So I've just finished the game today and came to realize that I've dropped it in the past right before the boss fight with Radec. Made me feel a bit silly.
What the game lacks are memorable characters. The setting is great, the gameplay is tight and actually fun - feels fresh, as I've said before - and the challenge is remarkable. But there are no actual characters that have any sort of relationship with the player.
For my part I've hated Rico throughout the whole game and often would just hope he'd expire so I wouldn't have to come patch him up. But aside from that asshole, there are no actual characters to get involved with or attached to. Heck, Halo would be a completely different beast without Cortana, Half Life 2 without Alyx, Gears of War without the colorful cast surrounding Marcus, Uncharted without Sully and so on. Heck, I shed tears for Chopper in Ace Combat 5 and I couldn't bring myself to give half a damn about anyone in this game.
The story could as well have been better told or presented with some more actual story bits rather than combat scenarios. The little ride in the smelting bucket was as close as it managed to get to anything of the sort unfortunately.
But the gameplay felt stellar, the atmosphere was very combative and the confrontations meaty and brutal. Killzone 2 is, for me, one of the most visceral shooters that I've played in a long while and one that I know I'll come back to.
I'm having a hard time imagining why people were upset with the controls. They aren't sluggish or unresponsive, just heavy as if you are indeed carrying a large firearm and have some difficulty moving around nimbly.
Great game, but I can see how it could have been a real gem. Marry the villains of Killzone 3 and the crazy weapons of the same game with the feel and mood of Killzone 2 and I think the offspring would be something truly impressive.
