Whether you're shooting on foot or from a mechanized vehicle, this epic sci-fi shooter is a definitive action experience
Contains: Strong Bloody Violence, Gore, Threat and Strong Language
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Killzone 3 is a Sci-Fi First-Person shooter sequel, exclusive to the Playstation 3, that continues the story and events where Killzone 2 left off.
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STORY - 3/5
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Following the death of their incentive empire ruler Scolar Visari from the hands of the ISA, the vengeful Helghast army seek to eliminate every single one of the ISA troops while plotting a devastating counter-attack with new hosts. Meanwhile the ISA are trapped dangerously behind enemy lines and look to regroup and evacuate the brutal alien planet of Helghan as soon as possible before they realise the cruel and unforgiving methods of torture if captured alive.
Frequent cutscenes are injected into the flow of the gameplay, and while they intrude a little too often and are occasionally rather lengthy, they provide the political backdrop and stability to the Helghast's reasoning's with heated, rudimentary disputes amongst each other, aswell as mission briefings before your next bloodbath assault on route to an extraction off the formidable planet of Helghan which is ever-increasing in seeming inescapable. All the intense action unfortunately leads to an abrupt anticlimax which doesn't deem clear what will become of the lucky few surviving characters, but does address the likelihood of another sequel which will no doubt be anticipated in the upcoming years.
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CHARACTERS - 3/5
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Some over-the-top confrontation and discussion scenarios within the Helghast leaders add an extra layer to the core plot, and displays an unusual picture of disputes about their schemes on their ISA enemies. And although the verbal conflicts demanding power amongst each other seem contrived, great voice talent ignites energy into the bitter feuds that are constant occurrences throughout the game. With nothing to defuse the tension within those meetings of the fractured minds of frail but important Helghast figures, the ISA army prove much more capable and adept at organising battle plans, though tensions still arise between the protagonist and some close friends about taking orders and who knows best in the dilemmas they are constantly facing.
Tomas "Sev" Sevchenko returns as the main protagonist, and his patriotic beliefs are further helped with his display of responsible, by-the-book approach to his duties and overall is a likeable, playable character with plenty of firepower and mental strength up his sleeve to back up his physical appearance. The toughest, slowest and biggest Helghast-hating character Rico Velasquez returns to provide fire support alongside Sev on most missions and fortunately is more mature and aware of his behaviour this time, and doesn't need restraining at every instance because of his desire to exact revenge on the Helghast for the events that occurred in his past.
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GAMEPLAY - 5/5
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The same core gunplay and cover mechanic return from Killzone 2, along with familiar weapons which have tweaked their appearance slightly, but overall the gunplay is perfect; solid hit detection, erupting blood from the wounds inflicted and smooth animations all collide together to form an impressive core shooting gameplay. To further mix up the on-foot First-person shooting, there are many more interesting set-piece battles which introduce new mechanics and new vehicles. The highlight of these is a stealth level through a hostile jungle crawling with evil Helghast and ravenous spiders, and the new ability you find yourself using is brutal melee combat finishers. For the stealth section they are produced mostly similarly where you sneak up behind your opponent and slit his throat quietly so not to alert other nearby foes, but when combined in the thickest of fire fights you can cause some violent finishing moves that vary from using your knife in a variety of ways, the environment where possible, and even make your own hands a deadly choice of dishing out death and spilling blood. Other scenarios see you take control, or take place in the passenger seat, of some robotic mech transports with destructive capabilities that cause many wreckages against your relentless pursuers who commandeer unique sci-fi vehicles of their own. The possibilities are conceived and then executed in dramatic fashion with outstanding results through modernism, and each changeover from on-foot shooting to vehicular carnage is chained well together and enhance the intensity behind the story for a desperate escape from vengeful hostile forces.
Each technologically created sci-fi weapon or advanced modern gun establishes a violently powerful impact amongst your potential arsenal, and the balance of enemy variety enables you the choice to pick what ones will occupy your side through the gruelling battlefield set pieces. You can carry a primary, a secondary and a heavy duty weapon with you, and some of the best include a ruthless arc cannon that charges up green orbs and then catapults them at enemies, who when caught in the blast, get levitated into the air and simply explode, and the WASP which rains artillery down onto Helghast and vehicles with a barrage of fierce heat-seeking rockets. These rare weapons can only be used at a few points in the campaign, but the chance you get with them is likely to be the highlight of the whole campaign as you blast through Helghast like an unstoppable force who will create bloodshed to anyone that stands in your way. Albeit the intangible probabilities mount up against the tangible, this epic shooter delivers with gritty and nail-biting thrills rather than completely authentic militarised action just as the genre and art design indicates.
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GRAPHICS / ATMOSPHERE - 5/5
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The Helghast's brutal home world is just as unforgiving and harsh to outsiders like the last time you walked on it's surface, and each war-torn environment is stunning both technically and artistically that combines fantastic lighting and shadows to tremendous effect. To have the ability to envision such a place is an incredible achievement but to have the potential to produce those ideas and make the imagination real is even more credible. From the snowy arctic landscapes being splashed by strong and bitter tidal surges, to the lethal alien jungle filled with hostile flora and fauna and even to the nuclear wastelands territory of a crumbling city, what you'll witness is eye-catching and breathtaking to say the least. You stray away from the cityscape regions which were frequent places for the action in Killzone 2, and the variety is an improvement and rewarding decision that showcases other visuals of the derelict Helghast home world that illuminates how powerful the Helghast are.
The intractable atmosphere is filled with violent electrical storms and barren, dry hurricane wind currents that batter the war-torn land into submission, and it's the art design that makes an impact for such an impressive surrounding to match the graphical qualities that polish each environment's surface. No framerate or screen tearing problems inhabit the screen, and this makes the intense action-orientated atmosphere even more successful as the sky rages above and the bloodshed occurs below it.
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SOUND - 5/5
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Sensational sound effects, atmospheric music and brilliant voice acting drives this sci-fi epic forward with augmented momentum and is instrumental in the tense war efforts raging on between two armies intent on dominating each other, and overall the audio-visual presentation is outstanding from the fast-paced outset to the chase sequence climax, where bullets are propelled and make impact with realism, and explosions are fierce and engulf the objects within the blast with a heated backlash. The magnitude of the action is equally matched by every resonating background sound, and whether you are traversing an open battlefield vulnerably or creeping through jungles stealthily, the sounds are presented perfectly to convey the correct sense of urgency within the environment and situation.
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CONTROLS - 5/5
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Movement has a satisfying heavy weight to it that differs from the familiar shooter experience in other action games, and so whether you jump or take cover, or aim down your sights to find yourself staring at a menacing foe, every exemplary action has a sense of realistic impact that very few games succeed on registering yet alone boldly attempting. Aiming is more easier this time and doesn't feel so sluggish, and so a quick reflex action when an enemy appears on the screen is made responsive and your attack is just as effective as your awareness, rather than in Killzone 2 where your animations seemed a little too slow for a casual gamer. The default controls seem awkward, but fortunately the alternative configurations will prove much more familiar to other shooting games with L1 aim, R1 shoot, R2 throw grenade and R3 brutal melee attack, with some added motion controls to enhance the immersion that feature when turning a wheel for an objective, and overall are improved from it's predecessor and fantastic all-round.
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ENEMY AI - 5/5
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The Helghast's fearful red eyes and deep voices are matched by their cunning and perseverance on the battlefield, and they highlight some of the best enemy intelligence to ever be seen in a game, and are hostiles that are highly dangerous when incorrectly dealt with or poorly judged by their numbers. Their evil allocations and methods of violence are equally feared subject matters, and where the political boardroom appears dysfunctional and lacking coordination, the battlefield procedures and formations by the foot soldiers are anything but. They combine situational awareness and assessment of the environment with effective covering fire and competent weapon wielding to prove menacing adversaries with skill and commitment when unholstering a powerful weapon or piece of equipment, and their large numbers enhance the problems and probability of losing with each and every bullet they fire and trooper they toss into the action blender of sweat and blood. They expertly take cover where possible, evade the proximity of a thrown grenade rapidly, and acknowledge that your squad are just as much as a threat as you, and even pull off brutal melee attacks of their own against the ISA that stray too close. And to make this intelligence even more thrilling to witness is how smooth each and every one of their movement and combat animations are, seamlessly stringed together fluidly for a very realistic action experience.
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LENGTH - 2/5
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Unfortunately all your titanic struggles against the massive army of Helghast soldiers on your way to the anticlimax will only take approximately 6 hours or less. But despite it's short length Killzone 3 boasts an epic campaign that will keep you riveted from start to finish.
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REPLAY VALUE - 4/5
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In terms of what is worth replaying Killzone 3 for, there isn't much other than the fact that the campaign is intense and epic and should be experienced multiple times for the pure adrenaline that will pump through your veins for the duration of the sci-fi adventure.
Killzone 3 makes it's mark in the busy First-person shooter market with ease, and sets new standards that separate it from the predictable shooters infiltrating stores currently. The heavy handed villains that start arguments which are slightly hard to believe may be criticized but at least it attempted at producing an encouraging story to mix in with the action (an area of the game which has very few flaws). Composure of the overwhelming fleet of fierce Helghast infantry, fairly entertaining story-focused cutscenes, riveting set piece battles and weighty shooting action deliver an epic experience where you have to grind your way to complete each and every objective while earning a sense of satisfaction each time you deliver with success and have spilt more blood of your feared enemies, and in a single phrase that sums this sci-fi shooter up perfectly, Killzone 3 is simply and deservedly an epic masterpiece.
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OVERALL SUMMARY - 9/10
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Good Points: Artistically and visually stunning environments with an incredibly hostile atmosphere, Brutal melee kills are savagely satisfying to perform on your enemies, Core shooting action is solid and intense, Improved controls and aiming, Some of the best enemy intelligence ever seen in a game, Great character animations, Powerful sci-fi weapons, Excellent sound effects and music, Exhilarating gameplay experience from beginning to end.
Bad Points: Short campaign, Ending is a bit of an anticlimax.