Killzone 3

Killzone 3 Review

Kid Safe: Low                     Game Quality: High

Genre: First-Person Shooter

-          These game are characterized by the viewpoint and weapons used in the title. In a first person shooter, you are looking down the barrel of a gun as though you yourself are holding the weapon. Likewise, as the term "shooter" implies, the game specifically uses guns and firearms.

Internet Requirements: Moderate

-          Killzone 3 features a moderate amount of internet requirements. On top of the rather lengthy single-player story, this title also boasts a rather impressive online-multiplayer aspect that allows players to engage in battles against others via the internet.

Story Summary: In Killzone 3, you play the role of Sevchinko, a soldier who is part of the ISA

resistance that has been inserted into a war on the planet Helghan to fight against the Helghast, a power-hungry government structure looking to control the entire galaxy. (Side note: The Helghast have heavy comparisons to Nazi Forces from WWII). Now, fighting on the planet, you find yourself trapped with no means of escape when your only means off-world when your transport is destroyed. You must not only fight against the Helghan's advance weaponry and overwhelming will to dominate, but find a way to escape the planet with you and your men in one piece.

Kid Safe: Low

-          Foul Language: High

o   Killzone 3 features a high amount of foul language, primarily in the words a*s, b*tch, f*ck, and s*it. These words are heard often from a number of different characters, however are not used in an over-exemplified manner. Characters use these words very often in bouts of extreme anger, fear, or frustration. The only downside is that there tends to be a lot of scenes relating to that.

-          Violence and Gore: Very High - Not Recommended for Children

o   Killzone 3 features a very high amount of both violence and gore. First off, being a first-person shooter, players are using a wide range of firearms, weapons, and up-close-and-personal attacks to dispatch their enemies. These enemies are most often other human beings or robots along with some different animals and some rather large and unpleasant insects. This enemies will often drop down in a pool of disturbingly realistic blood and remain there for the rest of the time that you play.

o   The action of fighting and killing enemies in this title is notably brutal. Using a firearm against an enemy will result in gouts of blood spraying from their body and the person twitching and jumping as they are hit by bullets. The usage of certain high-powered rifles will result in the decapitation of enemies. Players are able to use a flame-thrower that sets enemies on fire; they will they scream out in pain and try and put out the flames for several seconds before the collapse and die.

o   Players are also able to use "Brutal Melee" attacks which focus on an up-close-and-person murder of an enemy, and brutal is a perfect descriptor. Players can sneak up behind an enemy and slash their throat with a combat knife. Players are able to smash enemies' heads against the surrounding environment. Players can smash in the facemask of enemies as well as stab them repeatedly in the chest. They are also able to turn an enemy around on their knees and stab their neck or shoot them in the back of the head.

             

-          Sexually-Related Content: None

o   Killzone 3, to the best of our knowledge, does not feature any sexually related scenes or content.

-          Use of Drugs and Alcohol: None

o   Killzone 3, to the best of our knowledge, does not condone or feature any scenes of usage of drugs or alcohol.

             

Game Quality: High

-          Graphics / Visuals: Very High

o   If there is one thing that I impressed me with Killzone 3, it was the graphics and visuals. Killzone 3 boasts some of the most impressive visuals that I have ever seen from a video game and easily deserves every accolade it has received in this area. Literally everything is a treat to look at, down to the tiniest detail. I sat there and marveled for a while simply staring at my compatriot the amazing amount of work that went into their design. Everything on my fellow soldier had texture, and very real texture at that, from the smooth polished metal of his firearm to the fibrous mesh of his tactical wear to the soft fur that lined his collar.

o   That is to say that I was impressed until I saw the facial animation for all of the characters. The level of facial quality is easily some of the best I've ever seen. Subtle movements, perfect lip-synching, slight-facial expressions. This quality of the characters in this title are second only to video demonstrations that I have seen for L.A. Noire, which actually uses LIVE actors.

o   It should be noted that I have just been fretting on the SMALL details of characters. Players will find themselves wandering through a fully realized world. As a character, the player is simply part of that world, it does not revolve around them. In just walking around a factory, you will see dozens of other things going on that have nothing to do with you. Ships flying by or docking at a spaceport. Men working on a variety of different projects. Soldiers running here and there. This continues on as we step onto a battlefield as, looking around, you will see dozens of different things happening in the distance. You are not the only man on the battlefield, you are part of a larger picture.

    

-          Audio: High

o   Killzone 3 has a rather high quality of audio, music, and voice acting, however it does suffer from some glitches. To begin, just like the facial animations, the voice acting is top notch and truly adds life to the characters that you meet. Not only does every actor hit their mark, but Killzone also features an impressive cast including recognized actors Malcolm McDowell, Ray Winstone, James Remar, and Damian O'Hare. Likewise, the constant attention to detail in ambient sound adds impressive immersion to Killzone 3. Subtle beeps, clicks, the crunching of glass under your boots, etc. are all a treat if you have surround sound or a pro-gaming headset. Finally, the music is well-done and tends to increase or subdue to add a proper background element to tense moments.

o   Now, we ran into one major problem with the audio in Killzone 3: glitches. Originally, when I heard the first audio "stutter", I thought it was just some minor error that occurred; maybe my system just moved a bit or there was a fleck of dust on the disc. No. I recorded multiple instances of soldiers yelling on the battlefield of suffering from audile glitching. Several examples include, "They came out of nowherenowherenowherewherewhereere" and" Sustained heavy sustained heavy sususustained heavy damage". It was a bit depressing that, given the perfection that was the visual quality of this title, the audio was still a bit un-polished.

-          Gameplay / Playability: High

o   Killzone 3 has a generally high quality of gameplay and playability. Starting with playability, the game does its job well in introducing players to the controls and game. Before ever even touching the game, Killzone allows players to configure the controller buttons to match their personal preference; meaning that everyone can play how they want. Once this is done, the title slowly leads you through how to use different elements of gameplay including using firearms, taking cover, stealth and melee attacks, etc. This holds the same for whenever a player uses a vehicle in-game, always allowing the player some breathing room to move around and experiment with the controls before throwing them into a fight.

o   Killzone's gameplay is equally impressive. Not only will players experience big, over-the-top battles and firefights, but much more. Killzone 3 allows players to experience the action in a number of ways including piloting several very different vehicles like Weaponized Jetpacks, a mechanized battle-armor, and even act as a gunner for a tank. Explosions too loud for you? This title also features stealth missions that encourage the player to approach the game from a different angle rather than running around and shooting everything.

o   The main reason that Killzone got marked down is because of a fair-share of unoriginality. While the overall story is interesting and a lot of the environments of very cool to look at, I found myself several times getting a sense of deja-vu. After probably the fifth time, I suddenly realized why. I had played through this before. There are some missions in this title that are embarrassingly unoriginal and feel and play out just like ones from other shooters including Call of Duty and Medal of Honor. While it's not bad, it does make the game boring at parts.

          

-          Dollar-Value: High

o   Killzone 3 has a relatively high dollar-value. The single-player story is interesting, if occasionally a bit un-original in its gameplay, and will last you for anywhere from 7 to 11 hours, depending on how well you can play through it. On top of this, players are able to engage in offline cooperative mode, meaning that two players can sit down and play together through the game's campaign together. Plus, once you get bored of the offline mode, players have the ability to hop online and engage in Killzone's rather impressive online-multiplayer option. The online multiplayer really has something for everyone and allows players to not online slowly build and customize their very own soldier, but try out any number of different game modes online.

Recommendations

-          If you are looking for a first-person shooter with less blood and gore, we recommend taking a look at either Battlefield: Bad Company, Halo: Reach, or Blacksite Area 51. If you are less concerned with blood and gore and more interested in solid gameplay, I think that Battlefield: Bad Company 2 or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.