1up flubs up...again (Orange Box runs fine on PS3).

[masteratt]

\/ \/BULLSHIT \/ \/
After spending a significant amount of time with a near final version of the PS3 game, it's apparent that this version suffers from a number of technical flaws, which at best merely hinder game play and at worst make the experience downright unplayable. Framerate is a consistent issue throughout the Half-Life series of games included in The Orange Box. One moment you'll be cruising through the game at 30 frames per second and the next you'll be enjoying a slideshow of series protagonist Gordon Freeman cruising down the river. However, Portal suffers from no such technical hiccups and is on its way to being a pitch-perfect port of the spatial reasoning exercise. Due to a server connection issue, we were unable to get any time with Team Fortress 2.

With the clock ticking, EA has a limited amount of time to fix the glaring issues which plague this port of The Orange Box. Unfortunately, it seems that, once again, PlayStation 3 owners are doomed to suffer through another substandard version of a multiplatform game.


There are enough problems on the X360 and it's as if EA boss came and said:

EA Boss: Hey guys! hey! listen, listen! You know what? I bet you we can do a worse port job on the PS3!!!

Team: YAYYYYYYYY! :queer:


It's not flame bait, it's:

1) Warning for all you people and maybe a sign to just get the PC version (avoid 360 as well, you can't even have a TF2 online match with each team having each class due to limits lol, at least that's what I heard at Steam forums, might have been an exaggeration)

No link because I don't click and don't want anyone else to click that shitty website we call 1up.
^^BULLSHIT^^

Not bullshit:
2) Yet another reminder of how much EA sucks.

3) As nice as Valve is, they should stick to PC gaming.

avoid 360 as well

[woundingchaney]

Doesnt surprise me.

[curryking1]

I think I probably don't have to say I'm not impressed, and I probably don't have to say what wounding said, not very suprised.

Valve should stick to the PC until they want to invest in the consoles and deliver something that's worth buying on them.

And even more so that either way HL2 and it's derivatives are always way better on the PC anyday.

[VG Aficionado]

Gabe Newell has been saying all the time we shouldn't bother with the PS3 :shrug:

I already have HL2 and Episode 1 on PC, so I don't think I would have bothered with the Orange Box on any platform. I guess I'll just get Episode 2 and Portal on PC later on.

[KRA]

valve has nothing to do with ps3 port... as it's a work of some mysterious
team inside EA :)
so what is the point in saying that they should stick to PC gaming ?
actually they should unstick and make ps3 port themselfs...

[Jay Gee]

I'm not paying $60 for just Portal. FUCK that.

[masteratt]

valve has nothing to do with ps3 port... as it's a work of some mysterious
team inside EA
so what is the point in saying that they should stick to PC gaming ?
actually they should unstick and make ps3 port themselfs...
Yeah but as a game under the licence of Valve, I don't think they are like
"hey EA, port this game for us, cheers mate" *they sit back and do nothing*

Valve is obviously involved.
And X360 port was fu*ked as well.

I used to respect Valve but this was clearly money whoring.
Shame.
They lost a few points, they wouldn't have if they bothered doing a great job with the ports, but nah.

[AC!D]

Just wonderful :(

[julps31]

EA needs to get on there P's and Q's or just stop porting games if they aren't gonna be worth playing (depending on how bad it plays in general). Not underminding the dev's hard work but it definantly gets old when port after port is below par.

[Segitz]

Hm,

it's news for me, that the 360 version runs bad, but... I don't read about the OB very much.

What I found ridiculous, that there was no non-"these-morons-buy-HL2-and-EP1-twice" pack... (And then disabling legally imported versions for Asia! This is I think too a rather embarrassing moment for Valve... Their own statement was "play on ANY computer ANYWHERE")

[masteratt]

Yeah sorry I should make clear that only TF2 online runs bad on X360 Orange Box.

The rest I heard no complaint about.

[VideoGame mania]

More like EA bends over with a kick in the ass. They wasted money on game development, not PS3 owners.

[masteratt]

Yeah but it's still going to sell.

[Sephiroth_VII]

Fuck you, EA, I just wanted to buy this for my PS3. I never played HL2, so this was my opportunity :(

[VideoGame mania]

No it wont, if Lair bombed due to the internet, The Orange box will also.
Hm,

it's news for me, that the 360 version runs bad, but... I don't read about the OB very much.
Yes it does have some minor framerate issues during Strider fights. So much for the Cell architecture, Valve couldn't even port same game from PC to Xbox/X360 2 times.

[masteratt]

lol then we have the problem that it sold great on X360 and PC and sold horribly on PS3 and then PS3 gets less dev support :p

[OmniCloud]

this is one of those critically acclaimed games that I now will probably never play...

ah well;)

Good thread..

[VideoGame mania]

lol then we have the problem that it sold great on X360 and PC and sold horribly on PS3 and then PS3 gets less dev support :p
Like they were supporting the PS3 in the first place :tardbang:
bitching, delays, inferior ports. who needs this support ?
I would have bought this game twice, just to add to HL1 on PS2 which I believe runs at 60fps.

[bilbobob007]

The lesson here is just dont pay out the money. Spend it on something that has obviously been well crafted. And you like of course. I for one will not be taking one up the ass for Gabe Newell.

And while were on the subject, didnt e.a go on about just recently, the world should have just one console/p.c type machine not all the different ones out now with there different architectures? Maybe screwing over the ps3 is there way to get rid of one? hope that makes sense its getting late over here.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Well that's lame. I'm just gonna have to ham it up with Unreal tournament 3.

[bilbobob007]

Your right Lali, just think all those mods to come too. Guess UT3 is like garlic bread, "its the future". (Sorry to all those dudes who don't know who Peter Kay is).

[Hisham]

If you expected any more from a port by EA, then you need to be smacked.

[bilbobob007]

Your right i need to be smacked. I'm a very naughty boy and i should be punished. Hang on i have been i bought F.E.A.R for PS3. Dont think that was e.a tho. SHIT!

[TrueVCU]

Fuck you, EA, I just wanted to buy this for my PS3. I never played HL2, so this was my opportunity :(

Same here. And I probably won't possess a PC capable of running any aspect of the orange box for several years ><

[GTAce]

"Fuck you EA" pretty much sums it up for me.
I was expecting this but had some hopes that they might surprise me...
Sad wanted to play it, was really looking forward to TS2 and Portal as an extra, wanted to know why all people hype HL2 so extreme etc.

[TrueVCU]

Fuck you, EA, I just wanted to buy this for my PS3. I never played HL2, so this was my opportunity :(

Same here. And I probably won't possess a PC capable of running any aspect of the orange box for several years ><

[GTAce]

Wow nice a double post with another post between. :laugh:

[D3adcell]

I remember gabe newell saying a while back how consoles are just getting more complicated to develop for and they aren't making things any easier on developers and shit. So he is probably just used to the PC and didn't give a fuck to care about the 360 or PS3 architecture.

[woundingchaney]

I have a HL2 and Episode 1 gifts to give away through Steam. Anyone that wants them please give me their Steam info via PM and you can have these. They were purchased through the Orange Box package but I already have them.
I have been trying to give these away for months now.

[Fillibuster]

Same here. And I probably won't possess a PC capable of running any aspect of the orange box for several years ><

What kind of set up do you have? My rig is over a year and a half old and it runs them perfectly with high effects (HL2 and Epi 1 are all I have). You might be surprised what the games will run on...

[masteratt]

I thought that too until I found out gmes hide the settings that it knows your PC can't handle.

I thought I was running TF2 at full (High Textures) and then discovered there was VERY HIGH texture detail lol but I can't pick it :(



Easiest way is to go here (http://www.canirunit.com) and check if the recommended meets, if it does you can run it full.

[Nameless]

It really sucks the PS3 version could be gimped and not run properly when released... I really enjoyed the HL2 series and would highly recommend gamers experience the story and characters. Since the game has not been released there's still hope, but I'm doubtful they will get it right. :(

Even if you don't like FPS titles I would suggest you experience HL2, because the game has some of the best characters in gaming history IMO. If you liked Bioshock you will love HL2 period...

[gibmonster]

I don't see why people were looking forward to this in the first place. Valve's bitching, EA handling the port of all devs...Yet merely weeks away we have UT3 that is going to kick all sorts of arse. Plus it's a 4 year old game. any cheap pc will do these days.

[JasonXe]

or you can buy a 360 :-)

[solidsnakejej]

I was hoping this would be a good port but Looks like it ain't happening and the only reason I had hope was because the rumor that some of the criterion devs were working on it. Hopefully I can get a new computer next year to play it.

[LiquidEagle]

Fuck you, EA, I just wanted to buy this for my PS3. I never played HL2, so this was my opportunity :(

Yup, same here. Fuck! I'm sad now :(

[gibmonster]

or you can buy a 360 :-)

And have it RROD on me? No thanks.

Off topic. But with it's failure rate and games that aren't really different from each other, not to mention having to pay for the most BASIC of internet gaming, it's so not worth it in my opinion. One is financially better off with a PS3 and/or a Wii. Also, I believe MS has a very boring and narrow view of what gaming is.

There was a 360 add campaign in australia a few months back stating "more destinations for less" And me and my older brother thought that it would be great if all these destinations weren't in the same post code featuring the same gruff military/space marine persona with a look like he has his friends stick up his arse 24/7 door-to-door. and if the bus symbolising the 360 didn't crap itself trying to get out of one street trying to get to these destinations.

I have a very old PC that does a more than adequate job of playing these games on full settings and such hardware is cheap these days. Whether you would wish to purchase said hardware to play such an old game is another thing. And I wouldn't put that past someone if they didn't want to.

I figure a lot of people would prefer a PS3 to play UT3 cheaply(It surely beats putting down 2000-3000 on PC upgades), early and online without the hassle of bullshit subscriptions.

On Topic. Fuck EA those talentless ass clowns. They only sometimes publish good games but the stuff they develop in house is shit. I feel sorry for the folks looking forward to this because there's no excuse for having a game this old run this horribly. And they have had plenty of time to make sure it runs at a point where it is playable. Newall should just stick with PCs. I've always thought this was some poor attempt to milk his franchise further, and his constant bitching is just an excuse to distant his fat slothful self from a shitty port...and as a result, even shittier sales.

[jaxmkii]

I remember gabe newell saying a while back how consoles are just getting more complicated to develop for and they aren't making things any easier on developers and shit. So he is probably just used to the PC and didn't give a fuck to care about the 360 or PS3 architecture.

throw Gabe in the same pile of technophobes as John carmack.

"we fear change"

[dnpmakkah]

So can we call EA lazy? Becuase we know they have the resources....

[Segitz]

...

[\m/]

I was planning on getting this on the PS3. I had HL2 on the Xbox, but I wanted to check out the other games. Just how bad is it?

[Leedogg]

thats a shame, I was going to get it at Christmas, but not anymore

[Segitz]

...

[jaxmkii]

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r246/jaxmkii/cj_26216.jpg and EA games

[cliffbo]

don't hate EA, just don't buy their games... the PS3 will catch up in sales of the 360 mid 2008 and then they will be stuck with a narrow market forcing them to cater for the PS3 or risk profit loss

[VG Aficionado]

I was planning on getting this on the PS3. I had HL2 on the Xbox, but I wanted to check out the other games. Just how bad is it?Better wait until we get more impressions from sites other than 1crap which are surely making things seem somewhat worse than they are, although don't be too optimistic about it.

[JasonXe]

Going to be a current trend this generation with EA & PS3. Don't except it to change anytime soon.

[frosty]

It's sad that they couldn't get a Direct X 8 level game that my old geforce 5200 and a 3 ghz single core cpu handled with ease to run on a ps3, pathetic.

[curryking1]

^So true.

My X1900 GT and Pentium D can handle this game no problem, with AA and AF up the whazoo. I'm quite sure the Cell (even used poorly) and the RSX (which is better than my X1900) can whoop the crap out of my PC.

Case in point, even GRAW2, which isn't remotely tuned for the PS3, runs miles better than it could ever imagine to on my PC.

[qzak]

OK, nobody said it, so I will:

Game of the year.

GOTY!!!!!

[VG Aficionado]

Not on PS3, I'm afraid. PS3's GOTY is Uncharted.

^So true.

My X1900 GT and Pentium D can handle this game no problem, with AA and AF up the whazoo. I'm quite sure the Cell (even used poorly) and the RSX (which is better than my X1900) can whoop the crap out of my PC.

Case in point, even GRAW2, which isn't remotely tuned for the PS3, runs miles better than it could ever imagine to on my PC.

Yeah, although HL2 at this point is a 2004 game with an updated engine to add HDR and whatnot. The PS3 version probably runs at max settings or something similar at 720p, but it looks like they didn't have enough time to get it right.

[Segitz]

It's sad that they couldn't get a Direct X 8 level game that my old geforce 5200 and a 3 ghz single core cpu handled with ease to run on a ps3, pathetic.

Or that my "high level rig" does in 1680x1050 with 6xFSAA. 16xAA with all details on max with 200+fps (not always but sometimes^^)

Tbh, if it really comes out broken, then EA really deserves NO remorse anymore. I mean, come on. They announced it when? It surely was more than half a year ago. And then look at the RSX... It is a mixture between 7600 and 7800 Nvidia cards and they cannot get it to run fluidly? Half Life 2 isn't even the most CPU dependant game there is. I mean, It came out in 2004 and the middle to low end CPUS then where about 2Ghz and ran the game ok. And 512 MB RAM are also more than enough for it.

I really don't know where EA got such a buggy port from (HL2 was also ported to the Xbox iirc and it ran ok!)

[OG_Monkey]

I knew Moore moving to EA meant bad news

[curryking1]

If Moore had anything to do with it, that's just a flat out violation of business ethics and some of the worst ones as well.

But I see no reason to include that in the equation and assume he did have anything to do with it.

[VG Aficionado]

I really don't know where EA got such a buggy port from (HL2 was also ported to the Xbox iirc and it ran ok!)The downgrade was very apparent though.

[masteratt]

Unless EA Sports is making Orange Box, Moore had nothing to do with it.

[Segitz]

The downgrade was very apparent though.

Yes of course, 64MB of UMA RAM compared to a 512MB RAM and 64MB GPU RAM just makes this necessary.

But according to Metacritic, it still was a passable port. Got an aggragated score of 90!

[KRA]

Going to be a current trend this generation with EA & PS3. Don't except it to change anytime soon.

i don't think so...
when devs are making game on ps3 mainly in mind and then port it. it looks much better.
just wait for burnout. and yeah criterion. they are the only thing that i am interested in EA anyway.

[OG_Monkey]

If Moore had anything to do with it, that's just a flat out violation of business ethics and some of the worst ones as well.

But I see no reason to include that in the equation and assume he did have anything to do with it.

Unless EA Sports is making Orange Box, Moore had nothing to do with it.

come on now...

If it were me, id sure as hell be fucking up PS3 ports, now you know damn well, even .1%, Moore tried to do something and MAYBE its cus EA is like, so 360ish now.

[masteratt]

Moore is a businessman and right now his business is EA Sports.

You guys are digging too deep into the bullshit hole if you think he had anything to do with it.


Moore: Hi I work at EA Sports and have no power what so ever in what EA does but I say let's mess up the PS3 port and lose fans because I like X360.

EA: Okay! lol

[Red_Eyes]

Moore is a businessman and right now his business is EA Sports.

You guys are digging too deep into the bullshit hole if you think he had anything to do with it.


Moore: Hi I work at EA Sports and have no power what so ever in what EA does but I say let's mess up the PS3 port and lose fans because I like X360.

EA: Okay! lolBehind the scene, Microsoft hands him a hug sum of money.
Microsoft: Good boy.

[Red_Eyes]

But if that's EA's attitude (crappy port attitude), then fuck EA. I rather have no support from EA than a crappy port.

[masteratt]

Behind the scene, Microsoft hands him a hug sum of money.
Microsoft: Good boy.
OMG actually he stills works for Sega and is sent to sabotage both Microsoft and Sony!!

It all makes sense!
First he works at X360 at fucks it up with RROD costimg them billions then moves to EA where he fucks Sony by crappy ports!!! =-o=-o=-o

Sega is ag genisu!!!

[LiquidEagle]

OMG actually he stills works for Sega and is sent to sabotage both Microsoft and Sony!!

It all makes sense!
First he works at X360 at fucks it up with RROD costimg them billions then moves to EA where he fucks Sony by crappy ports!!! =-o=-o=-o

Sega is ag genisu!!!

:lol: I gotta wait before I can rep you again

[curryking1]

OMG actually he stills works for Sega and is sent to sabotage both Microsoft and Sony!!

It all makes sense!
First he works at X360 at fucks it up with RROD costimg them billions then moves to EA where he fucks Sony by crappy ports!!! =-o=-o=-o

Sega is ag genisu!!!

Right on! :thumbl:

[VG Aficionado]

:lol:

[JasonXe]

you forgot, he then fucks up EA for not having developer support for the dreamcast.

[curryking1]

But you forgot EA gives him the most money, so he doesn't do that :)

Until he ends up at Nintendo, then he just ***ks everyone up. That crazy man Miyamoto just swims in hundred dollar bills.

[bilbobob007]

Going to be a current trend this generation with EA & PS3. Don't except it to change anytime soon.

Yes it will change. If e.a smell money to be made.

[VideoGame mania]

Before you freak, know that in my time playing The Orange Box on PS3, I only encountered a few truly troubling framerate issues. For the bulk of my playtime, the pieces of The Orange Box run fine. Sure, there's more hitching than on 360, but I was still drawn in to the dense world Valve created. The technical issues aren't going to be enough to deter anyone who wants to enjoy Orange Box on PS3. Unless you require your games to never dip below 30fps, you should not strike The Orange Box off your PS3 holiday wish list.
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/837/837808p1.html
Hmm, there is still a ray of bright light left shining through 1UP's FUD.

[Red_Eyes]

1UP seems very biase against the PS3.

But at least...
There is an upside. The PS3 version of Half-Life 2 and Episode One have a few extra lighting and texture touches that make some areas look better than on 360. There's also a handy quicksave feature. Hold down the start button in any of the five games to quicksave without having to go to a menu. It comes in handy, especially if you man up and play on the hard difficulty in the Half-Life games.

[LiquidEagle]

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/837/837808p1.html
Hmm, there is still a ray of bright light left shining through 1UP's FUD.

Or maybe that ray of bright light is EA pulling some strings... maybe they just want a "fair shake" (aka, positive word) on a preview, or something like that too.

I have a ridiculously hard time believing anything videogame media says these days unless I see it for myself... I'll check out a used copy from my store and consider a purchase, but this has most definitely moved off of my "buy" list...

[VG Aficionado]

So, now there's something about the PS3 version actually better than on the other versions? Hmmm...

By the way, shouldn't the console versions still be in development until Episode 3 is released? As they continue working on the engine, wouldn't that mean they could eventually release a patch that might solve some framerate issues?

[seahorse]

i think the moral of the story here is "get it on pc."

[masteratt]

By the way, shouldn't the console versions still be in development until Episode 3 is released? As they continue working on the engine, wouldn't that mean they could eventually release a patch that might solve some framerate issues?
By that logic, they should still be working on HL1 since the engine keeps getting improved, they can make HL1 look better :crazy: lol

They'll make it GOLD, ship it, the end.

[curryking1]

i think the moral of the story here is "get it on pc."

Exactly.

[Segitz]

I just watched the vids posted by IGN of OB PS3...

I did not notice ANY slowdowns at all and the graphics where "normal" for the source engine (i.e. no downgrades as far as I could tell).

[VG Aficionado]

You know, I really don't think it's as bad as 1crap makes it seem like.

[Sephiroth_VII]

We were stupid to listen to 1UP again...

Guess it's back on the list.

[masteratt]

I apologise guys. Bullshit filter added to the first post.

EVERYONE PRE-ORDER FOR PS3!
GO GO GO!!!!!!

Not me though, I already got it on PC and it runs mighty fun.
Looks nice too and they brought up a new Stats thing where your friends can check at which bits of the map you died and which weapons you used etc.

Which reminds me and I know it's off topic but Steam Community features > Xbox Live to be honest.
And it's free.

[Red_Eyes]

When will you guys learn to stop listening to 1UP?

[LiquidEagle]

Masteratt, don't you ever compliment Steam! It's just one of those things you don't do. :-p

Red_Eyes, to 1UP's credit (I hate myself for saying that already), they did call out Assassin's Creed for what it was, so that gave them a sliver of something resembling credibility, right? /shrug

[masteratt]

Masteratt, don't you ever compliment Steam! It's just one of those things you don't do.
lol why not? I really like Steam :)
*gets struck by lighting*

Oh.....

[VG Aficionado]

Wait... Orange Box is Cool on PS3? (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8127&Itemid=9)
By Kris Graft

BLOG - Following one particularly negative preview, other consumer sites are saying EA UK's PS3 port of The Orange Box is A-OK.

Recently, Next-Gen ran a blog entry that referenced a 1Up preview of The Orange Box that was pretty dire: "… It's apparent that this version suffers from a number of technical flaws, which at best merely hinder game play and at worst make the experience downright unplayable".

“Framerate is a consistent issue throughout the Half-Life series of games included in The Orange Box."

Now in more recent previews, IGN and GameSpy are saying not to get all bent out of shape.

From IGN's article [via Kotaku]: "I have both good and bad news for PS3 owners. The Orange Box is still a fantastic collection and runs well for the most part, but there are some technical issues that put it behind the 360 version.

"Before you freak, know that in my time playing The Orange Box on PS3, I only encountered a few truly troubling framerate issues. For the bulk of my playtime, the pieces of The Orange Box run fine. Sure, there's more hitching than on 360, but I was still drawn in to the dense world Valve created. The technical issues aren't going to be enough to deter anyone who wants to enjoy Orange Box on PS3. Unless you require your games to never dip below 30fps, you should not strike The Orange Box off your PS3 holiday wish list."

GameSpy said that it had the final PS3 code in hand: "Our initial encounter with Half-Life 2 was quite good. In regard to performance alongside the 360 version, we'd say that our first hour with the game was velvety smooth, and there's nothing about Half-Life 2 on PS3 that is diminished from what you'll get on 360. The same can be said for Episode One.

"However, drops in framerates did begin occurring in Episode Two. "Perhaps they don't rival a slideshow, but they're noticeable... On the other hand, we're not sure if it's something that's going to matter to gamers who aren't fairly hardcore."

So PS3 users shouldn't have to worry too much about The Orange Box being "unplayable," at least according to these reviews. Which is good. It's a great freakin' package.So, couple this with the quick save feature and somewhat better looking spots in the PS3 version and it might actually be more than a decent port in the end. Shame on 1crap once again.

Can a mod edit the thread title? The Orange Box might not be so bad on PS3 after all.

[Jay Gee]

Yeah, something like "Bend Over...What? It's only a prostate exam." (Orange Box for the PS3 not as bad as we thought).

[AC!D]

It seams the problems are only with episode 2 and hopefully minor at best.

[seahorse]

fucking 1up.

[PSXBatou]

I mean should we be surprised? Doesn't EA say "bend over" when they produce any game? EA used to make great games (I think), but now most all of the EA games I have played or bought have been crap. I have gone out on a limb buying a game I thought would be ok since it had great reviews or whatnot, but it always comes down to the same thing.. EA sucks, takes no time to proficiently QA any game, and cares about nothing more than sucking every last dollar out of your pocket by producing bug filled games that might be interesting until the bugs and lack of QA make it annoying to play.

</Rant>

[CreativeWriter]

And they're just sitting on the LOTR license, waiting for The Hobbit to be made...

[Sephiroth_VII]

A little sad about Episode 2, but I guess this is acceptable. Now I'm just waiting for the gametrailers video review before i make my decision.

[LiquidEagle]

hmmm... more misinformation flooding the 'net, surprise surprise :laugh:

[VG Aficionado]

Can a mod edit the thread title? The Orange Box might not be so bad on PS3 after all.

Where are the mods when you need them? :(

[Viper]

That better?

[VG Aficionado]

Thank you :cowboy:

[LaLiLuLeLo]

ok so what's the release date?

[VG Aficionado]

December something.

[TrueVCU]

I want to say 12

[PSXBatou]

I'm glad that 1up just fucked up their review, but my rant about EA still stands imo.

[julps31]

I feel so used... :ohno: Last time I'll trust 1up. :duh:

[Fazares]

haha...peter moore...i knew u were that loyal....of course...people never understood ur true intentions.....

[cliffbo]

there was an article recently in which EA were complaining that they make less money on the PS3... HELLOOOOO! less machines, bad ports!

[Segitz]

there was an article recently in which EA were complaining that they make less money on the PS3... HELLOOOOO! less machines, bad ports!

Who would've thought?

I mean, come on! Their ports are ugly, run bad and often don't offer all options the 360 version does...

AND, seeing as PES sells rather well, despite bugs, I can't fathom why EA complains! And then there's the web, were everybody complaisn about the bad PS3 ports, even if they don't have one (seen it often enough). That's just bad publicity for Sony, although it is not in the least their fault.

Are the comparative numbers for EA games being sold last year for the 360 to compare to todays numbers? (not entierly comparable, as although the sales all in all are the same, but the distribution is different... PS3 has less sales in US, but more in Japan etc...)

[Smokey]

so my fellows Good ,bad or Ugly??

[Leedogg]

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/840/840505p3.html

the score is 8.4, it doesn't exactily run as good as the 360 version


Unfortunately, our complaints don't stop there. The remainder of our criticisms are to blame for the discrepancy in scores between the PlayStation 3 version of the game and the 360 version (the PS3 version, after all, wasn't handled entirely by Valve). The PlayStation 3 Orange Box performs far worse, and this fact just isn't up for debate. While framerate issues aren't as problematic in Half-Life 2 and Episode One, Episode Two suffers a great deal, especially during the episode's larger battles. We regret to say that some sections border on being unplayable because of the stutters, which often cause your aim to be thrown off and timing shots to be very difficult. The problem isn't persistent throughout, but when it hits, it hits hard.

More troubling still is the difference in load times. Almost all the PS3 load times are at least five seconds more than the 360, but loading a saved game/loading after death is particularly awful. These clock in at about two to three times as long as the 360 version, which slows down the gameplay considerably. Even though the PS3 Orange Box sports a quicksave feature, any benefit of this option is lost considering the overall abundance of loading.

Even in Portal, a short title that often requires a little trial and error, this problem is massive. The 360 version takes about three seconds to load your last checkpoint if you die. The PS3 version takes seventeen. It hurts.

We must also mention that during all of our Team Fortress 2 play sessions, there was a very startling delay when using explosive weapons like the Soldier's rocket launcher or the Demoman's grenade launcher. When you pull the trigger to fire, there's a very brief but noticeable delay between the recoil of the weapon and the actual delivery of the explosive. This can seriously screw up your timing when trying to lead a rocket shot, or similar attacks.

Furthermore, a few of our play sessions were laden with so much lag that they became completely unplayable. We were told that this was the result of a European server being used accidentally, as opposed to a US one which will be up and running when the retail version hits shelves, but be weary that this problem may pop up again.

Less dire but perhaps more puzzling is the difference in color throughout the games. While this may just be a result of using our particular monitors, the PS3 version seems darker than its 360 counterpart. The difference is slight and, again, could be an isolated incident, but it's worth noting nonetheless.

So is the PS3 Orange Box still good? Of course -- considering the content alone -- but these issues, especially in Episode Two, drastically hurt the gameplay. If you can tolerate these problems and work around them, we still recommend picking up a copy -- the overall experience is enjoyable. It's just sad to see such a wonderful game hurt so badly by the porting process.


I wonder why it takes so long to load the saved data?

[VG Aficionado]

It looks like the EA team didn't manage to optimize the loading times at all and probably didn't have nearly enough time to make the framerate in Episode 2 be solid enough. They should have delayed the PS3 version but probably wanted it out before Xmas. Well, I guess I'll end up playing the PC version later on.

[Jay Gee]

Yup, yup. Screw that shit. I'm not paying $60 for an inferior product. EA can suck my left nut.

[Sephiroth_VII]

I guess 1up was right. Fuck...

[VG Aficionado]

Not that they were completely wrong, but they made it seem it's worse than it really is.

[cliffbo]

Peter Moore moves to EA, an EA exec moves to MS, and people wonder why the port situation hasn't improved! come on people... don't call conspiracy theory on this, think future deals between MS and EA

[XboxEvolved]

Well Valve afterall did the PC and 360 versions themselves, but there are tools made by Microsoft that make porting between the two incredibly easy. I have played all of The Orange Box on 360, and every so often I have a tiny problem with framerate, and the fucking game loads a lot in HL2 and Episode 1, although they dont really take -to much- from the experience.

Also Peter Moore moving to EA would have nothing to do with it, maybe in the sports side, which yeah 360 did get Madden first this year, but it would have nothing to do with Valve games, which actually EA only distributes and isn't even officially a Valve publisher. That does suck though. I thought I had it bad with load times..also yeah if anyone wants to know about what EA thinks about PS3..go to my Tiger Woods article from back in August and their are parts of it missing that they "nicely" asked me to take out which were the developers at Tiburon's thoughts on developing for PS3...

[AC!D]

Tiburon the team that made the superman game?
Funny cant seam to care what they say for some reason.

Seams to me the only good games EA publish are the ones they dont develop themselves.
Army of two was previewd on CVG and the previewer literally called the game a pile of shit.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=177011

My personal game of the year tied with Uncharted is Mass Effect and imagine my disgust to know that the future of this trilogy is in the hands of EA!

[seahorse]

Army of two was previewd on CVG and the previewer literally called the game a pile of shit.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=177011


woah, haha.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

You like two player co-op? well Army of Two is right up your alley.

More like up your ass!

[Sephiroth_VII]

I just couldn't stop giggling while reading the last passage:



As it stands, Army of Two is a juvenile swear-fest with clumsy controls, a story apparently penned by a seven year old who hates them ay-rabs, laughable level design that tosses you into a cut-scene every thirty seconds, sub Perfect Dark Zero graphics and the two least likable characters in gaming history. We'd rather play as a Bubsy the Bobcat/Raiden from Metal Gear Solid tag-team than these two douchebags. The delay is a stay of execution. It has four months to get even vaguely good. Hope for a miracle.

[GTAce]

Sweet! :laugh:

[bilbobob007]

Do you know i dont think they liked it, do you.........em I wonder!

[Jay Gee]

Army of two was previewd on CVG and the previewer literally called the game a pile of shit.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=177011


RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPE!

[masteratt]

Nice read, kudos to CVG for standing up to what sounds like crap.

The most embarrassing bit for the game is how they portray the enemy.

[VG Aficionado]

LOL, way to go CVG!

[julps31]

Lol @ sub Perfect dark graphics lol. Game must be hideous lol. And the vids i've seen must be better then seeing it (or playing for that matter) in person.

[curryking1]

Tiburon the team that made the superman game?
Funny cant seam to care what they say for some reason.

Seams to me the only good games EA publish are the ones they dont develop themselves.
Army of two was previewd on CVG and the previewer literally called the game a pile of shit.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=177011

My personal game of the year tied with Uncharted is Mass Effect and imagine my disgust to know that the future of this trilogy is in the hands of EA!

It always good when a game that's truly terrible gets exactly what it deserves. Take that stupid game! :P

[masteratt]

I'm tempted to register to CVG just to say "congrats, we need more like you in the industry!"

But then I figured if I make a post like this, someone else will do it. :p

[curryking1]

I hope no one does it and it makes you fail. Hardcore fail.

*secretly hopes lots of people go do it*

[masteratt]

C'mon curry, take the step!

You complain when bad media comes, praise it when a good one comes damn it!

[curryking1]

You do the same thing! God, how can someone be so dumb...

[masteratt]

But the registration takes 20 secondssssssssss.......:(


Hey curry, read the last comment biatch. pwned to maxorz. (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=715803#715803)

[jaxmkii]

But the registration takes 20 secondssssssssss.......:(


Hey curry, read the last comment biatch. pwned to maxorz. (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=715803#715803)

sweet! holyfuq your rep!...

*note to self begg maserat for a rep+*

[curryking1]

Wow, this is really stupid, now I want to register to make a snarky comment...

[masteratt]

We are definitely making a difference man, we are like some kinda revolutionists.

Jax, just to warn you, I don't take kindly to rep trading and you might see a red box instead of a green one.

[curryking1]

You liar, you probably run the ***king black market of rep rounding.... lol.

[masteratt]

Back on topic please.

[<3frosty]

Gabe Newell has been saying all the time we shouldn't bother with the PS3 :shrug:

I already have HL2 and Episode 1 on PC, so I don't think I would have bothered with the Orange Box on any platform. I guess I'll just get Episode 2 and Portal on PC later on.

If the sale is still going on, i got the entire Orange Box on PC for 25 bucks at Best Buy. That provides both Ep 2, Portal, AND TF2. And some game demo thingy as well. Probably a better deal then just simply buying Ep 2 and Portal down the line. I also believe you get a discount on Steam if you buy the Orange Box. Though, its probably still not as cheap as that 25 deal i got on Black Friday.

[XboxEvolved]

Well to EA's credit they deal with a lot of problems that can go along with being a massive company, the bigger the company the harder to manage. I have heard that many of the multiplatform games they have made this year are for the most part identical to the 360 counterparts, and having a few friends at EA, quite a few of them are confident that at least visually, PS3 counterparts will surpass 360, if only very little (like the comparisons between Xbox and PS2).

EA does make some good games, Tiger Woods is always a favorite of mine, skate. was a break out hit this year, and while their means of doing it is questionable, they have been sticking by their word of publishing more original non-licensed titles, only relying on previous license deals that they are contractually obligated to do.

Also, while at EA Burnaby, Blackbox, Redwood, Tiburon, etc, let me say that these people (the actual guys that work on the games) love to make games and are incredibly passionate about it, half the time when something out of their studios sucks its because EA management forces it to suck (if that makes sense).

When at Tiburon for example I was outside smoking and a bunch of EA Madden guys were out there, so I went up to them and suggested that in order to get Madden to the point where their target Madden Next-gen video from ESPN was at (if anyone but me remembers that) maybe they could skip a year, or hire more people in and split the work between teams. Every single guy there said that it was an idea that every person in EA pushes for, but management of EA says, "fuck you get back to work."

EA did this one other year with their NHL series, it got so shitty at one point, that they stopped for one year (well that also had to do with NHL lock-outs) and when they came back the game after it was fantastic. Also I think for every one good game EA makes, they publish five shitty games, and that really isn't all that bad in the gaming world compared to THQ, Activision, MS, SOny, Nintendo, etc, just EA publishes so many goddamn games (like every single sports title has at least seven versions of the same game) that it seems like they never make any good shit.

I'm not trying to stand up for them, I am just saying they are a big business, and the bigger the business the bigger the problems.

[GTAce]

and having a few friends at EA
With other words: None of your comments about EA are creditable or meaningful?

[Sephiroth_VII]

We are definitely making a difference man, we are like some kinda revolutionists.

Jax, just to warn you, I don't take kindly to rep trading and you might see a red box instead of a green one.

Hell, I'm joining in! (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=716455#716455)

[GTAce]

Me2.

[masteratt]

Excellent.
We are doing the least we can do! yay!

Next step would be to run a site and repor....zzzzzz.

[Sephiroth_VII]

Hell yeah! Let's name it after the forums and call it E-mp... Wait a sec...

[Fats]

I've been registered with CVG for years... Can I do my bit too?

[Sephiroth_VII]

Feel free ;)

[curryking1]

We're going to take over the world!!! XD

[Sephiroth_VII]

OMGxplosion!

Ok, enough, lol!

[GTAce]

w00t

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Well to EA's credit they deal with a lot of problems that can go along with being a massive company, the bigger the company the harder to manage. I have heard that many of the multiplatform games they have made this year are for the most part identical to the 360 counterparts, and having a few friends at EA, quite a few of them are confident that at least visually, PS3 counterparts will surpass 360, if only very little (like the comparisons between Xbox and PS2).

EA does make some good games, Tiger Woods is always a favorite of mine, skate. was a break out hit this year, and while their means of doing it is questionable, they have been sticking by their word of publishing more original non-licensed titles, only relying on previous license deals that they are contractually obligated to do.

Also, while at EA Burnaby, Blackbox, Redwood, Tiburon, etc, let me say that these people (the actual guys that work on the games) love to make games and are incredibly passionate about it, half the time when something out of their studios sucks its because EA management forces it to suck (if that makes sense).

When at Tiburon for example I was outside smoking and a bunch of EA Madden guys were out there, so I went up to them and suggested that in order to get Madden to the point where their target Madden Next-gen video from ESPN was at (if anyone but me remembers that) maybe they could skip a year, or hire more people in and split the work between teams. Every single guy there said that it was an idea that every person in EA pushes for, but management of EA says, "fuck you get back to work."

EA did this one other year with their NHL series, it got so shitty at one point, that they stopped for one year (well that also had to do with NHL lock-outs) and when they came back the game after it was fantastic. Also I think for every one good game EA makes, they publish five shitty games, and that really isn't all that bad in the gaming world compared to THQ, Activision, MS, SOny, Nintendo, etc, just EA publishes so many goddamn games (like every single sports title has at least seven versions of the same game) that it seems like they never make any good shit.

I'm not trying to stand up for them, I am just saying they are a big business, and the bigger the business the bigger the problems.

http://www.jamphat.com/rap/index_files/image003.jpg

[XboxEvolved]

With other words: None of your comments about EA are creditable or meaningful?
I dunno, I have a friend that works at McDonald's but I can't stand them, I'm always thinking Arby's...

also LaL I like that graph. Do you know if they make a shirt of the same thing?

Anyways here is a perfect example of EA and how they work, now I know a guy whom works at IW, was a artist on CoD4, had 2+ years to nail the game with the entire team, he graduated from college the same year as his buddy, same training etc, got a job at EA working on EA sports titles. Now both of them are constantly just dropped with the same crap in their respective settings, IW is always about war, EA is always about sports, the difference is, is at IW he has the time to reall get to know it and soak it in, in the 2+ yrs as opposed to the 9 months or less his friend does at EA, and his friend is no less talented, he just has less time to work on his craft, doesn't get to put in all the features he would like and the end product ends up being ass sometimes.

I guess it is kind of like say..take a hamburger, you go to mcdonalds, you know just enough about the product to do it in a tolerable fashion and you throw that bitch out fast, its basic, fills you up for 30 min and that is it. McDonald's because of the way it works though, and because it sticks with the same pattern becomes a huge corporation, then you look at your 5 star restaurant, say for whatever reason you ordered a hamburger there, the person making it took the time to find the ripe tomato that was perfect for the sandwich, the crisp fresh lettuce, the right kind of spices to blend with the angus top grade beef, etc, and because the time was spent, and pleasing a bunch of people that don't matter to the end consumer wasn't a factor, you end up with a much better product.

So yeah basically what I am saying is, is I am hungry and it's lunch time. ttyl guys

[AC!D]

Its all good and well what you say about your friends wanting to do great things but if it is because of management which i dont doubt for one minute or due to your friends being crappy devs EA is still EA and they are producing garbage. The two games you mentioned Tiger Woods is exactly the same every year. Let me tell you a story about skate. A local mag in SA called NAG
gave Skate a 90% and following issue gave the PS3 version a 30% and apologized as coming accross as PS3 haters ( Which they are not they gave Ratchet 87% Uncharted 100% for those wondering ) but were ashamed of the game EA put out for PS3 owners. Next your gonna tell me what about Rock Band right? Well most of the guitars seams to have problems on multiple versions of the game according to tons of reports i have read.

I had a big laugh when EA said we welcome ActivisionBlizzard like they could even compete with the quality of devs Ativisions had on their own just imagine with additions like Bizzare and Blizzard.