You hated Killzone 2, didn’t you? No, wait — you loved it? Well, you for damn sure can’t claim some kind of middle ground because Guerilla Games has a tendency to split the community and Killzone 3 once again divides both players and critics again with their latest installment in their blockbuster franchise. Killzone 3 packs all the polish you could possibly ask for in a gigaton hit, but does its beauty penetrate the surface?

Now, I might be going against the current here, but I was more excited about the campaign than the multiplayer. With the graphics engine being as powerful as it is, how can you not be curious to see how Guerilla Games can propel its story with the use of this tech? Fortunately, the motion-captured animation and absurd amount of graphical fidelity makes the game’s numerous cutscenes an absolute blast to watch (minus the sometimes-distracting lip-synching issues). Unfortunately, the story isn’t quite as consistent as the polygon count. Sure, it’s serviceable enough and even great at times, but you can’t help but feel disconnected from what’s happening. The story’s not horrible, it just doesn’t deliver on those pre-launch trailers that promised a grandiose political tale of despair. At least the voice acting is stellar, with Johan Stahl (Malcom McDowell) stealing the show with his snake-like personality and blunt approach to matters. The ISA soldiers are your typical macho-head soldiers and while they never reach Gears of War-like levels of testosterone, they never break out of their one-dimensional shells. The story is at its best when it focuses on the Helghan government debating their plans, making the Helghast more interesting than the vanilla ISA soldiers. Don’t expect an enthralling story, but it is definitely good when you compare it to shooters today, and even better than most in some parts.

As mentioned before, the graphics really make this game. If it weren’t for the insane amount of detail in every metallic object, the waves of an ice-cold ocean, or the Avatar-like jungle, Killzone 3 wouldn’t pack the same punch it does. There is a weight to every movement and I much prefer this style over the floating-camera-with-a-gun-attached method that 90% of other shooters use. Of course, with as much sex this game has with your eyes, you would expect the same amount of attention to be paid to your ears, right? As mentioned before, the voice acting is top-notch but even more impressive is the ballistic audio — these guns pack some serious punches. Whenever I was on a turret, I was scared for my own life because that sucker had some serious gravitas to every bullet being shelled out. What makes their game engine even more impressive is that all of these sensory orgasms you experience in the campaign’s bedroom carries over to the multiplayer’s bedroom.

Thumb-Eye intercourse — the latest twist in the bedroom

Now, multiplayer is where Killzone 3 really knocks you on your ass. Unlike Killzone 2, this game provides a genre-standard matchmaking system as opposed the the prior installments more PC-like approach where you had to pick a server to go on. While this makes things seamless, it comes at the great cost of  losing the customization of the server-based system. As or the games modes, you have Guerilla Warfare, Operations, and the signature Warzone mode. Guerilla Warfare is team deathmatch and Operations is a cutscene-driven, objectives-based mode that rewards the top three players of each team to be featured in their respective cutscenes. It makes my heart feel warm and fuzzy whenever I see it’s me planting a key bomb or delivering a vital package such as a core battery. Warzone is where Killzone 3 will keep its spell over you. You know those hallmark, FPS multiplayer game modes? Team deathmatch, capture the flag, defend the bomb site, plant the bomb, capture control points, assassinate a VIP player and defend a VIP? Well, Warzone mashes all these game modes into one, fluid, and fun-as-hell match, and man is it addicting. The game modes are randomized so you’ll always be kept on your toes and it just makes for one of the more fun and distinct ways to play an FPS online this generation — Warzone is Killzone’s identity.

Leveling up is the main crack in this drug addiction. As you rank up, you earn Unlock Points that you can use to unlock certain classes abilities or weapons. Oh yeah, this game has Team Fortress-like classes — how could I forget to mention that? You have an engineer (sentry fun), medic (reviving action), tactician (spawn point chooser), infiltrator (disguises galore), and marksman (sniper–duh) and they all have primary and secondary abilities/perks and playing around with each of them is a blast.

Killzone 3 is, so far, the Playstion 3′s premier first person shooter — no ifs, ands, or buts about it. The campaign is stellar and the multiplayer an elite offering — you owe it to yourself to check out what all the fuss is about.

REPORT CARD

Story: 78

Graphics: 99

Audio: 98

Gameplay: 95

Multiplayer: 89

Lasting Appeal: 90

OVERALL

93