The Therapist Gamer

Killzone: Shadow Fall was a launch game for the PS4.  It's a first person shooter and is known for it's engaging multiplayer and top-teir graphics. This game falls in line with the others, and many consider it the best Killzone game so far (though I think Killzone 2 is a tough contender).  

 

In the Killzone games you play as the righteous Vekta fighting the evil Helghast who have invaded your planet.  Well, that's the narrative you're given, anyway.  The full story is more complex and, I think, far more interesting.  In actuality, the Helghast are simply another group of people who used to live on Vekta.  When the planet began to be over-populated, the Vektan's kicked out the Helghast and gave them the planet Helghan.  Helghan was a wonderful place with the exception that the entire planet is radioactive and everyone on the planet eventually develops cancer.  This is why the Helghast are always wearing their scary-looking masks and have bald heads.  Life on Helghan became so difficult over the years that they sought help from their brothers, the Vektans.  After being repeatedly denied assistance they attacked Vetka in a last ditch effort at survival.

 

The main problem with the Killzone lore is that it is barely portrayed in the games or even talked about.  Very little of the information I mentioned above would be gathered by playing through the first three games.  This is one of my main frustrations with the Killzone series - it has such a great story but keeps it a secret.  I think the overall narrative is ripe for modern social commentary and philisophical discussion, and gaming is an excellent way to explore these things.  Killzone: Shadow Fall, however, takes a massive step in the right direction by making the overall narrative more in the spotlight.

 

You play as a "Shadow Marshall" in-training, who serves as a "blank slate" character.  His father is killed by the Helghast when he is a young child and he is raised by a military leader, and accodingly indoctrinated with the Vektan narrative.  But he is forced to confront what he has been taught when he goes behind enemy lines and sees the lives of the Helghast first-hand.  While the scipt isn't going to win an oscar, I thought it was fairly well done and finally broached more interesting topics than "Shoot the baddies!"

 

The gameplay is super slick and is a top-notch shooter.  I thought there was quite a bit of vairety in the guns and other combat mechanics, and there is a lot of freedom to approach situations in a variety of ways.  

 

The graphics are very good, especially for a launch game.  Lots of people like to downplay graphics, and while I agree that graphics are by no means the most important part of a good game, video games are a visual medium and thus the visuals are important.  In Killzone: Shadow Fall, I thought they really added to the immersion.  Virtually everything has great levels of detail I've not seen in any other game, and those things don't go unnoticed.

 

Critics weren't too keen on Killzone: Shadow Fall, and I honestly don't know why.  I thought it was awesome.  The multilpayer is great, too!