Killzone: Liberation is the sequel to the PlayStation 2 game Killzone. However, unlike its predecessor, "Liberation" features a completely different style of game play using a third person view instead of first person. "Liberation" continues the storyline started in the original game, which is about the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance (ISA) Special Forces Captain Jan Templar. He is one man of many in the middle of a war between the ISA and the Helghast. The Helghast are former humans that have evolved into a species that is anything but human. They wish to control ISA territories. Joining Templar are the same faces from the original story, including (and not limited to) Rico, Luger, and Hakha. As an overall game, "Liberation" features exciting game play with an extensive single-player campaign and decent multi-player options via ad hoc wireless. If you enjoy shooters, then this game's top-level view may offer you just what you need for on-the-go-gaming.

Gameplay:

Killzone: Liberation features both single- and multi-player modes, as well as a few other options. The single-player mode contains two options for game play, campaign mode and challenge games. The campaign mode follows the storyline of Captain Templar. It is divided into four chapters and each has four parts--sixteen missions in all. The missions themselves are fairly short. They can be completed pretty quickly. However, I found it difficult to finish the advance missions with ease. I spent a fair amount of time replaying missions to try out different strategies when one didn't work (death comes quickly, especially when the bad guys start hurling grenades or using anything that explodes).

Each mission begins by selecting a weapon. At first, the only weapon available is the M82-G Assault Rifle, a general purpose firearm. As the game progresses, other weapons can be unlocked like a shotgun, sniper rifle, machine pistol, etc. In addition, special abilities can also be equipped prior to embarking on a mission. The special abilities need to be unlocked via the challenge games, which will be covered later in the review.

Once embarked on a mission, you will find yourself in a third person view of the map. You control Templar and traverse the terrain by hiding behind crates and walls while taking out the Helghast forces. In each mission, you are given a certain set of objectives, which may include taking out all of the enemy forces, planting C4 charges, sabotaging equipment, saving hostages, meeting with other ISA forces, and so on.

In addition, throughout the missions other characters like Rico join your time. When a secondary character is with you, they are under your command. There is a tactical system menu that allows you to assign commands to the other character, such as defending at this or that point, target a specific bad guy, do a special action (e.g., plant a C4 charge), etc. This aspect adds a nice strategic control to the game.

Vehicles are another important aspect to this game. During the missions, you can take control of a couple different vehicles. They include a tank and a hovercraft. Both serve different purposes, where the tank is a slow moving assault vehicle with a heavy cannon and machine gun, the hovercraft is an all-terrain vehicle that features a machine gun turret and rocket launcher. In addition to the tank and hovercraft, there are jet packs and stand-alone mission gun turrets to take control of.

In general, the game play works. The controls are fairly intuitive and easy to use. However, I did have some slight difficulty getting accustomed to the auto-aim. While playing, when a bad guy appears, the game automatically targets them (it would be near-impossible to target yourself based on how the controls are laid out and the top-level view). I found it slightly awkward getting used to handling multiple targets in the near vicinity to each other.

Another difficulty I had getting accustomed to with this game was the weapons. There is a decent arsenal of weapons ranging from automatic rifles to handguns to rocket launchers to shotguns. Each weapon has strengths and weaknesses. The automatic rifles are a solid balance for all kinds of combat, but sometimes you want more specialized weapons. The shotgun for quick one-on-one face offs, which is horrid when facing multiple enemies, the machine pistol for taking out small groups, which is awful because it spends its rounds so quickly, or the sniper rifle that is perfect for faraway kills, which sucks in close range.

The problem is that you can only hold one weapon at a time. And it is annoying because if you have a specialized weapon in hand, you might be set for long range attacks, but quickly find yourself in a close range gun fight! I think this game would have been a lot stronger if you had been able to carry a primary weapon and smaller secondary weapon like a pistol.

Overall, the single-player game play featured in the campaign mode has a couple weaknesses, but it still proves to be enjoyable. The game requires you to think about what you are doing, you can't just go in guns blazing, because you will get shot and die. On more than one occasion, you will probably have to replay the last portion of a mission and try out different strategies to take out the bad guys. Note: There are three levels of difficulty available.

The other portion of the single-player mode is challenge games. They are small mini-games with different objectives that are available after completing a chapter. The objectives include killing a certain amount of bad guys in a time frame, taking out as many targets as possible, catching the spidermine, and other tasks. For good performance, medals (bronze, silver, and gold) are awarded. The better you do, the more points you get. And the more points you get, the more abilities are unlocked, e.g., holding more frag grenades or ammo clips. These mini-games are important if you want to beef up your character's arsenal.

For multi-player gaming options, "Liberation" can be played in "Campaign Co-op" with two players or "Combat Zone" with up to six friends via ad-hoc wireless (they have to be in the same vicinity as you to play, no internet gaming). "Campaign Co-op" allows for any missions that have been completed by the host to be played through with a friend. "Combat Zone" offers four different types of frag action: "Death Match", standard free for all, "Team Death Match", two teams duke it out, "Assault", ISA team must defend a key objective from the Helghast team, and "Capture the Flag", each team defends the flag at their base.

Other features "Liberation" includes are "Statistic & Rewards", summary of your single player stats, "Downloads", download additional content and upgrades from the killzone.com website, and "Share A Game", share one of three demo mission via wi-fi with a friend. The latter's missions (descriptions taken directly from the game's instruction booklet) include "Warehouse Escape" (on-foot single-player mission), fight your way through Helghast, reinforcements as you flee the dockyard warehouse, "Buddy Beachhead" (on-foot buddy mission), Sergeant Rico will help you re-capture the Vektan dockyards from the Helghast, and "Tank Battle" (single-player vehicle mission), commandeer a Helghast tank, use it to cross the dam and destroy the heavy doors with C4.

Visually, Killzone: Liberation is a fairly good looking game. The graphics are not really impressive, but they aren't bad either. The game uses small character models that have a fair level of detail of their size. The environments and settings are also fairly well represented.

Audio:

The game's audio features sound effects (gunfire, explosions, etc.) that fit well into the gaming experience. The sound effects are rich and make good use of the PSP's stereo capabilities. The music is a subtle and not a big part of the game. I liked how it was not overpowering and let the sound effects take charge. The game also includes voiceovers for events and cut scenes related to the storyline.

Conclusion:

Killzone: Liberation is a strategic real-time shooter that features a third person view of the action. The game is great for gamers looking for a shooter-style game that makes you think strategically and tactically. What it does is offer a fairly addictive game that is great for on-the-go-gaming. The missions are challenging and generally offer some excitement as you blast your way through the Helghast forces. In the end, "Liberation" comes recommended for gamers who enjoy shooter-style games with a decent storyline.