I roll up to a small joint in Santa Monica called Sushi Roku for an exclusive KILLZONE™ 2 event. Supposedly, my name is on a list to get in, and when I do get in, I'm wondering how my name got on that list. Sushi Roku is candlelit enough to see the waiters coming at me with hors d'oeuvres. They're awesome, but not so much as the bar with sushi chefs waiting to hand make whatever and however much sushi I please. I recognize developers, some members of the domestic and foreign press, and Kaz Hirai. The open bar keeps people talking until the first announcement is made to preview KILLZONE 2. I look at my wristband, and they're calling my color. We're led past a life-size Helghast into a small theater with comfortable seats. Everyone's quiet as they gaze upon the projection screen. There are no cameras allowed. It starts.

The first thing that I could say about about KILLZONE 2 is that during the entire presentation I thought that I was watching a prerecorded video. After the demonstration, they introduced the guy who was playing the level. That's when it hit me: They're friggin' serious.

Of course, when you see the beginning of a game demo, you're supposed to be impressed. Check. There's a gruff introduction to the hardened team who are the focus of the "cut scene." They bark at each other like grizzled soldiers should. The vessel carrying these soldiers is merely a platform that they perch atop as it dives towards the city below. They are approached by a vessel much like their own carrying another unit. This unit gives details to your squad, gets shelled, and blows up right in front of you. I know. Gives you a real WWII movie chill that makes you happy you're part of this senseless war. I noticed that all the guys on the ship that just blew up were wearing helmets, while your squad are wearing (at most) a bandana and couldn’t care less where their covers are. That little touch lets me know that the guys in this squad can take care of themselves and know enough about a battlefield to keep their noses clean. And they hit the ground running.

It's difficult and, at the same time, a pleasure to try and explain what's happening on the ground. There's so much going on that while your eyes are led towards impressive visuals of war, you could focus on one thing and completely miss something awesome. That's the best part because it shows you that what's going on around you is bigger than you, and you're gonna feel it when the fight starts.

As expected, there are gunshots and explosions all around you, but you can't help but stare at one of you're soldiers writhing as he bursts into flames inches in front of you. You could find cover, but your squad's advancing. You'll notice the city looks steely, yet fragile, as if made from sheet metal. Noticing that the sky is filled with unnatural lighting gives off an unsettling feeling in the metal urban setting. There's no real time to enjoy the scenery, but the guy playing the game stops and gives me what I want to see, and that's what the area around me has to offer interactively. He moves close to objects. He shoots, they shatter. It looks good and makes me smile. As he moves on, we encounter some Helghast. They're solid shots, and surprisingly, a soldier from your unit pulls his weight. But the Helghast aren't going down so easy. The guy playing squeezes off calculated shots that show how the bodies react when shot in different places. This pleases me. The kick of the gun makes shooting look difficult, but it makes you want to practice.

Taking cover gives time to see that while you’re behind an object that's temporarily shielding you, it's also taking damage and crumbling before your eyes. It was a real moment of excitement when I realized that, even though you can take cover and hide, you aren't safe at all. So, the best idea is to man-up and shoot right through the walls protecting you. Peek-a-boo, sucka! And it works. I am constantly and pleasantly surprised by the environment. And there's nothing like a few well-placed grenades to show off explosion effects that leave sparks at the end as you approach the blast radius.

Something that really stands out is the smoothness of the gameplay. As you reach checkpoints, the wait time is minimal and objectives queue up, like taking down an extremely well-armored, Gatling gun-toting Helghast. There are pillars to take cover from his assault, but they disappear quickly when he discovers my position. Getting personal seems to work best as the shots to his face force him to stumble, revealing his weak point. After a few rounds of making him stumble, he satisfyingly burst into flames and on we go.

The level culminates with locating an energy source for the weapons of the Helghast and the objective is to disable it. Tap a button, wait, and fire on the lightning-producing device. During this, a barrage of Helghast tries their best to keep me from doing so. Your reward for clearing the objective is getting a peek at the enemy to come. And then, it was over.

The good gentlemen of Guerilla take a few moments to let the audience know that all of the gameplay is real-time and they slow down some already-seen moments to emphasize it. Bottom line: This looks great. And because it's real-time, there's no doubt it plays great. It looks to be a solid purchase in the bag.

I was one of the last guys out of Sushi Roku. I talked to some amazing people. I got a few business cards. And for a regular game fan off the street, I have some awesome memories and a story that's hard to believe. But then again, some people don't believe in magic.