I have been on a real PS Vita kick recently, I just can't get enough of it. I really wanted a good first-person shooter to play, unfortunately, Call Of Duty Declassified had failed in that area. I haven't played any of the Killzone games but thought I could probably fill in the blanks story wise.
I love a good bag of crisps or chips, whether it be with a beer, wine or some other substance. A recent favorite of mine is Doritos Flame Grilled Steak. It does taste like a good steak, rich, smoky and with a hint of mustard. Playing Killzone Mercenary I found myself asking was this my new favorite chip or was it going to be a disappointment?
Story
The game has you take control of Arran Danner a mercenary during the fight between the Vekta (good guys) and the Helghast (bad guys, and with a name like that how could they not be?). The story campaign is really engrossing and you find yourself asking is all just about the money? There are a few twists and turns and while the ending was not exactly shocking it doesn't mean it wasn't good.
Overall the story is not the most original but is a tried and tested formula and provides a lot of entertainment.
Visuals
The planets you explore go from dark and industrial, to more bright and futuristic. There is a lot of diversity in the levels, some may have you firing out of a gunship, another might have you exploring a reactor, another might have you infiltrating an enemy base. Visually it feels like a war game with damaged structures around you and in the background there is always some conflict occurring.
Overall the visuals are really good, especially for a handheld console. Considering that both Killzone Mercenary and Call Of Duty Declassified were released almost at the same time it is strange that visually they are worlds apart with Killzone being the clear winner.
Music
The soundtrack is a mixture of intense strings, mixed with guitar riffs and horns. The soundtrack is created by Austrian composer Walter Mair. He has a huge body of work primarily TV and Film including; Till Death, Metamorphosis, District 11 (due to be released next year) to name but a few.
The soundtrack is over thirty minutes in length and contains twelve tracks, my favorites being; 'Lightning Strike' and 'The Package'. Overall a good soundtrack that helps create a tense atmosphere.
Gameplay
I imagine it must be hard to produce a first person shooter on a handheld console especially due to its technical restrictions. Guerilla Cambridge have created a great first person shooter for the PS Vita that other companies could learn from (if any of them were still making games for it).
The controls work really well and are comfortable to use, with one exception, melee attacks. The screen can be used to melee attack enemies by swiping in which ever direction you are instructed. If you just have one enemy and there is no fire fight going on it is fine. But if there is a lot happening it can be a little more awkward and feel the touch pad at the back would have been a better control for it. Despite that complaint though I love playing it so much that its far from a deal breaker. Grenades can be selected using the touch screen and then can be thrown with the right shoulder button.
As a mercenary you get paid for everything from kills, optional objectives, scavenging, shooting camera and more. There are shops in the form of chests that are controlled by the weapons dealer Black Jack. In here you can purchase new weapons, armor and vanguard weapons. The vanguard weapons are awesome; you have orbital strikes, stealth drones and shoulder mounted missiles. Initially I felt no need to use them but once I was a few missions in I found them invaluable.
Once each mission is complete there are challenges unlocked to help bring you even more money that can be a lot of fun. Outside of this there is also multiplayer, and in a very smart move if you don't have enough players you can fill the party with bots meaning that as long as the servers are online you can keep playing.
Overall great gameplay with no real issues and will definitely play it again in the future.
Final Thoughts
So, after six hours how did I feel? Pretty happy! The story was engaging if a little predictable, the visuals are some of the best I have seen on the PS Vita, the music is pretty good and the gameplay is very good. Overall this one gets a solid 4 out of 5
No comments:
Post a Comment