Part 23: Chapter 8, Stages 1-3
8.1
Inside a Helghast Forward Supply Base
Enter Templer, Hakha, Luger, and Velasquez. They examine a row of monitors.
TEMPLAR
Forsooth, yonder uplink tis too far. We shalt be late.
LUGER
Hakha, doth knowest thou when the Earth fleet will arrive?
HAKHA
I claim not that all the knowledge under the stars is mine.
VELASQUEZ
The way you act, it's like you know my mother's bra size.
HAKHA
Tis but a guess: large?
LUGER
Hark, a missile base!
Could we not borrow a Helghast transport?
TEMPLAR
What say you?
HAKHA
T'will not work.
Yonder bases are too mighty.
We must make our way around.
VELASQUEZ
Oh really? Last time we listened to this guy,
We got HelmetMan rippin' us a new asshole!
TEMPLAR
We have not the luxury of choice,
Nor that of time. We strike. Quickly, now!
Exit all
8.2
In orbit above Vekta, aboard the SD Platform
Enter Adams
ADAMS
I see. Lente has made planetfall.
I can no longer suffer his jabs,
He would make a fool of me
To my men, and to Visari.
But how to stop him?
Enter Caliban
ADAMS
You, there. You have news for me.
Tis good news. Templar and his cronies
Have been caught by our forces,
That Lente has no cause to be on the ground,
Because their quarry are dead.
T'will be my actions that causes their fall,
And Visari shall rewardeth me.
CALIBAN
Nay, sir, I do pray forgiveness.
They hath blown the 32nd river's bridge,
Denying the 11th their supplies.
The 10th company doth not
Respond to incoming hails.
We fear--
ADAMS
Pray, go on, soldier.
What is thy fear?
CALIBAN
We fear they art lost.
Adams attacks and slays Caliban.
ADAMS
That tis not why I wished to hear!
Not at all! Not at all!
Exeunt
Hey, a level with a gimmick! As mentioned in the video, this will become a recurring theme as Guerrilla becomes better at implementing them in subsequent games. As it stands, this one is mildly amusing and forgettable. We have the helmet and laser designator that the unique Helghast from the last stage used to drop mortar shells on us. I mention incorrectly in the video that it's an orbital bombardment, but it's really just mortars. Anyways, along with the gimmick, we get the opportunity to destroy more objects! In this case, actual buildings:
This ties in with our earlier analysis of what can be destroyed. Not only do we kill life in every stage, but we've thus far been able to destroy the fundamentals of life: food, water, shelter. In this Chapter, we're once again destroying shelter, but we also wind up destroying a bridge--infrastructure, key to many advanced civilizations. For now, this all makes sense within the game narrative. We are fighting a war, we destroy enemy infrastructure to help weaken them. In subsequent games, the level of destruction is going to continue to ramp up, and we're going to be seeing a lot of collateral damage.
We're also going to be seeing a call-back to the whole "destroyed beauty" thing that Killzone did long before Gears Of War. Except this time it isn't going to be the ruins of a once magnificent city, but that of nature. The last level suggested similar ideas, but seeing as how the grasslands were so sickly looking already, it was really difficult to get an idea of just how destructive the Helghast occupation had been. It's a whole lot clearer here, as we enter a lush green jungle only to find a massive clearing where the earth has been torn up, burnt, and stomped down to make way for a Helghast supply base.
Unlike the swamps and the grasslands, where beauty is quite a bit more in the eye of the beholder, the jungles are a lot nicer to look at.
I make sure to glance up at a scene that otherwise only Luger would see, because the light shining through the treetops is kinda pretty.
Aaaaaand, just a bit further, we get a glance at how destructive the Helghast are:
Yup. This used to be jungle. Now it's a bunch of tents, concrete, and bombs sitting on some mud. If shooting Space Nazis wasn't already enough justification to want to fight the Helghast, this should help. It's as if they're terraforming Vekta to be more like Helghan! That said, it'll be hard to retain that sense of righteous fury with regards to the ISA as the war drags on and the war crimes stack up.
Ah well.
Quick point: this gap underneath the barbed wire I tried to get through is accessible only by Luger:
Anyways, I incorrectly mention that this was the base they expected to find Adams at--that was wrong, they expected to find Adams in the last chapter at the Beacon camp where we instead found a laser designation Helghast soldier. At that point, Rico nearly killed Hakha for what he saw as an intentional trap. Only a chapter later, and the two of them are back insulting each other--only it's a lot more light-hearted than it used to be.
(Their begrudging respect for each other is beginning to form
).While our heroes begin to bond with each other, elsewhere we have our villain beginning to fall apart.
We don't know what exactly was promised to Adams. Wealth? Power? Who knows. Did he betray the ISA out of a fear for his own life? Did Helghast bribe him? Does he truly support the Helghast cause? Again, we don't know yet. However, we do know that he wants to appear good in Visari's eyes. Again, whether out of fear, ambition, or genuine loyalty seeking approval, we don't know. Whatever it is, it isn't working. Although the initial plans went off without a hitch, Templar and co. have managed to slowly cripple the Helghast assault on the ground, so much so that General Lente felt the need to deal with them himself. If we know one thing about Adams, it's that he likes to be in control, and right now the control is slipping. This allows us a much needed chance to see the actor ham it up.
Of course, the result being that Caliban, the hapless radio operator, is going to be the target of Adams' frustrations:
Bad news comes in threes here, and Caliban is bearer of them. Unfortunately, Adams is very Darth Vader-esque in his response to bad news:
Yeah, pretty sure he just beat Caliban to death. The General is clearly unstable. Yup. This is the kind of people the ISA made 3-star Generals. Ah, well. We're going to be seeing more monologues from Adams in the future, and hopefully his character will become clearer then.
Caliban 
BDL-23 Dohvat Laser Designator
A laser designator used to accurately paint targets for artillery to bombard. Battery is powerful enough for 16 designations. Comes with a helmet:
And the helmet makes everything orange and sci-fi and hard to see. Notably, there is a glitch where you can switch weapons so that you can use the designator without the orange overlay coming down. I've never been much bother to use it, though, but it's been confirmed to work in both the original Killzone and the HD rerelease. This weapon is purely a gimmick, so use it or don't--though it makes getting through the chapter much easier, considering the amount of enemy armour and emplacements.
Note: it's also an item pick-up in Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale!!!
Pnv-3 Siska Squad Cannon
A giant, recoil-less rifle that uses a servo-operated gyro-mount allowing you to fire anti-tank shells safely. The explosive shells are 66mm. Holds six cartridges and can fire them in single or double shot bursts. This gun is awesome, always pick it up if it's available. It can kill nearly every enemy in a single shot, makes taking down Elites a breeze, and can destroy most armour with a single use of the secondary fire function. It's fairly accurate, too, but the blast area isn't super large, so you need to ensure you're hitting your target right on.
Seriously. A great gun. The best way to dominate friends in Killzone 1's multiplayer.
Oh my god! We killed Hakha!