Yet there are so many unknown factors these things become pointless. Besides when dev time started (and who has the more skilled staff) inevitably there are questions like "Was the game engineered with one platform in mind over another" or "does the game direction itself lend itself to be better represented on one machine over another". I think we would all agree that Madden has dissappointed by next-gen standards so far -- which is sad seeing as they sell 3M+ copies a year and are always in the Top 10 in sales. Further, I think we would all agree (I would hope...) that neither machine is really being leveraged on this game. After seeing Indiana Jones (Endorphin) and Assassin's Creed it is now woefully obvious that a game that is so dependant on animation, like football, that Madden is playing it safe.
Of course comparing poorly compressed jpegs of incomplete games is sure to start aimless discussions. We have 5 years to look at a body of work from each console. Seeing a number of co-released titles from various developers will tell us more, especially in the 2008-2009 timeframe. TBH you really need a large body of samples to begin making any valuable observations.
Of course this is B3D, and we have already seen both sides lob, "Game X looks better on Console A" type comments. I stopped taking most comments about such seriously a long time ago. Not that it is not an interesting or worthwhile endeavor, only that we never get far here. I much prefer hearing the technical slants from each side and seeing how well these ideas and paradigms are evangelized and what technologies and concepts are adopted into the industry and which go by the way side. From that position I find it more interesting what the 1st party developers are doing and what the best talent in the industry come up with. And artistically I think the talent in the industry in that regards is pretty lopsided, at least at this point.
Anyhow, someone PLEASE wake me when Madden gets the fabled new animation system
Oh, and an off the cuff remark: If one side or the other can score meaningful features in Madden and/or look noticably better, it would be in said companies best interest to pimp that this fall. Madden is a HUGE franchise in North America. In the US it would be difficult to overstate the importantance of the GTA, Halo, and Madden franchises. If one platform can excell at Madden and back it up with a huge sports library, that is a significant selling point in NA. If I were Sony/MS I would have a paid team dedicated to assisting EA in developing Madden to ensure it did all it could to stand out on my platform.
So from that angle it is important, to a degree, which finished product will look and play better. But then again I have had people on this very forum say they cannot tell the difference between the PS2 and Xbox1 version of Madden
So maybe it doesn't really matter?
Of course comparing poorly compressed jpegs of incomplete games is sure to start aimless discussions. We have 5 years to look at a body of work from each console. Seeing a number of co-released titles from various developers will tell us more, especially in the 2008-2009 timeframe. TBH you really need a large body of samples to begin making any valuable observations.
Of course this is B3D, and we have already seen both sides lob, "Game X looks better on Console A" type comments. I stopped taking most comments about such seriously a long time ago. Not that it is not an interesting or worthwhile endeavor, only that we never get far here. I much prefer hearing the technical slants from each side and seeing how well these ideas and paradigms are evangelized and what technologies and concepts are adopted into the industry and which go by the way side. From that position I find it more interesting what the 1st party developers are doing and what the best talent in the industry come up with. And artistically I think the talent in the industry in that regards is pretty lopsided, at least at this point.
Anyhow, someone PLEASE wake me when Madden gets the fabled new animation system
Oh, and an off the cuff remark: If one side or the other can score meaningful features in Madden and/or look noticably better, it would be in said companies best interest to pimp that this fall. Madden is a HUGE franchise in North America. In the US it would be difficult to overstate the importantance of the GTA, Halo, and Madden franchises. If one platform can excell at Madden and back it up with a huge sports library, that is a significant selling point in NA. If I were Sony/MS I would have a paid team dedicated to assisting EA in developing Madden to ensure it did all it could to stand out on my platform.
So from that angle it is important, to a degree, which finished product will look and play better. But then again I have had people on this very forum say they cannot tell the difference between the PS2 and Xbox1 version of Madden
So maybe it doesn't really matter?