Killzone

This article is about the video game series. For the first game in the series, seeKillzone (video game).For the military term, seeKill zone.For other uses, seeKill zone (disambiguation).

Killzone
The originalKillzonelogo. Subsequent titles use a similar logo.
Genre(s)	First-person shooter Twin sticks shooter
Developer(s)	Guerrilla Games Guerrilla Cambridge
Publisher(s)	Sony Interactive Entertainment
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2 PlayStation Portable PlayStation 3 PlayStation Vita PlayStation 4
First release	Killzone November 2, 2004
Latest release	Killzone Shadow Fall November 15, 2013

Killzoneis a series offirst-person shootervideo gamesforSony Interactive Entertainment's (SIE)video game consoles.The main series and thePlayStation Portable(PSP) installment were developed byGuerrilla Games,asubsidiaryof SIE, and thePlayStation Vitainstallment was developed byGuerrilla Cambridge.Killzoneconsists of six games, beginning on thePlayStation 2in November 2004 withKillzone,and continued on thePlayStation Portablein October 2006 withKillzone: Liberation.Killzone 2was released for thePlayStation 3in February 2009, andKillzone 3was released in February 2011, also for thePlayStation 3.Killzone: Mercenarywas released for thePlayStation Vitain September 2013, followed byKillzone: Shadow Fall,alaunch titlefor thePlayStation 4,in November 2013.

Plot synopsis

The series is set in the 24th century, showing the galactic war between the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance (ISA) and the Helghan Empire. TheKillzoneseries follows the continuous war between the ISA and Helghast taking place on both ISA Earth colonies and the planet Helghan, the home planet of the Helghast. The series has featured four mainprotagonists:Cpt/Col. Jan Templar (KillzoneandKillzone: Liberation), Sgt. Tomas "Sev" Sevchenko (Killzone 2andKillzone 3), mercenary Arran Danner (Killzone: Mercenary), and Shadow Marshal Lucas Kellan (Killzone: Shadow Fall). The main antagonist was originally Helghast Autarch Scolar Visari; his death inKillzone 2brought about the rise of two new antagonists and the hopeful heirs to Visari's throne inKillzone 3:Jorhan Stahl and Admiral Orlock. After Orlock's death and the unknown details of Stahl's death and the destruction of Helghan, now covered in petrusite, the Helghast now live on Vekta with a giant wall dividing them from the Vektans. "The Black Hand", a Helghast paramilitary terrorist group, was formed under Vladko Tyran, who became an antagonist, along with Lady Hera Visari (Scolar Visari's daughter) who has inherited her father's throne. By the end ofKillzone: Shadow Fall,it is revealed that the main antagonist is Stahl, who managed to survive the events ofKillzone 3,but is dispatched by Vektan Security Agency director Thomas Sinclair.

Gameplay

Killzone,Killzone 2,Killzone 3,Killzone: Mercenary,andKillzone: Shadow Fallarefirst-person shooters.Killzone: Liberationis presented as an isometrictwin sticks shooter.The games were developed byGuerrilla Games,except forKillzone: Mercenary,which was developed by Guerrilla Games' sister studio,Guerrilla Cambridge,and published bySony.Players can carry two different weapons at any given time. Players can either obtain ammo or swap out their current weapons with any weapon dropped by a downed foe or from those scattered around the various maps. InKillzone 3,players can carry up to three weapons, with the third weapon spot reserved for heavy weapons (e.g. machine gun, rocket launcher, etc.).

Online competitive multi-player features up to 16 players inKillzone,32 players inKillzone 2,24 players inKillzone 3andShadow Fall,and up to 8 players inMercenary.There are various modes of multiplayer. There is an objective based rotation mode, called Warzone (Killzone 2,Killzone 3,andShadow Fall), where players play all game modes (2 rounds of Assassination, 1 round of Body Count, 1 round of Capture and Hold, 2 rounds of Search and Destroy, and 1 round of Search and Retrieve) one after the other until all modes have been played.Shadow Fall'game modes in Warzone are slightly different. Operations is a new mode forKillzone 3which is a cinematic mini-campaign for the multiplayer mode.Killzone 3features a classicTeam Deathmatchmode called Guerilla Warfare.Shadow Fallalso has a team deathmatch, simply titled Team Deathmatch.KillzoneandKillzone 3are the only games in the series to feature offline split-screen co-op for two players, whileKillzoneis the only game in the series to feature offline split-screen multiplayer in the Botzone mode (Botzone allows players to play againstAIbots and is present in each installment).Liberationfeatures an online co-op campaign as well as a multiplayer mode that supports up to 6 players inad-hocand up to 8 players on infrastructure.Shadow Fallfeatures an online co-op survival mode for up to 4 players; however, it can only be accessed by purchasing the Season Pass.

Games

Release timeline

2004	Killzone
2005
2006	Liberation
2007
2008
2009	Killzone 2
2010
2011	Killzone 3
2012	Killzone Trilogy
2013	Mercenary
	Shadow Fall

Main series

Killzone

Main article:Killzone (video game)

Killzonewas released for thePlayStation 2in 2004. The game is set in 2357, where the Helghast Empire has recovered from its defeat in the First Extrasolar War and launched ablitzkriegagainst the outer Interplanetary Strategic Alliance (ISA) colony planet Vekta. Vekta's orbital Strategic Defense (S.D.) platforms failed during the initial assault, allowing the Helghast to land swarms of soldiers onto the surface and making it difficult for the outnumbered ISA forces. Captain Jan Templar, the main protagonist, and his squad are ordered back to the base for reassignment, and are sent to find the ISA operative Hakha and the key in his possession. Templar meets other characters who assist him such as Shadow Marshal Luger (a female special operations assassin), a heavy weapons specialist Sergeant Rico Velasquez (a Helghast-hating soldier with an itchy trigger finger), and Colonel Hakha, a half-Helghast, half-Human spy.

Killzone 2

Main article:Killzone 2

Killzone 2was released for thePlayStation 3in 2009.Killzone 2follows the events ofKillzoneandKillzone: Liberation,and is set on the planet Helghan, the home world of the Helghast who invaded an Interplanetary Strategic Alliance (ISA) colony. Two years after the Helghast assault on Vekta, the ISA has launched an assault on the enemy's homeworld of Helghan. The ISA goal is to capture the Helghast leader, Scolar Visari and bring the Helghast war machine to a halt. The main protagonists is Sergeant Tomas "Sev" Sevchenko, a battle-hardened veteran of the special forces unit the "Legion" assigned to Alpha team, who go on a mission to take out the Helghast threat. Captain Jan Templar has been promoted to Colonel and is the Fleet Commander of theNew Sun,a Cruiser airship set up in the clouds of Helghan over its capital city, Pyrrhus, preparing for a final attack. During the invasion of Helghan, Sev's unit is deployed behind enemy lines to assist the main invasion force. Tasked with securing the enemy capital of Pyrrhus, Helghan's first true city, the team discovers that the Helghast are a more formidable enemy on their home planet. They adjusted to Helghan's hostile conditions and have harnessed the power of the lightning storms that always occur on Helghan which they can use against the ISA. A cold, barren, unforgiving world, Helghan provides a ready defense with thick, acidic air, dust clouds, and violent surgical lightning storms.

Killzone 3

Main article:Killzone 3

Killzone 3was released for thePlayStation 3in 2011 and is the only game in the series to feature a special edition support, thePlayStation Move,and utilize3Dgaming. It follows the events ofKillzone 2.Visari, the leader of the Helghast, is gone but the war is far from over. Helghast forces have mounted a devastating counterattack, prompting the ISA (Interplanetary Strategic Alliance) evacuation of planet Helghan. As new Helghast battalions appear, armed with more powerful weapons, ISA forces find themselves outmanned, outgunned and surrounded. Two new antagonists, Jorhan Stahl and Admiral Orlock, both want to become the new Autarch of Helghan. Sev returns as the protagonist with Rico and Narville. Admiral Orlock eventually becomes the new Autarch due to a circumstantial decision by the Helghan High Council. In a final confrontation between Stahl and Orlock, Stahl murders Orlock, however, the planet Helghan and Stahls ship is nuked by Sev and his team. However, it revealed that a ship crash landed on Helghan and is greeted by two Helghan soldiers.

Killzone: Shadow Fall

Main article:Killzone: Shadow Fall

A professional model for theKillzonefranchise, pictured at E3 2013

Killzone: Shadow Fallwas released for thePlayStation 4in November 2013. It served as a launch title. The game is set nearly 30 years after the events ofKillzone 3.Vektans live side by side with Helghans, though their portions of the city are divided by a massive wall that is known as "The Wall". Helghan citizens are placed and take refuge inside of Vekta, becoming known as Traitors, since they left their side of The Wall, which was claimed as New Helghan. The protagonist, Lucas Kellan, is orphaned when he and his father, Michael, are spotted with Thomas Sinclair, a Shadow Marshal, who attempts to lead them out of the side that was being taken by the Helghan forces after the "Terracide" that occurred inKillzone 3.Kellan's father is shot down by two Helghan soldiers when they are spotted, but Lucas is saved by Sinclair.

20 years later, Kellan has been brought up by Sinclair and has become the youngest Shadow Marshal within the Vektan Security Agency (VSA), while Sinclair has become Director of the VSA. Shadow Marshals are specially trained soldiers. Their main mission is to preserve the peace between the Vektans and Helghast and prevent this from declining. During his travels between Vekta and across the Wall into New Helghast as he undertakes missions to deal with possible Helghan threats, he comes to realize that New Helghan is full of civilians who are innocent. He also meets a Helghan Intelligence Operative, "Echo", a half-breed who is Chancellor Visari's daughter. Kellan is imprisoned and tortured when he is caught in New Helghast. Echo helps him escape to find out that Jorhan Stahl has a "weapon" designed that would annihilate Vektans and half-breeds, which he considers traitors. When Kellan is in reach to kill Stahl; Stahl is shot in the head from behind. Kellan turns to see Sinclair, who also kills Kellan. Sinclair is hailed a hero after killing Kellan and recovering the weapon. Echo, who survived the impact of the crash, sneaks into Vekta and when Sinclair is giving a speech, she assassinates him.

Other games

Killzone: Liberation

Main article:Killzone: Liberation

Killzone: Liberationwas released for thePlayStation Portablein 2006. InKillzone: Liberation,two months after the events ofKillzone,the Helghast have been dealt a hefty blow from the last game, but the war is far from over. The enemy controls large parts of the planet Vekta, and though the ISA armies are fighting hard, they are losing ground. The rules of war have been cast aside with the sadistic Helghast General, Armin Metrac, employed by the Helghast Emperor Scolar Visari to use brutal measures in order to seize the initiative and strengthen his position further. Jan Templar returns as the main protagonists on a covert operation to save hostages captured by Metrac, while ISA troops continue the fight for liberty. There are 5 "chapters" with 4 levels in which players eliminate the Helghast resistance (The fifth and final chapter was made available to download).

Killzone: Mercenary

Main article:Killzone: Mercenary

Killzone: Mercenarywas released for thePlayStation Vitain 2013. In the game players assume the role of a mercenary who fights alongside either the ISA or Helghast forces depending on which team hires them.

Killzone Trilogy

Killzone Trilogyis a collection ofKillzone,Killzone 2,andKillzone 3for thePlayStation 3under Sony'sPlayStation Collectionsline. The originalKillzonehas been remastered in HD to support 720p resolution and Trophies. The collection also includes all DLC maps forKillzone 2andKillzone 3.It was released in October 2012 in North America and Europe.

Other media

Killzone: Ascendancy,a novel by Sam Bradbury, was released in April 2011. It is a novelization ofKillzone 3.

Killzone Interceptis a 14-minute fan film set in the ISA evacuation of Helghan. The film short has received positive feedback, and was featured on the PlayStation blog.

Reception

Aggregate review scores
As of November 19, 2013.

Game	Metacritic
Killzone	(PS2) 70 (PS3) 59
Killzone: Liberation	(PSP) 77
Killzone 2	(PS3) 91
Killzone 3	(PS3) 84
Killzone: Mercenary	(Vita) 78
Killzone: Shadow Fall	(PS4) 73

The firstKillzonereceived mixed to positive reviews from magazines and websites.PSMstated thatKillzoneis "Graphically stunning and hits the mark in so many ways, it's baffling; they promised us we'd experience future war, and we have... and come away shaking." Other reviewers cited technical problems withKillzone,including inconsistentAI,occasional bugs, frame-rate issues, distracting graphical glitches, repetition of the same voices, short draw distance, and an awkward control system. Critics also complained about the gameplay, withIGNlabeling it "underwhelming and mediocre" andInto Liquid Skystating that it needs "more refinement".Sarcastic Gamer's "How to Kill a Brand" (a parody of How to Save a Life) criticizedKillzone,saying it didn't deserve a sequel.

Killzone: Liberationreceived positive reviews, earning IGN's award for Best PSP Offline Multiplayer Game of 2006.

Killzone 2received critical acclaim upon release with aGameRankingsscore of 90.56%,and aMetacriticscore of 91/100.

Killzone 3received positive reviews upon release with aGameRankingsscore of 86.38%,and aMetacriticscore of 84/100.The first English review of the game was published byPlayStation Official Magazine (UK),which gave the game a 9/10. The review stated "on a visual level, as a 3D breakthrough, this feels like a watershed moment in a revolution affecting all of gaming". The review also stated on gameplay terms, "Black Opsis the onlyfirst-person shooteronPlayStation 3that can match this ". The voice acting, however, was criticised as not being perfect, thus lacking" emotive punch "and the reason for not receiving a perfect 10/10.

Killzone: Mercenaryreceived positive reviews upon release, with critics praising the quality of the title compared to previous shooters on the Vita. It has aMetacriticscore of 78/100.

Killzone: Shadow Fallreceived mixed-to-positive reviews, with aGameRankingsscore of 73.41% and aMetacriticscore of 73/100, making it the second-lowest rated game in the series on bothGameRankingsandMetacritic.Praise was given to the game's visual presentation and multiplayer modes, while criticism was given to the single-player story and A.I. issues.

External links

• Official website
• Killzoneofficial website