Crytek is done tiptoeing around the console comparison question. With Crysis 2 less than a week from shelves, executive producer Nathan Camarillo has thrown down a gauntlet to anyone convinced the PlayStation 3 version is the weaker sibling, saying in an interview with the PlayStation Blog that “I would challenge anyone to find any meaningful difference.” He added that he personally cannot see one at all.
The comments arrived alongside the PS3 multiplayer demo, which went live on the PlayStation Store last night. That timing is no accident. Xbox 360 and PC owners have had their hands on Crysis 2 multiplayer for weeks, including an earlier Xbox 360 exclusive demo, and PS3 players have spent that time reading secondhand reports suggesting their version runs at a lower resolution than the one on Microsoft’s console.
How CryEngine 3 Keeps The Versions Level
Camarillo’s explanation for why the versions should match comes down to CryEngine 3 itself. According to the producer, the engine scales its workload to suit each platform while preserving the same gameplay, the same intensity and all of the visual information a player actually needs. In other words, Crytek’s position is that whatever the engine is doing differently under the hood, it is not something you will notice with a controller in your hands.
The interview also touched on stereoscopic 3D, which Crysis 2 supports on consoles. Camarillo said Crytek generates the second image with little to no hit to performance. Rather than throwing objects out of the screen at the player, the effect starts at the surface of the television and pushes inward, an approach the studio says should mean less eyestrain over long sessions.
What PS3 Demo Players Can Expect
For anyone downloading tonight, the demo offers two maps, Skyline and Pier 17, along with the Team Instant Action and Crash Site modes. Camarillo flagged the expanded movement options as the thing to learn first: players can leap up to ledges one story high and haul themselves onto ledges roughly a story and a half up, which he says changes the rhythm of a firefight considerably. He also estimated that a skilled player will need ten to twelve hours to finish the single player campaign.
Not every PS3 player is having a smooth first night, either. Some early demo downloaders have been reporting connection trouble, so PS3 owners hoping to judge the online side for themselves may need a little patience.
Crytek Has Argued For Parity Since 2009
Crytek has been making the parity argument for a long time. Back in 2009 chief executive Cevat Yerli told Develop the console versions would show little discernible difference, and last year development lead Carl Jones went as far as saying the team was getting slightly more performance from the PS3 than from the 360 at that stage. Whether the shipping game backs that up is something players will be able to judge for themselves very soon.
Crysis 2 launches March 22 in North America on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, published by EA. Set in a ravaged New York with a story written by novelist Richard Morgan, it is the first game in the series to appear on consoles, which is exactly why so many eyes are on how the PS3 version holds up.