I'd been looking forward to this map pack for quite some time now. I'm a pretty regular Killzone player, jumping online roughly every other night to blast away some fools, continuing to move up in rank. So it's exciting to be able to play two completely new maps and spice things up. The map pack, labeled "Steel and Titanium," delivers two maps, both based on levels from Killzone 2's single player campaign--the "Wasteland Bullet" being the speeding Helghast train, and "Vekta Cruiser" based on the ISA's invasion ships.
The first I instantly gravitated towards was the Wasteland Bullet because I loved the look of the level from the single player campaign as well as the inclusion of environmental hazards. The train level during the single-player campaign was one of the prettiest in the entire game and that same feeling of visual awe continues here in multiplayer. You will see tons of particles being kicks around, tarps violently thrashing due to the high speed travel, as well as the same overall attention to detail players of Killzone 2 have come to expect from the game's level design.
But the way the Wasteland Bullet separates itself from the pack is by putting player's lives in constant danger through the inclusion of environmental hazards such as devices hanging from the ceiling of the tunnel, or columns that the train passes by. And there isn't any way to completely avoid them because Guerrilla Games designed the level factoring in their placement with how mission objectives carry out. Meaning--players will be forced to jump from train to train in order to win matches. During my play-time of Wasteland Bullet I probably got my head lopped off like Dennis Hopper did from Speed roughly a dozen times because you're focused on the fire-fight in front of you and don't notice the incoming beam above you head. And when you see it, it's too late. But that's part of the fun. Sure, it's frustrating to know you could have killed a bunch of enemies only to be cut down by some inanimate object, but it's this small dynamic shift that makes Wasteland Bullet unique among the maps of Killzone 2.
Terrifying when you can't see what's up ahead
Wasteland Bullet is also a sniper's heaven. For that matter, any long-range weapon. The entire level is basically two long straight-aways running parallel to each other. Using a shotgun, or the machine gun is really to your disadvantage because you become a very easy target from medium to long distances. So if you haven't trained yourself in any of the longer range weaponry, now is the time. Tacticians and Engineers can also have a field day with the Wasteland Bullet because of the open battlefields. Setting up a turret, or releasing an air drone can rack up a good amount of points in such an open playing field.
However, this comes with a price. Since the level is so open and straight-forward, a lot of the battles are simply two opposing forces running straight at each other. There isn't as much strategy, nor does good positioning come into play as much as with other maps. Sure, the level has some high ground for snipers to set up shop, but that's really all the second tier of the Wasteland Bullet is good for. All other battles, ones with the rifles, machine guns, and shotguns, are fought with maniacs running right for each other and it being a roll of the dice to decide who falls and who doesn't.
