I'm pleased to see Killzone 2 getting some love. I've recently decided to go through it again, and it really is a AAA experience. Maybe it's because I'm playing on the harder difficulty setting, but it really does seem to be better than I remember it, and I loved my first play through.
I totally agree that they need to sort their characters and story out. The general thrust of it, I mean the invasion of Helghast offers a fierce setting, but you rarely feel driven by the characters or plot. Technically I still think it's peerless on consoles though, the lighting is a constant source of wow.
As for games of the year, I have to say I think Sony's first party output this year has been consistently great. At present, my top five would look like this, although really, I'd probably stack them differently on any given day:
1 - Killzone 2
2 - Uncharted 2
3 - Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time
4 - Batman: Arkham Asylum
5 - inFamous
I know that looks incredibly fanboyish. :D but I do think Sony's first party stuff has been great this year.