Rightly or wrongly labeled as the PlayStation 2's "Halo Killer" by the European press, Killzone is a game that packs thrilling, strategic action with impressive technology. Sony Computer Entertainment America is positioning the game as the "first first-party first-person shooter" for its console. After being mesmerized at how many times the word first could be used in a sentence, I saw a great-looking title with fantastic potential. With plenty of notches in its belt from mastering numerous genres, Sony just might need space for one more with its foray into first-person action.

Killzone takes place in a futuristic version of Earth where interplanetary travel is possible and galactic colonization is burgeoning. Things change when a group known as the Helghast attempts to take over the planet. Ruthless and militaristic, the Helghast are stone-cold killers that wear gas masks and look like an ultramodern version of the SS. The fiends are on the verge of takeover and the only thing that can stop them are the ISA, the "good" military of Earth. You control four characters from the ISA in an action game with strategic and squad-based elements.

Though the action in Killzone is squad based, don't expect another Brute Force. It's still very much a single-player experience, but with advanced AI support characters. You'll only be controlling one character per level, while the others will act in intelligent and useful ways. You will, however, have to help out your buddies should one of them get in a nasty spot. Each character has a distinct strength ranging from all-out gun power, stealth, and sniping.

There are 11 levels in the game, ranging from jungles, cities, riverbeds, and more. The art direction was inspired by the jungles of Vietnam, World War I trench battles, and World War II city sieges. The visuals are looking good and there's still plenty of time for them to be spruced up before the game's release. Though 11 levels seems like a small number, there's replay value in tackling them all with each character and discovering the multiple paths and solutions.

You smell that?
Continuing with the numbers game, there will be 20 handheld and five stationary weapons in Killzone. It would have been easy for the developers to include all sorts of fanciful concoctions, but the armaments in the game are based on real weapons, with only a dash of futurama. Each handheld weapon will have a secondary function. For example, the rocket launchers secondary capability lets you rain death with every rocket in your gun. The stationary weapons change depending on what level you're on, but expect to see some wicked canons and turrets for some wicked firepower.

The most impressive visual aspect of the game is its use of multi-layered texturing. When you look at an object up close, you'll see every little detail it has. As you pull away, the textures that you wouldn't be able to see are no longer rendered, allowing for more fluidity, as well as allowing the artists to add detail elsewhere. While there were the expected glitches from a game not due out until Q4, the graphics were very, very impressive. Just take a peek at the screens to see some awesome character models. At this time there are no plans for a progressive scan mode and the frame rate is still being determined.

Making a river flow with the blood of the non-believers.
For multiplayer games, Killzone will support two offline and 12 online players. Though the exact modes are still being determined, there will be team-based and deathmatch games. Players can also use bots to simulate 12-player games offline. USB headsets will be supported to help console gamers catch up with their PC brethren in the use of the word smacktard.

Killzone is looking mighty impressive. The graphics should be stellar (though I am concerned that the game might not run at 60) and the gameplay looks solid thus far. It appears that Sony is going for a smaller number of highly polished levels rather than a ridiculous amount of banal ones, and that approach is just fine with me. The multiple characters should play differently enough to allow for varied experiences, while the online options should prove more popular than SOCOM. Not bad for a "first first-party first-person shooter."