comparing multi format releases

CiDeRmAn

I am now the lucky owner of all the current next gen systems and find myself in a quandry.
I want to buy Assassins Creed and The Orange Box but don't know which of the PS3 or 360 to buy them for.
Are the graphics the same?
Does the PS3's lack of rumble affect the gaming experience?

Back in the day it was generally the Xbox over the PS2 when it came to multiformat releases, but now, at this stage anyway, things are a lot closer between the two consoles.

Any advice?

Fanboys need not apply!

Kiith

Most multi-format releases are exactly the same (with minor graphical differences). I'd go for whichever is out more, and whichever is cheaper.

tman

I prefer the 360's controller and gamerscore system, so it's an easy decision for me.
Plus I can just plug it into my monitor, so can play games whenever I feel like it instead of having to wait until the TV is free...

KdjaCL

Controller would do it for me, eurogamer have a review of Creed up



kdjac

Oman

personally i'd go for the xbox. as tman said the controller is better and better onlin compacability. its better anyway

EDIT:Yay my 500th post

savemejebus

I'd wait a week and see how the reviews for each version of assassins creed go before buying that. If there are big differences then i'm sure forums will be flooded with complaints/boasts after it's proper release.

With the orange box i'd be more inclined to go with the 360 version simply because
1) Valve handled it (EA are handling the PS3 release
2) It's dirt cheap on play-asia.
3) You'd have to wait a good while for the PS3 version

Just my 2 cents

Ciaran500

I only know people from Live and much prefer the 360 controller so most games get bought for that.

Retr0gamer

Xbox Live, better controller and no lack of rumble always sway me towards a 360 purchase.

CiDeRmAn

The question therefore is left begging, WHY IN MIYAMOTOS NAME DID I BUY A PS3????
I mean, come on?

I'm trying, really I am, but COD4 feels broken without rumble, the pad feels weird too, Heavenly Sword feels not as good as God Of War 2, and those motion sensitive sections are a pain, as are the QTE bits, Resistance felt too lightweight, in fact the only things on the machine I have enjoyed are Flow and Motorstorm!

Come on Sony, lets see some optimised ports onto the PS3 now, I don't want to wait 2 years until the 3rd parties have figured out all the bells and whistles of the machine.

At least I know to buy Orange Box on the 360, although it may have to wait now that Mass Effect is almost here.

Are there any examples of games better on the PS3 than the 360? Games that appear on both formats?

Retr0gamer

When you compare nearly all 3rd party games they aren't noticably different unless played side by side and even then there isn't much to differentiate.

At least Uncharted is out soon. Might actually turn on my PS3 when it's released.

steviec

The PS3 ports of DiRT and Oblivion are meant to be better, thats about it as far as I know.

In truth though the differences are generally minimal, and as someone who prefers the Playstation pad for most games and prefers having a silent running machine, the PS3 versions make sense to me (especially since I sold my 360 of course, though I'll soon be replacing it with an Elite for Mass Effect)

But really controller preference should probably be your only concern. I think Assassins will suit the PS3 more because it uses the face buttons a lot from what I can tell. The 360 pad is only really good for dual-stick/trigger based games in my opinion.

TBH I'm not entirely sure if developers will ever learn how to magically make PS3 ports identical, but that doesn't bother me much because it never stopped the PS2 being a fantastic machine. And unlike the PS2, the PS3 does have the power to beat the xbox technically when skilled developers focus exclusively on it, as seen with the likes of Uncharted.

CiDeRmAn

Well, I'm after buying Assassins Creed for the PS3 and The Orange Box for the 360.

And as for the idea of making PS3 ports identical, that's just it, I want 3rd party developers to put more effort into making the most of each format, not just relying on middleware to find the lowest common denominator.

I understand that, for the most part, we are now seeing games being developed for the well understood 360 and then ported over with least fuss to the PS3, I am sure as the PS3's innards become well mapped and Sony have given the best tools to the devs we will see some interesting stuff, but seeing as the time it takes to develop a game is now in the 2/3 year range, how long will we have to wait?
Sure by that stage MS will be prepping us for the next iteration of the Xbox!

Fnz

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

The question therefore is left begging, WHY IN MIYAMOTOS NAME DID I BUY A PS3????

It's a cheap Blu-ray player.

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

I'm trying, really I am, but COD4 feels broken without rumble, the pad feels weird too

Rumble is on it's way and I imagine will add a more substantial 'weighty' feeling to the pad. Here's a list of games that support the last-gen feature. [Link]

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

Are there any examples of games better on the PS3 than the 360? Games that appear on both formats?

I dunno about current games but have heard that Burnout Paradise (January 24th 2008) is being developed with the PS3 as lead SKU and is reported to definitely look like the better version when seen running.

steviec wrote: »

But really controller preference should probably be your only concern.

The Xbox 360 also seems to be producing better frame rates on some multi format games as a result of it being easier to develop for and, for the moment at least, generally being the lead SKU.

steviec wrote: »

And unlike the PS2, the PS3 does have the power to beat the xbox technically when skilled developers focus exclusively on it

Yeah, I think that is true though some people will debate this... something to do with dynamic pixel shading pipes... or something.

whitetrash

I'd generally go for the cheaper option (which is usually the 360 at the mo), unless there was some other obvious reason to pick a specific format. But if the game uses the d-pad in any significant way I'd have to go for ps3. The xbox d-pad is terrible

CiDeRmAn

Cheaper but not much cheaper, when you factor a couple of games in, there really isn't all that much between the PS3 and 360, especially when you have to add in Wireless adaptors and rechargable battery packs to the cost of the 360.

What game uses a D-pad? Aside from some old school beat em ups the thing is used as a menu shortcut mostly.

The Xbox 360 pad has simply evolved from the previous iteration, while the guys at Sony seem to have forgotten about a controller redesign and then rushed it on a damp weekend.

Burnout Paradise, Hmmm....
Burnout is a series I have always played on the PS2 and never got used to on any other console, witness the little used Burnout on my 360, nice to get back to the vibe I know with the PS3, however, once again, will lose something major with thelack of rumble.

Branoic

Im going to be getting Assassin's Creed for the PS3 and Mass Effect for the 360. That way, when I want to change games, i just need to switch the channel on the TV and not the disc in the console. Laziness is an artform, it truely is.

whitetrash

I only have one hd input on my tv so I have to pull out the tv stand any time I want to switch consoles. My life is so hard.

koneko

Supposedly the 360 version of Assassins Creed is a bit better, reports say it has slightly higher FPS and suffers less from tearing. Don't think it'll make a huge difference though, but I also way way prefer the pad on 360 so makes it an easy decision.

steviec

koneko wrote: »

Supposedly the 360 version of Assassins Creed is a bit better, reports say it has slightly higher FPS and suffers less from tearing. Don't think it'll make a huge difference though, but I also way way prefer the pad on 360 so makes it an easy decision.

IGN said the 360 version was better, while Gamespot and CVG said the PS3 was better from what I've read. The 360 version looks slightly better to me on Gametrailers but its hard to say, video codecs and capture equipment probably mean more than the console when you're getting that nitpicky.

Again, far too close for it to matter really.

Retr0gamer

I find the PS3 d-pad just as horrendous as the 360 d-pad. If there's a game I absolutely need the d-pad for I'd get a decent 3rd party controller.

koneko

Gamespot are garbage, I'm going by comments from a few other reviews and user impressions (from those lucky enough to try both versions on one set-up). But indeed, as I said, doubt it makes much difference but seems to matter to some (if they're deciding between the two).