Good Sequal, Could have been great.
+Overall improved graphics (possible? you bet!)
+Better Water effects compared to Kill-zone 2
+More diverse color palette & environments
+Visceral, bloody violence which surpasses KZ2
-Less gritty in some ways; missed desert & nighttime environments
-A short segment or two in SP where the graphics get a bit grainy
-A map or two in MP that appears grainy at all times (see Bilgarsk Boulevard video on youtube)
-Sometimes, the green of irradiated petrusite gases feel overused
***Sound***
+Solid orchestra soundtrack
+Great explosions & other sound effects
+Competent Voice acting
-Some weapon sounds were slightly changed between games for no apparent reason. I don't like the new M82 AR sounds as well
-Sounds of the wounded in multi-player can be irritating
***Game-play***
+Improved camera mechanics but maintains weightiness
+Brutal Melee added (see youtube for demonstration)
+Guns still feel weighty and powerful
+Sniper Rifle is now a ton of fun to use
+Awesome portable Gatling gun
+Awesome new power-weapon (won't spoil surprise)
+Enemies that are challenging but satisfying to kill
+Some awesome set-piece battles/onrails
-A few places where cut-scenes almost seem to be missing
-Final segment was on-rails
-Didn't allow the player to use old power-weapon (electric gun)
-SMG's don't feels deadly the way they used to in KZ2
-the Red Dot Sight for the M82 is different and doesn't look as polished (imo)
***Multi-player***
+Satisfying overall gameplay
+New level-up system doesn't force you to play a specific class
+Mechs and jetpacks are an interesting addition
+Runs on connections which would nearly stop Black Ops cold
-New matching system sometimes fails to fill games despite numerous players looking for games
-Game balancing is not what it should be
-No server lists for custom games
-No spawn grenades and a few maps which seem to promote spawn-camping
-No server lists mean that the cheap and amazing map-packs are bound to be underpopulated
**Update** Owning all three map-packs will allow you to regularly play games on the new maps. This is because the game tries to match you with other players who have the same set of maps. Many people have NO dlc maps, and many people have ALL the dlc's but very few people have just one or two dlc map packs. If you have all the map-packs, you will get into good matches on all the maps regularly
Overall, I am glad I bought this game. I enjoyed the single-player despite it's flaws and I have spent some quality time with the multi-player.
This is not a better game than KZ2 but it still beats the generic shooters cold. Even if you are a picky KZ2 fan, you should at least rent this game and play it. Before buying, check out the Demo available on PSN.