In fact, USA Today gave the 360 version a 9 out of 10 while the PS3 version was slapped with a 7. "Madden on 360 is fast and fluid, thanks to a sharp jump in frame rate that allows the game to move twice as fast. PS3 owners, unfortunately, are greeted with a Madden that is sluggish in comparison," the paper said in its review. "Action stutters far too often, particularly on injuries, penalties and turnovers. There's also a half-second delay between pressing the hike button and receiving the ball in your hands. Even close-ups between play look dull when lined up against the 360's sleeker cut scenes."
For EA's part, the company attributed the differences to the simple fact that they're still learning about developing for PS3: "In the case of the next-generation consoles, many publishers have been developing titles for the Xbox 360 for over 3 1/2 years while everyone who publishes now for the PlayStation 3 with the exception of Sony has been developing for the PlayStation 3 for only a little over one full year. The differences in the overall knowledge of the hardware is vastly different for both consoles and, as is the case with newer technology, it is very difficult to get it right the first time."
Nevertheless, this kind of negative perception in a big mainstream publication like USA Today could have a bigger negative impact on Sony and the PS3 than we might think and it's another feather in Microsoft's cap, argues UBS analyst Ben Schachter.
"The blogosphere is full of posts highlighting the relatively weaker performance of ERTS's Madden NFL 08 game (released 8/14) on the PS3 vs. the Xbox 360. Such detailed discussions of slow frame rates and performance are not typically considered important by Wall Street. But given Madden's popularity and the volume of this debate, we think this is a more meaningful negative for Sony than investors might realize, as it gives gamers just one more reason not to buy a PS3 this year following the slip of GTA IV. It is a positive for MSFT," stated Schachter.
Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter disagrees, however.
"Analysts are too quick to criticize," he told GameDaily BIZ. "There are obviously PS3 games that look fantastic (have you played Resistance, Motorstorm, or seen Call of Duty 4?). It's not an issue with the PS3, notwithstanding what EA said. It's an issue with how they built Madden for the PS3. Remember, EA doesn't have much experience on the PS3 (NOBODY does, except Sony). From what I can tell, the frame rates for NCAA Football and Take-Two's All-Pro Football were equally slow, and nobody complained about them. Eventually (as in next year), EA will figure it out, and nobody will care.
"In the meantime, analysts who are quick to criticize will run around like chicken little claiming that the sky is falling, and journalists who are quick to criticize will print their opinions without checking with me first," Pachter quipped.
He added that his analyst colleagues might be better off focusing elsewhere: "The PS3 is a fantastic console, and anyone who has one knows it's awesome. The Xbox 360 is also fantastic, but has no Blu-ray playback, and has been plagued with warranty issues. One would think that stupid analysts would be writing about the 360 warranty issue, and how people will avoid that box until they can be assured that they won't see the 'three red rings of death.' I love my PS3 (and love my 360), and can't wait to watch 300 in 1080p."
by James Brightman
source:gamedaily.com
