Killzone: Liberation (PSP) Review

Killzone was released for the PlayStation 2 with a resounding thud in 2004, as it was overshadowed by other, better FPS games. Killzone: Liberation for the Sony PSP stands apart from it's console-related cousin. For one thing, Liberation has just about zero to do with its PS2 predecessor from a game play perspective. It's still a shooter, but the viewpoint has been switched to an isometric, top-down view and the action itself become even faster and more frenetic.

Killzone takes place in military-slash-sci-fi universe where humans are now a space-faring race, and a subset of humans formed its own government on a planet called Helghan. However, living on Helghan turns these people into something other than human--a race known as the Helghast. There's loads more back-story to the game, but truth be told, the focus is more on the action in Killzone: Liberation, and not on the storytelling.

Fortunately, the action and game play are so good, you'll be too busy enjoying HOW you blow the Helghast to smithereens instead of WHY. You begin each level with a specific gun--you start the game with a mere assault rifle, and as you play through you'll unlock more powerful starting guns and more complicated mission objectives.

This may sound like the PSP game is more of a Killzone-themed dungeon crawler, rather than a shooter, but those shooter elements are still there. The mutated Helghast will come at you in waves, but killing them is quite a challenge. Why? Well, although you'll occasionally see a group of Helghast standing around almost like they're waiting to get blown up, this is a rare occurrence. Most of the time enemies will find cover as soon as you start firing at them-- ducking, dodging, taking cover, trying to smoke out with frag grenades if you've sought cover, and so on. It's a refreshing change of pace to see enemy AI not act like mere cannon fodder.

The actual mechanics of shooting are quite well done. Veteran shooter fans might first be puzzled by the lack of an auto-aim feature... until you realize that it's seamlessly integrated into the game. You point your gun in the direction of an enemy; you automatically lock on to them, no matter where they are-left, right, above or below.

As easy-breezy as the lock-on system is, Killzone: Liberation is by no means a cakewalk. In fact, I can't think of a single player campaign in a PSP game that didn't tempt me to hurl the PSP into orbit more that this game. Why? Figuring out how to use the environment is essential to surviving. This means, unfortunately, you'll be employing a great deal of trial and error.

You will die in this game.

You will die a lot.

Another unique twist is your ability to command NPCs. Though an AI-controlled ally won't fight by your side in every mission, you'll have someone working alongside you in many sections (you'll get to know one soldier, Rico, pretty well). By pressing up on the PSP's directional pad, you'll pull up a command menu that shows you exactly what you can make an ally do at that point. In most situations, you can simply command them to take a specific firing position, but you can also order them to attack specific enemies and plant explosives in key spots. The AI works very well, and as a consequence, having them along almost never feels like dead weight.

As intense, varied, and deep as the action is, the level designs
and mission objectives don't stack up as well. They're worse than bad at times, they're boring: go from point A to point B scenarios, escort this person to this place without them dying, etc.

All in all, the single-player campaign is a lot of fun, even if it's a bit short and the ending's fairly lackluster. If you're good, you can get all the way through in about four hours (though in real time, it'll probably be more like twice that with the amount of postdeath restarts you'll have to do).

Liberation's "look" might not look like much at first, with its zoomed-out camera view and seemingly drab setting, but as you get into the action, it warms up on you very quickly. The character models and animations are top-notch. The simple act of watching characters run around and shoot is pleasing enough, but watching them fly through the air after getting blown away by a big explosion is immensely entertaining. The game uses rag-doll physics with good effect. All throughout the game, the frame rate holds up, too. Particularly huge explosions tend to make it drop a bit, but generally, the game runs totally smooth.

The game's audio is also very impressive. The soundtrack consists of the typical military march score that you'd expect and the sound effects are fantastic compared to what you normally find on the PSP. Guns sound great, and explosions sound even better. There's also some solid voice work from the supporting players. Mostly it's just Helghast soldiers screaming orders at each other, but the dialogue from your human cohorts is well done. The only one that's a bit off is Rico. Seriously, how many times can you shout, "Eat lead, a**hole!" before the words just become so much background static?

Additional modes include a single-player challenge mode, as well as competitive ad-hoc multiplayer. The challenge mode unlocks a series of challenges each time you complete one of the campaign's chapters. Objectives such as basic target shooting and timed demolition missions are the norm here. These are decently fun on their own, but by completing and scoring high on these missions, you can earn points that go toward character upgrades in the campaign. During the initial screen where you pick your weapons, you can choose up to three of the unlocked upgrades to take into battle with you. Increased health, additional grenade slots, and unlimited ammo bonuses are just some of the available options. What's especially cool about this is that different missions require different abilities, so being able to change up which upgrades you use from mission to mission is extremely helpful.

The competitive multiplayer should be the best aspect about this game, but it's unfortunately limited at the moment. There are four play types: deathmatch, team deathmatch, assault, and capture the flag. For anyone who has been playing multiplayer shooters over the last decade or so, these modes should be pretty straightforward. Functionally, the action is identical in multiplayer as it is in single-player, with the same weapons, same targeting functions, and same strategies. It's designed for up to six players to play at once, and you'll pretty much need as many people as possible to make the game fun. Playing multiplayer with just one or two people isn't that exciting, since the maps are a little too large for such a small number of players. However, what's really unfortunate about the multiplayer is that it isn't online. The game only supports ad hoc play, and the game-sharing option doesn't offer more than a couple of single-player demos.

While the single-player campaign is ultimately too short and devoid of story, and the multiplayer suffers from the lack of infrastructure play, Killzone: Liberation is still an excellent and engaging shooter. The smart AI and never fever-pitch action create some of the most intense battles you'll find in any game on the PSP, and its great presentation and duo of multiplayer modes give it plenty of longevity. The difficulty and the brevity of the game might put off some people, but most will find a thoroughly unique and enjoyable experience in Killzone: Liberation.

This is a game that provides a great deal of intense shooting action, with tough enemy opponents that don't lie down and die easily. While the challenge does mean you're going to die an awful lot, you won't have to backtrack much. Throw in an ad hoc competitive multiplayer component and co-op play for the whole campaign, and you've got a thoroughly excellent package.