23 April 2023 , 04:00
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PS5 and Xbox Series X|S only games should give developers the freedom to push the hardware harder, but games exclusive to current-gen have most been lacking so far.
I think it was when I discovered that Gotham Knights would be locked to 30 frames per second that something didn’t quite seem right to me. Here was a game that had been in development for almost 10 years, with developer WB Montreal previously announcing it’d be doing away with the planned PS4 and Xbox One versions (presumably to take advantage of the current-gen hardware) yet still the crime-fighting Batman spin-off couldn’t match the silky smooth 60fps heights of earlier cross-gen releases like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Dirt 5 implemented so well.
Frame rate isn’t everything, of course, and unless you play predominantly on PC, odds are you’re someone who grew used to playing games at less than 60 fps during the last console generation. However, when a game like Gotham Knights or Forspoken comes around that's only launching on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, knowing this suddenly sets an expectation – at least in my mind – that the 4K-ready power-pushing capabilities of these machines will be fully utilised to truly offer an experience not previously possible.
This is easily the longest time we’ve seen since a new home console generation has started, that the one before is still being supported through cross-gen releases. And it’s easy to see why publishers are still keen to support PS4 and Xbox One; current-gen hardware has just recently become widely available and those platforms have huge install bases. That’s great for players enjoying their now 10-year-old consoles, but it does leave those of us who jumped to the future generation early left wondering why there was even a need.
Sure, early exclusives on PlayStation like Demon’s Souls, Returnal and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart were fun and gave us a taste of the quicker load times, higher fidelity graphics and 4K visuals possible. Since then, however, most first- and third-party publishers have stuck to releasing cross-gen titles, with only minor improvements or differences on offer on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Fortunately that could be all set to change in 2023 – and the signs are already here.
Why Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's six week delay is a good thing
Dead Space arrived in January as a (mostly) faithful retelling of the original 2008 game’s experience and events, launching exclusively on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. And while it sure looked nice, the nature of it being a remake meant that new developer Motive Studios had to adhere to old-school game design thinking. Creating something new wasn’t the objective; it was to lay a 21st century paint job over the bones of a celebrated game that came before. For as new and shiny as Dead Space seems, therefore, it’s born in the time of two whole console generations ago.
It may have been delayed, but Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is in my mind a good opportunity for players with a current-gen console to see what a third-party publisher like EA can achieve, especially when it’s not being held back to the PS4 and Xbox One’s technical restraints. Unlike with how Gotham Knights handled, I’m hoping it builds upon the bones of the first game by offering staggering visuals and a smooth frame rate; ideally at the same time if we’re lucky. We’ll need to wait until launch day, April 28, 2023, to see for definite.
Cal Kestis’ follow-up journey is an opportunity for developer Respawn to live up to the promise of its first outing in that galaxy far, far away. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order made an impact and was well received by nature of just being a good game – one of the best Star Wars titles in recent years, in fact – but there were a few niggles that held it back from being thought of a true masterpiece. Planets were interconnected yet rampant with hidden load screens, backtracking staggered the pace, and the story just sort of ended.
The good news is that the blueprint exists to make Star Wars Jedi: Survivor a much better sequel in every way, while simultaneously proving what the PS5 and Xbox Series X generation can achieve. Already we’ve seen more combat stances for Cal, new planets to explore and a greater variety of enemies to fight in the trailers so far. From a pure creative level, Fallen Order didn’t leave a lot to be desired; the areas lacking most were more often than not due to technical restraints. And while it’s a shame that Survivor entered development too early to move over to Unreal Engine 5, footage and gameplay released so far promise a beautiful looking sequel.
I’m confident that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will do a great job transporting us back into the world of Jedi and Sith. Where it would impress me most, however, is if it eradicates the minor compromises made in the first game, leaps over the stumbling block that other current-gen exclusives like Gotham Knights haven’t been able to clear, to deliver a thrilling action-adventure on PS5 and Xbox Series X that has until now been held back by cross-gen releases. Absolutely no pressure.