Killzone Mercenary review: Hired gun

From a superficial perspective, Killzone: Mercenary is about as rote a shooter as you'll find. It stars former soldier Arran Danner who has opted for a more lucrative life as a mercenary, battling the Helghast invasion as part of the Phantom Talon Corporation. This sets the plot up for many cliché twists and overwrought scenes of dramatic betrayal that players will see coming miles away. And yet, despite its tired storytelling, Killzone: Mercenary largely succeeds by focusing on the sort of well-polished, frenetic first-person shooter gameplay rarely see on the PlayStation Vita (though not for lack of trying).

When you first step into the world of Killzone: Mercenary, you'll notice its gorgeous graphics. There's no hyperbole in saying these are some of the best the Vita has ever seen – Killzone: Mercenary could very easily pass as an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 game. Fans of earlier Killzone games might find this worrying, as the series has earned a reputation for being overloaded with cutscenes that, while attractive, remove control from players for lengthy stretches of time. The developers behind Killzone: Mercenary seem to have learned their lesson on this front. Mercenary does feature periodic interludes, but they're primarily used to segue into and out of missions, and seldom last more than a few moments.

Of course, this added autonomy would mean nothing if the gameplay were not worthwhile. Thankfully, in a pure, gut-level way, Killzone: Mercenary stands alongside almost any recent shooter – for better or worse.

Killzone: Mercenary

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