Games

[Dolt]

First trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsB1ydR8NFk

[icycalm]

I am downloading the XBLA demo of this out of curiosity. If I like it I'll get if on PC, though I doubt that I will. Ideally, I am hoping for a Vanillaware game done right, though obviously with inferior aesthetics. How inferior exactly is hard to say from the screenshots, however, which is why I am downloading it.

[El Chaos]

PC, PlayStation 3 and 4, Xbox 360 and One, and Wii U comparison: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digit ... t-face-off

On the whole Child of Light is a well-crafted experience across all platforms, although it's clear that the current-generation console and PC releases are the most satisfying to play due to the way the higher-resolution visuals more faithfully replicate fine lines and intricate detail in the stylish artwork. Running solidly at 60fps, the PS4 game is the definitive console version, and it's also Cross Buy too, so you get the PS3 game at no extra cost - a pretty nice bonus even if the experience isn't quite as good on a graphical level.

The occasional frame-rate drops don't really harm the gameplay on Xbox One given their rarity and mildness, although to find any dips in performance in a 2D title is surprising in an age where a less capable GPU is able to run Rayman Origins flawlessly at "Retina" resolution on a suitably equipped MacBook Pro.

The Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii U versions hold up equally well against each other and feature the same high-quality assets and effects work as their PS4 and Xbox One counterparts, although the 720p resolution is a little disappointing, impacting on the clarity and fine detail of the artwork. On the plus side, the visuals do upscale reasonably well outside of the surfaces affected by the strange anti-aliasing blur - the lack of harsh straight lines ensures minimal jaggies and smooth imagery throughout.

Frame-rates are also more stable than the Xbox One release, with a fluid 60fps update that is only slightly interrupted by some barely noticeable dips. The Wii U version snatches a marginal advantage over the 360 and PS3 owing to limited GamePad support - but this is actually built-in at a hardware level in that it's possible to play using the tablet screen without using an external display or HDTV, although the lack of any other features comes across as a missed opportunity.

Overall, this is a fascinating game with a unique charm that manages to work its magic across all platforms, but for stability and consistency the PS4 version gets the nod on console, while the PC version is certainly worthy of consideration if you don't own Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo hardware.

[icycalm]

Wow.

The topic of resolution is particularly interesting where PS4 and Xbox One are concerned. Child of Light provides us with a crisp 1080p presentation, but some evidence suggests that elements of the presentation are derived from rendering at a much higher resolution and then down-sampling - a process known as super-sampling. The lack of long straight edges makes pixel counting difficult, but our analysis throws up two separate numbers for horizontal resolution - 2304 and 2112 were both extracted from the same scene - while vertical resolution is consistent at 1440. This isn't entirely confirmed, then - it may well be the case that a form of multi-sampling is in effect, but the edge-smoothing is quite unlike any other form of MSAA we've seen before. You can peer at the effects on all six platforms by checking out our expansive comparison gallery.

Still don't understand how they did the animation at 2304x1440... There's probably hardly any animation in the game at all then. Or maybe this "multi-sampling" he's talking about means that the animated elements are done at a lower resolution.

Definitely worth checking this out now, for the technology if for nothing else. Hooray to Ubisoft anyway for still attempting cutting-edge 2D projects alongside their 3D ones.