer (that was later admitted to be pre-rendered). The final game actually comes very close to that level of graphical fidelity.
2. Great ragdoll physics after killing an enemy soldier. The Helghast soldiers drop like they have actual weight to their bodies and armor. This makes the game feel more convincing and immersive.
3. Uh, the graphics are great?
4. There were some really great set-pieces midway through the game till the end. There was a great end of level sequence in the game where you are attacked by Helghast inside of a shantytown; very fun playset. The abandoned mining/refinery village was fantastic; with a engaging sniper showdown. An assault on top of a speeding train was another highlight. The final push into Col. Radic's stronghold also had a great flow of action with semi-linearity and seemed appropriately apocalyptic. Basically anything that wasn't "War-torn City" was visually appealing and memorable.
5. Piloting an Exo-Skeleton Warbot near the endgame was a fun surprise, especially after the game had avoided vehicular combat up until this point.
   
6. The final showdown was tense and and suitably epic, even though it overstayed its welcome.
7. Multiplayer seems like it could be a lot of fun. Plus botmatch! I always appreciate that in first person shooters. Must be my fondness for Reaper Bots.
   
8. The graphics were really great.

Things that I didn't like:

1. Back to the game's controls, but it bears repeating: This game simply doesn't feel responsive enough, even after messing with sensitivity settings. Combine that with many of the buttons you need to hold down simultaneously to get into cover and then aim through your reticle... it's overly complicated. My mind kept wandering back to Call of Duty 4 and Rainbow Six Vegas and thinking: if these games figured out how to have fluid controls with similar game design two years ago, how did Killzone 2 miss the memo?
2. The basic gameplay simply isn't very fun. There is a very generic feel to the skirmishes you will have in this game. The shooting mechanics are unsurprising; you've used these guns in countless other First Person Shooters before. Couple this with the irritating restriction of being able to swap your primary weapon only. Granted, I like the back-up magnum your player character is equipped with, but it really stifles the variety of your encounters when your tactical load-out choices are Assault Rifle A + Magnum, Assault Rifle B + Magnum, Machine Gun + Magnum, Generic FPS Staple Weapon + Magnum etc. At least there's offhand grenades (thank you Halo). Even the enemy types hearken back to the complaint of generic enemy design. You've got your regular foot soldiers, big guys, a couple flying drones. Sometimes those foot soldiers will try to kill you with a knife! A couple tanks too I guess? Killzone doesn't even have as many enemy types as BioShock, never mind the fact that it simply doesn't hold a candle to BioShock's aesthetic design and atmosphere.
3. Bros of War - Man, this is so irritating in this game. Gears of War is pretty notorious for this overly-macho frat boys-getting-new-toys-and-killing-durty-foreigners/aliens/whatever, but for some reason Killzone 2's take on this aesthetic irritates me even more. The members of your Alpha Squad overly irritating macho assholes who aren't any tougher than your average grunt but spout off like they are the omnipresent force of victory on the battlefield. Fuck you, annoying loudmouth stereotype guy, I'm the only fucking reason this invasion is going to be a success. When you can sympathize with your enemies (who are Space Nazis) more than your own squad/military, you've missed the boat when it comes to drawing players into your world.
4. About half or a little more than half of the level design is lackluster. When your enemy skirmishes are generic and uninspiring to begin with, it falls to the level design to have interesting places to fight in. Thankfully the latter half of the game picks this up, but you'll have to stick with the game for a while until it does.

Ultimately, this game validates my Gamefly subscription. It was fun at its best, but quite irritating at its worst. I would consider playing the game on a higher difficulty to see how tactical the gameplay could be if it wasn't so uninspiring the first time around and the controls were tighter. If the multiplayer side of the game is as fun as it seems (and the internet is to be believed), then Killzone 2 is probably worth picking up on the cheap ($25 or less IMO). If you have no interest in multiplayer, this game has rental written all over it.