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Killzone 3 Hands-On In 3D
Watching live gameplay of Killzone 3 in 3D was one of the highlights of the Sony press conference, but it left many curious as to how it would feel to experience this longer than a few minutes at a time. Fortunately, I got a half hour with the glasses and a Dualshock.
The Killzone 3 demo was displayed on a Sony Bravia TV with compatible active shutter glasses. While there was some slight ghosting on the 3D images from time to time, I never got a feeling of nausea that sometimes comes with 3D gaming. The game ran at a steady framerate, never once getting chuggy. There is a very slight downgrade on the visuals since the image has to be doubled and offset for the 3D effect to work. But later I went over and watched the 2D edition run on a TV and the dip really seemed only perceptible when I was actively looking for it.
The first segment begins in a ship flying through wintry canyons while you blow away incoming enemies with a turret. It’s not long before you crash and have to hoof it through a snowy base. One of the first nice 3D touches is fluttering snow flakes that dance around on screen at all times. Using the iron sight on the rifle could easily make you cross-eyed, but it’s handled in a way that isn’t jarring and manages to make the gun feel more like a real physical object. As far as enemy attacks go, the rocket shots have the most impressive 3D effect so far since you can see them blasting toward you as opposed to mostly invisible bullets. The most fun weapon to use was the new WASP. The standard shot blasts a series of wild, spiraling missiles toward your target while the alt fire works like an air strike that can wipe out a tank in a single shot.
The new jet pack definitely had me worried beforehand since platforming in first person has always been an extremely risky proposition. Surprisingly though, it controls like a dream. You hit L1 to get a generous vertical boost and press the X button to shoot forward. Not once did I fall off an icy platform nor did I really have to worry about it much. The pack also provides some nice alternative tactics to the standard run and gun strategy. In one area there was a small building full of enemies all shooting at me through the windows. Normally, this fortified position would be tough to infiltrate, but the jet pack opens up a new option. I flew over, landed on the roof, and tossed a few grenades down through a hole and that was that.
I’m interested to see how these 3D effects hold up over a few more hours of play, but so far I’m pleasantly surprised with what Guerilla Games is pulling off in this wild new frontier.
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