Things seem to have been going smashingly on the Killzone 2 review front. Outlet after outlet has bestowed its highest honors upon the highly anticipated PlayStation 3 shooter. And then there was Edge.
While the majority of reviewers judging Killzone 2 have enjoyed it enough to hand out five stars, ten out of ten, or whatever maximum score allowed under their review systems, Edge wasn't so kind. It strayed from the reviewer pack with a damning 7 out of 10. Brace yourselves.
Obviously, in modern day review terms, in which the scale typically runs from 6 to 10, with 6 being nigh unplayable and 10 being "perfect," we have a problem on our hands. Or do we?
No. We don't.
One of the neat things about Edge is, it has a hard-on for innovation. Even neater, it uses the entire range of the scale, not just just comfortable 6 to 10 zone. Clearly, when reading the written critique of Killzone 2, the issues it takes with the game's characters, story (or lack thereof), and gameplay clichés, the numerical score provided to it — seemingly the most contentious aspect of the review — begins to make more sense.
It just doesn't quite fit in with the Metacritic average, thanks to a broad range of review outlets all being essentially held to the same review process. And, hey, it's better than the average "User Review" score, currently a mix of emotionally invested fanboy rating which we're going to assume are a blend of heated 1s and 10s.
We can't quite say how good Killzone 2 is just yet. We haven't played enough of the game's multiplayer to officially review it — though Brian Crecente has completed the single-player portion of it and is rumored to have really liked it. Personally, I've only played pre-beta builds, giving me almost no indication of the final quality of the game.
But I'm looking forward to it. And looking forward to going in fresh, unfettered by reviews and scores and nonsense. After all, everyone else has praised the game for its "unparalleled graphics, incredibly well-paced single-player campaign," its "extremely deep multiplayer" and a "keen attention to style and detail." And, hey, that sounds pretty good!
Killzone 2: The Edge Verdict [Edge Online]