Editor's Note: Make sure to read Killzone 2 Convinced Me to Buy a Playstation 3 (Click Here) before heading into Killzone 3 - PlanetXbox360.com.
February is going to be a pretty good month for Xbox 360 owners, between such upcoming releases as Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, Bulletstorm and You Don’t Know Jack, along with the upcoming Xbox Live Arcade titles. Still, we can’t help but be a little jealous with PlayStation 3 owners. See, this month, they’re getting a big title of their own with the long-awaited Killzone 3, a game that is supposedly the most powerful game for the system to date. Yes, even more powerful than Gran Turismo 5. Now, I had the pleasure of reviewing the game for a fellow site (since, well, we can’t review PS3 games here on PlanetXbox360, duh), but it does raise some questions. Is there anything on the Xbox 360 that can possibly keep up with Guerrilla Games’ latest first-person shooter? And for that matter, is one game justifiable enough to spend money on a rival game system?
Those are some interesting questions, but before we address them, there’s one thing you should know first – Killzone 3 is a space-taking monster. Not one that’s loaded with useless data or anything, since Guerrilla Games knows how to make good use of the media that they were given. No, the fact of the matter is, the game takes up 45 GB of the Blu-Ray format’s 50 GB space. That’s a whole lot of data. And if you were to translate that into Xbox 360 media, that would span almost eight to nine discs. (And you thought swapping between two on Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and Mass Effect 2 was a hassle.) That said, that doesn’t mean the Xbox 360 is an inferior machine. Not by any means. One look at how Gears of War 3 is turning out should indicate that, as Epic Games is really doing some killer work with their development expertise. And let’s not sell short some of the other great games on 360, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, Battlefleld: Bad Company 2 and Medal of Honor. They’re all first-person epics in their own right as well, though they do come up slightly short when it comes to matching the scope of what Killzone 3 is capable of. It’s almost as if Guerrilla hit the accelerator and didn’t look back. Not even when the game was over.
Now, if you don’t want to invest in a PlayStation 3, there are some first-person shooter options coming up that look outstanding – and better yet, you don’t need to wait to try them out. Coming out on the same day as Sony’s shooter is the latest effort from Epic Games, Bulletstorm. As you’ve seen from the demo (and our impressions), the game has almost limitless potential, between its broadened scoring system and insane kill techniques. We’re still trying to put 20 K on the scoreboard, and it’s been well over a week since the demo’s initial release. Imagine what the full game will have. Furthermore, Crysis 2 looks great as well. Granted, the beta isn’t as polished as we would’ve preferred it to be, but it does show the epic scale that Crytek is shooting for with the upcoming shoot-a-thon. Plus, from what we’ve previously seen at E3, there’s still a lot more to come, including some massive robot battles that are insanely cool. We’re in for a treat once March comes around.
Now, if you can afford a PlayStation 3, the question is – does Killzone 3 validate said purchase? Can one game really push the envelope on a long-standing genre? Well, to be honest, yes. Killzone 3 is impressive in nearly every aspect, between the multiplayer, the lengthened single player mode, the voice acting (you can never go wrong with Malcolm McDowell), the ridiculously varied gameplay (try out the jetpack sometime) and the insane graphics. If any game (aside from Uncharted 2) would make you drool in anticipation of possibly owning Sony’s machine, despite your fanboy stance, it would probably be this one. But, again, that’s an argument for those who can really afford it. If you want Killzone 3, Chances are you’ll find a way to get it. But if you can’t afford it and fear that your Xbox 360 is becoming inferior as a result, nope, that’s not the case. There are still action options galore for your system, and all you have to do is shop around. True, none of them have the Helghast, but we’re 100 percent positive you’ll find something just as entertaining.
