how does it play?

We immediately took refuge behind a berm, hit L1 to drop into a crouch, shouldered our standard-issue ISA assault rifle and started shooting at our Helghast opponents. Pushing in R3 on the right analog stick gave us the iron sight view through the assault rifle's scope--which, when we informed our Sony and Guerrilla hosts was the aspect of the demo which had most impressed us, gave them a bit of pause, followed by minor hilarity, until we explained ourselves further. It's not that there aren't several other impressive aspects of the game. It's just that the focus blur on the outside of the rifle scope, the scope's green tint and curved glass feel, and the green laser dot that indicates where your bursts of ammo should land.

You can always simply crouch behind obstacles, as you would in any other shooter, but Guerrilla has added something extra. When you hit L2 near cover, the game puts you into cover mode. Once you're in cover, you can use the left analog stick to pop up, lean left or lean right to take precise aim at your Helghan enemies. Alternatively, you can blindfire by simply pulling the trigger (R2) on your weapon. You're completely safe behind non-erodable cover as long as the enemy is on the same plane as you; if they've got the high ground, they can hit you if they have the right angle. We didn't ask Guerrilla directly whether the use of cover would be all-but-mandatory, as with Gears of War, or optional; regardless, it adds a tactical element to the game that fits seamlessly with the Killzone mythos. Overall, the cover mechanic works extremely well.

We also appreciated Guerrilla's decision to go with a minimal amount of screen clutter. Right now, all you'll see onscreen is the aiming reticule and an ammo counter. Don't expect to see the ammo counter in the final product, however. Guerrilla wants to eliminate the HUD entirely by putting the ammo readout on the weapons themselves, as certain other games do with some of their weapons. (One thing we missed from the first Killzone was the visual countdown system that let you see how long your grenade had been "cooked" before you threw it--right now, hitting R1 just throws the grenades with a not-particularly-interesting animation--so we're crossing our fingers hoping that they'll bring the Killzone 1 grenades back.) you can take a few shots without any problem, but once you start taking a significant amount of damage, the screen shifts to a striking black and white filter, warning you to take cover. It's simple, it's distinctive, and it works.