Humans and Helghast and Headshots, Oh My!
Killzone 2 was a drastic leap forward for not only the series, but for Sony’s shooter demographic. Loved by many and equally despised, Killzone 2 was the Playstation 3’s go-to game for first-person, multiplayer action. It’s been 2 years and Killzone 3 is finally here. Is it time to re-enlist? Or is this a battle best left unfought? Story: Killzone 3’s story, unfortunately, is a standard FPS affair with somewhat of a tease. The story begins immediately where the second left off. You, once again, play the role of Sev, an ISA agent trapped on the planet of Helghan. Visari is dead at the hands of your friend Rico and needless to say, the Helghast are pissed. Now, the remaining ISA forces are left stranded on the red-eyed, inhospitable planet while the overwhelming might of the Helghan forces are ordered to dispatch the stragglers. The story in Killzone 3 works well in providing a catalyst to trudge through corridors filled with red-eyed baddies just begging for a bullet. Normally, the story in first-person shooters is an afterthought but Killzone 3 teases you with so many missed opportunities. The story easily could have touched on themes like abandonment, hopelessness and struggle against overwhelming odds…but it doesn’t and characters are left one-dimensional and underwhelming. Needless to say, it’s a definite shame.
Design: Design in Killzone 3 is straightforward and fairly identical to its predecessor. The game is split up into a campaign mode, which can be played solo or with a buddy via split-screen (unfortunately, no online co-op is available) and multiplayer with a few variations on the latter. The campaign is a standard affair, emphasizing narrow corridors, pitched shoot-offs and minimal open areas. With this set up and the series staple of an objective marker (activated by pushing UP on the D-Pad), it is nearly impossible to get lost. Much to the relief of Killzone 2 players, improvements have been made control-wise. Movement, aiming and offensive capabilities have seen a drastic improvement, and everyone is appreciated. Movement has found a nice niche between realism and speedy action with smooth walking animations and silky aiming. Killzone 2’s odd brand of melee attacks was relegated to either the R3 button or switching to your knife in place of your gun, which proved to be a fatal move…more for you than your enemies. Aiming and taking cover has seen an improvement as well with faster, more precise aiming. Taking cover is fairly smooth but you’ll find it being under-used. Weapon selection has been upgraded to allow for not only a main weapon and pistol, but the addition of a third slot for heavy weapons like light-machine guns and rocket launchers. Overall, Killzone 3 doesn’t do anything Earth-shattering, but every improvement it makes is appreciated and makes for a better experience.
Gameplay: Gameplay in Killzone 3 is probably one of the most enjoyable shooter experiences I’ve had on the Playstation 3 for quite some time. Gameplay will mainly consist of shooting your way from point A to point B, and watching a cutscene for five minutes until your thrown back into the fray. Killzone 3 does switch it up every so often with on-rails section that prove to be both exhilarating and seemingly tacked-on just to make better use of Playstation Move support. You’ll be detonating barricades, rendezvousing with other ISA operatives and introducing varying red-eyed baddies to the butt-end of your rifle. The latter can switch up between the ISA-issued assault rifle, bouts of sniping as well as taking out larger targets with heavier weapons such as rocket launchers. But chances are, if you’re like me, you’ll want to get closer to the Helghast so you can unleash the new Brutal Melee attacks, which prove to liveup to their name in both brutality and satisfaction. Jetpacks are also a new addition to the series, which allow for better mobility, firepower and take the series’ gameplay to a new level. On the multiplayer front, Killzone 3 is as fun as its predecessor if not more. A class and leveling system is set in place, which means not only do kills offer points to level up but teamwork and support offer just as many. Every match begins by choosing a class and best supporting yourself as well as the team. Warzone makes a return in the third game which results in fantastic team-based matches that include variations on team deathmatch, search & destroy and king of the hill just to name a few. Earning points opens up an upgrade system for each class allowing for the purchase of upgradeable skills and weapons. The great thing is that fully upgraded classes are available from the get-go so players can research in advance before they purchase, these fully upgraded classes are only available in bot matches though, which also allows for better practice before players take their skills online. Needless to say, the multiplayer component to Killzone 3 is fun, addictive and constantly changing.
Presentation: To say the least, the presentation in Killzone 3 is some of the best the PS3 has to offer. Character design, voice acting and overall environments are top notch even if the prominent color palettes consist of varying hues of gray. Weapons have the appropriate recoil and provide some realistic impact when they meet their mark. Brutal Melee attacks are devastating and show off some amazing reactionary design. You’ll find some odd situations at times like delayed environment destruction and a few flat textures, but whether you’re shooting, shooting or…well, shooting, Killzone 3 is pushing some of the best looking polygons this side of the PS3. On the audio front, prominent characters fill out their respective roles with genuinely entertaining results. Although the third iteration of Killzone is seriously lacking comparable voice work that is just as charismatic and excellent as Brian Cox’s work as Visari. Instead, we get decent voice work from the leading baddies which simply prove to be one-dimensional and lacking depth.
Overall, with minor hiccups, Killzone 3 provides an excellent visual and audio package that any shooter (or non-shooter) fan can appreciate. Needless to say, Killzone 3 is a stone-cold stunner on multiple levels. Providing a great single player experience with a few missed opportunities for excellence. Multiplayer is an addictive package that will most likely sit in the disc trays of many an online player for years, or until we see a Killzone 4 (fingers crossed). Ultimately, Killzone 3 is hands-down fun and accessible. If you’re in the mood to take down some red-eyed fascism , grab a controller and get ready for an experience.
Rating: 8/10
