February 24th, 2009
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“Killzone 2 delivers a visual masterpiece with unparalleled graphics”
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Head2Head – Killzone 2 vs Gears of War 2 * Please enable your audio* Length: 00:04:08 Killzone 2 delivers a visual masterpiece. |
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Gears of War 2 was released last November by Epic Games, which showed an advanced version of their Unreal 3 engine utilizing various improvements from their original Gears of War game which ran flawlessly on the Xbox 360. Once again Epic Games with their Unreal engine raised the bar for graphics on console this generation. That is until now! With the recently released Killzone 2 demo we were able to examine both these games side by side and by doing so revealed a new graphics king for this generation.
The first segment of this video focuses on Character models. Both games produce highly detailed character models each with their own unique art style. Killzone 2 took a more streamlined look for their characters design, while Gears of War 2 took a bulkier approach.
The second segment of the video focuses on environment effects, and this is where Killzone 2 dramatically jumps ahead of the competition. Utilizing a technique called Deferred Rendering, this process uses extensive post-process effects allowing the Killzone 2 engine to create highly dynamic lighting in environments with complex geometry. At a glance smoke filled rooms are realistically penetrated with cascading beams of sunlight intermingling with the gradually fading smoke plumes of a recently exploded gas container. One would need to experience this first hand to really comprehend the sure amounts of effects rendering to the screen at once without any performance drops.
Next up are bullet effects and explosions. Killzone 2 raises the bar again for interactivity from player’s bullets with objects in the world. Each round fired from your rifle interacts differently depending on the material the bullets collides with. For example shooting a concrete wall would expel volumetric smoke trails while leaving behind a creator filled wall actual making the player feel like his/her actions really affect the look and feel of the environment. Also bullets that penetrate enemies utilize a hit response system by combining motion captured animations with physics impulses to create death animations and hit responses with very convincing weight and presence.
Killzone 2 delivers a visual masterpiece with unparalleled graphics setting the new bar for this generation. Considering that this comparison was based of the Killzone 2 demo the retail version will only guarantee that Killzone 2 reins supreme amongst the industries best. The only question remaining is “Does it look better than Killzone 2″?
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The site is getting SLAMMED due to the article being posted on a few news sites. We have our provider looking into it, bear with us.
good, good. The last thing that I want is this iste to encounter a problem. Nice job by the way with the site guys. You guys are matching users’ requests to a T. Nice job. I like how you guys update the site often.
killzone 2 pwns gears 1&2.do i hear the xbots crying??snivelling?pulling there hair out?one can only dream.
umm, ok…I woudn’t go that far but yes, I suppose some of them would be angry or jelous. I have a PS3 so I’m just here to talk for the Xbots who appear to be curiously non-existent on this site……excellent.
why you comparing 2 diffeent game which is one is 1st person and the other 3rd person? Isn’t 3rd person games are more detail on the character itself, character animation, presentation and smewhat the enviroment while 1st person is the enviroment( shadows, particle effects and ligthing) and what you can can se been detail.
What you think you going get from this comparison, come on down as a gamer, i fail to see comaparison games of two different genre so while you at it why dont you compare the lastest RTS or puzzl game
We are actually comparing the engines of the two most graphically intensive games on each console. Whether it is a 1st/3rd FPS is irrelevant. Just because KZ2 is a a true FPS doesn’t mean that they skimp on the characters or any other elements.
But now that you mention it, Tetris vs Halo Wars might be a good comparison. Yeah…right…
lol! you tell him Corey! PS3 owner really seems to not know what he is talking about. But seriously, I like when you compare 2 different games to eachother. even if ones an FPS and another a TPS. If they’re the same genre then that’s an added bonuse!
I think it is a fair comparison, the author is not comparing genres per say, but the quality of the graphics on these two heavy hitters. Yes they are different genres, but if Killzone 2 were to be compare to another game in terms of graphics it had to be the Unreal 3 powered Gears 2. Now that said, it is evident that Killzone 2 has raised the bar significantly for this generation.
I completely agree. The genre doesn’t matter, the simple comparison of the greatest graphical achievments is all. Great head2head. Please keep them comeing.
@Ps3 Owner
KZ2, Gears2 are both shooters. Making a game 1st person isn’t going to give you a bump in graphics just because of the point of view. It’s much more complex then that.
Yeah I agree. PS3 owner seems to not know what he is talking about. You know what would be great? A “thumb down” option.
Wow can you say that we have a super biased and unbelievably retarded writer on our hands? YES. You are a moron for that last comment, what you said about “Considering that this comparison was based of the Killzone 2 demo the retail version will….. blah blah blah” is some of the dumbest shit I have ever read in my entire life. Do you not understand what a demo is? It is a trial of the final build of the game you moron. There will be absolutely no difference from the demo to the final version of the game regarding that section of the campaign moron. What you are thinking of is a beta idiot. Get your facts straight before you start making such vast claims. By the way, I can just tell you are the biggest fanboy ever because of how you say Killzone 2 raised the bar for graphics and effects and basically everything for this generation, because Killzone 2′s graphics don’t even compare to that of Crysis you imbecile. But you probably couldn’t afford a PC that can run Crysis on all the highest settings so I guess thats why you have such little knowledge on the subject. Heck, I wouldn’t give a job that payed well to someone as stupid as you anyway so I can understand why you wouldn’t have money.
Thats not true at all. Motorstorm: Pacific Rift is a perfect example of the demo and final product being different. Demons aren’t always crafted with the lastest build.
So YOU = FAIL.
Next time be more professional in your comments. Name calling is childish and uncalled for.
As for the differences between the Killzone 2 demo and final code, yes there will be optimizations. Keep in mind this demo that we are playing is from late 2008.
As for your comment on Crysis, yes CryEngine 2 is a wonderful engine on the PC. But we don’t compare PC to console games.
Wow owing only a PC must suck, I guess food stamps can’t be used for electronics?
So I asked you if %99 of the human population can’t even run Crysis on the medium setting and %100 of PS3 owners can play Killzone 2 exactly the same way actually makes Crysis inferior. Actual if they compared Killzone 2 to Crysis set on medium settings I guarantee Killzone 2 wipes the floor with Crysis.
Holden, you were retarded at birth and I see life had nothing much to offer you to improve that.
KZ2 will raise the bar for graphics and the overall quality of games for the ps3.
Without much brain power, I manage to correlate this article to consoles only.
Comparing a console to a pc is like comparing apples to oranges or a Wii to a XBox360.
Enjoy your Holden…
Wow your the biggest dipsh*t I have ever heard from! First, yes there can be a difference between a demo and a final build. Heck there can be patches made to a final build to make a game look better. And yes Crysis is a great looking game; FOR A PC. We are not talking about raising the bar for PC gaming, but consoles. There more to say but any educated person can tell your just a stupid doochebag
Man what a fucking wanker u are!! Talk about fucking fanboys!! This article is about game consoles, NOT PC’s or games that can be played for them u twit. And YES KZ2 HAS raised the bar for console games in terms of graphics, gameplay, and lighting. There is no other console game on the market that even comes close. KZ2 has the best graphics EVER seen on a console, gears2 and galo dont even come close Drake much less KZ2! And i’m sorry to hear u play yr games on a PC, the only games woth playing on a PC are FPS and strategy.
Ok guys settle down please. Name calling, as previously stated by Corey, is childish. If you guys want to debate, then go ahead, but don’t just call somone a moron and not back it up. Anyway, I think Holden really doesn’t know what he’s talking about again. Also, It was proven that the demo is the ’08 build so that’s comforting news that there is still room for improvement in the final product….not that any is needed.
Very fair comparison. To the xbox fanboy whining about the games being different genre’s, it don’t matter son. Lens of Truth is, as their name implies, mainly checking out the visual quality of both games. And, unfortunately, in this case, Killzone 2 chainsaw-sodomized Gears 2 ftw. Deal with it, and maybe, if you’re brave enough, try the game out for yourself one day…if you’re open minded enough that is
I couldn’t have said any better myeslef. I capmpletely agree. Oh, but I would’ve put in Killz-owned instead of chainsaw-sodomized, but it’s all good. Great comparison. I can’t get enough of it!
Holden, They could take any part of the entire game of Gears 2 to showcase but were limited to only the short Demo to pick scenes from KZ2. The difference between the demo and retail is 6 minutes and x hours. Is that not enough to justify at least part of the statement made?
Awesome comparison. What’s scary is that you only used a demo to make GOW2 look foolish. I can’t wait to see the full game, as well as future games use this tech 5 engine, in order to witness how much more advanced it can be than the UE3.
Here me out.
You CANNOT compare a third person to a first person game. In a third person shooter some cpu usage is being used on the character itself. That cpu usage can be used for graphics or anything else it wills in first person shooters where that cpu usage is not needed on the character. You cannot compare.
Actually, you are incorrect. Unreal Tournament III for the PS3, PC and 360 utilizes the UE3 engine. A mod which is readily available for both the PC and PS3 allows you to pull back for 3rd person view. There is absolutely ZERO hit in framerate while in this mode. Without using any mods, when you use your hoverboard, the game pans back to a 3rd person view. Again, no hit in performance.
devils shadow88=EPIC FAIL
@devils shadow88
Actually, the cpu usage isn’t as much as you would think. Even though Killzone 2 is a true FPS, the engine still has to render the players arms and weapon. Developers typically put more polygons into those parts since they are seen closer to the camera. One benefit that at true FPS would have over an over-the-shoulder FPS is that there are less bones and deformations taking place (not a full character). But you could simply knock off one from the max NPC’s on the screen and that should even it out.
Your saying that because a weapon on the screen (still polygons, because the weapon doesn’t move) takes up more processing power than a person that you control and move freely? are you out of your mind?
Besides that point, it’s clear that KZ2′s color panel is weak, shades of gray with some yellow tint for the so called “amazing lighting effects.” Gears’s lighting effects are astronomically (a little exaggeration)greater partially due to the larger color panel.
@devils shadow88
You’re getting a little ahead of yourself. First and for most Gears of War 2 can’t even run what’s on the screen without screen tearing and frame rate problems all over the place!
http://www.viddler.com/explore/DigitalFoundry/videos/55/
Also there’s the always present texture pop in that really should have been fixed, and while Gears of War 2 looks great it’s debatable if it really looks and plays better than it’s predecessor (Gears of War).
Also excluding one character from the view frustum is not that graphic intensive as your making out to be. In fact like Corey pointed out the arms and weapons for the Killzone 2 character might almost have the same poly count as an entire character. That’s because the player will be focusing on what’s closest to the eye and having the camera in first person mode the player will focusing on the weapon and arms first.
No, I am not out of my mind, just in my field. Even though you don’t see the character in KZ2, there are still skeletal animations, triggers and camera transforms taking place. Just to a lesser extent then a full GoW2 character. Not enough to make a real difference though. Keep in mind that when you play multiplayer your motions are mapped to a full model.
I do have to agree that KZ2 palette is a little lacking. I am hoping that they injected more color later in the game. Desaturated or not, the visuals are still amazing.
Umm… if the player doesn’t get rendered in KZ2 FPS, then how come I can see myself in a mirror?
@LEXUS
The rendering of a character in a mirror can be handled in many ways. Camera’s, trigger events (to render the player when he enters a certain radius of an object or area). You can even have things that are invisible be rendered. There are tons of ways to emulate a polygon being render even though they are not present. Logically speaking your character is probably not rendered on your local machine, but when sent over a network he’ll be rendered on the other machine.
I know this because I am currently using the Crysis engine (CryEngine2) at my job and this is how we do it here. The player is never render unless you switch to 3rd person view. When this happens an event is called and a model swap occurs so you can see your guy. Believe me It’s very complicated, and to really have it explained in detail you would need a programmer to show you their code and that’s boring to us artists.
anyhow I hope this kind of makes sense.
I’ve had enough “FPS vs. TPS= unfair” comments because life isn’t always fair so just deal with it…or get a job at the website and start writing your comparisons. Anyway, it’s getting really annoying to see one not-so-smart person commenting about FPS vs. TPS is unfair and then a ton of people flaming him. If one person says a comment like this, then it’s ok to reply, but don’t add to fire.
now all this talk is good about graphics. the killzone 2 looks great, topnotch, even. But what it boils down 2 is gameplay, and if killzone 2 is not too far off from part 1, then it loses definitely against GOW2. id like to see how this game plays. then we can say which is the better game, but graphics? not as important as it was ten years ago. as far as I can see, killzone2 is not worlds beyond GOW2 in the graphics department. it looks better, but not “MY GOD WOW” better.
but of course, its just my humble opinion. take it for whatever.
Im sure I will get thrashed for this, but I really don’t see how KZ2 has trumped gears(or every other game for that matter as the author is implying). I probably wont own either game, and both games do look fantastic. IMHO gears looks better in the stills. All of the effects in the movie look great on both, but their just different methods. There is no “bar” raising here…
ok, I respect your opinion. Although I don’t agree with it at all, I still support you. I don’t thrash you though. Anyway, my opion is the exact opposite of what you said so I don’t need to re-state it again.
What’s most awesome is I’m a gamer and not a fanboy so I’ve already played GoW2 and very soon will get to play KZ2! Oh Yeah! :p
Is the whole world gone mad? This is unbelievable, THEY LOOKED THE SAME!!!
Killzone doesn’t blow Gears away, in some scenes gears even looks better.
Why is the media pushing this crap, the borders on unethical, I understand the fanbohys claiming KZ2 is god in video game form, but shouldn’t the media be a little more realistic?
Hmmm…
Actually, Corey, I would think 3rd person shooters tend to skimp on graphics because you lack the ability to get up close to items like you can in a 3rd person shooter. Between items you’re separated by the person plus the distance of the camera behind the person.
In a 1st person shooter you have to have the graphics tight because a person has at the most an arm’s or body’s distance between the camera and an up-close examination of textures.
I laughed when I saw this…Couldn’t believe that Gears just got easily wrecked.
And to Jack, a game in stills doesn’t matter…only thing that matters is how good the game looks in motion (graphic wise…gameplay matters the most lol)
But didn’t everyone compare Resistance 2 and Gears 2 because they were coming out so close to each other? lol
XBOX people can’t pick and choose the games that their games get compared to.
i own a 360 and i have gears of war 2.
I really like that game and I like killzone 2 too, but i really don’t care which one is better becuase both look good and they have a really good gameplay.
the only thing u can compare is a multi-platform game. becuaser then u can tell which one has better gramphics. Or you can also compare a game which uses the same engine. but so far i like how both games look and when it comes to play video games, i really don’t look at ever single detail because games are fast when you play them, you miss all the details that they mention in this video. Shadows, lighting and the sun effects, like who cares, all we need is to play the game and finish it. So plz stop fighting over which game looks better.
hate for this if u want: if u want to compare killzone with another game like some one mentions both games r differnt genre, then compare killzone to Alan wake when it comes out, then we’ll c which one look better graphic wise!
Should they of compared Killzonw 2 to Halo 3. Nothing comes close to Killzone 2 in terms of graphics and physics so the only game on a console that come somewhat close is Gears of War 2. And Killzone 2 wiped the floor with Gears of War 2.
I don’t care what anyone says but everything is based on looks. Just think about it for a moment. Back in the Nintendo era you couldn’t demo a game, you only had pictures to look at and for the most part that’s what convinced you to buy the game. Well it’s the same today. Look’s is what sells a game no matter what genre it is. 1st person, 3rd person, RTS whatever. All the video proves is that graphically this game has done what no other game console has done before. It “Raised the bar” period. There were effects in KZ2 that I’ve only seen in movies and I guarantee that soon we’ll be seeing games follow these techniques. Just like with normal mapping. This game proves to gamers and developers what can be done on these next gen systems, therefore putting pressure on the next gen developers to do similar techniques thus “Raising the bar”. Can’t wait to see how Xbox bounces back from this one. By the way. great video! I’m sure it took a considerable amount time make and some of us appreciate the work.
Couldn’t agree more
The characters are better looking on GOW2, KZ2 characters looks like gow1 no bump or ambocc.they also look like zombies. same goes for environment. Thats why there are lots of atmosphere on KZ2 to hide the less detail and tiling on the environment. The explosion are definitely better on KZ2. Cutscene, one is rendered on the fly for seamless integration during gameplay, the other well pre-rendered loading off the disc thats why it looks better. Although its the typically jarring moment that takes you away from the gameplay look. Stop with the lies and thats the truth. This from the lens of a lead visual effects artist for movies, not from a console fanboy.
Well you and one other person agree so the 10,000 other people that commented on N4G and youtube that think differently must be fanboys too right?
Dude,
You lost all credibility when you mentioned N4G.
Killzone 2 cutscenes (except the intro) are rendered in realtime. I don’t know about Gears 2 but the original Gears had some prerendered end-of-level vids. They were overcompressed so it was pretty obvious.
I dunno. Technicalities aside, I think Gears of War 2 looks more appealing to the eyes. Also looks sharper. Killzone 2 looks kind of bland and boring. That’s just my opinion. I’d still take Uncharted over both of those games, though. Now, that’s a pretty game.
All these comments about colors and crap about KZ2 not looking that good, that “I prefer this and that better”… who gives a f__k what you ppl like. Some ppl like p0rn, some ppl like fat chicks.
The bottom line is KZ2 rips a new hole for many games. It proves the point that PS3 rocks and can handle s_it its given.
KZ2 is a mad warzone, so many things happening at one time.
Xbots are just BURNING because all the s_it they said before is right in their face. There are even ppl here comparing the color pallet of the game saying its not colorful enough… What do you think this game is? go f__king play maple story or some Jap techni-colored hentai game if you want colors. FFS, stop pulling s_it out of your mouth, you ppl wouldn’t even know your arse from your elbow.
People, let’s stop being fanboys for a second please. This is comparing is about graphics and nothing else. There are people on here comparing gameplay and such. I own Gears 1 & 2, Killzone surpasses them both. For Gears 2 the only real difference in the engine is scale and a larger color palette. The demo is based of the TGS build in 08. My argument is this. I’m sure the 360 can pull something like this or even better off, but it won’t. Why, you ask? It’s because most people rely on UE3 to develop their games. “The 360 is easier to develop for.” I’m afraid 360 won’t see anything like this until developers get off their asses and make their own engines. All of the exclusives on 360 so far, have used that engine. This is the only reason why the 360 is looking like it’s maxed out and is at a standstill graphically.
Ps3 Kick asses
Funny thing is the demo level (pictured) is probably the least impressive level in Killzone 2.
Not to sound like an ass, but why use the MJPEG codec, and Youtube? As a user of the BMI Pro, I have found that 8-bit YUV 4:2:2 is much, much, much better than the MJPEG codec. It absolutely massacres the final product. If anything, why not use Cineform Neo HDV? It’s much more efficient for a single drive capture, and the resulting picture is also incredibly more accurate to the source.
Also, Youtube is great for streaming, but not so much for a site that prides itself on being a true presenter of HD comparisons. If your host can’t afford to house decent quality versions of your comparison videos (8-13 mbit VC-1 or AVC encodes) at least use a free host like Megaupload or Rapidshare for those who want to see true comparisons?
Thanks for the info Mystery. We currently are limited to a single drive for our captures, so that is mainly why we chose the MJPEG. We are going to be adding a RAID array soon. I will take a look at the Neo HDV codec for sure.
We had to go the youtube route due to bandwidth. We currently have 100gb a month and would chew through that to fast.
That’s not a bad idea, uploading much lower compressed videos to Megaupload or Rapidshare. We will give that a go in future comparisons.
@Mystery
Some people need 1080p HDMI videos with loss less compression to help them see any differences. But the fact is this video could be watched on my cell phone screen and Killzone 2 still looks better.