Wolfenstein: The New Order is finally here and has been able to redeem the series past glory with its brilliance in the new instalment. Apart from making the game slightly darker and the story and gameplay a tad darker and intriguing, the game employs the new id Tech 5 engine which does wonders to satisfy those of us looking at the aesthetic side. Ultimately, it boils down to how much does the game differ across the different platforms.
We’ll get a head start with the new gen consoles and the PC. Both the new consoles have almost identical hardware and thus perform similarly making it arduous to spot the differences between the two, but still noticeable in certain titles like The Amazing Spider Man 2.With Wolfenstein though, the developers have done everything to make the difference in the game between the two consoles amount to nothing.
"The reflections are right; guns, armour and metal objects make ample light get reflected although they could have done with the skin giving off a more sobre light but it never is a problem per se. Two things that may sometimes evidently present themselves to gamers across both the platforms is anti-aliasing and texture pop-ins. "
The only difference that one may notice when played side by side is that the Xbox One has a better contrast ratio and gamma, making the game look brighter in contrast to the PS4 where the game looks slightly murky and dull. Striving to spot the differences between the two consoles yielded us nothing.
Thus, it comes down to how well the game looks as a whole before we move onto the game’s performance on the PC. The game looks equally brilliant on both the consoles by employing nicely rendered textures.
The Xbox One does score a slight better score with its bloom and lighting but you can give it an insouciance wave. The textures in the game are solid and the reflections are superb to say the least.
Ambient occlusion makes the game even more beautiful, aided by ample use of crepuscular rays and lens flares but just enough to not make it look like a game directed by J.J. Abrams.
The reflections are right; guns, armour and metal objects make ample light get reflected although they could have done with the skin giving off a more sobre light but it never is a problem per se.
Two things that may frequently poke their useless rumps in during gameplay across both the platforms are poor anti-aliasing ang and texture pop-ins.
"The number of polygons viewed on the PC largely remain the same vis-a-vis the new generation of consoles. The game can even be run on a GTS 250 but that would necessitate the superb graphics of the game to be brought down to the ground and further, making it rather appalling if not egregiously execrable. Nonetheless, the point being that the game can be played across almost any PC. "
There are instances when the extremes of characters and certain objects may draw your attention due to the not up to the mark implementation of anti-aliasing.
Texture pop-in is a problem that is seen even on the PC as the game fails to fetch and load textures before the player enters an area. This problem may be solved by emptying your HDD or shifting the game on your console’s HDD.
There were no instances of frame rate drops or screen tearing throughout the game so the experience was joyously fluid. The developers deserve a thunderous applause for this with so many contemporary games struggling to maintain that constant frame rate mark. We also have the game’s engine to thank.
Other than not even a fistful of problems aforementioned, the game is identical on both the consoles. The PC naturally scores much above both the consoles in the graphical scenario owing to its vast customisability options which allow the users to tweak the settings noticeably above both the consoles. On max settings on the PC, the difference is apparent.
The textures look much better and of higher resolution, the lighting is slightly better accompanied by the much better anti-aliasing and ambient occlusion.
"There are a few instances of stuttering and horizontal tearing in the game during scenes where Blazkowicz rampages helter-skelter through enemy ranks as the game struggles to maintain the 60fps mark. The PS3 version seems a little blurry in contrast to its MS counterpart. "
The number of polygons viewed on the PC largely remain the same vis-a-vis the new generation of consoles. The game can even be run on a GTS 250 but that would necessitate the superb graphics of the game to be brought down to the ground and further, making it rather appalling if not egregiously execrable.
Nonetheless, the point being that the game can be played across almost any PC. Having a GTX 660Ti would easily suffice your needs while making the game run at a frame rate of 60fps. Although it’s recommended to have a better card to make the experience utterly flawless.
The older generation console story is slightly different. Apart from the obvious fact that the difference between the new generation and the old generation of the consoles is as stark as the one between night and day, the PS3 and Xbox 360 have some other differences between them but they are unobtrusive.
Both the older generation consoles manage to run the game at a 60fps but it comes at the cost of lowered textures. The low level lighting or the complete absence of it at times is visible throughout the game. There are a few instances of stuttering and horizontal tearing in the game during scenes where Blazkowicz rampages helter-skelter through enemy ranks as the game struggles to maintain the 60fps mark.
"Having laid our hands on the the different platforms, we’ve come to know that there's no point in choosing one console over the other in both the generations. It really makes no difference whatsoever if you have either of the consoles of either generation. "
The PS3 version seems a little blurry in contrast to its MS counterpart. It’s definitely not motion blur or film grain, but the game itself seems a little murky on the PS3, but on the other hand it churns marginally better lighting and textures. Again the difference between the two consoles is best put aside.
Having laid our hands on the the different platforms, we’ve come to know that there’s no point in choosing one console over the other in both the generations. It really makes no difference whatsoever if you have either of the consoles of either generation. If you have a PC, even better; you get customisability at your fingertips.
Final view on the game? Wolfenstein looks beautiful, the lighting effects are worth dying for; the abundantly prolific use of gore is a gleeful touch as are the textures. The id Tech 5 engine makes the visual experience almost flawless and it finally comes down to how good the game is. My suggestion to you would be, screw the console-PC debate with this game, PLAY IT ALREADY.
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