January 28th, 2012
Posted in 
Head2Head
Welcome back for another exciting Head2Head! This week we shed some light on The Darkness II demo on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The full game is set to be released on February 7th. Have a look below to see which demo version looks best.
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Textures look better on 360. Played the Demo on PC, not much in terms of graphical settings but it did look nice on max.
They’re identical and the textures are the same too. What you saw was the usual darkness added to games by the 360 console itself. The PS3 doesn’t have that so it displays the colours as the developers wanted. You will see the same effect as on the PS3 on the PC.
All of the colors look like they’re being displayed properly on all platforms. Seems it’s the dynamic lighting that is making any noticeable differences in these shots. This game is definitely not a powerhouse in terms of graphics. On PC I had everything maxed with a comfortable 145-190 fps. I think people will only go by preconceived notions as to which is better. Take your pick.
They are very close match but then the game itself is very bright and cel shaded almost. 360 DOES have a texture advantage though- just see the last rollover and look at the brick walls. Obvious. Arguably PS3 may have lighting advantages. Generally its pretty close though.
@ASSASINVENICE
Err, no, the 360 doesn’t just automatically add darkness, what you’re referring to is that the PS3 by default doesn’t output the greatest color, contrast, or black levels. Once set, of course, the two are far more comparable in terms of just overall color, contrast, brightness, etc. Though to be fair, the 360 only defaults to that setting when connected to an HDTV, I believe.
Regardless, that’s entirely irrelevant as “adding darkness” doesn’t really effect texture detail like this, that’s not how it works, there’s no way adjusting brightness/blackness can raise texture resolutions since that’s really what happened, here. The game has ever so slightly higher resolution textures on the 360, or at least higher quality. Negligible at best, when playing the game on both systems I didn’t see a difference, myself, not until these comparison shots. From how it looks, only a few things are really detailed enough to have a detectable difference to begin with, such as the bricks, that guy’s suit, and the hand v_model. The game’s fairly ugly regardless of platform, though, the 360 just seems to be a teeny bit less ugly textures.
Haven’t played the PC demo, yet, though I have a feeling it suffered from console-to-PC porting, especially since the first title wasn’t on PC
Yet ANOTHER win for the SUPERIOR Xbox 360. Ya know, I keep waiting for da’ powwa’ uv da’ cell to arise and dominate like the Sony Defense Force members keep for telling??? ROFL
“Xbox 360 is the BEST console EVER made.” –John Carmack
In what way does the textures look better on 360?They both look the same
@Riseer
Wow. ANYONE, that’s not a member of the Sony Defense Force, can see that the textures are sharper and more clear on the SUPERIOR Xbox 360 (As is most often the case in these head to heads). This is where the RAM strapped over priced internet ready blu ray player’s texture problems come from, for those that know ANYTHING about texture loads and memory management.
“Xbox 360 is the BEST console EVER made.” –John Carmack
Visual a tie. The difference is small and probably not even noticable in motion. Demo was alright is guess nothing special.
Id say 360 has minor advantage, possibly with slight, and i do mean slight aa advantage, and some slightly crisper textures in places, although this is reversed in paces and some screenshots suffer from being middle of motion blur effect.
honestly, anyone give a shoot???? unless frame rate is hugely different, theres nothing worth wile in it
Wow, they both look nice.
I hope Borderlands 2 looks as good as these pics!
Looka far better on PS3. The colors look much more vibrant and the textures are clearly sharper.
$hitbox version looks too dark and the art style looks washed out in teh screenshots.
Looks like we have another winner for PS3 and all teh xbots claim that multiplatform games look better on their lame ass system
you…you are a troll…and im not saying it as an insult or something, i just it’s obvious you don’t really thing all the crap you say. you just laugh when people reply you.
im mean i don’t belive it…no one could hate that much something as a microwave, a bike, or a tv…oh, or a console(ps360)…not a normal person…and i think you are.
You just need love from someone since your parent dont love you, you dont have a girlfriend(you are ugly), don’t have real friend. Because of that you need to scream for attention…poor boy.
The Xbox 360 version looks slightly crisper, but the differences are hardly noticeable, really. All in all, this is a much better result than how the first game was. I’m not sure I like the new art direction, though…
By the way, here’s the analysis of the demo (in case someone is interested):
Epic win for the 360 as far as screenshots are concerned.
The performance will likely be similar though with maybe a slight advantage to the 360.
It would be funny if the ps3 won the opening h2h of the year though, i’m almost cheering for the underdog(ps3)to have a good multiplatform year lol.
honestly i dont understand where you see a epic win there
…(FacePalm)…
@Android
Well here’s yet ANOTHER win for the SUPERIOR Xbox 360. Better anti aliasing, better reflections, better textures. It’s another one in the already crowded win column for the SUPERIOR Xbox 360.
“Xbox 360 is the BEST console EVER made.” –John Carmack
the “differences” are so small only fanboys would nick pick about this. they both look great. some shots go to the 360 some go to the PS3. Unless this was comparing FPS and screen tearing then there would be a reason to say one is better than the other. Doesn’t matter what system you buy it for the damn game is going to be epic.
Yeah i think the game will be epic. cant wait.
As you said, small differences. Some looked better on ps3, some looked better on xbox 360. if i had to say which had better textures, i’d say the 360 was more consistent. but then, it’s hard to compare when some of the pics aren’t at the same time (like the one with the purple light, they weren’t captured at the same time).
It looks good on both systems but on the second page the rollover showing the building clearly looks much better on the 360 version. I guess we just need to wait for the performance analysis to determine a winner.
Some parts look better on PS3 (PS3 has the purple light source, 360 doesn’t) and others on 360 (seems to have much better AF and slightly sharper normal/bump maps in areas). I think the major difference is the AA solution, the PS3′s AA seems to blur the scene a little more which makes me think it’s perhaps FXAA where the 360 may be using MSAA or just a better, more accurate form of FXAA.
Also, performance-wise, they’re roughly the same but the 360 comes under heavy stress in more scenes than the PS3. Both maintain a solid 30FPS most of the time though.
360 looks sharper and with AA (or better). There is also a blur effect that is not implemented the same in both versions which is most apparent in pics one and three. That’s all I can tell.
Pretty hard to call. In the first pic it may seem the ps3 has bad AA, but it must have been captured at a bad moment, otherwise you would see that in every other pic.
Either way, graphics wise, Digital Extremes has done a great job.
Hopefully the performance is great as well for both consoles.
i got the 1st on ps3, so hopefully it stays the same.
i think that they should have bundled the 1st with the second for ps3, so adopters of the series could play the epic original.
From what I can see, they pretty much look identical. I mean who’s really going to go stand 2 inches from the TV just to see if the graphics are better. When you’re sitting 10+ feet away, you won’t tell the difference.
Welcome to LENS of truth. I’ll let you sit on that a while, otherwise gtfo.
Just stating my opinion. If you want to be a graphic whore then buy all means, be my guest.
they both look great….they look different though, but i cant really tell wich one looks better
PS3 wins again!!….:)
Another epic win for the 360. I feel sad for those PS3 owners for having to put up with those crappy ports.
that was funny justpaztik….really.
Almost too close to call. One for the full analysis…………..
Any PC gamers in here?
I’m still building my PC.
What I have so far:
CoolerMaster HAF 922 Gaming Case
Intel Core i7-2700K 3.50 GHz
Asetek 550LC Liquid CPU Cooling System
Corsair Vengeance 8 GB [4 GB X2] DDR3-1600
ASUS P8Z68-V LX — Lucid Virtu Technology Motherboard
1 TB HARD DRIVE — 32M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 – 2GB, or AMD Radeon HD 6770 – 1GB?
Which one is better?
I really have no idea what I’m looking at.
Easily the GTX 560. I’d get a better GPU than that if you can afford it and I’d change your RAM allocation to allow triple channel. Also I’d advise you to invest in an SSD for your OS.
For a gamer PC the CPU is top notch, and so is the memory, you can run Triple channel but it has almost no effect on games, there is one thing however, 560 or 6770? I mean that’s not exactly top notch gaming, if I built a gaming PC like yours I would definitely go for the HD 7970, it’s expensive yeah, but it’s also the fastest card available, and it would take better advantage of all your other parts.
If you’re looking at areas to save on, the CPU, every gamer who makes PC will tell you, if you’re just gaming the I5 2500K is the way to go, the main difference between the desktop I5 and I7 is Hyperthreading, which helps in multitasking, but not in gaming, and it’s still a Quad Core so you’ll have plenty of multitasking capabilities.
The Differences are minor at best.
Performance will be the deciding factor of this H2H.
pretty much a TIE ,some screenshots from the first page have slight better lighting and textures on ps3 while in the second page it’s the opposite,but in general the differences are hardly noticeable.
Isn’t it possible there will always be differences between consoles regardless, I don’t know what processes are used during ‘porting’ a game from one machine to another, but surely making them ABSOLUTELY identical isn’t actually possible?
More importantly, do these differences prove anything, other than proving gamers are a pretty sorry lot for comparing a games graphics.
It’s only possible if you’re Criterion or Visceral Games. lol
360 Wins here, but not by much.
Played the demo and it’s great.
either one version has awful ghosting or these screenshots are terrible for comparison. a tie until we get the full
Huge difference that ps3/xbox360 logo on the rollovers… Big deal!
Am I the only one seeing that the X360 has nearly no lighting nor shadows in the 3rd picture?
Probably a flashing light captured on during the ps3 version, captured off during the 360.
It’s happened before on LOT, confuses many a person.
I need to spend more time with both versions, but in the demo, I’m pretty sure I saw more jaggies on the PS3 version. I say this because on the 360 I noticed hardly any given the art style of the game. Also, the PS3 version did seem a bit more muted in the color department and softer in textures. Flames seemed to look more natural though, so idk. Overall I liked the 360 version better. Now we need a comparison for KOA: Reckoning!!!!
Wall of text:
I have always preferred PlayStation over the competition regardless of generation (PS2 > Xbox, PS3 > 360, etc.)
However, that doesn’t mean I don’t like Xbox/Xbox 360 – in fact, in my opinion, both of them do quite a few things better than their generational competition – I’ll leave it at that.
When it comes to multiplatform games, I must admit that it seems like the Xbox always has better graphics when comparing games developed in North America (Splinter Cell – Double Agent, F.E.A.R.). Multiplatform games developed in Japan however, again in terms of graphics, seem to be either identical on both platforms (DMC 4, RE 5), or better on the PS3 (Final Fantasy XIII). That’s just my opinion – although there is the rare exception when a Japanese game still looks better on the 360 (Sonic 4).
Overall, even though I’ve spending more time playing on my PS3 than my 360, I cannot pick a side because they both have a lot to offer in terms of unique features. There are many pros and cons to both systems as well when comparing them.
When it comes to comparing The Darkness II Demo – I would say that – in terms of graphics – the 360 BARELY edges out the PS3. To myself, the textures appear ever so slightly sharper. One would have to look very closely at both platforms to even notice a difference. In some shots, the PS3 appears to do – again – an ever so slightly better job of rendering lighting effects.
If you own both systems and are wondering which platform to choose when it comes to multiplatform games – I’m basically repeating what I wrote above but, I would stick to the 360 if the game is developed by a North American or European studio. If the game is developed by an Asian studio, choose the PS3 version. There are rare exceptions to this (again for example, Sonic 4). Since The Darkness II is developed by Digital Extremes – which is based in London, Ontario, Canada – and judging by the screenshots, I’d grab the 360 version.
It been a long hard eat.
hi,ps3 = peice of shit 3,and thats the bottom line,guess what blu ray doesnt make the graphics,it just holds more data,thats it,the cell sucks ,plus the gpu in the xbox 360,is a much SUPERIOR graphic card.another thing i hear,is blur effect,yeah right,its the only way,the ps3 can hide the jaggies,and the bad graphics,they have.
Explain how the exclusive PS3 games have much better graphics than anything on the 360? If the PS3 is so weak compared to the 360 then why can’t the 360 have amazing graphics like Uncharted and killzone? Everybody who’s not a fanboy knows that the reason the PS3 falls behind in multi platform games is because of the developers not taking the time to optimize there engine for the PS3.
hi,i had 3 ps3,but i sold them all,because it sucked.i found most games looked way better on the 360.i played uncharted,not that great,my opinon.i played killzone,it wasnt bad,but compared to call of duty,forget killzone,haha.you talk about exclusives,ps3,i dont care,they all suck.naughty dog,whats that,if they worked on the best console,maybe they would say,john carmack is right,xbox 360 is the better system.i thought the ps3 was the best blu ray,NOT even.why do you think i bought a stand alone blu ray player.best shooter this year,well it wasnt uncharted 3 the movie,lol,it was gears of war 3,well what do you say now,best game this year,skyrim,and guess what,it looks better on 360,haha.i tried ps3 online,and it blows,compared to xbox live,what,what.what do you have to say now.one other thing,that stupid ps3 joystick,i really hate it,it feels like im gonna break it,so cheap,so small,maybe good for little boys like you,lol.cheap plastic,if you know what i mean.
How can you say Uncharted 3 is a bad game? The game was amazing and my game of the year. Skyrim is loaded with problems on every platform and did not deserve game of the year. You talk about call of duty being better than Killzone and then say I’m a little boy? The controller on PS3 is fine, I switch between the 360 and PS3 controller all the time because unlike you i own both consoles and a gaming PC. I don’t believe you have ever owned a PS3 or played any of it’s exclusive games. Lens of truth is for people who own both consoles, If you don’t own both consoles GTFO..
hi,i had 3 ps3s nerd,i got ride of them,because it sucked,as a gaming console,my opinion xbox 360 is a better system.live is much better,graphic wise,xbox 360 all the way,ok.uncharted 3 was ok,thats it,i dont like the ps3 exclusives,they arent that great,over rated,ok.and like i said the joystick is weak,lol.xbox 360 games out sell ps3 ,by alot,i know ,ive seen the numbers.black ops sold 12 million,while ps3 sold 3.269 million,killzone 2 sold ,2 million,what a joke.the numbers tell you.your uncharted 3 sold 3.8 million,wow,big deal,ps3 sucks.best game for ps3 sold,grand turismo 5,7.3 million,wow.oh dont forget your god of war 3 sold 1.46 million,well by the numbers,xbox 360……..like or not,best console ever made john carmack,take it,in your face,dont cry.
I don’t need to say anymore, DEATHRATTLEHEAD took care of this for me.
“I got ride of them”, lol. Carmack can say whatever he wants…Rage was a huge letdown. Naughty Dog puts ID Software to shame these days. Stop stealing plaid pants, with a panda in the back seat!!!!!
Downloaded all three demos.
360 and PS3 are near as identical as a multiformat release can be, albeit that the PS3 version had traces of screen tearing in the restaurant section, but they were brief. (The section Jackie is escorted to his table).
Both played exactly the same, choice will come down to multiplayer and controller preference I think.
Lens of Truth will undoubtably call this one a Tie.
PC version looks to have almost exactly same textures as the console, albeit the ability to play at higher resolution. I ran it at 2560×1440 and it looked great, but other than being naturally sharper because of higher resolution there is little difference to the console version.