The PlayStation 3, the home gaming console made by Sony, is looking for a game release big enough to counter the Xbox 360 exclusive launch of Gears of War 2, one of the most loved shooter franchises on the market. The two big candidates for Gears killer have been Resistance 2 and Killzone 2.

Unfortunately, the former had quite a weak single player section and received less than enthusiastic reviews. But there’s hope for the PS3, as Guerilla, the developers of the Killzone series, have finally revealed the release date for the game to be February 27. It might be a bit late, but the creators seem to be convinced it will be a hit with players.

The announcement was made by Kyle Shubel, who is a managing producer at Guerilla, on the X-Play show hosted by G4. The title had been officially slated for a 2007 release and got delayed until now.

The game is set to continue unfolding the story as it was told in Killzone for the PlayStation 2, which was launched in 2004, and in Killzone: Liberation, which arrived on the PlayStation Portable in 2006. In the new game, the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance, which is basically what’s left of humanity, launches an assault on the home planet of the alien Helghan.

Guerilla says that the game will feature all the staples of a modern first person shooter. The weapons will pack a punch, levels will be very open and enemies will have a tough A.I. system to make them act intelligently. Meanwhile, the multiplayer portion of the game will feature support for up to 32 players and will initially have eight maps, with quite a few more ready to be released as DLC once the title ships. Remember to look for it on store shelves on February 27.