Which game was most constrained by console power, in your opinion, and why?

[Dr. Caroll]

I don't think Perfect Dark is a good example because it's actually an example of a game where the developers for the most part refused to be constrained by the hardware they were given and they insisted on cramming more and more features into a game that was hitting single digit framerates in some sequences. And then they added co-op on top of that.

And it was co-op with no conventional constraints. Other games might have done some "tethering" nonsense to conserve memory and resources. Not Perfect Dark. In PD co-op each player can go anywhere in the sizeable levels at any time.

That said, I do think that if they'd had more CPU power, the AI would have been more sophisticated. CPU AI limitations were a huge problem on the N64. In the original Rogue Squadron, enemy fighters have no AI. They fly around on prescripted paths to provide the illusion of dogfighting. One of the problems with games having gutted tech due to console hardware is that we often don't find out about it until someone casually mentions it in an interview years later. It's easy to notice a game being graphically downgraded, but a game having its AI removed isn't as obvious.

http://pixelatron.com/blog/the-making-of-star-wars-rogue-squadron-factor-5/

 

[TheMango55]

Skyrim and Fallout 4 on PS3

It just doesn't have enough video memory to play Bethesda games

 

[Dingens]

Infinite Space - You know why when you have played it.
It was way to ambitious for its hardware.

 

[Neo0mj]

Dragon's Dogma on PS3 and X360. They had to use big black borders on the top and bottom of the screen so it would run somewhat close to 30 fps. Even then it had severe trouble reaching 30 fps most of the time. The PC port was a godsend compared to that.

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Dragons Dogma on ps3

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Yeah, this. Game was just too much for last gen.

 

[joylevel11]

GTA V. imagine what that'd look like if it hadn't released on PS3/360. RDR2 looks significantly better because Rockstar has had plenty of time to get used to the current gen hardware. but I guess that's Rockstar for ya...they care more about $ and couldn't pass up the chance to release on PS3/360 and tempt people to double dip.

 

[HighspeedRefleX]

gta 2

 

[CaptainMatilder]

Basically any game that had multiple discs, for obvious reasons.

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Yeah. The Skies of Arcadia Gamecube Port (Legend of Arcadia) comes to mind. The sound quality was very bad and I think there were some other technical limitations. Although that's probably only because they compressed the whole game onto one tiny Gamecube disc.

 

[Kthulhu]

Skyrim and Fallout 4 on PS3

It just doesn't have enough video memory to play Bethesda games

Click to shrink...

Fallout 4 didn't come out on the PS3.

 

[Wafflinson]

Wii

Good Developers chose to work on better projects for PS3 and 360, leaving the Wii left with masterpieces from Nintendo, a fair amount of excellent games from close third parties, and a shit ton of shovelware from no-names.

If the Wii had been as powerful as the 360 and PS3, it would have have been even more of a beatdown, and Wii would have lasted another 2-3 years, followed by the Switch.

Instead, the Wii being barely more powerful than the XBOX did what looked to be irreparable harm to Nintendo's brand when the Wii U launched, leaving Nintendo behind in the tech game.

Time will tell if holding out on tech and choosing a slow climb was the right call.

In many ways, I like to see the past 10 years and the next five as an elongated version of The Tortoise And The Hare.

EDIT: ah darn, misread the OP.

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No. If it was as powerful as those it also would have been more expensive due to accessories and Nintendo not wanting to take losses on HW.

Would have been a disaster and would have flopped.

You have terrible ideas.

 

[No Audible Release]

Bangai-O Spirits on DS. The game has to keep track of hundreds of on-screen bullets simultaneously, with each bullet shown as a rotated and scaled sprite. All bullets also trace a line in their wake to show their trajectory, resulting in probably the worst slowdown I've seen. The "story mode"/tutorial even mentions it. But then that mode is really meta in a lot of ways...

 

[Elfotografoalocado]

I don't think Perfect Dark is a good example because it's actually an example of a game where the developers for the most part refused to be constrained by the hardware they were given and they insisted on cramming more and more features into a game that was hitting single digit framerates in some sequences. And then they added co-op on top of that.

And it was co-op with no conventional constraints. Other games might have done some "tethering" nonsense to conserve memory and resources. Not Perfect Dark. In PD co-op each player can go anywhere in the sizeable levels at any time.

That said, I do think that if they'd had more CPU power, the AI would have been more sophisticated. CPU AI limitations were a huge problem on the N64. In the original Rogue Squadron, enemy fighters have no AI. They fly around on prescripted paths to provide the illusion of dogfighting. One of the problems with games having gutted tech due to console hardware is that we often don't find out about it until someone casually mentions it in an interview years later. It's easy to notice a game being graphically downgraded, but a game having its AI removed isn't as obvious.

http://pixelatron.com/blog/the-making-of-star-wars-rogue-squadron-factor-5/

Click to shrink...

Holy shit, that looks totally unplayable. It's funny, because I remember using an emulator on the Wii as a kid to play Perfect Dark and thinking the emulator wasn't optimized enough or the Wii wasn't powerful enough for a proper emulator since it ran like dogshit, but now I'm not so sure if it was the fault of the emulator or if it was accurate lol.

 

[Jroc]

I don't know if it's true, but I heard that they removed the ability to holster your weapon in Mass Effect 3 because they had to free up ram for the omniblade animations.

 

[Hyun Sai]

Every arcade port of the 6128 - ST - Amiga era.

 

[TheMango55]

Fallout 4 didn't come out on the PS3.

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Ah you're right, I was mixing up generation dates.

 

[Camstun187]

No. If it was as powerful as those it also would have been more expensive due to accessories and Nintendo not wanting to take losses on HW.

Would have been a disaster and would have flopped.

You have terrible ideas.

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Sure, a super powerful console on-par with the 360 and PS3 and ahead of the curve because of an innovative idea that would have sold regardless (given that most people bought the Wii console for wii sports alone) would have been a terrible idea.

Slap on a DVD player at the least, and it would have done well.

You're elitist prick attitude is shitty and unwanted. Get bent.

Sorry mods, one insult for another.

Mod Edit: This post has been reverted to its original warned content.

 

[Wafflinson]

Sure, a super powerful console on-par with the 360 and PS3 and ahead of the curve because of an innovative idea that would have sold regardless (given that most people bought the Wii console for wii sports alone) would have been a terrible idea.

Slap on a DVD player at the least, and it would have done well.

You're elitist prick attitude is shitty and unwanted. Get bent.

Sorry mods, one insult for another.

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So edgy. Shame you feel so threatened by someone shading your ideas that you feel the need to turn to personal insults.

Anyways. No concept is price proof and people wouldn't have spend 599 on a Wii, sorry.

 

[RM8]

Sure, a super powerful console on-par with the 360 and PS3 and ahead of the curve because of an innovative idea that would have sold regardless (given that most people bought the Wii console for wii sports alone) would have been a terrible idea.

Slap on a DVD player at the least, and it would have done well.

You're elitist prick attitude is shitty and unwanted. Get bent.

Sorry mods, one insult for another.

Click to shrink...

He's right, though, Wii was a major success in part because of its price. Big part.

 

[petran79]

There was no port of Mortal Kombat 4 that would reach the GFX performance of the arcade version. Even the PC port with 3DFX support made concessions.
Only MK Gold on Dreamcast few years later matched the arcade version

 

[Camstun187]

So edgy. Shame you feel so threatened by someone shading your ideas that you feel the need to turn to personal insults.

Anyways. No concept is price proof and people wouldn't have spend 599 on a Wii, sorry.

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Isn't pointing a finger and saying "you have terrible ideas" just as personal and shitty as calling you what you exude as a person on the internet?

But hey, here, lets look at sales. 360 did extremely until being surpassed by Wii in yearly sales in 2008.

Who said it had to be 599?

Xbox 360 Core was $299. That included the HD-DVD player. It sold great and was 50 dollars more than the Wii. Take out the HD-DVD and just have a regular DVD drive, and Wii would have been 300-350 and would have still been cheaper than the premium 360 and considerably cheaper than the PS3.

Being cheaper than both other consoles' premium units would have still kept it as "cheaper" in the public eye, and with the added plus of being just as graphically powerful, how would it not have done well?

It would have sold well regardless due to not only motion controls and Wii sports, but also the added bonus of it being graphically on-par with both MS and Sony's consoles, and having a DVD player.

Don't underestimate the appeal of the Wii. The gimmick was pushed as so cutting edge that 300-350 wouldn't have made much of a difference.