Review:Killzone 3

Killzone 3 carries on the tradition of the previous three Killzone games. There’s much killing of the hated Helghast. There’s all sorts of cool weapons and vehicles. There’s the fully-fleshed out multiplayer experience.

But at its heart, the game is more about the competition for power than the soldiers on the ground.

It begins shortly after the conclusion of Killzone 2, released two years ago. The invading Interplanetary Strategic Alliance forces had successfully executed Helghast leader Emperor Scolar Visari, thinking that would put an end to the war between Helghan and the ISA.

Unfortunately, their efforts only spurred the remaining commanders of the Helghast army, with conflict arising between the military and corporate leaders on the best way to win the war.

There is as much infighting between the two sides as fighting with the ISA. Cutscenes serve to draw out the battles and point out the disagreements.

Two of the main protagonists from Killzone 2 – ISA soldiers Tomas Sevchenko and Rico Velasquez – lead the battle once again in the fight to defeat the Helghast. In fact, Rico is the one who executed the Helghast leader, leading to the renewed fervor.

The first-person shooter follows Sev and Rico as they travel through Helghast, trying to keep from dying and trying to eliminate as many Helghast as possible. Most of the combat is on the ground, negotiating through tunnels and caves and buildings.

But in addition, players will fly and hover and drive through many combat zones. High-speed ice grinders and personal hovercraft are used in a couple of levels.

New to the series is a type of weapon that can cause the enemy to explode. This new weapon is key in the Helghast’s master plan.

Essential combat skills include ducking and firing from cover and reviving fallen teammates.

Online multiplayer action sticks with what the series does best – offering a rotating series of gametypes that keep the action varied and the goals everchanging.

The three types are Guerrilla Warfare, Warzone and Operations.

Guerrilla Warfare is also known as team deathmatch.

Warzone offers five gametypes – Assassination, Search and Destroy, Search and Retrieve, Capture and Hold and Bodycount – all pretty self-explanatory. Cycling through them provides a wide ranging experience, but I would prefer the option of only selecting specific gametypes also.

In Operations gametypes, both sides battle for control of specific objectives over three missions.

Online players can choose from five soldier types – Infiltrator, Tactician, Field Medic, Engineer and Marksman. This selection is missing a couple from the list available from Killzone 2.

Especially nice options are the Engineer, who can build turrets; and Infiltrators, who can disguise themselves as a member of the opposing team. Both can be the difference in a closely contested battle.

The Marksman (sniper) also have the added bonus of being able to make themselves invisible. I’ve never been a fan of snipers in games, but I think being able to also cloak is giving the player type an unfair advantage.

Team members are designated by green and red names. Many online shooters offer the option to toggle to another color scheme, say blue and white, since many players have color blindness issues. Killzone 3 doesn’t appear to offer that option.

In addition to battling online, players can try their multiplayer luck against bots – computer-controlled soldiers – in the Botzone. This is a good way to train and for learning the ins and outs of the maps before playing online against flesh-and-blood opponents.

The game can be played using the new Move motion controllers for the PS3, using a navigation controller and a motion contoller in concert with the Playstation Eye camera. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a Move navigation controller – only two motion controllers.

As an alternative, a wireless Dualshock3 controller can be used in place of the navigation controller, but it requires that the Dualshock be held and used with one hand – not very workable or comfortable for a controller meant to be held in two hands.

But the game does play just fine with only a Dualshock3. And I suspect players with a Dualshock will have a competitive advantage online until Move controller users get up to speed learning the intricacies of motion controlling.

Killzone 3 is also playable in 3D, but requires a 3D TV, of course.

Killzone has been a solid first-person series on the PlayStation3. This foray into the eternal Helghast/ISA war measures up as the best of the lot.

Platform: Playstation 3  Rating: Mature Manufacturer: Sony Score: 9 Helghastly chilies