Killzone 3: My super short review

[Darth Groovy]

Part 1. The Killzone Universe for dummies!

 

Killzone started off on PS2 and boasted to become PSN's answer to the Halo phenomenon. What do Killzone and Halo have in common? Nothing, other than the spooky looking space dude on the cover of Killzone is actually the bad guy.

 

 

The premise: Nothing spectacular. A society of oppressed colonists infected by disease and hardship, ban together and form a socialist society known as The Helghast. Blah blah blah... They become "space Nazis' who kill and conquer anything that might "oppress" them.

 

So basically, this is 1997's Starship Troopers, only replace the "bugs" with "space Nazis" and there you have Killzone.

 

So what you get is a basic duck and cover first person shooter, and even though everything takes place in space, there are no ray guns or plasma grenades. In fact all of the weapons both emulate and feel like current automatic weapons. This is true for both the Helghast, and the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance (I.S.A.).

 

You play as a space marine in the I.S.A. Read Wikipedia if you REALLY want to get into the "story".

 

By Killzone 2 you are joined by a character known as "Rico". Go figure...

 

Anyways, Killzone 3 picks up where Killzone 2 left off, and you are playing as the ISA again. Once again, the story is boring and dreadful, and the characters are as 2D as the previous installments. However...this game does have it where it counts!

 

The graphics are super stunning! The gameplay is very well balanced. Many shoot outs with complex AI. The costumes and over all look of the game is legendary. It is actually too bad considering that even though the "space Nazi's" look cool, they have about the same intelligence as Boris and Natasha from Rocky and Bullwinkle.

 

The single player is fun. The Multi-player is even better! Killzone 2 had a solid multi-player game, but it was buggy as all get out. This game has a much more polished multi-player interface, and has many more game modes to choose from, and a well balanced selection of class based load outs. Infiltrator class gives you the ability to disguise yourself as an actual member of the opposing team, complete with the actual gamertags. (though this has been met with some opposition). Marksman class is your basic sniper set, and kind of overpowered. Yet this is my favorite load out, because I have the ability to cloak myself the same way they do in Predator, but only for a limited time. There is also medic, and Engineer, which has the ability to set up spawn points, and set up gun turrets and/or bots which can help defend certain spots on the map. In addition to your "guerrilla" and "warzone" death matches, there is "operations" which is a healthy addition, where team mates must work together to either defend certain areas or trigger important events to win a match.

 

The first two Killzone games, and the PSP Killzone: Liberation all of the settings took place in over blown war torn cities which left you the view of a lot of concrete and re-bar. In Killzone 3, you have several maps some of which are in a vast alien Jungle, and a few that take place in a frozen tundra that makes Hoth look like Anchorage, Alaska. Complete with snow, wind, and ice, that depending how good you are, you can use to your advantage! The other new addition to the Killzone franchise is the inclusion of the Playstation Move support. I have been on the fence about Playstation move, since it very costly, and the controls look suspiciously similar to that of the Nintendo Wii. Killzone 3 controls are surprisingly well balanced. If you are fortunate to have the Playstation Sharp Shooter Controller, you are in for a treat! Basically, it's a replica of the mp5 assault rifle. The move controller goes in the top, and the navigation controller goes underneath the move controller but in front of the trigger. So basically, once you got that set up, you move your character with the thumb stick on the navigation controller and use your upper torso to aim and look. Takes some practice to get used too, but is super fun in co-op mode. Even though you CAN use this in multi-player, don't. You will get your **** wrecked in a hurry!

 

Lastly, what makes Killzone 3 so great is the music. The music makes this sloppy sci-fi Nazis in space story honestly feel more epic than it really is. The opening main menu theme, tends to get stuck in my head for days at a time. Even the opening of the game has a strong cinematic feel to it. You are almost waiting for either the "Dreamworks", "New Line Cinemas", or "Revolution Studio" logos to appear. I would almost see a movie of this franchise as long as Ewe Bowl doesn't have anything to do with it.

 

Over score: 89% "Great gameplay, silly story, but has everything that makes video games fun right where it counts!"

 

I bought the super expensive collector's edition that comes with a replica of a Hellghast mask, a marksman action figure, the complete soundtrack, a concept art book, and a super voucher that gives you limited access to all weapons and double xp for 24 hours.

 

check this out:

 

(This BBCode requires its accompanying plugin to work properly.)

[Totenkopf]

Just checked out some footage on YT and must agree that the graphics are quite sweet.

[Liverandbacon]

So basically, this is 1997's Starship Troopers, only replace the "bugs" with "space Nazis" and there you have Killzone.

 

So Space Nazis vs. Democracy, albeit one with a limited franchise and heavy militaristic bent?

 

Not a great future for the pacifists then.