Killzone 3

 I've come to a weird realization recently when it comes down to Guerilla Games and their Killzone series: aside from their multiplayer, which tends to be exceptional, Guerilla seems to have a really hard time making good  games. What I mean by that is their games have large amounts of technical prowess and graphic power but when it comes down to their gameplay, there's just something...lacking. Killzone 3 to me feels like it should've been the grand entrance into the new Guerrilla: one that not only looks great but also plays great but they don't quite get there so despite the excellent multiplayer, the campaign feels like they designed it, made it then left it alone and moved on because it feels disjointed, can be kind of unfair and certain design decisions just don't work. Although that seems to be a common trend nowadays, the campaign is not the reason you want to play this game, other than to see the visuals. 
 
Taking place directly after the events of Killzone 2, Sev and Rico are having to deal with the aftermath of the killing of Visari, leader of the Helghast and the ISA having one goal in mind: get the hell off the planet. However there's a bit of a power struggle going on as Admiral Orlock and Jorhan Stahl are battling each other to take control over the Helghan army and get rid of the ISA once and for all. But of course Sev and Rico are trying their hardest to prevent that from happening though that might be difficult with the Helghast discovery of a very lethal energy source. 
 
The problem with the campaign is this: it feels kind of unfair. Now granted I know the saying of "yeah well the world isn't fair" comes to mind as I say that and it is a video game and to just get better but honestly, there's aspects to this campaign that are just poorly designed, period. For one thing, the enemies are bullet sponges and there's many situations where you'll be shooting one guy as you're getting shot by someone else and it's like "dude, just die already, seriously". One massive problem however is the vehicle sections as they're completely on rails and enemies seem to know you're the biggest threat so unless you know specifically where enemies are, be prepared to die over and over until you've memorized the placement. Also? It's ridiculously short so the game doesn't have a timer of how long you completed the campaign but rather the completion time of each chapter. I don't know if they keep track of my deaths and re-tries but I calculated by time at roughly 227 hours...roughly 3 and a half hours. Damn. 
 
The multiplayer though has been given the tweaking rather than a complete overhaul but the basic class-based structure is intact but there's a couple of changes. For instance, getting XP will eventually get you unlock points which can be used on all classes so for example you can buy an upgrade for class abilities even when you're not actually using that class. Some classes got some minor tweaks so for instance the Recon, re-named Marksman, no longer has the Spot and Mark ability which highlighted enemies with a big blue "X" which kind of promoted spamming the ability and camping. Now tacticians have it who no longer throw down spawn grenades whenever they want but rather fight with other tacticians for specific spawn points on the map. It's a bit more faster than Killzone 2 but occasionally, the typical "we're boxed in and getting killed over and over" rears its head or map design can bring either unfair advantages or the almost standard "people taking turns behind a door throwing grenades instead of going around". 
 
Gametypes are largely the same: Guerrilla Warfare has been added (essentially it's TDM but maps have been shrunken), the ever-popular Warzone mode returns with its dynamic objectives occuring throughout the match and one new gametype called Operations. It plays out kind of like a cross between Bad Company's Rush mode and Killzone's "Search and Destroy" mode. You'll progress to a part of the map accomplishing an objective which will bring you a new objective further into the map (but consequently, closer to the enemy spawn). It can get quite intense and little cinematics will play out with player's PSN names above the characters so you can get a bit of a starring role. Only problem is the map choice for the mode is incredibly small so while it's a very fun game type, it can also get old very fast given how often you'll see the maps.
 
Now I would be remiss if I didn't mention the presentation of Killzone 3 and I only have 2 words to describe the graphics: holy.shit. I mean seriously, these are some of the most smoothly rendered and gorgeously done visuals on a console ever. I mean with other games it's usually more art design than anything but make no question, this game is a stunner. The sense of clarity in the visuals, the framerate is perfect and some locations and set pieces are incredible to watch. Where my knock will come from is in the sound department. Score-wise it's fine: big, bombastic and epic but everything else is kind of spotty. The "oh man, fuck this shit!" dialogue of before has been replaced by better writing but still, characters are kind of one-dimensional, and it's got an ending so abrupt, you'll literally think part of it's missing. I mean, there's a difference between a cliffhanger ending meant to get you excited for the next one versus an ending that just sort of...stops.
 
I can't comment on the Move functionality and the 3D of the game but they kind of sum up in a way how I feel about the game: Killzone 3 wants to be the shooter that does and has it all: tons of vehicle sections, gorgeous graphics, motion controls, 3D support, co-op through campaign (only split-screen I might add) and the highly addicting multiplayer. But it feels like things were stretched too thin to accommodate everything and hit hardest is the campaign. Most of the time campaigns in shooters are just something to play occasionally when you're not always online but this might just be a campaign you'll beat just to say you've beat it then never touch it again. The online however can sap a lot of hours out of you, which is usually the case with Guerrilla games.