Killzone 3 - Killzone Franchise Review - Updated 8/14/15

[TheDarkKnight]

Killzone Franchise Review (2004-Present)

Hello everyone!

I'm here to bring you yet another one of my reviews for an entire franchise. This time around, I am covering the franchise known as Killzone, a military science fiction FPS franchise that is among Playstation's numerous exclusives. While perhaps not the best franchise around, my playthrough of the franchise has left a rather positive impression on me so far, so I have decided to bring you my thoughts and feelings on this franchise, which currently numbers six games:

Killzone HD (originally on PS2, HD remaster on PS3)
Killzone 2 (PS3)
Killzone 3 (PS3)
Killzone Shadow Fall (PS4)
Killzone Liberation (PSP)
Killzone Mercenary (PS Vita)

While I currently own five of the six games, it may be a while before I acquire the sixth (Liberation, only on the PSP), and it may be some time before I complete reviews for each game. But I hope I bring you the same quality content that I like to imagine I have done in my past reviews. So let's get started, and here is the review for the very first game.

Killzone (2004/2012)

Killzone HD

Many generations ago, Earth began colonizing beyond Sol. Two factions of humans eventually colonized different systems; one founded the colony of Vekta, while the other founded Helghan after being expelled from Vekta due to their policies and beliefs. The people of Helghan, stranded on the desolate world, were forced to adapt to the harsh conditions of the planet, eventually evolving and becoming a new species called the Helghast. Bitter and warlike, the Helghast believe that they have been wronged in the past, and seek to bring war and destruction to Vekta. As the Helghast invade the planet and shock the forces of Vekta (the ISA), it is up to Captain Jan Templar and three companions to defeat the Helghast and stop the costly invasion.

Killzone is a science fiction FPS taking place in the distant reaches of space. Having never played the franchise, I have acquired the first three games through the Trilogy pack, and am therefore playing the HD remaster of the very first game. At its core, there are several positive attributes of the game. For one, the setting of the game is fairly interesting, as it involves two different factions of human colonists, though the Helghast are almost inhuman at this point. The war brings you to many locations on the planet Vektra, from shipyards to cities to even a swamp. Every location is unique, and every location presents its own challenges. The world certainly looks better than it does on PS2, however there are some issues regarding the graphics that will be addressed shortly. Another key aspect of the game is the fact that as the game progresses the player unlocks three new characters that can be played throughout the rest of the levels after their introduction. Each as their own distinctive personalities, each has their own weaknesses and strengths. One, for example, is the female assassin Lugar, who can sneak around, use different approaches, and is overall good for taking out enemies quietly. However, she is not great in open combat. Another interesting character is Hakha, a half-human half Helghast who chooses to fight alongside your squad rather the Helghast. Each character also has their own weapons as well as the ability to use Helghast weapons that can be picked up throughout the game. However, more likely than not I found Templar to be the go-to character, as he is well balanced. The sound and sound quality is also fairly good, if a bit outdated, and the soundtrack itself is adequate. The campaign is also fairly long, and therefore well worth the money and time put into it.

However, there are many negatives that are a part of this game. For one, though the graphics have been upgraded and remastered, there are numerous things that were simply ignored. While the whole game has been upgraded to 720p, cutscenes still look PS2 quality, and there is a high degree of pop in on levels at a really short distance. Voice acting, while decent, often does not match well with the movement of the characters. This is not a huge deal, but it does contributed negatively to the look and feel of the game. The AI of the game is also pretty poor, as enemies will often ignore you, and that is not limited to enemies but also ally AI. One memorable instance involved one of my allies and an enemy soldier being within just a few feet of each other, in the open, and not noticing each other. These AI issues are frustrating, but are likely a byproduct of the simple fact that the game is from 2004, and AI was simply not astounding in most games. Animation and movement can also be frustratingly off, leading to complications while playing. Ammo is also frustratingly scarce at times, especially for the simple assault rifle, leaving the player to mostly have to rely on enemy weapons for most of the campaign. Controls are also problematic and sometimes janky, leading to difficulty in getting accurate shots. Luckily the button mapping can be configured, but it can still lead to frustrating situations. The odd exception to this is the light machine gun, which is abnormally accurate and ammo is easy to come by, meaning it is more than a little over powered. In short, combat, the focus of a FPS game, is simply not adequate, and can often be incredibly frustrating. The levels, while varied compared to each other, can often feel very repetitive within themselves, and can lead to boring playthroughs for those. And finally, the story is simply forgettable, as I know very little about the characters, the motivations of the villains, and there is simply not much of a story to be consumed. It’s disappointing, as a setting such as this should have a really interesting and compelling story, but it unfortunately falls flat in this regard.

Overall, the game is alright, but it does contain many flaws. In many ways it is a solid game, and would have been quite good if I had played it in 2004 when it was first released. However, it is clear that unlike many PS2 games, Killzone has simply not aged well. It is not necessarily the fault of the game nor its developer Guerrilla Games. Some games simply do not maintain their quality with time. And perhaps it is a bit unfair to judge this game based on its PS2 roots, as many of the faults certainly lie within those origins. But the lack of story and repetitive levels still make a poor impact on the game, and overall the quality just does not feel right for a Playstation exclusive, even an old one. It is a tad disappointing, but it does not really affect my outlook for the rest of the games in the franchise. If you are a fan of science fiction shooting games, you can certainly do worse than Killzone HD.

7/10

[Roxas]

Added.

[TheDarkKnight]

Killzone 2 (2009)

Killzone 2

The Helghast invasion was a failure, and now it is time to take the fight to their own world. Tomas "Sev" Sevchenko as well as the rest of the squad known as Alpha Team takes part in the invasion of Helghan. Though initially the invasion is successful, the deployment of a Helghan defense system cripples the first wave and kills many ISA soldiers. But the fight must go on, and Sev, disillusioned as he is with the war, vows to kill or capture the leader of the Helghast, Scolar Visari, and bring peace to the system.

Killzone 2 returns the player to the epic war between the ISA and the Helghast, this time seeing the player take the offensive on Helghan, the homeworld of the Helghast. There are several positives that Killzone 2 displays throughout its campaign. In the four years between the first game and the sequel, the Playstation 3 was introduced, giving Guerrilla Games a new system to bring their story to gamers. The new system and capabilities leads to a rather graphically beautiful and engaging campaign. Everything has much more detail, cutscenes and gameplay in general look visually impressive, and the new engine allows for exciting sequences and much more immersive gameplay. The opening scene, a rough descent and landing on the outskirts of a city, evokes images of the D-Day invasion and the brutality of war. The screams and cries of the wounded and dead brings a huge feeling of an actual war to Killzone. The atmosphere, in short, is breathtaking, and it only improves as the game continues. The gameplay itself also contributes towards a much more immersive game. Combat has improved greatly, taking advantage of the new engine, and the mechanics as a whole are greatly improved. For example, the player can now actually look down the sights of the gun when “zooming”, a feature missing from the predecessor. Controls are much more responsive as well, and enemy and ally AI have been built upon to actually be competent and deadly, with the allies being much more reliable in combat as well. A cover system has been implemented as well, allowing the player to stick to surfaces and “peek” above or around corners in order to aim at the enemies. And the enemies themselves have been upgraded as well, with a lot more variety in regards to their appearance, equipment, and difficulty, a refreshing change compared to the predecessor which was much more limited. It is also much easier to acquire ammo for weapons in this game, which might make it easier but nonetheless means that the player can utilize their favorite weapons much more effectively throughout the campaign. There’s also vehicle and turret segments that, while somewhat rare in the game, are nonetheless exciting additions to the gameplay, as the first game had fairly static turret sections. Guerrilla Games also utilized the motion controls present in the Playstation 3 controllers, which while somewhat gimmicky do at least make the player utilize them in parts (such as turning a wheel to open a gate) where it would at least make sense. The soundtrack has improved much over the previous game as well, using the greater capacity of the blu-ray discs to have much more sound and much better quality happening in each song. The soundtrack is also used very effectively throughout the story, to compliment the sound effects of battle and other parts of the game, further contributing to the immersion in the game. The voice acting and cutscenes have also improved, though the dialogue itself suffers some issues.

As always, however, there are some issues that Killzone 2 cannot overcome. Like the previous game, the story simply is not a very strong or memorable one compared to many other games. It is better, to be sure, and the themes of extreme militarism, fascism, and the horrors of war do punctuate the story to make it slightly more compelling. But there is not much there to completely satisfy me, at least not compared to other games that I have played, and the ending is a bit weak. Despite being quite pretty to look at, there are some minor performance problems in the game, such as brief lags while hitting a checkpoint or entering a new area, as well as textures or shadows not loading completely or looking a bit fuzzy. It’s not horrible, and it does not really impact the game greatly, but the large number of lags do add up over the course of the game. Other gameplay elements are frustrating, such as the inability to carry more than two weapons, one of which being a sidearm, can make it sometimes frustrating to accomplish objectives efficiently. Adding to this is the fact that secondary weapons, such as a grenade launcher under the assault rifle, have also been removed, greatly reducing the capabilities of some main weapons. There’s also a complete lack of explanation as to what happened in between the two games, as the only returning characters are Templar and Rico, both of which are not playable, and leaving the fates of Hakha and Lugar completely unknown. I suspect the answer to this lie in the handheld game Killzone Liberation, but it is still frustrating as I doubt many people have played that game, at least at the time this one came out. Related to this is the fact that you can only play as Sev, while in the previous game you could play as all four characters. The focus on Sev does allow a greater degree of character development for him, but the other characters are seemingly left behind, and Templar barely appears in the game. It feels like a step backward, and an odd choice considering how playing as different characters in the first game did make a bit of an impact on gameplay experience. There are also some questionable dialogue in the game, focusing a bit too much on expletives that really serve as nothing but filler in an otherwise boring gameplay dialogue. Really the best dialogue comes from Scolar Visari, voiced by Brian Cox, but his time in the game is unfortunately sparse.

Killzone 2, despite its flaws, is still in many ways an incredible improvement over its predecessor. There are flaws to be sure, but the action and gameplay drives the game and the story forward, and is rather exciting to play. I did not play the multiplayer, though I understand it to be pretty good, but it does not affect my view of the game. Perhaps one day I will play it, but as it stands I find the singleplayer campaign to be quite good. Overall, it is a great game that, while not quite a masterpiece, nonetheless is a satisfying game. I highly recommend it, and I look forward to Killzone 3.

9/10

This will probably be the last review in the Killzone franchise for a while as I am currently debating on whether I need to adjust my style of writing. I fear my quality has fallen in an attempt to streamline these reviews.

I'm done with four out of the six games though, so I will keep my notes on the next two (3 and Mercenary) and pick those up later. I also have a couple of unrelated reviews that are in various stages of completion and I will finish those hopefully in a timely manner and post them to this section when I feel they are of good quality and after they have had some time on the Front Page as part of the Gamer's Gazette. Other than that I plan on taking a bit of a break from review writing, at least I hope so. Maybe an upcoming game on my "to play" list will inspire me to return sooner.

For now please enjoy these two reviews, and please provide me with some constructive feedback if you are willing.

[Roxas]

Added.

[TheDarkKnight]

Killzone 3 (2011)

Killzone 3

The death of Scolar Visari has left a devastating void in the command structure of the Helghast, however that does not stop them from fighting to repel the ISA forces. A new and completely insane member of the Helghast High Command rises to prominence. Sev must fight his way across the dangerous and vicious Helghan home world to root out the depleted yet still dangerous Helghast forces in order to bring the war to a bloody conclusion. But the cost is high, and war must go on.

Return to the devastating conflict between the ISA and the Helghast in this third main chapter in the Killzone franchise. The game is a strict continuation of the previous game, and features many returning characters and themes that were present in the second game. For the most part, the game remains a rather excellent continuation of the franchise. The graphics have once again improved, reflected greatly in many of the environments created to simulate the more harsher regions of Helghan. One mission features a environment that is quintessentially alien, complete with bursting plants and other features that showcase how harsh the world the Helghast were driven to really is. Another mission features a beautiful frozen shore and wasteland. The graphics and the level design were really kicked up several notches between the games, and it shows immensely in the final presentation. Combat has not changed much, though it still remains as impressive and enthralling as the second installment. It does feel a bit more reactive as well, though that could simply just be to being used to the system by now as well as overall little tweaks to get the kinks out of the previous game. There are also a few more varieties in enemies, including a hunter of sorts whose primary weapon is a one-hit kill blade. Don’t let them get too close. There are also interesting vehicle combat sections, especially the final battle that involves space combat, a first in the franchise. The soundtrack and sound effects also remain exceptional, with many interesting tracks made by the returning composer. The sounds and music contribute much to keeping the atmosphere and tone of the franchise consistent, especially as a direct sequel to the second game.

Problems have carried over from the second game, unfortunately. The story remains uninspired, and lacking a lot of detail and background that could have made for a much better game and a far more interesting narrative. It remains simply a story about the evil Helghast wanting to conquer the system, and nothing really more. In a similar vein, the characters are still rather boring. Everyone is one dimensional, and there is little to no growth or development throughout the game, or really even the last two games. Sev is still the same person he was at the beginning, the same with Rico and the remaining members, whatever their names are; they simply have little to no distinguishing personalities. The bad guys are just bad guys, with no nuances or anything to make them more than just a simple archetype. It’s unfortunate, as I believe the setting and story set up by the very first game left a lot open to be explored, and yet that territory remains unexplored, and the potential squandered. I’m trying to not reiterate too much on the flaws of this game compared to the previous game but the flaws are there, and that simply is a problem.

Overall, the game is a decent continuation of the franchise. In many areas it shines: the graphics/visuals are incredible, the combat is fun, well paced, and interesting, and the sounds and soundtrack are incredible. The tone of the game as well as the feeling of desperation remains as ever a great contribution to the game. Killzone 3 is quite good, but in many ways it has not improved much over its predecessor. These flaws should not persist throughout an entire franchise that at this point in the review process consists of three games. After three main games, these flaws represent a major problem for not only Killzone 3 but the Killzone brand itself. But perhaps I am nitpicking a bit, as the gameplay is exciting and overall the game is still a solid experience, and a worthy game to put several hours into and enjoy every step of the way. I can’t imagine there is much less replayability, and the ending of the campaign seems final but does contain a cliffhanger that undoubtedly leads into the next major installment, Shadow Fall. Finally, I understand that the multiplayer is a great addition, but as usual I am not one to play with others.

If you enjoy the franchise after 1, 2, and maybe Liberation, I see no problem in getting this game, as I don’t think you will be overly disappointed. I myself had purchased this game along with the other two in one set for only thirty dollars, which for three AAA games coming from a platform exclusive is a pretty good bargain. Just understand that the flaws of the previous games, at least some of them, have yet to be amended, and remain troublesome throughout the entirety of this campaign. It is especially disappointing that the story has not improved, and perhaps has even taken a step back, from the previous game in my opinion. I just personally had hoped for more, especially as a Playstation exclusive, and while the game remains good, it could have used a lot of improvement in several areas. I honestly hope it does improve in the next installment.

8/10

[Sir Adrian]

Added

[Annúminas]

Great reviews!