Uncharted 2: Tech Analysis

By Richard Leadbetter Published 21 May, 2009

Raising the bar on current gen console.

Welcome to the Digital Foundry channel at Eurogamer. Check out the Editor's blog to find out what it's all about, and make sure to explore for loads more technical breakdown and analysis.

Naughty Dog's coding pedigree is pretty much beyond compare, so when the company releases first video of its second generation PlayStation 3 title, it deserves some special coverage. We'll make no bones about it - Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is probably my favourite game of this generation. The graphics, the gameplay, the technology, the script, the sense of wonder at every new corner - playing this through over Christmas 2008 remains one of a treasured gaming experience.

And despite the arrival of great-looking games like Gears of War 2 and Killzone 2, Uncharted remains a technical marvel that has still yet to be equalled. Until now. Based on the gameplay footage Naughty Dog released last week, the new sequel shows all the signs of being a true generational leap over its predecessor. Lighting has been dramatically improved with a more complex effects and global illumination system, the v-sync screen tear that was the only real issue with the first game is gone - an effort that really must have taken some programming effort (assuming of course, Naughty Dog hasn't got themselves one of these). And that's just the tip of the iceberg. For the full commentary, check out the video below.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves technical analysis, annotated by Alex Goh and Richard Leadbetter.

We usually back our technical analyses with frame rate breakdowns, and despite only having compressed HD video to work with, our analysing tools worked with no problems on Sony's official video. If you're wondering why we didn't include it, it basically comes down to common sense: right now there's no gameplay experience at stake, and analysis of beta code isn't particularly useful, though it did inform one or two of our observations. The full range of optimisations may not have been included yet and debug code may still be running in the background which may inadvertantly affect gameplay performance. Plus of course, Naughty Dog only released a 30FPS video when we prefer to process the entire 60Hz output of the HDMI port. As it is, the game does appear to be very, very close indeed to a smooth 30FPS.

In short then? This is exciting stuff, a generational leap in video that comes at a time when Naughty Dog's competitors have still yet to match the technical accomplishments of its first PS3 title . Bearing in mind the length and breadth of both technical and gameplay marvels in the first game, we can only imagine just how good the sequel is going to be. Of course, we'll be covering it in some depth, but in the meantime we're not planning on leaving this series alone. Yes, we'll be covering the multiplayer beta as soon as we get our hands on it, but we'll also be going back to the original game, analysing its technology and hopefully convincing a few PS3 newcomers that - sequel or not - the original game is a 'must buy', especially now when a brand new copy is so cheap.

Picture of Richard.

About Richard Leadbetter

Rich has been a games journalist since the days of 16-bit and specialises in technical analysis. Commonly known around Eurogamer as the Blacksmith of the Future.

Read more articles from Richard by visiting the Richard Leadbetter archive page.

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Comments (76) 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Doctor_What #1 3 years ago

    It's probably my favourite game of this generation of consoles too. I started replaying it again only a few days ago :)

    The tech does make it look lovely, but the lighting does look a bit dated even after this short time!

  • El-Dev #2 3 years ago

    This game is over a year and a half old and is still arguably one of the best looking games of this gen.

    What the hell are the rest of the developers doing?

  • Widge #3 3 years ago

    oh, its not the full analysis yet. oh well!

  • Skooch #4 3 years ago

    "What the hell are the rest of the developers doing?"

    Struggling with the PS3's awkward architecture and poor tools.

  • lcmnick #5 3 years ago

    El-Dev, that's a bit unfair....Naughty is owned by Sony so it's expected that they'd understand more about the PS3 hardware than other devs.

  • Widge #6 3 years ago

    November release?

    Thats ages!

  • JohnnyWashnGo #7 3 years ago

    This game look phenomenal. I could watch that video all day and not get bored.

  • VandelayIndustries #8 3 years ago

    "It's probably my favourite game of this generation of consoles too."

    Mid way through the third run of the first game myself, absolutely love it.

  • Widge #9 3 years ago

    If I didn't have loads of stuff to play, I'd do a trophy run on this before it gets released.

  • frostcircus #10 3 years ago

    This is the first I've seen of this game, and I've not played the original, but this looks so awesome. It's exactly the game I want to be playing right now.

  • mingster #11 3 years ago

    That looked absolutely amazing.
    The animation in the way the main character moved and interacted with the scenery was incredible.
    I'd buy a PS3 for this game definately!

  • peterfll #12 3 years ago

    I disagree, Sony should be sharing their tech and tools with other developers, it's hurting the impression people have of the platform. That clearly, in the right hands, can produce outstanding results.

    I too loved the original and think it's still a real PS3 showcase. I'm looking forward to Part 2.

  • drumbaby #13 3 years ago

    My fave PS3 game too...best looking console game ever. Not just detailed, pretty, epic well animated and realistic, but it has a rich colour pallette and scene depth that I've not seen on consoles.

  • des #14 3 years ago

    I am still waiting for someone to make a game that takes place in 2x2 room,so that internet can hype it as a best looking game ever...

  • Collymilad #15 3 years ago

    "This game is over a year and a half old and is still arguably one of the best looking games of this gen.

    What the hell are the rest of the developers doing?"

    Struggling on without Sony there to help them 24/7?

    When devs need the console manufacturer to babysit them all the time to get good results, that's a bad sign.

    Plus, the fact that Valve dislike the PS3's development architecture is enough for me.

  • penhalion #16 3 years ago

    Drakes was all about the gameplay. Looking at this I can't say I give a rats what the technical merrits are in the least. I know I'll enjoy this as much as the first one....well I hope I will.

  • #17 3 years ago

    "In short then? This is exciting stuff, a generational leap in video that comes at a time when Naughty Dog's competitors have still yet to match the technical accomplishments on ANY next console ."


    Fixed.
    Edited by 1 at 21/05/09 @ 13:30

  • Calgon #18 3 years ago

    Im sorry Richard but some of your statements need to be expressed in a more subjective way because theres very little to say Uncharted hasnt been matched on its technical merrits which is kind of what you said(if you are going to say that you'd better tell me what polygon counter you used plus details like light sources texture layers and effects ect... you know the very things you need before making such claims)... just tell us which you like the 'look' of best in future.

    Theres a tone in all of your articles where even though you admit 360 is matching and exceeding the PS3 on the viable benchmarks(the closest thing we can get to like for like is multiplatform... comparing exclusives is a bit useless given that there are so many more variables, plus MS hasnt needed to spend anywhere near as much time or money as Sony this gen thanks to being there first and being smarter in their platform design choices) like the AAA Multiplatform games, theres a sense of an inner PS3 fanboy thats ever so wishfull, that "next year just you wait and see" sentiment you hear so often from the butthurt PS3 fanboys often found sobbing in the comments threads after each face off. So in the face of all circumtancial evidence and logic you'd still rather hold on to the hype after all this time?

    Uncharted is no landmark acheivement Im sorry to tell you and I firmly beleive as far as visual bells and whistles go anything PS3 can do 360 can do better(if each were built from the ground up for the platforms' strengths) and I still havent seen physics from the PS3 that 360 couldnt do or anything above average in that area(which is one of the few things that CELL was supposed to excell at rather than the misconcieved "it will do graphics" opinions given out by people who dont know any better).

  • lcmnick #19 3 years ago

    "I disagree, Sony should be sharing their tech and tools with other developers"...."Struggling on without Sony there to help them 24/7? "

    If Sony licence out or share their important technology (of which Uncharted 2 ((and KZ2 IMO)) certainly are) to third party devs, then they'd be effectively opening the keys to kingdom for other platform holders such as Nintendo or Microsoft; what would stop Big N or MS adopting a similar Cell architecture for another console and have third party devs use the knowledge from Sony's technology to create Uncharted 2-like games?

    I'm sure Sony would love to licence out or share their engines and get every third party game up to Uncharted 2 level, but since the technology is optimized for the Cell, and since Sony no longer have any stake in the Cell business, anyone could use the Cell tech in a console and have all third party devs tap into the knowledge that they've gained from using Sony's advanced tech.

  • Calgon #20 3 years ago

    Anyone else notice the framecap for that video in the article displays some shockingly flat(almost last gen) ground(unconvincingly littered with garbage) textures?
    Edited by 1 at 21/05/09 @ 13:40

  • #21 3 years ago

    Calgon...on that "work in progress game"?!?!

    Surely not!!!!
    Edited by 1 at 21/05/09 @ 13:38

  • Moonprince #22 3 years ago

    @Calgon - waste of life :/

  • degville #23 3 years ago

    Calgon you really are pathetic, grow up - sadly I'll never see if you do as you are being ignored

  • RedSparrows #24 3 years ago

    The problem with articles like this is they inevitably feed the fanboy obsessions. I'd like a PS3 - is Uncharted all shooty shoot or is it more platformy?

  • Calgon #25 3 years ago

    DaemonB is there much point in even saying that? The author obviously has a soft spot for this game since he seems to think its more impressive at this stage than it really is, Im going to take most of his thoughts on this game with a large pinch of salt(plus his articles do read like he is from a Sony persuasion sometimes too but atleast he has shown he does have some objectivity in the faceoffs).

  • glaeken #26 3 years ago

    I must admit I don't really see anything mind blowing in that video from a technical perspective to back up the claim this is the best looking game of this generation.

    What I do see is some great animation and level design but I also see some textures which look quite poor. The rubble strewn ground looks very unconvincing as it just looks like one texture rather than being made up of individual objects. Of course most games do exactly the same thing when it comes to simulating the same thing but it looks quite unconvincing.

    It's certainly a good looking game and seems to be on a par with some of the other heavy hitters graphically but best of the generation I just don't see.

  • degville #27 3 years ago

    Uncharted 1 is a mixture of shooty and platform, sometime you think too much shooty, however it has to be played to appreciate it there is just something about it that makes it immense fun and leads you to play it through more than once but what is so good about it is very hard to quantify or get across to someone else.

  • Calgon #28 3 years ago

    glaeken +1

    Pretty much sums up my thoughts, Ive no problem with the game really and Im not trying to claim it's not impressive in its own rights but Richard really must have a soft spot for it judging by some of the things he's said(as he says its his favourite game on the PS3).

    edit: Oh and LOL @ anyone who has gone on the defensive over anything Ive said here, the irony in some of their comments is pretty funny.
    Edited by 1 at 21/05/09 @ 13:57

  • Darren #29 3 years ago

    Love Unchared Drake's Fortune myself, the only thing wrong with it was the sometimes godawful screen tearing but it was forgiveable as the game itself was awesome. That Naughty Dog have fixed it for the sequel is excellent news but given that they claimed the original game only used 33% of the PS3's processing power, it was something I expected. Did notice a lot of jaggies in the video though, something I never saw in the first game; have they turned anti-aliasing off to achieve a tear-free framerate?

  • woodyrulesok #30 3 years ago

    This game looks fucking sick!
    Can't wait.

  • degville #31 3 years ago

    That is one thing uncharted did not do was repeat gfx time after time it was different again.....

  • Mark1412 #32 3 years ago

    Great game but still unmatched technically? Nope.

  • Rodchenko #33 3 years ago

    Only played the demo of the first one. Didn't really convince me, but this looks rather nice.

  • #34 3 years ago

    Ahhh now farticusmaximus, your obviously still sore since the reviewer of Uncharted said it was doubtful if any other console could do this game.

    Go on admit it lol.

    ;)

  • the_dudefather #35 3 years ago

    'How you people find any kind of worth in a weak mashup of substandard Gears of War shooting and substandard Tomb Raider interludes is beyond me.'

    agreed, Uncharted is the WORST game I have ever played, it only looks nice if YOU'RE FUCKING BLIND and is only a 'good game' (a phrase that usually disintegrates anywhere near the 'game') if the only other game you played is playing with handfulls of dog shit.

    the game has zero merit and give me AIDS just by looking at the box

  • nickfernando #36 3 years ago

    I thought it looked pretty decent. Some of the textures are ropey but the animation and lighting were great. Wouldn't go as far as too claim it's the best looking game ever on a console, but it does look solid.

    And come on people, I love my xbox but that doesn't fill me with an innate need to obliterate games on another platform. I think Richard was being a little over zealous with his commentary, clearly as a result of his enthusiasm for the series. He's voicing his view of the game. He's hardly a technical authority on the matter, there are loads of awesome developers at beyond3d that you can talk to about getting clarification on the technical merits of a particular software title or engine.

    There's also the subjective aspect of seeing something your excited about the first time and thinking 'wow' only to be unimpressed when you visit it later. I remember being awestruck by the very first bit of bioshock when the plane crashed and you go to rapture in the bathysphere and the guy gets done over by a spider splicer, who then starts banging on the window. I gave bioshock a whirl recently and wasn't quite as impressed. It was the same story with seeing Killzone 2 in a store for a few seconds and then on a big screen at a friends house a few weeks later...
    Edited by 1 at 21/05/09 @ 14:56

  • #37 3 years ago

    post much ClarkGriswold0044 or should I say Farti/miguel/Calgon?


    :p

  • septimus #38 3 years ago

    Still my favourite game this gen. Some have come close, but not even Gears2 matches Uncharted's single player.

  • Bigglesworth #39 3 years ago

    Its notable that the one piece in which Richard Leadbetter has gone any further than offer a backhanded compliment to a PS3 title is the same piece that the more rabid of the Xbox fraternity feel the need to dissect and claim bias.

  • metalmike25 #40 3 years ago

    Uncharted is the only game i'm still playing regulary. I think that says alot about the fun to be had. I'm not really that bothered about all the technical stuff this article is talking about, if Uncharted 2 plays as well as the first one then I'll definately consider it the best game of this generation.

  • Rodchenko #41 3 years ago

    post much ClarkGriswold0044 or should I say Farti/miguel/Calgon?

    Bliss of the ignore button.

  • deepbrown #42 3 years ago

    Shows how little some of you guys know about Sony and the PlayStation 3. The tools ARE available for liscene to all developers - they're called Edge tools. There's also the Phyr engine. The Edge tools were put together through technology provided by Naughty Dog, Guerilla Games and more - all put into one nice package. it's also constantly updated to provided developers who have already bought the license (heavily discounted for PS3 devs) with updates on GPU and SPU usage. The latter has been greatly updated of late.

    Insomniac also provides all its knowledge for free to other PS3 developers - and with their experience with Resistance and Ratchet, they have a lot of good stuff to say. Now lift your head out of the sand.

    Moreover, Richard says that Uncharted hasn't be surpassed in some areas, because he has performed detailed analyses on the game before now - DigitalFoundary provide analysis for all games, that's where the Eurogamer comparisons come from. So if you want to listen to anyone, listen to them.

  • metalmike25 #43 3 years ago

    I can't bring myself to use the ignore button. It seems like censorship plus i wouldn't get to see these arseholes desperate attempts to get attention

  • El-Dev #44 3 years ago

    Farticus clearly wants to be Ben Crowshaw only his love of only one console stopped him, that and he's not funny and knows jack-shit about games. Look at the scores he has given some of the games in his collection and yet not one PS3 game is not anywhere near being good.

    As for my first comment I don't think I was being unfair. Developers are too happy to release sub-standard games because they won't spend their resources to use the technology in the PS3 to get the best results.

    I tend to agree with this article, they have clearly done a thorough analysis and Uncharted is outstanding in every way.

    Well done Richard. Gold star.

  • miiiguel #45 3 years ago

    @ evilfox: This article just sounded like an insecure 360 fanboy trying to reasure himslef LOL

    Dude, please make a comment like this now, as... it's the *same guy*!!!^

    The point? The point is, either you're attacking or playing the victim, you/they/us (?) dig this confrontation rethoric. Simple as.
    Edited by 1 at 21/05/09 @ 15:56

  • metalmike25 #46 3 years ago

    Farticus is an incredibly boring person with a strange dislike for piece of black plastic that people play games on.

    One day he'll look back at his life and think 'I was a total dick wasn't I?'

    But it will be too late :(

    Anyway, I think the thing that lifted Uncharted above other games like Gears 2 is that it had really likeable characters and a fun, humourus script. Also it's taps into memories of Indiana Jones and adventure films in general. Can't wait for the second one!
    Edited by 1 at 21/05/09 @ 15:42

  • breedob #47 3 years ago

    Yeah great story, likeable characters and superb fun gameplay...... but that tiny bit of screen tearing here and there was a game breaker for sure!!

  • the_dudefather #48 3 years ago

    ClarkGriswold0044's account is now gone, fancy that

  • the_dudefather #49 3 years ago

    people are, or are you only looking at comments with your name in them hoping to have gotten a rise out of someone?
    Edited by 1 at 21/05/09 @ 16:06

  • Widge #50 3 years ago

    must. present. bias. as. fact.
    world. is. ending.
    snow. in. hell.
    *foam*

  • Darren #51 3 years ago

    I really cannot understand how anyone who has played Uncharted can call it a "dreadful" game, I really can't. Sure, some people might not find it anything special - hey, everyone is different, right? - but to claim it's terrible suggests to me that either they don't like games, period, or, failing that, that they're just saying it because (a) they haven't really played it at all; and (b) it's on a rival system they don't own.

    Doing the latter really isn't very mature or cool at all and if they fall into the former category then what are they doing posting on a games website anyway? :?

  • El-Dev #52 3 years ago

    Merits of Uncharted;

    Gameplay: Excellent

    Graphics: Unsurpasses

    Story:Excellent

    PS3 Exclusive: exCELLent.

  • breedob #53 3 years ago

    @Darren
    Maybe they just love Tomb Raider so much that they can't face the fact that Uncharted is far superior than this now average series. They're both different games but Uncharted seems to always be compared to Tomb Raider.

  • metalmike25 #54 3 years ago

    I agree Darren, calling Uncharted dreadful is like saying Angelina Jolie is an ugly cow. It lacks any creditibilty and would only make sense if the person's dog was murdered by someone called Nathan Drake and then eaten by pirates looking for spanish gold*

    *(or if you're Jennifer Anniston)

  • Darren #55 3 years ago

    I can't wait to play Uncharted 2, it looks amazing and if it's an improvement on the excellent original then I'll be in gaming heaven! :)

    P.S. I own a PS3 and an Xbox 360... oh and that *other* console, you know, the crap one. ;)

  • jimboton #56 3 years ago

    Uncharted wasn't dreadful, but sooo shallow and unoriginal. No real platforming, no real puzzles, the shooting bits were fine but so many of them, it seemed out of place in a game aiming for an 'adventure' feel. you faced whole armies in there!

    Unfortunately the sequel has been said to be even more 'Gears' and less 'raider' than the first game.

  • dominalien #57 3 years ago

    Actually, reading the notes in the video, the game looks like crap ;-)

  • nbnz #58 3 years ago

    @farticus

    "Oh, and who cares about the visuals when the gameplay is so crushingly dull?"
    Purely subjective. I thought the gameplay was extemely fun. Both the light platforming and the gunplay.

    "what they really need to do is announce that it's no longer a horribly shallow ripoff of other games"
    Which game is not in some way a rip off of other games? Just because it's not 100% original doesn't make it bad. They combined two genres with good balance, good story, amazing environments. If that's a ripoff I'd like more ripoffs.

    "there were only a few enemy types"
    How many enemy types can you have when they are (or were) all human? It's not Gears or Halo or Resistance where the enemy is non-human therefore you can make any number of variation of enemies.

    "After playing Gears, or any other competant TPS for that matter, Uncharted just seems like a truly amateur effort."
    I completely disagree, and I have 100 odd hours of Gears 2 under my belt. Different does not equal amature. Both have great TPS action and I found both had good and bad control issues. Overall Gears controls would win for me, but not by the margin you're suggesting. However the presentation, story, characters, variation of gameplay in Uncharted beats Gears hands down IMO.

  • mooseman721 #59 3 years ago

    Uncharted is my absolute favourite game on the ps3 so far. Really looking forward to this one.

  • Rodchenko #60 3 years ago

    I can't bring myself to use the ignore button. It seems like censorship

    I had the same position until recently. But given that some here essentially post the same predictable and boring stuff over and over again, in literally every thread that deals with a game or service for a piece of hardware they don't even own, I wouldn't exactly call it 'censorship' -- more 'peace of mind'.

  • UncleLou #61 3 years ago

    Wow, that's looking fantastic. Seems like the PS3 has the edge when in the right hands.

  • GamesConnoisseur #62 3 years ago

    This video really showcases how Uncharted 2 would take PS3 forward and assure the machine as the serious machine that can equate or betters anything similar!

    Indeed would quieten some X360 diehards that PS3 is an inferior machine and full stop at that, no PS3 can do well or better but the general outputs of PS3 games compared to X360 still something that is not yet evidently to be shown to be bettering the rival console.

    Sony keeping the techs secret too close to chest?

    HOWEVER darned as hell looking forward to Uncharted 2 as know will be pleasure and a joy to play!

  • Alkeno #63 3 years ago

    This game looks gorgeous, brilliant art and animation (which are 300% more important than raw power from the CPU+GPU+RAM). Don't know how it handles, I don't have a PS3 to try.

    Naughty Dog has clearly been busy delivering great graphics and copying gameplay mechanics from... everywhere! MGS, Gears of War, Tomb Raider... There is no denying that this game show a level of plagiarism really worrying. But if they get it right and the gameplay is good... how will care?

  • holsty101 #64 3 years ago

    I thought the multi-player aspect was a separate component?

    I don't see any harm in it if it's not interfering with the single player structure.

  • thefjk #65 3 years ago

    "Uncharted remains a technical marvel that has still yet to be equalled."

    How come people didn't say this back in November 2007? This was the best looking game I ever played on any console and I'm surprised how little people knew about it!

  • JHuxley #66 3 years ago

    "I've played a good few hours. I even commented to DrDamn while playing it that thought it was laughably bad"

    You're trying way too hard. Classy baiting requires subtlety and a well considered argument. You have neither.

    How come people didn't say this back in November 2007?

    Eurogamer were saying pretty much exactly that when the game was released. I think there have been a few games that have given it a run for its money since, but nothing that clearly exceeds it.

  • Eurytus #67 3 years ago

    Yeah Eurogamer's review said that it was the first game that they thought could not be done on the 360. I own both the PS3 and 360 and having played Gears of War prior to Uncharted I didn't think that claim was true. Whilst Uncharted may have looked superficially better, bright colour schemes ultimately looking nicer on big HD TV's than drab ones (observe how shops used to always display HD tvs with bright and colourful Pixar films) I thought that overall the games were a close match in terms of looks.
    The opening to the Factory level in GOW with the rain was as good as anything in Uncharted I thought.

    Nethertheless whilst Uncharted may not have been original it worked well. I mean who doesn't like Nazis messing with superstitious items and unleashing supernatural horror? It worked in the Indy films, it worked in the Keep (great book btw) and it works in Wolfenstein. Nazis plus horror is always good.
    And lets face it, GOW wasn't original either. Many of the gameplay mechanics were from earlier games like Kill Switch and a lot of characterization/feel was from films like Aliens or Pitch Black.

    Both games don't need to be original to be good, they just need to be fun. And both were just that.

  • 3william56 #68 3 years ago

    thejkf: Eurogamer committed heresy when reviewing Uncharted, saying they it was the first game that they weren't sure the 360 could have pulled off. The comments section predictably imploded.

    People - please don't quote farticus and the rest. Apart from the futility of arguing with such a moron, it means his foaming stupidity gets past my ignore button.

  • peterfll #69 3 years ago

    I admit to really liking the first game. I don't really care what mash-up rip-off blah blah blah it may or may not be.

    I found it *FUN* to play. You know, fun? An... "enjoyable romp".

    I'm not going to apologise for that, or defend it, it is a simple fact.

    If that really gets your goat then you should really sit down with a nice cup of tea and take a load off.
    Edited by 1 at 22/05/09 @ 08:11

  • SaberEdge #70 3 years ago

    I own both consoles and even though I might sometimes lean a little bit in favor of the 360 I think the PS3 is also an amazing machine and to be honest Uncharted is probably my favorite game this generation.

    The gorgeous graphics, the engaging narrative, the likable characters, the atmosphere and the sheer fun of the gameplay instantly won me over. I can't fully explain it, but it gives me a kind of joy that few other games give me to the same degree.

    I tend to agree with Mr. Leadbetter's assertion that Uncharted still hasn't been equaled in the graphics department by any other console game. No other game has matched the overall quality of its textures, lighting and special effects.

    Other graphically impressive games might excel in a few particular areas, but none have the combination of graphical features of Uncharted. For example, Gears of War has great textures, but the lighting is nearly non-existent (no real-time/dynamic lighting at all). Killzone 2 has amazing lighting and post-processing effects, but the textures are not as good as Uncharted's.

    It's funny, as an owner of both consoles it has become apparent to me that the PS3 tends to have the best-looking games overall (exclusives), while the 360 has the best-looking versions of most multiplatform games. I think it is nice to own both.

  • Les #71 3 years ago

    "Indeed would quieten some X360 diehards that PS3 is an inferior machine and full stop at that, no PS3 can do well or better but the general outputs of PS3 games compared to X360 still something that is not yet evidently to be shown to be bettering the rival console.

    Sony keeping the techs secret too close to chest?"

    It's well known by now that the two systems have different strengths. It's clear that multi-platform developers are more comfortable with the traditional architecture of the 360 and despite this are now able to create PS3 games that look (almost) as good. There's not much incentive for the multi platform developers to spend much more time on mastering the PS3 as the games are good enough for the PS3 only owners and it's not that relevant which version multi console owners get.

    The PS3 only developers though have to master the PS3 tech to lure gamers towards the PS3 or away from similar games on 360. They've done a great job and have shown that when given to capable developers the PS3 arguably has the graphical upper hand.

    The smart developer however creates Wii and WiiWare games and gets filthy rich...

  • Darren #72 3 years ago

    @SaberEdge - "It's funny, as an owner of both consoles it has become apparent to me that the PS3 tends to have the best-looking games overall (exclusives), while the 360 has the best-looking versions of most multiplatform games. I think it is nice to own both."

    I have to agree with you there. Xbox 360 exclusives like Halo 3 and Forza Motorsport 2 for example were graphically underwhelming, bordering on downright ugly at times, IMO even when they were released. That's not to say that all its exclusives have been, Gears of War and its sequel look astonishing good for example, but generally the PS3 does have the best look exclusives IMO. Games like Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, MotoStorm: Pacific Drift, MLB 09: The Show, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Ratcher & Clank: Tools of Destruction, WipEout HD, Killzone 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4 all show how good the machine really is in the right hands. Even Lair managed to look downright impressive at times despite the naffness of the actual game. I'm actually struggling to think of an ugly PS3 game to be honest.

  • frombrosis #73 3 years ago

    Amazing game... Naughty Dog deserve all the accolades they garner. Can't wait for part 2 of this epic series.

  • Geordiemp #74 3 years ago

    At least compare it to redisent evil or a decent looking and good game engine.

    As soon as people go on about UE and Gears it makes me laugh, dont think I could ever buy another game using UE, its crap. Cant be bothered to complete gears 2, its so slow.

    Drakes is best look console game thus far, and best third person shooter (well,maybe equal with Resi mercinaries which is great on 360).

    Funny how drakes fortune got a bit of PS3 bashing in early reviews down to 8s and 9s, it was a 10 all the way.
    Edited by 3 at 06/06/09 @ 14:56

  • ps360 #75 3 years ago

    http://zoome.jp/ps36 0/diary/233/

  • th3duckst3r #76 2 years ago

    this game impossible on 360.hes having a laugh.just cause they can fill a blu-ray disk up (probably we shite)cause its streaming everything from there.its all pre rendered.ps3 carnt even do 4x multisampling.most of if not all are at 2x cause it carnt cope with 4x.theres not one game on ps3 that grabs attention.even the cross platform games are not better than xbox 360.if they wanted to make a technical leap or summat that looked good then when drake goes in and out off water why arent hes jeans wet?
    Edited by 1 at 28/08/09 @ 21:31