I’ll admit that I didn’t play the original Killzone or Killzone 2 (mostly on account of not owning a PlayStation at the time), but the series has always intrigued me. While it may be describe derisively as “World War 2 in space”, that sort of thematic setting is right up my alley. Sony and Guerrilla Studios dropped a bit of a shocker on us last week, revealing the third entry in the series before E3 even started. What’s more, the game is going to be in 3D! A lot of people say that the third time is the charm, but will that ring true for Killzone? Quite a few websites got to go hands-on with the game this week (our invitation got lost in the mail), and Kotaku has a nice write-up detailing all the new changes.
What stood out to me most, besides the 3D, is how crisp this game looks. Perhaps you don’t remember the infamous E3 2005 trailer for Killzone which painted an image in everyone’s mind that the sequel couldn’t quite match. While it seems quaint now, the lasting impressions of the video have given Killzone a lot to live up to, and the third game seems to come the closest to reaching those lofty heights.
Besides looking like the most tasty of eye candies, Killzone 3 is getting some neat gameplay improvements like a revamped melee system and jet packs. Before you go off claiming that Killzone is ripping off Halo: Reach, let me remind you that someone will bring up Tribes, and we’d all like to avoid that scene. The close-combat promises to be more brutal than your average first-person-shooter, which mostly deals with that via a gun stock to head, or maybe a quick stab. While the build being presented was a little early, it did promise face-kicks, back-stabs, and knives through the Helghast’s iconic eye-piece.
For those of you wondering about the 3D, it appears to be well integrated with the head’s up display smoothing nicely, and aiming down the sight offering a nice differentiation of depth. Unfortunately, the preview does mention that the 3D got nauseating at one point. This will differ for everyone, but I got a little sick during Avatar, so I think I might skip on this option.
What do you guys think? How is Killzone 3 looking to you so far? Sure-fire purchase, rental, or are you passing altogether?
Source: Kotaku
I’ll keep my eye on it for sure. The 2nd Killzone, while gorgeous, just felt totally soulless to me in terms of its scope and story, and the gameplay just seemed a bit generic. It was like Call of Duty in space but boring-er (yes I know that’s not a word). If they can take that gameplay and punch it up and really give a reason to care, then I’ll be all for it. Besides, it’s hard to resist a game that purdy.
I really liked KZ2 so hopefully it’s a more-of-the-same-only-better upgrade. Call me a masochist, but 2’s melee wasn’t visceral enough so hopefully it will be more akin to the firsts.
Regardless, I can’t wait!
I loved KZ 2, both story and gameplay. I crave more.
TRIBES! lol Mitch, I also get motion sick easy, I don’t think I’d be comfortable with a fast paced shooter that’s popping out into me.