[Vic Viper]

Finally, the phoney war is over. For over a year now we've been sworn to secrecy. Forced to bite our lips as the rumour mill went into overdrive. As far back as April last year, we knew that Guerilla Games (then known as Lost Boys Games) was working on an apparently groundbreaking shooter with the working title of Kin. Today we can confirm that the game is very much a reality. It's called Killzone. We've seen it. And it looks like the absolute bomb.

Killzone is set in the near future. Mankind is busy colonising the galaxy when a vicious interplanetary war breaks out between the ISA (which is still loyal to Earth) and a militaristic faction know as the Helghast. Despite the sci-fi premise, we aren't expecting to see any outlandish aliens scampering across the battlefield. Killzone is based on 20th-century warfare, and the term itself refers to a tactic used to force enemies into an area where they can be easily wiped out.

The single-player game tells the story of four ISA soldiers who are operating deep behind enemy lines on a near suicidal mission. It's thought that the game begins in the immediate aftermath of a devastating Helghast attack. Earlier this year OPS2 was shown a video of in-game action which seemed to confirm that the game will start with your squad trapped in a killzone. From what we've seen you're pinned down in a derelict building and surrounded by the Helghast. To make matters considerably worse, more stormtroopers abseil in from the Aliens-style dropship hovering overhead. Within seconds the bullets are flying and jaws are dropping.

What really looks impressive about Killzone though - other than the teeth-rattling bark of the assault rifles and the lush, richly detailed environments - is the sense of being caught in the middle of a massive conflict. We watched soldiers wading through shallow rivers, coshing each other with rifle butts (just wait until you see the glorious reload animation as you slap another magazine in) and manning fixed machine gun emplacements. Oh, and the sniper scope looks particularly creamy, as do the diffuse lighting effects, originally pioneered by Ico.

As for the visuals, there are several cinematic influences, with Starship Troopers and, inevitably, Aliens being the most obvious. Certainly the body armour worn by the ISA soldiers is instantly reminiscent of James Cameron's bug hunting epic. The gritty style also suggests the art team at Guerilla has been watching a lot of Black Hawk Down. We also reckon there must be a 2000AD fan at the Netherlands-based developer because there definitely seems to be a hint of Rogue Trooper too.

As far as multiplayer modes go, there's no official word yet, but you can probably guess why we're so excited. You can expect a barrage of info on the game between now and its release. But for now, gaze at the first ever genuine screenshots. You're looking at the future.

playstation.com


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