The Weapons of Killzone 2 – HD Video Blowout!

The Weapons of Killzone 2 – HD Video Blowout!
Wesley Yin-Poole Updated on by

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When we reminisce about the best first-person-shooters, it’s the weapons we usually gush about. When we talk about GoldenEye 007, we talk about dual-wielding RCP-90s. When we talk about Half-Life 2 we talk about the Gravity Gun. When we talk about Halo we talk about the Needler. What weapons will we talk about when we reminisce about Killzone 2? Only time will tell. For now though, enjoy our exclusive Weapons of Killzone 2 feature, where we give you the inside track on the tools of destruction you’ll be using when the game launches next month. And don’t forget to check out the videos, where you’ll be treated to a kill and the gorgeous reload animations in glorious HD.

M4 REVOLVER

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Probably the worst gun in the game. It’s weak and difficult to aim accurately at speed. The only useful thing about the six-shooter M4 Revolver is that it comes with an infinite supply of ammo.

M82 ASSAULT RIFLE

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Standard issue ISA assault rifle – the best all-round gun you’ll have for pretty much the first half of the game. Good power at short to mid distance, and, with an excellent green dot zoom function, about as accurate a weapon as you’re going to get. Ammo is sparse, especially on the harder difficulties, and there aren’t many bullets in a clip, so it’s best fired in short bursts.

M194 FRAG GRENADE

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A press of R2 (on the default control scheme) will cook the grenade, and releasing the button will let fly. You’re able to do this in and out of cover, but beware – it takes a good couple of seconds to throw a grenade in Killzone 2. Power is disappointing, and you’ll often see Helghast unharmed by the explosion when you think they should have been blown to bits. Grenades are more useful for flushing the enemy out of cover.

M32 KNIFE

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You always have access to the knife in Killzone 2 – accessible by pressing right on the d-pad (using the default control scheme). It’s a last resort weapon, but a deadly one – you can take a Helghast soldier down with one swipe, usually resulting in a spray of blood splattering on the HUD.

M224-1A LIGHT MACHINE GUN

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You won’t get to use this beast of a gun until the third level, but when you do you’ll be glad of it. It’s incredibly powerful and as effective at medium distances as it is at short distances. You won’t need to use the zoom with this one much, since generally aiming in the right area will more often than not get the job done. Be careful though – it takes an age to reload.

LS13 SHOTGUN

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Does exactly what it says on the tin – the most devastating short range weapon in the game. You can tear the head off a Helghast with one shot from this bad boy. Don’t worry if you miss, either – the generous eight round clip keeps you in the mix for ages. When you do have to reload, however, seek cover – each shell needs to be loaded in individually.

VC32 SNIPER RIFLE

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Killzone 2’s sniper rifle is initially incredibly fiddly to use, especially when using the default control scheme. As you’d expect, you zoom by clicking in the right thumb stick. However, to get the maximum zoom, you then need to press up on the d-pad, which, when you’re holding L2 to stay in cover, can be cumbersome and time consuming. It’s got a six round clip, which minimises reloading, and it’s incredibly powerful – a single shot to the waist and above area is usually enough to drop a Helghast. That you need to hold the Sixaxis still to steady your aim seems like a nice, albeit pointless touch – we don’t flail the controller around when we play games. Unless we lose.

M327 GRENADE LAUNCHER

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Not as useful, or as devastating as we’d like – Killzone 2’s grenade launcher is best used for flushing large numbers of Helghast from cover than killing them out right. The best thing? The reload animation is absolutely gorgeous – check it out.

ISA TANK

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Mega. There’s a turret-like machine gun you fire with R1 and twin missiles you let loose with L1. Zooming in and watching the turret stream inch up towards your target then tear it apart is one of the most satisfying acts of violence Killzone 2 provides. It’s a difficult beast to manoeuvre with the left thumb stick, but when you’ve got this much armour, and this much fire-power, graceful three-point turns aren’t really the point.

STA18 PISTOL

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This 12 round clip handgun beats the Revolver in every department – it’s more accurate and powerful. Still though, it’s a last resort, and should only be relied upon for its infinite ammo stockpile.

STA3 EMPLACED GUN

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This turret makes a mockery of Helghast and, well, the environment in general. It’s activated by moving close to it and pressing Circle – once you do and you start firing, you almost feel like you’re in God mode. Bullets fly out of the thing at break-neck speed, and you’ll be able to tear whole buildings apart with it. Fun, fun, fun – once there’s no Helghast left to kill with it, you’ll want to tear it out of the ground and bring it to the next fire fight.

VC9 ROCKET LAUNCHER

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One of the most powerful weapons in the game. The launcher propels a single rocket that’s perfect for clearing out groups of Helghast. It’s also about the only weapon in the game that’ll bring down a Helghast tank. The zoom function adds accuracy, but the rocket will spiral lower or higher than the intended target over too long a distance. Use carefully – the reload animation, while brilliant, takes an age to complete.

STA52 ASSAULT RIFLE

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Standard issue Helghast assault rifle. You’ll probably find that you have to use this once you run out of bullets for the M82. It’s got good stopping power at short to mid range, and a faster rate of fire compared with the M82. However, its dot-less zoom function is less useful. Only use when the ammo runs dry for the M82.

STA14 RIFLE

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This single shot high calibre rifle is great for short to mid-range head shots. You’ll bring down most Helghast with a single bullet anywhere in the torso area, but you’ll of course want to aim for right between those imposing red eyes. The game’s most Call of Duty-esque weapon.

STA11 SUBMACHINE GUN

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A great little short-range weapon, with an insane rate of fire and decent stopping power. About as effective a run-and-gun a weapon as Killzone 2 provides, and, with a quick reload, somewhat of a good-luck charm in a close-quarters fire fight. One of the best weapons for dealing with the Helghast down tight alleys and building interiors.

VC25 AA GUN

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This quad-barrel anti-air gun is absolutely devastating – the shells explode mildly upon impact, too. You don’t get to use it often during the campaign, but when you do it’s hell of a lot of fun, fun, fun.

STA3 LIGHT MACHINE GUN

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One of the most useful guns in the game. Powerful and with a huge ammo clip, the STA3 LMG’s only downfall is that its accuracy reduces considerably the longer you hold down fire. Because of this, it’s best used in short bursts. It doesn’t turn up until level six, but once you get it you won’t want to use anything else.

VC21 BOLT GUN

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The bolt gun fires a single, incredibly powerful bolt, which propels a Helghast backwards for, more often than not, a one hit kill. If there’s a wall somewhere in the vicinity you can use the bolt gun to pin the hapless Helghast to it, showing Killzone 2’s wonderful hit animations and physics off at their very best. That’s not even the best bit. A few seconds after a bolt has pinned itself to a structure it will explode. Carnage. Absolute carnage.

VC1 FLAMETHROWER

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If the VC21 Bolt Gun is the most fun weapon in Killzone 2, then the VC1 Flamethrower is the most technically impressive, showing the game off in all its next-gen glory. Not only does the stream realistically dip towards the end, but it looks the business. Still, the Flamethrower is made all the better by the quality of the animations and physics at play when the Helghast find themselves alight. They twist and turn as they burn, screaming as they writhe about until eventually they collapse in a black crisp. The Flamethrower is great for dealing with a group of Helghast at short distances, but really comes into its own in flushing them out of cover – flesh isn’t the only thing that burns in Helghan.

A disclaimer: There are a couple of weapons we haven’t showcased here – Sony has asked us to keep them from your eyes. We wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise!