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If you haven't noticed, Killzone 2's been scooping universally huge review scores, with a Metacritic average of 92. The first ten or so reviews came in at a in-no-way reactionary 100%, before a few websites dare to break ranks and give it, er, 96. So when Edge Magazine's 7/10 review score was released, some internet fan sites reacted with customary restraint - dismissing Edge's writers as contrary, doom-peddling, attention-seekers and labelling their review as 'wrong', as all subjective opinions tend to be. Oh, good.
You can read The Edge review here.
Or read Metacritic's Killzone 2 page.
How did the internet's more committed game sites react to Edge's score? PSX Extreme (no clues there) weren't very happy, claiming "we advise all of you to ignore the desperate-for-attention, we're-going-to-prove-our-elite-status so-called "review" from Edge that has the entire Internet talking."
Click to read PSX Extreme savages Edge.
So while the pot dusts itself off...
Popular, sensible, games blog Kotaku were more measured, suggesting "In modern day review terms, in which the scale typically runs from 6 to 10, with 6 being nigh unplayable and 10 being "perfect," we have a problem on our hands. Or do we?
No. We don't."
">Kotaku defends Edge.
Kotaku continues, "One of the neat things about Edge is, it has a hard-on for innovation. Even neater, it uses the entire range of the scale, not just just comfortable 6 to 10 zone. Clearly, when reading the written critique of Killzone 2, the issues it takes with the game's characters, story (or lack thereof), and gameplay clichés, the numerical score provided to it - seemingly the most contentious aspect of the review - begins to make more sense."
Our take? Who cares. You'll know what you think when you've played it - and in the meantime can make up your own mind *thanksverymuch* whether Edge's review is, as suggested, madness. If you even care. Edge's anomalous score is sort-of irrelevant, as it exists within its own internal universe, not the '80% is a bad score' world of metacritic-moulded consensus and ardent fan sites, so the only debate is whether Edge's words, and opinions, correlate with your feelings about the game. Or are consistent within Edge's own universe, which is a thornier issue we're not willing, or qualified, to explore.
Do Edge's opinions agree with ours? Largely, yes. Did we give it 70%? No. Make of that what you will.
Pah. Let's cheer ourselves up by reading what the world's biggest Killzone 2 fans had to say about the game. While Edge's score does stick out, we're slightly more excited by some of the more expressive writing below, including suggestions that Killzone 2 makes you feel like being in an actual war, and may cause you to fill your pants, or make your eyes pop - which may, or more likely not, be true. To make things more fun, we've 'reviewed' some of the reviews below, which makes us feel clever.
Note: We're aware this is a cheap, tongue-in-cheek, pop at other people's work, and may involve the trajectory of stones in a fragile, transparent, living space but if any inexplicably offended website is considering doing the same to us, we'd just like to add: we've never made a mistake or mis-spelled a word. Ever.
I'll say it again: Killzone 2 is the best console first person shooter ever. It will be bested one day, and that is as it should be, but this game has set the proverbial bar so high we reckon it'll be the king for a good long while... Hail to the king, baby. [Feb 2009, p.66]
Score: 100
OPM Australia
PSM3 says: "Invoking the voice of God to qualify the stark staring obvious is an effective, if unusual, literary device, WHICH IS AS IT SHOULD BE. Eh? Who was that? Never mind"
It took a long time for Killzone 2 to finally come out, but after diving head first into the game, there's no doubt in my mind that it lives up to the hype and is a must-play for FPS fans. [Mar 2009, p.70]
Score: 100
Gamepro
PSM3 Says: "An interesting twist on the 'stating the obvious' genre, but mixed metaphors prove a poor substitute for the voice of God"
Probably the tastiest part of the Killzone Cocktail is the Multiplayer. Imagine if Call Of Duty 4 and Team Fortress 2 had a baby, which they then abandoned and as a result had to learn a few new tricks to survive. That's what Killzone Multiplayer is like.
Score: 100
G4 TV
PSM3 says: "The who's in the what now? We'll try the cheese. The Ch-ee-se."
With its unparalleled graphics, incredibly well-paced single-player campaign and in-depth multiplayer offerings, Killzone 2 has established its place among top-tier console shooters. Expectations on Killzone 2 had reached ridiculous proportions; here's one of those cases where the game actually lived up to them.
Score 100
1UP
PSM3 says: "This we actually understand and commend. Which limits our ability to say anything funny, or slightly less unfunny, than usual. But fetch the sieve, thine prospectors of comedy, because this next one is GOLD. Gold we tells ye"
It seeps action from every angle and makes you question whether you are actually in the middle of a war zone thanks to it's stunning effects and sound. If you want eye popping, pant wetting action then this is most certainly the game for you.
Score: 95
Wonderwall Web
PSM3 says: "The good news is, Killzone won't actually make your eyes pop, or promote involuntary bladder movements unless you were suffering an alarming, unprecedented, prior medical condition. We're just off for a quick blast on multiplaye... YAAARRRGH! Pfffffs... POP! P-O-P!"
While Killzone 2 does walk on mostly well-trodden ground, it does so with a keen attention to style and detail, pushing beyond the gray-and-red color schemes that define its competition while encouraging gamers to put a little bit of thought behind every bullet they hurl.
Score: 90
Wired
PSM3 says: "A disappointing lack of medical disasters sully an otherwise sensible review"
But without the first game's ambiguities, a sense of humour or even an ounce of intrigue, its story stinks. It's so slight you could play the levels in random order to little ill-effect, and it assumes knowledge of everything and everyone, not once recognising the real-world echoes of its premise: an allied invasion of an enemy the allies themselves created.
Score: 70
Edge
PSM3 says "THIS SCORE IS WRONG! DON'T BELIEVE THE HATERS WHO WROTE THIS SO CALLED 'REVIEW'!!! Er... and... ah... anyone who says Killzone is rubbish should... have their eyes... popped... or something which is... erm... AS IT SHOULD BE. Yes, that's better."
Oh, and if you want to hear what we think about Killzone 2 (Warning: Contains 'wrong' opinions)...
Click to download PSM3 Podcast#15 here.
Have a great evening,
PSM3

Source : PSM3 Blog: KIllzone 2 review 'scandal': Edge vs The World - PSM3 Magazine