Is Multi-Format Development Restricting the PlayStation 3 & Xbox 360?

Microsoft's Xbox 360 is an incredibly powerful gaming system. While it's widely accepted that, on paper, the PlayStation 3 features much greater technical specifications, there has been little produced for the system thus far that stretches beyond the capabilities of the Xbox 360. For every Uncharted 2: Among Thieves there's a Mass Effect 2, every Heavy Rain is met by a Gears of War 2, and even the visual splendour of God of War III does little to damage the reputation of the forthcoming Alan Wake. However, this doesn't mean that, another year down-the-line, we won't see the PlayStation 3 pulling significantly ahead in the deliverance of visual quality.

[Natsu X FairyTail]

UC2 looks better than ME2 . -_- they're not even at the same level.

PS3 exclusive looks better case closed. That doest stop the xbox from getting good looking game but stop comparing them.

[jobboy]

this

[The Wood]

fair comment but its hard for some to take...especially from one of 'their own' .....bottom line is middleware will always be just that but that doesn't mean some devs cant or don't get great results. Batman AA and burnout p are 2 games that spring to mind. There are more but its disproportionate to the level of great looking/performing exclusives on both platforms. A comparison can be made but is skewed especially some of the made in this article because there are just more heavy hitters on the ps3 spanning more genres at the moment and i cant see sony slowing up. Ideally it should be like for like

crackdown, infamous, prototype... gt5p, forza, need for speed x NOT
heavy vs gears...wtf either way the ps3 has been coming out on top....people should blame sony for buying/building relationships with studios they should be commended for it because the results speak for themselves on a systems that is 'hard to dev for'

[nix]

wow.. this guy is really looking for a HIT!

will someone tell him about the Alan Wake res. and MS had one extra year to show the power of 360 but we haven't seen anything worth talking about!!!

no point being hopeful here. sorry. even Natsu agrees to this.

[captain-obvious]

i stopped reading right here
"Heavy Rain is met by a Gears of War 2"

[Nihilism]

I love multiplatform games, multiplatform means more games, how is that a bad thing, i'd rather have good looking games and have more variety

than have a few OMFG games each year.

The best game's i've bought/will buy this year will be multiplats

Dead Space 2
Crysis 2
Fallout: New Vegas
Brink
Rage

@ Disagree-ers,

you people aren't gamers, you're pathetic little 15 year olds with allegiances to a different brand of plastic lunch box, get a clue.

[Shaman]

I started laughing when i read that 360 is incredibly powerful system and stop reading when he said ps3 features much greater technical specs lol.What specs?Gpu?More memory?Much better Cpu?
Please,these so called journalists should really stop,ps3 and 360 are outdated as it gets,only thing pushing them forward is great devs,they were maxed long time ago.

[iFLOWLIKEWATER]

I noticed you correctly use the term Exclusive instead of Exclusives. Good job!

[Chubear]

I haven't seen a MS in-house exclusive that matches or surpasses the 3rd party "exclusives". Halo & Fable though seen as great games for the 360 fanbase are not on the same quality level as ME2, Splinter Cell & Gears of War. Relatively, in terms of quality, Forza3 is not remotely significantly better than Burnout but infact the reverse is the case.

However when you look at PS3 in-house exclusives it is plain as day on any HDtv. They're quality is glaringly obvious over multiplat/3rd party games. That's doesn't mean there are no good 3rd party multiplats (as the gaming community like to dramatize and exaggerate views & opinions) but rather just means what I said - PS3 exclusives deliver much better gaming experiences when it comes to story plot, lighting, physics, gameplay & graphics.

[JsonHenry]

Meh, I am ready for the next generation cycle to begin. This generation is starting to lag.

[The Wood]

yeh...says the person whose played .....wait a minute...How many of those games have you played....maybe thats why people disagree dchalfont ¬_¬

@ JsonHenry

not for me...I cant wait for some of the titles coming especially from sony....you sir are in the minority

[GrieverSoul]

This will sound (read) like a fanboy comment but 3 years ago every one said they were the same thing on paper. Even went on bashing the PS3 because of the 256+256 ram thing while the X360 had 512 unified ram. That was the reason that many devs used to justify the visual superiority on the x360 versions of multiplat games.

But now they are both exceptional and stuff?!
Cmon!! Everyone knows the PS3 has shown much better looking games from their internal and 2nd party studios. When its exclusive to a certain platform the game will be better looking than if it was multiplat. Thats a fact that serves PS3 and X360. BUT... when it comes to visual comparison of exclusives, the PS3 takes the crown here. Uncharted 2 is one hell of a graphics achivement! No X360 game compare to that. I´m sorry!

Still, good graphics doesnt mean better games on said platform. Thats all on the opinion factor. ;)

[AAACE5]

It does point out some worthwhile points, but it's up to the developers to take advantage of whatever system they are creating for. No one is restricting them but themselves.

In past generations, if one console had more power than the other, they would use that power! This gen, it seems like they don't want to be bothered because the games they make already cost alot, so I guess they figure why throw the extra cash into it if there is no guarantee we will see a return on the investment.

[Nihilism]

nah man my kirby lunch box kicks the crap out of your pikachu lunch box

[Chubear]

PS3 gamers on the other hand feel the exact opposite. PS3 gaming has only just begun it's stride and PS3 gamers are looking forward to the experiences they're about to get in PS3's year4,5,6&7.

PS3 gamers are no where near ready for next gen. This gen is only half way through.

[Brklynty1]

I stopped reading right there. There is no nothing for Uncharted 2. No game this gen can be compared to Uncharted 2. Even for having a first time MP its up there with the rest. Comparing any game this gen as of right now to Uncharted 2 is futile. Plain and simple.

[Christopher]

I came in expecting a good debate on the limitations of both platforms holding back overall multiplatform development in order to meet the lowest common denominator. Instead I get some sort of hidden fanboy agenda article, or an article written by someone with some serious visual deficiencies.

Color me very disappointed.

[Inside_out]

The main restrictions come from developers and the biggy...COST...it will always be about MONEY...Avatar took ten yrs and cost 200+ million....Developers that hold on to old game engines/tech are slow to respond to the technical advances available to them...

Gears of War changed everything this gen...Easily the best graphics....The animations in Gears, yrs later still have not been matched in terms of rubbery, life-like physics and animations...

Want to compare?...I'll put the Brumak, Reavers, all Boomers, wretches, drones, grunts...all the amazing life-like animations in Gears( ALL IN GAME ) against anything in UC2 ( Demon Yeti ), ME, HR, KZ2, Batman, GOW3 ( alright, alright GOW no bad ) or AC2 ( have ALL consoles )....no even close...Gears 3 will leave no doubt, all IN GAME, without all the cinematics/cut scenes that plaque the PS3...

BTW...AW is about to drop bombs on all the pixel counters...360 more than up to the task....360..the little engine that could...lol...

[iFLOWLIKEWATER]

The thing is though, PS3 extremist will make it seem as though their exclusives are on the level of Crysis when they compare 360 games to PS3 games. This is why I can't, nor should anyone else, take them seriously. The 1 or 2 games that look better on the PS3, do so slightly. The word slightly is an under utilized term in these sort of arguments. I've seen Cryisis in all its glory at my neighbors house and that is what you call a game that "blows everything out of the water!". I understand that there are some 360 extremist that do the same thing, but I thought they were prepubescent teenagers.

[Biggest]

"Gears of War changed everything this gen...Easily the best graphics....The animations in Gears, yrs later still have not been matched in terms of rubbery, life-like physics and animations...

Want to compare?...I'll put the Brumak, Reavers, all Boomers, wretches, drones, grunts...all the amazing life-like animations in Gears( ALL IN GAME ) against anything in UC2 ( Demon Yeti ), ME, HR, KZ2, Batman, GOW3 ( alright, alright GOW no bad ) or AC2 ( have ALL consoles )....no even close...Gears 3 will leave no doubt, all IN GAME, without all the cinematics/cut scenes that plaque the PS3...

BTW...AW is about to drop bombs on all the pixel counters...360 more than up to the task....360..the little engine that could...lol"

No matter how many times you say it, you still won't be able to trick even yourself into believing it.

[presto717]

Holding ps3 back: yes
Holding 360 back: hahahaha

[Darrius Cole]

Trying to say that the best looking 360 games are visually on par with the best looking PS3 games is wishful thinking at best, an outright lie at worst. Either way its disingenuous.

PS3 exclusive games have looked better than 360 exclusive games ever since Heavenly Sword released in Sept 2007. Uncharted 1 released two months after that (Nov. 2007) and took the best-looking-game-on-consoles- crown from it. No game on 360, exclusive or multi-plat has looked as good as the original Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Yet over that time several PS3 exclusive has matched and/or surpassed it visuals.

[Boody-Bandit]

My vacation starts Friday and I want to be as buzzed as you are right now.

On topic:
Multiplatform titles are always built for the lowest common denominator. Exclusive titles show what each system is capable of.

[DaTruth]

You 360 owners will enjoy your games much more if you stop comparing them to PS3 exclusives.

I didn't sit around comparing my PS2 games to original XBOX games, I just enjoyed them and played XBOX games at my friend's house! If it ever became a problem I would have just bought an XBOX.

[Montrealien]

some people sure know how to get you guys all excited about useless information. You guys are getting played like little violines. SO predictable.

/on topic

The PS3 is the most powerful console this gen, and that means nothing, MS learned that with the first Xbox.

Now you guys go on debating about the 5% differences that extra power gives to PS3 games, and it shows on the PS3 exclussives, but it is by no means a game changer, this has been common knowledge for quite a while now. Well, at least since we started seing actual games made for and running on the PS3.

[TotalPS3Fanboy]

in reality, the PS3 is actually even more powerful. Uncharted 2, Killzone 2, God of War 3, GT5, etc, all proved it.

Not only that, all those 360 exclusives, like Halo Reach and Alan Wake (to look good, it has to run at 540P, making it so blurry) have only proven that the PS3 is even more powerful.

[HolyOrangeCows]

This guy best be trollin'.

[Headshot81]

The Author doesn't like to put up some screenshots to compare the games he says are "equal" or better... waiting...Show proof or it didn't happen.

[kancerkid]

Multiplatform development restricts the individual consoles because one system to better at certain aspects of processing than the other. Both systems have comparable GPUs but the 360 has that 10 MB of eDRAM which really helps the 360 in the graphics department.
However, PS3's Core really helps the devs push a lot of stuff into the processor which makes up for some other areas the 360 is not so great at.

So, if a first party developer is willing to really push the system and use the quirks of each system, I can only imagine what we can see. However, it seems that 1st party developers for Microsoft have been lagging behind Sony developers for a while, and to get back on track they need to start pushing themselves.

However, developing video games is very expensive so we will always have to put up with less than optimal graphics for multiplats and from lazier developers.

The good thing is, the graphics don't make the game. Which is why when I hear people talk about graphics for a game, and that is all they can say for it, I know that is not a game for me.

[mjolliffe]

I'm not choosing, all I'll say is that both machines are exceptional :)

[DigitalAnalog]

There's no way you can push the systems capabilities without going exclusive. (I'm looking at you Crytek.)

Although, I would readily disagree with the author's statement:

"For every Uncharted 2: Among Thieves theres a Mass Effect 2, every Heavy Rain is met by a Gears of War 2, and even the visual splendour of God of War III does little to damage the reputation of the forthcoming Alan Wake."

Obviously, he could not find a counter to Uncharted 1, MGS4 and Killzone 2, yet he so boldly claims to put these games together as if they belong in one whole "premium " rated soup.

Honestly, that statement need not be in this article. The author is going to be up for a very rude surprise once all games are laid on the table.

-End statement

[Hellsvacancy]

"God of War III does little to damage the reputation of the forthcoming Alan Wake" i stopped there

Kratos ALONE looks better then ANYTHIN thats touched the 360

[RageAgainstTheMShine]

Unlike the SNES vs Genesis era there is too much politics going on among developers. Before, every multiple platform game MAXIMIZES the console's power it is developed for.
Before a system answers the competition with a great game for a great game. Sega answers Nintendo with Sonic the Hedgehog for Mario.

Now its all about one thing -MONEY not games.

I am glad Sony is making high quality first party products like Uncharted 2 & God of War III. It's focusing its resources on what it does best and what it should do - maximizing the PS3 power with HQ innovative games for all the world to play, anti-piracy, etc.
Not stealing PS2 exclusives, no exclusivity window crap, no bribes to make identical and dumb down PS3 versions, etc.

[hatchimatchi]

"every heavy rain is met by a gears of war 2"

that is probably the dumbest comparison i've seen on n4g

[BigPappaPump]

I stopped reading right after he made lame comparisons. He's entitled to his opinion though he's delusional at best. "GOW visually does little damage" LMFAO! Poseidon says hi to you.

[The Wood]

lol

[nix]

i think it's safe to say GOW3's first 10 minutes says "hi" to every 360 exclusives. maybe i'm being harsh here. i should have said Uncharted 1 says "hi".

the article is a joke! should have been posted in BADJoystick.com.

[Brklynty1]

Get Real! It probably takes 2 360's just to run the God of War 3 title screen for 10 seconds right before they both RRoD....

[Sevir04]

"Get Real! It probably takes 2 360's just to run the God of War 3 title screen for 10 seconds right before they both RRoD...."

that made me laugh!

[yoghurt]

both systems produce great exclusives, both are restricted in their own way by multiplat games - but i'd say ps3 more so, ps3 exclusives pass most 360 exclusives and the system has been out for less time

360 is yet to bring out a game that matches KZ2, U2, GT5 - just my opinion of course

[DigitalAnalog]

-End statement

[Darrius Cole]

UC2, KZ2, GT5???????? You're aiming too high. The 360 has yet to produce a game that matches Heavenly Sword (1,000 enemies on screen at 720p 4xAA)or Uncharted 1.

But, to be fair, they haven't matched Gears 2 since 2008. It doesn't look like they are still trying. Halo Reach will be a graphical improvement; the question is will it match Gears 2 in graphics.

[Sevir04]

The thing is they only look marginally better, they are not OMG breath takin, and they aren't even HD games, so it only goes to reason, why people continue to say things they know is futile, PS3 exclusives look better and show just how much more power they are against comparable 360 exclusive outings... and its by a landslide that they beat the panties off their 360 counterparts.

[Erotic Sheep]

How did this **** get approved? His comparisons dont make sense at all, let alone the rest of the article.

[DigitalAnalog]

F:

FEAR

U:

UNCERTAINTY

D:

DENIAL.

-End statement

[Sir_Ken_Kutaragi_]

????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????? ? ???????????
????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????? ? ???????????
????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????? ? ???????????
????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????? ? ???????????
????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????? ? ???????????
Was that a JOKE??? ;-D ;-D ;-D

+ Reading just that bit he wrote, he sounds like a ChavBot&ModBot who is stuck in 'xBox LIVE' in the year 2005/6!!! ;-D F-ME!!! It seems anyone can talk CR*P and it will get on this site!!! ;-D

[Hellsvacancy]

I know lol

+1

[rezzah]

Wow your right, he tries to make himself sound unbiased with the title. That is until you start reading...then all of his inner bot starts pouring out.

[raztad]

"God of War III does little to damage the reputation of the forthcoming Alan Wake."

While GoW3 is on another very superior technical, visual level I tangentially agree with that comment. It was not GoW3 that damaged AW reputation, was its almost SD resolution which destroyed most of it, and prevented the game to be any sort of "showcase" of xbox power. Come on DF compared it with the ol' good Siren.

[maxcer]

so your saying since AW is 540p, (567p or what ever the fuc& resolution it ships with)its image as a good game is destroyed just because its not 720p?

I dunno who keeps thinking there's going to be this monumental jump in graphical prowess from the 360 this year. as far as i can tell the hardware had remained the same since launch.

[raztad]

@maxcer

Dont put words on my mouth. I never said AW is not gonna be a good game, in fact it looks like game is gonna be a blast to play.

If I understand correctly the article is talking about graphical stuff, not gameplay. You have to reckon since AW was found out to be a 900x540 (almost 800x600) game reputation as a graphical bar riser suffered a lot.

[iFLOWLIKEWATER]

Raz, that person didn't put any words in your mouth. As a matter of fact, your reply didn't have anything to do with what he/she said. Unless they edited their comment...

[Nihilism]

What are you peasants arguing over...what's the point in comparing dirt to mud....

The fact remains that there are more sub-HD games on PS3, and in any case, 720p is a 10 year old resolution ( well actually 10 years ago I was running 1280x1024....which is bigger than 720.....)

Just play the games and get over yourself.

[raztad]

@iflow

I guess its my English just sucking bad, but

"so your saying since AW is 540p, (567p or what ever the fuc& resolution it ships with)its image AS A GOOD GAME is destroyed just because its not 720p?"

I never said something in those lines.

@dechalfont

Stop the elitist attitude dude. GoW3 is a tremendously looking game. I reckon I wish all my games were 1080p but 720p is more than an adequate resolution, especially if you are playing on TV, or is your point that 800x600 == 1280x720?

EDIT:
BTW, It's true there are most multiplat sub-HD games but that means nothing to me, multiplats dont excel in terms of graphics, unless you play the superior PC version. I think thats all the point of this article.

[The Wood]

fair point BUT this is N4G...What is wrong with comparing the two...You never mind comparing pc to ps3 when it suits you but at least the two hd consoles are somewhat comparable....like for like or mud to mud. Seems the people who NOW scream about the ps3 being on top, if even slightly, are the 360 fans... Id prefer to compare and bicker about graphics, physics, hardware, games over sales, predictions and other extras anyday of the week. Right about now its the console era..pcs are here to stay yes but apart from the couple omg titles a year what is there...With consoles theres more variety and its where gaming is right about now...

pc vs mac

psp vs ds

ps3 vs 360

wii vs natal vs psM

[Nihilism]

My point is that there is no point in comparing, it doesn't do anything but give these people with low self esteem a reason to boost their confidence.

As I said 720p is a 10 year old resolution...so arguing over slight variances either side of that res is pointless.

I can turn crysis down to 800x600 if i wanted too....the resolution is not what makes the game look good. I honestly don't think anyone will notice the difference between alan wake's res and a 720p game, aliazing is a bigger issue for console games than the resolution, i've seen UC2 on a 1080p TV, it was horrible, maybe it would be less pronounced if it were on a smaller TV...

The arguments are just tired and old, PS3 owners shouldn't care what's on the other console's and 360 owners shouldn't care about what's on PS3...they are just games.

EDIT:

Disagree is not from me

I don't think there is bickering between any other platforms...just ps3/360

[The Wood]

its all in good fun. we're human and I personally think there is nothing wrong with comparing things that are comparable.. Whats wrong with pitting xbl vs psn or ps exclusives vs ms ones....maybe n4g isnt the place for you but i accept n4g for what it is and never take it too seriously (take breaks if it does piss u off).....i swear....it helps... i mean i didnt wanna slit my wrist when you said ur kirby lunch box kicks the crap out of my pikachu although i was deeply offended and upset by that attack....yes i reported that comment as 'offensive' and i hope they ban ur ass

[Crystallis]

I stopped reading when he said "For every Uncharted 2: Among Thieves there's a Mass Effect 2"

Sorry ME2 doesnt come close to UC2.

[MajestieBeast]

For every foot there is a @ss. Thats why i want to kick the authors @ss.

[BeaArthur]

Both systems have good looking games, move on.

[thematrix1298]

lol this article is a joke...it made my day[in bad way]

[venum]

Yes this article is a joke indeed.

UE3 game can run on PS3. So Mass Effect and Gears of Wars are bad example. They are not exclusive because they are on PC as well. And, they can come on PS3. who knows?

Halo Reach multiplayer videos show nothing exceptionnel regarding the different FPS on the market. And nothing conclusives was shown from the solo or coop.

Alan Wake: in despite the game looks good, it's not impressive. And Is it 720p or 540p?

PS3 show good visual exclusive game such as UC, UC2, Heavy Rain, God of War, Killzone 2, MGS4 or Ratchet and Clank (the so called Pixar of video game).

[IHateYouFanboys]

but ratchet and clank and mgs4 are 'sub-hd'.........

[maxcer]

of course development is restricted when trying to develop two(sometimes 3) different versions of the same game. the initial vision for the game needs to be remain the same, as it would add delays and costs to the final product ie; bly-ray/PC HDD advantages.

Today's games also cost so much $$ to produce that it's almost a waste of efforts to limit your game to one system.

[Al Bundy]

When the Xbox can match Uncharted 1, then we can talk.

[iamgoatman]

When either console can even come close to Crysis, a game release in 2007, then we can talk.

[Biggest]

"Is Multi-Format Development Restricting the Playstation 3 & Xbox 360?"

Where does Crysis fit into all of this?

[pantatkaula]

When you can play Crysis with all the bell and whistles on a $299 CPU, then we can talk..

[Nihilism]

lol you can play crysis maxed with a $40 cpu, so start talking....

[DaTruth]

Please, stop talking!

[Redempteur]

i have to thank this article for making me laugh.

[clintos59]

Devs arent taking advantage of either system but more likely trying to balance both to look identical. Yes the ps3 does have an advantage over the 360 but to say the 360 isnt capable of better graphics is nonsense. If that was the case then crytek is already proving it with crysis 2.

And of course the ps3 will always be screwed from multiplatform games just because in all honesty most 3rd party devs just dont know how to take advantage of the ps3. The only way I can see a 3rd party dev take advantage of the ps3 is when they start building an engine from the ground up strictly for the ps3. Good example is MGS4 & Heavy Rain which are games from 3rd party devs but creating an engine taking advantage of the ps3.

[jjesso1993]

Well lets forget the ps3 is more powerfull and they where both equel. developers would still struggle the problem is the ps3 has completeley diffrent type of processor that works completeley diffrent ways then theres the the ram on both system are diffrent types ram. then theres how they work ps3 split 512mb and 360 just uses what it needs developers have dont some amazing work on both system with all these problems theres some amazing multiplat games this generation batman AA far cry 2 fight night round 4 people need stop complaining i feel sorry all these good developers getting put down all the time when really what they deserve is to be prasied.

[ipe]

only because pc has very few quality exklusives this year(just like 2009,actually i couldnt name one,i guess starcraft 2 but it must be good,waiting 15 years 4 sequel can put a lot pressure on devs,)doesnt mean exklusives sux,and multiplats rules.Of course multiplats can be good games but in less ratio than exklusive games(number of games/quality games(AAA,AA).Also variety?

brink,crysis,rage,fnw?(shoote rs)

[Nihilism]

more pc exclusives come out every year than all other platforms combined, you must have missed the memo.

also while we're discussing your ignorance...

13.1 billion in game sales ( that's right just games, not including hardware ) in 2009.

Yep PC haz no gamez....

[iamgoatman]

http://adrianwerner.wordpre...

Yeah, no games at all! Zippo! Nada!

If you're going to rant and rave about your precious exclusives, at least learn to spell the word.

[MaximusPrime]

:)

[iamgoatman]

Nice edit there.

[MaximusPrime]

thanks. i realized i was in a wrong zone :P

[MaximusPrime]

lol @ "Microsoft's Xbox 360 is an incredibly powerful gaming system."

powerful enough to produce 540p

[booni3]

Yes, multiplatforming limits things, hence the superb quality of exclusive titles.

[TheLastGuardian]

Heavy rain and gears 2 neither look that great and heavy rain is amazingly intense and fresh and you think about who you shoot unlike gears 2's meat heads that shoot every thing they see. i would have compared killzone 2 and uhh well nothing really looks better than this on 360 maybe ff13 but that looks better on ps3 anyways. and your joking about alan wake (720p) looking better than god of war 3 (1080i) nothing looks better apart from maybe crisis on pc but were talking about console games here which crysis 2 developers have already stated the ps3 version will look better than any console game before it.

[booni3]

is sony paying you for all that PR? No? your just promoting a multibillion dollar corporation that could give a sh*t less about you? unwise.

[AgentCLJ]

You do know that just because the number in 1080i is bigger than the number in 720p, that doesn't mean it is better. They are essentially the same visually. Some prefer 1080i some prefer 720p but there is virtually no difference.

[ian72]

Some multi-plat games are great, Batman AA and Burnout for eg. Exclusive games do seem to be better, (mostly, not always) but some developers can make great multi-plat games.

[Lirky]

In some ways yeah, im some ways no. But a developer can manage to balance the space on dvd9 and not worry about blu ray space just maxing out things for the dvd9 first so that when its packed into blu ray things can sorta be tweaked to be uncompressed if it wanted to.

[iamgoatman]

It's ridiculous to think that exclusives by default are better than multiplats. PS3 fans jump up and down claiming superiority with only a few exclusives that actually stand out, the rest are over-hyped and mediocre at best. Xbox fanboys as well, although they're the minority on this site.

The only ones restricting multiplats are poor developers. Games like Mass Effect 2 and Bad Company 2 are prime examples of multiplats that easily stand out and often above a lot of exclusives on both platforms. In terms of graphics, PC gamers have been having to deal with games dumbed down for consoles for some time, with the difference between visuals on a PC game compared to even the best looking console game, far exceed the difference between the 360 compared to the PS3.

If a developer puts their minds to it, they can produce some truly great games, regardless if they have an exclusive contract with any company.

[Hotel_Moscow]

you dont know what youre talking about mass effect is not on ps3

and no bad company 2 does not stand above exclusives

[keysy420]

hey let me compare games that arent even out and that dont run in hd to the best we've ever seen on a console. Even if there is more to tweak out of the 360 its already been proven that the ps3 is a more powerful machine on paper and it has been shown. i really cant stand how people just come up with fanboy articles to try to justify why they ar a fanboy. trying to compare the xbox to the ps3 is like compareing the ps2 to the original xbox

[BEIGE]

another click-bait article stretching logic a mile to make a point (yellow journalism). Even XBox 360 fans admit that Mass Effect is painfully underwhelming graphically - comparing it to the technical marvel that is Uncharted 2 is just retarded. Advice to the author - read up on realtime ambient occlusion, motion blur and color grading in Uncharted 2 and then tell me why even my Windows copy of Mass Effect 2 has visible pixels in the texture work and looks like the models came straight off the video card with no treatment other than a cheesy grain pass.

Never saw that site before - and I'll never see it again.

[t-dizzle]

http://www.vgarabia.com/201...

I don't mean to burst your bubble, just trying to avoid unneccesary repeat arguments.

[Otheros00]

It restricts the PS3 only since all multi-platform engines were made for the xbox 360.

[thief]

"While it's widely accepted that, on paper, the PlayStation 3 features much greater technical specifications"
Its not accepted by the media, even though apparent.

Have a peek at Eurogamer's apologetic explanation for the inferior FF13 360 version, where they do their best not to criticise the inferior 360 architecture and shift blame on the developer.

"there has been little produced for the system thus far that stretches beyond the capabilities of the Xbox 360."
Mass Effect 2 looks ok, but not in the same class as PS3 exlclusives
GT5 looks better than Forza 3 despite pushing about twice as many pixels
UC2 looks far better than Gears 2
God of War 3 and Killzone 2 are easily the best looking console games ever

[AliTheBrit19]

It makes sense that exclusives are top quality

The developer is making it for one platform only and can truly utilise the gaming experience for that console.

Things that getting more and more generic and average when you include platforms.

Anyone else sickened by games that come out on Xbox 360, PS3, PC, PS2, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, PSP

Its a joke!

[takohma]

While I had ps3 since the beginning I just got a 360 last week and my hunger for graphics has subsided due to my thirst for a fun game with amazing game play. But since I'm a fighter gamer (mainly tekken) I root for ps3 until xbox makes a better d-pad. I hate using joysticks lol. Idk if this comment had anything to due wit the article but oh wellz lol

[ALFAxD_CENTAURO]

Yes, especially for PS3 Hardware Performance.

[OGharryjoysticks]

Mass Effect 2 and Gears of War 2 both run the Unreal 3 engine. Killzone 2, Uncharted 2, and God of War 3 all have their own engines....Heavy Rain too.

The writer of this article is an idiot. The 360 was modified during design and prodcution to run the Unreal engine at it's best, and most other multiplatform engines were built for the 360 in the first place.

The PS3 has never held the 360 back.

[REDHULKSMASH]

Gears was originally made on ps3 designed to it's specs. Imagine what 10 gig game and idea was made 50 gig. Gears is xbox's best looking game but it is still looking like an old Xbox game with high def thrown in. Get your head out of your ass cliffy , go ps3 and fo justice to your franchise. Gears with uncharted graphics and sonys lag free network.

[You Noob]

LOL

[Deacon]

"For every Uncharted 2: Among Thieves there's a Mass Effect 2, every Heavy Rain is met by a Gears of War 2, and even the visual splendour of God of War III does little to damage the reputation of the forthcoming Alan Wake."

What the f*ck are you smoking? Did this guy really just put ME 2, Gears of War 2, and Alan Wake in the same sentence with UC2, GOW 3, and Heavy Rain? The only thing that the 360 games have in common with the PS3 exclusives is that they may all be fun to play but 360 exclusives have not done anything to rival PS3 exclusives visually. At least, not yet. And the fanboys can deny it all they want but now our day and age a game has to look hella good and play beautifully in order to justify a $60 price tag. I really wish the 360 would've utilize HD discs so that it could at least run in the park with some of the better PS3 exclusives. It sounds like it can do it but DVD9 is really limiting what developers can do on Microsofts machine. FACT!!!

PS3 FTW!!!!

[r0s3b0wl23]

its only restricting ps3

[bjornbear]

as a game though, well thats a subjective matter =)

[Socomer 1979]

IS THIS FOR REAL???

LMAO!

OH MY GOD... REALLY?

I knew i shouldnt have clicked on this article... DaM!
Now I gotta deal with xbutt 360 delusions and denial surfacing from these emo gamers who's plastic box melted thier little dvd games this summer.

What can I say?
WELCOME TO THE DARKSIDE.

[cmrbe]

However what really matters the most in the end is talent. Developing multi-plat i am sure is an extra barrier that exclusive devs don't have to deal with.

Kinda stupid question if you ask me.

[Raoh]

its a hard question to answer..

sure you can compare a multi plat game to an exclusive like killzone 2 or uncharted and say yes..

but then look at games like epic's unreal tournament 3 and criterion's burnout paradise.. both equal in every way except for each consoles strenghts/weaknesses..

both had internet downloadable content and mods on the ps3 but at the time the 360 had an edge on graphics and the stronger online...

fanboys aside, its the developer and the tools, nothing more

[IHateYouFanboys]

wow this topic is like a whos who of sony fanboys, all butt-slapping and high fiving each other hahahaha.

someone posts a comment like 'Uncharted 2 roolz!!!' and gets like 50 agrees and no disagrees lol.

IMO no, multiplatform gaming isnt holding anyone back. what does hold games back are time restrictions given for release dates. if every game had 5 years to be made theyd all look incredible and be better. but the reality is that not many companies can go 5 years without releasing a product and still be around. we still get great games out of 2-3 year production cycles, but even an extra year can often be the difference between great and brilliant.

[Dayngls]

the xbox 360 is holding this gen back. the ps3 can do so much more but it is held back cause 360 lacks next gen tech for the next gen of gaming.

[Varsarus]

The 360 still has some room left for improvements graphics wise, but the PS3 is just gonna get stronger and stronger.

[Claudinho69]

no, just the ps3

[Tdmd]

I don't really think that this is a matter of console power, but it is a matter of reducing costs and working on a lesser timeframe. If you have the resources to focus entirely on one single platform, the final product will be a much grander game then it would be if you had to divide your stuff. Aside, there's the matter of the media capability. I guess that one of the main priority developers has is to make the same experience in both platforms -- which is not really possible for the media. The content cut from FFXIII was big enough to make a whole separate game altogether, and this is not a reflection on which hardware is the best one, it's just a developer trying to make things as equal as possible to both of its users. One thing is to have 2 or 3 discs in one console when you only have one in the other, but to have 4 or 5? It would make all that talk about equality go down the hill. Not to mention the costs to make it happens.

[TheShow01]

Does a bear crap in the woods ? seriously ...

[jalen247]

Multi-format development is only limiting the PS3.

Multi-format development is based off 360 engines and architecture because the 360 was first to market.

Developers have tried to port over the 360 engines to the PS3 with modifications with varying degrees of success.

Multi-format games look better than or just as good as 360 exclusives but multi-format games look inferior when compared to PS3 exclusives

Bayonetta is developed to take advantage of 360 architecture and GOW III is designed to take advantage of PS3 architecture. Now you tell me which system you think mult-format development is restricting...