Killzone: Liberation [PSP]

First things first: Liberation is NOT a port of Killzone, the PS2 Halo-killer that wasn't. Sure, it's got the dramatic Hellghast enemies, rubble-laden environments and loads of weapons. But this time, the angle is top-down, the firefights are based on a strong auto-aim system, and you'll be commanding armed and helpless allies in battles with the mechanized enemy. And until you realize that one mission is much like another, it's great fun.

Controlling Templar, the hero carried over from the PS2 game, isn't slightly different from anything you've done in a top-down strategy game. Firing is a simple matter of pointing in the enemy's general direction, and you can quickly duck behind cover, but pop up to take a few well-timed shots. A plethora of context-sensitive actions can be activated as well, to give allies medicine, plant explosives and so forth. It seems like a lot to learn, but the game tutors you quite well, and inside of ten minutes it'll feel familiar.

Liberation takes place in real-time, but you'll need a strategic approach to survive, sussing out and then using cover, gun emplacements and environmental peculiarities to succeed as a one-man army. The best moments of the game see you exploring the battlefield, then beating a tactical retreat to lure enemies into killing zones where your ever more powerful weapons and grenades can do their work. Exploration also leads to cash, which translates to better weapons and skills, like the option to carry more grenades or plant C4 quickly.

The real-time element really comes to the fore when you're taking a moment to give orders to allies. The system is well-designed, with quick waypoints and targeting reticules layered onscreen as directions for your troops. But the action continues to move in slow-motion in the background, and you don't have unlimited time to make a decision.

Every frame is lovingly generated, with loads of detail, great sound and severa pathways through each level. Though some of the small touches are hard to see (like health-draining barbed wire) this version of Killzone is a much more visually impressive PSP title than the original was on the PS2.

With those control and A/V elements in place, the first few levels are enough to make one think that Liberation is actually what we secretly hoped Metal Gear: ACID would be like. The pace isn't fast but the action is very heated, the control tight and the production values through the roof.

And then the escort missions start. Message to developers everywhere: escort missions are not fun. Full stop. Especially when you're trying to lead a cringing AI away from aggressive, well-armed AI. The same ally commands work to escort unarmed friendlies, but the process can be excruciating, and often brings the appealingly measured pace to an unpleasant halt. Despite the undeniable appeal of the interface and presentation, it's impossible to ignore the fact that Liberation quickly devolves into a collection of tired and repetitive search/destroy/escort missions.

The basic tactical/strategic appeal often means that you'll be able to power through the unfocused missions, just to take out aggression against a few more Hellghast. But Killzone isn't able to fulfill its own potential in the end. More variety in the gameplay would make this the killer app it's ready to become.