Head2Head

Wouldn’t you want some payback…

System Breakdown	Xbox 360 Stats	PlayStation 3 Stats
Resolutions:	Up to 1080p	Up to 720p
# of Discs:	Single	Single
HD Install:	Optional	None
Metacritic:
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Welcome back for another exciting Head2Head! This week we will be taking a look at Call of Juarez: The Cartel and determining which version is the one to buy. Things are pretty interesting this time around. Both versions have their pros and cons and the difference between the two is a noticeable one. Brace yourselves as we call Juarez under the lens and reveal nothing less than the truth!

Graphics: The visuals of of Call of Juarez look similar enough, but when you compare them side by side there are a few key differences. In some of the instances during the analysis it would appear that the 360 is using motion blurr in certain scenes. The PS3 version however has little to no motion blurr at all. At least that is how it would appear at first glance. As we delved deeper into the comparison it became evident that many of the details appeared to be slightly blurred on the 360 version while appearing quite sharp on the PS3. This would of course make two versions of the same game with motion blurr look more aggressive on the 360 by default due to the image being blurred to begin with. With that in mind, motion blurr as a whole (if any) can be chalked up as the same on both consoles. The general blurr of the 360 version however, well we all know how a little blurr can mess up the visuals of any game regardless of the initial intent of it.

Furthermore it would appear that many spots throughout the game are more detailed in general on the PS3 version as well. All blurryness aside, it is clear that the out door areas have more work put into the overall detail on the Sony side of things. It can be seen on most surfaces which include cracks in the street, dirt on the ground, and even how well the details pop on the side of the buildings. On the flip side the 360 does sport a VERY slight lead when it comes to anti aliasing. Both versions have jaggies, but the 360 version does have less overall. But when it comes down to it, the PS3 version looks more polished and just better overall.

Performance: On the performance side we see a totally different picture. Both games averaged around 28-29 FPS for the most part, but during the more hectic parts of the game it is evident that the PS3 version dips lower than its 360 counterpart by up to about 5 frames. For the most part the 360 version managed to stay around 29-30 FPS throughout, which results in an overall smoother feel to the game. In addition to the slight frame rate advantage, the 360 version had significantly less tearing. While the Juarez tore about 3.41 percent of the frames under analysis, the PS3 version torn horribly at nearly 25 percent. What good is a better visual when a forth of the frames are torn? The 360 wins this category hands down with a slightly more stable frame rate and significantly less tearing throughout.

Xbox 360 Frame Analysis	PlayStation 3 Frame Analysis
Clip 1 info: Length of clip: 5782 frames Average FPS of clip: 29.74 Percent of torn frames: 4.42	Clip 1 info: Length of clip: 5782 frames Average FPS of clip: 28.90 Percent of torn frames: 24.74
Clip 2 info: Length of clip: 3069 frames Average FPS of clip: 30.0 Percent of torn frames: 0.0	Clip 2 info: Length of clip: 3069 frames Average FPS of clip: 29.87 Percent of torn frames: 3.49
Clip 3 info: Length of clip: 3721 frames Average FPS of clip: 29.98 Percent of torn frames: 0.43	Clip 3 info: Length of clip: 3721 frames Average FPS of clip: 27.90 Percent of torn frames: 1.56
Clip 4 info: Length of clip: 1458 frames Average FPS of clip: 29.63 Percent of torn frames: 1.12	Clip 4 info: Length of clip: 1458 frames Average FPS of clip: 24.64 Percent of torn frames: 2.86
Global percent of torn frames: 3.41 Global average FPS: 29.85	Global percent of torn frames: 24.95 Global average FPS: 28.40

Loading: This category shows favor to one version over the other as well and will serve as the final factor in the H2H to break the current tie. The 360 version consistently loaded faster than the PS3 version in all test. Sometimes it was only a second, others it was as much as nine seconds. All in all the times averaged out to be about five seconds faster on the 360 in the end, sealing the deal in this category. Also note that the PS3 version did not have a mandatory install for this game. The results of this area can be found below.

PlayStation 3 Load Times	Xbox 360 Load Times
Sample 1: 41 Seconds	Sample 2: 34 Seconds
Sample 2: 39 seconds	Sample 2: 32 Seconds
Sample 3: 38 Seconds	Sample 3: 36 Seconds
Sample 4: 41 Seconds	Sample 4: 32 Seconds
Sample 5: 40 Seconds	Sample 5: 39 Seconds
Sample Average: 39.8 Seconds	Sample Average: 34.6 Seconds

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More Roll Overs, Conclusion, Technical Score, Videos and Staff Choice on Page 2.