Patch to fix textures? 4GB patch will do. They look same to me.

There’s been a lot of hype on the N4G News postings/comments section with various allegations against Lens of Truth’s methods and credibility.  We take pride in our work and constantly strive to be the unbiased news site that you, as a video game consumer, come to in order to answer the one basic question we all ask ourselves whenever a new multi-platform game is released: “Which of these games is worth my $60?”.  With that being said, we’d like the opportunity to address some of the various claims against the Head2Head we performed on the new Ghostbusters game.

CLAIM: “This post on Polycount from Terminal Reality’s lead character artist explains why there was so drastic difference between the PS3 and 360 versions texture quality.  Lens of Truth made the comparison using the pre-release copy of the game which had texture quality lowered.”
http://n4g.com/News-347268.aspx

RESPONSE: We were fortunate enough to be sponsored by Play N Trade for this particular Head2Head and were able to snag their customer demo copy of the game before the release date.  This does not, however, mean that we used a “pre-release copy” or some other beta of the PS3 version of the game.  The version we used is the same retail version that is being sold in stores.

Furthermore, we’re not sure it’s fair to accept a forum post as authoritative evidence on any matter, regardless of what forum it is and whose name is in the signature.

CLAIM: “MS paid them to do that because Ghostbusters is one of the biggest games of the decade and a huge threat for the 360’s succes[sic]. ”
http://n4g.com/News-347268.aspx

RESPONSE: The “Lens of Truth” website is an independent site, primarily funded by a group of game developers/enthusiasts and generous donations from our fans.  Aside from user-submitted content, our site is built during our SPARE time.  While it would be a glorious (and blasphemous) event if Microsoft paid us to skew our Head2Head, the truth is best stated by another N4G commentor:

“LoT is not that big of a website, not that well known. It is more something like the HHG site. Why would MS waste money on that?”

CLAIM: “…as a lot of the time on these comparisons, they don’t look like what they do on my TV.” Some have even claimed that it’s our AV setup that leads us to draw “faulty conclusions”.  We’ve been accused of skewing our TV settings or in-game video settings in order to make one system look superior over another.

RESPONSE: Take a look at a diagram of our capturing setup:

All of our Head2Head captures are done via component cables @ 720p. The reason that our comparisons are done with component video is because of the PlayStation 3’s HDCP on the HDMI output. HDCP is a form of digital copy protection which makes it impossible to capture with our hardware. In order to neutralize the possible processing effect that various TVs could have, we place the capture device between the gaming systems and the TV.  The only settings that could affect the quality of the video are the in-game video settings, which are always left as default.

Additionally, several other sites have come to the same conclusions that we have:

http://www.gamezine.co.uk/news/ghostbusters-ps3-960-by-540-360-720p-$1304198.htm
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/06/ghostbusters-graphically-youll-want-to-stick-with-the-360.ars

Even IGN mentions that the PS3 “graphics seem to be a touch dumbed down…” (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/992/992699p3.html)

UPDATE:  Game Trailers just recently uploaded their comparison video of Ghostbusters. While we feel the video is good for showing the overall feel of Ghostbusters on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, they failed at focusing on the issues between the two versions.  It should also be noted that the video that Game Trailers is displaying on their site is sub 720p (960×540) whereas our video is full 720p (1280×720).   To show that we’ve achieved the same quality of capture on the PlayStation 3, we’ve taken two shots from their video that match up with our footage.  Note that our images had to be sized down to match the resolution of the Game Trailers images.   Also note that these images are pulled directly from the high quality download versions on both sites (Game Trailers = Quicktime, Lens of Truth = H.264 AVI).

In conclusion, our goal is not to mislead gamers.  Every member of our staff is a gamer too, and we believe that every gamer has a right to know which console sponsors a better finished product.  Every aspect of our site is designed in such a way so as to compare two very different systems in a completely unbiased way.  If you feel we’ve made a mistake, please let us know.  We have no problem with admitting when a mistake has been made.  With that being said, after several re-verifications, we firmly stand behind the conclusions previously published in our Ghostbusters Head2Head.

We hope this addresses some of the various concerns regarding our Ghostbusters Head2Head and the quality of our work in general.

-Lens of Truth Staff

I don't see any problems with the PS3 version. Granted, my TV is terrible (480i) and I can't compare the game to the 360 version since I have no 360, but it looks great from what I can see. The game is great fun, and comes with all the greatness of a Ghostbusters movie, so what's not to like?

"Although the PS3 has exclusive videos about refurbishing Ecto-1 and the Blu-ray trailer, the graphics seem to be a touch dumbed down on Sony's system. When you proton stream burns a wall on the 360, there's a black gouge in the wall that features smoldering embers and bits of fire. On the PS3, you get the fire and black gouge, but the little embers embedded in the cut don't make it. Similarly, when you attack Stay Puft on Microsoft's console, you're making dramatic changes to his puffy exterior. On the PS3, these changes aren't as severe -- it's almost like a bruise rather than a fiery cut. Still, I'll save you the suspense and tell you both versions are getting the same score for graphics because the overall package is solid on each platform."  -- IGN

Does that sound like it's describing what we're seeing?

Does it sound like Lens described IGN's comments properly?

tech cell rules ,..?

Seriously, it's double the resolution

Wow people are making a big deal out of this.
first they are butthurt about it being timed exclusive in UK , and then they are butthurt because the unfinished product looks like shit.

It's great for stopping hackers.

I'll buy the ps3 version just for the D pad :P

Why not show the whole post?

Presentation
With the core cast of the franchise intact and the game packing a script from the creators of the original films, Ghostbusters: The Video Game definitely feels like the third movie or at least an extended episode of The Real Ghostbusters. Still, it has it's wonky moments when it comes to the love story and how it looks.

In broad terms, the PS3/360/PC side of the GB burger is all the same. The main menu is housed on the front of the firehouse, and everything moves out from there. In every version, the CGI cutscenes look great and zapping as well as trapping is a lot of fun. In the same vein, all versions feature in-game cutscenes that look too stiff and some botched lip syncing. However, once you get into the game, you'll find little differences that differentiate the versions.

Obviously, the graphics are the sharpest and the game smoothest on the PC, although the loads are the longest at 38-seconds. When you move to the 360, you'll start to see some screen-tearing and 24-second loads, and when you jump to the PS3 you're going to see even more torn images, 33-second loads, and an eight-minute install. In all the games, destruction is a big part -- your proton stream will blast chairs to smithereens and burn stuff on the walls -- but the gouges in the walls that are meant to be burning lines you've carved only look super-sweet on the PC and 360. There, they have burning embers in the charred mess and bits of flame coming off of them. On the PS3, these are just dead, black lines with fire pasted on.

With the two other versions, only the Wii can run in widescreen and the game looks markedly better with less jagged edges and better blending; seriously, the guy rookie's Ghostbusters patch on the PS2 looks like it's on a piece of paper stuck to his arm. Of course, there's the missing co-op on the PS2, but there are also some long load times. From the main menu it took me 30 seconds to get into the game, and once I picked a mission, that took 40 seconds to load. You won't see those times on the Wii (14 seconds to get to the main menu and 15 seconds to the mission).

Overall
1. 360
2. PS3
3. Wii
4. PC
5. PS2