QCF: Killzone Mercenary

ince the release of the Playstation Vita in February of 2012, the system has had a tough time of attracting gamers to their portable experiences. A few attempts at first person shooters proved to be critical failures, unable to capture the fast paced action on a much smaller screen. When Killzone Mercenary was announced, many thought that the Vita could finally have a competent shooter on the go. Thankfully after playing through the campaign as well as dying more than several times in multiplayer, I can say that the Vita finally has its shooter.

The player assumes the role of Arran Danner who is, as the game’s title suggests a mercenary. If you happen to forget about what your job description is do not fret; the mention of money and doing a job for the quick paycheck will be mentioned several times. The plot of the game is very thin, and features the same beats from most action movies that tell the tale of one man who battles not only an endless army, but his morality as well. The story is easy to disregard, since the main campaign will take most players to about the five hour mark to complete. However the action held within these few hours will be worth the price of admission for any Vita owner.

The first thought I had of Killzone Mercenary was how beautiful it looked and performed. Running on a modified version of the Killzone engine on consoles, Mercenary has some breathtaking moments from the very beginning. The cut scenes are impressive and the action in game looks just like Killzone on consoles. There are slow down occurrences in some of the battles, but only when there are multiple opponents on screen or an excess of particle effects. The voice acting is passable, not taking away from the experience but not adding anything of additional value. These points seem like a minor hindrance compared to what shooters have brought to the Vita in the system’s short history so far.

When the pictures first surfaced of the Vita, many critics were skeptical of the touch screen functionality in gaming as well as the inclusion of the rear touch pad. Has any game really been able to utilize that feature in a non-gimmicky way since it was released? With Killzone Mercenary it still seems slightly forced, but in the grand scheme of things it is not too bad. The touch screen will be used in combat to perform a melee attack on an unsuspecting enemy, or to initiate an interrogation. Also tapping on the screen will be needed when pinpointing targets using some of the VAN-Guards that are available, such as the Porcupine. The rear touch pad will be used to zoom in and out while using a sniper rifle. It was a clever touch that I appreciated, but rarely used. I really do not like that rear touch pad. Any other Vita owners out there agree?

The shooting in the game is fluid and feels just as good as the console versions of the series, with the analog sticks finally earning their place on the portable system. I even enjoyed the sprint mechanic, even though the lack of clicking in on the analog sticks delegated this action to the circle button. Pressing the button would initiate the sprint, pressing once more would allow the character to slide into a crouched position. It was fast and fun to perform during a heavy firefight or attempting to dodge some of the larger opponents in the campaign. The player would have load outs that would feature a primary weapon, secondary weapon, VAN-Guard, armor and grenades. Selecting these items using the touch screen can become troublesome at times during a firefight, but only hinders the combat for a brief moment. The game controlled so well on a portable system that it was hard to understand why it has taken such a long time for a shooter to do it correctly.

Once the campaign concludes, and money has been mentioned over a dozen times I then stepped into the multiplayer. Personally I am not good at almost every multiplayer shooter, and Killzone Mercenary is no exception. The game is not at fault, the fact that the weapons and items that I unlocked during the single player campaign were available in the multiplayer was more than a good head start. The player will have several load outs available in the beginning, with the ability to have up to five slots available to mix and match to their desired effect. The battle online may be limited compared to the console versions of Killzone, offering only six maps and up to eight players locked in constant gunfire. There are three modes of play; the free-for Mercenary Warfare, team deathmatchs in Guerilla Warfare and group objectives in Warzone. I most enjoyed Warzone, which was a mix of taking out enemies, securing VAN-Guard capsules and securing information through interrogation. The one mode I did not really play was the single player Contracts mode, which according to the description is additional objective that the player can complete for more money.

The constant grind to unlock more items and purchasing items through the Blackjack marketplace can have long legs and is helpful through all the various game modes. At times there will be items that are on sale, and some items can take a little bit of time to purchase such as the VAN-Guards. Collecting Valor Cards can also be very addictive and will push the player to play consistently to complete their decks. The game can be very rewarding, and regardless of how terrible I may be online there was always another reason to jump into another match. Some shooters on consoles are not this engaging, which makes a title like Killzone Mercenary more impressive than I expected out of a Vita game.

Killzone Mercenary is a fast paced experience that is a better shooter on the Vita than it has any right to be. I know that sounds petty, but with other titles like Call of Duty and Resistance dropping the ball so very badly, it was hard to expect too much from this title. Guerilla Cambridge was able to silence the skeptics, and as a Vita owner I am very happy to be proven wrong. The multiplayer alone will make the title a lasting part of any owner’s collection and is a shining light in the Vita’s current lineup. This is what portable games are capable of, and what a shooter can be when it’s done well.