Killzone: Shadow Fall Reviews

Shadow Fall is the perfect game to introduce the world to the raw power that the PS4 has to offer and the pick of the shooters for the next generation launch for me. It is an absolute blast laying waste to the red eyed Helghan, and although it’s a continuation of the Killzone universe, it is still an excellent starting point for new comers.

“The future of first-person shooter looks an awful lot like the past.”

Commonplace co-op.

The most anticipated PlayStation 4 launch title is tough to analyze.

While it always looked fantastic and the fascistic Helghast give it one of gaming’s most memorable villains, the series has never matched the gameplay high notes achieved by Halo and Call of Duty. Now, thanks to being a flagship PS4 launch title, Killzone has a real moment in the spotlight, but can it finally join the ranks of the FPS elite? And does it offer a real next-gen experience?

Killzone: Shadow Fall is not only a technical showcase for the PlayStation 4, but it also manages to provide a intriguing single player campaign backed up by a strong multiplayer component. However by playing it safe, Guerrilla Games have taken the franchise a few steps back.

The multiplayer brings those solid shooting mechanics and blends it with something that’s very familiar for Killzone fans. It perhaps evolves in the wrong directions and some design choices are very strange and might even hinder your experience, but the amount of customisation and fun on offer here is paramount, and the game succeeds in that regard.

Killzone: Shadow Fall takes place shortly after the events of PlayStation 3 exclusive Killzone 3, as the ISA and Helghast are forced to co-inhabit the planet Vekta. Living together in peace is not on the agenda for either faction, however, as the Helghast fight to push the humans out of their own home. This location has been the source of many battles throughout the series, but this time the two sides are determined to end the war once and for all.

With 30 years separating it from the lore of previous Killzone games and new hardware driving it, Shadow Fall is the perfect time to freshen up the series. The original trilogy is frequently discussed more in terms of technology than gameplay – however competent it may be. With this fourth console installment, Guerrilla Games presents a great showcase title for the graphical capability of the PlayStation 4, but Shadow Fall also succeeds in being the best gameplay experience in the series.

Oh, and it’s beautiful. A stunner. Killzone: Shadow Fall is the game that will make you happy to own a PS4. This needs to be on your PS4 launch game list.

Shadow Fall represents the Killzone series’ coming-out party – out from being a plodding, gray war shooter through hours of bland, linear corridors. Now, it’s something else entirely. Its single-player campaign suffers from some AI issues and dabbling in non-shooter gameplay it’s just not good at, but it’s still an enjoyable romp that challenges you to really think about how you’re approaching each fight. And then there’s multiplayer, as hardcore as ever but with a level of accessibility that will allow Killzone’s online community to grow and flourish for some time to come. There’s never been a better time for everyone to be paying attention to the Killzone franchise, because Shadow Fall is a step in an all-new, very welcome direction.

That absence of meaningful evolution might be Killzone: Shadow Fall's biggest sin. For all the next-gen bluster of its visuals and the repeated blunt-force attempts to ram a message home, Guerrilla's first shot on the PS4 retreads shooter cliches, and poorly. In a launch lineup crowded with shooters, Killzone: Shadow Fall sits at the bottom.