Multi-platform projects on Wii U have underwhelmed somewhat. Performance is a real issue on some titles (notably Batman: Arkham City and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2), making them less playable than they were before on other systems, even if the core visuals are mostly a match. We concluded that developers may well need to adjust to the Wii U's architectural quirks in order to take proper advantage of the platform, but remain concerned about the lack of CPU power.While Trine 2 may not be a major AAA release worthy of blockbuster coverage, it is a quaint puzzle platformer which is as technically brilliant as it is absorbing to play. More importantly though, special attention has been paid to the Wii U version of the game: in an interview with NintendoLife, sales and marketing manager Mikael Haveri stated that the Wii U version would not only feature additional graphical upgrades over other console releases, but that neither the 360 or the PS3 were capable of running Trine 2 with the same level of visual polish as the PC and Wii U editions. We also understand that the game's architectural underpinnings favour stronger graphics hardware and that the code is relatively light in terms of its CPU requirement - a good match for Wii U hardware, in other words.
We were intrigued by the prospect of a Wii U launch title taking advantage of the hardware to potentially deliver the definitive console edition and so broke out the Xbox 360, PS3, PC, and Wii U versions for Digital Foundry's first full "produced from scratch" quad-format Face-Off. Let's begin by taking a look at the 360 and Wii U games in our opening head-to-head video, along with an extensive all-formats comparison gallery.
Read more…
More...
