Hands On: Killzone 3 Multiplayer Beta

If you were one of the few chosen gamers who got their hands on a beta key for Killzone 3 this past week consider yourself lucky because this game was amazingly fun to play. First and foremost I was never a huge fan of the Killzone series because I focused much of my attention towards the COD series. Nonetheless Killzone 3’s multiplayer has been very fun and new. There is a slight learning curve for those who haven’t played the series, but with a few configuration of buttons, the game felt normal. In comparison it was a mix up of Team Fortress 2 meets Battle Field 2.

There are different classes ranging from Field Medic, Tactician, Engineer, Marksmen, and Infiltrator, each with different abilities and roles to play in the game. Engineer’s repair ammo dispensers, turrets, and mounted guns. Tacticians are the scouts of Killzone, their abilities consist of a UAV of 30 meters around them, capturing spawn points, and calling in an attack drone. Infiltrators are the spies of the team, disguises and unlimited stamina give spies the ability to hit enemies before they know what’s going on and run away fast enough to not get caught. Marksmen are your snipers, being invisible with a cloaking device and scrambling the enemies radar will give your opponents a hell of a time running around trying to find you. As for the Medic, well, they heal people and bring people back to life with more ammo and health. What more did you need?

In the beta I ran into a few small problems like load times and connection problems, but for a beta that’s pretty standard. What I was surprised about was how well everything worked inside each match. From jetpacks (yes I said jetpacks), to mechs, and all the different abilities of each character, all of the different aspects of the game meld together. Frame rates were smooth and screen tearing was non existent throughout all the games I played. I never thought that I’d say this but I may have to go back to the original Killzone and play through all of it. Melee kills from front, behind, and run by swipes don’t hinder any of the action, since certain kills show a kill cinematic. Graphically taking a step up too in this phase. We’ll be sure to give you more info as it comes in but the games multiplayer is on track with vast improvements.