Killzone 3

Well, this is familiar. I started this blog almost a year ago, reviewing Killzone 2 as my first attempt. Now, I'm reviewing Guerrilla Games' sequel, Killzone 3. Funny, no?

STORY

The story of Killzone 3 starts of just after the events of Killzone 2; Scholar Visari has nuked his own city, and Rico has just killed him. The ISA have to escape t

he planet before the shit hits the fan. Sev and Rico are separated during their escape and their plan crumbles. The remaining ISA forces, including the player (Sev) are trapped in the hostile environment of Helghan, while the Helghast hunt them down like rats.

6 months later (where the majority of the game takes place), Sev and Rico are reunited, and must try to save their fellow ISA soldiers from the hellish planet, a

nd its terrible inhabitants.

Killzone 2 had a fairly solid story, and KZ3 expands upon that. It instills a sense of hopelessness as you play as the significantly smaller, and weaker ISA against the ruthless fury of the Helghast. There's also a little side story about the power struggle between two of Helghan's most powerful citizens, in the wake of Visari's death. This was the most interesting part of the story for me, and I wish it had been explored further.

PRESENTATION

Killzone 3 may be one of the best looking games I've ever seen. Crisp graphics, a smooth framerate, and realistic character models really push the PS3

to it's limits. Speaking of looking amazing, the environments of Helghan are much more varied than the previous game. While boltgun grey and dystopia br

own aren't gone completely from the games colour pallette, there are some really cool settings like the Arctic and Jungle levels. Whites, blues and oranges assault your eyes and leave them satisified, while the blacks, browns and silvers keep the game feeling somewhat hopeless.

The soundtrack is powerful and fitting for many of the

amazing gun fights and epic set pieces, and the voice acting is fantastic. Malcolm McDowell plays Johan Stahl brilliantly, as does Ray

Winstone, opposite him as Admiral Orlock. However awesome the cast of voices may be, it doesn't sound like McDowell is giving his best performance, but that may just be me.

GAMEPLAY

The biggest problem I had with Killzone 2 was the control scheme, but it was saved by the fact that it was chang

eable. Luckily, KZ3 begins with control modification, but one of the most annoying things is still prevalent. The use of L2 as a crouch button is just weird. I believe it should be assigned to a face button, but oh well, it doesn't make a huge impact on playability.

The controls of Killzone 3 retain the series' trademark weight, as running, jumping and even aiming all feel realisticly heavy. It has been toned down a little since last time, and for good effect. While every action does feel realistic, the reduction in the "weight" makes gunplay a lot more fluid.

Also making the action feel a bit more fluid, is taking away the old weapon wheel and replacing it with a new 3 weapon system. This allows you to hold one

pistol, one assault rifle, and a heavy weapon, while taking away the knife completely. In lieu of this, Guerrilla Games have offered a new brutal melee system. While still being able to hit Higs with the butt of your rifle, you're now able to perform some truly killer melee moves when you're close enough. For example, a knife in the eye, or crushing the Helghasts' head against the wall.

The AI has improved, mainly in the area of your companions not being as thick as wet cement. Rico accompanies you most places, and you'll still have to revive him occasionally; but it's bearable, because he can now revive you too, assuming he in't pinned down. It's nice to see that you get a hand every now and then. The enemy AI will still flank you, or pin you down with covering fire, or even flush you out with grenades, which me

ans they provide sufficient challenge.

And as per usual, there are some pointless vehicle sections, which more or less devolve into on rails sections. That's a shame, because the space flight section could have been so much more. Oh and there are jet-packs, which are kind of cool, but will let you fall slowly to the ground, like a balloon with a target painted on it.

REPLAYABILITY

Killzone 3 features the usual fare when it comes to current gen FPS games. There are multiple difficulty settings with which to challenge yourself, as well as online modes such as Guerrilla War (classic team-deathmatch), Warzone (which is an objectiv

e based mode where objectives change on the fly) and the new Operations mode, which features the ISA attacking a Helghast base, in a three level mini story. The draw of this is that the best players on each team will be showcased in the mid game cutscenes. It's great incentive for players to do their best for higher bragging rights.

Aside from the online component, these games can be played offline in the botzone, which is entertaining enough for what it is. My only complaint is that players who have mastered the game will absolutely destroy anyone new to it.

OVERVIEW

Killzone 3 has what it takes to stand up to the very bes

t FPS games out there. The gameplay is as solid as any CoD game, and in my eyes, KZ3 can rival almost any Crytek game. The story is fairly high quality when compared to titles like Halo, and the variety in environments is amazing. Guerrilla Games deserve to be commended for their work on this title, and congratulated for fixing most of the problems from Killzone 2, including the gratuitous swearing.

Not too sure what I'm reviewing next week, though I am open to suggestions. Keep reading, and feedback is still appreciated. See you next time!