While Killzone 3 was not exactly a disappointment of any sort, there are still a few areas that Sony and Guerrilla Games could improve upon. We’re by no means dismissing the game, but we have some suggestions for future installments, whether they take the form of downloadable content or the inevitable fourth title.
Give Us Better Indication of Enemies When We’re In Vehicles – Killzone 3 includes a variety of vehicle stages, including one where you’re handling a turret, rampaging around in a mech, and roving around in a combination of a go-kart and a buzzsaw. While all of them are quite enjoyable, there was one small nagging issue that arose: Enemies would blindside us out of nowhere with gunfire. Now, we managed to recover pretty quickly, but some better indication of these enemies on the screen, aside from sudden blood splatter, would be helpful. Of course, not seeing your attackers sneak up behind you adds overall intensity to the game.
A (Slightly) Better Depth of Character – Killzone 3 features more recognizable faces than the previous two chapters thanks to veteran actors like Malcolm McDowell and Ray Winstone filling the roles of the Helghast’s top guns. However, when it comes to the good guys, while they’re gruff and ready for battle, it’s hard to emphasize with them like we could with Dom and Marcus from Gears of War. There’s that certain something missing that helps you identify with their cause and endears you to that character. They’re not forgettable, but they could use more interesting personalities rather than ones that seem to say, “Hey, let’s go kill these goddamn Helghast!” Even a few extra DLC chapters would help boost the storyline.
Mild Glitch Clean-Up – Killzone 3 is a fantastic-looking game, and arguably the best one in the series to date. However, the occasional glitches pop up during the course of the game, and they’re hard to miss, such as the odd Helghast animation that appears every once in a while or the bland texture amidst the rubble. They’re not quite bad enough to make you drop your controller and laugh, but they’re glitches all the same. Hopefully Guerrilla Games will have a Day One patch geared up for players.
Vehicle Specific DLC Events – The vehicles make up a huge part of Killzone 3, as explained above. Still, they were hard to come by, and they’re sorely lacking in multiplayer, as well. We could use some downloadable content specifically tailored for these vehicles—maybe a buzz-saw go-kart race complete with devastating missiles (bye, bye, Mario Kart) or a jetpack free-for-all that lets you fight until only one person’s standing, or rather, flying. C’mon, Guerrilla, give us a party we’ll remember!
More Weapons – The weapons in Killzone 3 are inventive. For instance, the explosive Bolt Gun allows players to “nail” enemies one way or another. The rest of the weapons, though, despite their effectiveness, need a little more creativity, especially after seeing the quirks Bulletstorm has to offer. For the next game or DLC, we’d like to see Guerrilla go off the deep end with sheer destructiveness. How about a propulsive grenade launcher that can hone in on enemies? Or a Cerebral Bore-type gun that drills into enemies’ heads and then explodes? Nothing beats a Turok tribute. Think it over, guys. We’ll be busy killing each other off while we wait.