Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Uncategorized Player's Club: Killzone 2 and F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin reviewed
Posted by Garrett Martin on Wed, Apr 1, 2009 at 10:38 PM
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
Rated M for Mature
Released Feb. 10
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Published by Warner Brothers Interactive
Killzone 2
Rated M for Mature
Released Feb. 27
PlayStation 3
Published by Sony
What’s more respectable, a game that’s technically excellent, but lacking in ambition, or one that’s less well-designed, but tells a more interesting story? That’s the quick and easy breakdown of Killzone 2 and F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. The former nails the first-person shooter formula as thoroughly as possible, but without an iota of originality, whereas the latter tries something different by muddling together familiar ideas from various genres and media forms. One’s more fun to play, but the other tickles the ol' gray matter a bit more.
Killzone 2’s the looker in this equation. Few games have ever been this beautiful, coming closer to a kind of photo-realism than any console game I can think of. A frantic pace and solid level design complement the pretty pictures and keep the tension running high. The sluggish and overcomplicated controls take some getting used to but eventually become second nature (with a few notable exceptions). It’s hard to argue with Killzone 2 from a technical perspective.
Unfortunately, the game’s technical proficiency props up a litany of clichés. Killzone 2 proudly presents some of the most generic characters and dialogue possible, primarily a coterie of grim, muscle-bound space marines who sound like Gears of War characters spouting lines from Nike commercials. It’s not an issue with the exemplary multiplayer modes, which are narrative-free doses of pure action, but this boring sameness makes the single-player campaign feel like a third-rate rip-off of an already third-rate Bruckheimer film. That’s a bummer.
F.E.A.R. 2 also recalls certain movies I’d rather not remember. A first-person shooter that delves into psychological horror, F.E.A.R. 2’s star is a ghostly, black-haired female apparition called Alma. Alma briefly pops up in the distance or around corners at random intervals, less an enemy than a half-hearted stab at spookiness. She’s like any number of ill portents from Japanese horror films, if their primary purpose was pointing a video game player in the right direction. Her presence makes F.E.A.R. 2 feel like a bad American J-horror translation, but without any tension whatsoever. F.E.A.R. 2’s lead is basically Sarah Michelle Gellar from The Grudge, if she were a pissed-off Super(wo)man with guns.
At least F.E.A.R. 2's designers are trying something different with the story (well, as different as a direct sequel to a 3-year-old game can be). The game’s still dealing in clichés, but they’re not the same clichés you see in every other shooter. As trite as dark-haired she-ghosts have become in movies, they’ve yet to have their break-out moment in games. What would be tired in a movie (namely Alma and the creepy atmosphere) feels unique and almost intriguing in a first-person shooter. Despite significantly less impressive graphics, F.E.A.R. 2 satisfies as much as Killzone 2’s single-player campaign due to its distinct environment. F.E.A.R. 2 also has a multiplayer mode, but I couldn’t find a game just three weeks after release.
Despite any complaints I’ve made, Killzone 2 and F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin are both perfectly acceptable shooters. If you’re looking for mindless fun, particularly with your friends, then Killzone 2 is the better bet. It’s a better designed, more technically impressive game. It’s hard not to admire the slightly subtler F.E.A.R. 2, though, and its awkward jumble of crossmedia clichés.
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