In the bleak, grim future there is only red and blue. Or is it green? This is a review of Killzone 3, a game that makes me wonder if I’m colour-blind.
Killzone 3, much like the previous entries in the series, makes use of a very monochromatic palette in most of its environments. They mostly explain this away as the planet being formerly inhospitable. The colours also lend to the mood of the game, so I guess you can’t put too much fault to it. The lack of colour actually makes the few colours that you do see seem much more distinct, like the reds of the eyes of your enemy, or the bright-blue-green that you see on the uniforms of your allies. There are a few moments where you see a little bit more colour, like in the jungle level where you can see some of the wildlife of Helghan.
The gameplay is pretty much your standard FPS fare. You progress through several levels shooting Helghast soldiers with various weapons, while trying not to get shot to pieces yourself. There are some stealth sections as well, where you have to think about who you take out first, so that you do not alert the others. Some segments where you see what it is like on the other side of the conflict are present, with some cool visor effects to match. Sprinkled throughout are some vehicle sections where you pilot walkers and act as a gunner on a spaceship, which range from entertaining to annoying.
The controls do not feel as ‘weighty’ as Killzone 2, so you might find it easier to aim at things quickly. Personally, I didn’t mind the controls either way but I can see how some people might not have liked the older control style, and how some might not like this more relaxed style. One thing that I did notice is that I was dying a bit more often in Killzone 3 than in other shooters I’ve played lately. I’ve since learned to not charge in at every opportunity, as many enemies punish you dearly for doing so. The very least you could do is do something to put the enemies in disarray for a few seconds, like throwing a grenade, because then you could at least try to take them one on one. Most of the time you can end most conflicts from a distance anyway, hiding behind cover and popping the Helghast in the head whenever they decide to peer over their cover.
If they get too close you can try executing a “brutal melee” where you can do things like slit the poor fellow’s throat or break their neck, or have at their eyes, which looks particularly painful because you can hear their goggles shattering and probably sticking in their eyes. The flamethrower from Killzone 2 returns for this third instalment and I found it to be just entertaining as ever. The Helghast do not like it when you use this weapon on them, and they’ll let you know it too by screaming through their deepened-voice filters.
The controls do not feel as ‘weighty’ as Killzone 2, so you might find it easier to aim at things quickly. Personally, I didn’t mind the controls either way but I can see how some people might not have liked the older control style, and how some might not like this more relaxed style. One thing that I did notice is that I was dying a bit more often in Killzone 3 than in other shooters I’ve played lately. I’ve since learned to not charge in at every opportunity, as many enemies punish you dearly for doing so. The very least you could do is do something to put the enemies in disarray for a few seconds, like throwing a grenade, because then you could at least try to take them one on one. Most of the time you can end most conflicts from a distance anyway, hiding behind cover and popping the Helghast in the head whenever they decide to peer over their cover.
If they get too close you can try executing a “brutal melee” where you can do things like slit the poor fellow’s throat or break their neck, or have at their eyes, which looks particularly painful because you can hear their goggles shattering and probably sticking in their eyes. The flamethrower from Killzone 2 returns for this third instalment and I found it to be just entertaining as ever. The Helghast do not like it when you use this weapon on them, and they’ll let you know it too by screaming through their deepened-voice filters.
Speaking of voices, the audio design in this game is rather nice. It’s like the developers tried to make sure everything sound harsh and unfriendly. The main antagonists of the series, the Helghast, all have English accents with inhumanly deep voices. This deepened voice can actually make them seem less like faceless goons, as you can sometimes hear them celebrate when you die (“I did it! I killed the invader!”). I didn’t notice any conversations between the soldiers like I did in Killzone 2, so there might not be more conversations between Helghast about uniform violations for you to listen in on.
The multiplayer consists of your stock standard team deathmatch (called “Bodycount”), as well as a few modes that differ from the usual offerings. There is a “Search and Retrieve” mode, where both teams have to seek out a propaganda device and bring it back to their team’s collection point. Search and Destroy has the teams alternating between destroying and defending objects. The mode that I like the most is Assassination, where one team has a member that the other team has to try to kill within a time limit. While I was playing I did not notice much lag, but I wasn’t doing terribly well because of how well the opposing team members seem to camouflage into their surrounding environment. I found it slightly easier to find members of the Helghast team whenever I was fighting them, probably due to the reds in their eyes, which stand out more.
Do I like this game? I do. If you don’t mind the grim setting and colours you may find a rather enjoyable game to play. This can be found relatively cheaply these days due to it being about a year old. I found it in a bargain bin for AU$34 (that's considered cheap in this country, by retail standards).
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