Killzone 3 Review

If there is only one game that is worth playing in 2011, Killzone 3 would be it. The release of Killzone 2 back in 2009, amazed gamers with its cutting edge next generation visuals at the time. Two years later, the third game in the series is here and finally, the epic battle between the ISA and Helghast lives on with a newly appointed leader in the Helghan government. The conclusion of Killzone 2 left a lot of gamers curious as to what will happen to the government of the Helghast now that Visari is dead. With the newly appointed leader of the Helghan government, what else could possibly await the ISAs?

Killzone 3 is no doubt one of the most the highly anticipated games of the year. With that being said, how does Killzone 3 stand out when it comes to the FPS genre? We know for a fact that the graphics have improved, but is that all we can look forward to? Could Killzone 3 set records for SCE?

Let’s find out in the HOTs and NOTs of Killzone 3.

HOT

Presentation
The moment I glanced at the introductory cutscene of Killzone 3, my jaws dropped to how realistic everything looked. Compared with the graphics of Killzone 2, Killzone 3 has excelled in the graphical department. Such improvements include the detail to the environments, character models, and the exotic locations players will be venturing in.

Expect to see a lot of explosions in the game and while playing it, consider yourself as part of the ISA as the tension and action can easily be felt from the time you start the game, until the very end. If I were to compare the intense action between the Halo & Gears of War games to Killzone 3, I would say that Killzone 3 exceeded my expectations and I can safely say that playing Killzone 3 will give you the best experience you will have in a first-person shooting game.

Spanning over seventy minutes of cutscenes, players will be amazed at the quality they have to offer. Voiced by Hollywood’s finest talents, Killzone 3 will give its fans the feeling of watching an action movie thanks to the talents such as actor Ray Winston contributes to the game. While this is a first person shooter-action game, a little drama to the story is to be expected. A twist in the end will shock gamers in Killzone 3’s emotionally charged and unpredictable storyline. While Killzone 3 offers Hollywood-style action pieces while playing, it will also offer gamers a brilliantly told story too.

Storyline
The death of Visari in Killzone 2 enraged the Helghan government and therefore, they appoint Admiral Orlock as the new leader of the Helghast. Players will immediately be taken to Helghan territory where you will discover that Captain Narville of the ISA has been held captive by Chariman Stahl. As soon as players find out that the man in a Helghan Suit is Sev afterall, the story will shift back to the events where Killzone 2 ended and from there, the story to the never-ending war between the ISA and Helghast begins. Throughout the game, players will have to play through the story until it leads up to the event where Killzone 3 started and uncover the sinister plot of the Helghan, which will surely shock the player till the very end.

It’s very rare for a first person shooter to have a good story, but Guerrilla Games managed to do a great job with it in Killzone 3. As players play through the game, there are some things that players should look forward to in terms of character development. The death of Visari was blamed on Rico as killing him wasn’t the original plan. With what Rico did, the ISA has given his Captain a reason to disregard whatever he suggests in their mission and in the game, players will see how he will stand up for his belief’s as Sev backs him up. It’s very rare for a first person shooter to have such character development as we frequently see action in lieu of a riveting storyline.

Gameplay
A FPS game is a FPS game therefore, nothing has changed when it comes to the controls of the game. If the player is familiar with the controls of Killzone 2, getting used to the controls in this game will be much easier. One of the additions that I’ve seen in the game, is the Brutal Melee attack. By coming towards an enemy and pressing the L1 button, the player can instantly kill them. For gamers looking for the Intels to collect (that were found in Killzone 2), I am sad to report there are none to find in Killzone 3, but that’s not all. There are no collectibles in the game, as it seems Guerrilla wants you to focus more in handling the action rather than wandering off and collecting something.

Spanning through nine chapters, players will see a lot of variety in the levels. Expect to command a tank, use a Jetpack to hover around the environment and use an aircraft to destroy enemies. The game will take players at least seven hours in finishing the campaign mode under the normal difficulty, but if the player is looking for more action, an Elite mode will be unlocked upon completion of the campaign mode at any difficulty. After finishing the campaign mode, there’s always an online multiplayer mode that players can jump in, and bring the war with other people via the two game modes; Guerrilla Warfare and Warzone.

Multiplayer Mode
In addition to the campaign mode, the multiplayer mode is where more fun will await players. For gamers who played Killzone 2 online, they should expect the same treatment with slight changes. The game offers five multiplayer maps and game modes that we all love; Guerrilla Warfare and Warzone. These five multiplayer maps will come from the single player levels. For those of you who are new to Killzone, Warzone mode will bring players in a battlefield with different modes to play with such as Team Objective, Assassination and more. As for Guerrilla Warfare, the players main objective is to eliminate the opposing force before the time expires, kind of like Team Deathmatch. Just like in the previous game, Killzone 3 will have the same ranking system and upgrades that players can do to make them unstoppable online. Use points that players earn in multiplayer to unlock weapons and abilities. In addition to Guerilla Warfare and Warzone, an Operations game mode is also available where players will be divided into two teams and a mini-side story will take place. Some of the objectives in the Operations mode varies from rescuing your team mates from the Helghast or the ISA.

NOT

PlayStation Move Controls
After finishing the main campaign mode on Veteran difficulty, I went and played the game again on Elite but this time, using the PlayStation Move. To get the best performance in playing the game, use a Navigation controller instead of the Dualshock 3. While using the PlayStation Move can be fun and innovative, playing it all the way through can be a distraction. Why? Because with so much action going on in the game, controlling the camera is hard and players have to do a full circle to look on the side while playing in Dualshock 3 controller, you can simply adjust the camera with the Left Stick without moving the crosshairs. If you have a PlayStation Move and would like to play using it, I suggest to give yourself a decent amount of time mastering the slightly awkward controls. (Either way, this section will not affect the the overall verdict of the review since not very gamer uses a PlayStation Move controller)

VERDICT

Killzone 3 is no doubt to be the best first person shooter game that I’ve played since the previous title in 2009. The action that you will be experiencing while playing this game is beyond epic and I’m sure players will be craving for more. While the multiplayer portion of the game does not offer any new things except for new maps, the single player mode is where the game truly shines thanks to the phenomenal storyline and non-stop heart pounding action from the beginning to the end. Did I mention that the end of Killzone 3 hints up a sequel? Bring it on Guerrilla!

[Editor’s Note: Killzone 3 was reviewed on the PlayStation 3 hardware. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]