I have been away for 2 months with very limited computer access and I come home to this, SUPER AWESOME!  So many great great things have been announced while I was gone, theres almost too much to look forward to.

Killzone 3

• by Patrick Shaw
 
• July 12, 2010 10:52 AM PT

Guerrilla Games Managing Director Hermen Hulst discusses how Adolf Hitler, Mother Nature, and James Cameron helped shape the creative direction of his upcoming video game, Killzone 3.

Hermen Hulst

For a while, it looked like our world-exclusive story on Killzone 3 might not happen. Along with the usual panic that ensues when an issue of the magazine approaches deadline, another disaster took place: a volcanic explosion. A few days prior to my planned flight to Amsterdam —- the home of Killzone developer Guerrilla Games -— a volcano in Iceland known as Eyjafjallajökull (good luck pronouncing that) erupted, spewing massive plumes of caustic ash into the sky. This fallout can essentially peel an airplane as if it were a banana, and it turned every Northern European country into a "no fly zone," including the Netherlands.

Costing airline companies hundreds of millions of dollars a day-the single largest financial loss for the industry since the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001-the colossal mushroom clouds billowing above Europe would make an unknowing onlooker think World War III had begun. It's perhaps fitting that my introduction to Killzone 3 falls under the shadow of such a dire event given that the game takes place on the planet Helghan, a war-scorched world perpetually ravaged by its own slew of natural disasters, including lightning storms and poisonous clouds.

As I witness Mother Nature's wrath unfurl on the news, I learn that the Killzone team took advantage of the natural disaster in Iceland. They studied high-definition footage of the volcanic eruption as a form of research for creating visual effects in their game. Absorbing as much reference material as possible, be it from history or from nature, is part of their creed.

While this exercise is fascinating, I still faced the issue of nailing down this cover story. Fortunately, Sony has offices on this side of the Atlantic. And even though I wasn't able to experience Killzone 3 on its home turf in the Netherlands-Guerrilla's studio sits literally blocks away from Amsterdam's notorious cannabis shops and red-light district -- it's still a big deal that I'm one of the first people outside of Sony to not only see the game but play through one of its early missions -- and even experience the game in 3D.

It's also a strange coincidence that the day I'm seeing Killzone 3 happens to fall on the day after Adolf Hitler's April 20 birthday. I'd be reluctant to even mention the connection in most circumstances, but it's clear that the Helghast -- Killzone's menacing race of gas-mask-wearing fascists -- share much with the Nazis, from the emblem resembling a swastika adorned on their flag to the inflammatory speeches of their fascist leader, Scolar Visari.

The relationship between the villains in Killzone and Nazi ideology is no coincidence. Hermen Hulst, managing director at Guerrilla Games, explains that the similarities between history and their fiction are not only intentional but serve as the foundation for Killzone's story line and universe.

"That's one side of the story," says Hulst, who describes his job as kind of a guru who works closely with everyone involved in Killzone 3, from the artists to the level designers. "We knew we wanted to create something that's instantly recognizable to a lot of people. We've all grown up with the images of the Second World War and the Cold War-what happened in communist Russia and Nazi Germany is permanently burned into our consciousness. With Killzone, we set out to step into this shared cultural memory to really create something that anyone can look at and recognize as something evil that needs to be eradicated."

Hulst explains that the Helghast were born out of a desire to have a more complex enemy in their game, with a tangible explanation as to why they are evil. To help shape their iconic villains, Guerrilla looked to history for inspiration.

"A lot of video games have rather one-dimensional enemies that will kill you for no better reason other than the fact that you're the player," Hulst says. "We wanted a conflict that's deeper than that. This is where the idea of Killzone emerged. A big part of this is the story of the Helghast and their ideology, which stems from the greater conflicts of the 20th century. That's where the franchise began."

Propaganda-style Killzone artwork featuring Helghast soldiers

The idea that an imbalance in power can often lead to war is pervasive in the history of humanity. From this notion Guerrilla built the conflict between the people of planet Vekta and planet Helghan.

Hulst provides an overview of the history of the hostilities between the two races in Killzone, explaining that the early Helghans originally ruled both planets. The Helghan quickly became rich, industrious, and powerful, but Earth and other colonies saw their sudden rise in power as a tremendous threat. The growing tensions eventually inspired the Helghans to secede from Earth and become an independent state. Earth saw this move as the insurrection of a rebellious colony and struck Helghan hard with police actions and diplomatic embargoes.

This resulted in bloodshed during the first Extrasolar War. The Helghans couldn't match the military might of Earth, and soon Earth exiled the Helghan leaders from their Eden-like planet of Vekta. The humiliating defeat and the subsequent loss of Vekta -- a planet the Helghast see as theirs -- is still a painful memory for all Helghast.

This story parallels the aftermath of World War I for Germany. The Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to relinquish their control of land in the province of West Prussia, Alsace, Lorraine, Northern Schleswig, and other territories. Not only was this a devastating blow to the national pride of the Germans, it also helped fuel the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party before World War II.

In order to develop the back-story of the Helghast as well as the Killzone universe, the team conducts extensive research while examining "hundreds" of sources. They even study propaganda such as Walt Disney's anti-Nazi World War II films and Leni Riefenstahl's infamous Triumph of the Will, which Hitler commissioned to bolster the image of the Third Reich (his name even appears in the film's opening credits as producer).

Hulst says that while you can view the Helghast as the embodiment of Nazism, they aren't the epitome of evil. In fact, the Helghast actually see themselves as victims. They hold the human race responsible for the mutations suffered by their people, which force many of them to wear gas masks in order to survive Helghan's toxic atmosphere.

After World War I, the Germans also felt victimized by the losses of land, prestige, and prosperity as well as the rampant inflation caused by war reparations. This all played an instrumental role in Hitler's rise to power.

"Although the Helghast are physically still human, they consider themselves superior to the human race in terms of society and culture," Hulst explains. "They possess a mentality that's similar to how the Nazis viewed those not part of the Aryan bloodline. Helghast look down on humans as weak, lying, and spineless.

"In Killzone 3, we show that even the Helghast have some humanity left in them," Hulst says. "We're weaving a story that has more shades of gray than the trite representation of 'good vs. evil.'" Hulst adds that the story even calls into question the merits of the ISA when they begin to evaluate the righteousness of their invasion of planet Helghan. "We explore the notion that even honorable soldiers have to make debatable decisions at times for the greater good -- or simply for their own survival."

After learning how history molded the creation of Killzone -- as well as how it continues to influence the evolution of the Helghast and the ISA -- I see one of the missions in Killzone 3's single-player campaign. But before I even pick up the controller, Hulst provides context as to where I am in the game. One of the central themes at this particular point in Killzone 3 is the disconcerting feeling of being in a place far away from home, outnumbered by people who want to kill you.

While the Killzone back-story is largely grounded in science fiction, parallels exist between the strife depicted in the game and real war. This demoralizing feeling of being outnumbered in a strange land is similar to the situations faced by veterans of World War II, Vietnam, and the current war in Iraq. "On the surface things seem to be a pure case of good against evil," Hulst says, "but underneath, there's a lot more ambiguity, just like there is in real war. I don't think any of the recent conflicts are any different from this.

"With Killzone 2, the story was centered on the massive invasion of Helghan. You're facing this giant war machine and doing your best to outgun the enemy. This time around, however, it's a great deal more like Quentin Tarantino's film Inglourious Basterds," says Hulst. Tarantino's movie spins a fictional tale from World War II about a band of renegade Jewish-American soldiers dressed as Nazi SS troops that infiltrate Germany in order to slaughter as many Nazis as they possibly can. While the differences are obvious between Inglourious Basterds and Killzone, they share the idea of being overwhelmed in the face of a powerful enemy. As Hulst explains, it's a story that's as old as the Bible. Consider the Old Testament's Book of Samuel, which tells of a young warrior named David who slays a Philistine giant.

"You're left there on the planet, and the Helghast have regrouped. They have the upper hand as well as the technological advantage. They outnumber the ISA, so you must rely on your mates to survive. Killzone 3 is about harnessing every single bit of creativity you have to get out of hell alive. It's the story of David battling Goliath, but this time you are David. That's the big shift in going from Killzone 2 to Killzone 3."

If you played Killzone 2 and reached its somewhat anticlimactic ending (if not, you may want to skip the next two paragraphs), you know that instead of pulling the trigger to assassinate the Helghast's fascist leader, Scolar Visari, one of your squadmates, Master Sergeant Richard "Rico" Velasquez, steps in and finishes him off. Hulst says that leaving you out of Visari's murder was deliberate.

"There were several sides to that decision. First off, we thought it would be too predictable if it was you, the player, pulling the trigger on Visari. But more importantly, it would be out of character for Sergeant Tomas "Sev" Sevchenko to commit a crime of that magnitude against his orders. Rico, on the other hand, is exactly the kind of loose cannon that would do whatever it takes to get the job done."

Hulst stresses that another dramatic shift is the new areas of planet Helghan, which offer more variety than the previous game. He describes them as vibrant places that contrast sharply with Killzone 2's rather bleak, crumbling settings ruined by the constant warfare that took place during that game.

One of these new locations is a sprawling arctic level, which I play shortly after Hulst introduced it. Home to oil rigs embedded in enormous moving glaciers and shipwrecked tankers with massive tears in their hulls, Frozen Shores is the fourth mission in Killzone 3, and it looks radically different than anything featured in the previous game.

Leader of the Nazi Party, Adolf Hitler (left) and leader of the Helghast Scolar Visari (right).

"An important landmark located in this level is the Stahl Arms Facility, a Helghast weapons lab that's surrounded by ice," Hulst says. "ISA Captain Narville is also imprisoned here, so part of your mission is to rescue him. To do that, though, you need to wipe out Helghast forces."

The level begins with a playable on-rails sequence where Sev and Rico fly around a frozen enemy base on an Intruder infantry dropship. You may remember these hovering vehicles from the opening of Killzone 2, when Alpha Team storms the beaches of Helghan in a mission that reminds you of the Allies' landings on D-Day in World War II. Assuming the role of Sev-who's also the protagonist in the previous Killzone -- you use a powerful chain gun mounted on the Intruder to mow down Helghast soldiers that are stalking the ice and surrounding oil rigs.

"A playable version of the landing sequence from the beginning of Killzone 2 was something a lot of fans have cried out for," explains Hulst. "That's why we open up Frozen Shores with it." He notes that the damage you can inflict in this brief scene is equivalent to the destruction players deal out in the entire first level of Killzone 2.

After cutting down enemy infantry with the chain gun, you can blast vulnerable points on the oil-rig platforms, collapsing the structures into the freezing water below.

A crash landing occurs when you're shot down by a Helghast antiaircraft gun. But once you smash into the ice and get off the burning Invader, the action doesn't cool down. Helghast stormtroopers engage you in combat the moment you set foot on the glacier, and taking them out is not easy given that a ferocious blizzard's raging and obscuring the battlefield with snow (the scene really gets crazy when you put on a pair of 3D glasses and the snowstorm appears to be literally blowing into your face).

The combat in Killzone 3 remains relatively unchanged from its predecessor. You start with a M82 Assault Rifle -- the default ISA weapon -- as your primary firearm and a standard-issue pistol as your backup. Just like the previous Killzones, you can swap your primary gun with weapons you pick off the bodies of slain Helghast. Hand-to-hand combat, however, is a new endeavor; you can now unload a string of different (and often brutal) attacks on stunned enemies instead of the basic melee strike of past Killzones. Whenever a glowing orange fist icon appears on the screen, timing your melee attacks correctly allows you to do things like stomp on an enemy's face with your boot or bludgeon them mercilessly with the butt of your rifle.

"With the third game, we're really hammering into everyone's heads that 'a Killzone inch is a Killzone inch,'" Hulst says. When asked what he means by that, Hulst elaborates: "Everything in the game this time is a lot more spread out. As you can see from exploring this arctic setting, a significant change going into Killzone 3 is the scale and size of levels -- everything is bigger this time."

Aside from larger levels, Guerrilla is focusing on providing plenty of interesting weapons and gear. One of the most remarkable new pieces of equipment is the jetpack, which doubles as a weapon-a machine gun's conveniently attached to it. Moments after clearing out the first area on the glacier and entering a jagged hole in a nearby oil tanker's ruptured hull, several Helghast wearing jetpacks descend upon you. If you aim carefully and shoot their jetpacks, they launch into the sky and explode like Roman candles.

After this encounter with the flying Helghast, you can pick up one of their jetpacks and conduct your first test flight. Similarly to how the mech in Killzone 2 felt surprisingly lightweight and agile, Killzone 3's jetpack is easier to maneuver compared to the sluggish incarnations of the gadget found in other games. You can activate bursts of speed in midair, propelling yourself to further distances; it's a trick that aids in aerial combat against jetpack-wearing aggressors.

Soon after acquiring the jetpack, you must cross the frigid ocean by launching yourself from glacier to glacier. As Hulst notes, the actions brought on by the jetpack resemble something you'd do in platformers such as Super Mario Bros. or Uncharted.

"Killzone will always be about scorching, intense action, no matter where we take it. But as the shooter genre evolves, Killzone too evolves," Hulst says. "Killzone 3, in particular, embraces elements that aren't necessarily native to first-person shooters, such as vehicle-based combat and this sequence on the glaciers that was influenced by platforming video games."

The final highlight of the Frozen Shores mission is something you receive toward the very end of the level: the Wasp, an almost absurdly devastating weapon. "We call it our 'portable weapon of mass destruction,'" Hulst jokes.

Once you have a Wasp, you can discharge a flurry of rockets, which look like a swarm of robotic insects when they eject out of your muzzle. Switching the Wasp to its secondary fire mode allows you to blow your entire clip on a target, which instantly reduces Helghast tanks and dropships to ashes.

After completing the mission, Hulst assures me that while Frozen Shores effectively illustrates how they're bringing new settings into the Killzone experience, "snow levels" aren't something we'll see a lot of in Killzone 3. He suggests it's only one of many examples of a locale that breaks the repetitive flavor of the settings in Killzone 2. "The Frozen Shores mission demonstrates how Killzone 3 will take you to places you've never been to before in past Killzone games. But this doesn't show off all the ways we're bringing variety to the settings."

Hulst adds that Killzone 3's diverse locales not only help give each section of the game its own personality, but they also nurture the designers' desire for the player to learn more about the Helghast.

"Since one of our main goals for Killzone 3 is to dig deeper into the Helghast culture, we figured what better way to get to know them better than to have you visit an array of places that are important to the Helghast," Hulst says.

To exhibit one of the ways they're continuing to develop the identity of their villains, Guerrilla points out the strange language that appears on Helghast propaganda posters and street signs. The Helghast's written language isn't a load of nonsense, as you might suspect. The team created an entire alphabet for the Helghast, and you could actually learn it if you were so inclined. According to Guerrilla, it isn't based on English and has syntactic structures that are similar to the Korean alphabet.

Before concluding my time with Killzone 3, I boot up the level once more -- only this time it's to experience what I just played in full 3D. Playing the game in 3D is entirely optional, so those who have an aversion for 3D entertainment can experience the game without the glasses.

Using a pair of wireless 3D glasses synced with a Sony Bravia 3D TV, I restart the Frozen Shores mission and play from the beginning. With this particular setup, it's important to center yourself in front of the TV to get the optimal 3D experience-sensors on the 3D-enabled Bravia track the glasses.

Even though I know exactly how the mission plays out, in many ways switching over to the game's 3D mode makes for a fresh experience. As you might imagine, certain things jut out of the TV screen more than others, such as enemy bullets that whiz by your head as well as your weapon when you're zoomed in on a target.

Other things when viewed in 3D, such as the snowcapped mountains and your surroundings, are more subtle. Oddly enough, what stands out the most are the thousands of snowflakes showering down on everything. You really notice the realistic winter effects once you take shelter because the snowfall stops abruptly. When talking about a game so rife with violence and over-the-top action, "snowflakes" are a strange thing to walk away with. But it's true: The snow effects in Killzone in 3D are stunning.

"3D is a true game changer for Killzone," Hulst asserts. "It not only changes the way you play the game -- it also alters how you interact with your environment since you're experiencing a brand-new level of immersion. You're much closer to the action. We want the player to have that sensory overload, where you have to catch your breath at times."

When asked if he believes Killzone 3 has the potential to do for video games what James Cameron's Avatar did for movies, Hulst is modest about the progress they've made with integrating 3D into Killzone in a way that doesn't feel forced.

"I'm flattered by the comparison to James Cameron's film. Avatar wasn't the first movie in 3D, but it's the first one that got it absolutely right. In that context, we share his ambition of not doing it unless it can be done right."

Following our discussion about how history feeds into the evolution of their franchise and how the Frozen Shores mission showcases many of the new ideas Guerrilla has for Killzone, Hulst talks about what it means to be a game developer in Amsterdam, growing up in a liberal nation near the Iron Curtain's shadow.

"Amsterdammers are known for speaking their minds, and we've created a culture here at Guerrilla where they can," Hulst says. "Everyone's opinion counts, and everyone is expected to contribute to the creative process. I think it is really beneficial for a creative environment if no one has to guess what the other guy is thinking. You won't find much paralyzing passive-aggressiveness here, although to new joiners our guys can come across as bluntly aggressive. But they get used to it quickly.

Internationalism and collaboration play not only into the working environment at Guerrilla but also in how they approach their games. Hulst describes their organizational structure as a flat consensus model and insists that they are very much a "community" first and a developer second. He explains that he personally interviews "every single soul" that Guerrilla hires.

"Just as Amsterdam has been a melting pot of people from all over the world, Guerrilla is a very international team, with over 20 different nationalities. Foreigners have been flocking to Amsterdam since the 16th century for economic reasons and to enjoy the freedom of a liberal society. You see much of that reflected in the culture at Guerrilla today and in the games we make."

This freedom established by Amsterdam's liberal society, something that draws people from around the globe, is exactly what the Helghast -- and past tyrants like Hitler and the Nazis -- seek to crush under their boot of intolerance and hate.

History of Guerilla Games' Past Work

Guerilla Games' managing director Hermen Hulst, art director Jan-Bart Van Beek, game director Mathijs de Jonge, and tech director Michiel van der Leeuw take a look back at the studio's entire body of work. They discuss the success of each project and how they feel about their previous games today.

• 2000 - 2002 
• Lost Boys Games

Platforms: Game Boy Color, PlayStation 
"Before we were acquired by Sony, we were known as Lost Boys Games and worked on titles that are very different from the games we're known for today. We developed 5 Game Boy games, which all fell into different genres. This was a great way for us to build our skills in making a variety of games in order to become well-rounded as developers."

• 2004 
• Shellshock Nam '67

Platforms: PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC 
"Shellshock Nam '67 was actually a great project. We set out to create a horrifying Vietnam War experience. Unfortunately our publisher decided about 8 months before it released that they wanted the game 3 months earlier, which completely annihilated the polish phase, and resulted in a game that could have been much better. That was a massive lesson learned for our team, which was still very young at the time. We would never agree to such decision again with the knowledge and clout we have now."

• 2004 
• Killzone

Platforms: PlayStation 2 
"The original Killzone was one of those projects that started with a rookie team with a huge vision. We weren't jaded yet by the pragmatism that comes with experience. Looking back at the first Killzone, we are still very proud of what we accomplished, given we were just starting out. Even though now we feel the gameplay could have been stronger, we did set the vision, the style, and the core technology for the franchise. This experience helped set things up for Killzone 2."

• 2006 
• Killzone: Liberation

Platforms: Sony PSP 
"Based on the lessons we learned on Shellshock and Killzone, we were able to put together a production cycle that helped us deliver on our goals and fully utilize the PSP's capabilities. We had a very solid prototyping and preproduction track and because of this we were able to lock down the core player experience early on, which typically helps the quality of the final product. Even though we were developing for a handheld platform, we came up with some mechanics and features such as the cover system and jetpacks that we later integrated into Killzone 2 and Killzone 3."

• 2009 
• Killzone 2

Platform: PlayStation 3 
"Damn, heading into Killzone 2 was a lot of pressure. I'm sure you know the story. The most rewarding part of the first Killzone sequel was that we created our vision very early on and consequently we knew what we were striving for from the beginning. The hard part was transitioning quickly from developing games for PS2 and PSP with a rather small team to making a blockbuster, state of the art PlayStation 3 game with tremendously high expectations. Killzone 2 gave us real growing pains, but we're really glad to have gone through them."

This is honestly my most anticipated game out of all the games we know that is coming to the PS3. The more I see of it, the more I want it. I can't wait for them to start showing off the jungle levels. I wonder how good there going to look.

This is why I love Sony. Every sequel to there first party exclusive games this generation just get bigger and better and KZ3 is shaping up to be there best yet.

YES!!! the best news I've heared today.

OMFG Thank you GG finally! KZ3 is now looking to trump KZ2 in every single way can't w8 any longer.

Yeah!!!

Now we just need to know how "objective based" is meant. Could perhaps be something like the 8-player co-op in Resistance 2, would be nice IMO.

ha cant believe i havent posted in this

the game is looking real good many improvements over 2 i want to see some shots from the jungle environments maybe they'll be released in the fall

i still would like to know if the cover system will be online or if they'll add blind fire back from cover like it was originally supposed to be in 2 i think the blindfire adds a sense of immersion

either way i belive the game will sell 4-5M worldwide before 2011 ends

also where do you guys find all those HQ gifs from?

Yeah! Scruff likes this news! It's awesome! bring on the co-op.

Man i tell ya, I think the jungle levels are gonna blow our minds..haven't seen a good jungle level in an fps in a while

GC can't come sooner

and yea this gem of a game only needs offline splitscreen co-op to make it perfect imo

looks hoooooooooot

Killzone 3 Looks Great, Plays Different, Sort Of Adds Yoshi

I got my first hands-on with the PlayStation 3's Killzone 3 this week. Fantastic graphics are a franchise given. I liked how this one plays and how it made me think of Mario's dino.

Killzone 3 plays faster than Killzone 2. It is still a first-person futuristic war shooter with a cover system, but development studio Guerilla Games is raising your character's turning speed and increasing the accuracy of the game's weapons. The studio is improving the potency of melee strikes, making them work with a single button press when you get close enough — see a flash or a prompt — to deliver a context-sensitive killing move. (Hitting melee but missing that window will deliver a less hurtful blow.) You won't even die as often in the new game, it seems, because Guerilla is adding an element of Killzone 2' s multiplayer to Killzone 3's single-player: Your nearby fellow soldiers — the returning Rico, for example — can revive you if you've been downed by gunfire. (Killzone fans, maybe Rico's not a jerk after all?)

I tried three portions of Killzone 3: A mostly on-rails airborne shooter section, a section that allowed me to test the game's first-person jetpack gameplay and an uphill climb made easier with a multi-shot rocket-launcher. All parts were set on a wintry landscape of snow-covered hills, unsettled seas, ice floes and large metal structures.

The on-rails part was the visual showpiece. As I was in the rest of the demo, I controlled Killzone hero Sev. In this bit he was on a flying assault craft (think high-tech magic carpet or rotor-less, roof-less helicopter) that buzzed down a crevasse to assault a Hellghast oil platform and swarms of enemy soldiers. Sev was on a machine gun and all I had to do was aim, shoot and watch things blow up. A Sony producer watching me raved about the destructibility of the Helghast structure. He directed me to shoot at an enemy drop ship. It did blow up nicely.

Visually spectacular as that first part was, the next section was more interesting to play. In it I gained the game's new jetpack. You arm it like it is a weapon, as it replaces whatever gun is in your hand with what almost looks like spider-legs sprouting from your pack into the corners of your peripheral vision. The jetpack functions a little like Yoshi. Yes, Yoshi, the lovable green dinosaur in the Mario games. Mario gamers know what Yoshi does... he extends Mario's jumping ability, lets him float and gives him an extra mid-air, mid-jump boost.

The Killzone 3 jetpack allows the player to ascend with the press of a PS3 controller's L2 button, but there is a finite amount of ascension allowed — it lasts for just a few seconds — before the player will drift back to the ground. While in mid-air, the player can tap the X button twice for a pair of forward-directed speed boosts. In practice the jetpack feels like it gives you a big Yoshi-style flutter/hover-jump with a variation of a double-then-triple jump option to follow.

I used the pack's thrusters to fly Sev from one ice floe to the next, tapping the speed boost button to help him span a gap. I used all of the vertical lift to get him up the side of a glacier and onto the stairs of an enemy base. The jetpack has an infinite-ammo gun that can overheat but is otherwise great for aerial combat. I got a taste of jetpack vs. jetpack fighting, me against flying Helghast. It was a little disorienting but fun. When jetpack-wearing enemies are shot in the pack enough, their thrusters will misfire and they will careen out of control, a fun trick I last saw in a Metroid Prime game.

The third section I played featured one of the game's new heavy weapons, a WASP launcher that fires three rockets with any one press of your controller's shoot button. An alternate fire mode allows even more rockets to be launched into the sky and rained onto enemies, with the smoke trails and flare effects of a Robotech weapon. I used the WASP to obliterate enemy tanks. I also used it indoors in close quarters and learned that that is unwise.

The three sections I played were heavy on action, light on storytelling. The previous Killzone ended at an interesting and ominous moment and left gamers debating the actions of some of its lead characters. Those characters are back and this game's action picks up a second after the last Killzone ended, the Sony producer watching me play told me. As the action proceeds, Sev and Rico wind up fighting more as an insurgent force, but how the narrative unfolds is still a mystery.

The other unexplained aspect of Killzone 3 is its multiplayer. The online multiplayer of the previous game was re-tweaked many times, dividing the player base. Sony won't go into specifics yet, but the game's producer told me that multiplayer is getting an "overhaul," with details set to be revealed at next month's Gamescom in Germany. I asked about the possibility for co-op play, especially considering the inclusion of that co-op style healing move I described above. The producer again directed me to Gamescom, though I did not take that to be confirmation that the game would have co-op, just that we'll know one way or the other soon.

I liked what I played of Killzone 3 and loved what I looked at. If nothing else, I can declare that Killzone 3 has the best-looking rough seas I've ever seen in a first-person shooter. But that can't be enough! No, we would all like it to be a good first-person shooter, right? The game will be out in February 2011. We'll know then.

http://kotaku.com/5593728/killzone-3-looks-great-plays-different-sort-of-adds-yoshi