Which game would you immediately associate with being the best online First Person Shooter? That’s right; you would all throw your hands up in salute and utter “Call of Duty.” The Call of Duty series, since its fourth title in the series, has dominated the market, having both casual and hardcore gamers worldwide sprawling over it, copies of the fourth game are still in fact selling like hot cakes as we speak, despite World at War having only come out a few months back. However, when Killzone 2 was announced back in 2005, people didn’t have a clue what to expect of the actual game, and many didn’t until they were drowned in online beta codes and gameplay videos. So how does Killzone 2’s online component shape up to COD, king of shooters?

          The first thing you will notice about Killzone 2’s online service is that matches aren’t initiated through a matchmaking system, and instead you will be able to trek through lobbies to pick out your matches to suit your preferences. Games can host up to a stellar amount of 32 players and offer five different mission varieties.

         

          There’s one thing you can be certain of when you leap into your first game of Killzone 2, it have you in a muddle and bewilderment will kick in almost instantly. Instead of playing in a Team Deathmatch or Capture the flag mission, Killzone 2 ingeniously has only one game mode known simply as Warzone. When in a Warzone, you will be given small objectives, each replicating conventional match types such as Team Deathmatch for example. The mission is played, and the winning team will receive a point before the next round is played, switching the game mode to something else, but still within the same game. Around five or six rounds will be played before the timer runs out and the team with the most mission wins is victorious and each member receives a 1.5XP bonus.

The missions include the following:

Body Count – Exactly like a Team Deathmatch, you and your team must slaughter the enemy to fill an on-screen gauge before the enemy fills theirs.

Assassination – One member will be elected on either your team or the enemy team. Once the round starts, the attacking team must wipe out the assassination target whilst the other teams protects.

Capture and Hold – Three control points will be activated. Teams must hold their ground at a control point to gain it, and once under their control the base will slowly fill an on-screen gauge.

Search and Retrieve – A propaganda speaker will appear in the centre of the map. You and your team must secure it and ensure it is safely placed at a pre-set drop-zone.

Search and Destroy – Both teams must either attack or defend the enemy’s generators. When close enough, you can plant a C4 on the enemy generator and wait for the countdown to finish to seize victory.

         

Another defining point in the gameplay is the class system. Unlike Team Fortress 2 and other popular class-based shooters, you will have to level up in order to unlock them. This may sound fair as it means on the skilled and determined players will unlock the acclaimed Scout class, but it also means that you will require a heap of patience and will need to play a load of matches. You start off as the bog-standard soldier class, but later on you will also unlock:

Medic Badge – Apart from being able to carry an assault rifle you will be equipped with a ray gun which can revive downed allies. Your secondary ability will also allow you to throw down med-packs for teammates.

Engineer Badge – The shotgun will be your primary weapon as an engineer. You will also be able to erect AI controlled sentries and repair broken turrets and ammo crates.

Tactician Badge – With the Tactician, you can throw down grenades that will create spawn points for your team; an aspect that can turn a game around when losing. They will also have the ability to spawn air support, in the form of an ATAC droid.

Assault Badge – This big guy will provide the explosions in the midst of battle. Armed to the teeth with grenades and rockets, he can single-handedly wipe out a league of enemies. The Assault class is also equipped with heavy armour and a boost pill which can accelerate speed and health regeneration.

Saboteur Badge – Aimed more at the sneaky players, you will be able to don a disguise of the enemy and infiltrate their bases. Saboteurs are also armed with the very deadly C4 packages.

Scout Badge – Everybody loves sniper rifle, no matter what game you are playing. The Scout will come equipped with the standard sniper rifle but can also make himself invisible with the special cloaking device as well as tracking enemies on a radar.

          If there is one feature that I love most about Killzone 2’s online play is the fact that it feels like a real war. Don’t get confused when I say this, Killzone 2 is set in a sci-fi universe, but is the closest to a real war you will ever fight for online. You will notice instantly that frontlines are drawn, players will advance as one horde and take positions in buildings to cover a certain area. Also, with the aid of the squad system and the clever use of spawn grenades, you can easily flank your enemies, a feat that will have adrenaline running and will reward players with great satisfaction.

          There is also a very interesting clan system implemented within the game. For those of you who think the simplicity of the COD four letter tag is supreme, Killzone 2 will surprise you. Every established clan will have homepages where you can invite and promote players, keeping track on individual ranks. You will also be able to monitor tournaments in which you can wager “Valor points” to bet on coming out victorious. Being a clan leader myself, I find the interface easy and comfortable to use, but hopefully Guerilla Games will develop more little tweaks for the clan system soon enough.

          Overall, Killzone 2’s online play is something every gamer has to try, but will ultimately appeal to the hardcore shooters rather than the casual gamers. The class system offers enough variety and in-game ribbons and medals to unlock to last for a long time, but it only takes a week of casual play to reach max rank. Undoubtedly, Guerilla will usher in new maps and maybe even new classes. If you haven’t grabbed your copy of Killzone 2, you need to now.