E3 this year was an eye opener and a jaw dropper for many video game fans. The Playstation 2 was supposed to be a Next-Gen platform, pushing the envelope of graphics and gaming in general. While there were some great titles that came into being, nothing really blew the door off. 2006 may be the year we get a true Next Gen gaming experience.
And Killzone 2 PS3 looks to be the best way to get there. Before I go any further, check out the video and see for yourself why so many people are speechless. Is this for real? Can this be actual game play footage that we can expect when we are playing this game ourselves?
Apparently so. Jan-Bart Van Beek is the lucky Game Director of Killzone 2 at Guerrilla Games, and goes on to say that the trailer represents what we can expect. Click here to read that interview.
The graphics shown in Killzone 2 are breathtaking. The models in the game are highly detailed, right down to the treads on the soldiers boots. Hair and skin look better than ever in a game, as well as texture work in general. What blows my mind though is the realistic animations that are at work here, and the variety. Even the baddies long jackets (above) move like they should. Other games like Gears of War for the X-Box 360 look pretty good, but they look downright stiff and fake compared to Killzone when in motion. Gears of War looks like a prettier version of Unreal Tournament. The Killzone demo gives you a deep sense of actually being there. I actually think Microsoft will have to do a lot better than Gears of War to make Halo outperform Killzone 2.
Another thing that really stuck out to me was the use of motion blur, smoke effects, and great lighting to really give a sense of realism. Check out the screen above. It gives you such a great sense of depth and movement. It's 10x better when you see it in motion though. Killzone has also gone for a gritty look to the graphics, which fits perfectly with the levels, characters, and locations in the game. There is a bit of grain to the graphics.
I could go on about the great sound presented in the demo, but will leave that for now. All I can say is that if the video is showing true game play footage, we're in for a real treat. It just makes my jaw drop to think we have come this far in the last 10 years. I can only imagine what the PS4 or PS5 Killzone will look like. We've really come to the point now where video games are truly starting to close the gap on movies.
