Do we know why Killzone 3 was only given two years to bake? Killzone 2 was given quite a bit longer, as were titles like Halo 3/R/4 and Gears 3. Call of Duty has shorter dev times, but they have like 3 teams working on the franchise.
I've said this in like every Killzone related thread, but I'm convinced most of Killzone 3's shortcomings relative to 2 were because of its dev time:
- Offline but no online co-op. It's obvious what their intent here was.
- Better but less polished graphics, with more texture pop-in and stuff than 2.
- Short campaign with bad pacing and weird transitions from gameplay to cutscenes.
- Gimped clan features, missing proximity chat, etc. in multiplayer.
They clearly had ambitious plans for Killzone 3, between the voice actors, the new multiplayer modes, and the addition of co-op, but it all felt rushed and incomplete. Had they given it six more months in the oven and released it towards the end of the year, I think it would've cemented Killzone as a strong competitor to the other big shooter franchises in terms of critical reception, consumer satisfaction, and sales.
Hopefully they give Killzone 4 its due, and start treating it like other publishers treat their flagship shooter franchises. If it's being targeted for PS4, then I think they'll at least give it the same amount of attention that they gave Killzone 2, given they'll want it to really show off the console.