Fantastic job, sir. This is indeed a very in-depth comparison! I was truly amazed by normal mapping achieved on the PS2. Just look at the depth on surfaces, so many shadows!
TBH everything else seems pretty low poly. SEems they sacrificed a lot of PS2's fillrate to achieve normal maps. But still impressive. Would work well in games with small sectioned maps. I wonder how many painful months of coding the VU1 in assembly and messing with GS registers was needed to achieve those effects lol. Shame they probably couldn't share that code with other developers due to legal NDA reasons. Would have liked to see other PS2 games use normal maps. Because later in PS2's life, most ps2 games looked terrible compared to xbox ports due to missing normal maps and specular maps (i.e., tom clancy's splinter cell series) IIRC, late in ps2's life simple wall/floor normal mapping textures in theory could be done in single pass on the PS2 iirc. The real challenge was doing normal mapping found on water, i.e., super mario sunshine water effect or pretty much most of Xbox's library water effects (Far cry for example). That took too many passes killing fillrate. Some ps2 games used geometric/volumetric water effects instead to achieve similar results like god of war 2 water, but that doesn't scale well to large bodies of water like oceans or lakes (too many polygons)
@@inimicalintent8825 Disagree wholeheartedly. Games like Metal Gear Solid 2 run better on PS2 and MGS3 tramples any Xbox game graphics-wise. Silent Hill 2 was downgraded on Xbox (the fog especially) and Silent Hill 3 never even released lol. Anyway, the poly counts in Metal Gear Solid 3, among everything else like heavy post-processing, full water reflections, full shadows for EVERY character and object on-screen, huge amounts of fully 3D grass etc., high quality textures that benefit from 4K (through emulation like PCSX2) since the game has large maps, and higher resolutions allow for better visibility. Collision physics, body limbs actually reacting to surfaces, again full water reflections for EVERYTHING, all that makes Metal Gear Solid 3 the best-looking 6th gen title period. Normal mapping does NOT make up even 10% of a game's graphics. The art direction, which was impeccable in PS2 games, says that, along with the best lighting effects out of any platform. And it was not nearly as hard to optimize as many people make it out to be, only initially since developers didn't receive SDK kits. That caused a bit of a stir in the first two years of games' development but many games in 2001 and post-2001 had fantastic graphics on the PS2. From GTA series to Silent Hill 2-4, Shadow of the Colossus, God of War 2, Devil May Cry 3, Final Fantasy X, Hitman series, Peter Jackson's King Kong, Beyond Good & Evil, Ico, Resident Evil 4 are some of the greats.
I played all versions of this game and I’ve come to the conclusion that the PS2 version is the best and honestly, the only good version of this game. Here is why: Shiny developed this game for the PS2 from the ground up, which is why the game was more optimized for the system. The PS2 version has extra effects that are nowhere to be found in other ports. It also has more detailed depth of field and it supports widescreen. Unfortunately, the Xbox & PC conversions are not 100% accurate, since the Xbox version is missing effects and widescreen support. The frame rate is also somewhat worse than the PS2 version, especially when there’s a lot of action on screen. The Xbox version also looks weird to look at, mainly in the prologue due to the lack of bloom and the image warping effect. This takes away from the atmospheric feel you get when playing the PS2 version. The Xbox version also has a weird problem on the loading screen where the matrix codes are stretched, and it just looks wrong. Strangely, the PC version does not have this problem, but even the PC version isn’t good either. In fact, it’s actually the worst version of the game, since it is an even worse port of the Xbox version. Despite the more stable frame rate, sharper textures, and higher resolution, it has almost all the same problems except for the loading screen glitch, and it is somewhat buggier than the Xbox version. There are more glitches, graphical corruptions, and even more effects are missing. The keyboard controls are awful and this is especially a major problem because it makes combos even more difficult to pull off than it already is on a controller. The PC version also suffers from terrible lighting that completely ruins the atmosphere.
Spot on, also the Xbox version has loading screens mid-level. PC version doesn't have this, but is even more flawed, character costumes/shading are superior looking on Xbox, and even better on PS2. I also recently learned that the framerate issues are caused purely by the Havok physics engine, completely randomly and especially when there's some particle effects going on. Sometimes the game runs smoothly despite tons of action going on, and sometimes it will start stuttering despite nothing happening. This is purely an optimisation issue and could've been handled much better if Shiny had more time, however, they chose to develop three versions simultaneously to maximize sales whilst sacrificing extra potential polish for the PS2 version. Wouldn't be surprised if the publisher demanded them to release the game prematurely. The Lighting Detail graphics option (which is insane given it's a console game) does not affect performance in any way, the developers were definitely aware of the Havok issue so they gave players a setting for giggles, to see for themselves that Lighting Detail does not impact the stuttering, it's the Havok physics. The setting affects normal mapping quality on surfaces, of which there is plenty (another lacking feature in PC/Xbox). I used to play the PC version for many years before finally getting to emulate it. Little did I know how bad the PC version was, not only on its own, but especially compared to its console counterparts. I also suggest looking into Part 2 and 3 on my channel. Thanks for the comment!
This game pratically showed what the PS2 could in right hands. The amount of VFX, the bump mapping (something that were labeled as impossible to do) and the on-screen action is almost still unmatched these days. Another game really worth checking for a technical standpoint is True Crime: New York City, lead on PS2 as well. It's a little benchmark, albiet very buggy.
This, Metal Gear Solid 3, Shadow of the Colossus, Scarface: The World is Yours (PS2 original) are very pretty games, and some of the most demanding. This and Scarface were downgraded on Xbox as well.
@@VergilHiltsLT And to say that the PS2 had the most complex and less powerful HW of its generation. Devs totally went crazy with it. MGS2 still holds up today and it's from friggin' 2001!
@@LoStraniero91 On top of that, MGS2 runs at 60 FPS. :) It was actually the most powerful if optimized well, as it had Two Vector Units and eDRAM (superfast VRAM) enabling 48 GB/s VRAM bandwidth compared to 5.4 GB/s total bandwidth on Xbox. And pixel fillrate of 1.2 Gigapixels/s vs 250-700 Megapixels/s on Xbox. Just for reference. The higher the fillrate, the better overall graphics are. Not just that but incredible polygon rendering!
@@VergilHiltsLT I replayed Gran Turismo 4 and OMG it still looks insanely good. Ghosthunter is also a technical showcase: dynamic water, cloth simulation, real time shadows, reflections, god rays and very detailed characters.
@@LoStraniero91 Yeah, Ghosthunter is pretty impressive. Also MGS3 has full water reflections for every object and character on screen. :) And fully 3D grass that moves upon contact! Lots of it. All individually shaded (reflects sunlight).
@@TheUltimateHacker007 PCSX2 Nightly builds have improved so much, the game looks incredible now, all issues fixed. There may be few effects misalignments but they will be fixed with time. Just use 4x-5x native resolution max, and disable screen blur (filter).
Amazing comparison. I played this countless times on PS2 and PC. Such a undervalued game. I also like it more than Enter The Matrix. With the PC version its a hit and miss. You got 60FPS with a mod I believe and high resolution while on PS2 you are stuck to low res and 30 or even 25FPS lock (PAL). But for this most effects and graphics look better and right on PS2 and the controls are also better. Did you play the PAL version? Not sure but the recorded footage looks notably lower FPS in comparison to the PC. I also remember the PCSX2 emulated version to have many problems compared to real Hardware PON but I last tried it years ago. Is the game still so broken on PCSX2? Would also to be cool to have a widescreen and 60FPS unlock patch.
Thank you for the elaborate comment. It is absolutely undervalued and mind-boggling how there's so many people favouring Enter the Matrix over this. EtM barely has any moves and you're not even playing as Neo or other main characters, just some errand boys. Niobe did have a bigger role in the movies, but still a supporting character, while Ghost is literally a ghost. And while it's nice that the game expands upon them, Ghost feels like he was shoved into the movies just for the sake of having more screen time in the game. He has like 2 or 3 scenes in the movies, lol. But that's not even the biggest issue, EtM is an unfinished, janky, buggy game with ugly graphics for 2003. The level design is so bland and uninspired, repetitive gameplay and boring missions in general. Path of Neo literally fixed all of its problems whilst adding a much more fun combat system, where you can fight multiple opponents at the same time and even perform unique, context-based/environmental combos. + an actual physics engine for every object on-screen, which is insanely impressive! The PS2 version here is NTSC, I never use PAL due to 15% drop in game speed (25 FPS). Recent PCSX2 builds (1.7.0) have been significantly improved, and the game looks really good (albeit still has visual issues here and there). But only if you use 720p, don't use higher resolutions or the visual effects become misaligned (wrong positions). The first level has white edges around columns, I assume this is related to Normal mapping. Also the VFX isn't 100% correct, but much better than older versions like 1.4.0 or 1.5.0, provided you use Auto Flush option. Give it a few more years (maybe less) and the game will be fully fixed! I don't recommend using mods for PC, they're incapable of fixing the game, and while higher quality textures are nice, that's not the problem. It's still jarringly ugly thanks to botched lighting. The game also doesn't benefit from 60 FPS, yes it is smoother but not necessary for smooth gameplay. PS2 version drops to 15-20 FPS and I can still play it just fine (because it had Vsync and latency optimisations). In other words, doesn't lose responsiveness. PS2 version natively supports widescreen, so a patch is not required. PC version does not, you need a fix for that. I'm pretty sure 60 FPS patches are available for PCSX2.
Hi! New subscriber here. Great video on one of my favourite games. I still remember just moving the camera around and admiring the normal mapping on the walls in the ps2 version. I think the PS2 is the most surprising of its generation in terms of graphics. Can't wait to see what other vids you have. Mike Also, I'm curious how you captured the PS2. It's one of the clearest captures I've seen on youtube for actual PS2 hardware. Great work!
Yes, normal mapping was very advanced and used even for clothes, like Morpheus' outfit. Or the prison walls in Merovingian's castle. So amazing... PS2 was a super powerful machine and even more powerful than Xbox, which claimed to have raw power but lacked in memory bandwidth and pixel fillrate. I captured this with Elgato Game Capture HD60 card. :) Component cables (HD Retrovision), best quality cables for 30 USD. Got them for 25. TV is LCD Bravia 720p, fantastic wide colour range and perfect with 720p. Though I still prefer emulation at 720p.
PC for sure. I commented on this in the video and the description, PC version was based on the Xbox port, burrowing elements from it but also resulting in some broken VFX due to incompatibilities. PC feels like a rush job, though Xbox doesn't fare much better either.
Does maybe it have anything to do with the unsupported resolutions? What if it was run in 4:3 original resolution? Maybe the 4k workaround negates the screen effects. You can see in the game files there are files for DOF and filter.
You mean the PC version? No, there are effects missing altogether. The game's lighting engine is completely different, too. Resolution doesn't impact this, I've tested it. The only thing that's affected for sure is depth of field.
as a PC Gamer I Had To Say, That PS2 Version Is The Best One, Not Only Because Of The Lack Of Textures Errors, No, That Atmosphere, Which Makes You Feel The Feeling Of Watching The Film, The Reflections Of The Images On The Ground, The Reflections Of Light On The Character, The Shades.
@@VergilHiltsLT Most Of Times PC's Graphics Wins, But, There's Alot Of PC Games Versions Were So Bad, Do You Remember "Spider-man 2", PC Version?, Feel So Lucky Because I've Finished It On PS2. 😅
@@Freetrumental This is because PC and Xbox got the worst ports during the 6th generation. Games developed for PS2 hardware, then ported to Xbox and PC simply didn't translate well due to hardware differences. Games developed on PC could look nice in their own way (bigger environments, high quality textures, high draw distance, HDR rendering), but lighting and effects-wise, PS2 still had the upper hand even up until 2006 and later. This is because PS2 had huge pixel fill rate and incredible bandwidth, allowing for super fast calculations. It had limitations in texture size due to memory shortage, but the faster memory allowed for some incredible-looking games even in the console's last years. Most 6th gen games were simply superior looking on PS2. Xbox did have higher resolution on some games, but at the cost of missing/lackluster VFX and other downgrades.
@@VergilHiltsLT video games are originally directed to consoles, not to the pc, and the developers' interest is to make them more suitable for it, since the consoles are only for playing, because of that, computer copies are often broken, so modders are forced to repair It themselves.
@@VergilHiltsLT Computer copies in general are not that bad, and there are copies that are superior to copies of hubs, but since the community of PC players is the largest and even developing games on the PC is the easiest, so I hope that the developers will pay more attention to the PC versions.
It only supports Dinput, not Xinput (X360). So you need a controller like Dualshock 3 or 4. You can even use DualShock 2 I believe. Honestly just play the PS2 version.
Real shame how much they nerfed the pc rendering engine. Especially when you boost rendering detail in the settings and the lighting and textures glitch way out of proportion. Well, at least we finally got a 60fps patch for pc.
Not that it's necessary though, the game was designed for 30 FPS. It's a brawler primarily, and perfectly playable even with frame drops on PS2, as they don't impact input lag.
wtf 3:34 with the mirror reflections and the colour in the chairs etc? looks worse! better to emulate the PS2 version on PC? this would be the definitive edition to play?
The reflection has been completely screwed on PC, but I also advise paying attention to the lighting, character shading, and VFX on PS2. My suggestion is to play using PCSX2 or original PS2 hardware if you have it, hook it up with OSSC and component cables. That way you'll have 100% perfect visuals. PCSX2 is also a good way to play, benefit of increased resolution, but some effects and textures may not render correctly.
Again, very commonplace in 6th gen era. PS2 was a powerhouse in the right hands, with way higher bandwidth and pixel fill rate than Xbox! It's all a matter of optimisation. Of course, the more complex VFX are used, the harder it is to port them properly on PC, perhaps even impossible - never seen a dev do a 100% identical conversion. PS2 hardware was completely alien. Sure they could've done a much better job on PC, but my guess is time constraints. Would've been preferable to optimise PS2 version even further.
Damn, the PS2 version is incredible! Despite the frame drops with visual effects and debris, I'm so happy I bought the PS2 version. Imo this is hands-down the Best Matrix game and my personal favorite!
Yup, all other versions are downgrades unfortunately, with Xbox being second-best. The frame drops are not caused by debris or VFX, it's just some error in the game code. I've tested it in many different scenarios and the game drops frames even when there's no action happening. This happens in all versions of the game. Other than that, the game does impressive stuff with particles, physics, environmental destruction and general Matrix shenanigans. :]
¡Gracias! No se trata de preferencias, la versión de PS2 ES superior. Fue desarrollado primero y las versiones para PC/Xbox son de segunda mano. Puede ser por falta de tiempo, pero mi teoría es limitaciones en PC. La versión de PS2 usa iluminación y efectos que DirectX 9.0 simplemente no era capaz de renderizar en ese momento. Las diferencias de hardware entre PC y PS2 tampoco ayudaron, por lo tanto, la versión para PC se degradó severamente. Lo mismo ocurre con Xbox, en menor medida. Muchos juegos tuvieron este problema durante la sexta generación. Casi todos los juegos que probé fueron degradados de PS2 a PC y Xbox.
@@VergilHiltsLT no creo que el problema es de limitación, es imposible esa probabilidad hablando de pc ya que la ps2 ni siquiera era la consola mas potente de su tiempo, menos para un pc, lo mas probable es una falta de interés a la hora de portear el juego, dejándoselo a equipos pequeños, algo que también sucede con la la mayoría de juegos de aquella época como dices, el mejor ejm es la saga gta
It would make sense considering the PC version has bad camera (third-person style) instead of DMC3-type camera. You need to see all your opponents around you, plus the FOV on PC is as if someone loaded up the game's camera in a slingshot and pulled it backwards. It also feels more responsive on PS2. Again, makes sense since it's the original version.
Reshade doesn't return effects, sadly. That's not how it works. Those effects are hard-coded into the game's engine. The only way to really bring them back would be to reverse-engineer the PS2 version, which would take years. Not worth the effort considering PCSX2 is almost perfect now. Yes, even more improvements have been made since.
@@snackers7 No. Like I said, it's not possible to replicate PS2 effects with Reshade. Even the physics engine is broken on PC. Reshade is basically a screen filter/shader, not present within the game engine itself. Reshade doesn't provide real 3D effects. The game effects from PS2 are tied to that particular version, not the PC version.
@@VergilHiltsLT All right, but what about asi scripts? In NFS Most Wanted asi scripts brings new functionality to the whole game. I need to try this game on emulator to look the difference on my own. I am really curious.
@@ak47is I don't see it. On PC version, the broken depth of field causes "double vision", perhaps you got the screens confused? PS2 is bottom, PC is up. Look at 16:45, the entire screen is blurry on PC.
Por supuesto. Muéstrame un juego de Dreamcast que se vea mejor que los juegos de PS2 como Metal Gear Solid 3, Devil May Cry 3, Silent Hill 4 o Urban Chaos: Riot Response.
labai patiko, jokingai atrode is pc versijos charekterei kazkokie alejaus uzpilti. ps2 versija tobulai atrodo daug efektu kambarei relistiskiau atrodo. big respect Vergil.
Ačiū, didžiausia problema PC versijoje apšvietimas ir šešėlių trūkumas. Veikėjai atrodo įklijuoti į aplinką, neapšviesti tinkamai. Aplamai trūksta efektų kaip vaizdo iškraipymas, bloom, atspindžiai, mažiau arba nėra rūko, dūmų, spalvų filtrų ir t.t. :)
The framerate has dips on both PS2 and Xbox, happens randomly. What causes it is still unknown since the game runs smoothly otherwise, even with all the enemies and effects on screen. It might be the weird blur effect that happens when you receive damage (no idea why devs thought that was a good idea), but sometimes the game maintains 100% speed even with it happening. Or it could be something else, however, even with the framerate dips the controls remain 100% responsive, unlike some games where FPS drops introduce latency (input lag and failure to register buttons).
I don't think it looks like ass. Just really needs a resolution upscale, and that's where PCSX2 comes in. The game could look really good with all the effects from PS2, but they're not entirely perfect yet. Luckily, the PCSX2 team is working hard on the emulator, it has a few graphical issues but is progressing nicely otherwise. It also uses Havok physics for every object in the game, including corpses, so you can pick up and throw any with the grab ability, much like Half-Life 2. PC indeed do much better, but the PS2 version did normal mapping and other advanced graphics, hence the PC port looked like crap. They had to use Microsoft's worse proprietary effects (DirectX API limitation), even the lighting is much worse than PS2's. Same for Xbox, but to a lesser extent.
@@VergilHiltsLT it was impressive what developers could get out of the ole ps2 for sure. I know sotc can run a little rough and has horrible pop in, but damn when I first played that game I couldn’t believe my lil ps2 was pulling that off lol same with silent Hill 4 and the jak games.
i unfortunately dropped this video about 10 minutes in, it gets bothersome having to read the differences, this would of been a top notch video if you just lowered the volumes and narrated the differences with your voice or somebody else's voice, that way people can just relax and watch without focusing their eyes too much on that hard to read font.
Too bad. There are several reasons why I believe the text format is better: 1. You can pause the video and read through, whilst also studying the differences, then unpausing; 2. Certain people can't understand different accents than their own. I can speak fluent English, which I have done for another comparison in the past, but even so there will still be foreigners who prefer reading; 3. Not everyone wants to listen to someone speak to begin with. Some may not like the voice, some will want to listen to the game audio; 4. Overall, there isn't a lot of text with quite large gaps in-between. Only in cases where there are multiple differences. In such cases, I would have to stop the video footage or slow it down to 5% to be able to read through the entire text before carrying on, or narrate really fast. Not an option; 5. The visual differences are really easy to notice. The text only serves as sort of a guide, therefore your attention should be directed at the footage primarily; 6. Adding voice overs takes a lot more time and editing (which the videos already took to make). Again, I would have to stop or slow down the video footage every once in a while in order to match my narration. Which is where I believe pausing to be a much better option.
@@SDRIFTERAbdlmounaim No problem. Sometimes the text can go a bit fast, for example when there are multiple differences one after another during fast scenes, I could've slowed them down some more. Luckily, such cases are few and far between. You can use UA-cam's speed option to slow it down, too.
PC version looks so much better. Better shading, better textures, a lot of effects and less pixelated. Yeah SOME THINGS are worse though like no fake mirror or worse lightning.
Disagree. PC is missing literally every single visual effect there is, and has mostly inferior alternatives to the PS2 version post-processing and "shaders" (PS2 didn't have proper shaders but an insane bandwidth thanks to its eDRAM, + huge pixel fillrate). Sure the textures are higher res on PC, albeit not even in every case, but the godawful lighting and poor/non-existent shading, glitchy shadows, Z-buffer issues (texture flickering), wonky camera and poor controls, the PC version simply doesn't come close. I will gladly take the dips in framerate on PS2, it doesn't hurt latency or cause any input lag, due to PS2 having Vsync. The fights also look way more cinematic with PS2's camera, and the controls super slick. PS2 is also the original version and has native widescreen support. PC widescreen patch isn't perfect, but it results in the camera displaying out-of-bounds stuff. Not to mention the atrocious negative mouse acceleration and lack of controller support. A shame this game isn't on Devil May Cry 3's quality, still many moves and fun to be had. Shiny did their best as a AA studio back then, but the time they spent porting could've been allocated towards further optimising the PS2 original.
![The Matrix: Path of Neo Comparison Part 2 [PS2 vs PC]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/L6i6q7ICkHY/mqdefault.jpg)
![The Matrix: Path of Neo Comparison Part 2 [PS2 vs PC]](/img/tr.png)
Part 2 is out now!
ua-cam.com/video/L6i6q7ICkHY/v-deo.html
Fantastic job, sir. This is indeed a very in-depth comparison! I was truly amazed by normal mapping achieved on the PS2. Just look at the depth on surfaces, so many shadows!
TBH everything else seems pretty low poly. SEems they sacrificed a lot of PS2's fillrate to achieve normal maps. But still impressive. Would work well in games with small sectioned maps. I wonder how many painful months of coding the VU1 in assembly and messing with GS registers was needed to achieve those effects lol. Shame they probably couldn't share that code with other developers due to legal NDA reasons. Would have liked to see other PS2 games use normal maps. Because later in PS2's life, most ps2 games looked terrible compared to xbox ports due to missing normal maps and specular maps (i.e., tom clancy's splinter cell series)
IIRC, late in ps2's life simple wall/floor normal mapping textures in theory could be done in single pass on the PS2 iirc. The real challenge was doing normal mapping found on water, i.e., super mario sunshine water effect or pretty much most of Xbox's library water effects (Far cry for example). That took too many passes killing fillrate. Some ps2 games used geometric/volumetric water effects instead to achieve similar results like god of war 2 water, but that doesn't scale well to large bodies of water like oceans or lakes (too many polygons)
@@inimicalintent8825 Disagree wholeheartedly. Games like Metal Gear Solid 2 run better on PS2 and MGS3 tramples any Xbox game graphics-wise. Silent Hill 2 was downgraded on Xbox (the fog especially) and Silent Hill 3 never even released lol. Anyway, the poly counts in Metal Gear Solid 3, among everything else like heavy post-processing, full water reflections, full shadows for EVERY character and object on-screen, huge amounts of fully 3D grass etc., high quality textures that benefit from 4K (through emulation like PCSX2) since the game has large maps, and higher resolutions allow for better visibility. Collision physics, body limbs actually reacting to surfaces, again full water reflections for EVERYTHING, all that makes Metal Gear Solid 3 the best-looking 6th gen title period.
Normal mapping does NOT make up even 10% of a game's graphics. The art direction, which was impeccable in PS2 games, says that, along with the best lighting effects out of any platform. And it was not nearly as hard to optimize as many people make it out to be, only initially since developers didn't receive SDK kits. That caused a bit of a stir in the first two years of games' development but many games in 2001 and post-2001 had fantastic graphics on the PS2. From GTA series to Silent Hill 2-4, Shadow of the Colossus, God of War 2, Devil May Cry 3, Final Fantasy X, Hitman series, Peter Jackson's King Kong, Beyond Good & Evil, Ico, Resident Evil 4 are some of the greats.
Quite a deep comparison :) a lot of hard work has been put. Keep it goin man!
Thanks dear :) I busted my buttocks working on this.
Extremely in-depth. Excellent.
Thank you! I sweated hard for this.
How so epic?? You made my day with this video man! I knew the game was better on ps2 just needed some comparison explain why. Nice onee
I played all versions of this game and I’ve come to the conclusion that the PS2 version is the best and honestly, the only good version of this game. Here is why:
Shiny developed this game for the PS2 from the ground up, which is why the game was more optimized for the system. The PS2 version has extra effects that are nowhere to be found in other ports. It also has more detailed depth of field and it supports widescreen. Unfortunately, the Xbox & PC conversions are not 100% accurate, since the Xbox version is missing effects and widescreen support. The frame rate is also somewhat worse than the PS2 version, especially when there’s a lot of action on screen. The Xbox version also looks weird to look at, mainly in the prologue due to the lack of bloom and the image warping effect. This takes away from the atmospheric feel you get when playing the PS2 version. The Xbox version also has a weird problem on the loading screen where the matrix codes are stretched, and it just looks wrong. Strangely, the PC version does not have this problem, but even the PC version isn’t good either. In fact, it’s actually the worst version of the game, since it is an even worse port of the Xbox version. Despite the more stable frame rate, sharper textures, and higher resolution, it has almost all the same problems except for the loading screen glitch, and it is somewhat buggier than the Xbox version. There are more glitches, graphical corruptions, and even more effects are missing. The keyboard controls are awful and this is especially a major problem because it makes combos even more difficult to pull off than it already is on a controller. The PC version also suffers from terrible lighting that completely ruins the atmosphere.
Spot on, also the Xbox version has loading screens mid-level. PC version doesn't have this, but is even more flawed, character costumes/shading are superior looking on Xbox, and even better on PS2.
I also recently learned that the framerate issues are caused purely by the Havok physics engine, completely randomly and especially when there's some particle effects going on. Sometimes the game runs smoothly despite tons of action going on, and sometimes it will start stuttering despite nothing happening. This is purely an optimisation issue and could've been handled much better if Shiny had more time, however, they chose to develop three versions simultaneously to maximize sales whilst sacrificing extra potential polish for the PS2 version. Wouldn't be surprised if the publisher demanded them to release the game prematurely. The Lighting Detail graphics option (which is insane given it's a console game) does not affect performance in any way, the developers were definitely aware of the Havok issue so they gave players a setting for giggles, to see for themselves that Lighting Detail does not impact the stuttering, it's the Havok physics. The setting affects normal mapping quality on surfaces, of which there is plenty (another lacking feature in PC/Xbox).
I used to play the PC version for many years before finally getting to emulate it. Little did I know how bad the PC version was, not only on its own, but especially compared to its console counterparts. I also suggest looking into Part 2 and 3 on my channel. Thanks for the comment!
Splendid work on this!!!
Thank you. :)
9:20 Loved how the music synced with Neo's kick on the ps2 scene.
Purely coincidental, I assure you. Yes, for real.
This game pratically showed what the PS2 could in right hands. The amount of VFX, the bump mapping (something that were labeled as impossible to do) and the on-screen action is almost still unmatched these days. Another game really worth checking for a technical standpoint is True Crime: New York City, lead on PS2 as well. It's a little benchmark, albiet very buggy.
This, Metal Gear Solid 3, Shadow of the Colossus, Scarface: The World is Yours (PS2 original) are very pretty games, and some of the most demanding. This and Scarface were downgraded on Xbox as well.
@@VergilHiltsLT And to say that the PS2 had the most complex and less powerful HW of its generation.
Devs totally went crazy with it. MGS2 still holds up today and it's from friggin' 2001!
@@LoStraniero91 On top of that, MGS2 runs at 60 FPS. :) It was actually the most powerful if optimized well, as it had Two Vector Units and eDRAM (superfast VRAM) enabling 48 GB/s VRAM bandwidth compared to 5.4 GB/s total bandwidth on Xbox. And pixel fillrate of 1.2 Gigapixels/s vs 250-700 Megapixels/s on Xbox. Just for reference.
The higher the fillrate, the better overall graphics are. Not just that but incredible polygon rendering!
@@VergilHiltsLT I replayed Gran Turismo 4 and OMG it still looks insanely good. Ghosthunter is also a technical showcase: dynamic water, cloth simulation, real time shadows, reflections, god rays and very detailed characters.
@@LoStraniero91 Yeah, Ghosthunter is pretty impressive. Also MGS3 has full water reflections for every object and character on screen. :) And fully 3D grass that moves upon contact! Lots of it. All individually shaded (reflects sunlight).
Back again I see 😀 Keep it up, good to see that you're still kicking somewhat 😁
I'm totally going places, dude :D Thanks as usual!
Need a remake
I remember downloading the pc version and thought my nostalgia did some heavy lifting with how dull it looked on pc
The lighting is so botched on PC that characters don't look like they're part of the scene. Almost no lighting.
@@VergilHiltsLT Very true. Might try again with pcsx2. Thanks for the informative video
@@TheUltimateHacker007 PCSX2 Nightly builds have improved so much, the game looks incredible now, all issues fixed. There may be few effects misalignments but they will be fixed with time. Just use 4x-5x native resolution max, and disable screen blur (filter).
Amazing comparison. I played this countless times on PS2 and PC. Such a undervalued game. I also like it more than Enter The Matrix. With the PC version its a hit and miss. You got 60FPS with a mod I believe and high resolution while on PS2 you are stuck to low res and 30 or even 25FPS lock (PAL). But for this most effects and graphics look better and right on PS2 and the controls are also better. Did you play the PAL version? Not sure but the recorded footage looks notably lower FPS in comparison to the PC. I also remember the PCSX2 emulated version to have many problems compared to real Hardware PON but I last tried it years ago. Is the game still so broken on PCSX2? Would also to be cool to have a widescreen and 60FPS unlock patch.
Thank you for the elaborate comment. It is absolutely undervalued and mind-boggling how there's so many people favouring Enter the Matrix over this. EtM barely has any moves and you're not even playing as Neo or other main characters, just some errand boys. Niobe did have a bigger role in the movies, but still a supporting character, while Ghost is literally a ghost. And while it's nice that the game expands upon them, Ghost feels like he was shoved into the movies just for the sake of having more screen time in the game. He has like 2 or 3 scenes in the movies, lol. But that's not even the biggest issue, EtM is an unfinished, janky, buggy game with ugly graphics for 2003. The level design is so bland and uninspired, repetitive gameplay and boring missions in general. Path of Neo literally fixed all of its problems whilst adding a much more fun combat system, where you can fight multiple opponents at the same time and even perform unique, context-based/environmental combos. + an actual physics engine for every object on-screen, which is insanely impressive!
The PS2 version here is NTSC, I never use PAL due to 15% drop in game speed (25 FPS). Recent PCSX2 builds (1.7.0) have been significantly improved, and the game looks really good (albeit still has visual issues here and there). But only if you use 720p, don't use higher resolutions or the visual effects become misaligned (wrong positions). The first level has white edges around columns, I assume this is related to Normal mapping. Also the VFX isn't 100% correct, but much better than older versions like 1.4.0 or 1.5.0, provided you use Auto Flush option. Give it a few more years (maybe less) and the game will be fully fixed!
I don't recommend using mods for PC, they're incapable of fixing the game, and while higher quality textures are nice, that's not the problem. It's still jarringly ugly thanks to botched lighting. The game also doesn't benefit from 60 FPS, yes it is smoother but not necessary for smooth gameplay. PS2 version drops to 15-20 FPS and I can still play it just fine (because it had Vsync and latency optimisations). In other words, doesn't lose responsiveness.
PS2 version natively supports widescreen, so a patch is not required. PC version does not, you need a fix for that. I'm pretty sure 60 FPS patches are available for PCSX2.
Hi! New subscriber here. Great video on one of my favourite games. I still remember just moving the camera around and admiring the normal mapping on the walls in the ps2 version. I think the PS2 is the most surprising of its generation in terms of graphics. Can't wait to see what other vids you have. Mike
Also, I'm curious how you captured the PS2. It's one of the clearest captures I've seen on youtube for actual PS2 hardware. Great work!
Yes, normal mapping was very advanced and used even for clothes, like Morpheus' outfit. Or the prison walls in Merovingian's castle. So amazing...
PS2 was a super powerful machine and even more powerful than Xbox, which claimed to have raw power but lacked in memory bandwidth and pixel fillrate. I captured this with Elgato Game Capture HD60 card. :) Component cables (HD Retrovision), best quality cables for 30 USD. Got them for 25. TV is LCD Bravia 720p, fantastic wide colour range and perfect with 720p. Though I still prefer emulation at 720p.
@@VergilHiltsLT Awesome. Thanks for the reply:)
Did the Xbox version looked more like the PC or the PS2 version?
PC for sure. I commented on this in the video and the description, PC version was based on the Xbox port, burrowing elements from it but also resulting in some broken VFX due to incompatibilities. PC feels like a rush job, though Xbox doesn't fare much better either.
Does maybe it have anything to do with the unsupported resolutions? What if it was run in 4:3 original resolution? Maybe the 4k workaround negates the screen effects. You can see in the game files there are files for DOF and filter.
You mean the PC version? No, there are effects missing altogether. The game's lighting engine is completely different, too. Resolution doesn't impact this, I've tested it. The only thing that's affected for sure is depth of field.
as a PC Gamer I Had To Say, That PS2 Version Is The Best One, Not Only Because Of The Lack Of Textures Errors, No, That Atmosphere, Which Makes You Feel The Feeling Of Watching The Film, The Reflections Of The Images On The Ground, The Reflections Of Light On The Character, The Shades.
Absolutely right! Even the camera is bonkers on PC, third-person is so boring and doesn't fit a fighting game.
@@VergilHiltsLT Most Of Times PC's Graphics Wins, But, There's Alot Of PC Games Versions Were So Bad, Do You Remember "Spider-man 2", PC Version?, Feel So Lucky Because I've Finished It On PS2. 😅
@@Freetrumental This is because PC and Xbox got the worst ports during the 6th generation. Games developed for PS2 hardware, then ported to Xbox and PC simply didn't translate well due to hardware differences. Games developed on PC could look nice in their own way (bigger environments, high quality textures, high draw distance, HDR rendering), but lighting and effects-wise, PS2 still had the upper hand even up until 2006 and later. This is because PS2 had huge pixel fill rate and incredible bandwidth, allowing for super fast calculations. It had limitations in texture size due to memory shortage, but the faster memory allowed for some incredible-looking games even in the console's last years.
Most 6th gen games were simply superior looking on PS2. Xbox did have higher resolution on some games, but at the cost of missing/lackluster VFX and other downgrades.
@@VergilHiltsLT video games are originally directed to consoles, not to the pc, and the developers' interest is to make them more suitable for it, since the consoles are only for playing, because of that, computer copies are often broken, so modders are forced to repair It themselves.
@@VergilHiltsLT Computer copies in general are not that bad, and there are copies that are superior to copies of hubs, but since the community of PC players is the largest and even developing games on the PC is the easiest, so I hope that the developers will pay more attention to the PC versions.
There is a way to config the controller in PC? i use x360c but not work at all.
It only supports Dinput, not Xinput (X360). So you need a controller like Dualshock 3 or 4. You can even use DualShock 2 I believe.
Honestly just play the PS2 version.
@@VergilHiltsLT thanks for the help
@@rodrigosimas1980 Don't mention it, we're not alone on this path.
its like the difference between the blu ray and dvd
Real shame how much they nerfed the pc rendering engine. Especially when you boost rendering detail in the settings and the lighting and textures glitch way out of proportion.
Well, at least we finally got a 60fps patch for pc.
Not that it's necessary though, the game was designed for 30 FPS. It's a brawler primarily, and perfectly playable even with frame drops on PS2, as they don't impact input lag.
wtf 3:34 with the mirror reflections and the colour in the chairs etc? looks worse! better to emulate the PS2 version on PC? this would be the definitive edition to play?
The reflection has been completely screwed on PC, but I also advise paying attention to the lighting, character shading, and VFX on PS2. My suggestion is to play using PCSX2 or original PS2 hardware if you have it, hook it up with OSSC and component cables. That way you'll have 100% perfect visuals.
PCSX2 is also a good way to play, benefit of increased resolution, but some effects and textures may not render correctly.
Wow! I had no idea how badly they botched the PC port. They left out lots of cool effects.
Again, very commonplace in 6th gen era. PS2 was a powerhouse in the right hands, with way higher bandwidth and pixel fill rate than Xbox! It's all a matter of optimisation. Of course, the more complex VFX are used, the harder it is to port them properly on PC, perhaps even impossible - never seen a dev do a 100% identical conversion. PS2 hardware was completely alien.
Sure they could've done a much better job on PC, but my guess is time constraints. Would've been preferable to optimise PS2 version even further.
Damn, the PS2 version is incredible! Despite the frame drops with visual effects and debris, I'm so happy I bought the PS2 version. Imo this is hands-down the Best Matrix game and my personal favorite!
Yup, all other versions are downgrades unfortunately, with Xbox being second-best. The frame drops are not caused by debris or VFX, it's just some error in the game code. I've tested it in many different scenarios and the game drops frames even when there's no action happening. This happens in all versions of the game. Other than that, the game does impressive stuff with particles, physics, environmental destruction and general Matrix shenanigans. :]
Buena comparación pero yo me quedo con la de PS2 tiene más detalles que la de PC pero creo que se debe por falta de tiempo
¡Gracias!
No se trata de preferencias, la versión de PS2 ES superior. Fue desarrollado primero y las versiones para PC/Xbox son de segunda mano.
Puede ser por falta de tiempo, pero mi teoría es limitaciones en PC. La versión de PS2 usa iluminación y efectos que DirectX 9.0 simplemente no era capaz de renderizar en ese momento. Las diferencias de hardware entre PC y PS2 tampoco ayudaron, por lo tanto, la versión para PC se degradó severamente. Lo mismo ocurre con Xbox, en menor medida. Muchos juegos tuvieron este problema durante la sexta generación. Casi todos los juegos que probé fueron degradados de PS2 a PC y Xbox.
@@VergilHiltsLT no creo que el problema es de limitación, es imposible esa probabilidad hablando de pc ya que la ps2 ni siquiera era la consola mas potente de su tiempo, menos para un pc, lo mas probable es una falta de interés a la hora de portear el juego, dejándoselo a equipos pequeños, algo que también sucede con la la mayoría de juegos de aquella época como dices, el mejor ejm es la saga gta
I feel like I'm missing on some combo's by playing in PC
I can only do certain limit of this
It would make sense considering the PC version has bad camera (third-person style) instead of DMC3-type camera. You need to see all your opponents around you, plus the FOV on PC is as if someone loaded up the game's camera in a slingshot and pulled it backwards.
It also feels more responsive on PS2. Again, makes sense since it's the original version.
Is there a way to return those cutted effects by using Reshade?
Reshade doesn't return effects, sadly. That's not how it works. Those effects are hard-coded into the game's engine. The only way to really bring them back would be to reverse-engineer the PS2 version, which would take years. Not worth the effort considering PCSX2 is almost perfect now.
Yes, even more improvements have been made since.
@@VergilHiltsLT Maybe scripts with additional Reshade?
@@snackers7 No. Like I said, it's not possible to replicate PS2 effects with Reshade. Even the physics engine is broken on PC.
Reshade is basically a screen filter/shader, not present within the game engine itself. Reshade doesn't provide real 3D effects. The game effects from PS2 are tied to that particular version, not the PC version.
@@VergilHiltsLT All right, but what about asi scripts? In NFS Most Wanted asi scripts brings new functionality to the whole game. I need to try this game on emulator to look the difference on my own. I am really curious.
@@VergilHiltsLT Is there any known way to injection 3d effects to the game by gpu level scripting?
Why does the vision turns doble in the PS2 version?....
No idea what you mean.
Look at the edges, specially on character faces... they turn like double vision blurry.... while in the PC version the edges are straight and solid
@@ak47is I don't see it. On PC version, the broken depth of field causes "double vision", perhaps you got the screens confused? PS2 is bottom, PC is up.
Look at 16:45, the entire screen is blurry on PC.
Este juego demuestra que Playstation 2 era superior a Dreamcast en shaders y poligonos ;)
Por supuesto. Muéstrame un juego de Dreamcast que se vea mejor que los juegos de PS2 como Metal Gear Solid 3, Devil May Cry 3, Silent Hill 4 o Urban Chaos: Riot Response.
Can I use a controller
1:15 read the text. PC version doesn't have controller support. Camera is not suited for controller either.
Lauksim The Matrix Awakens video arba streamu!
labai patiko, jokingai atrode is pc versijos charekterei kazkokie alejaus uzpilti. ps2 versija tobulai atrodo daug efektu kambarei relistiskiau atrodo. big respect Vergil.
Ačiū, didžiausia problema PC versijoje apšvietimas ir šešėlių trūkumas. Veikėjai atrodo įklijuoti į aplinką, neapšviesti tinkamai. Aplamai trūksta efektų kaip vaizdo iškraipymas, bloom, atspindžiai, mažiau arba nėra rūko, dūmų, spalvų filtrų ir t.t. :)
geez it runs like SHIT on the ps2. And then it looks like shit on PC so this really deserves a careful remaster.
The framerate has dips on both PS2 and Xbox, happens randomly. What causes it is still unknown since the game runs smoothly otherwise, even with all the enemies and effects on screen. It might be the weird blur effect that happens when you receive damage (no idea why devs thought that was a good idea), but sometimes the game maintains 100% speed even with it happening. Or it could be something else, however, even with the framerate dips the controls remain 100% responsive, unlike some games where FPS drops introduce latency (input lag and failure to register buttons).
Smagus toks
I thought this game looked like ass no matter what system it was on lol. Must have been built first on ps2. Pc could do much better than this.
I don't think it looks like ass. Just really needs a resolution upscale, and that's where PCSX2 comes in. The game could look really good with all the effects from PS2, but they're not entirely perfect yet. Luckily, the PCSX2 team is working hard on the emulator, it has a few graphical issues but is progressing nicely otherwise. It also uses Havok physics for every object in the game, including corpses, so you can pick up and throw any with the grab ability, much like Half-Life 2.
PC indeed do much better, but the PS2 version did normal mapping and other advanced graphics, hence the PC port looked like crap. They had to use Microsoft's worse proprietary effects (DirectX API limitation), even the lighting is much worse than PS2's. Same for Xbox, but to a lesser extent.
@@VergilHiltsLT it was impressive what developers could get out of the ole ps2 for sure. I know sotc can run a little rough and has horrible pop in, but damn when I first played that game I couldn’t believe my lil ps2 was pulling that off lol same with silent Hill 4 and the jak games.
@@badchowchow Metal Gear Solid 3... Zone of the Enders 2, King Kong, etc...
i unfortunately dropped this video about 10 minutes in, it gets bothersome having to read the differences, this would of been a top notch video if you just lowered the volumes and narrated the differences with your voice or somebody else's voice, that way people can just relax and watch without focusing their eyes too much on that hard to read font.
Too bad. There are several reasons why I believe the text format is better:
1. You can pause the video and read through, whilst also studying the differences, then unpausing;
2. Certain people can't understand different accents than their own. I can speak fluent English, which I have done for another comparison in the past, but even so there will still be foreigners who prefer reading;
3. Not everyone wants to listen to someone speak to begin with. Some may not like the voice, some will want to listen to the game audio;
4. Overall, there isn't a lot of text with quite large gaps in-between. Only in cases where there are multiple differences. In such cases, I would have to stop the video footage or slow it down to 5% to be able to read through the entire text before carrying on, or narrate really fast. Not an option;
5. The visual differences are really easy to notice. The text only serves as sort of a guide, therefore your attention should be directed at the footage primarily;
6. Adding voice overs takes a lot more time and editing (which the videos already took to make). Again, I would have to stop or slow down the video footage every once in a while in order to match my narration. Which is where I believe pausing to be a much better option.
@@VergilHiltsLT thanks for the detailed reply, what you said does indeed make sense.
@@SDRIFTERAbdlmounaim No problem. Sometimes the text can go a bit fast, for example when there are multiple differences one after another during fast scenes, I could've slowed them down some more. Luckily, such cases are few and far between. You can use UA-cam's speed option to slow it down, too.
PC version looks so much better. Better shading, better textures, a lot of effects and less pixelated. Yeah SOME THINGS are worse though like no fake mirror or worse lightning.
Disagree. PC is missing literally every single visual effect there is, and has mostly inferior alternatives to the PS2 version post-processing and "shaders" (PS2 didn't have proper shaders but an insane bandwidth thanks to its eDRAM, + huge pixel fillrate).
Sure the textures are higher res on PC, albeit not even in every case, but the godawful lighting and poor/non-existent shading, glitchy shadows, Z-buffer issues (texture flickering), wonky camera and poor controls, the PC version simply doesn't come close. I will gladly take the dips in framerate on PS2, it doesn't hurt latency or cause any input lag, due to PS2 having Vsync. The fights also look way more cinematic with PS2's camera, and the controls super slick.
PS2 is also the original version and has native widescreen support. PC widescreen patch isn't perfect, but it results in the camera displaying out-of-bounds stuff. Not to mention the atrocious negative mouse acceleration and lack of controller support.
A shame this game isn't on Devil May Cry 3's quality, still many moves and fun to be had. Shiny did their best as a AA studio back then, but the time they spent porting could've been allocated towards further optimising the PS2 original.
Omg you have no idea how hard I laughed at this comment. You sure PC version has more effects? Couldn’t be more wrong lmao.
all you care is resolution and graphics instead of visual style
This shit is also the reason why new gaming generations is getting dull and dull