14 DAY TRIAL // One of the capital sins of modern video games, and first-person shooters that aim for blockbuster status are some of the worst offenders, is that they take control away from the gamer and then proceed to have the main characters do something incredible, leading to questions like: Shouldn't I be the one to get the satisfaction generated by incredible virtual feats of strength and skill?
Killzone 3 manages to seem free of this particular sin and the developers carefully built each of the firefights to make the gamer, controlling Sev, the main driving force of the game.
This is no shooting gallery like Call of Duty, with enemies coming at you until a certain distance is covered and a whole new segment of the level begins.
Killzone 3 has pretty tough enemies that know when to flank and move around the environment, can throw grenade with annoying accuracy and duck well when shot at and taking them out can be a challenge and feels satisfying.
Most of the doors, elevators and switches in the game can also be operated by the main player (the exceptions are there to prolong a particularly difficult firefight) which is always a good thing after the dreadful Medal of Honor sequence where anyone but the players had the power to push doors open.
Sev really feels like the one leading the action, Rico feels like another free spirit trapped in a military uniform and his actions also serve as set ups for whole levels sprinkled with action, and at times I almost felt bad for poor old Captain Narville, forced to endure constant insubordination from two of the guys that have an ability to really win the war for the humans.
Killzone 3 will probably never get the sales numbers enjoyed by Call of Duty, but when it comes to player-based agency and the feeling of driving the game forward, it's miles ahead of the latest effort from Treyarch and Activision.