Killzone 3

"Welcome back to... *puts on shades* Hell-Ghan!"

Now that I'm done trying out my comedy routine it is time to prepare you on what to expect in the latest installment to Guerrilla Game's series, “Killzone” . Killzone to me has never really been anything to write home about for both the Campaign and Online. Killzone 2 was plagued by Rico, your teammate that dropped more F-bombs than Joe Pesci in Goodfellas and who's dialogue was just unbearable to listen too. It killed any enjoyment I could have found in Killzone 2. When I was reading up on Killzone 3 and learned that Rico would be toned down and not an annoying assclown I went straight to Gamestop and placed my pre-order. The lore and Killzone universe has always interested me. I read summaries of the first 2 and went into Killzone 3 with a clear mind, and I have to applaud Guerrilla Games because Killzone 3 is stunning and insane nonstop action packed with variety from the beginning all the way to the end.



Story: Killzone 3 begins immediately where Killzone 2 left off. The Helghast Dictator Visari is now dead thanks to the ISA (Interplanetary Strategic Alliance) and the Helghast Empire is in a sticky situation. The Helghast Council find themselves arguing over what to do next and who should now lead. This is where 2 new characters come in; Stahl and Orlock. Aside from being voiced by the great Malcolm McDowell, Stahl is a weapons manufacturer with a lot of stroke within the Empire. His plan is the gung-ho one. In this case it consists of hitting the ISA and Earth with everything they have including a nuke. He competes against Joseph Stalin... err... Orlock. Orlock is the Military Commander and the more rational of the 2. I really do mean rational by the way as one of the more interesting aspects of the Killzone universe is that you can feel everything the Helghast do is justified and not look like an idiot. Neither faction is clear in the right making the story that much more interesting.

Nevertheless, you do play as Sev of the ISA again ready to kick some Helghast ass. Sev and a slightly less annoying Rico will make their evacuation as Killzone 3 begins right after Killzone 2 ends. The ISA regroups and is ready to stop the invasion of Earth. There are also new ISA characters too like female soldier Jammer. However, the characters on the ISA side just aren't as interesting and as fleshed out as the main characters in the Helghast Empire. Sev is your average and generic war hero while Rico is still a pretty forgettable teammate with no character whatsoever. None of the ISA characters go through any character development. From start to finish it is just about kicking Helghast ass which isn't necessarily a bad thing but there is room for say in Killzone 4 maybe to shake things up and make me want to kill the Helghast. As of right now I just shoot everyone because I'm supposed to, not because I want to see the ISA win the war. The overall story though is great and worth anyone's time. Every scene with Stahl and Orlock going at it is entertaining. My only other complaint is with the ending. For such an intense and epic moment in story and gameplay I can't help but feel Guerrilla dropped the ball giving us an abrupt and anti-climactic ending that doesn't rival anything previously seen throughout the game in any way, shape, or form. Things do keep improving in the Killzone franchise though so hopefully with Killzone 4 Guerrilla Games can nail it.




Gameplay: Let me start off by saying that all modes of Killzone 3 are easier and more accessible for players. The enemy AI is still very smart though so don't worry at all. Killzone 3 to no ones' surprise plays just like the first 2. R1 is your fire button and L1 melees. There are a numerous amount of different ways to tweak the controls though so every First Person Shooter shooter player should feel right at home within minutes whether you're using basic Killzone controls or the basic Call of Duty set-up (L1/R1 aim and fire). Aiming down the sights really isn't that necessary in Killzone though. You can of course sprint, reload, and change weapons on the fly. The cover system also returns in Killzone 3. Basically, if you crouch near a surface you can snap to it and take cover. You can peek around corners and shoot and overall play really tactical. Killzone 3 does feel less weighty than Killzone 2 but that doesn't mean it now mimics Call of Duty. It just feels a little more responsive and more natural to pop Helghast heads now. The battlefields are all pretty big with a lot of different ways to go about each section. My personal favorite although not the most strategic is going gung-ho and performing Brutal Melees on the Helghast. There's a lot of satisfaction to be had gouging out Helghast eyes with your thumbs. Killzone 3 truly does resemble a warzone as you go from point A to point B killing everyone in your path. A large part of this epic in scale battlezone feel comes from how much variety in level design and mission structure there really is. There are numerous types of enemies such as exploding spiders, jetpack Helghast, and Capture Troopers. These robotic looking Helghast look awesome and are very acrobatic as they try and melee you head-on. During a few sections you will commandeer a jetpack and actually have firefights in mid-air. I have to say it controls very well too along with being awesome. The locales you visit throughout the game are fantastic, especially the Arctic chapter Icy Incursion which looks phenomenal and simply awesome. There's also a jungle which is very detailed and fleshed out featuring plants that burst out a deadly poison that kills Helghast upon shooting them. You can even sneak around the jungle and not get into a single fight. There are quite a few on-rails segments where you'll control mini-guns and canons from tanks or various types of aircraft where you will cause massive amounts of destruction in huge set-pieces that are simply epic. The whole MAWLR battle spans a whole chapter and is just one big battle against a massive titanic in size walking Helghast creation of death. The final battle is where the game peaks incorporating Zero-Gravity into the firefight. There's also an insanely epic space battle at the end that resembles the end of Star Wars: Episode 4. The variety isn't just in the set-pieces though. There are some awesome Helghast weapons for you to use too such as the Arc Cannon that shoot a big green ball of energy and causes any enemy stuck inside it to blow up. The Pistol Shotgun also returns and is fun to use. Even the standard assault rifles are fun to use as popping off Helghast helmets and shooting them in their bald Stone Cold Steve Austin resembling domes never gets old.

There are a few flaws though. The actual checkpoint system is fine but the saving system is weird. I backed out to the main menu to see which scene of a chapter I was on ( I was aiming for a chapter specific trophy) but when I hit continue I was brought back by about 15 minutes instead of my latest checkpoint. There's also the First Person Shooter staple complaint of dumb partner AI during combat but it's made up for by Rico being able to revive you (if he is near) if you fall during battle. Thanks Rico, but you're still an annoying jackass. My only other complaint is the pointless use of motion sensing to turn valves or place explosives. It always breaks the flow of gameplay and is a minor annoyance. Since I am on the topic, Killzone 3 can actually be played using the Move and it apparently works well, so there is even more variety. This is not necessarily a complaint but since Killzone 3 allows split-screen co-op Campaign it is a bit of a bummer that there is no online co-op Campaign. There's always Killzone 4 but for now Killzone 3 pretty much exceeds expectations and is one near perfect roller-coaster of a ride that you do not want to miss.




Graphics/Sound: I might as well just say it, Killzone 3 is the greatest looking First Person Shooter ever. The amount of detail is insane. Seeing debris flying all over the battlefield, the guns, the dropships, the character models, it all looks insane. The lighting effects are amazing and the framerate rarely drops which is a massively impressive feat when a game looks this good. The character models and facial expressions look very good too. You can just tell that Stahl is an evil bastard up to no good just from his evil smirk. By far my favorite aspects though are the blood. Killing a Helghast and seeing his blood spurt out and stain the snow looked incredible. I just stood there in awe staring at how detailed everything was. Everything about the chapter Icy Incursion from the visuals to the set-pieces will just blow you away. The Arctic landscape and jungle alone make Killzone 3 hands down the graphics king for shooters both in technical power and artistic design. It is beyond beautiful for a warzone and needs to be seen by everyone. Amazing sound is also here to compliment the outstanding graphics. The music is so good that whenever I start up the game I have to listen to the music in the pre-menu screen. If anything, that is what makes me want to kick some Helghast ass. Killzone 3 has the greatest musical score for a First Person Shooter ever. It truly gets your heart pounding and makes every battle feel intense. The amazing detail in the sound of explosions also helps too along with the distinct voices of the Helghast soldiers. Some of the voice acting from the ISA members isn't that good but over in the Helghast Empire you have Malcolm McDowell and Ray Winstone bringing it and nailing their respectable characters. It is worth mentioning that if you have a 3D-TV and want a game to show it off, this is the game to buy. Killzone 3 succeeds above and beyond here.




Online: There are 3 different modes with each holding up to 16 or 24 players a game.. One team is the ISA while the other is the Helghast. The first is Guerrilla Warfare which is your standard Team Death-Match mode. Then there is the new mode Operations which is a bit of a spin on Capture The Flag. You either have to plant bombs or defend areas. This mode actually comes with small amusing cut-scenes too. The final mode and my personal favorite is Warzone. It is a 24 player mode compromised of 7 rounds with each featuring a randomized objective. Sometimes you will have to protect a specific teammate, some rounds are just Death-Matches, and some are essentially Search And Destroy rounds. Killzone 3 has 5 unique classes to choose from each with abilities resembling Team Fortress 2. You can play as a Medic and revive people, an Engineer and build turrets or ammo stashes, a Tactician and capture spawn points, an Infiltrator who can don an enemy disguise, or a Marksman who can use an invisibility cloak. Each classes' perks can be upgraded too using the Career Points you earn from ranking up. Of course you can also choose to unlock new weapons. One of the coolest things about Killzone 3 is that some maps contain jetpacks or mechs to handle. For these maps it adds a whole new dynamic to the Online modes and makes you want to play them more. There are 8 maps total resembling the various chapters of the Campaign and most are designed evenly. A few maps feel a little too small and claustrophobic but that's my only complaint there. Most games seem to take a hit in the graphics department when heading Online but Killzone 3 surprisingly does not. You can invite your friends to your games but it is a bit of a bummer that there's no private lobbies. There is Botzone though which allows you too hone your Online skills against the AI. It is worth noting that I sometimes have trouble connecting to games but it isn't that big of a deal. Overall the Online component of Killzone 3 is a blast and should keep gamers busy.




Replayability: The Campaign lasts around 8 hours and is a blast. You will unlock Elite mode upon completing the game. Add in the Online component and I think it's safe to say Killzone 3 will keep you busy. Granted if you're not a fan of Online there isn't much else to do or reason to play. The trophy list is more accessible this time around meaning it won't take 100's of hours to obtain the platinum trophy.