2009 saw Guerilla Games release the second installment of its highly-acclaimed Killzone franchise, aptly-named Killzone 2, to rave reviews from critics. Killzone 2 featured a well-constructed campaign full of cinematic moments and fast-paced action as well as a smooth, competitive multiplayer component that kept players coming back for more. 2 years later, Guerilla released its latest creation, Killzone 3, into the world of first-person shooters and this one certainly holds its own against the best.
Killzone 3 continues the story of the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance (ISA) as they wage war against the forces of Helghan in a bid to subdue the formidable alien race and bring peace to the galaxy. After the events that take place in Killzone 2, the ISA is in full retreat after the Helghan leader, Scolar Visari, is killed by Rico Velasquez against the wishes of the ISA who had planned to capture him. The Helghast stage a brutal and merciless counterattack and proceed to decimate the ISA forces on the planet Helghan who must evacuate and regroup. The player, taking on the role of Tomas “Sev” Sevchenko, must lead a small force of ISA against the might of the Helghast army in order to stop the mighty alien race from destroying all that he loves.
Killzone 3’s campaign features a touch more variety than that of Killzone 2. While the second game featured mostly on-foot missions and very little vehicle combat, Killzone 3 has several vehicle-based levels and even a space combat mission. Included in the game’s campaign is the jetpack, a device which lets the player travel in the air over a short distance and also has built in weapons with infinite ammo but which can overheat with excessive use. Also featured in the campaign is a stealth-based mission in which the player must silently take down enemies from cover or be quickly overwhelmed. Killzone 3’s campaign can also be completed cooperatively locally, but not online.
The multiplayer in Killzone 3 is also different this time around. Returning from Killzone 2 is the “Warzone” game mode where players are given objectives that must be completed within the allotted time. Objectives include body count, where the team with the most kills wins, and assassination in which a member of the opposite team is marked for death and must be killed to complete the objective. Other game modes include “Guerrila Warfare” where teams of 16 are pitted against each other in a massive game of body count and “Operations” in which teams of 16 players are tasked with capturing certain objectives and where the best players are featured in scenes of victory.
From the start, all of Killzone 3’s five classes are unlocked for the player to use in multiplayer unlike in Killzone 2 where classes must be unlocked. Featured in the multiplayer are the infiltrator, marksman, engineer, medic and tactician. Each class has their own distinct playstyle, for example the medic can revive fallen soldiers and the infiltrator can disguise himself as a member of the opposite faction. As the player earns more points from multiplayer they can unlock more weapons and abilities for different classes. Points can be earned for killing members of the opposing team in any mode and for completing objectives in warzone.
Perhaps the biggest change from Killzone 2 to Killzone 3 is support for Sony’s Playstation Move. In addition to the traditional controller-based gameplay, players can opt to use Sony’s motion controller and navigation controller together to control their character in both single player and multiplayer modes. In doing so, players can also choose to use the new sharpshooter gun controller for use with the Move for increased accuracy. The sharpshooter has space for both the motion controller and navigation controller and features a trigger, button mapping, a reload function and a retractable shoulder stock for added comfort.
So, is Killzone 3 better than its predecessor? In a word…maybe. The campaign, while featuring more variety in its gameplay than Killzone 2, does little to differentiate itself from other shooters such as Call of Duty and Battlefield Bad Company. Killzone 2, while keeping players on-foot for 90% of its campaign, at least kept it simple and did a good job of making players feel less like a one man killing machine and more like an elite squad that was part of something bigger. For a military-themed shooter, it’s my opinion that the player shouldn’t feel like he can take out the enemy army all by himself. Being part of a squad, albeit an elite one, makes much more sense in the grand scheme of war. Killzone 3 does at least allow for its campaign to be completed with a friend, just not if that friend is online.
The Playstation Move works very well, especially with the sharpshooter attachment. After spending some time with the gun and tweaking the settings to make me feel more comfortable, I was able to cruise through the campaign just as easily, if not more easily, as I would have with the dualshock controller. The sharpshooter made it easier to aim and shoot and, once you mess with the sensitivity and deadzones, it feels almost natural. I still prefer to use the dualshock online, for now at least, where I’m more familiar with the controls, but I like knowing I at least have the option for when I want something a little different.
Another cool feature is the addition of the brutal melee attack. When you get within melee range of an enemy, your character will be able to perform a special melee attack that results in an instant kill and looks really cool on top of that. Attacks vary from stabbing your opponent in the throat with a knife, breaking an enemy’s neck or shoving a knife into their eye. Brutal melee kills are easy to pull off with either the dualshock or the sharpshooter controllers and are present in both single player and multiplayer, adding a little bit of flair to your kills.
The multiplayer itself is still the best part of the game and is what drew me to the series starting with Killzone 2. “Warzone” is by far my favorite as it changes the way you play every few minutes. You can go from playing body count to assassination to search and destroy in the same session and takes the focus of gameplay off of simply getting kills and more on strategy and team cohesion. You’ll always have those players who stick to killing regardless of the current objective but for the most part people tend to go along with the game. I really like how all the classes are available from the start so you don’t have to worry about unlocking your favorite after hours of playing a class you can’t stand.
Killzone 3’s multiplayer is what keeps me coming back for more and is definitely the game’s strongest draw. I enjoy it much more than I enjoy multiplayer in Call of Duty or Battlefield where the emphasis is on killstreak bonuses or the first one to get the toughest vehicle and where you actually have an objective other than killing. For this reason, I think Killzone 3 is great and has a lot of lasting power. Oh, and did I mention the game looks and sounds terrific? I didn’t enjoy the voice acting as much as in Killzone 2 but the performances are at least acceptable. This is definitely one title that shooter fans need to pick up, but you can only do so if you have a Playstation 3. This is one console exclusive that Xbox 360 owners should be jealous of.
