Read between the lines of all the Killzone 3 hype thus far and the words “bigger” and “better” echo around the web like Helghast bullets from an SMG. Though the gameplay was instantly familiar in the three demo levels that we played at the recent PS3 Beta event, those two words were still ringing in our ears on the long journey home.
Before we talk about the gameplay, let’s first focus on the stunning visuals. The inhospitable wasteland of Helghan is bought to life remarkably in each of the three levels. In “Intruder Flight,” turbulent seas surround the off-shore oil rig and waves crash up the sides of the huge metal structure, cleverly complementing the storm of violence and blood-shed on board. The abandoned rig is so meticulously detailed that we were quite happy to spend time just exploring the deck in between spraying Helghast with bullets.
The frozen snowy wasteland of the “Jetpack” level is equally impressive. It’s an environment we didn’t see in Killzone 2, but Guerilla Games creates a stunning snowy landscape complete with fierce blizzards and snow flurries that work against you to add a further dimension to the gameplay as you battle against the elements.
Finally, the “WASP” level, shows you just how varied the terrain will be, offering a tightly designed Helghast base where you have to fight your way up a slope that sports multiple cover spots for both you and the Helghast. Each level looks fantastic, continues and improves on the good work that we saw in Killzone 2.
Intruder Flight
"After a daring mid-air rescue, Sev and Rico make their way into a Frozen Shore, Helghan’s most desolate territory."
As you launch a raid on a Helghast base on a decommissioned oil rig deep in the ocean, you fly in on an ISA Dropship with the objective to clear deck so you can safely land. This is an on-rails section, where you man one of the machine guns on the ship, shoot down the waves of Helghast that appear on board and target exploding barrels dotted around the rig to cause some mayhem.
This is a cinematic entrance to the level and visually it is very impressive, but it’s a fairly basic passage of gameplay that simply requires you to aim and shoot. Aim at a barrel, blow it up and Helghast will impressively fly left, right and centre, while the explosions you cause from taking down parts of the rig have a cascading effect on the environment. If one thing collapses and smashes onto something else, then that in turn will fall and impact the surrounding area. Shooting enemy drop ships out of the sky and watching them splinter as they explode is the highlight of an otherwise rudimentary passage of gameplay that adds little to the Killzone gameplay that we know and love. Nevertheless, this small section is an impressive visual set piece that showcases Killzone 3’s graphics very well.
Onto the deck and this is where Killzone 3 excels, ground combat! Helghast appear on different levels of the rig and the rest of your time is spent trying to make your way to the front of the rig to set off an explosive device, battling past the enemy with sheer determination and skill. Shooting from behind cover feels smoother and more intuitive and targeting is spot-on, we were picking off headshots like an expert sniper. A.I. reacts intelligently, switching cover spots when you’ve got them nailed down, and using the opportunity to run at you if you get too close. The environment here is quite tight, so there’s also plenty of opportunity to dispatch the Helghast when you get up close and personal too, so thrusting a knife through a Helghast’s eye with L1 or executing a neck-breaking take-down is extremely satisfying. In Killzone 2, we’d often stay back and clear the way before moving forward, but these executions give you another strategy that you can call upon…and boy does it feel good when you get it right. It’s kill or be killed and Guerilla Games has captured that mood with some really intense fire-fights.
Jetpack
"In a last ditch effort to take out the enemy’s anti-air weapons, Sev straps on an experimental Helghast Jetpack and takes a flight to the skies."
This level takes place in a snowy region, complete with icebergs, snowstorms and jet-pack wearing Helghast. Sev starts the mission with his own jetpack which adds yet another layer of strategy. Flying with the jetpack took us a little getting used to, working out the distance and height that you can travel with it while boosting, but once we nailed it were darting around no problem, using it to escape situations where we were surrounded, or jumping in the middle of a pack of Helghast to take them by surprise.
The Jetpack doesn’t have unlimted boost; you float through the air for a short period of time, so you have to use it wisely in short bursts to get to or from locations quickly. In this particular level, there are so many ways that you can use the jetpack for tactical play that you could play the mission a dozens times and do things differently. There’s even Helghast that use jetpacks that you’ll have to fight in mid-air. This is another brilliantly designed level with multiple levels and plenty of cover-spots that can be used for tactical play. The jetpack is going to be great in multiplayer!
WASP
"A small group of surviving radiers face overwhelming odds when they come up against a heavily fortified Helghast position."
The final level in the demo saw us assaulting a Helghast base in an uphill battle armed with the WASP. The WASP is a devastating weapon that unleashes three heat seeking missiles that can blow up an enemy tank with little effort. You move a little slower when you’re equipped with it, but it’s a lot of fun to use. It hold 9 rounds, but you’ll only find three rounds of ammo at a time, so you should use it only when you really need it. It has various firing modes that fire a different amount of rounds and you can also paint a target, fire, and use your full complement of rounds on one enemy.
The most fun to be had out of the WASP is using it flush out enemies from behind cover. You’ll kill four or five at a time and see their bodies fly into the air like rag-dolls. Ammo was hard to find on this level though, and in our first playthrough we found ourselves scrambling around for another weapon to use and then having to battle against the Helghast and their tank armed with just a pistol. Back on the second playthrough and we learnt our lesson. This was another frantic and intense mission that challenged us and left us reeling for more.
The three demo levels are already enough to convince us that Killzone 3 is going to be well worth the wait. The new additions we saw here – the melee attacks, the jetpack and the WASP – are going to give us more tools to use and therefore more ways to play through a level. The environments themselves are large and well designed, with plenty of opportunity to approach the missions in different ways, while the tweaks to the gameplay, from the targeting to the improved cover system, are all going to lend a hand in creating what we’re sure will be a stunning PS3 exclusive.
We also played Killzone 3 in 3D. You can check out our opinion here.