By: Ryan Seiler
Originally posted at Project-Blu.com on June 8, 2011
The Helghast are back and more bad-ass than ever in Killzone 3. SONY sunk a lot of money into it's favorite shooter and it definitely shows. Likewise, Guerrilla Games has learned from it's past mistakes and has finally made a game that is as good as it looks.
To be honest I had never played a Killzone game until after Killzone
3's release. To see what all the hype was about, I went out and bought Killzone 2
so that I would at least have some backstory when playing its sequel. I
wasn't very impressed. Sure the graphics looked mind-bogglingly good,
but the controls and story were decent
but felt sloppy. After completing the game I wasn't expecting much from
Killzone 3. But after completing Killzone 3, well, let’s just say I went
out and bought the first Killzone the next day and I am contemplating
getting the PSP spinoff game Killzone: Liberation as well.
Story
Killzone 2 and 3 share a story, much like The Matrix or Halo,
they have a complete first story then splits the second into two
installments. The barely existent plot of Killzone 2 consisted of the
ISA (Interplanetary Strategic Alliance) invading Helghan (the Helghast
homeworld/country) in a pseudo-preemptive strike to prevent further
confrontations like in the first Killzone games. Sev and Rico must find
and capture the Emperor, Scolar Visari. The plot takes a vacation for
the next three fourths of the game until the Helghast attack and almost
destroy all the ISA ships in the atmosphere. Shortly after, the main
character from the first game, Templar, is killed. This has nothing to
do with Killzone 2 or 3 and only serves to give Rico and Sev more
motivation to complete their mission, and foreshadows the ISA getting
marooned on Helghan in Killzone 3. Eventually Sev and Rico break into
the Emperor's office and in a fit of rage Rico shoots and kills Visari.
The game ends with Sev and the rest of the ISA leaving the palace so
they can board the remaining ships and get offworld.
Killzone 2 left us hanging in a sense, after its abrupt end that left
a lot open in terms of furthering the plot. The game ends with the main
character, Sev, sitting on the now dead dictator's palace steps.
Killzone 3 doesn't miss a beat as it picks up literally where the
previous game left off, and starts with the same shot of Sev on the
stairway. After they escaping the burning remnants of the city, the
Helghast, using a MAWLR (mawler), take down an ISA ship and send the
rest fleeing into space, leaving Sev, and the rest of the ground forces
stranded on the hostile planet. The game then jumps six months into the
future where Sev and his captain's forces have been in hiding.
The Helghast, now leaderless, are fracturing as their current leaders try to ascend to power. The runner up is an old fashioned bureaucrat and is having trouble assuming the thrown due to a corporate/military tycoon named Stahl, who believes that he belongs in charge of the Helghast because a large portion of the military belongs to him. He also holds great power due to his more technologically advanced troops, mechs and weapons. Stahl and his military are the main antagonists throughout the game. This makes Killzone 3 stand out a little due to the change in cast. The old games had a more Nazi-like feel to the Helghast and felt gritty and dark. Stahl's forces on the other hand are far cleaner and more space-marine like, many of which are enclosed in metal suits.
A last ditch effort to secure power in the universe is hatched by
Stahl to take over Earth and her colonies. The ISA have to come out of
hiding to stop the looming threat of genocide or at the very least warn
Earth.
Killzone 3 has, by far, the best story in the series. Granted, it's
not a very deep one. The characters grew emotions and authentic
relationships between games and you can actually invest in them as
people. Previous games were little more than action sequences when it
came to story, and you had a hard time caring for any of them. It was
only towards the end where any of the characters even seemed to care
about each other in Killzone 2, so why would the player? In Killzone 3,
Sev is caught between his by the books captain and his risk taking
friend. Both characters have legitimate arguments and neither of them is
fully guilty for what happens due to their poor decisions; so you won’t
find yourself hating any of the ISA. Why would you anyway when there
are so many Helghast running around? On that note the game does a great
job making you hate Stahl. He's sneaky, untrustworthy even to his own
men, and downright evil. Like all the Helghast, he's basically a British
space Nazi...and who likes Nazis? Or the British for that matter?
The cutscenes in Killzone 3 are, well, awesome. Each has an amazing
action sequence or plot enhancing narrative. The sidestory of how the
Helghast are splintering under new management is extremely well done and
even though they are primarily drama sequences in an action game they
still manage to capture your attention. The voice action is near
flawless especially the voice action of Stahl played by Malcolm McDowell
and Captain Jason Narville played by James Remar.
Story 7/10
Story 7/10
Gameplay
Killzone 2's gameplay could best be described as mediocre. Sticky
controls, enemies that were too hard to kill, bad sights on guns, and a
very slow moving character, just to name a few flaws. Any one of these
would make a game hard to play, but all of them in one game makes me
think that all Guerrilla Games focused on was how the game looked rather
than how it played.
Luckily, Killzone 3 has little in terms of bad gameplay. If anything Killzone 3 is one of the best shooters I've played in years. The controls are fluid and responsive, your character is fast and agile, and luckily you can carry more than one gun and a side arm. You still get one side arm and a primary gun, but the developers have added a slot for a heavy weapon. You can carry a machine gun turret, rocket launcher, sniper rifle and so on in this oversized slot. This leans gameplay in a fun, rather than realistic, direction and shortens firefights as you can lay waste to a battlefield of combatants with a single gun.
Cover-based shooters tend to be third person. Killzone 3 utilizes a
cover system that can be taken advantage of but is not entirely
necessary for gameplay. The game can be played without using cover at
all but is certainly harder at the cost of the shorter more intense
firefights. There is no button to immediately zip-line your character to
cover like in Gears of War or Mass Effect, instead
the game allows for you to simply walk up to cover as you would in any
other first person shooter, and with a single button hold, stick to
cover to either look and shoot over or around it. Seeing as how it is
from a first person angle, the game would consist of looking closely at
rocks and ledges that you are hiding behind. This is corrected with the
camera perched either slightly above cover or to the side, making it
seem as if your character were peeking his head above the safety of
cover. It is odd that your enemies lose track of you and stop firing
even though it seems like you are in plain sight. I know I'm nit-picking
here but there isn't much I can say bad about Killzone 3 and the little
things that would get looked over in any other game stand out.
I'm not quite sure what it is about large robotic walking tanks that is so alluring to nerds like me, but seeing an army get its ass handed to it by a guy controlling a robot will always be a highlight in any movie, game, TV show and so on for me.That being said, Killzone 3 has the best mechs I have ever seen/played in any video game. Allow me to explain; there are only two mechs in the whole game and yet they make for two of the most memorable levels. The first mech is a small one manned walking suit with rockets and a minigun on either hand. Remember watching District 9 and seeing Wikus tear through the military in the alien mech? Well think of that but instead of Wikus behind the wheel, you are. Like its District 9 counterpart, the suit in Killzone 3 it one of the most fully realized robotic suits ever to grace a TV; it's fast, deadly, not immune to enemy fire and moves fluidly as if it were an actual piece of military hardware. The second mech in the game, the MAWLR, is an enemy boss which takes a whole campaign level to take down. The mech itself is a gigantic 4 legged walking fortress and is stunning to see on screen as it is fully rendered and you can really get a sense of scale as you battle it from the ground as it almost steps on you, to the air as it does it's best to shoot you down. Playing this level is like watching The Empire Strikes Back for the first time and seeing the rebels gasp in awe as the AT-ATs walk in through the haze towards the Rebel Hoth base.
Killzone 3's gameplay equates to that of your average shooter but
done so well it feels like an art form. The game feels fulid and
responsive to the player. The weapons and vehicles are basically clones
from other games but again they are mastered. Overall you will feel
right at home in Killzone 3 if you have ever played any other FPS's, it
just might take some time to get used to the new control layout.
Gameplay 9/10
Gameplay 9/10
Presentation
Beautiful is defined as delighting the senses or mind. So is Killzone 3 beautiful? With games like Crysis 2
having the best graphics to date Killzone 3 might get overlooked in
terms of sheer awe inspiring graphics. Killzone 3 only has 720p
resolution due to its 3D capabilities but being held back didn't hurt
its looks. If anything, the developers added more eye candy to Killzone 3
than any game currently
on the market. The opening level starts in a nuclear wasteland. The sky
is clouded with the sun piercing through wherever it can, the buildings
are crumbling all around you, fires have spread across the city, burning
particles fill the air, and to top it all off a fleet of Helghast
starships litter the sky. So yes, Killzone 3 is beautiful. Every inch of
screen has something of interest rendered in some of the best graphics
available today. Lights cast amazing shadows and reflections off of your
guns are all in real time. The lens flares and the screen turns blood
red when acted upon by other instances. Killzone 3 is easily the new
benchmark for gaming graphics and visuals.
The cutscenes in Killzone 3 are, well, awesome. Each has an amazing action sequence or plot enhancing narrative. The sidestory of how the Helghast are splintering under new management is extremely well done and even though they are primarily drama sequences in an action game they still manage to capture your attention. The voice action is near flawless especially the voice action of Stahl played by Malcolm McDowell and Captain Jason Narville played by James Remar.
The score seems to be a nod towards Star Wars. I know that’s saying a lot and is a stretch, but that’s all I could think about while playing the game. A few songs truly belonged in the game, but they were ones that were in the other two games as well. The World War II inspired tracks make the Helghast feel like Nazis as they were intended to. But the rest of the songs, were too “John Williams-like.” I don’t need songs that make me feel like I’m watching the pod races or make me feel like I’m on Dagobah. If you still need further proof of what I’m talking about listen to the two tracks I just mentioned. One is called “Frozen Shores Rescue” and the other is called, “I’ll Get You Home.”
Replayability sadly, is one area that I wish was better. The campaign will last
from 8 to 10 hours depending on your difficulty. If you don’t play
multiplayer you really don’t have much reason to put the game back in
your PS3. There aren’t any collectibles, and since the game is so
linear, the only reason to play it again is to re-experience the story
or to earn trophies you missed the first time around.
Presentation 10/10
Presentation 10/10
Overall
Guerrilla Games has made subtle yet major alterations and improvements
since Killzone 2 and it shows. Gameplay and presentation are handled
very well, and the story, although contrived at points and
intellectually simple, works well to aide the game's progression and
gameplay. I know I have basically worshiped this game in my review but
as far as FPS's go its top notch. For RPG fans there isn't much other
than a rental game in Killzone 3 but to any Halo or Call of Duty fans who would like to see a combination of the two Killzone 3 is worth every cent.
Killzone 3 8.6/10
Game Info
Platform: Playstation 3
ESRB: M
PEGI: 18
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Guerrilla Games
Release Date: March 22, 2011
Killzone 3 8.6/10
Game Info
Platform: Playstation 3
ESRB: M
PEGI: 18
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Guerrilla Games
Release Date: March 22, 2011
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