The holidays are officially over, the new year is upon us and it looks as though the first quarter of 2011 is going to be even more jam-packed with gaming goodness than the same time last year. Killzone 3 is one of the games that’s right around the corner, and so far, developer Guerrilla Games has been tickling all the right the spots with what they’ve shown of the newest fight against the Helghast. Just to make sure that fans are completely worked into a frothy-mouthed frenzy by the time the PlayStation 3 exclusive drops in February, a new story-driven trailer is here to stimulate your drooling eye-holes.

Now that the wow-factor of Killzone’s admittedly stunning graphics has faded, it was definitely time for Guerrilla to try and up the ante in the story department.

To say Killzone 2’s story was average is already being generous, but it looks as though the third installment has upped its narrative game substantially, adding a survival story, political propaganda, and internal conflict on the Helghast side of the war.

Apparently there will be more to the game than just guns and explosions, although it's nice to know they've got those elements of gameplay all sorted out.

Have a look at the new story trailer and see for yourself:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owYAATQZRw4

The trailer is packing some heavy duty acting talent from Malcom McDowell and Ray Winstone. Both of these well respected actors have experience in the two key areas needed to get the job done right for Killzone: voice acting, and general bad-assery. McDowell, whom gamers probably remember from Fallout 3 and probably don’t remember from Wet because they didn’t play it, is playing the CEO of Stahl Arms.

He will be locked in conflict with a particular Helghast Admiral played by Winstone. While Winstone doesn’t have the video game resume to match McDowell’s, his experience with digital voice-over work on the 3D flick Beowulf should have prepared him well enough for Killzone 3.

The trailer does a good job of showing the conflict-triangle that the game appears to be presenting this time. By expanding the story beyond just “humanity versus the Helghast” and introducing a third player by way of a corrupt corporate leader, Guerrilla may have found an interesting place to add a little more depth and intrigue to a franchise whose story could use a fresh shot in the arm.

Do the Ranters agree? Does this added direction to the story look like a good path to explore, or will it just get in the way of killing Helghast with your friends? And how excellent does that little bit of voice work from McDowell and Winstone already sound?

Players will get to hear their complete performances when Killzone 3 arrives on February 22nd, exclusively for the PlayStation 3.