In the two short years since Guerilla Games’ technically marvelous and visually stunning Killzone 2, the FPS landscape has continued to iterate, evolve and expand. Bloated budgets and sprawling set pieces that would make Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay weep have become the standard, while multiplayer longevity and addictiveness is now required for a day 1 purchase and consumer loyalty. Much like its signature controls, then, Killzone 3 has quite the weight on its digital shoulders. Fortunately, the developers have funneled community feedback, an inspired art direction and their passion for game design into one seriously noteworthy video game.

While Killzone 2 delivered cunning AI, exciting gameplay and eye-popping graphics, the narrative was anemic. With Killzone 3 we’re treated to a story resembling a rousing summer blockbuster; its subtleties and dialogue won’t be discussed among intellectuals in the brainysphere, but it will get you on your feet, cheering at the predictable but nonetheless kick-ass climax and the tightly paced sequence of events preceding it.

The star of the story isn’t the ISA’s desperate struggle to escape a war they’ve already lost, nor the faltering courage of Captain Narville and his generic dialogue. Instead, it’s the interpersonal struggle and political tug-of-war amongst the Helghast, instigated by Jorhan Stahl – voiced by the riveting Malcolm MacDowell. This emotionally-charged sub-plot gives the Helghast a remarkably human portrayal, presenting an unbiased look at the enemy’s own difficulties to restore order and deliver justice following the assassination of their Emperor, Scolar Visari.

If the liberal sprinkling of cutscenes isn’t your thing, the surprising – if brief – splash of color in the art direction certainly will be. The Kaznan Jungle – which protagonist Sevchenko must stealthily traverse – is an inspired interpretation of the Helghan jungle which manages to be simultaneously beautiful and frightening. Caves glow a bright, menacing red while elsewhere patches of purple and yellow organisms punctuate a distinctly alien environment. Killzone 3 isn’t without bold, inimitable art direction, but it felt as if Guerrilla Games was too shy to implement this kind of colorful design choice more than once, which is a shame. At least it shows promise for the outstanding collective imagination at work for Guerrilla’s new IP currently in development.

Even if the vastly improved narrative and delicious graphics (which are somehow austere and beautiful) don’t hook you, Killzone 3’s refined gunplay will absolutely own your thoughts. In Killzone 2, Guerrilla Games set out to impart a sense of weight to character movement. It felt like a mechanic symbolizing the odds of survival and hopelessness permeating the situation, but it was slightly overdone. Here, it is nailed perfectly. That sense of weight has shifted from feeling sluggish to conveying momentum, giving your character a realistic sense of motion, but with snappy enough response time to make split-second decisions.

Interestingly, it isn’t any of the above that lends Killzone 3’s single player campaign its longevity and replay value. Instead, it’s the cunning enemy AI. Using cover isn’t just encouraged, it’s required to stay alive for more than 30 seconds. But unlike most shooters, your Helghan adversaries will stop at nothing to force you out of your precious cover. They’ll flank you, hurl well-aimed grenades and relentlessly chip away at the destructible barriers protecting your flesh. When you’re on the offensive they will deftly dodge your grenades and use cover to their advantage. It turns each firefight into a mildly tactical situation, rather than a brainless run-and-gun corridor shooter. Up the difficulty to Elite and you’ll be duly impressed with just how talented Guerrilla Games’ AI programmers are.

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Written by Jason Evangelho  (406 Posts)

Jason is VGW’s founder, Executive Editor, and a longtime podcaster, writer, and “solopreneur” who is driven by the classic Jello Biafra quote “Don’t hate the media. Become the media.” His singular mission is to develop VideoGameWriters into a gaming site known for its intelligence, timeliness, originality and integrity. You can hear him leading the VGW Collective in the site’s official podcast, “Unlimited Ammo.”