Crysis 2 vs Killzone 3: The truth

I have just completed Crysis 2 on my Xbox360 and what I can tell you right now is Crysis 2 on Xbox360 is easily one of the best looking games of this generation. But now, everyone wants to know how the game stack up against Sony’s exclusive FPS Killzone 3 in term of visuals.

[immortal84]

Both games look impressive. But I like the colorful visuals of Crysis 2 more.

[Theonetheonly]

I agree.

[ksense]

"but when the actual gameplay begins, you will be roaming in wide areas with multiple baths"

multiple baths huh..

[DatNJDom81]

The truth? LOL. It's called your perspective "gaming journalist". Not the truth. Truth is a universally known fact. For example, people need oxygen to breathe. That would be truth. Change the title of your article for better credibility.

My review for this article: 3/10

I'm going to start reviewing articles from now on.

[sikbeta]

The truth is that if you have a PS3 you can play both games, you can choose what game is better for you and based on your opinion decide which is the best, not some lame site, enough said.

[Deputydon]

@ksense

To be fair, almost every Crysis video you see, somewhere there is a room flooded with water...

[Active Reload]

" 'I have just completed Crysis 2 on my Xbox360...' "

"I stopped reading right there. "

Just put PS3 in place of Xbox 360 and carry on as you were, lol.

[malandra]

this is just a bunch of excuses for Crysis 2 not looking as good as Killzone 3: the enviroment, the lightning, the colors, longer campaign, etc

Killzone 3 looks better. Period.

if you're factoring in the artistic design of the game we can say that Shadow of the Colossus has better graphics than Crysis 2

and BTW Crysis 2 is the best looking game on the 360 but falls very short of the graphical king: Uncharted 2

(last night I finished Crysis 2 SP on my 360 on soldier difficulty, it took me 7 hours and 10 minutes accorsing to the in game counter but that's probably just puere gameplay, in reality was around 8 and half hours, about an hour longer than Killzone 3)

[OneSneakyMofo]

Searched Crysis 2 on the website, and these are the results:

- Crysis 2 vs Killzone 3: The truth (Crysis 2 wins in graphics)
- Dear Crytek: Crysis 2 isn’t ready, delay it (funny that it will blow us away)
- Crysis 2 on Xbox360 will blow you away (funny how they should delay it)

I searched Killzone 3 on the website, and these are the results:
- Crysis 2 vs Killzone 3: The truth
-Killzone 3, Rage? Bulletstorm looks more impressive visually (Lolwut?)

Conclusion: 360 fan, move along.

[DualConsoleOwner]

"Yea... Crysis 2 AA is bad... but you dont notice in dark places..."

LOL.

that is just pathetic excuse for having poor AA...

Kinda obvious it is a bad article once author starts making poor excuse for game having a lot of jaggies.

[paintsville]

Well here's just another article backing up what i've been saying for weeks now. "Crysis 2, at least on 360 anyway, is the best looking and most technically advanced piece of software on the market. FACT. Great job Crytek. Way to show developers how it's done. Whoop.

[mfwahwah]

WOW DatNJDom81. Go to college. Take an English course. Learn a little about titles. You're taking them to be a tad more serious than they're intended to be. Everybody knows it's just his opinion. That's implied by it being an opinion piece. The reader is expected to not be completely brain dead, so an author is allowed a little freedom with their embellishment. Relax.

[Dee_91]

Crysis is hands down the best looking multiplat
but It seem that people are confusing alot of things when comparing crysis 2 to kz3
like the different artistic styles
kz3 is more dark grungy and cry 2 is more light and vibrant
so its really which do you prefer
some people prefer the dark grungy look in kz3 and some like the light and vibrant colors in cry 2
i think a better comparison would be between crysis and uncharted because they both have similar artistic styles

but i respect crysis devs for showing all these sorry ass devs ( cough cough activision cough )
that it is possible to make a game that look this good on multiplat

it sorta just broke the stereotype of multiplats cant look as good as exclusives
which i personally didnt believe since gtaiv

[InTheKnow]

.
Why even talk about Killzone 3. It's laughable how bad KZ 3 is up against Crysis 2 0n 360/PS3 ( yes PS3 ) let alone on a maximum setting PC.

The lighting and water effects are non existent on KZ 3. The ability to scale the environment and use the environment is non-existent in KZ 3. Everything in Crysis 2 is in REAL TIME!!! Does anybody read anymore. It's not a cardboard backdrop. It's not 30 gb's of cut scenes. KZ 3 is embarrassingly inadequate compared to a powerhouse like Crysis 2.

When Rage and Gears 3 releases in the fall it will get worse, not better for the comparisons. COD and Battlefield during the holidays will do more of the same.

[eliasg]

Sony fanboys always in a denial , accept the truth please, Killzone 3 and Crysis 2 are equal in terms of graphics and both have some up and downs...

Crysis 2 and Killzone 3 are the best looking games of the generation and do not forget that both are playable on a Playstation 3.

[bnaked]

I try to write in english:

Ok, the author knows something about Crysis 2 tech. But whats about Killzone 3?
"No game has so many light sources bla bla"
Even Killzone 2 had over !200! light sources in one area..
I don't know that much about all that technical stuff, but this author thinks, he is an expert, but has no idea about the tech behind Killzone 3.

He has no f*cking idea.

[zgoldenlionz]

this was a well thought out well written article he doesnt come off bias and im going to give crisis 2 a try.

[bageara]

I look forward to getting Crysis 2 and making my own mind up

[HolyOrangeCows]

"what I can tell you right now is Crysis 2 on Xbox360 is easily one of the best looking games of this generation"

This guy needs to be introduced to "THE TRUTH"

Crysis 2 is sub-HD on both consoles, has poor anti-aliasing (Thus "jaggies"), pop-ins like mad, and poor latency.

Killzone 3 is HD, has MLAA, fewer pop ins, and a much better latency (highly improved from Kz2 - Not that it matters in this silly comparison; Killzone 2 has a MUCH better latency than Crysis 2).

A few lighting effect perks don't make/save this game "one of the best looking games of this generation"

And side note, Crysis 2 isn't "open world" and Killzone 3 has plenty of large areas, even if they do go with a tighter level design most of the time.

[Kleptic]

Considering English is probably not the author's native language; a lot of the context could be misleading...

but the write up is simply full of things that are not facts, and merely subjective preference...

we could do this to the entire article...but:

"Even the aliens eyes cast dynamic lighting"

ANYONE that has played even killzone 2 back in early 2009 knows that killzone's lighting engine has done this through the entire generation so far...in Killzone 2 EVERY light source that you see is a true light source...both on and offline...this goes from muzzle flares, to lights on NPC's armor, to the goggles used by the helghast...Killzone 3 does this to an even higher degree, but also skews its effect to seem less 'samey' through out its overall lighting system...in killzone 3 muzzle flares from certain weapons are still real lights, but less aggressive than killzone 2, while heavier weapons are much more pronounced (creating almost a spot light effect) than anything in killzone 2...the light machine gun attached to a jump pack for example...

Aside from the fact that the author is using rendering terms that I am 100% positive he has no idea what they mean; he didn't provide one example in CE3's lighting model that killzone 2 doesn't also...or more importantly...already did 2 years ago...

nearly everyone understands that the 360 has never really had a game with extremely impressive state of the art lighting...that is not a criticism, as the 360's ability to run CE3 illustrates it has the power to do it...its just the PS3 has been doing ALL of this since 2009, which is probably a reason so many PS3 owners aren't completely blown away with 'oMG GuYSz, EverEEFing is a LIGHT!'...

I'm wondering also why this author decided to entirely leave out animation, physics, and particle effects from his decision making?...Instead filling this ridiculously short write up with excuses for Crysis 2...like 'you have to consider killzone 3 is much more linear than crysis 2'...and even dipping to the easy-out 'killzone 3's story isn't very good'...

he gets off topic way too fast and too many times for this to be considered anything but subjective filler for an army of people that can't make decisions like this on their own...play both...decide for yourself...Neither is going to be a clear winner to everyone...if you can't play both, thats your problem...just don't let it trick your brain into telling yourself what you want to hear...

just at the very least admit that this has very little true empirical evidence to go off of...

[DaTruth]

"Yea... Crysis 2 AA is bad... but you dont notice in dark places..."

"Yea... Crysis 2 AA is bad... but you dont notice unless you have eyes..."[FIXED]

I just want to know... Is the game broken on PS3 or not? But there is ten articles saying it's great and ten others saying it's broken! I had to read 100 crappy articles to still be unsure about this! I wanted this game for a year, but if it's broken on my console, I'll pass; too many good games to buy half-assed ports!

[cemelc]

Omg thank god for vgarabia.com this well known website knows the truth, how could i be so blind. /s

@OneSneakyMofo: so true, there is an article that said: "Killzone 3, Rage? Bulletstorm looks more impressive visually"

Why would i believe this crappy site with an article like that???.

Move along or ask DF or LoT to do this comparation, to the very least they have a record of doing so.

[Theonetheonly]

but where are kz3s reflections it looks like they made the game using only diffuse channel, most likely not but it kinda looks that way.

[Sony360]

@DatNJDom81

Are you mad that Crysis 2 looks better or something? You don't need a "viewpoint", all you need to do is look at the game yourself. Crysis is just as nice looking, if not better.

Oh yes and it's running on the 360 too, how does that tickle your fanboy feathers?

And who reviews an article anyway? Grow up.

[HappyGaming]

Well if you build a multiplat on each platform individually from toes to the tips and put in some love it would look as good as an exclusive would look on that platform.

It just means you have to do a lot more work for each platform.

[Spydiggity]

the effects in kz aren't impressive...

[ChrisW]

Uhh... correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Crysis 2 also for the PS3?

Ahhh... never mind! Since Crysis 2 is not an exclusive, it's obviously crap. Sheesh!

[pixelsword]

I try to support indie sites like vgarabia, but when you spout garbage like that without considering all of the factors, you lose a lot of credibility, plus a lot of readership...

First of all, the site says bulletstorm is better looking than Killzone 3, so vgarabia lost all credibility there.

2nd, this site doesn't even have a review for Killzone 3, so right there it's doubtful that they even played it, since they have a bulletstorm review, it makes me think the owner of the site doesn't even have a PS3 to review a game on.

A game isn't rendering "more" if it's open world and you are in corridors all of the time. even before you play either clip on vgarabia.com you see how the clip shows Crysis 2 in a corridor-like area and Killzone 3 has an open-looking area. That's just a trick, because when you're in a corridor area like Crysis 2 has, you have less of a draw distance to consider. Just like when you play the game, a you see are buildings that are close by and smoke every block. Go to vgarabia.com and look around: Notice that ahead of you that there's smoke about a block away? Now go to around the :55 minute mark. Notice after you pass that pile of smoke, guess what? you see another pile of smoke a block away. That's all a rouse just to cut-down the draw distance. What this "writer" didn't notice is that there are areas in Killzone 3 that are linear, but there are also areas that are open, like the Mech stage. Plus, there are areas that are linear that have open areas with huge draw distances like the petresite (sp?) rig stage.

When a game is sub HD, it takes less processing power to render everything, so of course you can "render more", because you have freed-up resources to apply to polish, so while there's more "shiny things", it doesn't matter because again, it's just a trick.

[InTheKnow]

.
Halo 3 had HDRR lighting in 2007. It's always been there but games like Bioshock 1 and Gears focused on other areas.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

I think Cry 3 will definitely be picking up a lot of new customers for their engine after this.

Just look at the reflections in the water at around the 6:20 mark. Later, towards the end of the video you see some subterranean game play, look at the flame ( 10:50 ) and the lighting/shadows generated by that. KZ in it's current configuration would never be able to do that, let alone in REAL TIME.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[tacosRcool]

I think Killzone 3 looks a lot better. Plus Crysis 2 is sub HD while at least Killzone 3 is 720p

[Shaman]

I have been playing it also on 360,tomorrow getting it on PC and honestly the game is visual spectacle.

From lighting and post processing,to water,fire and smoke effects it sight to be hold.
Now I know KZ3 is amazing looking game but when people open that door to NY,and the bloom from sun gets in their face while all beautiful buildings reflect sunshine on their windows its really something else.

Shadows are completely dynamic as is lighting.Bokeh effect is absolutely brilliant and shaders(metal and water especially are gorgeous).

People shouldn't fight between games because its on every system and it looks spectacular.Only minus is when game is REALLY open with lots of chaotic situations frame rate can suffer,but no screen tearing.PS3 version is triple buffered btw.

Oh yea and their AA method and AF are much,much improved over MP demo.I'm death serious.

Couple of gifs from 360 version...
http://h-7.abload.de/img/cr...
http://h-7.abload.de/img/cr...
http://img543.imageshack.us...
http://h-6.abload.de/img/te...

[Kingdom Come]

Those Gifs were beautiful O_O *Cries in happiness*

[mafia_pc]

Your gifs are AMAZING !!
Gfx are very impressive O_o

Can you show me more please

[a_bro]

yup thats cryEngine 3 alright.

[Sven Benoit]

That first gif is just.....WOW! Im lost for words

[durran3]

lol 11 people disagreeing with your statement.. just goes to show how terrible fanboys are on this forum...

Those Gifs are amazing indeed.. Crysis Is the best looking game to date from a sheer technical perspective.

[KeiserSosay4788]

Completely agree Shaman... I don't understand how, after seeing those gifs, one could deny that a multiplatform game looks just as good as an exclusive(kz3). It has nothing to do with the quality of the game (I love kz3 MP), but visually...this beats killzone. I also think this says alot about how pointless the console wars are.

[AnxietyAttack]

Shaman those gifs are stunning good job!

[Jazz4108]

At onesnakeymofo if you discount every article you read and every comment you read basing it on if they are a 360 fan or not then you will get no news. Or does it onlywork that way if they support the 360 and the ps3 is fine. Just wanted you to see the bias in your statement.

[Masterchef2007]

http://www.lensoftruth.com/...

Heres a comparison of the retail version in case anyone is interested. The 360 version has some weird glitches though.

http://www.lensoftruth.com/...

http://www.lensoftruth.com/...

[MaxXAttaxX]

The overall visuals (detail, lighting, contrast, etc) on PS3 look closer to the PC version than 360.

I don't like that harsh contrast on 360. Losing detail in dark areas and overly bright shine is not my thing.

Also this:
360 http://www.lensoftruth.com/...
PS3 http://www.lensoftruth.com/...

So... yup.

[OldParr]

[email protected]@t I'm surprise that the 360 could deliver this amazing visuals!!

back to the topic, I agree both games looks outstanding

[RememberThe357]

It's always been an engine problem for the 360. Nothing on it has pushed visual limits. This is the first time the 360 has had an engine that really pushes it and it shines. The reason the PS3 has had the graphics crown is because of the great devs Sony has.

[ThanatosDMC]

360 games really need to stop using Unreal Engine.

[Spinal]

I agree I prefer Crysis 2 visuals, I've already returned my Killzone 3 for trade-in got £30 trade in gamestation. so its like I rented it for a couple weeks for £10.

[Gamer_Z]

Both look good.

[ELite_Ghost]

theres one thing tho.
Where's the KZ3 screenshots?
Does he even have killzone 3?
Does he even own a ps3? XD

[Persistantthug]

.

[starchild]

Barely under that of Killzone 3. I can play emulated PS1 games on my rig at resolutions far higher than any PS3 exclusive, does that mean that those PS1 games have better graphics than Uncharted 2?

Face it, resolution is only one facet of game graphics. The difference in resolution between 1152 x 720 and 1280 x 720 is nothing compared to the resolutions I will be running Crysis 2 at. Having a slightly lower resolution is a non-issue if the overall game is significantly more advanced.

[Robearboy]

I dont really care which looks better its all a matter of opinion but what it does show is that, much to the disapointment of fanboys, the xbox 360 wasnt maxed out in 2007

[FinalSpartan]

Crysis 2 = Colour
Killzone 3 = Brown/Grey

Both are supreb in graphics in there own way.

[BubbleSniper]

an halo = rainbow bright hybrid power rangers

[HeavenlySnipes]

Its just that UNLIKE CRYSIS, KZ DOES NOT TAKE PLACE ON EARTH.

Stop trying to pretend that KZ is Guerilla Games portrayal of Earth. There goal isn't to recreate a game on Earth like Crysis and many other shooters.

If you read the KZ backstory, you'd know that Vekta is the planet that closely resembles Earth (so you'd see the lush greens and Earth like structures) and Helghan has also been a barren, treacherous wasteland. (The FUCKING GAME TAKES PLACE ON HELGHAN BTW)

The game still looks amazing

[Shackdaddy836]

Crysis 2 has the best graphics for multiplats
Killzone 3 has the best graphics for exclusives

There. Problem solved.

[Aarix]

Yea I think gears 3 is the best looking for 360 and it looks nothing short of AMAZING

[Blackdeath_663]

i would say killzone3 looks better however crysis 2 is much more attractive, crytek got it right i think you dont need top of the art grafics if you can draw ppls attention with nice landscapes

[tastelessgamer]

We completed the game for both the 360 and PS3 in our office. We happen to agree with this assessment. If we had to pick a graphic winner, it would be Crysis.

Well spoken article

[darkziosj]

crysis 2 looks awesome and its not a corridor shooter like killzone in terms of graphics that mean alot more resourced used for crysis 2 and still managed to get the job done

[tmoss726]

Kind of why Gears 3 looks better then Gears 2. There's more color variety in Gears 3, which makes it more appealing to look at compared to the dark colors of Gears 2.

[palaeomerus]

They used a color pallette with more saturated colors and more contrast to cause things to pop more.

[Dogs_PinoyPOOD]

in gears 3 they put grass. n thats it pretty much oh n weapon colors lol but yeh its pretty good. in Crysis 2 theres every color. in Killzone 3 theres more color, blue, green, red, blah blah blah but theyre all different

[showtimefolks]

or you can choose one right now and buy the other later

BOTH GAMES ARE BORDERLINE GREAT

this comparison on every 3rd party game to ps3 exclusive needs to stop that alone shows people how good ps3's exclusive look

i bought KZ3 great game soon i will get crysis 2

[Dogs_PinoyPOOD]

my choice would be Killzone 3 first and then later on Crysis cus Killzone 3... Multiplayer.. cmon really? lol

[Dogs_PinoyPOOD]

it's really on ur preferences. For me I like the color visuals in KIllzone 3. like the blues, the greens and reds. but Killzone 3 is suppose to be sci fi dats why its different from Crysis.

[showtimefolks]

i been playing games for more than 20 years but never was a online fps gamer so kz2 got me involved so kz series will always have a special place in my heart

[NewZealander]

yeah im playing kill zone 3 atm, and its looks great, but i still find some of the textures character models and effects a bit bland, overall its pretty impressive though.

from what ive seen of crysis 2 it looks like its going to be a bit sharper and shinier then kz3, im definitely going to pick it up.

[thewhoopimen]

Regarding particles and lights. I believe Digital Foundry already laid to rest that KZ3's particle system is more refined than Crysis 2s. Let's give this discussion a rest.

[hazardman]

I have to agree as well. Both games look amazing. I have to say tho, I thought that Gears looked Great already on the Xbox, but Crytek knocked this one out the Park. Definitely answers my ? that Xbox had already been pushed to its limits! It hasn't!! Goes to show what great developers can do with some time. Never played any of the Crisis games, but I'm buying this for sure! Killzone 3 is my favorite game right now. I also have that scene when your on the Battlemech on my FB. Games is frikkin amazing grapically BEASTING everything!! Glad i own both consoles!!

[CrIpPeN]

haha yes, me too. He should have played it PC if he has a computer capable of it.

[miyamoto]

LOL this is the same site that said Alan Wake looks better and is better than Uncharted 2 LOL!

and yeah "but when the actual gameplay begins, you will be roaming in wide areas with multiple baths"

multiple baths huh..

its so hot in Arabia this author stinks and needs Multiple Baths!!!