To start off, the single player portion of Killzone 3 has been upped in both scale and fluidity as opposed to Killzone 2, and proves to be a far more consistent and progressive campaign than the previous game's claustrophobic feel. The game picks up directly after the events of Killzone 2 – Visari is dead and the war torn Helghast are absolutely pissed off at this, unveiling a far bigger and more potent force than the ISA could have imagined. From here on the ISA are ordered to evacuate the planet as they are outgunned and outnumbered by a large margin and are constantly on the run from the relentless Helghan soldiers. Once again you’re put into the shoes of Sergeant Sev Sevchenko who actually speaks a little more this time (but that doesn’t make him much more relatable), and is accompanied by anger-inducing Rico Velasquez. The plot is fairly light, much like that of Killzone 2, but much better in execution this time around, with good interlinking to the single player gameplay and the story being well-paced overall. It won’t win any awards for being super well-written, but it does its job well for the most part apart from the ending, which while leaving this blatantly open for a potential sequel, also felt a little rushed.
The most interesting aspect behind the story though is the characterisation which is absolutely superb due to two characters; Jorhan Stahl and Admiral Orlock. Voiced by Malcolm Mcdowell and Ray Winstone respectively, both Helghan officials play their part out in the story through a seething rivalry over who will take Visari’s place as the new Autarch. Both characters are superbly played out and animated, particularly Stahl who is not only scheming but borderline insane, and certainly make the story much more interesting with their personalities.
Abort!
Gameplay wise, Killzone 3 has remained largely the same as its predecessor, with standard cover and fire gameplay that is intense, gritty and brutal in its execution, but now with a couple of new features and improvements. The first and most notable improvement that Killzone 3 has is its controls, which have all but removed the infamous ‘heavy’ feel that Killzone 2 had. This was a debate that split gamers, where some really enjoyed the heavy feel while others absolutely hated it. Guerrilla have managed to tune it to a level that will appease both the lovers and haters however, with a much tighter and more responsive control scheme that still retains the heavy feel that made Killzone 2 unique in its gunplay. Players can now also carry three weapons instead of two, one being a ‘heavy’ weapon, and although initially this might seem like a step back to Killzone’s hyper realistic feel, it ends up being far better for the gameplay as it allows for more options. Apart from these two additions, Guerrilla have also added sliding cover mechanics which allow you to ‘slide’ into cover while you sprint, further increasing the speed and intensity of the gameplay in the single player portion.
Last but not least however (and our personal favourite) is the addition of brutal melee kills, which was originally a feature in the very first Killzone albeit with nowhere near as much polish as this. When close to an enemy, the player when prompted for the melee button can initiate a quick and brutal melee sequence that usually involves kicking a Helghast soldier in the face and shattering their goggles by gouging their eyes out with their thumbs or other similarly brutal kills. It’s much like that of a quick time event but unobtrusive and extraordinarily well-animated, with kills leaving you satisfied and ready to initiate another sequence of gory death upon a Helghan soldier. It’s a feature that adds a surprising amount of ferocity into the game and never really gets old to do.
All this, along with better level design and pacing come together to create a Single Player experience that is high class and very polished. Guerrilla has also added in a co-op mode to it so you can play through the campaign with a friend, although this feels a little rushed overall and feels like Guerrilla has simply thrown it in because so many people complained about it not being present in Killzone 2. The single player experience can be a little more linear in its feel as opposed to Killzone 2, with a lot of on-rails sections and forced sequences thrown at you which can sometimes make it feel like a bit more of a tour guide rather than an intense shooting experience, but with that said this can be quickly debunked when playing on the Veteran difficulty setting, which we’d highly recommend over the others as not only does it punish you and force you to use the game mechanics effectively, but also shows off the games enemy AI which is borderline ridiculous in how effective they are.
Lightning piss.
Killzone 3’s replayability comes in its Multiplayer component, which has seen a multitude of improvements over the second games component, albeit at a smaller scale. Yes, Killzone 3’s multiplayer has less chaos, and this may be disappointing to some who enjoyed the mass destruction of 32 player Warzone in Killzone 2, but for the most part it ends up being a much more efficient and consistent experience this time round. Many of the original classes from Killzone 2 such as the Assault class have either been removed or refined, and in turn it has ended up making the experience much more balanced in its feel. Skillsets and abilities of each class are still present, such as the Engineers repair tool and sentry bots, and these skill sets can now be levelled up to become stronger over time. As an example, the Infiltrators disguise ability through upgrades becomes increasingly more useful in certain situations, with the max level allowing you to brutal melee people without losing your disguise. This is all unlocked through career unlock points which are earned through playing games and levelling up, so players will be gaming for a while before they max out absolutely everything.
Two new game modes have also been added into Killzone 3, those being Guerrilla Warfare and Operations Mode. Guerrilla Warfare is pretty much Team Deathmatch and allows for quick matches to be had, which was an issue with Killzone 2’s Warfare only mode where matches could last up to 45 minutes. Then there is Operations Mode which is sure to have some followers as it’s essentially identical to Unreal Tournament’s Assault Mode, where one team defends objectives and the other team tries to complete them. This mode is accompanied by short in-game cut scenes that show your own character in them too, so it certainly feels like a co-op mission mode and is a good deal of fast-paced fun. Overall Killzone 3’s multiplayer aspect is easily its strongest point, with a very good, highly addictive levelling system in place and several different ways to play the game which also feels quite well balanced. Oh and did we mention they added in vehicles and jetpacks this time around?
On a presentation note, Killzone 3 is absolutely incredible. Guerrilla has listened very carefully to the criticisms of Killzone 2 and blended art and tech together in such a way that it is a rarity among games to have such synergy. Colours are both vivid and varied, appropriate in their use and unobtrusive to the eye. Animation is phenomenal in execution, with excellent blending between motion captured technology and hand animated movement. Lighting is beautifully utilised with rays splitting through leaves in deep jungles and explosions lighting up rooms by bouncing off the walls. We can probably type up an essay describing the magnitude of effects in use in Killzone 3, but simply put Guerrilla has managed to make a console game that outclasses most PC games currently released with an engine that defies possibilities on the PS3 platform and blends together with art assets freakishly well. This isn’t just the best looking game on console, it’s one of the best looking games, period. The only minor issue is some lip synching is a bit off at points, but it’s a very minor criticism of an immaculate looking game.
Flame piss.
Sound wise as well Guerrilla has done a superb job, with well voiced characters (albeit with cheesy dialogue from the ISA side anyway), meaty sound effects and once again a heart pumping soundtrack from award winning composer Joris De Man. There is a strange issue at points however where the streaming technology in use tends to fall on its knees, with looping sound effects and audio cues sometimes kicking in at random intervals. It’s not exactly a common issue, but when it happens it’s noticeable and annoying, kicking you out of the immersion factor temporarily. Overall though the audio aspect delivers, and will treat most audiophiles with respect.
Killzone 3 is a testament to developers that actively listen to their fans and deliver what they want. Everything in the game is designed around what the fans wanted and the game is all the more better for it. The single player portion is excellent albeit light in plot, with a thrilling 7-10 hour ride with enormous set pieces that look spectacular. Then there’s the multiplayer aspect which although it lacks the chaotic nature of Killzone 2, delivers a more refined and tightly designed Multiplayer experience that is overall more accessible. Guerrilla finally show off their potential as developers after many years, with a superbly crafted First Person Shooter that will burn your eyes out with its visual fidelity. Highly recommended.
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