Killzone 3: beyond warzone

I can’t get enough of the warzone mode in Killzone 3, which is spoiling other multiplayer shooters for me. It’s a great way to bring the maps to life without running you through the same wringer over and over and over. I can think of no better way to bring an elaborate playground to life than to constantly change the objectives.

But it’s only fair to give the other two modes a chance. Guerrilla warfare is just team deathmatch and the only nice thing I can say about it is that, uh, it’s the only mode where you can play in Killzone 3’s butt-ugly purple jungle level. If you thought Felucia from the Star Wars prequels was ugly, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

Operations, however, is actually a mode I’ll try again. Whereas warzone is epic and wide-open, operations is focused, weirdly intimate, and often over quickly. It’s walks the two teams through the same set of linear objectives, ramming them directly into each other over and over, with one team attacking while the other defends. The moment the attackers fail an objective, the match ends.

Between objectives, you see silly cutscenes starring the players. As the Hellghast tasked with defending a shipping dock, we fail and I’m treated to a little movie in which I’m blown over a rail to my death. In the next round, as the ISA failing to capture a cargo ship, I’m taken prisoner and punched in the gut with a rifle butt by the got who got the most kills on the other team. It’s a ridiculous but cute interlude, better than simply having your name on a score list where no one pays attention to anything other than the top slot and his own slot.

Operations also lets you play your role a bit more directly. Warzone has plenty of yahoos running around doing ancillary stuff (for instance, I spent several matches over the weekend trying to figure out why anyone would bother will this silly jetpack). But in operations, everyone is almost always at everyone else’s throat. If you want xp, this is a great way to make sure you get it.

Up next: Killzone 3 with a fake plastic gun
(Click here for the previous Killzone 3 game diary.)