Two months from now, Sony will launch its latest salvo in the first-party, first-person shooter wars, Killzone 3. While we've already taken a look at the game's single-player (in 3D) and multiplayer modes, we've previously only see a brief video demonstration of another one of its bullet-point features: PlayStation Move support.

I spent a good part of the past week playing the latest pre-release version of Killzone 3, examining the ups and downs of using Move (with the companion navigation controller) in place of the standard DualShock 3 controller. After making the initial, somewhat awkward adjustment to literally pointing-and-shooting Helghast troopers, I can say that my experience has ultimately been a positive one.

 

The Move is dead-on.

 

When playing with Move, I actually shot "from the hip" more than I aimed "down the sights" (as I would with the DualShock), primarily because the Move controls are precise enough to do so. Where I'd normally need to aim down the sights (i.e., zoom in) with a gamepad to target specific body parts on an enemy, I was shooting Helghan kneecaps and helmets with ease from the standard, hip-level view with Move. Of course, you can still zoom in with Move as needed -- like when enemies are taking cover -- but that's when the motion-control setup throws a curve ball: The crosshairs automatically "snap" to the nearest enemy when you pull the zoom-trigger on the navigation controller. In fact, the bad guys become framed in a glowing rectangle, and your gun automatically moves when they do, tracking them. It's a lock-on mechanic, and it made the game too easy for me.

While I suppose some players might appreciate this level of aiming assistance, I was thankful to find an option to toggle it off in the pause menu. In addition, there's the requisite sensitivity adjustment, in case the reticule is darting around the screen too quickly (or dragging along too slowly) for your tastes.