Killzone 2 Review

@Wilfried: I'm definately looking forward to picking up a copy when it's released :) Hate having to wait though! Why can't the retail release date be the same as the date review copies are sent out?! I guess i'm just impatient. Also looking forward to playing crysis on a pc which can do it justice, at long last!

Ok, I appreciate that a great many gamers need to have these quantum leaps in graphics for every new iteration (how else can they justify buying the latest NVidias etc!?) but I'm a sucker for gameplay and by that I mean good storytelling combined with excellent second-nature controls with a nicely balanced learning curve that let me flow through the gaming experience and come out the other end feeling as though I've actually been somewhere. My favourite games are ones that I think about later as real places I've visited. The original Half-Life (and it's sequels) was just such a game, as was Halo, but I equally enjoyed Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Deus Ex, Rogue Trooper and Mace Griffin. Most recently Bioshock really ticked my boxes, despite it's forgivable (IMHO) flaws. Oddly enough I think sense of gravity is also really important, the feeling that a move of the pad is instantly translated to movement on screen. Another thing is not too much chaos on screen. I really dislike not being able to enjoy the environment because I'm too busy being pushed through a level by a stupid amount of danger (or even worse, a ticking clock).
I've got the demo of Kz2 to play this evening and I'm really looking forward to it. FPS are unique in the world of gaming (with the possible exception of racing sims - imho)in their ability to do what we really want games to do and allow us to escape the real world for while. Whilst Guitar Hero and Rockband may be great fun they are, in the final analysis, nothing more that snazzy versions of Tetris. FPSs are where the lines between cinema and gaming are being blurred.
If the Kz2 demo rocks my socks then I'll be definitely handing over my shekels.

blimey (read f**k me). I have all 3 consoles, and this one takes the biscuit. It really is like being in the centre of a sci-fi bonanza. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. When I played it, I felt like I was experiencing the pinnacle of human endeavour and achievement (maths, physics, engineering, ingenuity)...! Nice one Guerilla, I owe you a pint.