130°

Cross-Platform Games Aren't Created Equal

From the PlanetXbox360.com feature editorial:

"Everyone likes to game on their system of choice. It's the unspoken right that every gamer has been privy to since the first console hit the market and was subsequently followed by its competitor. This kicked off what was known as the console wars and ever since, there have been new veterans joining the ranks every single day. While console exclusives are all well and good being, for the most part, system sellers. It is usually the cross platform titles that stand out the most as people will usually choose a system over another based on simple preferences. Sometimes it's controller comfort, the access to multiplayer content and people to play it with or whether you like the words 'Trophy' or 'Achievement' better when recording how far you've gotten in a game. But sometimes technicalities like whether or not a game will actually run better on one system or another enters the equation and more often than not, whoever gets the better support first wins."

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UltimaEnder5205d ago

They are definitely getting better at making multi-platform games equal (it's not as bad as even last year early), gotta hope some day all are the same and all are non-exclusive!

ABizzel15204d ago

I agree with this, except when a console is vastly more powerful than another, in which case you should make each game the best it can be for that console.

darthv725204d ago (Edited 5204d ago )

"vastly" seems like a stretch. Both are more closely matched this gen than any previous gen in gaming. I also agree that there should be no reason for the dev to put in the extra effort to make each version the best it can be.

In any case, I would like to see a real crossplatform competitive game. Unreal 3 could have been the first to offer play on 3 platforms simultaneously.

Perhaps some company will get bold and do such a thing. If there can be varying competitive play on PC and Mac with many different cpu/gpu types. It can be done on the 360/ps3.

edit: @abiz, no harm no foul

mastiffchild5204d ago

The main aim for multis is parity on performance and they NEVER push either system as hard as an exclusive is able to. Personally, I feel the reason behind the desire to make them all the same is because the two fanbases have always been pretty close in size(and as markets)and devs won't wish to offend halfd their potential customers. Lacst gen with the Xbox lagging so far behind in sales it was fine to push your game for that system as so many owned a PS2 it didn't matter.

Fact is, also, there's no great leap between the two consoles anywayo what are we really losing except devs actually REALLY pushing themselves which, I guess, would always take two separate teams to optimise both versions fully and up the costs hugely.

ABizzel15204d ago (Edited 5204d ago )

I meant the PS3 and 360 compared to the Wii (since they compared the Call of Duty's). I was going to add that to my comment to stop a fanboy war, but I didn't care, but to stop any further confusion I added it here.

@darth

By the way I'm not calling you a fanboy, just posting what I was going to do.

1.4 is one of the idiots I was talking about.

Pistolero5204d ago

The 360 and PS3 are equal in power as so many developers have told us...it's just that the 360 is a more efficient console to work with and you can get better results with less effort...that is why multiplatform games tend to look better on the 360.

likedamaster5204d ago

The title should read "Multi-platform" and not Cross-platform, two totally different things.

Shadownrun, Final Fantasy XI, Universe at War: Earth Assault, and Lost Planet 1 Colonies Edition are the only cross-platform titles I know of.

ABizzel15204d ago

@1.6

That's not true, the 360 has a better GPU and more efficient RAM (PS3 has better RAM, but being split makes development more of a hassle), while the PS3 has a much more powerful processor which they wanted developers to be able to make games only using the Cell, for example Uncharted 2 is running almost completely using the Cell and RAM, the GPU was barley even touched which is why, the PS3 won't be maxed out until 2011, and the 360 is already there. The 360 is easier to develop for so game developers were able to get better results quicker, and now with the 360 their entering the tweak and polish stage where to make a game look better, you have to put more polish into it.

I'd say the 360 has reached about 80 - 90% of it max, while the PS3 is at 60 - 70%. I was going to write a detailed blog about this, but again I'm to lazy to do so.

kneon5204d ago

Apparently there wasn't even supposed to be a GPU in the PS3 as the SPUs can do the work of a pretty hefty GPU. But they threw one in late in the process to make the transition easier for developers. Once you know how to use the SPUs, the GPU is pretty much superfluous

DatNJDom815204d ago

that the PS3 is vastly stronger than the 360 is wrong. 360 is powerful. But the PS3 has more processing power. Need proof? besides all the technical crap, just look at the exclusives. Case closed.

By the way wasn't there an article here a while ago saying that microsoft was asking companies to gimp games or something like that. I dont want to accuse without having the source however. maybe one of you has a link or something.

Admiral_Benson5203d ago

Slightly off topic but is it me or does Gabe look like he's pulling off some old skool b-boy stance in that picture!?

Big G Newel.....YEAH BWOOOOOOOYYYYYYYYYYY!

Someone give him a VW medallion and some linoleum and make him breakdance! Now THAT i would pay to see!

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Godmars2905205d ago

Then of course not.

The annoying thing is that MS has managed to make the 360 the lowest common denominator effecting both PS3 as well as PC games.

JBaby3435204d ago (Edited 5204d ago )

I've always been of the opinion that the devs should make the game the best it can be on the specific console and if that means equal then fine. But if it means that one is noticeably better than the other I can accept that as well but from what I've seen on both consoles it's clear one of them is not getting multiplat games that are the best they can be. So I find myself saying "couldn't they have at least made them equal". It all boils down to a sad state.

Szarky5204d ago

"The annoying thing is that MS has managed to make the 360 the lowest common denominator effecting both PS3 as well as PC games." BINGO!

PirateThom5204d ago

"Should They Be Made Equal?"

Games were never "equal" until this gen. Depending on how the hardware was being used we either got different versions of games or a noticeable better version... until this gen where the lowest common denominator happens to gimp ALL versions for no reason.

mastiffchild5204d ago

Whether that's entirely true or not is irrelevant as devs just don't want to really upset a huge part of their market by leavcing their version way, way behind. It's happened by accident and when PS3 architecture was too new for great results and think about the reaction then?!! It was rabid over ports like TOB. Even over Bayonetta(which is nowhere near as bad as made out, imo)it was a bunfight and it wasn't even the original dev making it!

Seriously, can we blame devs for making games equal when fanboys and offended gamer alike would make their life hell and sales lower?

jadenkorri5204d ago

devs are too scared to take advantage of one system over the other. Although i wish they would take advantage of one system over the other, which would prove which console is better and maybe shut the fanboys up, yes both fanboys. Anyways, but how would you feel playing a game on the 360, knowing the exact same game is on the ps3 which is 10 times better, or has extra content, etc.

darthv725204d ago

scared may not be the correct term. Lack of sufficient staffing may be better explained like this. Years ago when game development was cheaper, there was enough staff in a company to basically break off two teams to work on the same project for their respected platforms.

I am going back the genesis / snes days. Take games like mortal kombat, toy story, madden football, etc. Games that were released at the same time on both platforms. There were obvious advantages and disadvantages between versions but the teams in charge did their best to adapt. Sometimes it came out where the genesis was the better version (madden, mortal kombat) and some where the snes was the better version (street fighter, toy story, etc).

Same game different teams that knew the hardware and what it was capable of. Now a days the dev cost is so $$$$ that there isnt enough $$ in the budget of some of these companies to have teams working on tailor made versions for each platform. Sad really as I know that there are things that each version of a game like...well pretty much ALL multiplat games so far this gen, could have done to make their platform version stand out a bit.

It takes time, money and manpower and those are three things that are scarce this gen. It doesnt help that we have all become spoiled and want nothing but the absolute best (myself included) instead of settling for what the devs can call the common ground. Nothing wrong with that but you know they could have done a little more.

Godmars2905204d ago

During the first part of the PS2/Xbox1 era, you could find a few titles that had to be downgraded to the PS2. Mostly done by PC devs brought in by MS yet still looking to get the PS2's market share, you rarely found instances were they, "just didn't want to do it," or left glaring glitches. The same was true for even the SNES/Genesis times. If you made a multiplatform title you did your best to get the most out of both systems. If you didn't it was put on you, not it.

just because we're in the HD console era now shouldn't change that.

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Jinxstar5204d ago

When I first enlisted into teh army my recruiter taught me that. My first lesson and it is true.

ikkeweer5204d ago (Edited 5204d ago )

nice one,

Good book, gamers should read it, especially fanboys Don't worry it's not that many pages /s.

On topic, would MW2,as it is now, even run on the Wii?
Plus the patches for Darksiders on Xbox and for Bayonetta on Playstation makes me wanna believe that publishers do want them to be more equal (though theyre not created equal, guess the systems are too different)

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 5204d ago
UltimaEnder5204d ago

Played Dante's Inferno on both, identical game - go EA

Keith Olbermann5204d ago

So Dante's still looks like crap on both systems??

gtamike1235204d ago (Edited 5204d ago )

PS3 only games are a gen above any 360 games.

http://img269.imageshack.us...
http://img14.imageshack.us/...

and multi platform games look the same

Capdastaro5204d ago

So you compare a game which hasn't been released yet to a game from 2006?

Sounds quite desperate.

Pistolero5204d ago

Most ps3 exclusives are way overhyped...Uncharted 2 and Killzone 2 look barely better than Gears of War 2...and even that is a matter of opinion.

Anorexorcist5204d ago (Edited 5204d ago )

"Most ps3 exclusives are way overhyped...Uncharted 2 and Killzone 2 look barely better than Gears of War 2..."

LOL!!!!!!!! Now that's funny!

Go get a new pair of eyeballs, would ya?

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70°

The 7 Best Final Fantasy Characters: Unveiling the Legends

While FFVII ranks highly, there's more to the series than one game. Here's Chit Hot's picks for the seven best Final Fantasy characters.

220°

The older it gets, the more I respect Final Fantasy XIII

Alex Donaldson: "Hindsight is a hell of a thing, however, and in the years since Final Fantasy XIII, my respect for the decisions its developers made has skyrocketed. In the two Final Fantasy titles since we see both the brilliance and the folly in alternative approaches - and in Final Fantasy VII Remake, we get a more nuanced understanding of what FF13 was trying to accomplish from many of the same development leads."

Einhander1972128d ago

FFXIII is actually one of the best Final Fantasy games.

I also sort of was disappointed at the time, never as much as the bandwagon. But really all the fantastic 3D rendered cutscenes and I actually liked the characters and the story though convoluted was actually fantastic and the ending was extremely emotional. So much budget and time were put into that game Square had such big plans, I actually have always felt kind of bad for how things played out.

I have been thinking for years how great it would be to get all three games on one disk for PS4 or 5.

Nyxus128d ago

I always liked this game, and I agree, a rerelease for current gen would be nice.

Shane Kim127d ago (Edited 127d ago )

Gotta take off the nostalgia glasses. It's the worst FF. Shiva as a bike, I mean come on.

Elda127d ago

Shiva as a bike is strange but saying FFXIII is the worst FF is not at all a fact, that's simply your opinion.

Terry_B126d ago

*One of the 3 equally bad FF's

DivineHand125127d ago (Edited 127d ago )

When I got my series X a year ago, I bought FF13 for nostalgia reasons but ended up being disappointed. When I first played it around the time it launched, I didn't have a lot of experience with final fantasy games, so I enjoyed it. Fast forward to when I played it again, I found that the game had many unnecessary filler moments instead of just giving us meaningful content.

The game is also very linear and a quote on the article said it best. "It is like a sewage pipe that leads to the ocean until it opens up on Grand Pulse."

The story didn't make much sense either and I believe it is my mistake as I played the FF7 remake on PS5 prior which is a night and day difference in terms of pacing, storytelling and likeable characters even though cloud is aloof.

FinalFantasyFanatic126d ago (Edited 126d ago )

Probably was a mistake to play any of the golden era FFs first (e.g. FF6 through FF10), it makes it harder to enjoy some of the FFs that aren't as good. I think FF12 was where major issues with the series started becoming apparent, and it just got worse from there.

FinalFantasyFanatic126d ago (Edited 126d ago )

I didn't really care for it that much, the only saving grace was that it had a better story than 15 (overall it was better than 15) and possibly 12, and even then, you had to read some of it through primers, like reading a book. Plus the battle system was reasonably fun for what it was, even if it was more the spectacle that was exciting for me (e.g. summoning). And to be fair, the 13 trilogy got better with every games, I still don't like Snow though.

Gamingsince1981126d ago

Ff13 is only good if you haven't played a ff before, or any other games that are decent for that matter.

-Foxtrot126d ago

It is in fact no way the best Final Fantasy game, it's one of the worst

Linear corridors, Cutscene, Fight, Cutscene...rinse and repeat

Dialogue and characters are pretty bad, especially Lightning as the main FF hero, they literally said they tried to make a "Female Cloud" and they failed.

Story was pretty awful

I could go on

I think the only alright thing that came from the game was the music.

Elda126d ago

That's not a fact that's your personal opinion. The game sold 11 million copies between its 2009 release up until 2014 including critically reviewed as an 8 out of 10 or an 80 out of 100. The game does have some issues but it's not at all a fact as one of the worst FF games.

-Foxtrot126d ago

Elda

Not just mine mate

A large majority

So….

Traecy125d ago

N4G commenters such as yourself aren't the majority. The game was well received.

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gold_drake128d ago (Edited 128d ago )

i liked the game alot but i didnt like how they handled the terminology.

i dont mind reading data logs but it had soo many.

but i always loved the music and how it looked. the battle system wasnt too bad either.

but i like 13-2 more :)

i still dont understand why we never got a remaster of the trilogy

Eonjay126d ago

Xbox kinda did. Besides the video files of course which are still best on PS3 due to bluray.

Snookies12128d ago

XIII is a pretty solid game, but XIII-2 is WAY better. XIII-2 was one of the few games I decided to go for a Platinum trophy in, early on. Had so much fun the entire way through getting it too!

Eonjay126d ago

Totally agree. FF 13 was okay but 13-2 is my favorite FF game ever.

shinoff2183128d ago (Edited 128d ago )

I hated this to when it released. I haven't much liked a ff game since ff10 as much , aside from ff7remake. I decided to give it another shot on my series x since it's not on a current ps and was liking it quite a bit(just takes me some time to get over things ) until star ocean 2 remake came out I was all over that.

Square should definitely remaster it or something for ps4 ps5

KillerB127d ago

my favorite jrpg trilogy ever

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70°

Interview: Making music with Masashi Hamauzu

Square Enix Blog: "How do you compose iconic songs that help define a legacy? We speak to legendary composer Masashi Hamauzu about his work on Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XIII, and Final Fantasy VII Remake, and how to make unforgettable music."

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