Killzone 3: Kill Things in Proper 3D!

Shove off Avatar, Killzone 3 is serving up real 3D kick-off!

It was always going to take something special to shake FHM out of its Call of Duty stupor. But, plonking ourselves down inside Sony’s London gaming den, the terror of this Guerilla Games’ FPS monster is impossible to ignore. First, because it plays beautifully. Second, looking through the 3D glasses at anywhere other than the screen reminds us of that time we overdid it on the poppers.

Read FHM India in the digital libraryEvery issue, every shoot, on TCG Media.

With its stereoscopic 3D and PlayStation Move controls, Killzone 3 is purpose-built to pimp the linear shooter experience. Following straight on from Killzone 2, the Helghast emperor Visari is dead, but the ensuing, red-eyed political struggle means the war’s still going on, just with bigger guns. The levels are all as hellish and inhospitable as its predecessors, but with this sort of graphical supremacy, there’s a compelling detail to the terror.

Two-player campaign co-op’s not to be sniffed at, while the scope of the multiplayer, from the sprawling maps to the ‘brutal melee’ close combat, is a triumph. The AI – a genuine quibble in Black Ops – is chilling. Every movement, every snake-like duck and weave adds an unsettling authenticity to the enemy. The Helghast may be ugly, but they fight and die in style.

The game’s playable in 2D (and with normal controllers) too, but if you’re asking FHM, who’s landed a jet pack on perilous ledges and seen bullets whistle past our ears, the 3D is more than just aesthetic gimmickry. You’ll want glasses to see this game for real.

• PlayStation Move-compatible, PS3 only, out February 18
• The levels are ten times bigger than in Killzone 2
• The game uses close to 100% of the PS3’s power

From the February 2011 issue of FHM India.