The Crysis 2 multiplayer demo on PlayStation 3 has had a rough couple of days, and the people behind it are now trying to draw a line between what PS3 owners have been playing and what they will actually buy next week. Crytek’s message is that the demo build is not the finished game: according to the studio, the PS3 demo came from an older version of the code, put together before the final game was submitted, rather than the build that will ship on disc.
That distinction matters because the demo has become exhibit A in the argument over whether the PS3 version is inferior to the Xbox 360 release. Players who downloaded it since it reached the PlayStation Store this week have complained about matchmaking problems, lag and dropped connections, and some have also pointed to visual issues such as screen tearing and frame rate dips. Online reports have claimed the PS3 version runs at a lower resolution than its Xbox 360 counterpart.
EA Pulls The PS3 Demo Days Before Launch
EA, which publishes the game, has now decided to pull the plug. In a post on the official Crysis 2 blog, the publisher said it had found the root cause of the server connection delays and would close the PS3 demo within 24 hours, so the problems can be fixed before launch. As EA put it in that statement, “Our priority is to ensure that the final product is flawless at launch.” Crytek had earlier posted on its own forums that it knew players were running into technical trouble with the PS3 demo and was working on a fix.
The timing is awkward for Crytek. Only yesterday executive producer Nathan Camarillo challenged anyone to find a meaningful difference between the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, saying CryEngine 3 scales to each platform without changing gameplay or the visual information players need. Within a day, the only playable evidence PS3 owners had in hand was being taken offline.
For PS3 owners who missed the window, the demo featured the Skyline and Pier 17 maps along with the Team Instant Action and Crash Site modes. EA has not said whether a revised PS3 demo will return before launch.
Crytek Says Retail Code Will Tell The Story
Demos built from code that is weeks or months older than the retail release are common, since the demo has to be finished, certified and distributed while the main team keeps polishing the full game. Crytek has also been here before on PC. When an unfinished PC build of Crysis 2 leaked online last month, the studio said that version looked far worse than the game it planned to ship.
None of that will fully settle the debate, and PS3 players who were hoping to judge the port for themselves now have no demo to play. The real test arrives very soon. Crysis 2 is due March 22 in North America on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, and the final retail code is the only thing that will show whether Crytek’s confidence in the PS3 version is justified.