Being a sceptic is not a negative quality in the world of video games these days. With the insurmountable amount of hype and marketing dollars that is spent on each game, it is easy to get swayed away with every little adjective that is used to describe exclusive games. In that light, we never looked at Killzone 2 with a view that it had the potential to change the burgeoning genre of first person shooters.
Our first interaction, however, was to change that opinion. While playing through the pre-alpha build of the game at a convention, we realized that not only had the claustrophobic nature of war been mimicked by Guerrilla games but they had managed to add their own chaotic and gruesome twist to the nature of alien warfare. When Killzone 2 finally came out, Sony PS3 owners rejoiced about a game that took entertainment and interactivity to dizzying new levels. Most reviewers praised the game for its combat sequences and set pieces and few who did go against the norm ended up earning the wrath of the fanboy community at large.
Here are 4 things that Guerrilla games might look into while developing Killzone 3:
1. Improve Combat Mechanics: Contrary to what most fans, we enjoyed the industrial looking arenas of Helghan Empire, smashing through the desolated towns and shacks in the midst of combat proved to be an exhilarating experience. However though arenas across the game were multi-tired and enemies were spread all across the given combat arena, Guerrilla Games was not able to capitalize on combat dynamics of the Helghan Fleet. Majority of the game had a similar encounter sets which never grapples the player into a void of tension and pushing through. A player enters an area kills a few enemies and then moves to clear the other. The set pieces (read the assault on the bridge) were a few moments that tested the combat strategy of the player and made him stagger about the size and scale of combat.
2. Implement Squad Mechanics For Enemy / Friendly AI: Killzone 2 looks to operate on squads to flush the player during combat. However these squads rarely seem to be working together in any given scenario. Squad mechanics are seemingly absent from the entire game and this is inclusive of those who fight beside you. Every soldier in the game looks to be fighting their own battles instead of collectively defeating the enemy from both sides. This area, if worked upon, will feed into improving the combat mechanics of the game adding a dimension of tactical combat to what is otherwise a plain simple shooter.
3. Weapons Need To Be Diversified To Fit Combat Arenas: We agree Killzone 2 is primarily a shooter however there were no particular instances that required the use of a specific weapon making the entire additional arsenal redundant. A perfect example is the fending off Helghan Assault at Visari Square, though there was a sniper rifle placed at the top of a tower which was centrally placed in the square (again an impressive display of level design). However the playthrough does not require one to actually make use of the rifle. In case players do not ever climb the tower, they can decimate the entire assault using the Helghan Assault rifle or the ISA one. The lighting gun is another instance in the playthrough which has not been exploited at all.
4. Spontaneity During Combat: Killzone 2 becomes a drag since there are few moments that are spread across the game that divulge into the realm of spontaneous combat. Most of the game has been structured in the format of a player recognising the arena when they enter to storm it. There are very few instances in the game where the player unexpectedly encounters a fresh bunch of enemies and is pressed into combat. Players will recall the first time they saw a crawler tear down a building and squads of Helghan troops emerging, this was the very same sequence where Sev, Rico had to fend off a squad before infiltrating Visari Square. Sections such as these which provided an aura of dynamism to combat were limited throughout the game.
Guerrilla Games have already discussed a few of the changes that they are going to bring in Killzone 3, though 3D is an arena where they seem to be pushing the game. Hopefully these issues will be addressed as well. So we shall wait and watch till E3 2010 where the floodgates of games are going to all flow.