Killzone 2 is a heavily anticipated upcoming hard sci-fi first-person shooter for the PlayStation 3 video game console, currently in development by Guerrilla Games and to be published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is the third installment in the Killzone franchise that began on the PlayStation 2 with Killzone and was continued with Killzone: Liberation on the PlayStation Portable. First announced at E³ 2005 in Los Angeles, California,^[3]Killzone 2 is set to be released on February 27, 2009.

Story : In time line, Killzone 2 follows Killzone: Liberation, and Killzone, and appears to take place entirely on Helghan, the home-world of the Helghast who invaded an Interplanetary Strategic Alliance (ISA) colony in previous Killzone installments. Two years after the Helghast assault on Vekta, the ISA is taking the fight to the enemy's home world of Helghan. The ISA goal is direct: capture the Helghast leader, Emperor Visari, and bring the Helghast war machine to a halt. Assuming the role of Sev, a battle-hardened veteran and a member of the special forces unit known as the Legion, players will lead a group of highly trained soldiers on a mission to take out the Helghast threat. For Sev and his squad, the invasion of Helghan is just the beginning. 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, the team quickly discovers that the Helghast are a more formidable enemy on their home planet. Not only have they adjusted to Helghan's hostile conditions, they have also harnessed a source of power they can now use against the ISA - the very planet on which they live. A barren, unforgiving world, Helghan provides a ready defense with thick, acidic air, dust clouds, and violent surgical lightning storms. Sev discovers his squad is not just fighting enemy forces – their fiercest opponent may be the planet itself. Additional details on the backstory to the game can be found here.

Gameplay: With Killzone 2, Guerrilla Games aims to provide the player with an immersive and cinematic gameplay experience that is grounded in reality with what they call "Hollywood Realism". The game is almost entirely presented from a first person point of view, through Sev's eyes. Killzone 2 features a cover system named "lean and peek" which allows the player to take cover behind an object, and then pop out to fire at enemies. The "lean and peek" mechanic stays in first person view at all times. Killzone 2 will also support PS3 Trophies. It has also been announced that Sev is able to pilot vehicles, however further details are yet to be announced. Many Killzone classic weapons and vehicles such as the the M82-G and the StA-52 LAR will be returning.


Multiplayer: Killzone 2's multiplayer component has been developed by Guerilla Games in parallel with the game's single-player campaign. ^[11] The multiplayer gameplay is class-based, meaning the player can choose a class of character which is specialized for a specific role to better suit the player's needs in battle. There will be 16 abilities(badges) in total in which the player can mix and match 2 of them according to their playing style, and can switch abilities upon death. 32 players can connect online, and group into squads of up to four players. Two squads can group together as a faction of eight players. Killzone 2 also offers a clan system, which allows clans of up to 64 players to compete for "Valor Points", an in-game currency that clans can use to bet on tournaments. ^[12]

In the level Corinth River, Sev is partnered with Garza, a fellow member in Sev's special forces squad. Garza is AI controlled, which has led to speculation towards the possibility of co-operative gameplay, where Garza's AI could be replaced by a human player.

Technical information: The Killzone 2 beta version was displayed in high definition 720p, locked at 30 frames per second. However in Game Reactor magazine Guerrilla Games QA Manager Seb Downie revealed that the commercial version will support native 1080i in addition to 720p.^[24]

Michal Valient, a Former Senior Programmer at Guerrilla Games, presented details of their Killzone 2 Engine ^[25] at a Developers Conference in July 2007. Killzone uses a deferred rendering engine that integrates MSAA Quincunx (multisample anti-aliasing). The Cell Processor will also parallel process geometry and indirect lighting.

It is also said that some character models have more polygons than entire levels in the first Killzone.