There really is no argument about which shooter this generation is the most sought after. After recording record breaking sales, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has easily become King Of The Hill in this department and while the game offers one of the best online experiences around, the question could be asked, what has Modern Warfare 2 done for the genre from an innovative standpoint?
Looking at some of the amazing shooters this generation from the likes of Bioshock, Gears Of War 2, Battlefield: Bad Company, Ghost Recon 2, Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Resistance 2 and HALO 3 just to name a few, while they all offer a great experience, it seems quite clear the developers of these standout shooters have not influenced their contemporaries quite as noticeable as Guerrilla Games. The developers of what can be easily recognized as the greatest shooter to grace the Playstation platform, Killzone 2 seems to have taking the first person shooter experience in a new direction.
Boasting the most advanced graphical presentation of any shooter this generation on consoles, Killzone 2 has also ushered in new a ways in which we play shooters today. Despite receiving rave reviews from the gaming community with an average overall rating of 91% out of 100 by Metacritic, some laid claim that Killzone 2 while pretty just doesn’t bring anything new to the table, however our current and future shooter experiences beg to differ.
MOBILE GUN TURRET
Killzone 2 offers a robust online package allowing players to rank up an unlock new badges or player characters. One player badge in particular The Engineer sports a upgradable shotgun for stronger burst over greater distances while having ability to set up unmanned gun turrets which can placed anywhere on the multiplayer map which enables the player the ability to be in two places at one time.
Infinity Ward has also implemented this ability in Modern Warfare 2. The difference however is that Modern Warfare 2 makes the player literally carry around a gold reflecting gun turret. If you see this turret anywhere on the map get out of the way fast.
FIRST PERSON COVER
When it was first introduced that Killzone 2 would offer an all-new cover system keeping the player in the first person perspective it seemed extremely foreign and unexpected. However, after traversing through the relentless universe of Killzone 2 it was clear Guerrilla Games wanted the user to always feel apart of the battle.
Now it appears Bethesda Studios will also take a stab at the Killzone 2 introduced first person cover perspective for their upcoming shooter BRINK releasing sometime in third quarter 2010 which looks very promising. See video at 2:08 for first person cover.
MULTIPLAYER RESPAWN
By adding the ability to respawn to practically any location on a multiplayer map for both you and your teammates, Guerrilla Games has created multiplayer experiences that can never be too one-sided. In fact if your team is getting over-run by the enemy a well placed respawn grenade can definitely change the tide of a battle.
Modern Warfare 2 now offers the ability to respawn at locations where flares are have been placed however, only the player who sets the respawn position can utilize the respawn. Infinity Ward has definitely been taking notes.
DYNAMIC MULTIPLAYER MEDLEY
One of the most significant aspects to the Killzone 2 multiplayer experience is the dynamic matches where multiple game types are played in a single round. Bodycount, Search & Retrieve, Capture & Hold, Search & Destroy an so on can all be played in one round keeping players on their toes.
Not to be outdone by the competition, Infinity Ward has also implemented this form of multiplayer medley which is known as MoshPit in Modern Warfare 2 . Not that this is a popular option in Modern Warfare 2, Infinity Ward has nonetheless added this feature to their multiplayer list of options.
Today many talented development teams are hard at work implementing new and innovative ways in which we can experience their games and every once in a while something innovative comes along that scratches the surface of revolutionary. Killzone 2 has not only become the graphical benchmark for today’s shooters, it has also introduced new an innovative ways in which first person shooters are being played and will be played in the near future.
