Like Killzone 2 before it, Killzone 3 is an excellent shooter that most fans of FPSs should like.
Gameplay, 7. There are four main modes in Killzone 3: first there's the campaign, then the co-op mode (local only), Bot zone where you play on MP maps, but with just bots, and the online MP mode. The campaign is like most other FPS campaigns: a six to eight hour runs of what are basically corridors. But that's not to say that Killzone 3's campaign isn't good. It's a fairly fun bout of shooting thanks to the excellent enemy A.I. and the feel of the weapons.
The co-op mode is not as fun due to the frame rate issues.
If you lack an online connection the Bot Zone can somewhat compensate for the lack of human players, but it just isn't the same.
Although these three modes aren't anything special, they aren't the hallmark of Killzone 3. It's about the online MP. There are five classes in Killzone 3's MP: Engineers who create turret bots and repair objects for use by their allies, the Tactician who spots enemies on the radar and captures spawn points, the Marksmen who simply snipes enemies, the Infiltrator who can set bombs faster than other classes (assuming you have purchased the upgrades for that class) and penetrate the enemy defense, and the Medic who heal mortally wounded players.
There are three modes: Guerilla Warfare (another word for Team Deathmatch), Warzone (a mode where there are seven rounds where the objective changes), and Operations. Operations is sort of an odd mode. It's a lot like Warzone, but it has cutscenes and each map has unique objectives. Plus ISA (the good guys) are always on offense while the Helghast (the bad guys), are always on the defensive.
I've never thought Guerilla Warfare served a real purpose. After all why would anyone buy Killzone 3 just for Team Deathmatch? That's not how the game was designed to play, I guess the only reason Guerilla Games added this mode was to appeal to the Call of Duty crowd where half the community exclusively plays Team Deathmatch. Warzone is quite fun. As I wrote earlier, there are seven rounds and the modes that comprise of it are Team Deathmatch, Search and Destroy, Domination, and Assassination.
The MP is quite fun most of the time. The maps are very well designed, and there is a lot of strategy to Warzone and Operations. There are some downsides caused by some unneeded changes to the formula. Firstly the Marksmen class is overpowered. In Killzone 2 it took skill and good knowledge of the map to be a successful Scout (that's what the class was called in Killzone 2). In Killzone 3 the VC32 kills in one shot unless you wear extra armor (a perk that doesn't have much use besides for protection against that gun) even if you merely get shot in the foot. An even bigger problem with the Marksmen is that they are able to spawn with a mid-ranged ASSAULT RIFLE. I don't know whose idea it was to give an invisible an assault rifle but they need to keep their mouths shut because that is the dumbest thing I have ever seen implemented in a shooter class-wise.
Constant mine spamming has also become a nuisance. Brutal melee (a new addition to the series) also has it's problems. I've seen players who were like five feet away from me somehow pull off a brutal melee but when I'm right on top of them I just punch the air.
One last thing I don't like is how the feel of the game was changed to appeal to both those who like weighty and meaty feeling and those who like arcadish feel of Call of Duty. Even worse, this further exasperates the overpoweredness of the Marksmen because with these controls they can aim even faster while scoping.
Presentation, 10. The graphics on Killzone 3 are some of the best you'll see on this system, and perhaps on consoles as a whole too. The sound is also another strong point of this game. The sounds guns make while you're shooting is pretty nice. The voice acting could have been better, but I didn't think it was horrible like a lot of people thought.
Value, 10. The online MP, despite some of its flaws, will last you a very long time. That makes this a very worthwhile shooter to have in your collection.
PROS:
Excellent A.I.
Great controls
Overall a very nicely done MP mode
Great sound effects
Perfect graphics
CONS:
Longer campaign would have been nice
Co-op wasn't that great
MP has some balance issues regarding the Marksmen class
Killzone 3 is an FPS I would recommend to anyone interested in shooters. Especially to those who like MP gaming. Although it might not be as good as Killzone 2 Killzone 3 is still an excellent shooter.