Killzone? More like Killz-ON!

Cuz... you kill lots of stuff in the game. Killz-on. It... nevermind.

This game is a delight for many reasons. We all know I strongly disapprove of the COD series as a complete gaming value. It's a multiplayer game with an extended single player training level. *bash*bash*bash*

Killzone was a different beast all together. "Killzone was a different beast"


Way back in the PS2 shooter days there were slim pickins, but those games all showed potential in one way or another. I still own Killzone 1 and Black. For some reason they've always struck me as important games to the system. Killzone was released just a few years before the PS3 came onto the scene, so most of the PS2 games were worried about their future, and the gaming companies were showing off their mad graphic skills, which were considerably impressive at the time, at least in Killzone and Black's way.

Killzone 1 had online play, a good storyline, decent characters and enough of a varied level environment so the whole thing didn't feel too repetitive. Although I did feel like I was in that drainage warehouse for ever.

This ain't a Killzone review of all the games, but a commentary on the new one. Killzone 2 was a benchmark game for the PS3. But what better way to show off the swag of a new system than by a nice looking, decently made shooter. The Killzone series doesn't do anything better than anyone else, but it also doesn't screw anything up. I wish "PC Shooter" was a title you could give something, a game that was a nice stable shooter that you enjoyed playing one time through, had some multiplay, but was decent overall. Nothing impressive, just more of what you love. Or- PC Shooter.


The new Killzone does more of the same, but it's enjoyable. Let's see.... there's an evil planet of people who are basically cast-off and they start to build their own army and fight the earth forces, blah blah blah.

Come to think of it, it's strange but you sort of feel for both sides. The Helghast (the outcasts) were sort of cast aside unjustly and are simply fighting to survive, although they're taking it a bit too far, and the earth forces always seem to be the ones invading.

You know.... this makes me seriously consider the storylines of video games, and possibly a review of good storyline games.....


At any rate, you play the earth forces, and a generic BJ Blazkowicz of sorts, bent on being the best he can be. Buh.

For most of Killzone it's you and your also tough latin-american partner who both don't give two claps about their commanders, they're just getting the job done. So you and Dom, wait no, you and Cole Train, wait wait no no, you and Soap. Ok got it, you and Price are.... no wait... you're Sev, and your partner is Rico.

Ok, now's the touchy subject.... I was playing Killzone 3, and enjoying it. When I had a sneaking mission come up, you and another character start to sneak into enemy areas.

Your partner, I'm not making this up, has a fullbeard, sunglasses, and a backwards hat. He leads you through the enemy lines and helps you take headshots.

Did I just describe Medal Of Honor or Killzone 3? Dammit.... Killzone....

In their defense, it's a shooter, so who honestly cares. COD, GOW, and MOH aren't the first games to have these stock characters, and if it helps the story to progress and the developers to work on a better game, have at it.

Is the game any good? Yeah. Yeah.... it's I mean, a game you'll get through in a long weekend. The storyline is stock, characters are stock, theres a jetpack level, a few rail shooter levels, a nice mix of the same stuff we all enjoy.

But here's where Killzone 3 is doing what others is done and they done it right. There's a Co-Op mode, there's a multiplayer mode, there's a bot mode. The multiplay, ooooh the multiplay. I love me some FPS games where each side has an objective, not just "shoot everything". UT2K4 had a ton of those, there were waypoints to get, areas to defend, all the good stuff.

Killzone 3 has those as well. You basically play through a mission with your team. Blow up a door to open into a new area, defend that new area until a support weapon or vehicle arrives, use that vehicle to get control of another point. Controlling points sometimes allows for a better overhead map with enemy units, sometimes you have to defend a single player, sometimes that single player has to do all of the objectives, and everyone has to defend them.

It's all the same goodies that a good shooter should have, just with fancy Killzone 3 graphics and controls.

Which have to be last for a reason. The graphics and controls in Killzone are wonderful. The levels are huge, the particle effects are wonderful, the water looks like water, the snozberries... nevermind. The controls are a delight as well, the cover and shoot from cover system is something you won't use much, until you truly need it, then it'll come in handy. There are a few glitches here and there, some clipping, some audio repeats. But when there are maps that take 20 to 30 minutes to fight across, with no loading, beautiful atmospheres and environments (look up every so often in the game, you'll see what I mean, there's shit in space!!) You can forgive it. It's a good shooter for a system not known for it's good shooters. It shows off it can graphics better than the rest, and there's enough other stuff to keep you busy for a while. If you like shooters, love shooters, or want something different but familiar for your PS3. Get it.