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Gamers still have a few months before they can start waxing some Helghan asses. Killzone 2 won’t hit shelves until February of next year which gives developer Guerilla Games around five months to stoke the hype machine. Das Gamer is here to help fan the flames with an interview with Herman Hulst, managing director at the Amsterdam-based development house. Hit the jump for the full interview.

Das Gamer: What were your goals in taking Killzone to next gen platforms?
Herman Hulst: Killzone 2 has always been about incredibly action packed, intense experiences. It is basically a roller coaster ride in a first-person format. Now on the PlayStation 3, I think we’re able to execute the game that we’ve always wanted to make. You see it in the graphics and it’s full-blown with lots of effects and explosions everywhere. That’s what it is. That’s what we wanted to make.

What did PlayStation 3 bring to the table in terms of technology?
Herman Hulst: It’s not one particular thing. It’s just having the room to create everything we wanted in one game. It includes the effects. It includes the space to create the AI that we wanted. It’s technology to have it run with this level of detail we have at 30 frames per second smoothly. So it’s the whole package, basically, that the PlayStation 3 allows us to deliver. We’re making good use of it at the moment.

A lot of shooters have shipped since the original Killzone for the PS2. What games influenced you with this sequel?
Herman Hulst: As far as other games, big blockbuster titles are our inspiration for Killzone 2. It’s not one particular style or director. But our directors and tech directors watch any big game that comes out. At Guerrilla, on Friday afternoons at six we set up a little cinema and we pop in a Blu-ray of the newest released game and we all watch it and discuss it. Movies and cinematic effects are a big, big thing for Killzone.

You mentioned improved AI, what have you been able to do differently this time around?
Herman Hulst: AI is an area that we’ve invested heavily in from the first game on. The AI is very clever now. There’s no sort of sitting back, because they’ll pop a grenade at you. They’ll come around. They’ll chase you down. It depends on the enemy type as well, so if you get a commando, for instance, he’ll charge through walls. Each enemy classes has what we call their signature moves. They’re a lot smarter than they used to be.

How do you progress through this game?
Herman Hulst: In Killzone 2, you land in the capital city of Helghan and play through that for the first two levels. The one level that we showed last year, the Corinth River, is set in city environments. As you proceed through the game, you get an opportunity to explore the planet Helghan and we go through different environments. There’s a lot of variety in it, and we’ll show you that at a later date.

What does the first-person shooter perspective add to the gameplay?
Herman Hulst: It’s very important in KillZone 2 that we create a very authentic experience, so everything is done in first person. The opening sequences that we started off with is all handled in first-person. But also key mechanics like lean-and-peak, our cover mechanic, is handled in first-person. Essentially, that’s how you play through the game.

Can you talk about the weapons in this game?
Herman Hulst: The weapons we showed at E3 are weapons that we took from Killzone 1. Later on in the game we introduce newer weapons and more unexpected weapons. I can’t unfortunately talk about that yet. But there are some new experiences and some new surprises that come in.

What role will vehicles play in this game?
Herman Hulst: The level that we’re showing you today is the second level in the game. It starts out on foot, but it ends with a tank battle. We’ll have more vehicles, but we can’t talk about that yet.