Killzone 3

Written by Mike Gutierrez  on September 13, 2010

PAX Prime 2010 Hands-On Preview: Jetpacks in 3D is like the greatest idea ever.

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Killzone 2 was a divisive game in many ways. In an age where top tier graphics were a much lower standard, no one would concede that it would look as good as its E3 '05 target render, or that its subsequent '07 and '08 demo code would be what the final game would look like. This unprecedented attention to visuals and detail easily became bait for a console flame war, making it a target of nearly half the gaming population which undoubtedly bled over into the media. Its weighty controls, which distinguished it from other FPS titles, were exaggerated as laggy; the characters and story were put under a microscope, while other blockbuster shooters (and games in general) received heaps of acclaim with hardly a mention of either element. Despite these challenges, Killzone 2 launched with commercial and overall critical success, while carving out a loyal fanbase.

Almost two years later, Guerilla Games is ready to simultaneously propel the franchise to new frontiers of the imagination, while addressing the issues that many mainstream journalists and FPS-enthusiasts were turned off by. It's a balancing act for sure, on a tight rope that maybe only the Dutch-based developer can brave. At PAX, we were able to talk with Senior Producer Steven Ter Heide and explore nearly every aspect of this boundary-challenging sequel: from PlayStation Move to the standard Dualshock, 2D to 3D, and both multiplayer and campaign.

The History of these Days will be Written in Blood



The second Killzone ended with the protagonist Sergeant Sevchenko sitting on the palace steps, exhausted, after what seemed to be the conclusion to the ISA counter-invasion of the planet Helghan. Instead, a massive fleet of unaccounted-for Helghast reinforcements begin pouring in over the capital of Pyrrhus City. The third game picks up immediately afterwards, as the entire ISA invasion fleet is wiped out by these reinforcements.

УThere's a couple thousand still left,Ф Steven noted, explaining that this game will be all about survival. УSo there's still some forces there, but they're now scattered, so they have to get to a new evacuation point and come up with a plan to get off the planet.Ф

Captain Narville, the field commander and multiplayer announcer for the ISA in the previous game, is now in command of these remaining forces. In the Frozen Shores level shown at E3 and PAX, he is a POW, and it is now up to Rico, Sev, and their Raider team to rescue him. Rico, the foul-mouthed and hot-headed Sergeant who made a few hasty decisions in the previous game, now plays a more tactical role, coordinating the rest of the Raider team while he and Sev plow through Helghast forces at the arctic facility where Narville is held. He is now too busy issuing orders and support requests over radio to fall into the stereotype of the constantly swearing foot soldier, a complaint many players had about the last game.



There are also many new gameplay mechanics. I noticed getting into cover is now a single button press, instead of having to be held the entire time. You will now be able to carry two primary weapons as well as a sidearm, adding to the variety available to the player in each encounter. Some features will carry over into the multiplayer, and two of these are the Уbrutal meleeФ system (thankfully) and the jet packs.

УWe really want to up the level of variety, the stuff you do from minute to minute. So you get these jetpack troopers, you get to put on a jetpack yourself, you get this amazing rocket launcher, you're on an Intruder firing down using your mini-gun, exploding oil rigs down below. That's all in this one level, and that's going to be throughout the game.Ф

Steven explained how Guerilla is always looking to incorporate elements from its history into its newest installments, keeping the legacy alive. The brutal melee attacks are derived from the original Killzone. The jet packs are derived from Killzone: Liberation, the PSP midquel (Ter Heide's first game).

УWe always look back at previous games at what worked really well. The melees were in Killzone 1, the slicing of the throat. So we said Сokay, how can we integrate that in here, and inspire us to take it to the next level.' With the jetpacks we wondered what that would look like in first person, and if that could add something to the game, and it really did.Ф

The team wanted to bring exciting elements from the third person PSP game into a first person perspective, and the jet packs are the latest feature to receive this treatment. Finally, for the attachment-crazy FPS enthusiast, different optical sights and scopes have been added for each gun; however, you will still be able to find and use naked versions from previous games.

Three Dimensions of Warfare



If there's one thing that makes the campaign really notable this time around, it is how epic the scenarios truly are. While many game studios will hire someone with a degree in art design to come up with their concept art, Guerilla employed engineers with backgrounds in design to bring the industrial dystopia of Helghan to life in Killzone 2. The imaginative scope has been propelled even further this time around, as Killzone takes you through one of the most intense interactive sci-fi experiences available. And in this regard, 3D is an integral part in elevating the experience.

While manning a heavy machine gun on a drop ship, negotiating our way in between icebergs as we chase and gun down fleeing Helghast ships, I was incredibly impressed with what I was actually doing in the game. But it was doing this in 3D that really made my jaw drop. The sense of depth brings the enemy encounters to life, and you really appreciate the spatial position between you and your foes as you plan how to take them out. Killzone has always been about the tactical and vicious reality of warfare Ц with some of the industry's best AI and realistic movement and shooting mechanics, it can take serious ingenuity at times to neutralize a group of hostiles. 3D is the final immersive ingredient to Killzone's vision of showing us what war really is, and it may be difficult to go back once the game is released.

The Helghast are on the Move



Herman Hulst definitely raised some eyebrows at the E3 PlayStation Conference when he announced that the next entry in Killzone, one of gaming's most hardcore franchises, would incorporate motion control, the hallmark of casual gaming. Steven explained to me that the adaptation was part Sony's initiative to diversify the Move's library, but also part Guerilla's own desire to test the waters.

УKillzone is a really hardcore game. As soon as the Move controller came out, we said Сwell, let's give it a try, see if other people can get into the game now.' And it was quite easy, actually.Ф

While the team still has a long way to go to finalize the implementation of PlayStation Move, I can confidently say that it works. Despite playing with infinite health, I found getting into cover, aiming and shooting all felt very intuitive. In the build I played, many design techniques were incorporated to accommodate the radical change from using analog sticks. Whether these techniques make it into the final build is up in the air, but it's clear that Guerilla is taking the implementation of motion controls very seriously, creating an alternate experience instead of just tacking on motion controls.

УOn the Dualshock, the cursor gets a little bit slow when it gets close to enemies. That didn't feel right with the Move, so instead we have auto aim on the L2-button, so as soon as you hit L2 it snaps to the enemies.Ф

Many other implementations of motion help to shed the stigma many Wii games have where nearly everything is mapped to buttons anyway, save for one function like aiming or camera movement. You pull the move controller towards you to pick new weapons up off the ground, and swing the controller towards your soldier to reload, much like the in-game animations. The brutal melee system is carried over to Move as well, where you hold down the melee button and then make a stabbing motion to ram your knife into the enemy's eye.

The balancing act of accommodating newer players while satisfying older ones is just as obvious in the Move implementation as in the other aspects. УSome of the more hardcore players, they want to quickly snap around corners, while other people may find it disorienting. So we've got to get it right for 85% of the people then adjust for the rest.Ф

While I'm sure I'll remain a dedicated Dualshock player myself, I could already see using the motion controls on a subsequent playthrough as a unique way to extract even more variety from the campaign. Steven proposed it would be an additional way to challenge yourself as well. УWith auto-aim on, it's pretty easy; that's going to be tied to the easy difficulty. But if you take away the auto-lock, it's going to get progressively difficult. If you're a hardcore player, you can use the Move on the Elite setting, and it'll be Сelite.'Ф

War. Perfected.



Killzone 3's online play will be yet another aspect of the game that is catering to some of the preferences of mainstream shooter fans, while still expanding depth for the hardcore Killzone veterans to plunge into. For the former, the new mode УGuerilla WarfareФ will allow quick matchmaking for a fast-paced team deathmatch experience. For us, a new mode called УOperationsФ will provide a tactical, objective-focused and story-based alternative.

At PAX Prime, however, Senior Editor Nicole Kline and I were treated to the return of Warzone Ц a single match of successive, seamlessly transitioning unique game modes, where two teams fight to win the best of seven rounds. The map we played was Turbine, reminiscent of the canyon outposts like Suljeva Cliffs or Pyrrhus Rise, but with the eerie green tint of Helghan Industries. The premier map design is still here, but with an added focus on verticality, as a limited number of jet packs are available in each team's spawn (which also provides for epic dog fights in the sky).

While Killzone 2's robust class system is still the focus of character progression, the game meshes this with the variety found in the more custom-loadout focused games. Within each class, players will now have a choice among multiple primary and secondary weapons, primary and secondary abilities, equipment (like choosing between grenades or proximity mines), and abilities (such as extra armor or ammunition). The assault class, frequently disabled in Killzone 2 multiplayer games due to its balancing issues, has been removed, but its attributes have been diffused throughout the rest of the class system. Players can now choose the rocket launcher and extra armor being as options for other classes. As you gain levels you earn unlock points that allow you to decide what order you progress through classes and how to advance within them. This aspect alone promises incredible depth for players to lose themselves in.

We played a match as the press versus Sony (somehow Nicole snuck in on Sony's side) and the transition was painful for our team at first. More so than in the campaign, the tweaking of the moving and shooting really became obvious. The heavy feel of the movement is still preserved, but it's been noticeably toned down to make combat a little faster paced. The recoil had a steep - but rewarding - learning curve in Killzone 2, which seems to be mitigated slightly in its sequel. Unexpectedly, I began doing as well with a heavy machine guns as I do with the assault rifles in the last game.

The point system has also been expanded. While the game does not throw hundreds of points at you at a time to cheaply overload your sensory perception like other FPS games, you can now rack up points for assists, and get a little bit more per kill and enemy machines you destroy.

Our team of journalists actually ended up winning in the end, and walking away I realized that my first interaction with Killzone 3's multiplayer was possibly the most intense match of Warzone I had ever played. That's saying a lot given how much time I have spent in the last one, and coming away with this feeling after viewing the last pillar of the game's features truly cemented that this is going to be a tremendous content package.