14 DAY TRIAL // Killzone 3 might not be one of the shooter that aficionados of the genre mention in the same breath as the big two releases of the fall, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 from Infinity Ward and Activision and Battlefield 3 from DICE and Electronic Arts.
Still for me, this game has urgency and a set of mechanics that makes it the second best of the year in its field, despite some pretty strong competition.
The actual scene to scene shooting action in Killzone 3 is one of the most solid of the year, all the weapons have weight and punch and movement seems lifelike, not something akin to a float as in some rivals.
The challenges players encounter are diverse and the Helghast are pretty smart in covering each other and moving to flank the player, with none of the shooting gallery feel that the genre now favors.
The presence of jetpacks, although limited, adds even more variety and the developers made sure to offer a number of battle environment, the ice covered ones offering the most visual striking landscapes, especially during the air assault scenarios.
But the element that elevates Killzone 3 over its peers is that it is very serious about how conflict destroys lives, enables maniacs to rise to power and often leads to great men making huge mistakes.
Setting the game in the far future makes it somewhat more believable and emotionally resonant than all the games that tackle modern themes and narratives involving real world power players.
Killzone 3 also manages to integrate the PlayStation Move motion tracking system from Sony well, something that few other shooters have tried and ever smaller numbers of titles have actually have managed.
It’s not clear whether Guerrilla Games plans to deliver another full on Killzone title in the near future but I certainly hope that they keep the series going and further emphasize how horrible war, even in a science fiction world, is.