When Killzone 2 released last year, it kicked off 2009 with early Game of the Year buzz and provided PS3 enthusiasts with a tremendous first-person experience that they could call their own. So it was just a little bit shocking when SCEA CEO Jack Tretton promised that Killzone 3 was on the way in rather unceremonious fashion. Killzone 2′s cliffhanger ending didn’t have us thinking any other way, but still.
Whether the third game is barely entering planning stages or development is well underway at Guerilla Games is anyone’s guess. The leap in quality between the original game and KZ2 was staggering, not to mention that several great shooters have come out since to really raise the bar. Make no mistake — Killzone 3 won’t be able to coast on the success of its predecessor. Here are just a few features that could really take the franchise to the next level.
Co-op
This is a feature that gamers were clamoring for when Killzone 2 released, and who can blame them? Playing through it, the campaign practically begged for co-op as you almost always had a member of Alpha team by your side as you fought through one epic battle after another. Quite frankly, I’m baffled that more games don’t feature this; who doesn’t enjoy blasting through a great military FPS with their buddies? I understand leaving it out of a game like BioShock where it would ruin the player’s immersion, but a war game where you’re constantly followed by at least one squadmate? Make it happen, GG.
Offline Split-Screen
This is along the lines of co-op, in that it’s another reason to play with your friends. However, the foundation for this already exists in Killzone 2- it’s right there in Skirmish mode, which is essentially a friend-less way to play the multiplayer maps. You can fill the battlefield with bots a la Perfect Dark, but without the ability to play with friends on your couch it becomes pointless. Unfortunately, with the way that developers move further and further away from split-screen in almost any game, this one seems less and less likely.
Better AI
I had a fantastic time playing through Killzone 2 and thought it was adequately challenging… up until you died a few times. No, I’m not saying that it got too hard at points; it would get too easy. Eventually it would merely become a matter of memorization, because the enemy would always do the exact same thing every time you restarted. If you were blown away by a rocket, you’d simply account for that your next time up and chip away until you got to your next checkpoint.
There was also this, where some people were able to beat certain parts by simply slashing their way through. Probably shouldn’t be that way.
More Varied Environments
Guerilla has come up with a pretty unique aesthetic for the Killzone series, and the Helghast homeworld was appropriately imposing. Now that the fight on Helghan seems to be over, it wouldn’t hurt for Killzone 3 to have fewer shades of gray and brown while throwing in some color. With Battlefield: Bad Company 2 making destruction all the rage it would almost seem backwards if the locales weren’t a bit more… interactive. Of course, it would be inappropriate for the series to suddenly take place on a Rainbow Road minefield, but who knows what the next chapter could bring? Speaking of which…
Story Closure
This is probably the most divisive thing on this list, but just hear me out. As much fun as the series has been, games can definitely overstay their welcome. Franchises like Call of Duty, Final Fantasy, and all of Nintendo can do it because entries in those series are usually separate from one another (and are outstanding, to boot). With Killzone, however, the story seems to be reaching the end anyway- the Helghast invaded Vekta, the ISA returned the favor… what else would make sense besides an epic final confrontation? As God of War III just recently taught us, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with going out on top.
Of course, Sony will keep any and all details about Killzone 3 under its cap until E3, so there’s plenty of time to be proven right or wrong. In the meantime, what do you think? As always, let us know in the comments below.
Kz2 is still one of the best shooters in this generation, the controls were fine.
the only thing i ask is that they have more weapons this time around
yeah, my biggest quarrels was the lack of co-op and split screen offline
the controls and gameplay !!!!
fast and precise aiming with more “USEFUL ” weapons !!!
Im fine with Killzone 2, its not noob-friendly like Mw2 and its for people with real skill to play the multiplayer, they just need to kill Rico and make the movements not as Heavy.
OMG I forgot about Rico, worst game character EVER.
Again, the controls are fine. People that got accostumed to shooters like COD find the recoil of the guns in KZ2 as “imprecise” (When tha’t not the case, you are just not aiming that well).
The spawn points are fine too. If you are getting camped it’s because you are either not looking at the pre spawn camera or your tactician sucks at placing respawns.
Winning on Killzone is all about team play.
Again, they really aren’t.
Co-Op and offline split screen multiplayer would be great. Most multiplayer games should have it.
coop, offline splitscreen, and destructable enviroments. And i think a horde type mode would be fun too
but I doubt it will happen
@27:
Then how should the controls be?, noob friendly like COD or arcade like Resistance?. This game has it’s own sense of identity and it should remain that way.
one more thing they can do is go 3d with sparks flying off on your face
absolutely agree with the list. they MUST make it co-op! and also remove the silly bot slaughter! and put in offline splitscreen as well… controls are fine!
How are responsive controls noob friendly?
KZ’s were trash, the whole “realistic weight” defense doesn’t fly when the damn knife and pistol weigh 100lbs.
And if the controls really were fine, Guerilla wouldn’t have patched them 2x. They suck, get over it.
@mark: well if it sucks then why did it get such a high score?
stop whining….i dont even like KZ2 (well….it wasnt worth my 60 lol) and perfer even R2 over it
Plz, don’t act like it wasn’t a major complaint in most reviews, its not whining to want something fixed thats broke.
Go play defense force somewhere else.
Noobs/fanboys complain about the controls but yet call themselves gamers. The key to being a gamer is adapting change. If you can’t do that quit gaming and complaining or play your little kid shooter MW2.
Mark is just jealous he doesn’t have the game nor can he show much he sucks at the game online.
^ Typical Sony kid, can’t take the slightest criticism…
some new modes would be kwl with the online co-op like a enemy wave thing or objective co-op missions. the multiplayer should also have kept the cover system as it made the game a bit more tactical than cod style shooting.
i cant wait for this game the graphics are gonna be amazing and the story will be as well, i just really hope for the co op and like the article said a lil more color wont hurt
I for one think the lack of color adds to the gritty feel of the game. actually i only played KZ2 for about 4 hours (about 45 min on campaign and the rest online) and i just didnt like it…..perhaps if KZ3 fixed all those problems, i may just get it lol