Metareview -- Quake Wars vs. Quake Wars
"A Tale of Two (different) Ports" has reached its (anti-) climactic conclusion, as Enemy Territory: Quake Wars was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 this week. Development of the console ports was fractured between two different studios, and when we checked in on the games six weeks ago, Underground Development's PS3 version was lagging behind -- yet refused to be delayed. And so, broken and stuttering, the port pushed on, crossing the finish line (into the retail market) hand in hand with its Xbox 360 counterpart. A tie then? Clearly not:
VideoGamer: "Although Quake Wars on PC had a long development, it still looked great when PC gamers finally got hold of it last year. On Xbox 360 this look has been ported overly pretty much intact and, although not top of its class, Quake Wars still looks like it fits on Microsoft's console. On PS3 it's a different story altogether -- the game is simply less attractive, with fewer effects, rougher edges and a less consistent frame rate. Although minor visual differences between console games are normal, here there's a pretty big gap, with the Xbox 360 game [80/100] having a level of polish that the PS3 version [70/100] is sorely missing. PS3 owners even have to sit through an eight-minute install before they can begin playing, and this doesn't seem to help the game load any faster than the 360 version." [PS3 review; Xbox 360 review]
Cheat Code Central: "What was really weird is we were given the debug code for the 360 and the full retail copy for the PS3, but the shuttering occurred far more often on the PS3 than it did on the 360 ... The biggest differences between the PS3 [66/100] and Xbox 360 [76/100] versions are found in the menu interface and online matching. Both versions are well organized, but I'll have to give the nod to the 360 once again, as the 360 version's interface is far more accessible. I did like being able to choose from a list of available matches on the PS3 though ... Another big difference between versions is the quality of the voice chat; the PS3 produces some terrible echoes and painfully distorted feedback." [PS3 review; Xbox 360 review]
IGN: "See, unlike the Xbox 360 version [61/100], the PS3 rendition [53/100] of Quake Wars' greatest failing isn't the structure that was built under the fairly uninspired gameplay. Instead, this Quake Wars falls short because of its core gameplay and the total lack of fluidity that it brings to the table ... While it does have a lot to do with the quality of your server, the gameplay experience can be totally ruined if the map is crowded with frenetic action and a few lacking connection. We didn't have the same problem while trying to join a game on Xbox 360." [PS3 review; Xbox 360 review]
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