Load Times and 30FPS - Crash Bandicoot Remaster (Gaming)

by Cody Miller , Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Sunday, July 02, 2017, 12:16 (2499 days ago)
edited by Cody Miller, Sunday, July 02, 2017, 12:21

That makes the game's 30 fps refresh a little harder to swallow. Vicarious should be proud of how much some of the game's scenes look pre-rendered, and the frame rate appears to have an ironclad lock at 30Hz (which, gaming historians will point out, makes this identical to the PS1 original). But control latency is key for a tough-as-nails '90s platformer, and, in the PS1 era, most gamers had the benefit of a CRT screen. Modern players are already losing a few milliseconds to their TV sets, and the worst part of the Crash Bandicoot trilogy—its gerdanged pixel-perfect jumps—are harder to swallow with the apparent extra lag that comes from a combination of a 30 fps refresh, the DualShock 4 Bluetooth controller, and any HDTV lag. (I tested N. Sane on the same rig I use to play the likes of Mega Man 2, if you're wondering about my platforming bias.)

#codywasright

I have to say while I am enjoying the N Sane Trilogy, the Arstechnica review is spot on, and once again proves that 60 FPS is not merely a luxury in this day and age. I too have played the Megaman Legacy collection on the PS4, and while it is completely playable, there is a very small period of adjustment, since it simply isn't as responsive as its NES counterpart. The reason it plays so well is the fact that it is 60fps, so your input delay is half as long. N Sane Trilogy compared to the original is sluggish, even on my fastest displays. And because the difficulty is retained, it sours things a bit. With modern display tech, every game should be aiming for 60 FPS if it depends on precision. I don't see how this isn't clear to developers. How do you not feel it when you sit down and play your own game?!

Also, the load times are abysmal. I see no reason they should exceed the load times of the PS1. Because the levels are so short, you are waiting and waiting really frequently. I had flashbacks to Wrath of Cortex (which was not developed by Naught Dog by the way).

It's such a shame, because so much effort was put into making this remaster really great, and while everything else is stellar, the most important things were neglected at the end of the day.