By Joseph Tresca
Before I get into the full review of Killzone 2, I’d like to give a bit of background behind who I am so that you can evaluate whether my opinion on the this game is meaningful to you. As a 3D Artist of ten years, a veteran if you will, (can I call myself that yet?) I’m definitely what you might describe as a “graphics whore”. That is to say that visuals are the first thing that attracts me to a game though ultimately, the game play will keep me coming back to play it more. The reason I’ve adapted this philosophy when it comes to games is simply because the artist in me wants to see the cool stuff that I can do in 3D come to life in my interactive entertainment.
That said, 3D industry terminology such as global illumination, bounced light, soft shadows, normal mapping, ambient occlusion, motion blur and volumetric particles may not mean very much to you if you aren’t a 3D artist. These techniques have been around for at least the past 7 years or more but rarely have these terms been used in conjunction with describing the graphics of a video game. Now as I write this, Killzone 2 is capable of utilizing rendering techniques that just 5 years ago seemed very very far off. I saw that E3 2005 press conference like many of you have and I’ll certainly admit my skepticism. Anyone in the CG industry knew what was being shown couldn’t possibly be real-time, but almost four years later I can admit that Guerilla Games and Sony have come closer than I personally thought was possible.
Let’s be a bit more specific so that you aren’t lost in all the generalities that I’m throwing out at you. Lets talk about motion blur. If you’ve done animation of any kind you learn quickly that the blurring of an object in motion adds visual speed. Our eyes are so trained that we expect to see these visual anomalies which are usually the result of a film camera not being able to capture the motion if it’s displayed faster than 24 frames per second. When this effect is absent, whether we realize it or not, something just doesn’t seem right about the animation. Killzone 2 does a brilliant job of subtly and sometimes not so subtly using this effect to create a more engaging cinematic feel to the whole game. Since we’re talking about blurring objects in motion why don’t we talk about the real-time depth of field applied in Killzone 2. An effect we’re also used to see in film where the focal length of the camera’s lense keeps objects closer to the camera out of focus or blurry while objects within the focal range are clear and sharp looking. Again this effect is applied brilliantly in Killzone 2 especially when you look down the iron site of the various weapons in the game. If you look closely you’ll notice Guerilla Games has incorporated film grain which adds a certain grittyness to the overall presentation. If you haven’t had the opportunity yet, I suggest downloading the tech demo “Behind the Bullet” which has commentary from several of the games’ developers. During one point of this presentation where they show the Killzone 2 commercial running in real-time on your PS3, I noticed a level of texture detail not applied in the game. At that moment it was explained via the commentary that after the game was complete this high frequency normal/ bump mapping technique was tested and approved for use in the commercial. Once I fully explored this demonstration I was left even more impressed than before because I knew that as good as Killzone 2 looks, Killzone 3 will most likely look much better.
Another graphical leap in particular which really stands out is the inclusion of a volumetric particles system. Whether it comes out the back of a damaged ship or if it represents a dusty desert land, or maybe it’s the incredible plume of smoke created after throwing a grenade; one thing is for certain, this effect is what all first person shooters have been missing.
Lastly if we’re talking about incredible graphics then we must mention the hit response system which blends motion capture data with physics impulse to create the most realistic enemy reactions to bullet fire anyone has ever seen.
Having beaten the full campaign, I find myself booting it up time and time again just to show off the PS3 to friends or to marvel at what a technical achievement the game is. Yes the campaign is mostly stop and pop, the characters are run of the mill,and the ending was anticlimactic, but that doesn’t stop Killzone 2 from being one of the best first person shooters I’ve ever played. The online mode extends the entire experience with multiple classes, class abilities and a very solid ranking system. If you have a PS3 and you like graphics, then you need this game. If you like first person shooters in general, then you need this game. Close your eyes and dive into the hype. Be a graphics whore and love it, like me.
admin Reviews First Person Shooter, FPS, Global Illumination, Killzone 2, Radiosity, Soft Shadows, Sony, Video Games
