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Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Thoughts on Killzone 3

I've just finished the campaign of Killzone 3 and I've got to say it was an amazing ride. From the look and feel of the weapons to the design of the incredible environments and from the epic battles to the wonderfully directed and intense cutscenes this game is a must have for all PS3 owning FPS fans.

The weapons of Killzone 3 are really well done. Each looks amazing and each has its own unique feel to it. The ISA assault rifle was one of my favorite during my first play through as it felt damn near perfect from the attention to detail and the feel and look of the recoil as the weapon was fired. It really felt like I could pick up the gun in the real world and have a fair understanding of what to expect in terms of recoil and handling. The shotgun pistol is perfect for finishing off enemies in close quarters, it really packs a punch and is easy to use and handle. I highly enjoyed using the Sta - 52 Helghast rifle as it is a very accurate weapon with plenty of power and allows you to maintain your mobility so you can get around and get to cover quickly.  One of my favorite weapons was the Bolt Gun, this thing is super powerful 1 hit kill and the bolt even explode a couple seconds after impact. Shooting Helghast and nailing them to various structures is always fun. These are just a few of the many weapons available in the campaign, there are multiple Submachine Guns, LMGs, Rocket Launchers, Rifles and Miniguns at your disposal to aid you in your goal to defeat the vast Helghan army.

The gun of KZ3 are essential to game play and so they have to look good but the environments of the planet Helghan look damn fine too. It's true a lot of the game is played in snow covered areas but the places that aren't look pretty amazing. My favorite would have to be the Jungle, full of creatures like spiders and various plants that will actively try to kill you as you make your way though the level was cool. This is planet helghan so it isn't a normal jungle with trees and big leafy plants. it feels, to me at least, like these plants have sprouted up from volcanic rock so its a mix between a jungle area in terms of plants and creatures being present and a series of caves and canyons but with plants. It sounds weird but its look great, especially with certain plants emitting glows and casting moving shadows and they help to bring color to an area that would normally have none.

The environments are sweet and look great and help to set up some massive battles, battles on an epic scale. One can't mention epic battles and while referring to KZ3 without talking about the MAWLR. With little choice Sev takes on the MAWLR, a missive multistory walking gun, alone. 


This beast of a machine has dozens of turrets, missile silos, and a supercharged Ion Cannon. Think "Super powered, Impenetrably armored, 30 story  AT-AT" from Star Wars and you might have the MAWLR in mind. This thing is covered like scales in guns and and some kind of armor plating that cant be penetrated with miniguns or even missiles. The fight spans 3 different levels and can take closer to an hour finish. The sheer scale is impressive I hope to see more thing like this in future KZ3 games as it really felt like a other worldly battle.

One of the most impressive things about KZ3 was the cut-scenes. While they give a break from the constant barrage of Helghast soldiers, tanks, drop ships, fortified bunkers and supremely well placed grenades (man those Helghast must be born with a grenade in the hand cause they can drop one from across a room within 2 feet of you repeatedly) they also gave you a look at what was happening off the battle field and away from the war zone and deepened the story at the same time. It was nice to get a look at who is behind the Helghast war effort.

While I had a blast playing through the story I did run into a few issues so of course KZ3 isn't perfect. I hit an invisible wall which stopped me from progressing during my first play through although it was fixed easily it still wasn't cool. I also had time when I was in cover and tried to fire but nothing would happen, fully loaded weapon but no bullets flying which lead to my death. Rico also pissed me off a couple times, he wouldn't advance because there was an enemy, a small spider, hadn't been killed. He would also run up to me after I'd been downed by the enemy look at me and tell me that he was surrounded and that he can't revive me. WTF do you mean surrounded there is one guy left and you are right next to me, that fool! But overall KZ3 is a solid game all around, of course I didn't get into the MP side of the game, maybe another time and post. I feel this is a great game and that anyone who was a fan of previous KZ titles and FPSs should check it out and see for themselves.

I give this game a 9/10, CHECK IT OUT! 




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