Killzone 2

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The artificial intelligence has been rewritten from scratch, according to the Guerrilla Games rep who walked us through the level. Neat touches include a soldier helping you up onto a steep ledge, after which you turn around to do the same; if you fall back down accidentally, the AI knows to help you again, so you'll see the computer-controlled soldier reach down with a helping hand. Enemies also use cover in a more clever fashion and can flank ISA soldiers if you remain in one place for a while.

We also got a taste of how the Sixaxis motion-sensing feature built into the PS3 controller will work in Killzone 2. In one part of the demo we had to turn a heavy wheel: The way to do this is to press L1 and R1 to grab it with both hands and then turn the controller in a counterclockwise fashion as if you were really turning a stiff wheel. Oh, and thankfully the DualShock 3 tactile feedback was back in this PS3 controller, which was sorely missed, especially in these types of military shooters.

While the game will have a lengthy single-player campaign and multiple game modes, Guerrilla Games and SCEA were mum on details, but promised to reveal at E3 in July more of the story and the number and types of cooperative and competitive online modes.

Killzone fans should be happy the developer hasn't toyed with the formula much for Killzone 2. The expanded fiction, high-resolution graphics, improved AI, and tilt features compliment the intense first-person gameplay, and we only saw a fraction of what the final game will offer.

This preview was based on a publisher-driven demo of the game.