Tuesday 13 February 2007
Every new platform needs an 'It' game. Like the horsey bleach-blonde toffs who preen and pout and draw clouds of admirers like desert birds to a carcass, a triple-A powerhouse videogame will attract more fun-hungry gamers to a new console than any number of lectures on the hardware's tetrafloppys, quadumaflips or ultrabits. And even the ever-so-slightly techno-mental Kaz Hirai can't argue with that.
We've finally cosied up to TES IV: Oblivion on PS3, and, while it may have struck out for adventure on Xbox 360 roughly a year ago, PS3 is still treated to a bigger, better and more beautiful experience. Oblivion is the first game to so obviously tip a nod to PS3's more flexible hardware, while winning a round of one-upmanship with Microsoft's great white hope. Here's our five reasons why Bethesda's life-comsuming epic will bring the crowds to PS3.
Choose your own adventure - RPG or actioner?
Choice is what you expect from a freeform fantasy role-player like Oblivion, but using the SixAxis makes playing this Elder Scrolls quest as a Conan-inspired murder romp feel even more instant and accessible. True, 360 did the same thing, but did it look this good?
The comfort of a controller in your paws prompts a more active combat role than the naturally more static PC controls. It's a mental thing, but it makes all the difference, and will mean even hardcore Burnout fans can enjoy hoofing it around as a Dark Elf warrior.
Above: PS3 on the right, Xbox 360 on the left - the difference is clear
It's so very, very pretty
Oblivion has never been an ugly game - outside of a creaky old PC - but Bethesda has groomed the world of Cyrodiil for a more retina-friendly look than ever before. PS3's visuals are sharper and yet softer too, turning previously cardboard-cut-out grass into believable tufts and adding an almost tangible solidity to the world around you.
We had to quiz Pete Hines, vice president of PR and Marketing for Bethesda, to find out if the developers had tinkered with the weather effects. They haven't, but the enhanced visuals have given a new weight to the falling snow of the Bravil mountains, and you can almost taste the moisture in the air while sludging through the swamps of Leyawiin. The quests may be the same, but PS3 Oblivion can still make a seasoned wanderer's eyes widen.
PS3's memory banks are put to good use
Oblivion on PlayStation 3 loads faster, pushes the visible horizon further and is more stable and less likely to break than any other version. Bethesda use almost 5gb of PS3's hard drive to keep everything trotting along at pace. We've watched a good few Cyrodiilian sunsets on our many travels, but we never appreciated them quite as much as we could on PS3, where grass isn't a growth that disappears after 50 feet.
As for load times, we hardly noticed. But, dear readers, that's the point. Not once did we feel wrenched from the world for several moments of adventure-withdrawl. Despite Blu-ray offering a slightly less rapid average read-speed than Microsoft's drive, Bethesda's use of the hardware means PS3 Oblivion certainly loads quicker than 360. And with extra time in development it's unlikely you'll run into one of Oblivion's notorious game-stopping bugs.
The locals have been on a diet
Previously, the severe blobby ugliness of our character's mug left us wishing we had a full face helment to hide behind. Though that hardly comes close to the feelings we had when the Emperor's Pillsbury Doughboy chops first turned in our direction. Fortunately, the trimming up of Oblivion's looks meant when we reintroduced ourselves to Tamriel's inevitably doomed ruler, he was more neat, less meat.
Admittedly, the residents of Cryodiil would still struggle to win a beauty contest in a morgue, but it's easier to respect your comrades - and yourself, of course - when your first thought isn't "Who ate all the pies?". Meanwhile the monsters have gained more visual bite, and you can almost see the sinister hunger flaring in the eyes of a charging minotaur. Call us petty if you want, but we're glad Gillian McKeith is now surplus to requirements.
It's exactly £6.80 cheaper than on Xbox 360
Open up the PS3 edition of Oblivion and you've already saved yourself 800 Microsoft points - that's £6.80 in real money - or £9.99 if you're a PC-o-phile. That's because the do-gooder quest add-on, Knights of the Nine, is pre-loaded into the PlayStation version. In fact, one of the reasons behind the add-on being created was to give PS3 owners a little extra treat for having had to wait so long for a trip into Cyrodiil. That's how much Bethesda love you.
And, if anyone tries to tell you that PS3 won't see further content because of mythical memory issues, just give them a withering look. In a video interview that'll hit GamesRadar tomorrow morning, Bethesda's Pete Hines told us exactly why the downloadable gubbins now available for 360 and PC isn't included, and it's nothing to do with RAM. He even confirmed that PS3 will see a Shivering Isles download this year. But whatever you pay to download in the future, Oblivion will always be that little bit cheaper to begin with on PS3
. http://www.gamesradar.com/gb/ps3/gam...13174329968099
Every new platform needs an 'It' game. Like the horsey bleach-blonde toffs who preen and pout and draw clouds of admirers like desert birds to a carcass, a triple-A powerhouse videogame will attract more fun-hungry gamers to a new console than any number of lectures on the hardware's tetrafloppys, quadumaflips or ultrabits. And even the ever-so-slightly techno-mental Kaz Hirai can't argue with that.
We've finally cosied up to TES IV: Oblivion on PS3, and, while it may have struck out for adventure on Xbox 360 roughly a year ago, PS3 is still treated to a bigger, better and more beautiful experience. Oblivion is the first game to so obviously tip a nod to PS3's more flexible hardware, while winning a round of one-upmanship with Microsoft's great white hope. Here's our five reasons why Bethesda's life-comsuming epic will bring the crowds to PS3.
Choose your own adventure - RPG or actioner?
Choice is what you expect from a freeform fantasy role-player like Oblivion, but using the SixAxis makes playing this Elder Scrolls quest as a Conan-inspired murder romp feel even more instant and accessible. True, 360 did the same thing, but did it look this good?
The comfort of a controller in your paws prompts a more active combat role than the naturally more static PC controls. It's a mental thing, but it makes all the difference, and will mean even hardcore Burnout fans can enjoy hoofing it around as a Dark Elf warrior.
Above: PS3 on the right, Xbox 360 on the left - the difference is clear
It's so very, very pretty
Oblivion has never been an ugly game - outside of a creaky old PC - but Bethesda has groomed the world of Cyrodiil for a more retina-friendly look than ever before. PS3's visuals are sharper and yet softer too, turning previously cardboard-cut-out grass into believable tufts and adding an almost tangible solidity to the world around you.
We had to quiz Pete Hines, vice president of PR and Marketing for Bethesda, to find out if the developers had tinkered with the weather effects. They haven't, but the enhanced visuals have given a new weight to the falling snow of the Bravil mountains, and you can almost taste the moisture in the air while sludging through the swamps of Leyawiin. The quests may be the same, but PS3 Oblivion can still make a seasoned wanderer's eyes widen.
PS3's memory banks are put to good use
Oblivion on PlayStation 3 loads faster, pushes the visible horizon further and is more stable and less likely to break than any other version. Bethesda use almost 5gb of PS3's hard drive to keep everything trotting along at pace. We've watched a good few Cyrodiilian sunsets on our many travels, but we never appreciated them quite as much as we could on PS3, where grass isn't a growth that disappears after 50 feet.
As for load times, we hardly noticed. But, dear readers, that's the point. Not once did we feel wrenched from the world for several moments of adventure-withdrawl. Despite Blu-ray offering a slightly less rapid average read-speed than Microsoft's drive, Bethesda's use of the hardware means PS3 Oblivion certainly loads quicker than 360. And with extra time in development it's unlikely you'll run into one of Oblivion's notorious game-stopping bugs.
The locals have been on a diet
Previously, the severe blobby ugliness of our character's mug left us wishing we had a full face helment to hide behind. Though that hardly comes close to the feelings we had when the Emperor's Pillsbury Doughboy chops first turned in our direction. Fortunately, the trimming up of Oblivion's looks meant when we reintroduced ourselves to Tamriel's inevitably doomed ruler, he was more neat, less meat.
Admittedly, the residents of Cryodiil would still struggle to win a beauty contest in a morgue, but it's easier to respect your comrades - and yourself, of course - when your first thought isn't "Who ate all the pies?". Meanwhile the monsters have gained more visual bite, and you can almost see the sinister hunger flaring in the eyes of a charging minotaur. Call us petty if you want, but we're glad Gillian McKeith is now surplus to requirements.
It's exactly £6.80 cheaper than on Xbox 360
Open up the PS3 edition of Oblivion and you've already saved yourself 800 Microsoft points - that's £6.80 in real money - or £9.99 if you're a PC-o-phile. That's because the do-gooder quest add-on, Knights of the Nine, is pre-loaded into the PlayStation version. In fact, one of the reasons behind the add-on being created was to give PS3 owners a little extra treat for having had to wait so long for a trip into Cyrodiil. That's how much Bethesda love you.
And, if anyone tries to tell you that PS3 won't see further content because of mythical memory issues, just give them a withering look. In a video interview that'll hit GamesRadar tomorrow morning, Bethesda's Pete Hines told us exactly why the downloadable gubbins now available for 360 and PC isn't included, and it's nothing to do with RAM. He even confirmed that PS3 will see a Shivering Isles download this year. But whatever you pay to download in the future, Oblivion will always be that little bit cheaper to begin with on PS3
. http://www.gamesradar.com/gb/ps3/gam...13174329968099
