Killzone: Mercenary Hands-On Preview

Killzone: Mercenary is the first game in the franchise to hit the PS Vita console. The game is now the second ever Killzone title to hit a portable console since Killzone: Liberation was released for the PSP back in 2006. Although Killzone: Mercenary is a fully fledged FPS game that looks just as good as the console versions.

Killzone: Mercenary plays a lot like the previous games in the series, although it’s nice to see that some new additions have been added to make this game more unique. Thanks to the unique controls of the PS Vita, playing a FPS game has never been this fun before. One of my favourite additions in Mercenary is that you can aim using the motion sensor built inside the PS Vita. You can aim down your sights by pressing the “L” button and then move around the PS Vita to get a clear shot at your enemies. It’s a neat addition if you never played a Killzone game before using the PlayStation Move controller. You can also opt to play the traditional way by aiming using the right stick too if you please.

The touch screen also plays a huge role on how you play Mercenary on the PS Vita. Melee attacks have been overhauled (slightly) and have never been so fun to execute. You can execute melee attacks at anytime as long as an enemy solider is within range. All you have to do is press the “triangle” button and a prompt will appear on the screen that will tell you to swipe your finger in a specific direction. If you fail to do this quickly, the enemy will kick you down and start shooting at you again. I must say that the melee attacks felt very smooth and very satisfying. Not to mention the brutal animation of seeing an enemy’s neck getting sliced in full view is a sight to see…