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Killzone 3 Singleplayer Review Sony PS3

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  • Killzone 3 Singleplayer Review Sony PS3

    More than any other type of game, the FPS has seemingly been flogged to death several times over and its obituary as a viable and sell-able genre with appeal has long since been announced. The reality of the situation however is that gamers apparently still just can’t get enough of them and, as their general quality has noticeably increased in recent years, they have managed to remain hugely popular. Despite this seemingly endless hunger, an FPS game these days can only stand out from the crowd with either a unique setting or selling point or by taking all the existing clichés and making them so slick as to forgo any feeling of apathy on the player’s part. Killzone 3 aims squarely for the latter and achieves it with a resounding bullseye.

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    Killzone 3 picks up almost exactly where Killzone 2 ended. The ISA have won the battle, but not the war, and their forces find themselves stranded on the hostile planet of Helghan. The Helghast are scrambling to deal with the power vacuum as a result of the events at the end of the last game, although it doesn't take them long to regroup and re-focus their attention on wiping out Earth’s forces. Players take control of Tomas "Sev" Sevchenko who, along with a gang of commandos, finds himself stuck behind enemy lines on a hostile planet that is quickly recovering from a seemingly crucial defeat.
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    One of the first things that impresses about Killzone 3 is the superb visuals. A real step up from the previous game, there are many occasions where players will find themselves taking a moment to stop and admire the work on display. Snow-capped peaks, luminous cityscapes and rolling seas all tumble off into the distance with a huge amount of detail on show. Thankfully the same amount of effort has also been put into the art and level design. Though the previous game was set on an apparently alien world, too often the levels simply moved from one grey urban shoot-out to another. There was never any great feeling of being a million miles from home.
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    This time however things are quite different with a huge amount of variety in the different areas. From rampaging gunship attacks on oil rigs to blasting through war-torn cities and enemy lines in a tank or sneaking through a lush jungle setting to deliver a devastatingly satisfying sniper shot to the head of a distant foe. Although these are all ostensibly variations on a theme (walking level; vehicle level; repeat) each new level is different enough from the last to help keep the game feeling fresh throughout. The type of vehicle used also changes regularly and although these sections are on rails rather than free roaming, it does not dampen their effectiveness in any way. Usually sitting at a cannon/rocket launcher/machine gun, it’s just a question of dishing out damage until the end of the stage. However, none of these segments are particularly long or over-used, so boredom never sets in.
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    At various times in the game there are also the opportunities to utilise jetpacks, which are implemented particularly well. No longer are you confined to a straightforward frontal assault, instead it becomes possible to create your own attack patterns and deal out some death from above to the Helghast. There is also the opportunity on one level to take control of a mech suit, which is a real blast and it's a shame that it’s only utilized once during the entire game.
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    The weapons are the standard FPS fare – a variety of machine guns, assault rifles and missile launchers – although they do tend to have a nice "heavy" feel to them. After all, soldiers loaded with heavy equipment and weaponry shouldn't necessarily expect to be quick or nimble just because other FPS games seem to almost completely ignore the laws of physics. A special mention should also go to the sound effects in the game, as firing each weapon, particularly the heavy machine gun, gives a superbly implemented aural effect.
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    A new introduction is the brutal mêlée which gives players a more than effective method of surviving close encounters. Approaching Helghast from behind means that you can activate a bloody stealth kill. But taking them on face to face is no less visceral or satisfying. There is also a good variety in the animations for these kills and in a one on one situation when you are low on ammo they can come in particularly handy.
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    Another interesting change is that L2 now serves as both a crouch and a cover button. This still isn't a cover-based shooter by any means and the implementation feels a bit awkward. Although you can peek over and around walls and other cover, you are usually still exposed in some way and it’s necessary to move around to avoid taking damage, especially in hectic fights.
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    Killzone 3 uses the now standard "hide and regenerate" method of healing, though if you do go down, other ISA soldiers nearby can revive you. You can also revive them when necessary although there is often a risk/reward gamble to consider, as they are frequently out in the open. They generally do a good job looking after themselves and you will never fail a mission because of their actions. Although they do occasionally stray into your line of fire.
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    The game manages to maintain its intensity from the very beginning all the way through to the end, even with a relative lack of boss-type encounters. There are many tough battles and more than a few that require real strategy to survive. The A.I. is quite dynamic and rather sneaky and there are times when the Helghast scouts will end up knifing you in the back if you don't pay attention. They put up a good fight and change their tactics when needed to keep you on your toes. Like the best Hollywood blockbusters, the game is slick without feeling hollow, intense without being overbearing and inventive without resorting to the gimmicky feel of games like Bulletstorm. It perfectly blends the best elements of Halo, COD and the previous Killzones to deliver a sterling package and is the FPS against which all others should now be judged.
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    Format:PS3
    Developer: Guerilla
    Publisher: Sony
    Players: 1 (1-8 in multiplayer)

    Pros: possibly the best FPS single-player experience available on any console
    Huge range of environments
    Superb music and aural effects

    Cons: Maybe too tough for some

    Score: 9/10

    • Golgo
      #1
      Golgo commented
      Editing a comment
      Gosh. Glowing review. Never a near perfect 9 for me, though. What about the broken stealth missions in the jungle (also a wasted opportunity for more open play)? Haven't played corridors in the jungle since MGS3, when my Snake crouched down, tapped some foliage with his knuckles and it rang out with a CLANG! CLANG!... 'almost' as if he were in a re-skinned oil rig! And the terrible plot and hammy acting, especially from the Brits? The most impressive thing the Evil Emperor wannabe could find to say on the consolidation of his power was "That's gotta hurt!" And the rallying speech before the final assault? Oh boy...'Inventive but not gimmicky like Bulletstorm'? KZ3 doesn't have a shred of invention and isn't fit to lick the sweat off Grayson's balls. It's pretty and it's loud, there are some decent pitched battles, there's no screen tear and the enemies are circle-strafing bullet sponges giving a fairly impressive illusion of intelligence. That's about it, for me. The multiplayer, however, that's a whole different story...

    • rmoxon
      #2
      rmoxon commented
      Editing a comment
      Yeah I agree with Golgo.

      I actualy thought Killzone 3 was a massive disapoint, it is decent and enjoyable in places but in comparison to the second game (which is a classic of the genre IMO) I'd say its not even very good. The levels are uninteresting, the set peices are unimpressive and the flow of the game... well i say "flow", in truth the game has no flow, the cutscenes are all over the place and make no sense and the gameplay feels somewhat sparse, the levels dont feel like whole levels. its just all a bit "meh" really. Its certainly nowhere near as good as Bulletstorm

      9/10 is way overrating it. Its more like 6/10 for me

    • Matt
      #3
      Matt commented
      Editing a comment
      I really liked KZ2 (put it in my Top 3 Of The Year at the time), and felt KZ3 was quite boring. Didn't move me, felt like it was going through the paces. A 3/5, it was solid at what it done but not particularly good at any one thing. Other than the graphics. Multiplayer is ace though. I'm going Cold Turkey on it now as I have lots of work on, but I did enjoy a couple of matches every night for a good month or two.
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