February 7, 2011February 7, 2011

Killzone 3 Gets a Perfect 10 in PlayStation: The Official Magazine

OK, OK, let’s step back for second. One of the things we always struggle with when awarding a 10 is this notion of “perfect.” So, let’s clear the air: There is no such thing as a perfect game. Any and all games come with their assortment of quirks and quibbles, slight shortcomings and trifling blemishes.

That said, Killzone 3 comes pretty gosh darn close to perfection.

We should know, because we played the heck out of it for our March cover story: a 10-page feature that includes our hard-hitting, in-depth review along with exclusive tactics straight from developer Guerrilla Games for dominating the excellent multiplayer. We even got to dig deep into the ‘Zone to uncover some of Guerrilla’s thinking behind the latest chapter in their sharp shooter.

It’s a great read, if I do say so myself, written by our very own Roger Burchill. To quote our esteemed managing editor: “Killzone 3 takes a blade, jams it into a Helghast’s eye socket, and twists it.” You’ll have to pick up the issue to find out what else Roger said, but even for those who’ve already pre-ordered the game, it’s got some great insight into why Killzone 3 is an improvement over its excellent predecessor, along with all kinds of tasty tidbits on the game that you won’t find anywhere else.

It’s a great issue overall, with lots of other incredible coverage, including a massive hands-on with MotorStorm: Apocalypse; an epic feature pitting the next wave of Marvel and DC-based games against each other; our top 10 overlooked PS3 classics; massive reviews of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and (my personal fave) Tactics Ogre; and updates on everything from Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim to UNCHARTED 3. The issue is on newsstands Feb. 15, and should be reaching subscriber mailboxes any day now. Enjoy!

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142 Comments

27 Author Replies

Grayfoxx663
February 7, 2011 at 9:04 am PST

Hot
tetsou9shima
February 7, 2011 at 9:04 am PST

First off, this is great and I’m loving the beta right now………That being said, It’s a little strange to be so excited over a 10 from “The Official Playstation Magazine.” Seems like a little bit of a conflict of interest. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
- Gary Steinman
  February 7, 2011 at 11:10 am PST
  
  Fair point, but our editorial is completely independent. We try to work closely with SCEA whenever possible, but we fight for exclusives and stories just like everyone else. So no conflict of interest. Our enthusiasm is genuine.
NekoNiv
February 7, 2011 at 9:05 am PST

When are you plannig to fix the NA servers in the open Beta? i’ve been forced to play on the EU servers
Hooligantuan
February 7, 2011 at 9:06 am PST

Maybe once they reign in the Infiltrator class a little and get all of that flickering business out of the text menus and match scores, maaaybe it’ll be perfect enough.

Really hard to read those scores at the end of a match when names keep flickering out of the list. Reeeaally obnoxious.
WWESuperstar
February 7, 2011 at 9:10 am PST

Playstation: The Official Magazine always has wonderful covers =)
- Gary Steinman
  February 7, 2011 at 11:11 am PST
  
  Thanks. I’ll pass along your compliments to our designer, Ken, who does great work on the cover. But big thanks, too, to the KZ team who had their best artists build this custom piece of art for us. They did an incredible job!
Powie
February 7, 2011 at 9:11 am PST

I read somewhere that the single player campaign is only about 5 hours is this true?
yazter
February 7, 2011 at 9:11 am PST

An official PlayStation magazine gives a PlayStation exclusive a good review.

Imagine my utter shock.
- Gary Steinman
  February 7, 2011 at 11:12 am PST
  
  Nothing shocking about it. Great, great game. And it deserves love.
  
  Oh…wait…you were being sarcastic. My feelings, they have been hurt. My heart is torn asunder, my soul has been shattered.
wwejerk85
February 7, 2011 at 9:15 am PST

Helghast Edition pre-ordered :)
Butters360
February 7, 2011 at 9:17 am PST

Since March 1st is my birthday, I’ll consider this issue an early birthday present. That cover is frakkin’ amazing.

Looking forward to the 10 page in-depth review. As well as the DC Universe Online review and UNCHARTED 3 news.
The-Jack-Burton
February 7, 2011 at 9:17 am PST

Nice, already bought and paid for.
BlooodyCow
February 7, 2011 at 9:19 am PST

Have my collector edition preorder and paid out for :P
@7 yazter
*****http://www.futureus.com/what-we-do/portfolios/games/

Sony doesn’t own or publish this magazine. These guys also do the official Xbox magazine
BlooodyCow
February 7, 2011 at 9:20 am PST

@6 Powie
If you want to speedrun and play on easy, then it will take about 5 hours. The length of the game will depend on the difficulty and your skill-set
- Gary Steinman
  February 7, 2011 at 11:14 am PST
  
  Yep, that’s our experience as well. Put it on medium and the average player will get a few more hours out of solo play. And this is a campaign worth playing at least twice. Perhaps thrice.
G-Force08
February 7, 2011 at 9:21 am PST

@7 Yazter – Maybe you should pause a second and think about what you just said. Did you know that the Official PSM staff is also made up of people who review games for the Official Xbox Magazine? It’s published by Future Publishing (or Future US depending on which version of the magazine), not SCE.

In addition, have you ever read it before and seen the reviews on other PS exclusives? They don’t just give out “10” scores freely. Even exclusive games reviewed in the OPM have had lower scores.

That said, KZ 3 is shaping up to be a massively amazing shooter. KZ 2 was my personal fav FPS of 2009 and from the closed beta to the open beta, I can see that KZ 3 has improved upon that 100x. I cant wait for the single player campaign demo today and to check out the full review from the magazine later this month! :D
- Gary Steinman
  February 7, 2011 at 11:26 am PST
  
  You, sir, are indeed a G-Force. You should be G-Force01, if I ruled the world.
  
  Oh…hang on…is that biased of me?
Heisem
February 7, 2011 at 9:22 am PST

I will buy killzone 3 but after testing the open beta it’s no longer a day one for me…
erick_34
February 7, 2011 at 9:24 am PST

@6 still not left the game and already you’re asking questions about it? do not believe everything they say on google..

can’t wait for my Helghst Edition
krae_man
February 7, 2011 at 9:25 am PST

Official Sony Magazine gives Sony exclusive game Perfect score. Never saw that coming:p Seriously though, I’m sure the game is good and all but shooters are just not my thing.
mastorofpuppetz
February 7, 2011 at 9:25 am PST

LMAO, this is news? PSM is a bit biased, most reviews were disappointed by the Campaign, averaging 86% on metacritic. Still looks good, and im getting it for online, but this blog post is laughable.
TUSTIN1
February 7, 2011 at 9:26 am PST

I got a laugh out of the 1up.com review when the reviewer stated that he couldn’t comment on the 3D aspect of gameplay because neither him nor anyone else on their staff owns a 3D tv.

You’d think they’d be able to scrape enough pennies together if they actually want to be able to review games properly (from their PS reviews, it’s obvious they don’t want to anyway…).
I3rand0
February 7, 2011 at 9:26 am PST

How is this news? First party game gets a “perfect” review in a magazine owned by the same first party? Who cares?
T-Jani
February 7, 2011 at 9:30 am PST

I hate to say it but the controls feel off in the beta. During the first beta for ps+ members i loved the controls, very easy to pick up and play and aiming down the sights felt great. Now it feels like crap, when ADS it moves at the same speed as if you were aiming from the hip. GG what the hell happend.
Still day 1 though.
TheMissingLink
February 7, 2011 at 9:32 am PST

Of course it does.
that-acmilan-guy
February 7, 2011 at 9:33 am PST

I really don’t take reviews from a official platform magazine. Also from the other reviews, some stuff like stutter during loading and fade blacks are kind of lame :(
VinTheDean
February 7, 2011 at 9:34 am PST

This is still a day one purchase for me. But it’s not really a big deal when SONY gives a SONY game a 10. Though I have not played the game, I would have to give it a 9 because it does not have online co-op.

Online Co-Op is a feature a lot of people want. it’s nice you can do it split screen (with quality degradation) but you will not have any quality degradation when playing co-op online.
Charles_Surge
February 7, 2011 at 9:35 am PST

Bleh.
FATHASUN
February 7, 2011 at 9:42 am PST

OPM is NOT owned by SONY PLAYSTATION!

I understand why some are confused with the name and all but seriously do some research before making such statements.

ALL reviews are biased in some way or another. Be an individual, take the reviews for what the are but ultimately one must make their own final judgment. Unless of course your a drone. If that it the case then by all means go on about your business.

Killzone is amazing Guerrilla. Keep up the good work!
Ghost-of-SpartaX
February 7, 2011 at 9:45 am PST

That’s OXM gives HALO reach a 10. It all self promotion if u ask me.Plus IGN,Gamespot give it an 8.5 that sounds about right NOT A 10.
JLP_M
February 7, 2011 at 9:45 am PST

Can you make it so the Medic can revive from a bit farther, I always want to revive someone but they respawn right away. Kinda Useless if they can spawn that fast in KZ3.
VinTheDean
February 7, 2011 at 9:46 am PST

@25 but it’s a Sony Playstation specific magazine. Though it’s great that Killzone 3 get a 10 (Guerilla did a great job with the game), it’s hard to make this a big deal.

The same could be said if the same occurred to a different console’s exclusive title getting a 10 by a console specific publication.
maggi85
February 7, 2011 at 9:48 am PST

There is a blockbuster ps exklusive game and everybody knows, that your score is getting to a perfect.
Take your ratings down. no game deserves a perfect 10, even final fantasy 7 or zelda on the SNES. getting more real, otherwise your tests are ridiculous.
with reference to your tests, almost every game is incredible and awesome.
Ghost-of-SpartaX
February 7, 2011 at 9:49 am PST

Ouestin is now Whats Guerrillas NEW IP and will we see it this genration!!!!!and NO KILLZONE 4.
twooh
February 7, 2011 at 9:53 am PST

I can’t say what the score should be. But anytime I see a perfect 10 for a ps3 exclusive getting a 10 from a ps3 mag, it’s obviously not a 10 but done because they’re trying to hype/sell the game. Come on. UC2 was the only exclusive that deserves a 10/10. I highly doubt KZ3 deserves a 10. KZ2 is a 7.5 imo, not a perfect score like said in opm.. Besides, who reads reviews for the score anyways? Scores are bought now-a-days. User reviews is what counts.
- Gary Steinman
  February 7, 2011 at 11:17 am PST
  
  Really? Scores are bought? Then why am I wearing these tattered threads, driving a jalopy to work, and eating day-old donuts bought at half-price? Who’s collecting all this playola cash? Not me!
beastbarbour
February 7, 2011 at 10:00 am PST

i cant wait i just preordered kz3 hlegast edition lol
maggi85
February 7, 2011 at 10:06 am PST

can´t wait to read a real review.
mastorofpuppetz
February 7, 2011 at 10:09 am PST

metacritic average is all that matters, and even then not always. Reviews in games are a joke, gaming is devoid of nay real professional reviews, like movies. Every average game gets 8’s and 9’s, gaming journalism has a long way to go.
mywhitenoise
February 7, 2011 at 10:11 am PST

I am going to buy this game regardless, but getting a 10 from OPM isn’t something to brag about.

That’s like a father reviewing his own son.
zabelzerolp
February 7, 2011 at 10:14 am PST

I need to get this game. Can’t wait for the great magazine.
Scarface3010
February 7, 2011 at 10:19 am PST

Let me just start off by saying that I’ve been playing the Open Beta since we could download it last week. The multiplayer is a lot of fun, I am truly impressed by how well the Playstation Move works with the game. At first I had some difficulty getting the settings to where I wanted it but once I got everything worked out it played like a dream. MAG’s Move support is nothing compared to how well the MOVE works with Killzone 3. I preordered the game and the Playstation Move Sharp Shooter from Amazon right after I experienced this. I can’t wait to play the full version.
mastorofpuppetz
February 7, 2011 at 10:25 am PST

On another note, is the Playstation mag worth a subscription, or would Game informer or EGM be better?
Carl-G
February 7, 2011 at 10:28 am PST

I love the KZ3 beta, just playing that makes me want the game even more! :P + it sounds like a 10/10 to me to;)
dime5150
February 7, 2011 at 10:29 am PST

Surprised? A Sony magazine giving a SONY game a perfect 10..When every other reputable mag says the game is average.

Come on we aren’t that stupid. It looks to be a great game but I for one don’t trust the “official” playstation magazine for honest and unbiased reviews.

That’s like asking McDonalds if their cheeseburger is the best cheeseburger there is.
- Gary Steinman
  February 7, 2011 at 11:28 am PST
  
  Nah. I think McD’s would still have to admit that In-N-Out Burger has the best burgers.
remanutd5
February 7, 2011 at 10:32 am PST

Motorstorm Apocalypse first review?
- Gary Steinman
  February 7, 2011 at 11:28 am PST
  
  Massive hands-on. Not yet ready for review.
dime5150
February 7, 2011 at 10:32 am PST

Oh and for those crying wolf saying the OPM is the same publishes as the xbox magazine we all know that. They are “Official” meaning they are paid by Sony/MS to do reviews. Just like the OPM, the OXM, has reviews that are also incredibly off base.
maggi85
February 7, 2011 at 10:34 am PST

@ Gary Steinman
No Feedback to the people wo think that the official tests are just PR with no serios content?
Don´t get me wrong, nothing against Killzone 3-love it.
- Gary Steinman
  February 7, 2011 at 11:20 am PST
  
  So you love KZ3, but doubt we could too? That’s my response. I can dig deeper and talk about intense discussions on staff about whether this game deserves a cover — discussions that began months and months ago. But the more we saw, the more we were impressed, finally deciding it’s such a huge game that it should grace our cover. So we offer you a detailed review talking about what we love, we why love it, what could be better, then wrap it all up with some great secrets that’ll help you dominate online. Good stuff.
TwinDad
February 7, 2011 at 10:39 am PST

I played the PS+ beta. I don’t care for shooters, so I didn’t care much for it, but I did enjoy the bot games.
Chapulin140
February 7, 2011 at 10:41 am PST

Gonna get collectors edition.
TwinDad
February 7, 2011 at 10:43 am PST

@dime5150

I don’t think they pay Future. I believe that Future pays Sony a license fee to use the Playstation name.

That being said there must be internal pressure to not rate a big franchise that is exclusive low as to jeopardize the license.
zombie9
February 7, 2011 at 10:44 am PST

One question The Online Part of Killzone 3 isn’t even going on right now so how could they rate this. Severs are still in BETA???

Or is this just for the single player???
maggi85
February 7, 2011 at 10:51 am PST

great response here
tosun01
February 7, 2011 at 10:53 am PST

I hope they fix a lot of things for the multiplayer. What I saw on closed and open beta, they pretty much ruined everything that was good on KZ2.
etur0
February 7, 2011 at 10:59 am PST

this sucks I was really sick during the last couple of days did had a chance to play it a little it was fun just there where a few problems so I probably wont win one of those limited edition of kz3 oh well looks like I’ll just have to buy the game when I go and buy the sharp shooter

and playing this game with the move is allot of fun