(Review originally written in 2012)

Improved controls and better design fix what was broken in Killzone 2

THE GOOD
Massively improved controls - increased weapon variety - stunning visuals - great soundtrack - brutally satisfying action

THE BAD
Too many on-rails sections based on trial and error - a few AI blunders - occasional out of sync audio during cutscenes - campaign is too easy - long loading times

One year ago, in my review of Killzone 2 I pointed out how disappointed I was with that game: sluggish controls, repetitive action, respawning enemies and the absurd one weapon limit all but killed the fun factor for me. Concluding that review I hoped Killzone 3 would tweak the core gameplay in those key areas and make things better. It happened, Killzone 3 fixes what was broken in its predecessor and delivers a thoroughly enjoyable single player campaign and a frantic multiplayer component.

Controls were easily the worst thing about Killzone 2: response time was noticeably delayed, especially when aiming, which broke the immersion and caused more than a few undeserved game overs. The cover system was pointless and clunky, more a liability than an advantage and the sixaxis 'puzzles' were barely responsive.
Despite the game's critical success, Guerrilla have learned from their mistakes and fixed most of these issues: aiming speed and precision is now on par with most quality shooters out there, it's still not as precise as a Call of Duty game, but it's leaps and bounds superior to what we had to compensate in KZ2. The cover system is largely unchanged (it's still fiddly to activate at times), but they fixed the most important thing: when in cover you'll be protected from most incoming enemy fire, which may sound obvious but didn't really happen in the previous game. Puzzles are still the same, you'll struggle to get them to work, but they are more scarce and less relevant.

Another major gripe I had with Killzone 2 was the weapon limit, which forced you to carry only one primary weapon at a time plus a weak pistol, resulting in you only using an assault rifle for 99% of the game. Once again, Killzone 3 does thing way better, adding a special weapons slot in which to store toys like a sniper rifle, light machine guns, rocket launchers, explosive nail launcher, even miniguns ripped from their tripods and an energy weapon that pops enemies like balloons. The primary slot can be spent to carry an assault rifle, SMG, shotgun or a semi auto 4x scope rifle. Add to this an incredibly fun to use 3 shots shotgun pistol you can house in the third slot and you see how weapons variety is guaranteed this time around... and variety means fun.

Enemies are more varied as well: aside from Killzone 2's monotonous machinegun-wielding Helghast soldiers, this time we'll face tough lightning shooting elite troopers, nimble jetpack soldiers, flying sentries and fast running ninjas focusing on melee attacks. Levels are less copy-paste as well, ranging from ruined streets and buildings to snow covered bases to scrapyards, a vegetation-rich gorge and a space station; your days of walking around identical corridors and grey industrial complexes are over.

The action is bloody and visceral: you can brutally execute the Helghast when close enough and heads will be blown off when a sniper headshot is scored, also, popping enemies with the energy weapon is pricelessly gory. Weapons pack a huge punch and you can hear and even see the empty casings falling on the floor as you fire away. Explosions will blast your enemies in the air and set them on fire. When shot, jetpack troopers will lose control and fly around screaming before crashing, destroying anything caught in the blast. You'll also be treated to a competent stealth section, featuring a silenced SMG, a small throwback to Killzone 1. All this accompanied by the stunning visual presentation (though inexplicably only up to 720p) and the fantastic sound design the series has got us used to. The AI can sometimes get a little senile: friendly soldiers will occasionally wander in front of you while you're shooting or run straight into enemy fire, forcing you to go and pick them up, but nothing that will ruin your enjoyment.

The plot is unimpressive to say the least, but at least better than KZ2. It's your basic story of military bravado, dotted with daring rescues, an ultimate weapon serving as plot device and some political rivalry thrown in to spice things up. The new leading bad guys make you wish for more of Killzone 2's Scholar Visari instead, but in the end they serve their purpose with their semi-comical bickering. Oddly enough, some the many game-engine cutscenes may occasionally suffer from out of sync sound, which is very distracting but fortunately not too frequent.

Another minor annoyance is the excessive amount of on-rails and vehicle sequences: you'll man a tank turret several times, a mech, snowmobile, fire from the turret of a flying vehicle and even control the guns of a spaceship. There's a bit too many of them and some of these can be a little frustrating, with one hit deaths requiring too much trial and error. After a while you'll wish you were on foot instead.

The difficulty is well calibrated, although the game comes off as a bit too easy, especially for the seasoned FPS veteran: friendlies can revive you a few times before you die, so the game ends up being fairly forgiving, even on the Elite difficulty setting, the only exception being some of the aforementioned on-rails sections. The campaign clocks in at about 6 hours which is not a spectacular lenght, but it's enough not to feel too short.

A fully featured multiplayer component is included, which comes with different classes and multiple unlocks to keep you playing. They even threw in a option to play offline against bots, which is always a plus for online-challenged players.

In conclusion, Killzone 3 definitely does what Killzone 2 didn't. It shows that the developers listened to the criticism the community had for their previous game and were determined to make things better. Definitely a game worth playing and enjoying both online and offline and that this time around leaves us looking forward to a Killzone 4