Back in the Zone

For fans of first-person shooters (or FPS, if you want to be one of the cool kids), February 22 was quite the Tuesday. Both the multi-platform Bulletstorm and the Playstation 3 exclusive Killzone 3 were released to a lot of fanfare. Bulletstorm seemed to garner the most attention due to its unique point system and extremely raunchy script. The eye-catching visuals and the lure of being rewarded for shooting an enemy in the netheregions didn't hurt, either.

However, there wasn't much of a choice for Amanda and I. Not only had we already played the Bulletstorm demo and found it lacking, it also didn't include a campaign that was playable in co-op. Neither one of us is a huge fan of PvP multiplayer in FPSs, so when we look for a game to play together we want to be able to go through the story together. Apparently Bulletstorm originally had a co-op campaign, but it was removed due to people being able to rush through the game and thus not use the point-gathering system all that much.

That's right, the co-op campaign was removed because you didn't have to rack up points by using a rocket launcher on another man's crotch. Let that one sink in for a minute.

Luckily, we had both fallen in love with Killzone 3's co-op offering from the moment that we had downloaded the demo. It was easy to see that the game was designed with multiplayer in mind. Granted it's a bit awkward if you take into account that the second player doesn't actually show up in the cutscenes and thus some of the story doesn't make any sense, but when was the last time that you played a FPS for the story? If you want story, go play Final Fantasy XIII for the ninth time.

Now that we've had a chance to play through the entire game, what's the verdict?

The first thing you notice when you start up the game is just how good the thing looks. The environments have been lovingly crafted; everything from the broken steps of the Helghast capital to the raging blizzard on a glacier are nearly perfect. The character animations, both your ISA teammates and the enemy Helghast armies, are fluid and realistic.

Co-op is done via an offset pair of boxes, much like Lost Planet 2. I know that some people detest this as opposed to the more classic split screen, but I'm not one of those people. The offset style makes it easier to follow what's happening around you due to not being distracted by the other player's screen nearly as often, and it just simply feels more natural.

The story is a bit of a weak point, as it is with pretty much every other FPS. I've read people complaining that the story is predictable or that there isn't much character development. My response to that is simple: name five FPSs that have a terrific plot. The Halo series definitely doesn't. Most of the Call of Duty games are just slapped together snippets of various conflicts. That's absolutely fine, however. The story isn't the reason we play these types of games.

The reason that we do is the action. Killzone 3 offers plenty of this from every angle. It also manages to keep the encounters varied enough that you don't grow bored with them. The tight controls and intense fights make this game a joy to plow your way through. My only complaint about the gameplay is that it isn't really anything new. Most of the fights, even those done via vehicles, have been done before in other games, sometimes done better. Luckily Killzone 3's pacing is done well enough that this doesn't taint the experience overly much.  My one major regret is that there aren't more large-scale boss fights like the truly epic encounter with the MAWLR.

The campaign is fun while it lasts, but it is a bit short. This seems to be a common trait these days, as most shooters are being made with multiplayer in mind. It really is a shame, because there's certainly an audience for non-competitive multiplayer out there for companies to market to it. The success of games like Resistance: Fall of Man are a testament to this.

Still, even with the minor drawbacks, Killzone 3 is one of the best FPS games available. It's strange that there hasn't been more hype for this game, as some of you may remember the huge marketing campaigns for the first two games. Touted as the Halo killers, they were pushed to the moon and the final products fell a bit short. Killzone 3, however, with far less fanfare, may have finally achieved this, as it is undoubtedly a stronger all-around game than Halo Reach. It's more than enough to keep couples that like to game together busy until Portal 2 hits the shelves this month.

Rating: 8.7/10