"Killzone 3" Review (PS3)

"Killzone 3" is the Swiss Army knife of PS3 games. It supports your 3D TV, the PlayStation Move, online multiplayer and local co-op. But forget the fancy features, "Killzone 3" is a great game, and perhaps even more fun in 2D with the standard DualShock 3 controller. The story may be typical sci-fi fare, but incredible level design, lots of variety, and a surprisingly solid multiplayer system make this the standout shooter thus far this year.

Supporting as many PS3 features as a game can, "Killzone 3" shows that Guerrilla Games was listening not only to Sony's request to throw the PS3 kitchen sink into the game, but also to the community. Most all of the complaints levied against "Killzone 2" have been fixed, and "Killzone 3" can keep pace with most any other first person shooter (FPS) out there.

So, let's look at the additional features first, shall we? "Killzone 3" fully supports 3D gameplay. I've played the game in 3D, in every mode possible, and have come to the following conclusion: it's cool, but I ended up playing in 2D at the end of the day. Oddly enough, that's the story I got from some of the developers of the game as well. It is pretty, but between having to refocus your eyes when you tilt your head to the constant "popping" in and out of objects from the sides of the screen, it seems this is a fun way to show off your 3D TV, but not to play, unlike Gran Turismo 5, which was a blast to play in 3D.

"Killzone 3's" Move motion control support suffers a similar fate. It certainly works, and you could play the entire game using the Move and Navigation Controller, but it seems a bit awkward, and I'm not sure it's any more fun and certainly not more accurate than using the standard DualShock 3 controller.

Graphically "Killzone 3" is a mixed bag. For the most part it's beautiful, but then they make you crawl through tall grass that looks like someone printed out of an inkjet printer and cut out, completely flat. The design of the vehicles, weapons, buildings, etc. are all top notch, but the execution of some of the graphics end up being inconsistent.

The single player game picks up where "Killzone 2" leaves off, and unnecessarily skips back and forth between in time, but it doesn't really matter, it serves it's purpose, giving you an excuse to shoot a lot of Helghast. This is where the game shines. You are constantly being put in different environments, and the level design sports the appropriate variety. From piloting vehicles to using a jet-pack or firing from a mounted gun or sniping, mixing up the activities keeps you engaged. The levels also feature a good variety of cover, elevations, and open areas. To be honest, story aside, the play in "Killzone 3's" campaign is as good as it gets.

Multiplayer is, as many expected, where "Killzone 3" truly excels. The game is class based, similar to "Team Fortress 2," yet career based, not unlike the "Modern Warfare" games. The traditional play modes are there, plus a mode called "Operations" which combines multiplayer action with campaign mode story telling. The multiplayer maps are superb, and all of the classes are useful right out of the gate. Unlike many class-based games, in "Killzone 3" even the support classes, Medic and Engineer, are as deadly as the rest.

"Killzone 3" is similar to a big budget movie, it's in 3D, it has some gimmicks to get you to play, but it's also a very fun guilty pleasure.