Xbox 360 vs. PS3 Face-Off: Round Nine
DMC4, The Club, Turok, FIFA Street, PES, Juiced.
Welcome back to our ongoing critical analysis of the latest in cross-platform game development, as we take a look at another batch of games released on both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Recent skirmishes between the rival formats reveal that the Microsoft console still has a significant, quantifiable edge in terms of multi-format gaming quality, but in line with its improving sales figures, PlayStation 3 is gradually closing the gap.
For those of you who've somehow managed to avoid the last nine face-off features we've put together over the course of the last year, the basic objective of this coverage is remarkably straightforward - to provide console-specific commentary that supplements the existing Eurogamer reviews, with an emphasis on gameplay and technical differences.
The usual testing methodology is in place - the games are tested side-by-side, their video outputs losslessly captured in full 24-bit RGB precision via the HDMI ports of our PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 Elite, using a Digital Foundry HD capture system. With every single frame recorded and stored on an unfeasibly large array of hard disks, we can then pick and choose the exact same shots from each game for inclusion in our comparison galleries.
Onto this feature's gaming roster then, complete with its own range of discussion points and controversies: the first multi-format outing for Capcom's cross-format game engine, Bizarre Creations' first PS3 release, an Unreal Engine title that isn't the same on both platforms and - unbelievably - a bona fide, true 1080p game.
In the next instalment, look out for Lost Planet, Conflict: Denied Ops, Army of Two, Lost: The Game and several others...