Killzone dev responds to 'grey' critics

CVG: "Sure, look through our 119 Killzone 2 screenshots and you'll notice it's all a little grey. But it's not all like that, promises game director Mathijs de Jonge."

[POGfinder]

The final 4 stages of the game are completely different

just wait for the review embargo to go away so that u can get a full details on that

:)

Feb 27 = not far away

New KZ2 ces video

http://au.youtube.com/watch...

WOWWWW

[WANNA GET HIGH]

They do not need to respond.Killzone2 is being compared to Crysis.It dose not get any better than that.. :)

Ps3 games are on the same level as PC games.. :)

[AAACE5]

Gears of War had a similar issue, but that kind of stuff doesn't matter as long as the game is good! The only people who will let this bother them is the haters.

Something alot of gamers may not know (because they haven't experienced real life), when you are in a gun fight, everything gets a tone to it. Usually everything seems darker, or just kind of blends to one particular color.

I believe that's what Killzone 2 and Gears were trying to point out!

When I say gunfight, I mean when your life is on the line... not shooting at a gunrange or hunting. It's different when you know somebody is trying to kill you.

[Lifendz]

Gears is almost entirely grey and brown. No complaints from the media there. KZ2 is said to actually change up towards the end and yet all I read are how grey it is or how gloomy it is. Sheesh, damage control by the 360 media fanboys. Don't hate, just get a PS3.

[anh_duong]

helghan can't be much more grey and miserable than london right now.

[gaffyh]

@Lifendz - Yeah, that's what you call a double standard, two faced, biased, fanboyism, unfair, hypocritical.

Take you pick.

[pixelsword]

It'll be the top 1% absolute best Grey you'll ever see on a console this gen if it was.

I mean, have you seen some of this in the Beta?

...and it gets BETTER?

[prowiew]

@lifendz
Actually, Gears was critizided a lot for being greying and brownish.

On topic, I like the grey look in killzone. It adds to the style and environment of the game.

[Lifendz]

links or it didn't happen.

But I'm aware that some people said it was grey and brownish but not nearly as many people that said it's gorgeous and set the benchmark in graphics. If you don't think there's a double standard then there's not much I can say to you to convince you otherwise.

There is a double standard. It's obvious. Things are turning (Gamestop gave MGS4 best graphics) but, for the most part, the media is a bunch of 360 fanboys that look for a way to slam PS3 games while looking for a way to praise 360 games.

[deeznuts]

Does anyone complain about Saving Private Ryan's colors? This is war people! It's art, not a freaking home movie.

[DaTruth]

So who cares what they say about a game they have only seen one level of, they will just eat it when the game releases and the only argument they have is a total and utter FAIL!!! Look at MGS4; Everything was, "oh this" and "oh that", then the game comes out and it's "BEST GAME EVER"!!!

[prowiew]

@lifendz

I dont have links to give you (thats because im at work, no time to search). But I remember everyone sayin the games looks good but brownish (that doesnt mean a negative criticize) But really, I haven't seen a lot of sites criticizing the greyish killzone in a negative way. I know it looks greyish(nobody cant deny it), but to me thats the way this game should look to give it the atmosphere. It looks great.

[computer]

The feeling one gets upon controlling the character for the first time is hard to describe in Killzone 2. Beta people all know what I'm talking about. There's almost a "is this really a GAME?" feeling.

[ButterToast]

Even if the whole game was grey, they did it so well I wouldn't mind.

[IdleLeeSiuLung]

Why are people complaining about the color of a game. That is just ridiculous. That is just the art direction of the game....

[THC CELL]

when u are in a war its gray black and dirty

Not like telly tubbies halo
hippy colors

People should get off Killzone back

Welcome to the next gen Killzone is the start wats next
Cant wait to see R3 and God 3
then what ?

3d games what will be sick

[Gue1]

when you're in war the color of nature doesn't go into adjustments for the mood...

[POGfinder]

OPM clearly said that

also new KZ2 CES video

http://au.youtube.com/watch...

WOW

[cayal]

"when you're in war the color of nature doesn't go into adjustments for the mood..."

lol that made me laugh.

[thereapersson]

So true!

I don't get why people expect dark, gritty war games to have a massive amount of color saturation and bright, shiny graphical effects.

Killzone 2 is about as close as we can get to a fictitiously real war on another planet without it actually being real and filmed on video.

[Sir_Ken_Kutaragi]

...I found 'xBox 360' Exclusive games in 2008 looking well er erm hmm you know...outdated??? Will Micro$oft fix that for 2009??? ;-D

MORE PINK!!! A WAR in PINK and Silly Colours we need!!!
Oh we got 'Halo 3' for that!!! ;-D

+ It's been 2 Months i haven't looked at a 'KillZone 2' Video or any Photos...WHY??? I don't want to spoil the game when i get it;)

FPS NEXT-GEN Starts when i say so!!! ;-D

+ What next??? - 'KILLZONE 3[D]' on PS3;) (Get it??? 3D???) ;)

[Consoldtobots]

now that would be funny, "Halo Tubbies"

[GiantEnemyLobster]

6/10 rating at best

[likedamaster]

"" Greyzone 2 ""

That is just messed up

[THC CELL]

This game can be black and white for all i care

Day 1 for me

Btw any review to this game is below a 9 are not gamers
they are just sad bashing pri*ks

[POGfinder]

day 1 no matter whatever happens

[Jazz4108]

Sony Fanboys say that about every Sony game. If its below a nine, look microsoft paid them or there biased or its a 360 site.

[WANNA GET HIGH]

Day 1.....Not Me .....

Midnight it will be in my ps3 :)

[gta2800]

Screw your day one, or your midnight. First minute for me. I'm gonna make sure I'm first in line XD.

[macalatus]

First microseconds for me bud!! :) XD

[P4KY B]

Even as a 360 fan I can accept that this game looks good.

But I think the devs are holding back the best bits.
We've been seeing the same grey screen shots for a year, I think GG are going to hit everyone with a massive knockout punch once the other levels are revealed.

[WANNA GET HIGH]

If only PP had the same brain as u.. :p

[POGfinder]

only if all the reviewers were like you

you do know edge/eurogamer/1up/gamespot?

i just wish they were unbiased like you

[Karum]

Bubble for P4

[thereapersson]

And yeah, I think the devs are holding back a lot of the game so as not to spoil it when actual consumers get it home and realize there is a lot more to it than what they saw on the internet.

Smart, really, to do it that way. In this situation, the only people who "spoil" things are the players themselves (read: beta testers) for other people. I've read numerous previews that have stated the end of the game is one of the most epic story progression moments they've ever experienced in at least an FPS game, if not gaming in general.

To everyone else:

If you don't buy this, or at least give yourself the chance to play it objectively and unbiased, you're not a gamer.

[Sean Ryno]

Same here P4, Killzone 2 looks like my kinda game, though I am in favor of the 360. Maybe one day, there will be a universal console and large corporations (M$, Sony, and Nintendo) will battle each other over who can develop the best software and games. *Dream*

Til, then I'll have to wait until RE5 and Halo Wars. Halo Wars, ^drool^

[ultimolu]

You'll get a bubble from me as well.
Well said.

[dragunrising]

I'm in a generous mood as well:-p I never had a problem with the palette of GeOW 1 & 2, Resistance 1, nor any other game. Grey and brown are more "realistic" colors so for the sake of realism there shouldn't be any complaints.

[Killjoy3000]

Just think of the whole MGS4 debacle. "OMG THE WHOLE GAMEZ GONNA BE BROOOOOOOWN WHAAAA, WHAAAAA, WHAAAAAA!!" Look what happened. The fanboys took a few good brutal smacks to the mouth.

[DaTruth]

You beat me to it. I guess it was just logical.

[SDS Gamerfiend]

how beautiful the E3 05 trailer looked with the day time lighting? I want more levels like that! And many have said that it has even surpassed the E3 05 trailer!!! I can't wait for this game! 3 weeks to go to play the demo LOL!

[WANNA GET HIGH]

Bubbles for every one that loves killzone 2 :)

[caladbolg777]

I dunno if I "love" it yet. But I'm certainly impressed by what I've seen. Do I get bubbles?

[sajj316]

whatever happened to the concept of art direction? If its grey, black, brown ... so what? War is colorful? I guess only in Halo.

[DaKid]

I agree art direction in this game looks Amazing. I really can't wait for it. I love the feeling this game gives me!

[rakgi]

all i know is that KZ2 will be awesome and if you want intense colors in your game wait for Flower

[Tarasque]

Well here we go again, this is a game and this is it's art direction. War is just as colorful as the world is, you don't lose color cause of war or it doesn't all the sudden get dark and cloudy because of war. I think the game looks great how it is.

[Magic_The_Celt]

Man its like the gears of brown crap

the game isnt supposed to have colour, you cant just put colour in every goddamn game, and even if you did there would be fanboys saying "its too colourfull and not realistic" face it there just clutching at straws.

[InMyOpinion]

Exactly, it's not a platform game for the Wii.

[WANNA GET HIGH]

Funny i have not been seeing to many 360 trolls in killzone 2 news lately.I guess the Ballet Of Death has hit them were it hurts.. :)

[na2ru1]

welcome to our side

[InMyOpinion]

I'm on the 'good games' side.

[Magic_The_Celt]

+Bubbles for teh Jenzo

[anubis12]

so....mgs4 was all greenish...and gears of war was mostly like that to.

[thereapersson]

It's all art direction and story envelopment. Like MGS4, I have a feeling most people won't get why Killzone 2 is the way it is until they actually play it.

[thereapersson]

There are desert levels, among the other settings in the game. There is full sunlight coming down, painting a different picture than just a bleak, grey mechanical environment. Trust me when I say that the game has a lot more in store than what we have seen thus far...

If you think about it for a second, the very reason why the game is grey can be attributed to the story, where the Helghast experiment with weather so much that the industrial sectors of Helghan are permanently covered in dark clouds (among other reasons).

[Captain Tuttle]

As long as the visuals are consistent with the storyline it's all good. Helghan is a polluted, depressing place and the environments should reflect that.

[Tarasque]

But they had to make the story this way cause of the certain situations at hand and color being one of them.

[InMyOpinion]

Killzone dev responds to 'gay' critics.

[thereapersson]

lol

[InMyOpinion]

Mature comment, don't you think? ;)

[Bathyj]

By March 1st there will be no more doubters.

Sure the odd hater in denial will remain, but doubters will be extinct.

[Consoldtobots]

one thing this proves is that people who tried to judge the outcome of this console war based solely on hardware specifications didn't see the forest for the trees. They completely missed the boat on tandem (parallel) processing theory and just became slaves to specs. That's great for the hardware manufacturers because it keeps their sales up every year but doesn't really do enough to push the medium. I believe this is what GG and by extension Sony have shown on their platform. What other people call impossible Sony and their developers call challenging. Ultimately I believe people on both sides are putting way too much energy into the constant flaming and mountain of poorly written articles that go on in an effort to bury Sony. The only thing that matters is what you bring to the table. Sony is delivering, Microsoft is not. No amount of bashing, spinning or lying is gonna change that.

[na2ru1]

Just look. They supported GG with high production costs. GG wanted to EXCEL in details everywhere where possible. If that alone is not being serious, then be my guest and take it from here.

Running around for 3rd party exclusives ISN'T being serious, it's being desperate. MS may have also generated an aftermath shock. Devs have lately been laid back due to the paychecks they have been receiving, GTA devs and Squarenix. See what I'm trying to get at? Hint, motivation or lack of.

[Ldubbz]

So MS doesnt deliver, but Sony does? Are you talking about delivering on a game that has been around for 4 years and still isnt out yet?

I dont follow...

[Bathyj]

No he's talking about how Sony have lofty ambitions and some people say try to set the bar to unachievable heights, bringing on scorn and ridicule.

But just one look at Killzone in action says they know what they were doing all along, and the haters were wrong, all along.

In fact the only mistake I can see they made other than a touch of arrogance, was firing Krazy Ken because of the bad publicity at the time. Turns out just about everything he put in motion is working now.

I bet Nostradamis was ridiculed in his time too. Lots of great figures in history were.

Killzone is more than just the best looking, most highly polished game you've ever seen on a console, its vindication.

[WANNA GET HIGH]

Just wait till the FINAL version of God Of War 3 is shown.

[getupahh]

hopefully in 3D!!!! :)

[solidjun5]

IF the game is grey, fine, who cares? As long as it's consistent with what the direction, the developers are trying to present. It's been confirmed that the game has a variety of richness as the game progresses and that's fine too. Either way, the game will be mines soon. ^_^

By the way, I'm curious, but who started this "grey" crap?

[Captain Tuttle]

First time I really heard it was regarding Gears of War. Same thing with bald space marines.

[Bathyj]

The funny thing is, if you look at 30 frames, frame by frame, thats one second of footage, you will see a veritable rainbow of colour, mainly from the incredible lighting, like when a gun fires for example and casts realtime shadows over the walls.

The colour palette is a conscience choice. If this game was too much more colourful, it might very well burn your retinas off.

[CrazyOrange]

that one of the things i hate in FPS

[AngryHippo]

....is the wait. =0( i can't wait to get my hands on the single player for the first time. Going to be good times.

[kewlkat007]

What every PS3 fans is saying now, is exactly what Xbox gamers were saying a while back.

Then there was the Halo 3 colors/art direction...

Oh it will never end...well there ya go, the HYPOCRISY OF CRITICISM.

[DaTruth]

The argument here is not what stupid fanboys say, but what the biased media say and the only hypocrisy there is that they never had this problem with "GREYS OF WAR". Now when it's Killzone the media is saying "Oh teh greyz, there are too many of teh greys".

[na2ru1]

than I was for Xmas and New Years Eve ^^

happy new gaming year!

[Bathyj]

We should start the calendar again.

Screw BC and AD, it should be BKZ and AKZ.

[trancefreak]

"We've managed to push so far in all areas that this game feels like a next generation game. When I go home at night after a long day of work I play other shooters to relax, and although I certainly enjoy playing them, the difference in graphical quality, production values and the experience itself, is striking."

Damn straight

[Venomish]

I need this killzone2 so bad that I purchased Killzone on ps2 and killzone liberation on psp to follow the story

[blackpanther25]

You could read it at their website or the playstation forum. I swear the Killzone would make a hot as science fiction book. The story is so in depth and out of this world.

[caffman]

Are now saying "doesn't matter if its grey" for killzone 2? double standards or what?
I will get this game and couldn't give a frig if it it technicoloured

[na2ru1]

that kept yelling "grey" "gREY" "GREY" like parrots. PS3 fboys only reacted after their IQs were severaly obliterated by the persistent annoyance of 360fboys such as yourself.

Killzone 2 was shown a year after Gears1 btw 2007, that's how long "gREY" dates back. Gear1 was grey too. Double standards or what?

[jrsenkbe]

i've never been in a war but every picture or video of real wars look grey and bleak. What do people want, a rainbow and sun with animals dancing. The game centers around a war, it is supposed to be grey, bleak and depressing. You change that mood by killing the helghast.

[mirroredderorrim]

Day 1, even during the apocalypse.

[OGharryjoysticks]

Even if they chose to make the game in black and white it would still rock.

[craig3000]

anyway

surely if a game is about war in industrial locations is going to be grey right so what? that is the setting its like saying OMFG EVE online is so black and dark well durr its in space!!!

saying its grey just means they cant find anything negative to say on that note one thing that is a negative point is that is not multiplatform :D

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

and I knew this article would have Sony Fanboys bashing Gears. Gears 2 is still amazing in its own right, and just cause Killzone 2 is coming out... it don't make me dislike Gears 2. Gears 2 had hands down the most BA campaign I played last year. I cannot wait to fianlly get and play Killzone 2. But it won't make me enjoy my 360 any less!. I even see how Killzone does more things that compare it to the very things Gears 2 is bashed for as well!

P.S. = I've already seen people in HOME running around looking like Helgast, outfit looks awesome!. I went with the KZ2 demo at gamestop insted though, cause with HOME not being big enough to my tastes YET.. I don't feel the need to get such a BA outfit for something that is more of an entree than a full course meal!

[SleekDeF]

it has Graphics, Gameplay, lovers, and twice the haters. I think this game is the MGS4+GTA4 of 2009.

next game GOD |O|F| WAR

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

"Not all of it's grey" just 90% of it, there might be a level and half with the the color "dark grey" There is a reason why it's grey, it's called the PS3 and all it's gimpy glory.

Nice smoke and mirrors...:D

[dukadork2]

you're earning yourself some respect coming out here at this time...
did you watch the KZ2 videos everybody is buzzing about all over the tubes? i'm sure deep inside you understand how huge this is.

it's cute the whole grey thing... you know, as if a yellow or blue pixel was more difficult to render, lol! or is it some pre-historical 8bit global palette concern on these 32bit GPUs?

ok ok, we understand, you guys can't just turn coat mid flight in public: fli-flop bam! you need a little smoke to make it look smooth.

XDDDD

[Kleptic]

Jason...every time you go to type a post...just replace what ever it is that your mind is conjuring up with 'i'm a douche bag'...thats all we see anyway; so why waste your own time?...you'll thank me later...

[likedamaster]

"" "Not all of it's grey" just 90% of it, there might be a level and half with the the color "dark grey" There is a reason why it's grey, it's called the PS3 and all it's gimpy glory.

Nice smoke and mirrors...:D ""

Ouch!

[Nathaniel_Drake]

If complainers would just read the story on Killzone.com they would see why its grey and how thats a big part of the story, its not grey just for the sake of grey, now if it took place in Vekta then you would have a different story

To add, Helghan is supposed to be grey to show the punishment of the Helghan's deceit toward the UCN because of the power they gained, from rich beautiful powerful environment to the bleak grey despair most Helghans have done to themselves, I say most because some of the innocent Helghans were still forced to live alone in that environment even though they didn't do anything but live peacefully

[liquidsnake]

Give it to me black and white, I don't care. I have this baby pre-ordered so Im all set. Now if only feb 25 can come faster.

[The Judderman]

Having little colour works in its favour as it allows the Ps3 to utilise the graphics better. Its tech thing apparently. If it had a lot of colour it wouldn't look as good. I remember reading about it on here someone where it explained it in detail. Having low colour means you can have more detail or something...

[The Judderman]

If the last few levles are lush green or in the snow or something it would be awesome and blow you away even more after playing in the grit for hours. Fingers crossed.

[madpuppy]

I sure hope that there are intense weather levels like heavy rain and Snow laden levels. especially Snow, there is something about being in a muffled Snowy environment With accompanying sound effects that is really neat.

[hindahouse]

If you read the back stroy on the US playstation forums, you read that the planet is actually very desolate with many gases etc on the planet, which i suppose blocks out the light it must get from the nearest star.
Already Preorderd this :D

[tudors]

This is a great video of KZ2, I edited my post because I cannot embed 2 videos at a time. Fans will love this video.

http://www.gametrailers.com...

[SprayandPreycom]

i was like what is wrong with games these days they really fixed it with gears 2 though

[omodis420]

All the grey is a thing called atmosphere. It puts you there, it makes the world seem belevible. I never saw any review bag on Fallout 3 for being to brown and bleak. It added greatly to the atmosphere of the game. Killzone is the same way.

[shawnsl65]

Get this people!

Rumor has it that Earthling reporters came to MARS and complained that the planet was too red!! WOW :O

[fishermanofwar]

That planet doesn't look like a place where you will see birds chirping and bunnies frolicking in the woods.....

It looks like HELL!!!!

[likedamaster]

It's as gray as can be!

Gears had a similar tone to it but that is the art direction they chose to take not that the engine can't produce those colors. LOL.

It was the same fanboy argument with Gears the past 2 years.

[resistance022]

that is awesome :)
a developer who doesnt ignore their fans pleads

[Radiodread]

speaking the TRUTH. Welcome brotha.

[likedamaster]

"" glad to see Jenzo
speaking the TRUTH. Welcome brotha. ""

The PS3 Elite state that you are now officially a PS3 soldier. LOL.

Question, why only 1 bubble? I don't know how that happened and frankly I don't care. So here's a bubble, no strings attached. ;)

[Tony P]

"too grey"

Yeah, and the Mona Lisa was too brown, right?

C'mon, the game is a masterpiece of the FPS so far. A little grey isn't going to kill the whole experience

[terrandragon]

As a Xbox 360 owner, this game is so grey, that it's BEAUTIFUL! :)

[Veneno]

Anybody who makes art knows that you have to have a specific color pallete of similar colors or complimentary colors in order for everything to look good and go together. So what does the media want? Bursts of hot pink, yellow, and baby blue to spew out of the helgast whenever you kill them?

[dustgavin]

People are just looking for things to nitpick in this game. It is sad when this is about all they can come up with.

[dustgavin]

Almost forgot...

MadWorld on Wii is b&w and everyone is talking about how "artistic" the game is. It does look like an awesome game, but people should stop with the Ps3 hate.

[Ldubbz]

Whatever the palette is, is what they intended. But people here really need to chill...relax. It seems a bit ironic that people on here are bashing those they feel are bashing K2, and in turn the PS3.

The best games, movies, books...everyone has some gripe about them all. But every time someone says something about K2 thats short of calling it the best thing since sliced bread, people in here go nuts, citing the constant hating on of the PS3. Its really not that serious folks.

[dustgavin]

You do have a point, but it is not just Killzone 2 or the Ps3. The same can be said about any console and major game release. People are going to find things to pick at and people are going to defend said game.

As long as there are forums, there will be arguments. ;)

[Veneno]

I Understand your point as well....but what's going on here is that a lot of the media is trying to bring down KZ2 and Sony (Yes, the two are inseperable at this point) before it has even been released. The demo is still over half a month away and people are dismissing the game. It's sabotage.

[Traveler]

When the sky is darkened by smoke and dust why wouldn't the world be darkened somewhat?

Obviously it is an artistic design decision, not a technical limitation. Anybody with any knowledge about graphics rendering laughs when people assume that it has anything to do with the technical capabilities of the console or the game's engine. Believe me, Guerrilla could have made Killzone 2 a rainbow-colored wonderland and the game would run just as it does.

Look at how colorful Uncharted is and yet it is one of the most technically advanced games on consoles.

I personally love the gritty look of the game. The artistic direction suits the game perfectly.

[Kleptic]

stop using logical justification as to why killzone 2 looks the way it does...people like jason 360 are seemingly confused as to how a thunderstorm above results in a dark and gloomy atmosphere on a planet's surface...the only straw left to grasp is that it must be a technical limitation of some sort...games can't look this good, especially on rivaling systems...that is just blatantly unfair...

these guys are on suicide watch as is man...take it easy on them...

[Traveler]

I know, it boggles the mind doesn't it?

Anyway, the artistic direction suits the mood and setting of the game and they did a really awesome job in my opinion. Fallout 3 was largerly dominated by browns, but that was because it was a post-apocalyptic world after a nuclear bomb had destroyed everything and so the choice in color palette suited the world just fine. The same general idea applies here: the Helghast homeworld is alien and somewhat inhospitable, so some of those darker earthy tones might be expected.

Nevermind the fact that the game actually does have a lot more color than some people would lead you to believe.

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

Who cares what color it is as long as it looks incredible!?

That's like calling Okami too "artsy" or Crysis too "shiny" or Mario too "jumpy".

How dumb are critics these days?

[Lykon]

I love it for the pain and humiliation it will give the remaining 360 fan boys and M$ will have peanut and sweetcorn filled poo rubbed on thier faces and up thier nostrils. I might go out and get it at midnight just for the buzz and to see the graphics, i dunno, i might enjoy it if its not too hard but i wont go online because i will just get confused and cry, and everyone will shout at me for doing it wrong and be much better than me. resi 5 is more my type of thing, but i will buy KZ2 to see what quality and good production really means, and because i can because i have a ps3, not a failbox360.

[trancefreak]

the game is gorgeous and the colors are fitting imo. I just cant wait to play it.

Also calling in sick when this game comes out :)

[Gantrfaxx]

Better grey than pink and purple halo 3.