Killzone 2 was a huge success. A first-person shooter that improved upon so many of its predecessor's shortcomings and then did so much more in addition to upgrading the shooter's formula. Killzone 2 was (arguably) the most visually-astounding game of 2009. It was also very unique, making the player feel like a real soldier on a real battlefield, with "weighty" movement and aiming controls that made the game stand out from the sea of cliché shooters. And now that Guerrilla Games brought us the next instalment in the series, all of this makes you wonder if the sequel - Killzone 3 - could ever live up to such high expectations. So… does it?
Contrary to what you have most probably heard from the critics regarding the game's story, the plot of Killzone 3 is nowhere near as terrible as so many people love to say. The game picks up just after the point at which Killzone 2 finished; Scolar Visari is dead, yet the war between ISA and Helghast forces is far from over. It seems that the battle is inevitably lost for the ISA units remaining on Helghan, thus their command issues an order for everyone to retreat, get off the planet and return to the main fleet as soon as possible. With their leader dead, various political factions of the Helghast strive to gain control of Visari's throne. Things aren't looking good for protagonist Tomas "Sev" Sevchenko and his loyal comrade-in-arms, Rico Velasquez. As the firm grip of Helghan talons tightens around the throat of the ISA unit, the duo soon find themselves outnumbered, outgunned and overwhelmed by more & more Helghast troopers. The journey to get off the planet takes much longer than anticipated. In addition, on the way, things get complicated to such an extent that the team is forced to adjust their plan numerous times. The whole struggle ends with a grand finale of unexpected events that all fans of Star Wars will thoroughly enjoy.
So, unsurprisingly, Killzone 3's story is nothing special. There isn't anywhere near as many plot twists here as you'd find in BioShock, there is no extended lore or codex section like in Mass Effect or Dragon Age and you definitely shouldn't expect the depth of storytelling that you might have come to expect from games after playing The Witcher 2. On the other hand, as long as you remember that Killzone 3 isn't a role-playing game but a shooter, you will most probably enjoy watching its narrative play out. The characters could have been much more fleshed-out with deeply developed personalities and less stereotypical behaviour, but most of them are still likeable and once you start playing the game and get to know them a little better, you will start caring about what happens to them. The good guys (the ISA soldiers) have some nice lines, but no extraordinary writing is present in dialogue. The main baddies (the leaders of the Helghast) are portrayed as "space-Nazis"; I mean this in a good way, for the reason that this visualization of the Helghast actually helps in making them even more sinister and ideal for the rival role that they play in the game's story. On the whole, the plot of the game is decent and much better than what most critics say, yet it's nothing quite grand either.
Killzone 3 makes up for what it lacks in story through other aspects, such as gameplay and visuals… but let's talk about gameplay first. Killzone 2 was famous (though in some baffling cases, infamous) for its awesome "weighty" feel. Most actions in the game were slower than what you'd expect from a war shooter. When you ran, you felt like you were wearing body armour and carrying weapons & grenades. When you looked around, you turned at realistic speeds etc. Unfortunately, this sensation is slightly reduced in the sequel. However, everything still feels much more realistic and has weight, unlike in all the other modern shooter releases of 2011. Besides, if the small change really bugs you that much, you can always go into the settings and reduce the sensitivity of the analog stick to make the game feel more like its predecessor.
There are still plenty of guns to use and all of them feel satisfying. Each weapon packs a punch and has some recoil & weight to it. In addition, all of them have been crafted with amazing attention to detail and it shows. Also, it's not just all the same old stuff we've seen before - there are some variations of already existing weapons and completely new guns added in as well (one such example of the latter is the "StA-5X Irradiated Petrusite Cannon", which makes your enemies explode in clouds of bloody mist)! Of course, the combat wouldn't be fun at all if your adversaries didn't react to all of this powerful weaponry. With that said, the enemy AI is excellent. The Helghast will adapt quickly, always trying to flank you when they get a chance and using cover wisely in their offensive and defensive moves. Killzone 3 is best played on the "Trooper" (medium) level of difficulty, which offers quite a bit of challenge at times without feeling too unforgiving, whilst keeping the campaign going at a steady pace and not being too easy.
One major, large new addition to the series' formula are brutal melee kills. These can be performed on enemies when the player is close to them. Brutal melee kills vary from classic stealth kills like backstabs, throat-slitting to chest stabbing and poking people's eyes out. Yes, it's brutal, it's bloody and it's extremely satisfying in a terrifyingly worrying way. What's great about melee kills apart from how they are executed and presented is that they can be done both on enemies in singleplayer and on other players in multiplayer - for additional points. Ah yes, multiplayer… but we'll get to that later. These melee kills don't always work as intended but they are more than functional most of the time.
The thing that stands out the most about every game at first and often clouds our judgement of choosing which product to buy is time and again its visual design, art style and graphics. As expected from a successor to a game as beautiful as Killzone 2, Killzone 3 looks stunning. The dynamic weather effects, spectacular particle system, striking attention to detail, energetic & lifelike animations, sharp & clear edges, authentic full-body awareness, extensive lighting & shadow effects as well as outstanding level design stand out throughout the whole experience and make you feel like you're precisely there, right in the middle of all the explosive action. Furthermore, the levels created using these gorgeous technological features are more varied than Killzone 2's environments. In KZ3's singleplayer campaign, you will get to wade through a city in ruins after the utilization of nuclear weaponry, a blanket of snow ensnared by chaos, an exotic jungle riddled with military outposts and guerrilla fighters, along with numerous other varied environments and battlegrounds.
The audio design of Killzone 3 is great. The entire soundtrack is somewhat epic. Each theme fits different sections of the game remarkably; at times, I felt like I was listening to the music of Uncharted, Inception, Star Wars or even Medal of Honor: European Assault. The sound effects are immensely convincing - every shot from your weapon and every explosion you hear are recorded with such awesome quality - they help to immerse the player in the heat of battle even further. Voice acting for most characters is very good and gives all of the team members their personalities, same goes for the game's villains. Multiplayer is chaotic with all the shooting and stabbing, the glorious sound effects make it even better. Overall, the audio design of this game is exceptional and while the music is especially fantastic, the only problem that I have with it is that it isn't that original.
Now let me tell you about the multiplayer. First of all, the whole singleplayer campaign can be played in local co-op through splitscreen. It's really fun blasting your way through Killzone 3 with a friend you know, but the frame rate often drops to levels lower than it ever does when played alone. Also, there is no online co-op - which is a bummer. Alternatively there's the competitive, online multiplayer and it is immensely fun & addictive to play. As opposed to Killzone 2 which had unlockables that the player gained access to as he or she played more of the multiplayer and gained more points, in Killzone 3 there are five classes to choose from. Each class has its own weapons and special abilities, all of which can be unlocked in any order the player wants using points gained by rising through ranks. Players advance in rank by gaining XP through killing other players, scoring headshots, reviving other players, repairing broken gear, performing brutal melee kills on opponents etc. Additionally, the variety of game modes and maps makes each match feel fresh and keeps the multiplayer from ever getting stale or boring. The star of the show here is definitely "Warzone", which takes place on slightly larger maps and changes game modes throughout each match, so you have to adapt your tactics and teamwork skills accordingly. The game's offline "Botzone" practice mode is also a great alternative for those who don't have internet in their homes, since the game's AI is also great here.
What's very surprising and unexpected about Killzone 3 is that you can play through its whole singleplayer campaign using the PlayStation Move instead of the classic the Dualshock 3 controller. The standard controls are easy to learn and use. The controls for PS Move are a bit different. Of course it is slightly more difficult to turn with precision (as you normally would using an analog stick), but the shooting is just as satisfying and even adds to the accuracy. Generally, the motion controls for Killzone 3 are as good as you can get for a shooter with Move support, meaning that they're very fun and worth a try if you're interested, but on the whole, the standard Dualshock PS3 controller is the better way to play the game.
To sum up everything this game has to offer:
GAMEPLAY - 9/10 (Outstanding)
A brilliant campaign and superb multiplayer that both make use of the game's mechanics provide a generally well-polished and well-rounded experience.
STABILITY - 8/10 (Impressive)
With few graphical glitches and no bugs encountered in my playthroughs, as well as noticeable fps drops present only in co-op mode, Killzone 3 is very stable.
STORY - 7/10 (Decent)
The characters are likeable and the plot is engaging, but none of it is that original and most of the outcomes during the story are not very surprising.
GRAPHICS - 10/10 (Marvellous)
Without question, this is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful and technologically advanced games ever released for the consoles; as of 2011 and earlier.
SOUND - 9/10 (Outstanding)
Killzone 3 has really nice voice acting, terrific sound design and magnificent music, but the soundtrack isn't original and sometimes too reminiscent of other games.
LONGEVITY - 8/10 (Impressive)
The campaign is at around 7 hours in length… but then there's local co-op, PlayStation Move support and the awesome online multiplayer features.
Taking everything into account, Killzone 3 is both one step forwards and one step backwards from Killzone 2. If you are a dedicated fan of the series, you will love this game. However, if you thought that Killzone 2 was perfect then some of the changes will be a bit of a shock to you. Then again, none of the modifications or additions are radical enough to make a devoted fan hate the game (though I do know one exception). If you're completely new to the series, then it won't make much difference to you at all and you will appreciate Killzone 3 for what it is… an astonishing (albeit unoriginal) first-person shooter, a great sequel and one of the finest PS Move compatible titles.
OVERALL RATING – 8.5/10 (Great)
NEW GS RATING – 8/10