Helghast are the new Nazis. At least, that's what Sony wants you to think with its Killzone series of shooters. In actuality, Hitler had more charisma in one moustache hair than all of Killzone: Liberations on PSP. If only a lack of personality were the sole problem with this game.

The 100 Snores War

While we've gotten vomit-inducingly sick of playing shooters set in World War II, at least it's a setting you can sink your teeth into. Killzone takes the template of a war-torn world, and does nothing to jazz it up: You've got crates, dirt, and a few sets of stairs. It's surprising the opposing forces -- Helghast and ISA -- even find the area worth fighting for. It would seem more likely they'd just regard it as a parking lot and little else.

In the PS2 first-person predecessor, the enemy Helghast had the air of intergalactic death-troopers. With the camera pulled high above on the already-smaller PSP screen, they're indistinguishable from a bunch of Army privates -- eliminating the fear factor that gave the series a modicum of interesting content.

What Is It Good For?

The game's third-person perspective holds other issues, as well: Aiming in Killzone: Liberation is a crapshoot, more sensitive than a menopausal spinster. There's a reason most titles of this ilk opt for lock-on targeting. Gameplay as a whole is woefully unbalanced, leading to death after death for no good reason. Each time, you will question your desire to persevere; it's a losing battle. While there are cool weapons to use, the currency cost of unlocking them is staggering. While mini-games offer rewards such as the ability to carry more grenades and the like, but the tasks themselves are little more than training missions -- that can't be played until you beat an entire chapter, negating the learning experience. 

Killzone: Liberation makes minefields, man vs. tank battles and co-op campaigns so unbelievably boring, you almost have to give developer Guerilla credit for missing the boat so entirely. On paper, you'd think the game would be a non-stop thrill ride; but instead, it throws a steady mixture boredom or frustration at you -- and often both at once! It's unfortunate, because it's not an awful looking game, the levels are designed fairly well, and squad-based commands are easily dished out.

Be Liberated

Yet again, the Killzone franchise fails to deliver. Last time, it was a mere me-too FPS that didn't live up to considerable hype. With Killzone: Liberations, it's a whole other, more sinister beast entirely: just a flat-out crummy game. Thankfully, PSP has its share of decent shooters either here already -- like Syphon Filter -- or on the horizon -- Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops -- so fewer gamers will feel compelled to enlist with this sorry squadron.

Article by: Justin Leeper
Video produced by: Mark Fahey