Elder Scrolls IV - Oblivion (PS3)

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Thought I'd start a separate thread for the PS3 version as the other thread is a PC thread. Noted improvements according to the developer are no lag in play, improved graphics and significantly reduced load times. I haven't played this game on PC or 360, so I'm looking forward to giving this game a whirl.

FYI......Circuit City has the game for $49.99 all week. I'm going to get a price match at Best Buy to avoid the long drive to Circuit City.

[TroyF]

I'm curious about hte load times. I played Oblivion on both the PC and the 360 and never experienced any load times that were all that bothersome to me. I remember some pictures and text while things were loading, but nothing ever really that was an issue.

I think the PS3 version is going to have the expansion pack built into it where the PC and 360 people will have to D/L and purchase the new pack.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by TroyF

I'm curious about hte load times. I played Oblivion on both the PC and the 360 and never experienced any load times that were all that bothersome to me. I remember some pictures and text while things were loading, but nothing ever really that was an issue.

Here's the info on the changes regarding load times and graphics:

The PS3 version of Oblivion isn't a simple port of the game either, although players who have picked up the 360 version will be very familiar with the control scheme. For one thing, the PS3 version has been optimized to take advantage of the Cell processor and hardware that the system offers. As a result, the game runs a lot faster than the 360 build. Entering dungeons or buildings results in a load of 3-5 seconds, compared to the 7-10 seconds or longer for the 360 version of the game. Similarly, the amount of framerate drops or hitches that cropped up in the wilderness as you accessed a new area on the 360 have been substantially reduced on the PS3 version. Kiss the item duplication glitch goodbye.

Visual textures are much sharper in the PS3 version of the game.

The visual presentation of Oblivion has also been significantly enhanced. While it was a beautiful title on the 360, far off environmental details often displayed low resolution textures. This has been fixed with new shaders dedicated to rendering the foreground cleanly with sharper details, so rocky landscapes now have craggy appearances instead of smooth, non-distinct surfaces. While there is still a fair amount of pop-in that occurs (which can't be helped due to the size of the world), the draw distance is farther than the 360 version. As a result, screens from the PS3 version should approach those from high end PCs running Oblivion, which is an impressive feat.

[TroyF]

Strange. I'll have to plop in the 360 disc and compare it to the PC version again. I played through the game on both and noticed very little difference, in graphics, speed or load times. (and I have a high end PC)

[Izulde]

what all else does the PS3 version inlcude besides the Knights of the 9 add-on? I'm trying to decide if it's justified getting it since I own the 360 version already, especially since the consoles have gotten hosed on content and mods compared to the PC.

[Travis]

Gah, bad to wander into this thread. Was going to try and avoid getting this game and the inevitable time loss that will result in playing it solid from start to finish.

Screw it, holidays next week, I'll pick it up tomorrow.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Izulde

what all else does the PS3 version inlcude besides the Knights of the 9 add-on? I'm trying to decide if it's justified getting it since I own the 360 version already, especially since the consoles have gotten hosed on content and mods compared to the PC.

There's not really a lot that is added, especially since the 360 will eventually get the Knights of the Nine via download. I haven't ever played the game, so it's great for me, but I personally don't get the idea that people buy the same game with small upgrades. There's plenty of other new games on the PS3 that would probably be a better place to spend the money if you already have the 360 version IMO.

[KWhit]

Meh. Just get it for the PC.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by KWhit

Meh. Just get it for the PC.

Outside of strategy and sports sim games (which aren't graphics-intensive), I don't even bother with the PC as a gaming system. The constant battle to figure out if you can play a game on your current PC setup just got old. I'll honestly pay the extra $$$ to know that I can just pop it in and play it.

[KWhit]

YMMV of course, but about half the damn time I try to play an XBox game, I get the The Disc is Dirty or Damaged message. I have much more luck playing games on the PC (and love the greater availability of mods, updates, patches, etc).

[Travis]

Playing Oblivion on a 37" HDTV at 1080p vs a 17" laptop screen = PS3 wins for me. Been hearing all about the PC version for the last couple months from a friend of mine who has been playing it when he can and after enjoying Morrowind, yeah, looks like a decent time commitment will be made in the near future.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Travis

Playing Oblivion on a 37" HDTV at 1080p vs a 17" laptop screen = PS3 wins for me. Been hearing all about the PC version for the last couple months from a friend of mine who has been playing it when he can and after enjoying Morrowind, yeah, looks like a decent time commitment will be made in the near future.

There's a lot of TV's/monitors that size that have VGA or DVI/HDMI input, so there is some availability to play the game on a large scale like that, but the PS3 and Xbox 360 are obviously a little easier to have set up in the living room than a PC for most people.

[Aylmar]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

There's not really a lot that is added, especially since the 360 will eventually get the Knights of the Nine via download. I haven't ever played the game, so it's great for me, but I personally don't get the idea that people buy the same game with small upgrades. There's plenty of other new games on the PS3 that would probably be a better place to spend the money if you already have the 360 version IMO.

I thought you could download Knights of the Nine to the 360 already? I swear I saw it as a purchase option in the XBox Marketplace the other day...have to check when I get home tonight...

[Terps]

The Knights Of The Nine was released as downloadable content on XBOX Live in November.