Regardless of its reputation as an OK shooter (though I quite liked KZ3), the Killzone series has always looked fantastic, and a new artbook out that celebrates this is a very good read.
I got a copy of Killzone Visual Design yesterday, and while it ticks all the boxes of what makes a good video game art book — artist commentary, nice big images, clean design — one thing I particularly like about it is that it features quite a few examples of preliminary linework, which is one of my real game art fetishes.
Most art books tend to focus on final, polished and approved art, the kind of thing a publisher will use in a wallpaper dump, or tweet in promotion. Which is fine, that’s often lovely, but Killzone Visual Design includes loads of very early vehicle and weapon sketches.
What’s more, in keeping with the rough and early state of the sketches, they’re printed like this:
So good.
After a short delay the book should be shipping out pretty soon. You can get it here and here. Below are some images (and even some video!) from the book.
Fine Art is a celebration of the work of video game artists, showcasing the best of both their professional and personal portfolios.
Comments
2 responses to “Fine Art: Killzone’s New Art Book Is A Real Treat”
That art book is running in real time on a PS3.
I recommend hitting Youtube up for the 2005 Killzone trailer, it funnier now than it’s ever been…. given it still looks pretty damn good 11 years later, and was NEVER going to look like that as a PS3 exclusive.
KZ always got an unfair rap, I think. The most common critique I heard was the way it handled – as in movement, aiming, etc. It’s very heavy/weighty. But I’m fairly certain that was intentional, and it always made it feel different to CoD and the like, where you move about like a weightless fairy on speed. I dunno, each movement felt more deliberate, chunky, and as a result, more satisfying. Difficult to explain, and I guess if that’s not your thing, then that’s not your thing.
I think Killzone 2 was probably my favorite, mostly because of the story.
Also, Killzone Mercenary is hands down one of the best handheld technical feats of the last 10 years. Looks/run/plays beautifully. A fantastic example of what the Vita is capable of when someone knows their way the system and a genre.