While not featuring as much normal mapping in pro-pixel leatherization diffusion as Gears of War, it bests it in other ways. For one, there's more polygonal detail in, well, everything. Soldiers' faces looked unbelievable, and while you can pick out polygons while studying their shoulders, we must repeat that you have to study them. Streets and buildings are lined with stuff, and there's not really a better way to encompass that. Power lines, boxes, railings, window sills, trash... it's all there. While there aren't as many effects going on as we've seen in some UE3 gamers, there's unmistakably more detail to everything.
The lighting is also smoother. While UE3 games like Gears boast realtime lighting for everything, Killzone 2's lighting scheme mixes realtime and pre-canned lighting for an extremely smooth and, frankly, extremely impressive lighting model. The art direction, what with its dark colors and overly-gritty feel, keep the game from looking "real", but that doesn't mean it isn't absolutely immersive. I will personally say that I can't remember seeing a more impressive lighting model than this. More realistic? Maybe. But more impressive? No.