Killing Floor 2

As alluded to previously, 'Killing Floor 2' runs at a smooth 60 frames per second no matter what sort of madness is going on, an impressive feat for a console port — particularly one juggling this many players and enemies. In addition, the environments are plenty varied and the Zed design is memorable enough to let players easily recognize which enemies present which threat. Special kudos have to go to wacky boss creations The Patriarch and Dr. Hans Volter — if only there were more of these big, horrifying threats to take down.

I personally didn't recognize many of the artists on the 'Killing Floor 2' soundtrack, but that's just as well — its selection of generic metal tracks is generally lost under the cacophony of Zed screams and gunfire. Despite not being all that big a fan of the music selection, though, I must admit there's a certain appeal to the combination of chugging guitars and wailing zombies. Like the back-to-basics gameplay, the cheesy audio brings back memories of a simpler, goofier time in FPS history, and should make longtime fans of the genre nostalgic.

The title of 'Killing Floor 2' really says it all. Tripwire Interactive brings the FPS back to its most primal level, creating a ludicrous arcade-style bloodbath in an era of deeper, more thoughtful narrative-driven shooters. That approach ultimately proves to be refreshing; while more variety would have pushed the game over the top into "truly great" territory, what 'Killing Floor 2' does offer is undeniably visceral entertainment. And while the wave-based action is plenty of fun on its own, the perks system kept me coming back to upgrade my character and face even deadlier threats.