| Parokki said: famine: Are you saying the PS2 was easier to develop for than the Xbox? I haven't exactly tried it myself, but every source I've read is saying the opposite. The Xbox kept getting games from American developers, because it was still relatively popular there, and could cater to the tastes of the local customers. It also had a high concentration of PC gamers who were persuaded into an affair with consoles, and traditionally PC stuff like Bioware's RPGs were pretty succesful. |
That's what they said regarding the PS2: The architecture wasn't really forgiving. However, when the Xbox came out, the PS2 had the lead, developers were familiar with the hardware, and even though the Xbox was easier to develop for, there were a few games that looked and played better on the PS2:
- Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2:
"This fast-paced driving game is currently available for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube, with a PC version to follow at the end of the month. You'd expect that the console versions of this game to be identical, but strangely enough, they're not. While the Xbox and GameCube iterations of Hot Pursuit II are in fact exact ports of one another, they're markedly different from their PlayStation 2 cousin, and in this case, "different" doesn't mean "better." In short, the Xbox and GameCube versions of Hot Pursuit II have slightly detuned graphics, mushier controls, and inexplicably, a variety of minute but tangible ommissions from the PlayStation 2 game."
- SSX: Tricky:
"If you're into snowboarding games, the Xbox has a wealth of choices. But so far, the sim-oriented Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding and the mission-based Dark Summit have failed to hit the mark. Enter EA Sports Big's boardercross game, SSX Tricky. Part racing game, part fighting game, and completely exciting, Tricky for the Xbox exhibits some the obvious signs of being a port but remains a highly addictive and entertaining experience."
- James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire:
"Halo has taught us what to expect from a first person shooter on the Xbox. It's certainly a lofty standard for every game to live up to, but Agent Under Fire could've worked on the Xbox if it hadn't come over as a PS2 port."
- Red Faction II:
"That's all fine and dandy, but there are some problems here in Xboxland. THQ took half a year to bring RF II to Xbox, and the only real enhancement aside from a few graphical bumps was some extra multiplayer maps? This game is screaming for Xbox Live. But the pioneers of Live (THQ published the first Live game) didn't take the game that far. In fact, the game doesn't even support System Link. That's a big knock against RF II. Delayed ports need to utilize the Xbox hardware in some way. Otherwise, what makes a $50 Xbox version better than the PS2 version you can find for $20 in some stores? Answer: Not much."
There were even numerous Gamecube ports that were weaker to the PS2. Even when the PS2 launched, there were games that still looked better on the Dreamcast.
A few developers just need more time to get adjusted to new systems.
