Can Halo Reach be a major improvement just like Killzone 2?

When the original Killzone was released way back in 2004 it was hyped up as the Halo killer. But things did not go too well and sufficed to say the game flopped. A year later, when the PlayStation 3 was announced at E3 2005, Sony stunned crowds with that famous trailer of Killzone 2. Nobody could have imagined that the PlayStation 3 could turn up such stunning vistas. Four years later in 2009, Sony delivered with one of the best first person shooters this generation. Killzone 2 was just not an improvement in the graphics alone but it had the gameplay to match with it. 2009 also saw the release of Halo 3: ODST on the Xbox 360.

Unfortunately many of the critics were not able to see the potential in the game and hence the game got panned by many reviews. However we gave the game a superb nine out of a possible ten. But having said that, ODST still had a negative image in the media as many claimed it was just an expansion pack to the original Halo 3 released back in 2007. At E3 this year, Microsoft raised people hopes again with the announcement of Halo Reach which will be released in 2010. As this is one of Microsoft’s major game next year, can Halo reach the level of Killzone 2 as the most improved sequel?

Easily Killzone 2 is one of the best looking first person shooters.

First let’s talk about the graphics. Killzone 2 is a stunning game to look at. It is safe to say that Killzone 2 is the best looking first person shooter of this generation; at least on consoles. The game utilized some of the most advanced technologies in graphics and animations. The animation was done in Maya and the team at Guerilla wrote a whole library of scripts for the platform. They also created a tool which they gave the developers to correct color problems on the PlayStation 3 in real time. Now all the hard work has paid off for Sony and Killzone 2 is easily one of the best looking PS3 games to date.

Now what about Halo Reach? Halo Reach definitely looks better than Halo 3 as shown in the trailer below. But I really don’t see the level of details as found in Killzone 2. The characters do have a touch of shine on them and definitely look better than the games before, but it really doesn’t have the technical achievment seen in Sony’s premium shooter. Given that the game still has a ton of time left to be released, we might see a better looking game. But to be honest I don’t see Halo Reach surpassing Killzone 2’s visuals.

Gameplay wise Halo Reach might better Killzone 2.

Now finally let’s talk about the gameplay. The original Killzone had inconsistent AI, occasional bugs, frame-rate issues, distracting graphical glitches, repetition of the same voices, short draw distance, and an awkward control system. But Guerilla did a great job with Killzone 2 introducing a solid single player campaign and a very interesting online offering. Gameplay wise Halo games are still one of the best for me. The firefight mode in ODST alone was worth $60. So expect to see a solid and a long single player campaign and some really cool multiplayer modes in the final retail version of the game. Halo Reach could be as good as or can even better than the game play elements found in Killzone 2.

So that balances it out a bit. Killzone 2 had one of the best sounds in first person shooters but unfortunately it had a forgettable plot. If Halo Reach can provide the gamers with the stunning gameplay that the franchise is known for and also provides an engrossing plot, than it’s a no brainer that Halo Reach might top Killzone 2 even though it’s on a lower scale graphically.

Let us know what do you think in the comment section below.