Killzone 2

"*Face the fury of the Helghan.*"
―Tagline.

European cover art, depicting ISA operatives including protagonist Tomas Sevchenko against the backdrop of an Helghan soldier

### Producer

Steven Ter Heide
Angie Smets

### Programmer

Michiel van der Leeuw
Jorrit Rouwé

### Designer

Mathijs de Jonge
Eric Boltjes (multiplayer)

### Artist

Jan-Bart van Beek
Arjen Bokhoven
Paulus Bannink
Bas Uterwijk
Rudy Massar

### Writer

Philip Lawrence
Iain G. Howe

### Release

NA: February 22, 2009
PAL: February 25, 2009

### Mode(s)

Single-player, multiplayer

***Killzone 2*** is a 2009 first-person shooter video game developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3 home console. It is the second main installment in the *Killlzone*, and a sequel to 2004's *Killzone*.

Following its predecessor, *Killzone 2* is set in the 24th century, and chronicles the war between two factions of human races, the Vektans and the Helghast. Taking place two years after the events of *Killzone*, *Killzone 2* follows Tomas "Sev" Sevchenko, a soldier of the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance who is part of a Vektan invasion on the planet of Helghan. The game features several returning characters from the first game, including former protagonist Jan Templar.

Played from a first-person perspective, *Killzone 2* retains much of its predecessor's gameplay elements as players take control of Sev, featuring gunfight scenarios against the Helghast while being supported by a squad of friendly NPCs. Vehicular combat is presented in several sections of the game. The game features an online multiplayer mode called Warzone which allows competitive matches among up to 32 players.

Development on *Killzone 2* began after the release of the first game in November 2004, and its early development ran concurrently to the PlayStation Portable title *Killzone: Liberation*. Guerrilla sought to improve on the original with more natural character interactions, increase in scale and intensity, and an enhanced graphical engine. The title was officially announced at E3 2005, with a pre-rendered trailer originally claimed by a Sony representative to be an actual technical demonstration of the game on the then-upcoming PS3, though later interviews revealed it was a target render. Several Sony studios aided development, including Studio Liverpool, Cambridge Studio and London Studio.

*Killzone 2* was universally acclaimed by gaming publications, any of whom deemed it as a superior title than its predecessor and one of 2009's best games. While the game's narrative and writing were criticized as cliched, *Killzone 2* was heavily praised for its visuals which were considered some of the best on the PlayStation 3, art direction, atmosphere, pacing, improved gameplay and AI and multiplayer mode depth. *Killzone 2* was a commercial success, selling over one million copies within two months of release. A sequel, *Killzone 3*, was released in 2011.

## Reception

### Reviews

* MetaCritic: 91/100
* 1Up.com: A
* Destructoid: 9.5/10
* Edge: 7/10
* Eurogamer: 9/10
* Game Informer: 8.75/10
* Game Revolution: -A
* GamesRadar: 4.5/5
* GameSpot: 9/10
* GameSpy: 4.5/5
* GameTrailers: 9.2/10
* Giant Bomb: 5/5
* IGN: 9.4/10
* PlayStation Official Magazine: 10/10 (US); 10/10 (AU)
* PlayStation Universe: 9.5/10
* VideoGamer: 9/10