Guerrilla Games Promises Many Improvements in 'Killzone 3'

Jan 19, 2011 by Anthony Taormina

Killzone 3 Improvements Guerrilla Games

Let’s face it, Killzone 2 had a lot of problems, none of which were more frustrating than the controller lag. For a first person shooter, especially one that is supposed to be the flagship of a console, failure to reflect the precise movements of a controller is a real problem. Thankfully, Killzone 3, as promised by some of the game’s creative team, feels much more fluid as compared to Killzone 2. Problems like controller lag are in the past.

The lack of controller lag was already present in the multiplayer beta and in various hands-on experiences with the game. Still, it should calm the fears of those yet to experience the game to know the lag really is gone, particularly given the problems it caused for anyone brave enough to venture into the first game’s multiplayer arena.

In a conversation with EDGE magazine, Killzone 3 director Mathijis de Jonge put his reputation on the line, admitting both the problems with the last game and promising that those flaws have been ironed out.

“[While] we were still tweaking and checking framerate, I checked this game back-to-back with Killzone 2 and have to say that it plays so much more fluidly. Also, the adjustments we made to lean-and-peek – you can actually slide into cover now, vault over, brutally melee your enemies – it feels more fluid, stutters less. There’s fewer points of irritation.”

Gamers might be thinking that improving upon the control and performance of the game is all well and good, and even the addition of 3D sounds neat, but Killzone 3 is still, first and foremost, a video game. Guerrilla head honcho Herman Hulst promises that this time around, players will be treated to a venerable feast of single player missions that will feature unique environments throughout.

“A big improvement over Killzone 2 is that we’re looking to have pretty much a unique setting for each level… We’re going from the Helghast interpretation of jungle to very Killzone-esque scrapyards, and at the end we go into space. It’s a big departure from Killzone 2, where the first five levels were all urban settings.”

Another common complaint for the Killzone series has been its color palette and lack of variety. Choosing to exist in a muted brown, Killzone 2 never really showcased the graphical power of the PlayStation 3 like it should have.

Killzone 3 Aircraft Battle

As indicated by this screen and other trailers for the game, the level variety has certainly been improved as players will be exploring everything from water-based oil rigs to snowy tundras. Level design isn’t all that is being inventively overhauled, as new gameplay mechanics including the jetpack will be making an appearance this time around.

It might not completely squash any fear that Killzone 3 will repeat the problems of Killzone 2, especially coming from the developers themselves, but combined with what has previously been shown and experienced, it looks like there is going to be a ton of entertainment derived from the title. Whenever a developer can acknowledge their mistakes and move forward with innovation and confidence, the result is usually something pretty spectacular.

Has Guerrilla Games acknowledgment of Killzone 2’s problems and their claims of having fixed them for Killzone 3 increased your interest in the title? Does the level variety take away from the general aesthetic of Killzone or is it a welcome change of pace?