Table of Contents:
- Days 1 & 2 - Killzone (PS2)
- > Days 3-5 - Killzone (PS3 Remaster): L1-5 <
- Days 6-8 - Killzone (PS3 remaster): L6-11 (KZ1 Finale)
after experiencing performance issues on the PS2 version of the game that really hampered my ability to play the game, i switched over to the PS3 version! the results are not bad at all! Gonna be going day by day on the notes this time to keep it in line with what i've written down in my notebook as i've played. the notes are probably gonna get way more casual as i get beyond the generic review descriptions on day 3
- Day 3 - 13 Nov 2022
- Levels covered: Level 1 (Helghast Assault), Level 2 (Vekta Evacuates)
- Deaths on Day 3: 3
this first day on the PS3 remaster after a short break was mostly me blazing through what i already knew, but having played all of L1 & some of L2 on the PS2 i immediately noticed the better performance. it's still not perfect when too many enemies are on screen but even then it's still playable! was able to make it through L1 in just under half an hour. the main complaint i had at first is the change in default control scheme versus the first game, but it mostly makes the secondary less easy to accidentally fire off while learning the controls. once i got used to the new controls they felt more natural
graphically this is a mixed bag. the cutscenes are...bad. the in-game textures and models have been slightly updated and definitely look less blurry and less dark, but the cutscenes are definitely upscales of the priorly-recorded cutscenes. muddy & blurry, but i kinda expected that for a PS3 remaster. the remaster doesn't rely on bloom to make things in the environment more recognizable compared to the default darkness of the ps2 presentation, though, and thus it's aged a bit more gracefully in that aspect. character faces are on the creepy uncanny valley side of things but that's to be expected
sound-wise is where i start having the real nitpicks. as someone who has a master's in music tech i realize that this shit bothers me more than most others, but it's very obvious that 99% of the voice lines in combat are just copied over directly from the ps2 version, compression & all. it's very jarring when the sounds for the main cast & weaponry sound a lot more crisp & fresh. inconsistency is the name of the game
ok that's enough of that setup bullshit that most people expect out of game crit, what about the gameplay? well, it's a lot more playable with a consistent framerate! i felt like i was able to meet the game more on its intended level (despite playing on easy b/c i've got nothing to prove), and it had a lot of genuine moments of tension while being outnumbered and running low on ammo. level 2 really made me play a lot more carefully, with most of my deaths coming from me underestimating what the game was throwing at me
we're introduced at the end of level 1 to General Vaughton, and our main lead is given a full name: Jan Templar. Vaughton is assigning him to a small squadron to rescue a spy on the Helghast side, Hakha, who is pinned down in the slums but has access to some necessary information regarding the Helghast infiltration and battle plan. the base we end the level in is then attacked by the Helghast, and we have to make our way out through the sewers, where we meet up with Luger, a sniper/assassin. she appears to have history with Templar, and he's constantly trying to awkwardly pry into her sex life. i think they used to be a thing given the context on display but grow the fuck up and shut the fuck up, Jan, if she doesn't wanna be with you
- Day 4 - 14 Nov 2022
- Levels covered: Level 3 (New Allies), Level 4 (Strange Company)
- Deaths on Day 4: 7
started today by reviewing the opening cutscene and some of the PS2 manual, so i could get a few clarifying details about the conflict. as i remembered, the game doesn't really dole out too much right away to set up its world. this feels more and more intentional as i go through this, and i actually like the whole lack of "as you know blah blah blah" kind of exposition.
Level 3 - New Allies
Luger's now playable so i guess it's time to use her! lots of these areas early on in the level are set up with enemy backs facing us to make for quick stealth kills (as she comes equipped with a knife). she seems to take more damage, but also has faster health regen & heat vision. i note that i feel like i'm gonna play as her once the whole squad is introduced b/c despite how squishy she can be she's fun to play.
once the environment starts to open up beyond the sewers, we do have to sneak by enemies to set charges on a door to blow it up. i checked in with a Templar playthrough of this level and it shows that there's actual differences in level setup based on which squadmate you choose. that's a neat touch! also i love the architectural design, as it feels a lot like a space where people could have feasibly lived prior to war. it's not super high-tech and the grey/brown filters (and occasional bit of bloom lighting) really make it look inhospitable, but there are moments of calm where the train station feels like an actual train station, or the office buildings feel like actual office buildings
even the park area we get to is nice! though i also literally get every single death from this day on this part of the level due to the rough checkpointing and not being careful enough while playing as Luger. but we do meet up with this guy named Rico who tells us where General Vaughton has been captured, we rescue him and give him the security key so he can reactivate the ISA orbital weapon system
also in this level is start seeing a bunch of unintentionally funny ragdolling, and it makes me wish i was capturing footage of the playthrough just for shit like this. oh well.
Level 4 - Strange Company
Rico's got a HMG and it's so easy to just go through this level with no deaths running and gunning everyone down
also of note: Rico is fucking irritating and his character trait is that he's a violent racist against the Helghast, which becomes obvious when we rescue Colonel Hakha (who is a half Helghast spy) and he keeps saying racist shit to him in the few cutscenes before the end of the level
this level is boring. there's not much here otherwise, next
- Day 5 - 16 Nov 2022
- Level covered: Level 5 (Escape)
- Deaths on Day 5: 5
i took a day off b/c i was too busy being really really gay and visiting one of my partners. then i came back to Hakha time, where i got to play as Hakha. he can hold more ammo, has mid regen, is a tiny bit squishier than Templar, and can pass through Helghast mines. the existence of eugenics-driven mine technology is stupid and easily the most immersion-killing thing thusfar (not that i was particularly immersed in the first place)
this area is a bit of a slog, and most of my deaths came from the final portion of the level. you have to pass through a bunch of identical-looking docks gunning down wave after wave of enemies, and i would always make a mistake towards the very very end as we needed to steal a ship. thus i would have to start that part of the level over again as that one has no fucking checkpoints
i don't think i'm playing as Hakha again when i get back to playing b/c he's not as fun as Luger or as mindless as Rico, but i'd play him over Templar. also Rico is showing lots of racism in every scene he has with Hakha, to the point where Rico's character is that he's just a fucking racist. and he makes a lot of mid-2000s quips that are coated in racism. we are not supposed to like this character but this is definitely on-the-nose commentary
i'm going about as fast as i thought i would, and the overall impression of the game so far is that the pacing is a bit...wonky. the middle is starting to drag a bit, so we'll see where this goes. the plot had General Adams kill off General Vaughton b/c he's working with Helghast General Lethe as the traitor, and that's gonna come to light very soon for the core cast. so hey.
pew pew gun gun shoot shoot bang