I've been playing this all week. It's a solid game that focuses on refining a few ideas rather than attempting to do anything new or different. I suppose that's not a bad thing, but at the same time, it prevents it from really standing out. One thing is for certain, the game becomes significantly more fun as you progress. The first third of the game was certainly well designed, but the firefights didn't really grab me in the way I would have expected. Following that, however, they start to introduce large, complex battlefields for you and the AI to let loose in. A lot of games have you digging in at a specific point while trying to advance on an enemy position, but there are a lot of battles here where you and the AI end up moving up, on, and around the environment. It's still a linear game, but the environments are fairly open ended. It's almost Metal Gear-like in the sense that they cram a lot of variety and possibilities into a series of smaller areas.
If I were looking to compare this to other popular first person shooters, it would be difficult to really place it in one camp. It has the elements of many games along with its own unique flavor. It's like a more cover oriented version of Halo, I suppose. I appreciate the fact that the game is so tightly designed yet still allows the player to approach each situation with plenty of freedom. So, rest assured, it does NOT play like a Call of Duty games by any means.
It's a shame that they did not attempt to deliver a more meaningful narrative. It's all kept very brief and very military. Of course, the single player campaign seems designed for multiple playthroughs in that there is rarely any downtime related to scripting or story. If you've replayed Gears 2, you'd see just how many scenarios are actually a bit dull as you replay the game. You spend a lot of time waiting around or dealing with less than exciting threats in order to hit the next great firefight. What was awesome the first time around becomes a bit tedious afterwards. KZ2 is one of those games that you begin to appreciate more as you replay various scenarios. Unlike, say, Call of Duty, you are not artificially limited by scripting and can take out the enemies at your own pace. I suppose the Halo comparisons work here again as Halo allowed the same tactics.
Ah well, that's enough rambling.
