I've played a decent amount of the various iterations of Call of Duty online and fallen in and out of love with them over time.  I find it extremely frustrating at times.  I was wondering if those of you who have played both could elaborate on some of the things that make KZ2 online differ from COD.  I've owned KZ2 since launch, but have never touched the online.  I don't want to invest a bunch of time in it only to get equally as frustrated at it.  Maybe some of the things you guys name in KZ2 will be more appealing to me and my style of play than COD and convince me to try it.

you are afraid to get online? you must not take it way too personal.

I love the online in KZ2

only thing is the same between kz2 and cod is they are both fps. the rest I'll leave up to you

Killzone 2 is Kinda Nuts in terms of Online play, Once you see those Red Eyes POW > DEAD!
Cod6 Online is Alright i guess, i much prefer COD4 online though no offense but yeah COD6 is MEGA FAST PACE WATCH OUT cause one your targeted DEAD lol

personaly i rank Killzone 2 online alot higher then COD MW2 online, its miles ahead and alot more fun
i was very let down with MW2

No one is going to be able to help you until they know what it was about COD's online that frustrated you in the first place. Everyone now is just showing bias to their favorite game and giving you whatever answer best supports that bias.

Almost impossible to compete with people who have way more time to play than I do.  Matching me (lower XP level) with much higher XP level people and expecting a fair fight.  I also find it almost impossible to escape danger.  By the time I realize I'm getting shot, it's too late to make any sort of escape.

It looks to me like the things I read about Killzone indicate that having actual "classes" rather than piecing together random perks (that I may not even have access to yet) allows for a better balance of strengths and weaknesses for each player.  Does that sound right?  In theory, any class in Killzone has an equal chance against another class if strengths of your class are played to and/or the weaknesses of your opponent's class is exploited, right?

You are somewhat correct with that theory, but I feel Killzone 2 has a lot of campers, basically if your side gets camped, you lose. I prefer KZ2 online to MW2 because I enjoy the class system more than the perk system, it feels more balanced. I don't know if it will be the same for you though.

To be perfectly honest, I think you'll find Killzone 2 to be just as unforgiving as COD. You have large scale clans that have played together forever. You have large 32 player maps and less total ownership of the game so even a less chance of getting paired up with beginners in matchmaking. 

Regarding the classes, I don't think they're very balanced. However for those that work together cooperatively in objective based modes, each class comes in handy. You won't have access to all of them at first though. They need to be earned through experience same as perks in COD.

Personally, if I were you I would stay away from the online portion of Killzone 2.