I just finished it on normal (I forget the killzone name for it) and it was one of the worst campaigns I've played in a shooter.
-Unbalanced. Why am I constantly getting gunned down almost instantly like in a call of duty game on veteran? It wouldn't be a huge issue if each helghast didn't take 100 shots to kill. I don't want to hear "ohhh turn it to easy". No, you balance your game to be not too hard and not too easy on Normal, that's what it's there for.
-bad friendly AI. "sorry Sev I can't reach you". Fuck off Rico, you're 2 feet away from me! Also, why are you shooting a wall?
-bad hit detection. When I'm shooting through a broken car, the only cover in site to stop me from getting 2 shotted again, why are my bullets bouncing off an invisble wall where the windows go?
-buggy. Rico got stuck several times when I needed him to move to access a computer, forcing a restart each time. If you pause during a cutscene, the lip synching becomes as much as 3 seconds off. I saw a grenade get stuck in mid air and teleport forward right into my face.
-too many on rails sections. I thought I was playing Killzone not Time Crisis. I don't mind a few but man they went overboard.
The story wasn't anything special either. It wasn't hard to understand, just completely forgettable. It was your typical over the top save the world with 2-3 super human people BS. I found myself battling the controls too, whether it was staying stuck to cover when I wanted to pull off or trying to get into what the game considers to be cover (crates that are taller than me are not cover apparently, only ones that leave half my body exposed to fire)
It had moments of fun, but it was tarnished by all the bad stuff. I wanted to test out multiplayer too but the campaign was so bad I'm too pissed to play right now.
Just finished my normal run and I agree with everything here. The graphics are unbelievable but that's about it. I can't believe a shooter in 2011 has no bullet penetration, but for guerilla to do such a shoddy job with standard bullet detection is a joke. A game that focuses on cover should be exact when shooting through narrow cracks. So many invisible walls.
Not sure why the Rico revive mechanic is in the game if it's so broken. He would stare at me, turn around a few times, and I would bleed out. Would have made more sense to up the player health and drop the buggy revive because the helghast are now all elite snipers from all distances. And the on rail segments...more than a little overdone. Honestly felt like a huge portion of the game.
Now for some spoilers.
The endgame was extremely disappointing. An on rails segment against hard to see missiles is a shitty conclusion to any game. Gears of war 2 is the only game in recent memory that beats killzone 3 for sheer endgame letdown. And damn guerilla, you wasted Ray Winstone. So much more should have been done with his character. On the positive side, jet packs and zero g shootouts were fun.
It sounds like I hate this game, but I only dislike the campaign. I found it boring and full of problems. Now the multiplayer is another story. Im in love with it. Warzone has quickly become one of my favorite modes in any online game. Killzone 3 was absolutely worth the purchase for multi alone.
Really impressed with the the singleplayer so far. Most of the minor rough edges i see feel like nitpicks. The total package is a pretty compelling experience. One of the main things i look for in a fps is replayability. I like multiplayer, but it isn't something i spend a lot of time on ( two young children, work too much ).
I think guerilla has taken a lot of the criticism of killzone 2 to heart. They seem to have found the 30 seconds of fun. I find myself really enjoying the smaller gun fights where you can appreciate the simple joy of shooting the bad guys. They are so cagey and full of personality. The visuals are almost overwhelming at times. I'm a big attention to detail guy.. holy shit gg. I think if i had a 3d tv and move my head would explode.
Killzone 3 and Halo Reach have really been the alpha dogs of console shooters for me this generation. I would have loved online co-op. I can get my wife on Little Big Planet, but this would be a tall order in splitscreen. I tip my hat to you Guerilla, you nailed it. Fantastic game, and you have earned a customer for life.
Just finished my normal run and I agree with everything here. The graphics are unbelievable but that's about it. I can't believe a shooter in 2011 has no bullet penetration, but for guerilla to do such a shoddy job with standard bullet detection is a joke. A game that focuses on cover should be exact when shooting through narrow cracks. So many invisible walls.
Not sure why the Rico revive mechanic is in the game if it's so broken. He would stare at me, turn around a few times, and I would bleed out. Would have made more sense to up the player health and drop the buggy revive because the helghast are now all elite snipers from all distances. And the on rail segments...more than a little overdone. Honestly felt like a huge portion of the game.
That stuff where, Rico was 2 feet away but couldn't revive you, happened to me near the end. But thats the only time it happened. It seems like they did it intentionally, most likely to artificially ramp up its difficulty.
No, I definitely had this happen to me as well. In the last leg of the first time the sniper rifle is introduced, I definitely was shooting at the guy in the furtherest right corner from me and while narrow, should've hit, didn't. I eventually had to reposition myself to take him out. I don't know if it's an occurring theme, but it definitely does exist.
No, I definitely had this happen to me as well. In the last leg of the first time the sniper rifle is introduced, I definitely was shooting at the guy in the furtherest right corner from me and while narrow, should've hit, didn't. I eventually had to reposition myself to take him out. I don't know if it's an occurring theme, but it definitely does exist.
The ending sucks!! fix that shit GG!!!!
The assholes put more effort into the ending credits than the did the actual game ending.
Ohh well off to play online.
Others will definitely back the bullet detection problem. Shoot through holes in rubble and through car windows. You will likely get a bullet impact on thin air. It has nothing to do with skill. As others already mentioned, I noticed it first at sniper scene and it popped up way to often after that. Its an annoying oversight especially when the game is a cover based fps.
I gave it a rental today and finished it tonight. My thoughts:
Pros:
+ Incredible visuals. Truly the best looking console game out there.
+ The gunplay is much improved. All the weapons actually feel very effective now (particularly the Helghast single shot rifle and the assault rifle, which despite what hardcore fans say were utter shit in KZ2, and did not have any "specialised uses if you could use them right"). Loved how you can now hold three weapons at once (main, secondary and a powerful gun). The cover system feels a little tighter too but I can't quite put my finger on why - maybe toggle cover rather than hold?
+ Input lag banished to the land of wind and ghosts. Feels good man; KZ2 control haters vindicated etc etc. This is how it should have been from the start, not that 'weighty' shit.
+ Excellent surround sound. I don't think the radio chatter when you get too far away from your buddies is as obnoxious now, so Evilore might like it a bit better.
+ Rico is actually a likeable character now. It really helps that he can now revive you (well, sometimes), and doesn't yell fuck every five seconds.
+ I liked the location variety. I thought I wouldn't because I prefer more 'journey' style games in which you follow the characters through a particular location, but this works here since they are
on the run over the course of the 6 month long story.
+ Some of the boss battles were pretty great. You'll know which one I mean.
Cons:
- A lot of the objectives still feel quite rudimentary, sticking simply to "go from A to B", "push this button", "shoot this" etc. There is very little that is actually imaginative or which gives the player freedom.
- I played on normal but I felt that the game was actually kind of tricky at times. This is probably a reflection on my own skill level, but imo there were too many situations in which there are a seemingly infinite number of Helghast rushing me. For example,
the end of the jungle level and some of the zero-G parts of the last level.
. I was just overwhelmed so much.
- I think there is too little health as well. Really not a fan of being killed by just two Helghast shotgun blasts before I have time to react. Helghast can sometimes feel like bullet sponges.
- Although the enemy AI is great (if a little over-aggressive for my tastes, but at least they try to out-manoeuvre in this game), the friendly AI is still utter wank. It's a positive that Rico can now revive you, but it seems to be only when he feels like it or isn't stuck in the scenery.
- No detailed stats menu like the one found in KZ2. Or at least I cannot find one.
- The jet pack enemies and sentry bots were really really annoying, particularly in the last level.
- Too many vehicle / mindless shooting sections. The Exo suit part of KZ2 was neat because it was a refreshing departure from the rest of the game. But in KZ3 we have a level in that style almost every hour, be it in a vehicle or with a some sort of over-powered gun.
- Too many pointless action cutscenes that should be playable. More time should have been put into the story side of things imo (despite it already running up 70 mins). I was not a fan of the story's structure either -
I didn't like all the shifting round over the 6 month time period, or having to repeat that Helghast disguise part either. The second time it felt boring and "been there, done that". Could have done without it at the start for added effectiveness later. In it's current form it's fanwank.
- The villains felt underdeveloped,
particularly Orlock - the game was very Stahl heavy which is unfortunate as I like Ray Winstone more and would prefer to see how all dat power messes with his head. I would have loved to see more Helghan politics and some of the people's perspective a la what it may have been like in Nazi Germany.
- The ending was terrible. It was over in about 2 minutes.
Way to introduce some ultra convenient way of turning the tide yet again. Now almost all the Helghast are dead and it's going to take an equally dumb plot point to bring them back again. Did not care for the post-credits, Metal Gear-style "yes Mr President" part either
- I get the impression that GG don't know wtf they are doing here, just like the God of War team.
Final thoughts on Killzone 3
Alrighty, just beat the game on veteran, so i thought I would post my final thoughts on the campaign portion of KZ3. Took about 7 hours all together which is much less than expected and a bit disappointing, especially compared to KZ2 which was a much longer game. Along with the brevity of the game I must comment on what is IMO the biggest failing of this game and that is its challenge, or should I state lack of challenge. This game is beyond easy, its almost like GG wanted to create a game more aptly called My First FPS. Even on Veteran this game posed zero really challenge at all, at least in the actual FPS parts of it. Worse let is that it gets easier the further you go, towards the end of the third quarter two weapons are introduced that while fun to use, absolutely unbalance the game and make a good portion of it vastly too fucking easy.
The fourth and final quarter of the game is just a joke, with very few enemies to battle you will breeze on towards the climax and I cannot honestly state that I felt any feelings of accomplishment at all beating it. And this was on its hardest open difficulty when you start, I shudder to think how easy the rest is. After beating it Elite mode opens up, and from the few stages I have played so far in it, its just as easy. Only change is no reticle, which since I usually just aim down the weapon means little change for me at all. I can understand the need to make a game more accessible, but this is bullshit. And I have to laugh at the cover system in this game. why even have it, if the game is this damn easy? I ran and gunned the entire game in Vet, and killed it in right over seven hours. The cover system was a waste.
Alright that is off my chest, on to what does please me and makes me weep at the same time: The Graphics. Let me say this straight, this game does have the best console graphics seen in a game so far. It blows Uncharted 2, GOW3, KZ3, what ever you name completely away. And the lighting, smoke effects, particles, fire, explosions, etc are just godly. There are times when this game truly brings the feel and impact of an actual battle graphically home, and I should know since I have been in a few. But there is some ugly to this game, some textures look hideous and flat and just outright detailed up close, and you can tell that GG isn't quite up to ND's levels of perfection let since there are no water effects at all in this game. In Uncharted if drake goes through water he looks wet afterwards, GG didn't even attempt that level of excellence. I also have to laugh at the hair in the game on the characters in cut scenes. Laughably bad. As I stated though the game makes me weep, while it looks godly, the Art direction sucks and is ugly as sin and just dull and unoriginal from a creative standpoint. Outside of a few stand outs like an amazing looking Sci-fi Jungle, the game is ugly as in art wise. If your going to have a game look this amazing, try to make it interesting to look at as well.
Sound wise the game is amazing as well, if your set-up does 7.l uncompressed audio prepare to be in heaven. And the nice clean sharp bass is awesome. special note to the excellent and creepy sound of the Mauler as it prepares its weapon, truly nerve wrecking. Only sore spot is that the sound does drop out and lag from time to time in cutscenes, but a update released today may of corrected that issue.
Now off to the big addition to Killzone, vehicles and the Jetpack. Yeah, they suck ass. The Jetpack mis only truly used once in the game, which is the part from the demo and need not be used again. And I have to ask why they hyped it in the first place, all it is, is a Jump booster that is unwieldy and not much fun to use really,and adds nothing to the game. The rest of the vehicle stuff outside the short Mech level, are complete shit and represent some of the worst game design seen recently. Really on the rail shooter sections, badly done on the rail sections at that, who's dumbass idea were these? They just kill the flow of the game IMO, and were no fucking fun at all. They are also the hardest parts in the game, not because they are challenging, but because they are so half assed designed that half the time you have no idea what is going on and are being pelleted by enemy fire that you cannot even locate because the screen turns whitish and you lose all visual. LOL, WTF was GG thinking with this shit?
Also while I will not spoil it, the story blew and the acting was the worst cockeyed hamfisted shit I have ever seen. Rico, Sev, and Narville just come across all as idiots and you have to wonder why any would follow them. Being in the Military, I can tell you first hand that any idiots like those three would of been drummed out quickly. I simply could not connect or care for them, and I found myself rooting more for the Helghast who IMO truly are the good guys here. And after the ending in KZ3, I hope if there is a KZ4, it sees us finally get to play as the Helghast so that we may put the ISA out of its misery.
All in all, not a bad game but stellar graphics do not make a title an AAA exclusive when it has so many other issues. The lack of challenge, crap story, and ill designed Vehicle modes really bring the game down IMO, I give it a 8 out of 10.
Is anyone experiencing (what feels like) exaggerated recoil on Move? I feel like instead of cursor bloom, I'm getting the cursor jittering up and down as if I were firing a real gun. It's making it kind of difficult. I don't even think I noticed that in the demo.
especially compared to KZ2 which was a much longer game
I'm sure it was Visari in the canister after watching the opening cutscene again. The first time I viewed it, I was wondering why Visari's daughter looked shocked and pulled her hand back after greeting her father. Makes sense now. They really are going the double route. Oh well, more Brian Cox is a good thing.
Is anyone experiencing (what feels like) exaggerated recoil on Move? I feel like instead of cursor bloom, I'm getting the cursor jittering up and down as if I were firing a real gun. It's making it kind of difficult. I don't even think I noticed that in the demo.
The ending sucks!! fix that shit GG!!!!
The assholes put more effort into the ending credits than the did the actual game ending.
Ohh well off to play online.
am i the only one that cannot rotate maps in GW? sucks man. started happening after i downloaded the retro map pack. can only play one map from the map pack. never goes to the vote screen or have option to vote for another map. puts me in another game with same map. doesnt happen in other mp game modes. too bad i only want to play GW right now.
Loving the multiplayer so far, it's a shame PSN made me activate both the all weapons for 24 hours and Retro pack DLC when I only wanted the map pack, but oh well I like unlocking my guns and perks legit.
Also surprised at the amount of mic action going on in the games I'm in, Killzone 2 could get pretty quiet at times
Is there a certain number of revives per area/life or something? Once I was gunned down right beside Rico, and he said something like "his injuries are too severe" and I died.
Is there a certain number of revives per area/life or something? Once I was gunned down right beside Rico, and he said something like "his injuries are too severe" and I died.
And.... I'm returning Sharp Shooter tomorrow. What a POS this peripheral is. I can't shoot for shit, I can't turn for shit, I can't reload for shit, I can't melee for shit.
When you try to get comfortable, the damn shoulder rest isn't big or comfortable enough.
When you finally get a grip of the controller, the pump action is so sensitive that resting the controller pulls the pump and thus you shoot when you don't want to shoot. The lock button should be added to the damn pump and not move button.
It's hard to use the navigation controller especially when it's all the way in the front and it feels like you're pulling on a bow and arrow. Add the lackluster pump action to it and it's a nightmare. Whoever decided that adding the reload button on bottom is fun is a fucking asshole. Add it to the side of the cartridge!
Best of all, it is fucking tiring!
Don't buy it expecting it to be all fun and games.
I totally saw this coming with the Sharpshooter, it is probably great with on-rail shooters where all you need to do is point and shoot, but with KZ3 you need to be very quick with your turning or else you're fucked.
am i the only one that cannot rotate maps in GW? sucks man. started happening after i downloaded the retro map pack. can only play one map from the map pack. never goes to the vote screen or have option to vote for another map. puts me in another game with same map. doesnt happen in other mp game modes. too bad i only want to play GW right now.
The 'retro maps' only play in their own playlist, so if you get stuck in a game with them, it will only rotate between those two maps. They aren't integrated with the rest of the maps. You have to back out and find a game with the regular maps to get the regular rotation.
