PSP World

Killzone: Liberation

We have now had the PlayStation Portable system for some time and it is fair to say that most gamers are a little disappointed with the quality of software available and the endless PS1 ports just don't do it anymore. There are some exceptions to the rule such as the excellent Syphon Filter and the difficult to put down Loco Roco but, given what the system initially promised, you can understand just why the UMD format is being dropped by most Movie Studios. The original Killzone was a similar story; while the initial previews raved about its visuals and gameplay, the final product received only a lukewarm response from journalists and gamers alike. With this in mind SONY have dropped the game’s original FPS genre and instead gone for something more suited to the PSP control system and capabilities. It's a bold move but have the developers pulled it off?

Liberation takes place just after the storyline for the original PS2 outing ends. I won't give too much of the storyline away as it's told during the game but let’s just say you take on the role of Templar (from the first game) whose mission it is to infiltrate the Helghast enemy whist also rescuing the odd hostage and sabotaging just about anything the enemy requires to reign supreme. Clearly this involves a lot of destruction on the way and although you only have limited ammo there's always enough lying around to complete your missions. It's not all on foot either; you'll also have the opportunity to control a variety of useful add-ons and craft. The first of these is a kind of jet pack, which is essential for navigating the higher ground with its lack of bridges. More impressive is the armored boat equipped with serious firepower but not nearly enough amour. All missions have a tight set of objectives to complete before you can move on but the quantity of checkpoint! s mean the game will never become too tedious.

Some of the more challenging missions include extra soldiers to help you and while these can be ordered around, they're also pretty handy at looking after themselves and will generally attack anything that’s a threat to you. The only downside is that they can also be wounded and once they die you do too. As a result it's essential that you keep them healthy and medication can be applied if they are looking a little battle weary. Once you have completed the main game Killzone just keeps on giving and your first port of call should be the Challenge Games. These are unlocked once they’re completed in the main mission and allow you to fine-tune your skills and speed and will reward you with bronze, silver or gold medals. There's also a multiplayer mode with death match, capture the flag and with extra on-line mode promised. All this makes for a game that is as complete as a multiplayer as it is as a single player experience. This is a rare breed in gaming terms.

Just when you thought the PSP couldn't produce any of the pretty visuals that were initially promised, Guerilla Games (Killzone PS2 original developer) come up with this, which is quite literally stunning. Many gaming outlets now select it to brighten up their previously bland demo pod. It's not just the well-designed environments either. The spot animations such as water outlets and smoke stacks are almost photo realistic. On top of this there's also one of the best FMV intros we've seen for some time so if you ever doubted the capabilities of the PSP you need look no further than Liberation. Like the visuals, the audio is of incredibly high quality and we'd recommend digging out those earphones just to truly immerse yourself in battle against Helghast.

The control has been very finely tuned and it has to be because the large playing area means anything less than pixel perfect aim would render the game a complete non-starter. It's certainly a step forward from what we've previously seen on the PSP with the series benefiting from the decision to dump the FPS perspective. What remains is a system that allows you to achieve a multiple of secondary objectives (placing bombs, healing wounded soldiers etc) without ever breaking from the games main purpose: killing the enemy. There's little need to constantly refer to the manual as the first few levels are packed with on-screen pop-ups detailing just what you need to do and each new weapon or move is fully explained.

In the end Killzone: Liberation is nothing more than a visually spectacular Cannon Fodder but the whole thing is so immersive and rewarding you'll easily forgive its less than original roots. What's most impressive is just how satisfying the single player mode is, managing to throw up surprises whilst never forcing you into a corner and always forcing you to rethink your tactics. That's not to say that the various multiplayer modes don't deliver and with the ability to share Killzone with other gamers and the promise of on-line goodies in the future you are certain to have this little UMD in your PSP for some time to come.