14 DAY TRIAL // 
The arrival of the Killzone series on the PS3 was quite controversial and long awaited, as 2009's Killzone 2 failed to live up to the extremely high standards set in place by the technical demonstration it actually showed in 2005.
With the PS4, developer Guerrilla Games took no chances and began working on the game some time ago in order to have it ready for the PlayStation 4's debut and to make sure that it would live up to all sorts of standards.
The result is Killzone: Shadow Fall, a new title that takes the story forward many years and charts a new chapter of the war between the Vektan and the Helghast, while putting players in the shoes of a Shadow Marshal, a special unit who undertakes the hardest missions for the Vektan forces.
Does the new title manage to show off the PS4's power or should it stick to the shadows? Let's find out.
Story
Killzone: Shadow Fall tells the story of Lucas Kellan, a native of the planet Vekta who was forced to flee his home after the Helghast established residence on the planet, following the destruction of their own native land of Helghan.
After a pretty good introduction, you become a Shadow Marshall, a special soldier who goes on all sorts of dangerous missions, at first to make sure that the Helghan aren't planning an invasion and then to actually stop the inevitable attack.
Along the way, Lucas goes through quite a few interesting and varied adventures that not only introduce new elements into the Killzone universe, but also pick up some plot lines from the previous games.
By far the most important thing, however, is that the plot tries to maintain a balance between the portrayal of the Helghan and Vektan forces, as neither race is truly justified in its actions throughout the Killzone universe.
What's more, Lucas is a pretty good protagonist, but he doesn't receive the necessary character growth, so he's just one step above the level of silent heroes.
Gameplay
Killzone games have always stood out from other shooters thanks to their heavy controls, as characters have a lot of weight behind all their animations and actions. Shadow Fall retains this characteristic, but Lucas is a bit more agile a protagonist.
In terms of gunplay, the new title features a wide array of weapons, including modular ones that can turn from assault rifles to full-fledged sniper ones at the push of a button. All the guns look really futuristic and go a long way to showing the progress registered by the universe after Killzone 3.
One of the main new mechanics introduced by Shadow Fall is the OWL, a small drone that can be deployed by players to accomplish different roles. These roles are assigned by flicking on the DualShock 4's touchpad and include Attack, Stun, Shield, or Zipline.
The small drone is extremely helpful during combat and, thanks to its versatility, it can help all sorts of different play styles. What's more, in case you die, the OWL can be summoned to revive you, provided that you have Adrenaline packs in your inventory.
In terms of enemies, Shadow Fall once again brings the Helghan into full focus, although unit variety isn't that great. There are regular soldiers, slightly heavier units who can deploy shields, but also infiltrator units that can turn invisible.
While at first you fight against the regular Helghan military, you'll soon go up against the Black Hand, a Helghan terrorist organization fighting to free the people from the Vektan reign. The appearance of these units is slightly altered in order to reflect improvisation in terms of equipment and guns, but their behavior is still mostly the same as the regular soldiers’.
Mission variety is rather good, however, as while all assignments are pretty linear, there are sections where you can go off the beaten path to find collectibles, and you can choose what goals you accomplish first. A few on-rails turret sequences are also present but they're few and far in between. Unfortunately, the game is fond of making players backtrack trough the environment for various items and objectives, so expect some tedious moments here and there.
Levels are designed rather well, but there are a few moments when it's unclear just how you can reach your objective. A special sonar-like ability can also be used by players in order to scan the environment and keep track of enemies. You do need to pay attention to not overload this mechanic, as keeping it on for a long time causes all enemies to become alerted about your location.
Controls are pretty good, thanks to the new and improved DualShock 4 controller, but aiming takes some getting used to due to the new thumb sticks. If you have long fingers, you'll also find yourself touching the center touchpad by mistake quite often, putting the OWL into different modes even if you don't want that.
Multiplayer
Killzone: Shadow Fall's online mode doesn't consist of traditional game types, as players can create their own multiplayer experience in the form of highly customizable Warzones.
During the creation process, players have access to a wide array of impressive options and aspects, ranging from regular rules, to gameplay features and restrictions on certain items.
This freedom carries over to the class system, which has been reduced to just three choices: Assault, Infiltrator, and Support. Players can create their own loadouts as all gadgets, items, and guns are unlocked straight from the get-go.
There are 10 maps included in the multiplayer mode and most are pretty well done, managing to strike a good balance in terms of size, but also in terms of actual gameplay balance, as both teams have equal chances of winning a match.
Bear in mind that access to the multiplayer mode is regulated by the PlayStation Plus subscription on the PS4.
Visuals and Sound
Killzone: Shadow Fall feels like a true next-gen experience for consoles, managing to bring a huge improvement over its predecessors. The levels look awesome, the design is quite futuristic and, what's more, it uses many different colors besides the traditional gray and orange that were heavily featured in Killzone 3 or 2.
Textures are sharp and the framerate is solid most of the times. There were a few slowdowns here and there, but they were few and far in between.
In terms of sound, the game is good but not out of the ordinary, as the orchestral score manages to complement the action on the screen. Voice actors deliver their lines rather well and Lucas sounds like a regular human being, as opposed to the protagonists from previous Killzone titles.
Conclusion
Killzone: Shadow Fall is a fun first-person shooter that more than shows off the power of the PlayStation 4 next-gen console. It looks great, its action is quite varied, and it offers players a lot of choices in terms of the online multiplayer. While there are a few issues as far as design is concerned, it manages to show that there's still life in the Killzone series.
