When I first bought Killzone 2 about a week and a half ago, just after the lagging issue was fixed and started playing it, I didn't like it at first, and I felt sure I was going to end up regretting getting the game. The gameplay was bad, and the controls felt awkward. But then I changed the controls to the Alternate 2 setting, where the controls are very similar to that of Call of Duty 4, and I have had a blast ever since.
There have been many complaints about the targeting in this game, but I find it to be fine. Not as good as Call of Duty 4, but it's very good. Of course it's not going to target the enemies for you. That makes the game much too easy. You need to use your own accuracy and gun down the enemies with precision.
Another thing I think people overlook in this game is the element of strategy. All the guns are unique in their own way. For example, the standard M82 Assault Rifle is great for zooming on enemies, the STA52 Assault Rifle fires stronger than the M82 but zooming is not as good. The LS13 Shotgun can kill enemies with one well placed shot to the chest or head region, but reloading takes ages. There are also lots of other weapons to choose from including a flamethrower and the ever-fun Boltgun. So to condense it all, you have to think about what guns you are choosing, because you can't carry two primary weapons at once. Only one primary gun and one secondary gun in your pistol.
This game also has a great cover system, and it also falls into the element of strategy. You have to pick your spots when in a shootout, and you have to find the best angle to flank them from. If you take cover behind a wall on the side, the enemy will often flank you and get at close range with you, especially on the higher difficulty settings. So you have to watch out from all directions at all times.
All the characters are unique and you either love them or hate them. The loudmouthed Natko was always my favorite, but Rico was rather annoying at times. Evelyn was cool as well, and Radec and Visari were both good villains. I would have liked to see them exposed more throughout the story, though.
My biggest complain with this game is turning. When an enemy is attacking you from behind or from the side and you have to turn to shoot them down, your character turn very slowly, and this gives the enemy time to fire more while you turn around, and often times, kill you before you can even face them. When they flank you from behind, it takes a full second to turn around 180 degrees, and this is very frustrating by the time you reach the later missions.
But if you can battle through the slow turning, which isn't a HUGE issue, and you don't mind lots of foul language, you have a very enjoyable game in Killzone 2.
