Sony Computer Entertainment America announced today the fall 2004 release of Killzone for the PlayStation 2. Developed by Guerrilla, in conjunction with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Sony Computer Entertainment America's Santa Monica Studios, Killzone is a squad-based, first-person shooter, set in the near future during a period of planetary colonization. Killzone features robust online gameplay via the PS2 Network Adaptor with voice-chat capabilities via the USB Headset. The gameplay is based on historical military battles; players battle through trenches, endure city sieges, sweat through jungles and battle guerilla combatants.
The storyline behind Killzone occurs sometime in the near future on the nearby colony of Vecta, one of the interplanetary colonies that humans have established outside of Earth. An invading militaristic separatist faction called the Helghast has set out to decimate the ISA forces and colonize the planet. The only thing standing between the colony's survival and complete destruction is an elite squad of human ISA forces.
Players can select between four ISA troops - each with special abilities and weaponry - and battle through 11 environments that showcase the harsh setting of the planet. Additionally, players can visit the armory and equip themselves with 27 different unique weapons. In particular, there are 21 first-person weapons that the player can carry, five emplaced weapons, and hand grenades. Killzone promises a highly advanced artificial intelligence technology that allows Helghast enemies to calculate threats, maintain squad directives and adhere to self-preservation tactics. Killzone also features an original score performed by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus.
