The game controls very well. However, the DualShock 3 controller is a little finicky mainly because the analog sticks make it difficult to be precise with. You may want to play around with the control setup, as the default scheme can be a little strange at first. The controls seem pretty solid, otherwise. The shotgun makes good use of the force feedback and when you're low on health, the controller will notify you to no end that you're approaching your last, dying breath. I wouldn't recommend diving into angry swarms of enemies like Clint Eastwood, it's very easy to get killed so you gotta play it smart. Either bring a medic along with you or take cover to prevent your limbs from becoming a decoration of the surroundings. With so many alleyways and sniper spots strewn throughout the levels, there are few safe spots. You can be sniped, blown to smithereens by an RPG or grenade, or taken down by a shotgun. Even the various sentry guns and flying UAVs can annihilate you at any moment.

Guerrilla Games truly wanted to make this game as much of a cinematic experience as possible. The visuals are incredible, even at this Beta stage. We can only imagine what the final game will look like. Everything about this game screams beauty. The textures, the lighting, the lens flare, the animation, and just the sheer level of detail of every little thing makes Killzone 2 one of the most jaw-dropping games we've ever seen on a home game console. Seeing as most of the levels in Killzone 2 are pretty dark and dreary, the muzzle flash from your gun will help light up the surrounding environment. You'll get to witness all the brutality of being shot  by an automatic rifle with the lovely rendered blood splatter. Even the skies are amazing (probably the best looking sky we've seen in any game) with dark grey thunderstorms with artillery fire instantly lighting up the clouds painted across the horizon. However, not everything is perfect. There have been a few animation glitches here and there and it seems as though it takes a moment for the game to register a kill. If there wasn't an accompanying sound blip indicating your kill, it would be rather difficult to tell otherwise. But again this is only in Beta stage, so I'm sure little details will be addressed for the final release.

The game, as stated before, can be a little dark, even on a 1080p big screen plasma, and maps such as BloodGracht and Salmans Market can be difficult to navigate. If you're playing on the ISA side, get used to looking for the glowing, blood red eyes of your Helghast opponents because you can see those from a mile away.

The beauty of this game can't be stressed enough. The first few maps I played I did utterly terrible as I was too distracted admiring the insurmountable detail of the architecture of the maps. The ISA Radec Academy level has tons of of nooks and crannies to explore. From bombed out hangers to an auditorium with many different paths throughout the level, these are some of the coolest maps I've ever played. If you chuck a grenade, take a moment to see the real-time damage you bestow upon the environment. It's breathtaking, to say the least. Don't think for a second that the developers went easy in the sound department either. The multiplayer Beta plays in complete and glorious 7.1 surround sound.

I, for one, will be putting a lot of time into this, as are all the other enthusiastic Beta players. So do what you can to get a Beta invite code! You'll quickly understand why Killzone 2 is one of the most highly anticipated titles of 2009.