Space-nazis are a bitch: Killzone 3

Unlike Killzone 2, the third installment in the exclusive PS3 franchise does not in fact cause bouts of motion sickness and an inability to finish the game. Rock solid in its framerate, KZ 3 is a much-appreciated step in a more colorful direction, leaning away from the brown-grey design tropes that litter the FPS genre.

Picking up moments after the end of KZ 2, KZ 3 is the culmination of the story so far. A massive interstellar civil war between two factions of humanity, the ISA (good guys) and the Helghast (Nazi imagry embracing bad guys) has decimated both sides. The finale of KZ 2 (spoiler) literally ended in a bang, as the Helghast leader detonates a nuclear weapon, fully destroying one of their cities.

Grunts Sev and Rico find themselves driven to escape before the impending retribution while dealing with a military hierachy that doesn't appreciate their can-do rule breaking attitudes. Playing as Sev, KZ 3 jumps the narrative around in a six-month period, varying mission types from on-rails vehicle defense, to a Modern Warfare-esque stealth mission within a colorful and dangerous jungle. The controls are tight and precise, the visuals stunning and the narrative not entirely stupid.

Story nuggets are left untouched as Sev and Rico are reduced to guerilla fighting with dwindling supplies and men, small soliders in a bigger war. The character models are often indistiguishable from Gears of War, which is unfortunate, as the enviroment design has a much larger palette and scope.

At 8-9 hours, the campaign is fun, pushing the player forward through the scenario and rewarding use of the snappy controls. Easily the first FPS I've not struggled with on the PS3, KZ 3 follows closely the tropes of the military shooter genre, replete with soliders going AWOL, barked orders, and cinematic backstabbing.

The ending gave me pause. It involves destruction on an unfathomable scale, and seems unearned. Thrown at the player at the last moment, the game touches on a larger impact of the destruction but does not explore the ramifications, leaving both the player and the characters unresolved.

Killzone 3 is a massive improvement over 2, delivering on the original promise of Killzone 2 as a PS3 launch title.