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Killzone 3!

The sequel to one of the most well received first person shooters in years, and the only game to achieve a perfect 10/10 score on Krakrabbit.com, has finally arrived but will Killzone 3 be able to surpass, or even meet its predecessor's high standards.

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Round 3: Killzone 3 takes place shortly after the events of Killzone 2, in which a Helghast leader is gunned down and the population of the alien planet of Helghan rise up to smash the ISA (Interplanetary Strategic Alliance), basically an elite squad that represents Earth and Vekta (a "good" planet that constantly attempts to repel the invasions of the Helghast).

First off, I will say that if you are not familiar with the previous installments in the Killzone series, you may feel a bit lost in what is going on. Killzone 3 picks up virtually immediately from where Killzone 2 ended and does very little to deeply explain what happened in the earlier titles.

If you are familiar with the storyline and what is going on though, you will find Killzone 3's story very engrossing. Quite simply a deep story that could possibly pass for a movie script, Killzone 3's plot is excellent and does a great job of storytelling from the beginning and mixing in cinematics in between the user-controller action.

Epic...Epic...Epic: As far as the gameplay goes, Killzone 3 does it again outstandingly. As was the case the first time around, Killzone 3 has a habit of creating incredible moments and very intense firefights throughout the game.

Returning to the series is the ability to take cover behind almost anything and again, despite being a first person shooter Killzone 3 does the cover system very well. Your cover may fall apart when under fire, and depending on what kind of opposition you are facing you will be required to use different kinds of cover.

Although the standard control scheme is a bit odd (holding L2/LT to take cover and clicking in the right thumbstick to aim down the sights of your gun), it is easy to get accustomed to the controls and they ultimately pose very little issue. Not only that, but if you wish you can switch to the "alternate" control scheme, which mirrors the controls of games like Call of Duty: Black Ops.

The firefights in Killzone 3 are fantastic though, with constant gunfire and explosions going off while you, your teammates and your enemies hide behind cover playing a deadly game of hide and seek.

All of the guns fire very realistically, with subtle recoil to them and noticeably different behavior (fire rate, damage, etc.) depending on what you are carrying at the time. Not only that, but the melee system are been overhauled and is more visceral than ever. No longer just a simple smash with the butt of your gun, you will be stabbing and cutting your enemies with your knife when forced to battle in close quarters, adding to the gritty feel of the game even more.

War Never Looked So Good: Killzone 3, using a heavily modified version of the Havoc engine, displays incredible graphics and textures from the start of the game. Most of the game has a very gritty feel to it, with dirt, dust, bulletholes and burn marks plastered across the environment but looks excellently.

Everything looks surprisingly realistic and shockingly detailed, and I believe the destructibility of your surroundings helps add to the engrossing feeling the game purveys throughout.

Not only that, but all of the sound effects in the game are very solid and the weapons have vastly different sounds depending on what you are using. The voice acting is top notch for the most part, although occasionally the characters in the game seemed to lack some enthusiasm in situations that warranted more excitement.

Rent vs. Buy: The single player campaign in this title is just outstanding all around, with incredible gameplay, great visuals and an engrossing story with enough twists to keep you interested. As was the case with Killzone 2, the latest in the series provides an excellent journey that, while very difficult, is extremely enjoyable.

Also like its predecessor, Killzone 3 lacks any serious flaws and is a shockingly well done and engrossing experience. The scores I issued for this title speak for themselves.

This game is simply spectacular from top to bottom, start to finish. The game ends rather abruptly and the single player campaign is surprisingly short (easily completed in under ten hours, perhaps another couple hours more on the tougher difficulties) but it is excellent.

Also, the game has real replayability because on the higher difficulties you will encounter tougher, more intelligent enemies and facing seemingly impossible missions.

The multiplayer in the game is underrated as well. The gameplay is very solid (although cover is not used too often, as it is in the campaign), there are a fairly large variety of weapons to choose from and the gameplay modes are engrossing.

There are not a ton of modes to choose from in the multiplayer (basically just a basic Team Deathmatch and a plant-the-bomb based objective mode), but they are very enjoyable and can be played on a number of vastly different maps.

The multiplayer is tough to get a hang of early on, due to the lack of special skills (such as deploying a sentry or disguising yourself as an enemy) and relatively weak weapons, but as soon as you begin to level up and have access to more powerful equipment the social aspect of Killzone 3 can become very addictive.

I was very impressed with Killzone 3 through and through and found nearly everything to be technically perfect. Without a doubt I fully recommend to pick this game up if you are a fan of truly epic titles.

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